Our home is old-fashioned in so many ways. For example, we don't have a microwave and my ice is cracked by hand, not by a machine. You're probably asking yourself why am I telling you this? Not having a microwave is personal and let's just say that I believe they're not so healthy, but keep in mind that's strictly my opinion. Warming my food up the days gone by method of putting it in the oven has rewards of its own too. Pizza, for example, is almost ruined when you put it in the microwave, but if you put a couple of slices in the oven to warm it tastes as though it was just made! When it comes to ice cubes and cracked ice, I kind of like cracking it by hand. In the summer there's the satisfying feeling of cracking a few trays of ice early in the morning knowing that it's August hot and I'm going to need to keep my ice bend full for ice tea and coffee. Then there are the three times that the ice line busted and the water flooded our kitchen floor and traveled down to our basement ceiling. The last time this happened a mouse ate through the line. I suspected that it was a wee mouse as I saw her run across the kitchen floor before I caught her. The repair man confirmed as the line had mouse teeth marks running through it! Mice, that's an entirely different story and one that I'm not willing to share. Let's just say not mouse story, but stories, and I'll leave it for another day. All of these stories sound trivial and not so important, but the truth is cracking ice is very close to living life. Sometimes we do things the hard way at a slower pace while other times we yearn to have fast and instant gratification. I'm a firm believer that instant gratification isn't so instant, and that the after effect presses on long after the gratification is gone. In other words, sometimes performing a task at a slow speed reaps rewards long after the task is completed. Here I go again, getting lost in a philosophical conversation about ice have you!
Our presentation on fall is taking center stage at our store. Bittersweet autumn is short, as we head into the holiday season in early November. Our Holiday soaps start arriving the third week of November and the process of wrapping and merchandising takes considerable time and prepping.
The other day when I was cutting zinnia bouquets that fluttery butterfly landed beside me. I ran inside and grabbed my phone to capture her beauty. The bees were swarming in the lavender and the butterflies were sipping nectar from the blossoms. All was right with the world at that moment. I also realized that summer's glory is bountiful and pure. That makes me happy.
We received a shipment of golden dried flowers and have taken the bundles and placed them in white baskets. The season ahead is glowing with burnt orange and golden browns and plums. I'm always drawn to these colors for fall.
Our Minty Watermelon Body Scrub is going to go down as one of my favorite new products for 22! I've been using it every day on my face and body and if my skin could talk is saying, thank you, thank you.
They delivered our awards a few weeks ago. We're honored to have received these awards as they are voted in by our customers. Thank you!
Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, Persian Pear will be making a brief appearance in early September! We love this seasonal soap scent so much!
Winter essential oils are replacing spring and summer ones. Clove, cinnamon, star anise, vanilla, apple, and pear, are but a few of the latest offerings in our perfume department at our store. I'm a warm scent girl so all of these are my cup of tea.
We also just received our hand-picked selection of fall and winter hats. I absolutely love the detailing on these hats! I chatted about these hats on our live video yesterday. You can learn more on our social media platforms.
Every time that I see an oversized gourd I can't help but think of my mom. She loved gourds. My mom was clever in her ideas. One fall she suggested that I order in canteen gourds and cut off the tops. We put bath salt inside. The presentation and packaging were unlike anything I've ever seen. That was my mom. I also remember sitting on the back step with my little saw cutting off the tops of hundreds of gourds! Those were the days. I do miss them. Bittersweet was at a much slower pace and each endeavor was new and green. The term is used in the industry to describe someone that has little or no knowledge of what they're doing. Yes, I was very much green in those days, but through trial and challenges, Bittersweet has strong roots that were planted with hearty and healthy seeds. That was twenty-five years ago! Green is good! This is how you learn, and first-hand learning, making mistakes, and not always getting it right are valuable tools to have.
I'm having a blast with the cookbook! My goal with this book is to have all of my favorite recipes in one book. The new cookbook will hit the shelves in early 23!
Peace be with you.
Jill
Recent Comments