I wish that we could bottle the amazing holiday scents that roam around the shop this time of year!
Our holiday open house was delightful and we enjoyed seeing and visiting with everyone. Deb my right-hand girl commented at the end of the day how amazing my customers are. She is absolutely spot on! We had a visit from Scrooge. What a cranky old guy he is. When I captured a picture and asked him to crack a smile, he refused. No matter Mr. Scrooge, we're going to keep on smiling and spreading good cheer regardless of your negative disposition.
We're up to number seven and eight of the Twelve Days of Christmas Soap. I can hardly believe how quickly the holidays arrive and exit.
My editor dropped by on Saturday, and I told her how excited I was to get the books finished. I'll be working on them during winter break. Then I'm going to start the third book and dabble in a fourth. I've already settled upon a title for both books. It's a bit of a motivator when you choose a title before starting to write the guts. I kind of believe that's my method. When you decide on a title, it feels comfortable in knowing what the context is going to be. Kind of yin and yang for sure. I'm a firm believer in happy balance and how sometimes the easiest way to achieve is to simply keep it simple.
We're already into week two of December at the shop. The next eight days that our shop is open will be super fast-paced and I'll be burning the midnight oil until break time. It's how we've rolled for twenty-five years and a familiar feeling.
We made an old-fashioned Sunday dinner tonight. Beef roast cooked low and slow with carrots and mashed potatoes. It was so good! I feel like if I don't cook I'll lose my talent. Cooking is practice makes perfect kind of thing. I remember when I used to shoot pool, and I also remember that when I didn't practice every day I would lose my talent for bank shots, etc. There was a day when I'd spend the entire day at the beer joint playing pool. Who knew? The good old days.
I'm making fresh jars of orange vanilla polish and cleanse cleaning essential before heading back to the shop along with a few or several other popular winter essentials. Folks will be stocking up on their favorite skincare creams and serums knowing the shop will be closed for the break.
Wishing you the best that the holidays offer.
Jill
