I've patiently waited for this Plumeria to bloom! It's exciting to witness it bloom and I'm cherishing the cluster of aromatic blooms. I've never had the privilege of smelling real plumeria, but now I can say that I have.
We received a shipment of wide-leg jeans a month or so ago. This isn't my first wide-leg jean rodeo, and I'm happy to announce that it probably won't be my last. They are super comfy, high-waisted, and have a drawstring tie. The wide leg has been making a comeback and that makes me happy.
Behind the scenes, the curing room is filled with an assortment of fall soaps. The curing soaps are housed in antique apothecary cabinets. The cabinets have glass doors to help keep the freshly cut soaps from dust and such. I used to have the cabinets at the shop, but have moved them to the studio more than a few years ago to be used in the soap curing room. Yes, we have a soap curing room in our home. It's a good thing! The past twenty-six years have witnessed lots of changes here and there in my soap-making rooms. All of these are met with eagerness to improve upon functionality and production. When a business grows so too do your surroundings or at least it's a good idea to reevaluate your methods and space to better fit your growing business. When Bittersweet was born it was important that I look ahead and also plan for expansion. I knew that it wouldn't be good if I was constricted to making just a few hundred bars of soap, but rather I needed to plan to make thousands. Think big!
I'm digging my new granite countertop! I will however tell you that if something glass falls upon the stone it's going to shatter in a million little pieces. I know this firsthand now. A not so high price to pay for such natural beauty. At least I don't believe so.
The bee balm shot was taken last year. For some reason, it did not return. Some summers are like that. Nature made up for the loss by allowing the moonflower to flourish. Once it gets frosty and colder the plant will produce thorny seed pods so I'll have seeds to share with friends and extra to plant next year. I think I might even offer them at Bittersweet. The plant holds special memories as my mom used to plant them in her garden. Little things. I was thinking about other flowers that remind me of family and friends. The white phlox that blooms every summer alongside the railroad ties was a gift from a dear friend before she passed. I can't help but ponder how my friend knowing she was dying would gently remind me of her kindness and gentle spirit when she shared the seeds. She lives on through these flowers, and the many memories that are associated with their blooms remind me of why I love gardening and flowers so much.
We're introducing the last assortment of summer soaps. Juicy Watermelon is the new soap for this week. I'm still hanging on to summer, but I'm eager for fall. The new fall soaps will start to appear in a couple of weeks. We're going to have an amazing collection this upcoming season!
I'm sharing the pesto recipe from Taste & Eat. Summer and pesto seem to go hand and hand, as does peach tea. I gravitate towards herbal teas of all sorts, but peach is my favorite summertime tea.
The kitchen remodel was completed. The electrician installed new plugs and lighting last week and I've painted and patched and getting ready to style with shelving, Turkish towels, and a complete internal cabinet makeover. I picked up some organization tools that will help to keep pots and pans easier to grab, and cookie sheets at my fingertips. I'll share some of those resources later.
Our shop is definitely sprinkled in fall. We have new shipments of clothing arriving this week, and I'm excited to share this year's collection.
I'm feeling mellow as Summer closes her door and Fall starts to gently tip-toe in.
Jill
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