Soapy Sunday

Well, I didn't get around to making that batch of soap until today. It's a lemon/lime citrus soap. Currently, it is going through the gel phase, and the color seems to be staying light yellow. The last batch of soap I made was a slightly apple and herb/floral mixture of scents- and I named it Orchard Morn. My husband loves this soap- it just aged enought to be able to use it beginning this week. It lathers great and smells fresh. But doesn't smell girly. I have ordered Autumn and Christmas fragrance oils to get going on those soaps. The other soap today was a glycerine M&P soap for the kids- it is cotton candy scented. But the best part is that it is made into little plastic bags of soap holding a cute plastic fish. Like you win at carnivals.

It was hot today and especially hot making that soap out there in the garage lab. I didn't drink much hot tea today after this morning's cup of Almond Biscotti.
I adore this tea. I adore Rachel's teas.

Tonight while I get some quilting done, I will have to have a non caf tea, hmmmm, like my absolute favorite Enchanted Fairy Cake tea! It reminds me of maraschino cherries for some reason. It reminds my daughter of Amaretto Sours.

Tomorrow's activities will include changing linens, laundry, floors, and digging the kitchen out from under the weekend. And we went out to eat last night!!

Change is in the air!

We can feel Autumn! It's on the horizon, but not here yet. The days are still hot and humid, but early in the morning it is just a tiny bit cooler. Cooler weather will be energizing.

This weekend I really need to get a few things organized around here-especially my teas- or my tea collection. Maybe I need to put it onto a spread sheet- with descriptions and my notes about the teas. Scent By Spirit has the Fall teas up and Tricky Treats tea is back. There are several of the Fall'Oween teas that I would like to try besides the Tricky Treats. I think I have Cinilla Moon- see, this is why I need that spread sheet!

Today's plans include making some soap, getting to the post office to send something off to a fellow tea lover, clearing out some room in the refrigerator, and finding that elusive green quilting thread that has gone missing around here. Maybe I can get some cookies made with Aryanna since she won't be able to help with the soap (lye and a six year old just don't mix well).

Time to catch up.

Today is 9/11/06. Patriot's Day. Everyone remembers exactly where they were five years ago. I was home with my oldest son. He was home from work that day. My other children and husband were either at work or in class. We all made sure we knew where we all were immediately- I was thankful that I either heard from them or was able to talk with them right away. Years have gone by- but it still seems so fresh a wound.

In the years since, our family has celebrated weddings, birthdays, births, hurricanes, and we have had some illnesses and also unfortunately, deaths. We all cherish the times that we have had together and the times and celebrations yet to come.

One of the happiest recent times was the arrival of my daughter's twin boys. They are a precious reminder of love and hope. They are treasures. Additionally, our beautiful daughter in law has also announced that our family will grow by one more in February 2007.

Yesterday, Florida felt an earthquake. I had never felt anything like that before. It was centered out in the Gulf of Mexico. It shook the house and rattled things about. Hopefully, we won't get to experience that again. They say it was a 6.0.

Happy things now...I have widened my tea knowledge recently and I am enjoying tea more than ever. My granddaughter and I have always enjoyed having our teas parties together. We have collected special little tea cups with chintz rose designs and various teapots for the season at hand. The teas we have had have varied from rose and cirtus flavored to spicy chai blends. She is my constant companion where tea is concerned.

I discoved Scent By Spirit Teas and have found them to be wonderful. The teas that I had always had trouble enjoying were green teas (eek, so bitter) and Earl Grey (so bitter and cardboard). I am happy to report that I now adore Earl Grey as well as green tea. One of my current favorites is Enchanted Fairy Cake Tea.The knowledge that I have gained from SBS is largely responsible for that- along with very fresh tea. I sound like an ad- but truly, I never knew how stale some of the tea I was having had been until I had fresh tea. I like having lots of different teas and seem to be collecting quite a few.
Today my cup holds Beautiful Earl Grey tea. I have added lemon and sugar. I have a quilt out to work on tonight. The skies are threatening rain here, so I need to take my little dog out for a walk before the skies open.