Whatever happened to summer? I kept waiting but it never appeared in earnest, not really. It was call on account of rain, I think. It’s been too rainy to even get out side to weed the herb bed and it’s a complete disaster now. It really isn’t pretty. I can count on 1 hand how many times I was able to go out and get ahead of the weeds, which is pathetic really when you realize there are 93 days in summer! *sigh* Oh well, there it is and nothing can be done to change, so march forward, plan for fall and winter and hope for better times next year.
Today was a heady experience, a bit overwhelming, actually, in making EO/FO blends for the fall & winter soaps and so far there are 3. It’s a start anyway. I have Black Forest, Through the Woods and my favorite (in name anyway) 3 Kings.
Black Forest is dark, heady, aromatic with the notes of earthy fragrance like Rosemary, Sage, Cedarwood, Silver Fir, and topped with Lemon, Orange, Lavender and a splash of Black Tea. I thought about using the Black Cherry I have but it smelled too sweet and that’s not the direction I wanted this one to go. It needs to be deep, earthy, mystical. If I feel, after spending some time in the bottle steeping together, that it’s too deep and dark I’ll lighten with some bamboo. A green note but still brings a forest to mind. Don’t know what the colours will be, but I’ll ponder on that closer to soaping day.
Through The Woods – also a woodsy fragrance, but with a bit more smoke to it. I thought of using vetiver for a really smoky note, but didn’t like the overpowering tendency it has over everything else in the mix. I stayed with the notes of Cedarwood, Lemon, Eucalyptus, Silver FIr, Lavender, Sweet Basil, Cinnamon Leaf, and Balsam. This one would be a nice scent to eliminate odors on the skin or clothes, making it ideal for hunters! Hm, maybe this should be a spritz rather than a soap.
3 Kings – and you can probably figure out what notes are in this one. Frankincense, Myrrh, a bit of patchouli, a bit of cedarwood, and topped with orange. There’s a substantial portion of the orange to prevent this one from smelling too much like a resin. I had a specific look in mind for this one, so I hope there will be no interruptions when I start working on it. That sort of things has ruined many a batch and not just speaking for myself there.
Honestly I don’t know how younger mothers do this. How they manage raise small children and still be able to soap, create, blend, label, package, plan, pack, go to shows or markets. It’s so much to do and it’s incredibly exhausting for someone who doesn’t have the extra work of small children, but the work required increases exponentially with a small child. Even more so with an infant! I can remember vividly the guilt I felt in leaving my kids at home (their dad was there of course, but still) while I went to the local Farmer’s Market to sell my baked goods in the booth Saturday after Saturday. Some were very good, other weeks were not worth getting up in the morning, yet I had to do it just to keep ahead of the bills month to month. I’d be so tired at the end of a morning selling to a very critical public, I’d come home and fall asleep on the sofa then felt guilty for that, too! What the heck is wrong with a female’s wiring to feel guilty for the desperate need to recharge at the end of a long, tiring day? Mine was totally fried, I guess, but the guilt lingered until they were grown. Then I felt like I’d missed something. Gah! There’s no easy answer for the fine balance between being a mom and being an income earner. There’s no answer that satisfies completely.
So, if you’re a young mom, and you’re soaping, baking, selling, going to markets, going to craft fairs, etc, how do you find balance? How do you keep your sanity with all that you must do every day? How do you find some time to rest, recharge, or create?
With the exception of the blue one in the center, these are all recycled bottles. I’d ordered various fragrances from others, saved the bottles (though irritatingly enough, not the correct tops) for future use, so this is a great way to reuse all those FO & EO bottles you have left from ordering from your various suppliers. The tinted ones are perfect for EOs but only in glass. The volatile oils will eat right through the plastic ones, so remember to save those glass bottles, you probably will need it again one day and it saves money down the road when you want to make your own blends and store it ’til you’re ready to make something with it. I ran short of bottles once or twice and had to buy a few from Whole Foods, but they’re a mint if bought there, so I’ll try to hang on to the ones I have a bit better and NOTE TO SELF – Keep the caps!
Neecy's Necessities 