February is almost over

I am not a fan of February, Valentine's Day notwithstanding. In spite of its mere 28 or 29 days, it drags on and on. It's cold, people are sick, and it's dreary. Historically, Feb. has not treated my family well, it seems, or maybe it's just my own bleak outlook. I remember years back when two of my kids had chicken pox for the first two weeks, and the other two had them for the second two weeks. Four years ago this week, we had to put our dog, Riley, down because of chronic health problems. Friday, we had to put down one of our beloved kitties, Fred.

Fred looked like a Siamese cat, but his mother was a commoner, and so were the rest of the kittens in this litter. I wasn't looking for a cat, but when I heard he was Siamese, I changed my mind.

We were never sorry we got Fred because he was such a sweet, lovable, mellow guy, and very handsome. It was hard making the decision to put him down, but we didn't want him to suffer just so we could have him longer, so we opted not to go ahead with medical procedures and let him go. We are taking comfort in the fact that his suffering did not last long and we have many happy memories of him hanging out with the dogs, looking for lovin', and enjoying my gardens.

He will be missed.

In celebration of the fact that February is on its last leg, I'd like to offer a sale. Here it is:
End of February sale! It's February, it's cold, your skin is dry. You need something heavy-duty to bring back the moisture and make your skin supple again. Buy an 8 oz. jar of whipped body butter and get a free bar of soap!

Please email me or leave, "Feb.Butter" in the comments section to get your free bar.

Not on site, but available:
Herbal Bath Teas: Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey, Purely Herbal Blend, Four Milk Blend, and Relaxation Blend - $2/ea.
Liquid shower gel: All natural. 2 oz. for $4; 4 oz. $6.00
Lotion: Hand and body lotion - 4 oz, $7
Limited Edition Soap: Lavender Patch, a lovely blend of lavender and patchouli. Very few bars left, $6.50 ea.

Visit http://www.soapandgarden.com/ today!

Groundhog Day & Super Bowl

Super Bowl - I am a poor football fan, I must confess. In fact, I chose to root for the Cardinals because I liked their colors better than the Steelers'--pathetic, I know. We all went to our computer shop to watch because we have a huge t.v. screen there. So, I watched. It was a good, close game, to be sure, and I found myself disappointed that my team didn't win.

On to the other big happening of winter. . .

Was it any surprise that Punxatawney Phil forecast 6 more weeks of winter? It certainly wasn't for me, even though I am ready for spring! Still, we in northern climes have to think long and hard about what we like about winter. Here is what I came up with:

*Being inside, hopefully cuddled with a hubby, child, or pet and maybe even a roaring fire.
*Looking through seed and plant catalogs and dreaming about a lovely, lush garden without doing all the work.
*Working on new formulas or products, or perfecting formulas for what I already make. Since I love to produce and experiment, this truly is a delightful time.

I've been working on a body exfoliating scrub, and have made some I like and others I don't like as much. By spring, I hope to have my final product ready to unveil. My most recent one stays solid in the jar, but scoops out easily, feels great on my skin, and lathers just a tiny bit. I like that it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy, just moisturized. This one includes sea salt, organic sugar, oils, milk powder, and oat powder, as the major ingredients. Sound good?

Groundhog day special: Get a free bottle of lotion with a $25.00 purchase! Of course, shipping doesn't count as part of the $30. Your choice of fragrance.