Bonne année 2010 !

I hope you all have a blessed New Year. I'm glad to say good-bye to 2009 as it was the year of our flood which we are still in the midst of. Looking forward to putting that all behind me.

I love this Christmas song

I've been a fan of Joy Williams ever since I heard her a few years ago at a Billy Graham Crusade. Billy Graham's son spoke and I can't remember the name of the event exactly but our church hosted the event.

So I've been listening to Praise 106.5 FM and it's been wonderful. They have been playing one of my favourite songs which is Joy Williams Here With Us.



To check out more of Joy Williams you can listen to some of her songs here.

There are also lots of youTube videos here.

Blessings,

Michelle

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years!

Hello,

I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Years. A friend sent me a touching story about the true meaning of Christmas and so I thought I'd post it here-it sure made me teary eyed:

Merry Christmas!
Here is a message to warm your heart and perhaps make you rethink the stress and busyness that we often allow to replace the true spirit of Christmas.

---

Pa never had much compassion for the lazy or those who squandered their means and then never had enough for the necessities. But for those who were genuinely in need, his heart was as big as all outdoors. It was from him that I learned the greatest joy in life comes from giving, not from receiving.

It was Christmas Eve, 1881. I was fifteen years old and feeling like the world had caved in on me because there just hadn't been enough money to buy me the rifle that I'd wanted for Christmas. We did the chores early that night for some reason. I just figured Pa wanted a little extra time so we could read in the Bible.

After supper was over I took my boots off and stretched out in front of the fireplace and waited for Pa to get down the old Bible. I was still feeling sorry for myself and, to be honest, I wasn't in much of a mood to read Scriptures. But Pa didn't get the Bible, instead he bundled up again and went outside. I couldn't figure it out because we had already done all the chores. I didn't worry about it long though, I was too busy wallowing in self-pity.

Soon Pa came back in. It was a cold clear night out and there was ice in his beard. "Come on, Matt," he said. "Bundle up good, it's cold out tonight." I was really upset then. Not only wasn't I getting the rifle for Christmas, now Pa was dragging me out in the cold, and for no earthly reason that I could see. We'd already done all the chores, and I couldn't think of anything else that needed doing, especially not on a night like this. But I knew Pa was not very patient at one dragging one's feet when he'd told them to do something, so I got up and put my boots back on and got my cap, coat, and mittens. Ma gave me a mysterious smile as I opened the door to leave the house. Something was up, but I didn't know what.

Outside, I became even more dismayed. There in front of the house was the work team, already hitched to the big sled. Whatever it was we were going to do wasn't going to be a short, quick, little job. I could tell. We never hitched up this sled unless we were going to haul a big load. Pa was already up on the seat, reins in hand. I reluctantly climbed up beside him. The cold was already biting at me. I wasn't happy.

When I was on, Pa pulled the sled around the house and stopped in front of the woodshed. He got off and I followed. "I think we'll put on the high sideboards," he said. "Here, help me." The high sideboards! It had been a bigger job than I wanted to do with just the low sideboards on, but whatever it was we were going to do would be a lot bigger with the high side boards on.

After we had exchanged the sideboards, Pa went into the woodshed and came out with an armload of wood - the wood I'd spent all summer hauling down from the mountain, and then all fall sawing into blocks and splitting..
What was he doing? Finally I said something. "Pa," I asked, "what are you doing?" "You been by the Widow Jensen's lately?" he asked. The Widow Jensen lived about two miles down the road. Her husband had died a year or so before and left her with three children, the oldest being eight. Sure, I'd been by, but so what?

Yeah," I said, "Why?"

"I rode by just today," Pa said. "Little Jakey was out digging around in the woodpile trying to find a few chips. They're out of wood, Matt." That was all he said and then he turned and went back into the woodshed for another armload of wood. I followed him. We loaded the sled so high that I began to wonder if the horses would be able to pull it.

Finally, Pa called a halt to our loading, then we went to the smoke house and Pa took down a big ham and a side of bacon. He handed them to me and told me to put them in the sled and wait. When he returned he was carrying a sack of flour over his right shoulder and a smaller sack of something in his left hand. "What's in the little sack?" I asked.. Shoes, they're out of shoes. Little Jakey just had gunny sacks wrapped around his feet when he was out in the woodpile this morning. I got the children a little candy too. It just wouldn't be Christmas without a little candy."

We rode the two miles to Widow Jensen's pretty much in silence. I tried to think through what Pa was doing. We didn't have much by worldly standards.
Of course, we did have a big woodpile, though most of what was left now was still in the form of logs that I would have to saw into blocks and split before we could use it. We also had meat and flour, so we could spare that, but I knew we didn't have any money, so why was Pa buying them shoes and candy? Really, why was he doing any of this? Widow Jensen had closer neighbors than us; it shouldn't have been our concern.

We came in from the blind side of the Jensen house and unloaded the wood as quietly as possible, then we took the meat and flour and shoes to the door.
We knocked. The door opened a crack and a timid voice said, "Who is it?"
"Lucas Miles, Ma'am, and my son, Matt... could we come in for a bit?"

Widow Jensen opened the door and let us in. She had a blanket wrapped around her shoulders. The children were wrapped in another and were sitting in front of the fireplace by a very small fire that hardly gave off any heat at all. Widow Jensen fumbled with a match and finally lit the lamp.

"We brought you a few things, Ma'am," Pa said and set down the sack of flour. I put the meat on the table. Then Pa handed her the sack that had the shoes in it. She opened it hesitantly and took the shoes out, one pair at a time. There was a pair for her and one for each of the children - sturdy shoes, the best... shoes that would last. I watched her carefully.
She bit her lower lip to keep it from trembling and then tears filled her eyes and started running down her cheeks. She looked up at Pa like she wanted to say something, but it wouldn't come out.

"We brought a load of wood too, Ma'am," Pa said. He turned to me and said, "Matt, go bring in enough to last awhile. Let's get that fire up to size and heat this place up."

I wasn't the same person when I went back out to bring in the wood.. I had a big lump in my throat and as much as I hate to admit it, there were tears in my eyes too. In my mind I kept seeing those three kids huddled around the fireplace and their mother standing there with tears running down her cheeks with so much gratitude in her heart that she couldn't speak. My heart swelled within me and a joy that I'd never known before, filled my soul. I had given at Christmas many times before, but never when it had made so much difference. I could see we were literally saving the lives of these people.

I soon had the fire blazing and everyone's spirits soared. The kids started giggling when Pa handed them each a piece of candy and Widow Jensen looked on with a smile that probably hadn't crossed her face for a long time. She finally turned to us. "God bless you," she said.. "I know the Lord has sent you. The children and I have been praying that he would send one of his angels to spare us."

In spite of myself, the lump returned to my throat and the tears welled up in my eyes again. I'd never thought of Pa in those exact terms before, but after Widow Jensen mentioned it, I could see that it was probably true. I was sure that a better man than Pa had never walked the earth. I started remembering all the times he had gone out of his way for Ma and me, and many others. The list seemed endless as I thought on it.

Pa insisted that everyone try on the shoes before we left. I was amazed when they all fit, and I wondered how he had known what sizes to get. Then I guessed that if he was on an errand for the Lord, that the Lord would make sure he got the right sizes.

Tears were running down Widow Jensen's face again when we stood up to leave. Pa took each of the kids in his big arms and gave them a hug. They clung to him and didn't want us to go. I could see that they missed their Pa, and I was glad that I still had mine.

At the door Pa turned to Widow Jensen and said, "The Mrs. wanted me to invite you and the children over for Christmas dinner tomorrow. The turkey will be more than the three of us can eat, and a man can get cantankerous if he has to eat turkey for too many meals. We'll be by to get you about eleven. It'll be nice to have some little ones around again. Matt, here, hasn't been little for quite a spell." I was the youngest... my two brothers and two sisters had all married and had moved away.

Widow Jensen nodded and said, "Thank you, Brother Miles. I don't have to say, may the Lord bless you, I know for certain that He will."

Out on the sled I felt a warmth that came from deep within and I didn't even notice the cold. When we had gone a ways, Pa turned to me and said, "Matt, I want you to know something. Your Ma and me have been tucking a little money away here and there all year so we could buy that rifle for you, but we didn't have quite enough. Then yesterday a man who owed me a little money from years back came by to make things square. Your Ma and me were real excited, thinking that now we could get you that rifle, and I started into town this morning to do just that, but on the way I saw little Jakey out scratching in the woodpile with his feet wrapped in those gunny sacks and I knew what I had to do. Son, I spent the money for shoes and a little candy for those children. I hope you understand."

I understood alright... and my eyes became wet with tears again. I understood very well, and I was so glad Pa had done it. Now the rifle seemed very low on my list of priorities. Pa had given me a lot more. He had given me the look on Widow Jensen's face and the radiant smiles of her three children.

For the rest of my life, whenever I saw any of the Jensens, or split a block of wood, I remembered, and remembering brought back that same joy I felt riding home beside Pa that night. Pa had given me much more than a rifle that night, he had given me the best Christmas of my life.

Don't be too busy today... share this inspiring message. God bless you!

Blessings to all,

Michelle

Addicted to Mercy TV Show

So I've been taping Mercy on DVD all season and just finally got around to watching it this week-end. My sister and I have watched episodes 1-7 already and just have one more episode to get caught up on before the show airs again next week. It's a cross between "Grey's Anatomy" and "E.R." It has the medical aspect but really focuses on relationships between the characters which draws the audience in. The only character I knew from this cast was James Tupper from Men In Trees of which I was a big fan. The cast is solid and works well with each storyline.

Until next time,

Michelle

New Roots Olympic inspired clothing!

Check out the article here.

I've always loved Roots and remember their famous hoodies when I was a kid. In high school I'd frequently go to Roots and buy a new sweat shirt with pride. Since I grew up in Toronto I'd often go to the local mall to see what new products they had and I was like a kid in a candy store.

Roots outfitted Canada's Olympians prior to the Bay taking over for the 2006 Winter Games in Turin. It was then that I bought a beautiful all white roots zipper sweatshirt with red stripes along the sides and still feel happy every time I wear it. It's the branding too and the way it feels like such a part of Canadian culture. That feeling of excitement and feeling cool tends to translate when you wear their clothing.

Now that I've seen this new red hoodie I'm getting the urge to go out and buy one.

Chow,

Michelle

Olympic Torch Run!

Well as some of you locals know the Olympic torch visited various parts of our city. Since it was coming to UVic I decided to join in on the excitement there. It all took place October 30th and the exact time the runner came by was about 5:30pm. UVic had a huge party with snowboarders (they even had snow brought in), mini olympic sports, a stage where students danced, free food (I arrived at 4:20pm and they were out of the food, even the apple cider, coffee area was swiped as there were no cups anywhere), a DJ ripping up the tunes etc. Someone handed out these cool flags and I forgot to take a picture of them but I still have them.

My feet were so sore standing for what seemed like an eternity waiting for the runner to arrive. I was tempted to go downtown for the big extravaganza but it was a Friday and I had our last market to go to early Saturday morning so figured this was the best option.

There were so many people around me and the guy beside me kept waving his Royal Bank tambourine in front of my face (wish I had received one of those as they looked cool). Every time a plane flew over us we raised our hands and screamed. Also whenever someone drove down the main area we screamed no matter who it was as we were so anxious for the torch.

Snowboarder's getting ready:



Snapping photos as the snowboarders came down the ramp:



Police Lining the Streets:



The big red truck with that famous logo:



A guy dancing on the Coca Cola truck just as it was passing me:



The Royal Bank truck:



The Olympic Torch (she is in all white) and it's a bit blurry and happened so fast:



That's all for now,

Michelle

The non stop soaping adventure

Needless to say soaping has been on my mind. I dream and keep creating soap.

Surf's Up Glycerin Essential Oil Soap (rosemary and mint)


Give Me Some Sugar Glycerin Soap (spun sugar with a citrus scent)


Sugar Glycerin Soap (like spun sugar)


Pomegranite Fig Soap (cranberries and fig mingle dance together in a marriage of scent)


Rose Soap (light and delicate)


The Man Bar (a fantastic manly scent)


Cranberry Soap (tart sweet Cranberry scent)


Ocean Soap (smells fresh like the ocean)



Serenity Essential Oil Soap (a custom essential oil blend)

Homemade Prezels, Yummy!

So I was inspired by Soapylove as her sister made homemade pretzels. The post had my mouth watering so last week-end my sister and I made a batch. I've always loved pretzels but hadn't thought of making my own. We've made bagels before which were divine.

Once they were made it was very hard to stop eating them. :)

My New Necklace and Earrings from an Etsy Seller!

I purchased this tropical necklace with matching earrings last week from a vendor next to me who sells at Moss Street Market and also has an Etsy shop.

Sue the vendor didn't say it was a tropical piece but I thought it looked tropical and reminded me of Hawaii. Since I'd just been to Maui this past December and was having a frustrating morning, it seemed like a perfect treat.

:)Michelle

something to think about...

Washington DC Metro Station on a cold January morning in 2007. He played six Bach pieces for about 45 minutes. During that time approx 2 thousand people went through the station, most of them on their way to work. After 3 minutes a middle aged man noticed there was a musician playing. He slowed his pace and stopped for a few seconds and then hurried to meet his schedule.



4 minutes later:

the violinist received his first dollar: a woman threw the money in the till and, without stopping, continued to walk.



6 minutes:

A young man leaned against the wall to listen to him, then looked at his watch and started to walk again.



10 minutes:

A 3 year old boy stopped but his mother tugged him along hurriedly, as the kid stopped to look at the violinist. Finally the mother pushed hard and thechild continued to walk, turning his head all the time. This action was repeated by several other children. Every parent, without exception, forced them to move on.



45 minutes:

The musician played.  Only 6 people stopped and stayed for a while. About 20 gave him money but continued to walk their normal pace.
He collected $32.



1 hour:

He finished playing and silence took over. No one noticed. No one applauded, nor was there any recognition.

No one knew this but the violinist was Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world. He played one of the most intricate pieces ever written, with a violin worth $3.5 million dollars. Two days before Joshua Bell sold out a theater in Boston where the seats averaged $100.



This is a real story. Joshua Bell playing incognito in the metro station was organized by the Washington Post as part of a social experiment about perception, taste and people's priorities. The questions raised: in a common place environment at an inappropriate hour, do we perceive beauty? Do we stop to appreciate it? Do we recognize talent in an unexpected context?



One possible conclusion reached from this experiment could be:

If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments ....


How many other things are we missing?

 

More new soaps, you know you want to see them!

Hello,

So even though we have had a huge flood that flooded our entire basement (it's a long story and our neighbour's 50,000 litre pool split and headed for our basement). It's still under renos as we speak and there is a huge (I mean gigantic) bin on our driveway with all our fully furnished downstairs packed in there, no access to printers, things I need etc.).

Believe or not though I've carved out a tiny space to make soap. If you live nearby you can pick these gems up at Moss Street Market here. Here are my latest creations:

A cute Licorice mini soap:


This is a Lime Coconut one that has since turned brown due to the Coconut scent:

You can buy one here.

Yummy Banana Soap (I'm on a Banana frenzy lately)

To purchase this beauty go here.

Grass Soap (smells more fresh than real grass):

Grab one here.

I'm hoping to whip up some yummy (pink or peach) mint lip balms next week so stay tuned.

Other than creating and working I'm enjoying the nice sunny weather outside.

:)

A neat Short Video I Found

Saw this short stop motion film and thought is was neat. Check it out:



I love all the creativity that is used in it.

Chow for now :)

My Treat for Mom!

Here is a wonderful gift I made for my mom. It's a trio of products just for her: a fizzy bath soak, a foot scrub and then a body balm infused with coffee butter. The scent is sweet and fresh all at the same time.

I'm trying to blog more often now that our market season is in full swing. I seem to be making new products weekly.

Stay tuned for more adventures,

:)

Anise Licorice Baby

Here is another soap I made for our upcoming market. I've had requests for a Licorice soap so thought I'd whip up a batch for those people who love that scent. Thought I'd experiment with a new design technique.

Here it is in the mold:


Here are the cut bars:



I also made bath bombs with my sister but will post those later.

Chow for now :)

Making lots of soaps lately

Hello,

So I've been making lots of soaps lately and thought I'd showcase a few:


This is a Lime and Coconut blend.


This is a salt spa bar.


A Chai Tea bar


This is a Lemongrass one.


This one is a floral mixed with Coconut.


Antibacterial Tea Tree

That's all for now but I'm sure I'll have more soon.

Failure Leads to Great Things

So I found this great video after reading a great blog by Todd Cantelon (you can read about him to the right of his blog). I had the an opportunity to go to his church Freedomize Toronto years ago and really enjoyed it.

The video just shows you that failure can really take you places even though failing is never easy at the time.

I haven't blogged in awhile and less frequently these days as I got a new job last March which had a steep learning curve. There is still so much to learn but I'm feeling more comfortable now then I did last year. Also I'm back in the swing of things making soaps and trying to work on a new website which takes a lot of time.

Last week I had a chance to take a mini holiday and it was nice to get away even though it rained the whole time. Also it gave me a chance to get away from everything unwind and experience new things. I did a tonne of walking on that trip and bused all over the place to get from one end of the city to the other.

Will try to post some soap photos at some point so you can see my new creations.

Until next time I bid you Adieu.