Honestly Happy

The day dawned dull but dry.  The 'S' word has been mentioned by one or two people at the school gate which caused a great deal of excitement, giggling and jumping about...by the mothers, not the children.  Being rather behind with my washing piles I bunged a load of bedding in the machine only to discover ten minutes later that it is raining.  Now I will have to drape sheets and duvet covers around our tiny house in the hope of getting them dry.  Hate doing that.  No snow then, just rain.

Some of you may remember that I dabbled in making soap and candles earlier this year.  I was recently asked if I would like to take a stand at the upcoming Anglesey Winter Show.  Um, no thank you.  Honestly, the idea of standing behind a table full of my lovingly made items fills me with fear.  Ridiculous I know, but there you are.  I thanked them kindly and apologised for being such a wimp.  I was really cross with myself for not having the gumption to just do it, but each time I talked myself into it, I knew deep down that it is not something that I could really do.  I'd probably be sick on the way there or something.  I was all set to waffle on for a bit and come up with all kinds of excuses for my lack of courage, but I didn't have to.  'Ok', came the reply, 'How about you give your things to us and we will sell them for you?'  Really?  Oh yippee!  Phew, such a relief.  And such kindness from brave people.  So this week I have been digging about in boxes, unearthing my creations  and getting them ready for the show.  Really, really happy.

These are my calendula and lemongrass coconut oil soaps.  We have been using them in the bathroom and they are lovely.  Our soft water means we get loads of bubbles and the oils in the soap keep our skin soft.  In the summer I bought a soap that was wrapped in pretty fabric and tied with narrow ribbon.  I couldn't see the soap inside but I parted with my money because it looked so lovely.  It turned out to be mass produced soap hacked into an oblong.  It was as hard as nails but eventually softened up a bit once we got it going.  It cost me £3.50.  When I was thinking how to present my soaps I thought of that bar of soap and decided to give them a seasonal feel with red and white fabric and ribbons. Berries and snow, can't beat it.  I have left the ends uncovered on those I have wrapped in fabric, so that people can see and smell it before they buy.  I don't want anyone to get home and be disappointed, as I was.

The beeswax, honey and oatmeal soaps have been given the blue and white treatment.  Frost and ice.  They look really crumbly but are in fact really soft and rich.  They have that much oil in them they couldn't be anything else.  I just hope people visiting the show on Saturday will like them enough to buy them.  I will also be sending some candles and maybe a few more soaps if I can think of another way to present them.  Maybe something for the men this time.

So that's almost done now and it has given me an idea to maybe try and sell some soap on eBay.  My brother told me ages ago to have a go, but I never did.  If these do well at the show it will give me more confidence to try.

November is well under way now and Christmas is most definitely coming!  Yay!  I have started my shopping and purchased a few things.  My brother and sister and I have decided to only spend £5 on each other this year.  There are six children in the family now and as Christmas is really all about them, I think it would take the pressure off us a bit.  We are lucky enough to go without very little and if we want a new pair of jeans or a book or something, we can usually afford to get it.  Christmas to me means being with my family, taking time to relax, go for walks, read and just enjoy each day as it comes.  Oh, and watching The Wizard of Oz while eating Quality Street!  Simple stuff that doesn't cost a fortune.  My £5 will include home made things of course and maybe something found or thrifted.  It takes more thinking about but should be fun to do too.  And it will be interesting to see what we can do with such a small amount!

The weather turned really chilly yesterday; maybe the coldest day we've had so far.  I bought the first bag of marshmallows for our hot chocolate this winter.  Squirty cream and sprinkles come in December.  The children have been limited to the amount they have as H1 has a tendency to stand in the kitchen and graze on them until the bag is empty.  He then puts the empty bag back in the cupboard and denies all knowledge.  I know it's him though as he always puts empty packets back in the cupboard or fridge and swears blind he didn't do it.  So winter cooking is the order of the day too.  I think it will be squash, potato and cheese bake tonight.  If I have time I will do a batch of mince pies too.  We could have them with custard.  Yum.

Getting hungry now, so I will go and make a start on the above.  What are you cooking tonight?

Have a lovely day and keep warm. xxx