Lumina's World

National Herb Day

2006-10-15T20:48:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note about National Herb Day. I was lucky enough to be a vendor at the National Herb Day celebration put on by Orlando Herb Society and Roots and Leaves. It was a wonderful day, and business was great. I met a lot of very nice people. It always makes me feel good when people appreciate all the hard work I put into my incense and candles. On Sunday was another great day at Eola Market. I hope to post some pictures later this week.

My Birthday

2006-09-16T21:57:00.000-04:00

I wasn’t sure I was going to write about this, but few people read my blog, so I’m safe.

Today is my birthday. Now I know as you get older they aren’t suppose to mean the same thing. But to me they do. This is a day I love to celebrate and feel special. Ok so I like to feel special everyday…but on my birthday I like it to be a big deal. My Mom has always done this and I tried to carry on the tradition with my children.

Friday at work only a few people remember, not my bosses…sigh.. But hey they have their own life. We had a delicious cake that was made from scratch and it was to die for. Any way I’m sure that helped with my weight gain this week. I told Jeff I wanted to go out to dinner even though I don’t usually eat on Friday nights. I should have known better. Anyway I got off work early and treated myself to a new hair cut, and getting my ears pierced. This is a tradition I started when I was 29. I like to mark the 9^th birthdays as for some reason these seem harder for me. Then off to Bath & Body shop, I had a coupon and treated myself. All in all I had a pretty nice afternoon and evening.

So I wake up very early Saturday, having trouble sleeping and find this card on my computer from my husband… it was a joke card.. And well while funny, I was a bit disappointed in not finding the romantic cards he always buys me….. Needless to say I did find that one later.

Then off to WW, where yes I gained 2 lbs… that should have told me how my day was going to be. After coming home and having breakfast (Jeff made a wonderful one for me) we headed off to the Saturn place to get my car checked out… well Jeff hit a pot hole in the road and we got a flat tire. He pulled over to change it and we found out the spare was a mess….sigh…. so Jeremy came and picked us up and took us to the closest tire place.. They couldn’t repair the good tire, big hole in it.. So for my birthday I bought a new tired.. Then off again to the Saturn place… where I found out it is going to cost me $3000 to fix the car. Yes I did shed tears here.. I had hoped it would only be spark plugs…. Not really worth putting that kind of money into a 10 year old car…sigh.. I did get a wonderful call from my grandson, that really made my day.

Can you see how bad the day is getting.. Now I did spend some nice time with Jeremy and he was wonderful to help us out. My parents stopped over with a cake and Amber came over to enjoy it with us.

I ‘m not sure what I expected…. Calls from my sisters?? My brothers?? Maybe this day just doesn’t mean that much to them.. Maybe a birthday is just another day. So I did shed more tear this afternoon, feeling that my expectations are just too big. Just because I feel it’s a special day, doesn’t mean the whole world needs to….

Jeff took me out for a wonderful dinner and bought me a rocking chair I had asked for. He did try, he really did... I'm just a silly person that wanted a suprise.

So this year.. Will not be a birthday to remember. After this one.. I think I would rather stop celebrating all together. That way I won’t feel hurt when others don’t remember.

Moving Day

2006-08-26T22:50:00.000-04:00

Well it was a very long day today. We helped Amber move into her first home. Yes.. .my little girl is now a home owner. It's a cute little place and just perfect for her. I know she will be very happy there after she gets all her stuff settled. Thanks to Jason (son-n-law) and Rebecca (sister) for all of their help. It made things a lot easier. I know Amber thanks them too. I'll post some pictures of her place in a few days.

Happy Birthday Jeremy

2006-08-22T20:02:00.000-04:00

Tomorrow is a big day. My son turns 27 years old. I can’t believe how fast the time goes. I so remember his cute little smile and the mischievous glint in his eyes. He has grown to be such a wonderful son and man. I am so proud of how he is handing his life.

Life threw him a curve ball but through it all he is still plodding along. I thought he had found the love of his life, he seemed so happy and I felt settled inside. Nothing better for a parent than to see their child happy. But as life so often happens, the dream turned sour and he was left to pick up the pieces of his heart. That hurt me more than I could ever have thought. You never want your child to be unhappy, much less have their heart broken. Through it all I watch him put on a brave face and keep going with his life. Yes his dreams have changed but still he is working hard at getting what he wants out of life.

Son I love you so much, and this day just brings back the memories of one of the happiest days of my life. May you follow your dreams and may your path be smoother than the first 27 years of your life.

Mom

Herbal Homecoming

2006-07-31T21:05:00.000-04:00

I'm very excited to be at the Herbal Homecoming on Saturday August 5th. It will be held at the Dandelion Communitea Cafe. This is their new home for Herbal studies. I will be demonstrating herbal incense. I make incense by grounding up herbs and using a tree resin for the combustible agent. There are no chemicals involved. I then make it portable by putting it in capsules. Please check out my website if you want to see what they look like. This will give me a great opportunity to market my incense. I am very interested in taking some of the courses that Florida School of Herb Studies offers, it will help increase my knowledge of herbs and perhaps I'll venture into making my own oils someday. Hope you get a chance to check out the Dandelion Cafe and the School.

New candle molds

2006-07-28T21:44:00.000-04:00

I've been playing around with a few new candle molds. These are silicone and I like the fact they have a lot of detailed work in them. So for a while I'll add these to my list and see what sales. These are floating candles and I have had some people ask me if I made them. Take a look and let me know what you think.

France

2006-07-24T06:03:00.000-04:00

Well I'm starting to plan my vacation for next year. We are heading off to France. One week in Paris and one week in the Loire Valley. I am doing a lot of research. I found an apartment in Pairs which is a lot cheaper than a hotel room. I am still suprise by how expensive this trip is going to be. It will be worth it. This time my Dad is not going as he is heading off to Alaska instead. Mom is going and I am planning lots of trips to gardens. I'll post later where we are going to stay in the Loire Valley. I found a little cottage that looks so cool.

Gallanach

2006-06-14T21:54:00.000-04:00

Here are a few pictures of the front and back of Gallanach.

It's been a while

2006-06-14T21:38:00.000-04:00

Well it's been a few months. A few very busy months. We took off for a much needed vacation to Scotland. The place was like heaven to me. We stayed in a castle.. ok.. so it was a castle to me, Gallanach Estates is where we stayed. Please check out their website and see how beautiful it all was. I'll try to upload a few pictures.

I love the quiet setting with the beautiful mountains in the back and the ocean inlet in front. It felt like another world. A world of long ago where things were at a slower pace. We will be going back some time. I would love for my children to visit. The city of Oban was so perfect, just what you would be looking for in a small town.

The sun didn't set until 10pm at night and it was up early in the morning before 6am. We saw many wonderful places, but I think best of all was spending time with my family.

I finally found someone

2006-03-29T21:32:00.000-05:00

March 30th will be my 9th anniversary.

I dreamed of him.. Always knew he was out there somewhere. I can't believe the difference in my life. I have never been so happy before. Don't get me wrong we have our problems, but they seem to slip away when he holds me tight. I feel safe with him. Like one of my favorite songs, he is the sun in my darkness. He gives me all the love I could ever ask for, he encourages me to try new things to go beyond my world. He gives me the courage to go out in the world and sell my candles, to try and make new things.

Yet he understands that at times I live in my own world, and he doesn't laugh at my ideas. I truly think I can do anything with Jeff by my side.

So sweetheart happy anniversary... May you know how much I love you and how much you have brought to my life.

I feel alive with you. My life started the day you said "I love you".

What is real??

2006-03-20T19:36:00.000-05:00

Do you ever feel like this life just isn't real? Sometimes I feel like I'm walking in a cloud. The mundane world just at times holds no appeal for me. Does it really matter how fast you can drive? Does it really matter if people in the office know more things than you do? I try to remind myself time after time what really is important in my life. It's my family and friends. All the rest is just stuff I have to go through.

I long for the quiet life, where things move at a slower pace. Where making my candles mean something.

I had a woman buy a candle from me this weekend and her attitude toward the candle bother me. It was a large shamrock I wasn't going to sell any way but had it on display. She walked over to the display and asked if the shamrock were on sale because it was after the fact anyway. I told her no they weren't on sale. She walked away. First of all just because it was past St. Paddys day doesn't mean the candles are worth less.... .Any way.... She came back later and asked about the large one. I told her it was $10, now that is a lot less than I normally would ask, but thought I would let it go. She picked it up, brought it over to me and started to point out a few lines in the candle. She asked me about the lines and was it still $10.00. I was starting to get a bit upset about this, but told her it was just the way the wax settled, it would still burn the same. She said well it's for a present. I did at that time advise her it was handmade and it would have a few flaws, it's not like buying from the store.. She took it anyway... I almost didn't want to sell it to her at that point. I felt she didn't appreciate the fact that it was handmade. Yes you can buy candles cheaper in Walmart, or Target, but they are not handmade. They won't burn as nice as the ones I make.

Was I taking this too personal??? I don't know... It's like she was saying it wasn't good enough to pay full price.... Sigh.. It still cost money to make.. It still takes time to make....

Why do people not appreciate handmade items??? The world needs to slow down a bit and enjoy the nicer things in life.

Scotland

2006-03-17T07:58:00.000-05:00

Well it's about 7 weeks till we leave for Scotland. I can't wait. I have done a lot of research but know once I am over there I'll be lost in another world. I hope to write once a week on my blog, but it seems as if time always gets away from me. I also know once I step foot in Scotland it will be like time just stopped. On my last several trips to Ireland that is they way I felt. It was so peaceful and no one was in a hurry... well maybe the American tourist were.

I want my life to be unhurried. After all why rush? Everything will still be there when I get there.

I guess I'm thinking about when I drive to work in the morning. Why would anyone in their right mind be in a hurry to get to work? I'll get there when I get there. If I left in plenty of time I have no worries. I can't stand people who much ride my tail all the way on the 417 even when I'm going at least the speed limit if not a bit more. Their crazy.......

It's the same on the way home. Don't get me wrong I would love to be home in a hurry, but why try to kill myself on the way there????

People get a grip...... you don't need to ride someone's butt to get where you want to go.

ahhh.. I can't wait to get to Scotland where things will be a little slower.

Candle and Soap Convention

2006-03-07T05:48:00.000-05:00

March 4th was the first Florida Suds and Light convention. What a fun time I had. I learned a lot about making soap, and it gives me a whole new appreciation of handmade soap. I'm pretty sure I'm not going to be buying soap from the store anymore.. It might cost less but the handmade stuff is great. I'm not sure I want to tackle making soap with lye, it looked pretty intense, think I'll stick with candles and incense. They had some workshops on soy candles and I picked up a few good hints that I am going to try. It was nice talking to other candle makers and seeing what they sell and the marketing they use. I brought my catalog with me and was really surprised how many people loved my set up and candles. It made me want to go right home and make more. I bought some new wax to try. Palm wax is a vegetable wax and has a very nice snowflake effect. Look for some pictures coming soon. I made one candle this weekend took it to work and sold it right away.. Yes I LOVE making candles.

Web Site

2006-02-24T06:01:00.000-05:00

Yes it's here. My wonderful husband finished my web site. Please stop by and take a look. Let me know what you think. I will be adding a shopping cart in the next few months to make ordering easier. Lumina's World.

Eola Market

2006-01-29T20:42:00.000-05:00

I did really well at the Eola Market today. It was a very busy day and sold a bit of everything. This year looks to be very promising. I just signed up to attend a local candlemakers convention. This will be my first time going to one. So I hope to pick up a lot of tips, and make new friends. I am thinking about ways to expand my marketing. I hope to have my website up and running in a few days.. or that might be weeks, but I hope to start putting the word out.

Incense

2006-01-28T23:29:00.000-05:00

I have been so busy today making more incense. Incense really sells well at the Eola Market. Of course I help it out by burning it all day. :)

I hope to post some pictures soon of what my setup looks like at the EM. It does take a lot out of me, but I hope one day to retire and be just a candlemaker. Working a full time job at the Mouse House doesn't leave me a lot of creative time. I try here and there to grab some, but there is always something to do. Well all for now...

Busy...Busy..Busy

2006-01-25T06:11:00.000-05:00

Busy making new candles last night. Amber came over for dinner and we watched a few shows. It is always so nice to spend time with my kids. I love them and miss them. Time goes by too quickly. I'm going to try and spend more time with my family and friends....I know everyone says that, but only YOU can make the time.

2006-01-23T21:55:00.000-05:00

It was a very busy weekend. Sometimes I just wonder when I will ever have a quiet moment to just sit and enjoy the peace and quiet.

Sunday I was again at the Eola Market, I'll be there every Sunday till Memorial Day. I'm thinking of adding a banner sign to my both to attract more attention. Sales were a bit slow this week, but I guess I can't always have a big day. The candles are selling and so is the incense. I hope to add more incense in a few months. This summer I will spend making new candles and trying out new designs for candles. Jeff is still working on the website and hope to have it up by this weekend.

I am going to try and post a few pictures of my both for any who care to take a peak.

That's all for now, have to go read up more on Scotland... I just can't wait for vacation.

I'm Back

2006-01-18T20:22:00.000-05:00

I have tried to post blogs for a few months now and kept getting error messages. So I am starting all over again.