National Herb Day

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.