Posts Tagged ‘musings’

Simple. Gratitude. Calm.

Posted on April 18th, 2011 in blog, family, Lana Bella by jenni

Things are currently moving at whirlwind speed at our home. House hunting (still), packing these orders just as quickly as I can. Updating etsy, getting everything listed here at lanabellasoap.com, homeschooling, organizing for said move which in reality is about 6 weeks away, prepping for the few shows I have before I leave.

This very morning I thought while drinking my coffee how I wished I was sitting on the porch at the farm in a rocker looking out over that place that brought me so much peace when I was in my teens. You see that fence, that one there, the one closest to us? I helped my Uncle Ray build that fence. There is a barn back there over my left hand shoulder behind me you can’t see he let me put a few nails in that too. I remember the day during hay season something was wrong and Lois and I going down and flipping that darn hay field there by hand. I remember Uncle Jack telling me how to drive the tractor “the right way”. I remember lifting those bails of hay and getting them into the barn. Ahh the smell of hay in a barn! Mostly I remember the laughter, the peace, the togetherness of those days in the early 90′s on the farm. Those memories get me through even the craziest of days.

Changes afoot.

Posted on April 16th, 2011 in 101 in 1001, blog, family, Lana Bella by jenni

This is something I’ve been thinking about for a long time, contemplating, pondering, procrastinating. Each time we move I alter our lives just a little bit further becoming more and more natural. Eliminating plastic, parabens, SLS, changing our house hold cleaning products, food, buying choices. I really should blog more about the changes my family has made to have a softer footprint over the last 8 years.

I will be in the future discontinuing all of the products with fragrance oils. Yes there I said it. I know some of you will be disappointed (including my darling husband) but its been something thats been weighing more and more heavily with each spurt of soap making I go through. To be honest they are affecting my health. I have to strategically plan my soap making days now so I can make these soaps all back to back all in the same day and at the end of making everything else because once I do I have a migraine and some loss of word retrieval. With our move my husband will not be living with us on a regular basis because he will be again attached to a boat and deployed often and I just can’t take those 2 days of downtime away from my children to continue on a regular basis any longer.

This will be gradual. I will exhaust my current inventory of the fragrance oils and I will let you know when the final batches will be coming. On request you MAY be able to talk me into making you an entire batch (15 bars) it will take a minimum of 6 weeks to get it to you so plan accordingly because I will have to special order the fragrance for your batch.

Scents being discontinued and the approximate batch # before they are gone:

Moroccan fig 3-4

Ginger Fish 1-2

Southern Sweet Tea 1-2

Black amber Lavender 2-3

Dragon’s Blood 1-2 (I may have an alternative for this)

Beau Brummel 2-3

Vetyver 2-3

Tomato Leaf 2-3

Pumice Mint Nag Champa 2-3

Graceful Baby 1-2

Thank you for your understanding. Because of these changes you will also see in probably June where you can buy a FULL batch of soap at an incredible price and it won’t just be these it will be ALL of the scents I offer!

101 in 1001 UPDATE

Posted on January 19th, 2011 in 101 in 1001, blog, family, homeschool, Lana Bella by jenni

Ok this is yet another thing that had great plans and got pushed aside in the craziness of what 2010 was! Lets see where I’m at I actually completed a few more things than I expected but probably need to rethink a few as well!

1. Ask for advice and take it
2. Have a Yes! day. 0/6
3. Gratitude blog weekly 10 times 0/10
4. Identify 100 things that make me happy 0/100
5. Identify 25 things I like about myself 0/25
6. Go to a coffee shop & enjoy time ALONE! 0/6
7. Blog 15 times per month 0/32
8. Blog a kid or photo post 50 times 0/50

Get Green

Last garden harvest

• 1. Lexi 2/32
  2. Jack 2/32
  3. Rory 2/32
  4. Finn 2/32

1. Trundle bed for Lexi’s room (she wants a full size bed instead)
   B. She also asked for a new dresser like ours

• 1. Bed
  2. Dressers 2/2

Counting Down…

Posted on August 16th, 2010 in blog, family, homeschool, Lana Bella by jenni

Its been a long long summer here at our home made to feel even longer by having Lexi my 11 year old daughter gone for most of it. I didn’t realize/took for granted how much her young girl hands helped both our family and the business to run smoother. It is often Lexi who pulls the products for your orders in a timely fashion because its not as easy to do with a 6, 4 and 1 1/2 year old as one might think. She also helps keep inventory of products so I don’t accidentally run out on something popular or make something only I like. Don’t worry I’m not running a sweat shop it was something we agreed to as part of homeschooling this past year and she gets paid in both craft and money.

The good news is she will be home August 23! I’m so excited so much has changed in our home while she has been gone I’ve been on an organizing, decluttering frenzy. I really can’t wait for her to get home to start school again. There is so much I have planned for this fall sewing, baking, crafting, painting, photography and we will be continuing with the theme of prairie life as well.

In order to spend more time with my family though after the whirlwind spring season I’ll be taking on a lighter load of a fall schedule show wise though because I really missed them. To offset this I’ll be offering more discounts in my Etsy shop.

HOMECOMING SALE 8/16 through 12:01 am EST 8/23 10% off all orders AND buy more save more BUY 5 get one FREE feel free to mix and match you will just get your lowest priced item free don’t forget to tell me HOMECOMING in the note to seller box on Etsy for the discounts I will refund discounts & free items though paypal.

Hey what are you still doing here SHOP NOW!

Confessions

Posted on August 9th, 2010 in 101 in 1001, blog, family, homeschool, Lana Bella by jenni

I have to admit it I’m probably the worst blogger you will encounter. I have these grand ideas of the types of content I want to post, the way I want the site/blog to look, the comments I’ll enjoy reading and then that feeling sets in. You know the one where you panic that what you write won’t be interesting, grammatically correct, will most likely have at least one totally embarrassing typo that spellcheck didn’t pick up because it is spelled correctly just not the word I was attempting, and that people will judge that you are some ill-literate poser who has no idea what she is actually doing. And you know what I think I’m mostly ok with that now.

I’m human. I am a busy and sometimes lazy neurotic mother with FOUR small children at home three of who I will be homeschooling this year. I make soap. I am passionate about my beliefs even if they may seem wrong or over the top. I’m exhausted. I believe things that many won’t agree with but they are my beliefs and I’m done with trying to keep things in their little boxes. So you will see more and more of my personal side coming through here and maybe you will like it, maybe you will agree or disagree, and maybe just maybe you will learn something or be enlightened.

Things have been crazy hectic here since mid July when Lexi went north for the summer I apologize for slow shipping and delayed emails and general forgetfulness. We have had summer colds & stomach bugs and well I’m an anxiety ridden mess most days. I’m working on getting my house/family back on track so that it will also help get the business back on track with some new stuff coming this fall.

Thanks for all your support.

How I spent Mother's Day

Posted on May 11th, 2010 in blog, family, Lana Bella by jenni

Woke up EXTREMELY sore from the windfest and tent holding the pervious say at Squidfire’s Art Mart, but still I wanted to go to the JFX Farmer’s Market. So even though it was only 8am I had a cup of coffee (ok I had 2) and started sending kids off to get dressed. It was cold yet bustling all those plants wanting to come home with me. Instead we got some greens, asparagus and strawberries because they were so yummy and ripe smelling.

Afterwards we headed to Lowes to finish getting rocks and dirt for the raised beds Steve and the kids had built me a few weeks earlier.

So a shopping cart and contractor’s cart later home we head. After a few hours of work where I over worked already sore muscles and this is what I ended up with. Potato bins to the left, the raised bed, and sweet potato and garlic to the right with some marigolds tossed in to hopefully protect everything.

Then on the patio table we never seem to use I have some herbs and my tea cup planter full of Red Clover and Dandelions.

My favorite part of the day was sitting with the kids and planting their seeds in their Sesame Street planters.

Jack planted Bert & Ernie Peppers, Lexi planted Oscar the Grouch Green Beans, Finn some Elmo Tomatoes and Rory the pink Abby Cadabby Pumpkins.

Steve even put some wire on the bottom of the compost bin and got that set up for me too. I’m so excited about our little garden in the city this year!

We even had our first harvest of greens for a salad to add to dinner.

How I spent Mother’s Day

Posted on May 11th, 2010 in blog, family, Lana Bella by jenni

Woke up EXTREMELY sore from the windfest and tent holding the pervious say at Squidfire’s Art Mart, but still I wanted to go to the JFX Farmer’s Market. So even though it was only 8am I had a cup of coffee (ok I had 2) and started sending kids off to get dressed. It was cold yet bustling all those plants wanting to come home with me. Instead we got some greens, asparagus and strawberries because they were so yummy and ripe smelling.

Afterwards we headed to Lowes to finish getting rocks and dirt for the raised beds Steve and the kids had built me a few weeks earlier.

So a shopping cart and contractor’s cart later home we head. After a few hours of work where I over worked already sore muscles and this is what I ended up with. Potato bins to the left, the raised bed, and sweet potato and garlic to the right with some marigolds tossed in to hopefully protect everything.

Then on the patio table we never seem to use I have some herbs and my tea cup planter full of Red Clover and Dandelions.

My favorite part of the day was sitting with the kids and planting their seeds in their Sesame Street planters.

Jack planted Bert & Ernie Peppers, Lexi planted Oscar the Grouch Green Beans, Finn some Elmo Tomatoes and Rory the pink Abby Cadabby Pumpkins.

Steve even put some wire on the bottom of the compost bin and got that set up for me too. I’m so excited about our little garden in the city this year!

We even had our first harvest of greens for a salad to add to dinner.

101 things in 1001 days

Posted on February 12th, 2010 in 101 in 1001, family, Lana Bella by jenni

So I stumbled across someone who posted about making a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days. Then with a little google I see all these wonderful lists out there they are inspiring and overwhelming all at the same time! Can I do it? Will I fail miserably? How many could I accomplish? How could my list grow? However when you think about it its like 1 thing a weekish even me in my worst procrastination could manage to get something done each week couldn’t I? So who is with me? Oh I guess I need to make my list can that be the first thing?