You mean it's not Thursday?

Dang...I missed posting this for Thankful Thursday. But, please humor me and pretend it is still Thursday!

I'm thankful, once again, for my soaper pals! I can't even begin to tell you how wonderful these ladies are - their talents, generosity, and loving spirits keep me cheerful even when I'm feeling annoyed by life in general.

I want to give a special Shout-Out to three soaping friends before I talk about the fourth. My Tadpoles and I want to give heart-felt hugs and thank-yous to (in alphabetical order) Carrie (Under the Willow Gifts), Michelle (Blog of the Soap Pixie), and Trisha (Suds to Love) for supporting our little enterprise!

And now, I want to show you some photos from another generous soaping pal: Sherrie (Birch Bark Soap).

Sherrie mentioned that she wanted some saffron in herTwenty-Two Pleasant blog and since I had some that we weren't going to use, I gave them to her. In return, she sent me a whole bunch of goodies that are so lovely, I had to post about them. Here are the goodies:Sherrie sent 2 bars of her delectable soaps (I'm not going to share the Orange Vanilla...nyeah, nyeah to my guys):Sherrie's very talented photographer husband, Adam, gave me some gorgeous photo cards:Sherrie also threw in these super-cute mini slate labels. Can't wait to use them on my jars!Thank you again, Sherrie!

I am very lucky and very honored to have made friends with all of you!

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

We were not alone...

...traveling with us to Vancouver were a bunch of my bloggy buddies! Ok, well, not in person, but their products went with us.

There was Carrie's Spiced Apple soap, Trisha's Winter Wonderland soap and lipbalm (as well as her Crantini soap that she kindly gifted to my sister), Joanna's Champagne Road Wash, Elizabeth G's Dreamsicle lipbalm, and also her cute-as-pie purse, seen here exhausted after daily use in Vancouver:I hope you ladies had fun with me, vicariously!

After our return home, one of our first meals was this lovely plateful - clockwise from top: chanterelle mushrooms from our yard, sauteed in butter; the last of our previous year's green beans cooked with our homemade sun-dried tomato paste; a slice of terrific pizza from Pizza X; our own tomatoes topped with dh's homemade tzatziki made with our own cucumbers.
After we got home, we had to go pick up the materials for ds#1's biology lab course from Meg, so she and I exchanged our pay-it-forward swap gifts. You will not believe the works of art she made! Meg does the most gorgeous leather crafts, and she made me a set of stunning coasters:Each coaster has a different flower, and she even wrote what each flower is on the back of the coaster:Take a look at the wonderful detailing:Many, many thanks, Meg!

I've enjoyed the swap/gifting thing so much I'm thinking I'll have to do it again. Maybe I can organize something like the Christmas gift exchange that kids often do in their classes. Those who are interested can sign up, and I can pair names up by pulling 2 out of a hat at a time...that way, we'd only each have one swap partner and don't have to scramble to make 12 gifts or something. Any thoughts on that, anyone?

I'm looking forward to a moderately quiet week this week. What about you? Any fun plans?

"I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended up where I needed to be." ~ Douglas Adams

Suds to Love made me hurt my jaw

That got your attention, didn't it? Hah! But, really, Trisha of Suds to Love did make me hurt my jaw, and I'll tell you why. ;)

Trisha posted a giveaway (I try never to miss a giveaway from my soaper friends because they are the best giveaways on the Web...truly!) of which I was the winner!

I got the box in the mail a couple of days ago; I opened it expecting a couple of bars of soaps and maybe a couple of other bath and body products that Trisha makes. Instead I peer in and I see this:A box jam-packed full of these delectable goodies!! That was when my jaw hit the ground...ouch! snort!

WOW!!! Check it all out:There were:
Orange Mocha Foamy Soap
Orange Mocha Lotion Bar
Orange Mocha Foaming Sugar Scrub
2 Lip Balms: Cherry Vanilla and Ginger PeachA Bubbly Bath Bomb in French Croquembouche (which I'm going to use tomorrow in a luxurious bath)
4 Valentine Soaps in Tropical Mango, Tropical Fruit, Strawberries & Cream, and Limeand a managerie of cold-process soaps:
Green Pineapple
Wise Men
Sweet Lavender Lemon Martini
Peppermint Cocoa
Orange Mocha
Fresh Snow
Winter Wonderland
Auld Lang Syne
and TWO Crantini - Trisha remembered that my sister (the lush) and I love Crantinis, so the sweetheart sent two so that I can give one to my sister without having to share my own!

In addition to hurting my jaw, Trisha is also making me not want to be environmentally conscious because now I want to take a shower four times a day just to try all the soaps! Just teasing you, Trisha...LOL!...because you are an absolute love!! I can't thank you enough for this package!!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe

Guess what day it is?

That's right, Thursday! No, seriously, it's:I need to get a proper piping tool so I can write better on my baked goods. I made this for the LEGO Club meeting today; it's a bit ugly - the worst looking heart and script I've seen - but it was very tasty and that's all that mattered. Happy birthday to Darwin and Lincoln!

It's also Thankful Thursday time! And I'm thankful that:

1) the high winds we had didn't cut off our power (apparently many people in town were without power, but out here in the boonies where we are, our power stayed on), and

2) the weekend looks to be relatively free so I can sleep in a little and catch up on reading blogs.

That reminds me, I'm sorry I've not been around to read your blogs as much recently. Long days out here and there, and an unreliable satellite internet connection makes it hard to keep up.

I do have a couple of things I'd like to post soon though: lovely cards that Michelle (Blog of the Soap Pixie) made for me in trade for some soaps, and the fabulous prize from Trisha (Suds to Love) that I received in the mail today!!

"He is happiest, be he king or peasant, who finds peace in his home." ~ Johann von Goethe