Gullible or empathic?

I just cannot take it anymore! I have just received a gazillion too many emails from foreign scammers. I just don't get it, are Americans that gullible that they keep attempting to prey on us. I get at least one email a week from a scammer with broken English attempting to hook me into some scheme. My favorite so far was the freight scam. They would "buy" 200 bars of soap that I would ship to an orphanage in Africa. I would commit to use the freight company they recommended and somehow pay the freight company while they didn't pay for my soap. I have to think these people are having some level of success or why would they still be attempting it? I'd like to believe that their success has something to do with the fact that we are empathetic. And they are so clever because every scam email I get has some appeal to my emotions. Using orphanages, and appealing to a cry to help an impoverished nation, etc. All stuff that I love, we love, to support. And then it's some pathetic scam trying to defraud me and using my empathy to do it. So sad.

What do you use on your face?

If you've been reading my blog you know I gave up facial skin care chemicals over a year ago. It's been interesting exploring all natural products that are free of chemicals for my facial skin care. Apparently I've found a combination that works. Recently I've had quite a few people comment on my skin and ask me what I'm using. So I thought I'd do a quick blurb to give everybody some natural skin care options. Here's the low down:

For cleansing I'm using my new face soap that is now available on the webstore. I have one at my sink and one in the shower. And since I've been crossing paths with people interested in a shampoo bar, I tried the face soap on my hair and it works great. The jojoba in the face soap is known to be a great ingredient for hair products.

Next I use a moisturizer. I've been doing a lot of experimenting on this front. I think my top pick is the Organic Pomegranate Seed Oil I purchased from Mountain Rose Herbs. Of course I'm out of it right now and so is the supplier. And in the case of this oil there's a hugely noticeable difference between the organic and the non-organic. And since they're the only supplier I've found so far, I'm going to have to wait for them to restock. Of course, this is the star ingredient in my Pomegranate Face Soap. I like it straight as a moisturizer. Yes it's oily and it has an interesting fruity/nutty aroma which I don't actually like. But I put a little dab on my cheeks and within five minutes the oil has been absorbed leaving my skin soft and supple. I absolutely love it! I feel like my skin looks a little brighter too. But if this approach seems a little too au naterelle, my second choice is the Creme de Rose moisturizer from Simply Divine Botanicals. I've also tried their Skincredible Face Elixer which is very soothing. And I absolutely can't live without their deodorant. First chemical free deodorant I've found that actually works. Yeah!

Why face soap?

Months ago I went on rampage to reduce my personal exposure to chemicals. I made a huge shift in my personal care products which meant ousting the skin care and cosmetics I had been using for over 25 years. Having been taught the importance of cleansing my face to prevent clogged pores and such I wondered what to use. I started using my soap and had favorable results. The Lemongrass Poppy Seed was surprisingly good on my face, as was Mint Chocolate Chip. They left my skin squeaky clean without feeling really dry. But soon I started researching facial cleansing soaps to find out what was out there and what people were using. I was surprised to discover that there were few natural handmade soaps formulated specifically for delicate facial skin. I started researching ingredients and off I was on a journey to create my own face soap. I shared early versions of the recipe with family and they were begging for more. After about a year of thought and experimentation I bring to you my new face soaps: Pomegranate and Rain.

The only claim I really intend to make about my face soap is that it cleans your face. When I started making soap I was surprised to discover that soap has chemistry, there's actually a chemical process taking place when you use soap and water. Water alone has surface tension but when you add soap to the mix it pulls dirt and germs away from your skin and they wash away. My all natural facial cleansing soaps being that they are true soaps are guaranteed to wash your face. Since I'm not a billion dollar company backed by a slew of researchers that's the only thing I plan to claim about my new face soap. But what has been surprising to me as I've continued to experiment with a variety of ingredients in my soap making adventures is that each ingredient, even small ingredient changes, change the properties of the soap making each soap recipe unique and different. So it's worth mentioning why I've incorporated the ingredients I have in the face soaps.

All my soaps seem to start with a high percentage of Olive oil because it produces gentle bars of soap. To that I typically add Coconut oil and Palm oil to enhance lathering and produce harder bars of soap, thereby extending the life of the soap. And there's always a smidge of Castor oil added to increase lather.

To the face soaps I've added several "secret" agents, here's why:

Jojoba Oil - most closely resembles the natural sebum in our skin making jojoba a wonderful additive for cosmetics. It also is high in antioxidant properties and is know to penetrate the skin without clogging pores.

Rice Bran Oil - the Japanese have long understood the importance of Rice Bran in their beauty regimens. Rice Bran Oil is high in natural antioxidants that play an important role in fighting free radicals.

Evening Primrose Oil -the GLA in Evening Primrose Oil is thought to control inflammation, it is also thought to be effective against acne and eczema

Secret agents in the Pomegranate all natural facial cleansing soap:

Pomengranate Seed Oil - I can't say enough cool things about this oil! It's my new favorite. I like to massage this oil on my face instead of a moisturizer. It just feels out of this world. And I love what it did to the soap formulation, I just had to name the soap after it! Research is finding great benefit in using Pomegranate Seed Oil to restore moisture and promote cell regeneration.

Shea Butter - also added to increase moisturizing properties, but I find it boosts the lather a tad bit too.

Grapefruit essential oil - added for its skin toning benefits, in aromatherapy grapefruit essential oil is thought to increase concentration. I just love the way it smells!

Secret agents in the Rain all natural facial cleansing soap:

Rose Hip Seed Oil - high in Vitamins A and E as well as omega-3 and omega-6, Rose Hip Seed Oil has been added for its ability to nourish and repair skin.

Lavender and other essential oils - the rain essential oil blend is extraordinary, I think it really smells like rain. I incorporated lavender in this blend first of all for what it contributes to the aroma, but it is also thought to be beneficial for fighting acne. I've also read that lavender is beneficial for dry skin. So I guess it's a universal good for you essential oil. But the long and short of it is, if you struggle with blemish prone skin, the Rain all natural facial cleansing soap might be the one to try.

Please come back and tell me what you think once you've had a chance to try the new face soaps. Ready to make a purchase? Here's some links:

Rain Facial Cleansing Soap

Pomegranate Facial Cleansing Soap

Face Soap Sampler Pack

Chemical free paint?

Wow I just totally have to share that I am so impressed with this paint called The Fresh Aire Choice I picked up at Home Depot. For the past two holiday seasons I've set up my front room as a showroom for my soaps and body essentials. This year I decided to keep the showroom instead of returning it to it's past use as a parlor. Who needs a parlor anyway? So now I'm knee deep in a redecorating project for that room. I dropped by the Home Depot to decide on paint colors and got into a conversation with a knowledgeable salesperson. The conversation started out with me complaining about the Behr paint billed as an all-in-one primer and paint. I informed him that first of all it stunk real bad and I could hardly paint with the toxic smell and second of all it took three coats. So the primer aspect wasn't really working at all. He took the opportunity to point out that the all-in-one paint had a lot less chemicals than the regular Behr paint. So I was in this quandry about whether to buy a paint that stunk real bad in the name of fewer chemicals when he showed me The Fresh Aire Choice. If you're in the market for chemical free paint you should check it out because it really is chemical free. And we were so impressed with how well it went on and the fact that it virtually had no odor. The only downside is there are only 66 color choices. So for those of us match frieks it's a little bit limiting. But I made up my mind that I wanted to try it so I chose a color and off I went. You can see the results. The blue is kind of bright but I think it's growing on me.

The benefits of handmade soap

For several months I've been the featured artist at The Wild Ivy Gift Shop. It's a wonderful shop nestled in Kuna. Owner, Kim Barton, does an incredible job of offering truly unique gifts and accessories. I highly recommend a trip out there if you haven't been. She will be featuring a new artist soon so I'm posting the original article here:

Susanne Schlador, Soap Artist, weighs in on the benefits of handmade soap

Lavande de Bois grew out of my personal obsession with lavender. Ever since I discovered my love of gardening I’ve grown lavender. I love the relaxing herbaceous aroma! After getting my kids off to school full time, I started researching product options for creating a business that revolved around my passion for lavender.

Soap making just kind of found me. I was signed up to go to a four day “boot camp” on making all natural body care products and the night before I was to leave I came down with a severe flu and was unable to travel. The instructor offered to allow me to attend the next “boot camp” which happened to be a soap class. I sat in the class thinking, “Why am I here I don’t even use soap?” I had been an avid shower gel user for years. But the soaps I brought home from the class were far superior to anything I had ever used. And they smelled great too! Soon I was experimenting with my own recipes. I haven’t used anything else since.

How are handcrafted soaps different than the commercially available alternatives? A big factor is ingredients. Large scale soap manufacturers have turned toward the most economical ingredients which often are synthetic. Also, commercial manufacturers tend to remove the glycerin, a natural by-product of the soapmaking process, to add to other products or sell. Glycerin is a humectant which means that it attracts and retains moisture on the skin. Another factor is method. Commercial producers typically heat the ingredients to high temperatures to force the chemical reaction of saponification to occur. I use the cold process method which allows me to combine the lye mixture with the oil mixture at around 110 degrees. At which point I’m able to add essential oils and additives that add skin softening properties to the soap. The saponification occurs over a longer period of time while the soap is laying in the mold for several days. I believe this process yields a gentler, richer soap with assorted benefits for your skin depending upon the additives of each unique recipe.

One thing I love about making soap is being able to blend the goodness of nature with bathing ritual to revitalize mind and body. I consider bathing the singular moment of my day that is for me. Having survived the early years of parenting when no moment is your own, I’ve come to appreciate the ritual of bathing. My soaps are replete with aroma that is uplifting and inspiring, ingredients that soothe and moisturize, and I love to make soap that is artistic. I call it the multisensory approach to bathing even if I don’t have a lot of time for it. I have a firm commitment to using only the finest natural raw ingredients. I use organically grown ingredients whenever feasible. I don’t ever use synthetic fragrances for one very good reason: I’m allergic to the synthetic component of fragrance. In fact, I have quite a few allergies, and I make only what smells good, feels good, and looks good.

Technique and artistry combine to create one-of-a-kind works of handcraftsmanship and quality. Each step in the soap making process involves the soapmaker. Each bar of soap is handmade, hand cut, hand trimmed, hand beveled, and packaged. No two soaps will ever be exact replicas, yet the goodness in the quality and aroma of the soap will be the same bar after bar. The inherent variations in this process enhance the individual beauty of my exclusive soaps.

I personally invite you to experience the all natural goodness of Lavande de Bois handcrafted soaps. Stop by the Wild Ivy to discover the naturally good soap that will nurture a unique you.

Please utilize my website as a resource for product information and as always I invite you to contact me with questions.

Click here for an Independent review of my Mint Chocolate Chip Handcrafted Soap

Happy New Day!

I've talked to quite a few people lately who are looking forward to having 2009 behind them. Whether they've meandered through health crisis or financial trials, relational difficulties or whatever, it's nice to think "it's over" and hope for a different sort of year in 2010. Truth is, I had a particularly difficult year as well. It started with mono and spending weeks on end in bed, not getting out of bed but to go to the bathroom. I didn't even really eat. A multitude of cascading health problems continued to emerge which no local doctors were able to help me with. I made the bold move of seeking medical attention outside the state. The cost has been enormous, but I'm on my way to better health, albeit the path still seems uncertain, and many questions remain for the future.

But it would be tragic neglect for me to not pause and reflect on the incredible gifts that those difficulties have born in my life. If there were one word to describe the gifts I've received it's "adventure". In many ways 2009 has been the culmination of twenty plus years of chronic pain and mysterious health maladies. When several months ago I became allergic to zippers and jewelry I pronounced to my husband "I draw the line at zipper allergies!". He wisely quipped, "What are you going to do about it? Start a line of zipperless clothing? Or maybe you should just go with 24K gold zippers?" As funny as it sounds, there's profound truth in this statement. Out of the total frustration of impaired health new discoveries have abounded.

The wanderings and discoveries of the past year have led me to an organic lifestyle that involves not only purchasing organic foods whenever possible, but growing and canning it as well.

I've also gone chemical free with my personal care regime. After 30 years of mask wearing, I unveiled the real authentic me. I wear some eye make up several days of the week, but typically my face is authentic and naked! Wow this is huge. The other day a friend told me she could never do that because her skin isn't as beautiful as mine. I had to tell her, my skin didn't look like this until I made the bold move to stop wearing the mask. The quest for chemical free skin care led me to create my own face soap, yes it really will be out for sale this year, but for now I'm loving being able to use my own soap with NO chemicals.

And this essay on gifts born out of difficulty would be far from complete without recognizing the people I have met along this journey. Wonderful people who struggle that I might have not had the priviledge of knowing without my own wanderings through difficulty. I must tell this story because it is just a picture of the irony of the struggle. Earlier this month I met the "coffee moms" at our local hot spot for excellent coffee and atmosphere. They are a group of moms from my son's school who meet weekly for coffee. I show up sporadically and they are nice enough to include me. Anyway, on this day, three moms were already seated, and I started to sit down next to one of the moms, I hadn't even landed on my bottom when I found myself subconsciously abruptly changing directions to a standing position and emphatically stating that I could not sit there. The moms looked at me bewilderingly as I tried to explain. Which of course I had to quickly scan my brain for my own understanding. Turns out, as I inched closer to the sitting position, there was a fake Christmas tree behind the couch the gals were seated on and someone must have sprayed Christmas tree fragrance on it. The fake phony synthetic chemicals wafted over to me and I instinctively jerked away. I chose a spot farther away from the tree. Soon another mom showed up who in the past had expressed to me the fact that she was chemically sensitive and the spot near the tree was the only one left. So I casually mentioned to her that I decided not to sit there because of the fragrance and she immediately started backing away. Turns out she's allergic to artificial trees. She discovered the hard way, that artificial trees have latex in them. She has a latex allergy. Anyway the common enemy created an instant bond between us. When a nearby customer left we quickly inhabited his table farther away from the tree and delved into a conversation about how we feel like social outcasts because of our plight and were soon swapping discoveries, successes, failures, and survival techniques for chemically sensitive individuals living in a world that is oversubscribed with chemicals. All this to say, I had an unexpected new friend who understood my plight without me explaining it.

So yeah, while life is incredibly complicated dodging food allergens and chemicals that creep into my life in one form or another and searching for practitioners who are armed with the right information and arsenal of tools to help my unique situation, I am on the adventure of a life time. I am discovering new foods to fuel my body, foods that taste good that I never would have considered eating a year ago. I am finding out that unveiling the authentic face that I was born with actually feels like freedom from the burden to artistically remake it everyday. And I'm discovering people who struggle too that I understand without a word because I've been there too. It's not easy and I never would have chosen this journey. But it's the journey I'm on and I'm learning, growing, and discovering new things because of it. So it's the journey of discovery that I am truly grateful for. I stopped making new year's resolutions many years ago, because plans get redirected, and that always felt like failure. So now, I just take it one day at a time, and for the start of this year I look forward to spending a lazy day with my family!

Do marketers dictate consumer behavior?

As our Christmas festivities were winding down I sat down and the television happened to be on. And when I saw my first commercial for some weight loss scheme I was thoroughly disgusted. Can't we revel in the enjoyment of the holidays before laying a burden on consumers that they now have to get back to obsessing about appearance? This obvious shift in retailer marketing from buying gifts and decorating your house for the holidays to organizing, weight loss, and cleaning has always fascinated me. It's like which came first? Consumer demand or marketers creating awareness of "need" by their marketing strategies.

The idea that marketers influence our culture to such a high degree really bothers me. But they do. Do you know anyone who has not now moved to considering a new diet or new way to organize their life? It's a sad but true state of consumer behavior. I have to admit, I am also contemplating going on a detox diet. And I'm considering how to reorganize my gluten free pantry to make all my flours more accessible and easier to work with. I think it's natural to emerge from the busy days of holiday preparations and festivities with a desire to clean out the old and bring in the new. But honestly do we have to let retailers dictate and influence our behavior to such a high degree?

I want to rebel! How should I do this? By not going on a diet and living in a messy cluttered house? I haven't figured out exactly how to rebel, if you have any ideas let me know. But one thing I know for sure, I do not look forward to all the extra people showing up at the gym in January. It makes it hard to get my spot in Pilates. Maybe the frenzy will wear off sooner this year. It's not nice for me to be so cynical about the new members new years resolutions. I AM very supportive of people trying to work out more, but the efforts never seem to last past the month of January. Perhaps I'll see you at the gym?

Shopping ideas for the women in your life

Hey guys:

I'm getting ready to host a men's shopping night featuring my product line of naturally good soaps and bathing essentials. This shopping guide is broken down into two sections. One section is for gifts that would be great for any girl: moms, daughters, co-workers, someone who works for you, etc. And then there's suggestions for your significant woman, the one and only!

Any girl gift ideas for under $10:

A bar of soap made from luxurious all natural ingredients and replete with awesome aroma will be sure to please. Several soaps have a free gift wrap option, consider Candy Cane, Mint Chocolate Chip, Idaho Mossmint, Lavande Bleu or consider the two soaps gift set for $14.75, your choice of two luxury soaps come already packaged and ready for gift giving. If you have no idea what aromas your girl likes, stick with Lavande de Bois' tried and true customer favorites: Lavande Blue or Mint Chocolate Chip or Orange Spice.

A gift for the hands that help you: a naturally good soap paired with a hand salve provides practical yet luxurious care for her hands. Lavender soap with a Lavender Hand Salve or try Lemongrass Poppy Seed with a Lemon Drop Hand Salve. These will also make great stocking stuffers.

For your honey:

Bath Rx kits contain everything a woman needs to create a personal spa experience. Lavender essential oil, known for it's calming influence on the mind is the star player in the Relaxing Bath Rx. This kit contains an assortment of lavender bath products and our Relaxing Massage Oil blend which unites lavender with a hint of mint and cedarwood to create an aroma that relaxes and sooths the mind and body. The Happiness Bath Rx incorporates orange essential oil which is known to encourage feelings of happiness and creativity. The Ginger Passion Massage Oil marries citrus essential oils with ginger essential oil to create stimulating and energizing aroma.

Bath Rx Kits are $38.00 and include the following all natural handmade body essentials encased in woven mesh bag:

Salt Scrub

Handcrafted Soap

Wood Soap Dish (to extend the life of her soap)

Massage Oil (can be used as a bath oil or massage oil)

Spa Salts

What? Your honey doesn't take baths? In that case I can adjust the kit to contain only products that are suitable for the shower. And well you can provide the massage.

Have you ever thought of treating her with gifts for the 12 days of Christmas? Twelve gifts arrived gift wrapped for you to surprise her with. Please order by December 8th so you can start the gift giving on December 14th. Not so organized? Then fill her stocking with 12 pre-wrapped gifts. Kit includes: 2 Lip Balms, 2 Hand Salves, 2 Therapy Salts, Wood Soap Dish, 5 Handcrafted Soaps. All items are different. Retail value: $61.25. Kit price: $54.95.

To place an order call me at 208-761-9775 or email me at susanne@lavandedebois.com. Most of these items can be purchased individually on the webstore. However the Bath Rx and 12 Day of Christmas kits have to be ordered via phone or email. These kits can also be placed in a gift basket and wrapped beautifully for your honey.

TLC Bar makes its debut

I’m so excited to present my latest soap creation, the TLC Bar! This soap has been in the works for a while, but what I’m excited about is I’ve decided to donate $1.00 from the sale of every TLC Bar to Turn the Corner Foundation, a foundation dedicated to support research, education, awareness and innovative treatments of Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases.

The trials and travails of Lyme disease came on my radar last year when my little sis was diagnosed with Lyme disease. It was shocking to watch her go from active mom of two boys to struggling to survive. I’m so proud of her for staying with the fight and looking for answers to puzzling health problems. Thanks to Lyme aware doctors she is on the road to recovery! And she’s using some of the health she’s recovered to work toward the fight against Lyme disease. You can read about her story on her blog and on Spirochicks.

Recently I was diagnosed with Lyme disease as well. Alas there may be an explanation why chronic illness has been chasing me for 15 years!

The TLC bar? Well it’s full of naturally good ingredients, a bathing essential for people with chemical sensitivities and allergies. Olive oil, known to be gentle on your skin, is infused with calendula petals, creating an extra soothing oil base for this soap. Just a hint of lavender essential oils and ground calendula petals are added to create wonderful soothing aroma and soft texture.

I started experimenting with this recipe when I was looking to create a soap for my “Baby du bois” line. The feedback was that the ground calendula created light texture not really desireable for babies skin. But the aroma was out of this world! The ground calendula combines with lavender essential oil to give this soap it’s fabulous aroma. So I had to keep the recipe as is. And here it is!

I invite you to give this soap a try and join the fight against Lyme disease.

All of my soaps are made with naturally good for you ingredients and suitable for people with sensitivities. Of course, sensitivities are highly individualized. Please see the following pages for additional ingredient information.

LDB natural handmade soaps ingredient information

LDB natural goodness committment

What does natural mean at LDB?

Peppermint craze is back!

I went crazy for peppermint last year when I created the recipe for my Candy Cane soap. In one season this soap cultivated a loyal following of customers who've been waiting all year for me to make it again. Well it's back with a new twist! Now made with local peppermint and some organic ingredients. I was able to acquire peppermint and spearmint essential oils from a local grower. I'm elated to say that I'm now able to incorporate locally grown and distilled mint into all my mint soaps. And this first batch of Candy Cane soap is comprised of over 60% organic ingredients. My organic supplier had some supply issues this fall, so the next batch of Candy Cane soap is less organic. If you're looking for the wholesome goodness of mostly organic soap be sure to purchase your Candy Cane soaps while supplies last.

Also available to satiate the peppermint palate is my Cocoa Mint Lip Balm. I experimented on friends and family last season by giving out White Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn with a Cocoa Mint Lip Balm attached for their lip smackin' pleasure. It was a big hit.

And since I'm going crazy for peppermint these days ... you might be seeing some additional peppermint products soon ... like White Chocolate Peppermint Body Butter and Candy Cane Salt Scrub. Can't wait for them to appear on the webstore? Drop me an email of phone call. They're made and ready to take center stage at my holiday events.

Gluten free diet ... living without?

Over twelve years ago a nutritionist challenged me to get off wheat. What I discovered is, after having a headache every day for fifteen years, I could virtually extinguish my migraine-like headaches by eating gluten free. Of course I've fallen off the wheat wagon many times. It is just plain hard to live in a world of glutinous options especially when you're traveling or eating out! But several years ago when my oldest son tested positive for wheat allergy, I had to regain my resolve, it wasn't just me who suffered when I didn't work hard at providing alternatives. A teenager living in a glutinous world had even more challenges. I called the school dining hall to find out what options there would be for him. The answer: "we don't do that". So it was up to mom to figure it all out. Through trial and error we soon discovered how important it was for him to adhere to the diet. I would pick him up from school and I could tell by the way he carried himself when he ate pizza. Not only did it make him fatigued it affected his entire demeanor and cognitive abilities. I'm really proud of him today, as an athlete trying to perform at the top of his ability he knows what he needs to do, and he's doing it! This past summer, I decided to try the diet on my youngest son who's symptoms were moodiness and chronic dark circles under the eyes. The result: a new kid!

Last year my little sis gave me a subscription to Living Without, a magazine for people with food sensitivities. It's been a good source of baking ideas and medical information. But one of the things that intrigues me is this idea that I'm "living without". It leaves me with this feeling that I'm somehow missing out. Well I'm here to tell you that embracing a lifestyle that chooses to eat the foods that fuel your body without burdening it with foods you're allergic to is far from living without. I guess you could call it living within. Sure, living within the constraints of my body's needs has been so frustrating. And having two kids that have followed my genetic disposition for food sensitivity has been really hard! At first I internalized it as pressure, I felt this great huge burden to provide for them. And while I have been working hard at providing options for them I've had this growing list of new food sensitivities to deal with for myself. So at times I would be providing sometimes up to three different meal options for my family of five! Providing food for myself and my family this past year truly has been one of the most challenging tasks of my parenting "career".

But what I've discovered as the key to success in this journey is as simple as the perspective shift from "living without" to "living within". It is that simple. I'm living within the constraints of mine and my family's needs. And what I've discovered is that food can taste really good, even without wheat, sugar, eggs, etc. In the past I hadn't been much of an experimenter in the kitchen. One of the things that becoming a soap artist has taught me is to experiment with new things all the time. And those experiments of good and bad have led to great new discoveries of what I like, things that I didn't know I would like. So now after years of following food recipes to a tee I'm finally experimenting with them. Having multiple food sensitivities of my own, and the needs of my boys, have pushed me to a new level of creativity in the kitchen.

But I could not have gone down this path without the help of people who were willing to share their ideas, people I REALLY appreciate! I met Jody last year, soon we were conversing about diet and discovered our common concerns. She being farther down the road than me has been an amazing source of ideas and inspiration. Thank you Jody! She also pointed me to Tom and Ali's cookbook and blog. Ali's recipes are amazing! She has totally engineered her recipes to perfection. I have not tried a single one that wasn't good, in fact, most of them are just downright awesome. I followed the elimination diet in their cookbook and on their website and it has been enlightening. One of my discoveries is that I'm allergic to rice. Even though many of Ali's recipes incorporate rice flour I've been able to adjust the flours in her recipes and they still turn out fabulous.

So here's a note of gratitude for the people who've shared their gluten-free experiences with me. And you know what I've discovered now that I've made the perspective shift to living within? It's really not as hard as I thought it was because mom feels so much better and so do the kids! And there's also something satisfying about taking an insurmountable challenge by the horns and going with it.

So here our some of my favorites for Tom and Ali's blog to help get you started:

Gluten free waffles I have to make these every Saturday now! We freeze the leftovers and the boys eat them throughout the week. They taste great slathered with my new sugar free jam!

Cucumber Tomato Basil Salad I was eating this daily at the height of our tomato and cucumber harvest. So fresh and scrumptious!

Spicy Summer Black Bean Salad This was another amazing harvest salad recipe. Love the flavors all together, and the black beans for protein.

Maple Raspberry Scones Now this one is downright awesome. I was so sad when our raspberry harvest came to an abrupt end with the coming of frost.

Brain cloud or inspiration?

Do I have a brain cloud? I just love the movie "Joe versus the Volcano", you know when his whole world is dreary, clouds in the sky, no windows at his desk, a buzzing florescent light bulb, a lamp that doesn't work, etc. Joe's life is depressing and when the "doctor" tells him he has a brain cloud, he believes it. Well, my life is not depressing, but there are days when I think I must have a brain cloud. And in many respects I do, it's called menopause and lyme disease. I'm not going to bore you with the sob story just the net result.

So I've been working on creating a facial cleansing soap for quite some time. This work was inspired by the events that lead me to leave my mask behind. And I've been testing my recipe on friends and family with rave reviews. (We don't product test on our chocolate lab, Chip, even though he is a member of the family, or any one else's pet for that matter. Although, when I start working on creating a pet soap I may have to bend the no animal testing rule just to make sure they like it ... we'll see). So anyway, lot's of people trying it and loving it and I start making it to add to my product line. And I let my customers know it's coming in October.

Then I'm laying awake in bed one night thinking about the ingredients in the new face soap and what to tell people about it. And I think about this one ingredient that was placed in the soap because it is so great for your skin called "wheat germ oil". Anyone who knows me knows I am allergic to wheat. I avoid it all costs, gives me migraines and other maladies. I also have a ton of other allergies. And because of that my customers kind of look to me to provide allergy friendly products. While I did not seem to react to this face soap many people who suffer from wheat allergies or celiac disease do not use any products that have wheat in them. So anyway it begs the question, how did "wheat germ oil" somehow cross the barrier and end up on my shelf. I would have had to order it, then look at the label every time I added it to the recipe. And mind you I've made this recipe quite a few times. Hence the brain cloud question. Anyway, I'm laughing it off. But as I tried to figure out how to explain to my customers why the face soap isn't here as planned the only thing I could figure out was to totally own my condition as chronically suffering from brain fog. So what next? Should I jump in a volcano?

While hiking up to the top of a volcano and jumping in it as it's about to erupt does sound rather exhilarating, I've decided to go back to the creative drawing table on the face soap. The net result, the new new face soap is going to be even better! I'm still in the testing phase on this. But you can look forward to rice bran oil instead of wheat germ oil, and some awesome additives, like pomegranate seed oil and rose hip seed oil. I can't wait to be able to offer it to my customers. But for now I have an awesome new face soap for my shower. And, well having a brain cloud isn't so bad when it leads you to rethink the equation.

Update on organic soaps

As you may now from the post Organic Harvest I've been converted to this commitment to going organic. I have a supplier that has been great at providing organic base oils for my soap. Well apparently they completely ran out in early September. And I have been waiting for their organic oils to come in. And waiting... October is my biggest production month of the year as cold processed soap takes four to six weeks to cure. I couldn't wait any longer for their shipment to arrive and had to order from another supplier this week. So I'm said to say that for the time being my soaps won't be as organic as I'd like. But I do have a lot of soaps in inventory that have over 60% organic ingredients. So if that's important to you, let me know when you place your order so I can pick through my inventory and get the most organic ones for you.

Sugar Free Raspberry Jam

I guess you could say I've been on a sugar free kick, or rather a sugar free lifestyle change. I just don't feel that great when I eat sugar, so why bother? Well it's really hard to find sugar-free alternatives. And most of the time sugar-free recipes call for chemical replacements. I don't do sugar chemical replacements either, they make me feel worse. So when it was time to make our traditional raspberry jam this year I was in a quandry. I started doing some research and discovered I needed special pectin to make jam without sugar. I found Bernardin and I've been pleasantly surprised by the results. I made three variations of the same recipe. I like them all, but I think the Raspberry with Blueberries and Acai berry juice is pretty sweet. A little disclaimer here: my husband, a lemonade addict, says they're all kind of tart. So here you go if you're looking for an adventure in Sugar Free Raspberry Jam:

Raspberry w/ Apple Juice
3 cups raspberries
1 cup applejuice
1 packet bernardin pectin

Raspberry w/ Apricot Nectar
3 cups raspberries
1 cup sugar free apricot/pineapple nectar
1 packet barnardin pectin

Raspberry/Blueberry Jam w/ Acai Berry Juice
2 cups raspberries
1 cup blueberries
1 cup Acai/blueberry juice
1 packet barnardin pectin

I'm sad to say the raspberry crop is gone now that we've had several nights of frost. We picked by headlamp last week when we realized the frost was coming. But it sure was fun while it lasted.

Want to find bernardin? Go to http://www.amazon.com/Bernardin-Pectin-No-Sugar-Needed/dp/B000FRVVJW

Need more recipe ideas? Go to http://www.homecanning.com/can/ALRecipes.asp?R=660

Organic Harvest

I had no idea that "going organic" would impact so many areas of my life and thinking. First it invaded my shopping and eating patterns. As part of a new eating plan I started last January I began a committment to buying organic foods to bump the nutrient density of what went in my mouth and to reduce chemical exposure. It's expensive yes! So I started slowly adding more and more organic foods each shopping trip while our budget adjusted.

Then it impacted my gardening principles. As I continued to purchase organic foods this conviction started brewing: "how can I buy and eat organic foods while at the same time loading my lawn and garden with chemicals?" So off to Barnes and Noble I went to find some books on organic gardening.

Applying organic gardening principles to my vegetable garden wasn't so hard, after all we were going to eat the harvest. We had utilized mostly organic principles for many years, it was just a matter of taking it to the next level: a firm conviction to add no chemicals. I knew the hardest areas would be pest and weed control. Well we did it. We made it through the entire growing season without using any chemicals on any part of our yard. There have been moments of doubt like when the squash bugs were attacking our pumpkins and zuchini. I scoured the shelves at the gardeners supply for an organic remedy for squash bugs. The salesperson sounded pretty doubtful when he said "this one is organic". We handpicked larva and bugs and sprayed the organic soap on the backs of the leaves. Admittedly, I was surprised when the effort saved our plants!

As far as the lawn goes, it looks terrible. It's full of weeds. We have a huge lawn so handpicking the weeds is, well, unlikely. Thankfully it will go dormant soon and we can take another whack at it next year. There are some good ideas in the organic gardening books that we can implement next time around, but for now, I'm choosing to live with the weeds, the look of not perfection, because I'm sticking with my convictions. If the chemicals are bad I can't contribute to the chemical mess by using them.

I guess going organic is contagious, or perhaps it's just that deep personal convictions tend to invade every arena of our lives. When I first started my business occasionally I would meet someone who was looking for organic soap. In my mind I thought that I might some day go organic or I might make a few organic soaps, but only if my customer base was looking for it and willing to pay for it. Even in this my thinking has shifted. I can't just create what I think people are willing to pay for. The things I create and bring to the world must be consistent with my own personal convictions. So I'm starting slowly in this as well. I've made a shift in two major ingredient players in my soap:coconut oil and palm oil. Now they're organic! And so far I've been able to do this without a shift in pricing. The net result is that my typical soap recipe is comprised of a minimum of 56% organic ingredients. And I have a yummy organic cocoa butter, so in the recipes that have cocoa butter: Orange Chip, Mint Chip, and Candy Cane (coming back for the holidays very soon!) almost 60% of the total ingredients are organic! Quick disclaimer: this is a go forward decision, and some of the soaps in my current inventory were produced pre-thinking shift. So bear with me as I complete the conversion.

Going organic has been an adventure well worth the effort. We're enjoying our garden's all organic harvest. Everything in the photo (above) is from our garden.