Band of Bloggers: Volume 22, October 2017

Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, it was a dark and stormy night. So dark and stormy, in fact, the power had gone out, and you had naught but a handful of scented three-wick candles with which to light your way. As you crept down the darkened hallway of the cabin in the woods along the picturesque shores of Crystal Lake that you and your randy teenage friends rented from the eerily helpful maintenance man back at the abandoned service station with all the weird pelts hanging outside, you caught a glimpse of movement out of the corner of your eye. Whirling madly about, you brandished your glass jar of Pumpkin Cupcake Crunch, set to square off against any number of undead, masked killers with nothing but the three-wick in your hand and your own blazing moxie. Then, with a chuckle of embarrassed relief, you realized it was just your lucky Chucky Doll figurine - must have fallen off the shelf when that puzzle doodad covered in all the bizarre symbols you found in the basement behind the walled-up root cellar tipped over. Pressing a hand to your fluttering heart, you shook your head as you contemplated the massive, flammable waxcident that nearly was - heavens, THAT certainly could have been messy!

And then THAT'S when one of your friends came banging through the swinging door of the kitchen, catching you square in the back, throwing you forward and the candle up, and out, and then eventually down, where it exploded in a geyser of molten wax, covering everything in the livingroom with burnt orange pumpkin spice, including the creepy two-way mirror and the snarling wolf head affixed to the wall. Congratulations; now you're really in a horror movie!

Oh, we've all been there, and not just waxies, but anyone who enjoys a hobby that occasionally errs towards the messy and dangerous (jest not, glitter glue burns are a real thing!) So this month, in honour of Halloween, we're taking a look at our most monstrous pastime nightmares - the waxcidents and beauty blunders and crafting calamities that haunt our hobby dreams. What's the worst hobby hazard you've ever suffered? And do you have any magical tips for cleaning Pumpkin Cupcake Crunch out of carpet fibers (or wolf fur)?

Knock on wood... I have not had any terrible waxcidents that were more than a few drips on the counter tops as of yet. But we did have quite the learning curve when we went from linoleum to more unforgiving tile in the bathroom. I store my nail polishes in a niche there and husband somehow knocked a few over and they fell on the floor and shattered. Heartbreakingly, they were three of my discontinued Rescue Beauty Lounge shades, specifically from her Georgia O'Keeffe collection. It took a lot of acetone and wet paper towels to mop up the polish and the glass bits. He felt really bad about it, poor guy.

I have burned myself and cut myself literally dozens upon dozens of times in the kitchen doing my other favorite hobbies, cooking and baking. I am pretty graceless. Especially with a knife or mandoline slicer. Now that can be horrifying.

If you have a story to share about the worst hobby-related catastrophe you've ever suffered, please leave a cringe-worthy comment in the section below! And we hope you'll visit these Band of Bloggers blogs and help support the blogger community.

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join us for our monthly Band of Bloggers posts, please feel free to contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 21, September 2017

Welcome back to the September Band of Bloggers! It's that time of year again. School is starting back up. Trees are starting to turn. North America is recovering from the apocalypse brought on by the eclipse. Wait, what?

The eclipse that visited most of the United States on August 21st has been described as a once in a lifetime experience. The next eclipse to cover the US from coast to coast will not come until 2045.

That brings us to our question this month. What is your once in a lifetime experience?

2045. I was totally unprepared for this eclipse but a wonderful co-worker brought in glasses for all of us to jog outside and take a peek from time to time. My daughters ended up making the pinhole cereal box and had good luck with that, but next time I would like to be more prepared. I will be 65 at that point and it is supposed to go directly over Florida so I will have a prime seat in the twilight of my life if I am still around, you know... sniffing wax and making quilts. Anyway... back to the question! My once in a lifetime experience?

I would like to say getting married. I love my husband and we both work to make sure this first marriage will be our only marriage.

Once I had a bull in a rodeo run at me and knock me flying over the arena fence and I was ushered out in an ambulance. 

I thought going to Tokyo a couple summers ago was going to be a once-in-a-lifetime event but I am already daydreaming of my next trip there. My goal is to take my girls once they are older. You can read about that trip here and here and here and here. 

Future once-in-a-lifetime experiences I would love to have:

- hot spring baths in Iceland

- strolling about the Scottish moors

- sipping tea at Harrod's

- a sunset hot air balloon ride

- watching my daughters blaze their own trails as they fly the nest

If you'd like to play along at home, please feel free to answer this question in the comment section below, and we hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Jessica at The Meltdown Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 19, July 2017

As mid-summer approaches, my mind drifts to vacation times, getaways or mini excursions out and about. One tank trips. Parks to explore. 

Do you take a summer vacation or do small getaways? What do you have planned? If not, what would be your ideal vacation or retreat? What are your favorite local haunts? Give us some places to check out!

We try to take a week long vacation once a year in the summer time. In the past we would rent a house on Anna Maria Island and tool about on scooters and lounge by the pool and beach. As of recent, we have been Smoky mountain bound, renting a cabin in North Carolina. Last summer saw us visiting family in Cleveland, and though that offered new experiences and joy from reconnections, it wasn't quite a true vacation. In a few weeks we will be staying in Tennessee for the first time. Here is the cabin...

Honestly, I have caught the travel bug so day trips and weekend getaways are welcome anywhere. Adam, the girls and I have been enjoying our Aquatica passes this year (anything to cool off from the summer heat), trips to Lithia Springs and surrounding state parks. This fall brings my sisters and I to a long weekend getaway to NYC. In our enthusiasm to continue to travel together we also want to visit: Maine, the Pacific Northwest, Bali, Greece and more. Who knows if it will happen but day dreaming is fun.

I am not going to lie.... as summer starts revving up... I am catching myself not only daydreaming about vacation but also fall scents. I am sure it may be too early for some and others melt fall scents year 'round, but I must ask... where are you planning to order your fall smell goods from? It can be vendor wax, candles, bath and body or perfumes. <3 Just spill!

Dessa's Homespun Scents plotting has begun. Between Dessa and Carol at Candles From The Keeping Room, I think those two will make up the bulk of my fall wax ordering. Though I would love to score some MooScents and possibly something or another from a new vendor.  

As far as fragrances, Sonoma Scent Studio will be debuting a new fragrance called Mysa that will be perfect for fall (a chocolate, spice and patchouli scent), hopefully some Arcana Pumpkins Crave renditions will emerge, and maybe some other indie and artisan houses will roll out some apple, pumpkin and spice scents that I won't be able to resist. I am sure Solstice Scents will knock me out with some yummy offerings.

Future Primitive Owlette's End is one of my favorite fall soaps, hoping Tiggy will bring that one back. Cosmic Cleanse ScentSations is having a pre-order for Halloween later in the month and Donnie Darko Returns sounds like a great scent for autumn. 

Candles will be bought but not sure what or where yet. Do you have any fall candle must haves? I will probably pick up some Bath & Body Works Marshmallow Fireside and Pumpkin Woods. Hopefully they are good this year.

Please, feel free to answer these questions in the comments section below.

We hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Jessica at The Meltdown Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 18, June 2017

Toes in the water, sunshine on the skin, evenings spent watching blinking fireflies or brilliant fireworks, all the little indulgences that only summer can bring. As it's arriving soon (in the northern hemisphere), for June, we want to know the special ways you indulge during the summer months. Any activities you look forward to? For some, it involves dodging bugs to searching for respite from soaring temps. But for everyone it means longer daylight hours. What is your summer indulgence?

Summer indulgences include breaking out the old ice cream maker, turning on the sprinklers for the girls to frolic through and finding any body of water to swim in and beat the heat. Being a teacher allows me to hang out with my husband (who usually works from home) and girls so it is a cherished time of year for me. Even Adam awaits it with baited breath because we can all turn our alarm clocks off and sleep in (which admittedly is only until about 7 or 8am). I can cook leisurely dinners that normally require several hours to prepare or bake or paint or do household projects. I get to sit at my sewing machine more often or get lost in a huge book series. It takes me back to when I was a stay-at-home mom but without having to hover over toddlers and keep them from choking or pulling the cat's tail or making them sit on the potty every time I turn around. Whew. Toddlers. Plus, naptime. Naps can and will occur during the long hot summer days.

Continuing with gratification, what's the most indulgent fragrance purchase you have ever made or been gifted? A special bottle of perfume, exclusive wax opening, or pricey, fancy pants candle?

This Serge Lutens bell jar in Muscs Koublai Khan is easily my most indulgent perfume purchase to date. It was my souvenir when I first went to NYC with my bestie, NaLonda. At the time, and it may be so still, Barney's in NYC was the only place in the US where these could be purchased so I knew I was going to spring for one of these when I got there. I chose this scent after sampling and left out the door $333 lessened. I love it. I would not hesitate to pick up a second one in a different scent when I head back to NYC in November this year. 

Lastly, how would you indulge if $ was no object? It could be a luxe fragrance you desire, a pampering spa package, a legendary retired scent, etc. What is your dream way to treat yo' self?

If money was no object I would buy the The Box from CB I Hate Perfumes and it would include the rare flowers perfumes at an extra cost too, of course. Every single scent Christopher Brosius has ever created, even limited editions, are included in the box in a 15ml format along with notes and stories and is hand numbered and signed by him. These are made to order and take 4-6 weeks to arrive after ordering so they can curate your box by hand just for you. All of this can be yours for the considerable sum of $12,500. We were dreaming right?

Please, feel free to answer these questions in the comments section below!

We hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Jessica at The Meltdown Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 17, May 2017

May, May, May. Welcome back, ol' friend! May is a turning point in the year for a lot of people. The school year is almost over, summer is coming soon, and those mild months will soon become scorchers. The birthstone of May is the emerald, which symbolizes love and success. This month, we're focusing on those two things!

We all love something with all our hearts, so tell us what you love the most. It could be the story of how you met your spouse/significant other, where you got your pet, or a nod to your parental units.

What a sweet question! My heart holds much love in it. I love God, I love Jesus. Agape. That all consuming, incomprehensible love. 

I love my husband. We have carried each other through many trials and laughed through many joys. He spoils me and I am fully aware and try not to take it for granted. He makes my coffee in the morning, fills my tank with gas every Sunday and loves me when I find it hard to love myself. Yes, we fight. We struggle. I have been truly awful and sometimes he is exasperating. That is marriage. We have gone through marriage classes and Bible studies, years of penny pinching and years of bounty. Health and sickness. But I wake up each morning choosing to love him and I thank God he does the same too. And thank God for AOL chat rooms in the 1990's, for that is how we met. <3 This November 19th will be 18 years together.

I love my girls. I know motherhood is a struggle at times and I mess up. But I don't give up. I try to watch my words as best I can. I try to discipline thoughtfully. I try my best to give them the foundation they need and it all stems from my love for them. They are pretty awesome (says the completely unbiased mother). They care about other people, nature, their pets, and their family. They have their own interests and ideas. I am to this day, thankful and full of gratitude that I got to be a part of their lives. I love them so.

I love my mom, my dad, my family. And I love my sisters. I love their hilarity, their goofiness, their trust, and fellowship. I love how hard they work and how far they have come. I love not only watching them grow into adulthood but helping in any way I can. They more often than not, are my friends. 

And of course I love my friends. Mom's nights, books and coffee, movie nights and even Harry Potter parties. As an introvert I don't have an abundance but the ones I do have are very, very dear. My virtual friends mean a lot to me as well. 

I know the question was what do I love the MOST. But love takes all forms and I simply cannot answer that without giving a litany of my favorite LOVES. Which also include: Toddles, Boopers, Beardie, books, my home, my Jeep, my smelly smells, coffee, books, the sea shore, the mountains, books, Harry Potter, supporting small business, you know I am going to say books again, Christmas, coffee mugs, cats, music, plants, food, and about a million other things that bring a small slice of joy to my day. 

In terms of success, and keeping it blog related, have you ever participated in and/or completed a successful "project wax" or spring wax/perfume/makeup/scented product purge? Have you ever had so much product you felt the need to use it all up before your bought again?

Contrary to popular belief, I really don't have a whole buttload of wax. Well. I mean in wax hoarder terms. I don't have dressers full or rooms full. I have my two three-drawer Sterilite containers (not even the big ones, just the average two foot tall ones) in my closet and I melt my wax and I gift my wax. It doesn't spill over the drawers and I am good with that. I have never felt overwhelmed with my collection (yet- we all know how saying "never" goes). Just like when I was into nail polish. Or makeup. Even perfume. I build, find a spot where my collection is full according to space and then use, buying more when I feel it is worth adding. I do suppose my melting baskets are a type of project wax. I usually fill them with older scents or groupings of samples or gifts I want to melt. I prefer using up product rather than tossing it. I don't toss out wax. I do give it to family or friends who want it. But I have tossed some polishes that went goopy beyond thinner or the colors changed. 

Everyone is different and deals with collections or interests differently. I like to keep mine at a certain size and then use and buy from there.

Please, feel free to answer these questions in the comments section below!

We hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Jessica at The Melt Down Blog

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 16, April 2017

It's that time of year again! As the warmer weather soothes stiff joints and brushes off the last vestiges of winter, homes beg for the same fresh start everyone promised themselves at the beginning of the year. Clothes are donated, rooms are scrubbed, and yards are tended. While the fauna leave their winter dens or return from long migrations, the world blooms with new growth in vibrant splashes of color.

For April's Band of Bloggers post, we will answer a few questions about Spring and the ever-loved Spring Cleaning. Feel free to join in and answer these questions in the comments below!

Do you decorate for Spring? 

I used to have some wreaths I hung on the front door and around the house but I tossed them out when they wore down and have not replaced them. I don't think I will be doing any spring decorating this year. We celebrate Easter, but have never done the whole Easter Bunny thing. We just leave a basket out for them in the morning as a gift. And honestly. Florida really doesn't have a typical spring I don't suppose. The azaleas bloom, the oak trees bloom (pollen) and we wait for the wave of lovebugs to appear and smash their guts all over the car windshields. 

Are there any products you find yourself reaching for as the weather warms? This can be anything; food, clothing, bath and body, wax, you name it!

Flip flops, Hawaiian Tropic SPF 45 lip balm, and my Haus of Gloi Refreshers (they are cooling light sprays that offer not only heat relief but amazing fragrance as well). 

I have also repurchased a new bottle of this sleeping/relaxation mist from Urban-Mysticism on Etsy. I use this peppermint and lavender essential oil blend (in alcohol) on my pillows and the back on my neck before bed. Savanna loves it and requests it often too. 

Do you participate in the Spring Cleaning craze?

Not in any traditional sense of the word. I tend to get a wild cleaning hair up my butt once in a while and thrash about the house in a haze of dusting, Windexing and Lysol wiping of every surface I can find but not necessarily during spring. I did this back in February. I will probably do it again once school gets out and I have more time on my hands. I did reorganize my wax drawer last week. That was enjoyable. I do need to clean out the fridge and wash my makeup brushes very soon.

Don't forget to visit these fellow participants in the Band of Bloggers and help support the blogging community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at Lolo Loves Scents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy 

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us. 

Band of Bloggers: March 2017, Volume 15

Welcome to the March edition of Band of Bloggers!  Hopefully this month begins to bring more temperate weather and the first signs of spring! In my neck of the woods, conditions have been alternating between crazy heavy rain/high winds and beautiful sunshine and blooming flowers. I hope the weather will stabilize a bit this month. Since the month of March usually holds the first signs of spring, that begs the question:

What scent are your favorite scents to melt and wear for spring?

Are you a fan of traditional spring scents such as florals, fresh/clean, earthy, herbal, etc?
Do you consider yourself a seasonal melter (melting scents traditionally associated with a particular season in that season?)

Yes. Yes I am a fan of those types of scents. The fresh and clean ones can be touch and go but if well done and not overly chemical or detergent then I am on board. In spring I do like sweet and soft florals and herbs. I tend to start getting into more fruits and less bakery about then. Sometimes woodsy scents and vanillas ring my chimes about then too. 

As you can probably tell I am a seasonal melter. I do save my pumpkins for fall and pomander scents for Christmas. Fruits and florals come out to play in summer and spring. I will melt cinnamon all year though. It is my comfort scent.

In the spring I start reaching for my fig centric scents and roses when it comes to perfumes. Violets, lilacs, lavender and iris also really hit the sweet spot too this time of year. Herbal fragrances and lighter citrus colognes start to trickle in as well, though those get heavier play in the summer. This spring I think I will buy the new travel size of Voile de Violette from Sonoma Scent Studio.

What about you? Are you craving anything in particular this spring? Anything you are excited to melt or wear?

We hope you'll join the fun and leave your own answer in the comments below.

And we hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: February 2017, Volume 14

Welcome to the February edition of Band of Bloggers!  You're probably getting tired of winter already as we start this new month.  Maybe your thoughts are already turning towards spring, or maybe you're all about Valentine's at the moment.  Hearts and roses, chocolates and cards, and special someones making you smile . . .   With all that love floating around, our question this month is quite simple.

What scent are you *loving* at the moment?

It can be anything from wax to perfume to body care to . . . whatever!

For wax, I am loving on some serendipity and vanilla blends. I cannot get enough. Gimme sweet and gimme strong. We have been having some cold snaps and the vanilla marshmallows and bakery scents have been keeping us warm and snug. 

On a side note I have indeed fallen for the Lush Sonic Death Monkey I bought a little while ago. I have been using it as a shampoo and shower gel and it is yummy. So cozy and snug as a bug in a rug. I still get a hefty does of coconutty cocoa butter and I love it. 

In perfume land I am tossing between Sonoma Scent Studio Equestrian and Solstice Scents Manor with a dash of a sample here and there. I can feel the rose time of the year creeping up on me, though. 

At night, before bed I am either dousing myself in Haus of Gloi Peppermint Woods or Solstice Scents Lavender Vanilla. 

We hope you'll join the fun and leave your own answer in the comments below.

And we hope you'll visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Jaybird at The Candle Enthusiast

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

Sandra at Finger Candy

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: January, 2017 Volume 13

Hello, dear friends! We all here at the Band of Bloggers would like to welcome you to a brand new year. We hope it will be full of good health and much happiness, and of course a plethora of fragrance. 

Let's kick off the new year but asking what your fragrant plans are for 2017. Are you trying new vendors, going on a low-buy or no-buy, or planning on burning more candles? Do you dream of new wax blends, trying out incense or something entirely different? Are perfumes, indie bath and body or artisan body care on your list? Or do you plan on making your own home made brews?

I probably should be on a low-buy for at least two months, but Candles From the Keeping Room opens January 27th, so yeah. There's that. But once I melt through some of my current stash I do plan on ordering from Alamo Candelaria (missed Kyme's wax), Candy Panda, and a few other vendors. I would love to try some new to me vendors too. 

As far as bath and body, I would love to order from Handmade in Florida soon, FuturePrimitive, Dirty Goat Soap Co. and Bathhouse Soapery. I am open to cruising new bath and body vendors a bit. 

Perfumes from Sonoma Scent Studio, Solstice Scents, and Serge Lutens are high on my wishlist. I would love to sample other niche and artisan perfume houses as well. 

Yes I am the one who wrote this prompt and incense is striking my fancy. Japanese incense and any others I can search out would be cool to burn this year for something a little different.

As far as candles I am jonesing to try out Atelier's new candles at Sephora, maybe one or two other artisan perfume house candles too (Malle? HA! I wish.) like Tocca or Ellis Brooklyn.

Whew. Boy am I ambitious. But it will be an adventure trying to say the least. 

And do tell us what your aromatic plans and goals for 2017 include!

We, sadly, have had a few bloggers lay down their pens. And they will be deeply missed. However, we are welcoming some new bloggers to this motley and aromatic group. 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Blogger blogs and help support the blogger community!

Amanda at Thrifty Polished

Deb at It's Always Something

Julie at The Redolent Mermaid

Lauren at LoloLovesScents

Liz at Furianne

If you are a blogger and would like to join the Band of Bloggers for our monthly posts, please contact us.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 12, December 2016

 A full year of fragrant sharing with the Band of Bloggers rounds out 2016. Thank you for supporting the blogger community and taking the time to read and participate in our posts. We will be continuing the Band of Bloggers in 2017 but with some new writers and blogs to follow. Thank you Sunnee and Michelle for this past year of fellowship. We will miss you!

Did you have any favorite wax moments this year? A vendor who went above and beyond? A blend that knocked your socks off? Did you have a RAOK or wax community experience that left you warm and fuzzy? Please share some of your favorite wax moments of 2016 with us. 

I did have a few very sweet RAOK experiences this year with wax, that I treasure. I am really very happy to have been able to participate in the Band of Bloggers and the Fall Fun Series this year. Collaborating with other bloggers built a sense of community and created friendships. Plus it helped me out of the rut of monotony. As far as vendors, Carol from Candles From The Keeping Room exhibited great customer service when one of my orders landed at the wrong house and the lady helped herself to some of Carol's tarts. I enjoyed trying new vendors like Satin Suzie Scents. But most of all I appreciate the friendships that have sprung up with you guys. If sadness or bad times come to roost, it isn't too long before a message or email pops up to check in on me. I cannot begin to tell you how much I value that interaction.

Thank you for an amazing 2016. And I hope you stick around for 2017 <3

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you and have a beautiful rest of 2016!

Band of Bloggers: Volume 11, November 2016

Sweet, lovely November. Halloween has come and gone (hope you didn't gorge on candy!), the election is about to be over (it feels like it has been years!) and now, we're (technically) in the full swing of the holiday season! Thanksgiving will be here in just a few short weeks, and before you know it, it will be all Christmas all the time! It truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

The Band of Bloggers question for November is:

What does your ideal Thanksgiving day and table look like? What are you eating? Any candles or tarts burning/melting in the room? Who fills your table? Are you stressed? What does your house look like? How's the weather? Give us the deets!

Thanksgiving around my house is a week long event. Thankfully, as a teacher, my girls and I have off the whole week to prepare at our leisure and enjoy the build up. 

Scarlette is my kitchen helper. She chops pecans, veggies and anything I may need with precision and care. Various dishes are readied for the big day: homemade cranberry sauce, potatoes, salad, All Day mushrooms, casseroles, macaroni and cheese and usually a punch. Several desserts make an appearance. Adam has to have his homemade pumpkin pie, I love pecan pie and my dad loves pumpkin roll ups. Sometimes I get a request for Pumpkin Gooey Butter Cake. It is pretty much a free for all. Oh and homemade pralines. I am very picky about the Thanksgiving dinner being made from scratch. Call it a quirk, but it is the one time a year I will not bow out to store bought.

 The morning of Thanksgiving, Adam, the girls and I head to a park for our annual family reunion lunch. We feast on a pot luck melange of foods from fried venison to authentic egg rolls. The weather can be anything from chilly with cardigans and boots at the park or blazing hot with short sleeves and shorts with flip flops.

And yes, there are so many of us we have to wear name tags, despite the fact I have attended since birth. 

We head home and Adam lights up the propane tank and deep fries our turkey. I finish cooking random things and get ready for our family dinner which usually includes my sisters, mom, dad, stepmom and Pop-pop. We cannot eat at the table so we all gather in the small living room and eat from the couch, chair, floor, anywhere we can squeeze. Candles are lit, usually some fall scent from Bath & Body Works, and the warmer usually pumps out some cinnamon centric scent. At this point I am in either pajamas or yoga pants (no fancy dinners over here) and I am slightly tired but very content. A nice long evening of chatter ensues then cleaning closes out the night. First thing the next morning I climb the attic ladder and pull down the Christmas decorations and put away the fall. 

How do you celebrate Thanksgiving? 

--------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you and have a wonderful weekend!

Band of Bloggers: Volume 10, October 2016

Aahhh, October. We're full steam into fall now. Leaves are reaching full color change. Sweaters have been hauled out of storage. Hot chocolates are being sipped again. Pumpkins are out. Halloween costumes need to be picked. Christmas trees are showing up in stores. Wait . . . what?!

Let's get back to the spooky task at hand. The Band of Bloggers ghoulishly fun question for October is:

What do ghosts smell like?

Oooooooo!!!! Spooky! Ghosts. Well if I believed in ghosts I think they would smell like crumbling rock crypts, cool and damp. A shock of lime and ozone like lightening twines with slender ropes of incense and smoke. Those comprise the perfume of a ghost. Now I want to wear it. 

--------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs

and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Sunnee, at Fragrance Obsessed.

Thank you, and have a spooky day!

Band of Bloggers: Volume 9, September 2016

Welcome to our September 2016 Band of Bloggers! By now, most people should be back in school. The weather should be cooling down. Department store shelves are stocking up on fall and Halloween decorations. Countdowns are beginning for the end of year holidays.

This month we will share that special moment, activity, sound, smell, or all of the above that makes us feel like Autumn has arrived! We will also recommend our favorite places to shop for fall decor. Please feel free to share your own answers with us in the comments below!

Fall arrives as soon as I take it down from the attic. And being September 1st, today would be that day. Then the spicy and apple flavored scents are pulled out of the closet and bags of apples are peeled for cakes and treats. Once in a while the humidity will abate and chilly breezes will roll through the palm trees, shaking the fronds. I have no shame in loving all the pumpkin spice lattes and fraps. Pumpkin spice macarons. Pumpkin spice cupcakes. The first bonfires of the season. So many great things herald in fall. 

I love to shop at Hobby Lobby for fall decor. Michael's and Kirkland's has great stuff too. I usually buy at the end of the season but I do need (want) new fall wreaths for the front doors.  Where do you get your fall decorations? 

Don't forget to tune in for the Fall Fun Series which posts every Monday and Friday in September, October and November, starting tomorrow! Deb, Liz, Lauren and I will be participating as well as a few more wonderful bloggers.

---------------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs
and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.

Band of Bloggers: Volume 8, August 2016

Welcome to the August 2016 edition of Band of Bloggers! Record temperatures across the globe have us feeling the heat and looking forward to Autumn, especially those delicious scents that make our homes feel warm and cozy.

This month we are sharing our favorite fall blend and also the vendor we would turn to first to order this blend.

In the non-wax related category, we're each recommending a book that we have read and loved.

Please join in and comment with your number one fall blend and definitely give us your best book recommendations!

Love these questions! As a wax lover who likes to buy a season ahead I have definitely been gathering my wax "nuts" to store for future autumnal melting. I think my first official fall order was that Dessa's haul. As for my favorite scent (please forgive as I cannot pick just one) I could sail through fall with a nice strong Cinnamon Broom and/or Celtic Moonspice and a strong juicy Apples & Cinnamon and/or a spicy rich Baked Apples scent. Of course I would love a pumpkin scent to add to that but honestly, I have a hard time finding a really great pumpkin that smells like the actual thing rather than just the spices or a caramel tone. I do love Country Lane Keepsakes Pickin' Pumpkins and CFTKR's Frost on the Pumpkin as well as Sugar & Spice's Pumpkins in the Fire.

Books! I love book talk. I recently read Harry Potter and the Cursed Child which I quite enjoyed. The play script style took me back to high school Shakespeare days and anytime I have the opportunity to dive back into the Wizarding World, it lands me in my happy place. 

I am currently reading, and halfway through, The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova. If you enjoyed Bram Stoker's Dracula, you will very much be thrilled by this book as well. It is beefy, but don't let that dissuade you. Kostova's elegant writing style paints you right into the many European locales her tale travels: Amsterdam, Romania, Paris, Oxford, Istanbul to list a few. Highly recommend (and yes I am not finished but once I know I love an author's style, the direction the story takes rarely sets me off course). 

And just for a bonus (I TOLD you I love book talk!!) I would like to recommend:

Landline by Rainbow Rowell - for a quick heart squeeze, marriage in a rut, career investment or love investment, a change needs to be made to save both, humor and tears

The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Potzsch - 1600 German town where a hangman and a doctor collaborate to solve a murder and determine if witchcraft plays a sinister role, wrote with much historical accuracy

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel - the shifty politics behind King Henry VIII and unstable lives of everyone involved, GREAT book, great writer

The Real Boy by Anne Ursu - a super quick read that I very much loved, a play on Pinocchio but twisted quite a bit, lots of magic and fast paced

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater - off the coast of some English or Irish island, love story with more heart than physical touch and monstrous waterhorse races, fairly quick read, love this author

Watchers by Dean Koontz - small time thriller with classic good vs evil, if you love dogs and paranormal you need to read this one, classic summertime junk food read that goes down oh so easy, some horror elements but not like Stephen King, much lighter

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - long haul, high substance read that will stay with you for long after you closed the book, medieval England cathedral builder and his struggles and triumphs as well as those around him, one of my all-time favorite books

Please recommend me some books! I do know that I am wanting to read The Bronze Horseman and a few more but other than that I am flying loose after I finish my current book. Have you read any of the ones above? Let me know what you thought!

---------------------------------------------------

Please visit these Band of Bloggers blogs
and help support the blogger community!

Deb, at It's Always Something.

Julie, at The Redolent Mermaid.

Lauren, at Lolo Loves Scents.

Liz, at Furianne.

Michelle, at Waxing About.