Rub A Dub Dub

I'd like to thank everyone who contacted me regarding my last post. Your words of kindness and encouragement mean more then you know. I was really upset last night but am trying to keep busy and keep my mind off the deployment today. I can either fret about it or get over it, and I'm choosing to keep my head up and move on. Thank you again to everyone! I will have some more pictures and stories from Iraq, including photos of the Lumpling's journey, shortly.

With the winter weather upon us, I know I'm not the only one concerned about dry skin. For those of you who havn't already tried it I highly recommend getting some handmade soap. Commercial soaps contain all kinds of nasty chemicals and ingredients that may get you clean, but will leave your skin feeling dry and flakey. Handmade soaps are natural and gentle on your skin, and still get you clean. There's much more variety in scent, color, texture, and ingredients. I know I definitely notice a difference since I started using handmade and am going to share a few of my finds with you.

I found some great handmade soap at the Holly Days show in Fayetteville, NC, by Pretty Baby Soap Co. You can visit their website by clicking HERE. They had a deal, five bars for $20, which I fully took advantage of. They also offer a product called bath tea. It's a mixture of herbs packaged in a small drawstring bag similar to a tea bag. You dip the "tea" in the tub for a minute or so and viola! Your bath water is scented with calming stress relieving herbs. They're only three for $5 (think stocking stuffers!) so I loaded up and now have one hanging in everyone's closet, one hanging from my shower head so I get the aroma when I'm showering, and one in my dresser.

I also ordered some natural milk and honey soaps from Cottage Garden Therapies on Etsy. They are a husband and wife team based in Deep South Louisiana. They grow everything naturally in their own garden and handmake soap the old fashioned way. The packaging of these soaps is fantastic, and would make for a very pretty gift. Each soap is wrapped in paper, put in a little box and sealed with a wax seal. A very pretty label adorns the top of each box. I ordered Milk & Honey, Hippie in a Bar, and Pumpkin Spice, and was very pleased to also receive a full size sample of Celtic Sea Moss with my order! I will caution you though, when they say at least 10 - 14 days for shipping they mean it, but only because they want to make sure the products you receive are fresh. If you need something in a rush I'd highly recommend contacting them before you place your order to make sure they can do it. And their deadline for Christmas orders is December 10th, so hurry over to their shop by clicking HERE.

For Dathan I ordered some beer soap from Anderson Soap Co. I figured since he can't drink it over there, at least he can smell it. So I ordered the beer soap bar, which is made with Guinness, and new brew soap, which is made with Sam Adams. My order came with two small samples and was packaged very securely. It was shipped very quickly. This is another husband and wife team offering hot and cold processed soaps, scrubs, sprays, body butters, and lip balms. You can visit the shop by clicking HERE, or the blog by clicking HERE. What a great gift for the man in your life!

My sister-in-law Jes has been plagued by eczema and dry itchy skin for as long as I've known her. So as a gift I ordered her this gorgeous set from South Pacific Body on Etsy. It arrived today while I happened to be on the phone with her and she was thrilled! South Pacific Body's products are all handmade by a Jersey Girl living on the beautiful Jersey Shore. Yeah! Another Yankee, like me! Not only did the gift arrive quickly, it was also beautifully packaged and included a gift tag. Jes was thrilled with it and couldn't wait to hop in the shower and test it out. Visit South Pacific Body's Etsy shop HERE or their website HERE.

Handmade soap should always be stored on a dish like the one pictured above so it can dry properly. This gift set included a wooden soap dish but you can also purchase one separately from South Pacific Body. And, of course, they're handmade!

Not sure what to get for yourself or as a gift? Why not try a soap sampler? My sampler from Pixie Soap on Etsy just arrived today. These soaps are so fragrant I could smell them even before I opened the envelope. Five yummy scents to try...what could be better? They're also the perfect size for traveling, or in your guest bath, and would make perfect stocking stuffers. View Pixie Soap by clicking HERE.

We are going to be one super clean family for awhile!