Europe It's Not

But We Still Had Fun

One of these days, I plan to take a trip to Europe. That's the trip of a lifetime, to me and I will go (she said as she looked at her and hubby's crowded schedules). Until then, adventures are in abundance right here in my little home and in my surrounding area. Each season has it's own flavor of fun affixed to it and this Summer was no exception. Before we move on to what Fall and Winter will bring, I reflect on some of the things that made me smile during the past couple of sun-filled months:

The temperatures can get a bit out of hand . . . (okay, so my smile was dripping with sweat on this day!):


Grand daughters come over frequently and love to play softball in the backyard with their Uncle . . . (use tennis balls, please!):


Fishing trip...and my 23 year old son baited his first hook...a proud moment . . . (he never did like touching icky things. Use to put baggies on his hands to help clean out the pumpkin each Halloween):


Nephew playing the guitar and singing makes for some really peaceful afternoons . . . (Air Force plane mechanic, sings, plays guitar and piano, cooks, handsome...and single, ladies!):


We developed a family love affair with Rock Band . . . (eat your heart out, Ringo!):


Hot Summer days means lots of naps for fur people . . . (as does Fall, Winter, Spring...):


Many trips to the beach and lovely walks on the Balboa pier . . . (and some great lunches at the 50's diner called "Ruby's" at the end of the pier):


And as we leave Summer behind, I'm always grateful for it's beauty and the opportunities I'm given:

(The above photo was taken on our whale watching trip . . . didn't see any whales but the water and the weather were gorgeous!)

I'm ready for Fall now :-)

www.aromafields.ecrater.com

August - Lost In The Sand

Where did August go?
The summer months are normally spent doing things that we don't usually do throughout the year. (Do I hear a "Yes, same here!"?) I loved having the visitors...loved the summer fun...and really enjoyed the break from every day
routine. I did, however, keep up with my business but I wasn't able to attend to every aspect of my life. Therefore, my blog suffered as I wrote absolutely nothing last month. It's as if August was lost. And, boyyyy did it go by fast!

I'll update you soon on some of the fun things we did through August. I've got to go blow dry my hair . . .


www.aromafields.ecrater.com

Thank You! . . . But What Is It?

Tarts . . . Melts . . . Melties. Whatever you want to call them, they are packed to the max with fragrance.


As a "thank you for ordering", I often include a scented soy Tart when packing an order for shipment. It's a great way to have my buyers try different fragrances that I offer. Recently, it's come to my attention that there are some who don't know what they are or how to use them. If you've never used a scented soy Tart (Melt, Meltie), you're missing out on a really fun and easy way to fragrance your home.

First, you need a tart burner, ("tart warmer", "oil/potpourri burner"). My absolute favorite is this candle warmer/tart burner combo (photo A below) as the wattage is such that it explodes the aroma quicker and sends it flying all through my home. Oil/potpourri burners (photo B below ) will melt the Tart by means of a small tealight candle. It serves the purpose but not as effective as the electric 24-watt combo.



As the wax melts, the aroma disburses throughout your home. If you did this daily you'd easily get about two weeks worth of scent from one of my soy Tarts. I had a customer tell me that fragrance of the Tart she ordered from me lasted an entire month. Not bad for a mere ounce of wax!

Clean up and handy dandy soy advantage:
Here's the benefit of using soy wax Tarts! If you are ready to melt another fragrance but the scent in the Tart you're currently using isn't all used up, simply stick the tart burner bowl (or entire oil/potpourri burner) in the freezer for about 45 minutes. Remove from the freezer, turn it upside down over a paper towel and tap the bottom of the bowl/burner. The soy wax Tart will plop out in one, nice piece. Wipe the bowl/burner just to make sure there's no remaining residue (and there normally isn't) and it's ready to be used again. You can't do this with paraffin wax. It simply will not budge (I've tried it). Store the used soy wax Tart in a baggie to use another time...or toss it if the fragrance is all used up.

Potpourri:
If you're not so inclined to want to heat and melt this fragrant little morsel, you can place it in a decorative dish and use it as potpourri. The aroma is still amazing!

One of my buyers used it to scent her drawers. She's adorable!


www.aromafields.ecrater.com

The Amazing American Idol Concert Tour

American Idol . . . love it or hate it? Hubby and I love it! We really enjoyed watching the incredibly talented contestants this past season so we decided to get tickets to the American Idol concert tour. Off to Las Vegas to the Thomas & Mack Center we went this past Saturday and the experience was terrific! The audience consisted of people from all age groups including a sweet group of some retired folks sitting behind us having the time of their life. (And we thought we'd be the oldest...ha!) Young and old, people were enthralled by the unique talents of each performer.

Each of the top 10 contestants performed in the order in which they were voted off, beginning with Chikezie who opened the show. Each had three songs to perform until it came to David Archuleta with 4 songs and David Cook with 5 songs and each gave their own special thanks for the opportunity given them.

Highlights were when David A and his piano were raised up from beneath the floor and a thick mist encompassed him. After his first song, he was given a standing ovation that could only be interrupted by the orchestra starting up the music for his next song. It appeard that was the only way this young performer was going to get out of a situation of repeated, "Thank you...you are all amazing." . . . and many giggles as the admiration of the audience was endless. What a cutie!

David Cook obliged the audience with a fabulous encore and performed his version of Billy Jean which left us knowing without a doubt that it was this kind of incredible talent that soared him to the very top.

Fun stuff!

Look, Maw! . . . No Hands!

California politicians passed a new law that went into affect today. People rushed out to purchase hands-free equipment for their cell phones because this new law states that we can no longer hold a cell phone while driving. We can talk on it...just not hold it. The California politicians seem to think this will reduce distractions, therefore reduce auto accidents. I say, "Poopie dust!" It's not the holding of the cell phone that's a distraction to drivers, it's the conversation itself. This law isn't going to prevent the car in front of you from driving 30 miles an hour on the freeway because they're into their phone conversation. If a difference is to be made, take the phone away completely. Politicians are idiots.

And get this: truck drivers will not be cited if they're talking on their CB radios. Uh...let me think about this. Hello? Did I say, "politicians are idiots"?

Plug In!

I noticed throughout the Internet a cute and clever way of getting one's business name noticed. It's called a Plugboard. They're everywhere! These plugboards are filled with cute little banners that are either static (don't move) or animated and when individually clicked on, take you to the respective websites. Each banner is no bigger than 88x31. The banners remain on the plugboard until they are bumped off, in which case, a person can return and plug their banner again. And the whole advertising concept is free.

So, I wanted one!...a cute little plug banner AND a plugboard. I had bittymoose at Etsy create a plug banner for me and what a great job she did! Then I located a site where just by a simple registration, a plugboard is obtained.

You can scroll down my blog page and see my new plugboard in the right hand column. I added my new plug banner to start things off. If you already have a plug banner, please feel free to plug in! If you don't have a plug banner but will be getting one, I'd love for you to come back and display it on my plugboard. Fun stuff!

Face Lift

Don't I wish! A little tuck here, a little tug there and I might just look like I did 5 years ago. But, I digress. Actually, it's this blog that gets a wee bit of a change. My old blog was green. In case you think you're in the wrong place, I placed a screen shot of the old blog. Recognize me now? Great!

Ah, white. More spacious. Breathing room and all. So what'dya think? Of course, there's a little matter of the blog below that looks like a silly salsa ad. Oh brother.

Spicy Pork Verde

Yesterday was my husband's birthday and I prepared one of his favorite dishes which is my own creation. I love crockpot dishes as they're a wonderful way to have a great meal at the end of a busy day. You only need two things to make this tasty dish and this roast comes out full of flavor, tender and very moist!

Spicy Pork Verde

**Pork Sirloin Tip Roast (go ahead and use it frozen!)
**16oz jar La Victoria Thick 'n Chunkie Salsa Verde

Place pork roast in crockpot. Pour salsa over the top. Cook on high for approximately 6 hours (if meat is frozen). If roast is thawed, reduce cooking time to approximately 4 hours. I always make mine with a frozen pork roast. How easy can it get?!

So easy!

A side of spanish rice and your choice of veggie goes well with this tender, juicy roast.

And An Afghan For Toni

My other daughter saw this afghan in my crochet book and thought it was pretty. So, as soon as I finished crocheting the sunflower afghan (in the post below) I started on this one. Crocheted using an overlay technique, this was fun to do! The master color is done in multiple shades of denim blue and the overlay is winter white. It's quite a large afghan...bigger than what I had expected it to be...but she loves it. She says that she, her hubby and kids like to all bundle up under one blanket on the sofa in the winter while watching movies. Well, this will do the trick...and then some.

Now...I owe my son an afghan.

Crocheted Sunflower Afghan

It's been awhile since I've posted so let me show you one of the projects I've been working on that's kept me away. Isn't this pretty? Other than make fragrant things like the candles and soaps I sell in my Etsy shop, I love to crochet and sew. I crocheted this afghan for my older daughter and gave it to her on her birthday last week. It matches the pretty pots of silk sunflowers that she has in her family room. The center of the sunflower is tan, the flower petals are cornsilk yellow and the master color is hunter green. Fun to make!