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Many Popular Scents!

Amish Harvest

Baked Apple Pie

Banana Nut Bread

Grandma's Kitchen

Sand & Sea Spray

New Addition for Loving Melts!!!

THUMBS UP? THUMBS DOWN?

Mini Heart Collection - Soy Wax Melts

In addition to the clamshells I already sell, I want to add shaped mini melts. They will be sold at the same price, as the weight of the wax will still be the same. Right now i have plastic boxes they will come in, but having bags with a cute ribbon might be a sweet touch. Of course, all scents will be available in clamshell or hearts.

Thinking about rolling this out Wednesday at LovingMelts.etsy.com !!!

Book Review: Why I Left the Amish by Saloma Miller-Furlong

This has to be one of the most heartfelt non-fiction books regarding the Amish out there. I really love Saloma's calm and mellow personality and it shows in her memories.

Saloma was a child growing up in Amish Ohio. Her story recounts many details of her life, and the life of her Amish family as flashbacks, starting with her dying father and her decision on whether to visit him before he passes. In the book, present day, she is attending college with a husband and two grown sons. Continuing her education was a dream of hers and very important to her.

Looking back on her life, she speaks of the good times, and bad times, of her family. She speaks of her father, who struggled with a degree of mental illness from a troubled childhood himself. Her mother frequently had to pick up the slack for what he was unable and unwilling to do. Life on an Amish farm is difficult for each parent to begin with. But to handle all of the responsibility of a mother of a number of children, wife, and tending to the animals proved to be difficult for her.

Saloma tells the story of her various siblings and their struggles, as well. Including physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. She also speaks of her memories of becoming a member of the Amish church, which typically occurs during late teens-early 20's. There were things she didn't agree with the church on, but being an Amish female also meant being submissive to the men in her life and community.

But, unlike some stories you hear, Saloma does a fine job of not making it a story about pity or an Amish Bash Fest. She does a fine job of pulling you into her life, living her memories, filled with many laughs and many tears.

I do not want to give too much of the story away, but if you want a story of an Amish child and learning interesting information on how her particular community and family worked, this is a great story. I think the biggest plus in this story is her vivid memories told in a very mellow tone. Nothing wildly exaggerated. Simply like sitting down and having your mother or grandmother tell you the story of her life with no dull moments.

I'd definitely give it 5/5 stars!

My Company: Loving Melts!!!!!

My entire life I have had an extreme love for candles. Their beauty at night and the wide range of scents they can throw off. It actually turned into a sort of "art".

Which fragrances I burned corresponded to the season. Summertime was fruity & sometimes tropical scents. Fall was baked scents and things that made me think of leaves falling and cool, crisp air. Winter is my favorite season. I have a major love affair with snow and cold temperatures! So candles are especially a big part of winter for me. Pine scents, baked scents, things like Mulberry & peppermint. Spring is a beautiful season that brings candles with scents of flowers and "clean" scents. 

So, now you can see the huge correlation between every season, year after year, the candles that I have burning. It's just "my thing". My love :-)

So while I was in college I experimented with making candles. It is so much harder than you can imagine! There is a huge variety of waxes that have different "personalities". They create different appearances and their hardness/softness has different burning qualities. 

Plus, you have to watch temperatures carefully when making candles. Depending on the wax & container you're pouring into, you must melt the wax to a certain temperature. If you are using additives or dyes, you have to get the wax to a certain temperature for those things to mix in correctly. 

Dyes come in powder, solid, & liquid form. The liquids are generally very heavy in pigments & sometimes only a few drops are needed to create a bold color. And it's very important that dyes used for candle making are used. Things like food coloring absolutely will not work. 

As far as wicks go, so many variables go in to choosing the right one. What kind of wick material do you want to use? What size? What is the width of the container being used? You don't want to end up with an "intense" wick in a small glass container and create a hazardous situation. The glass could get very hot and burn your hand if you try to move it. Or it could even shatter. You also do not want a wick/wax combination where the wax melts away too quickly, leaving a wick that creates a huge flame and a huge fire hazard. 

Another consideration is removing the wax from its heat source to bring its temperature down so that you can add fragrance oil. If you add the fragrance when the wax is still too hot, the scent will "burn off" before you even pour it. Then you, or your customers, are left with a candle that doesn't create much scent "throw". 

The perfect combination, and one I worked so hard to create, was a candle combination where, when lit, warmed to the edge of the glass without the glass getting too hot. A candle that was slow burning & lasted a long time & had a good scent throw. You can place the candle burning in a large room and the whole room smells fabulous. 

I also started creating "melts" at that time. Especially the tart form. They didn't have wicks that you lit. They were simply wax with a heavier scent to pass through your house. They were placed in a beautiful and a wide variety of creative of warming devices. The wax would melt into beautiful colors. Almost like a lake of beautiful colors. 

Unfortunately, once the nursing phase of college started, I had to give up candle making. It was such an intense program that there was very little time for any kind of life. 

After graduation, I was a nurse for a number of years with little time to even get back into candle making. Eventually a spinal injury basically kept me from working for awhile. Of course, I still had to bring in money to live. So I decided to create a company especially focused on making melts. Especially the kind packaged in 6-square clamshells. 

I decided to set up shop on Etsy, a site devoted to selling handmade products of all sorts. My site address is LovingMelts.etsy.com

Now I am trying to think of ways to expand my company. With the Christmas holidays a few months away, I was thinking about creating gift packages. I want to include 3 different scents, combined with a warmer, to be given as a gift. 

There are two different kinds of warmers out there, as well. They can be warmed electrically. Generally, when you plug them in, either a hot plate warms & melts the wax, or a light bulb is lit & the heat from that melts the wax & releases the fragrance from the wax. The other type is warmed by a tea light, which is a really small candle, and melts the wax that way. 

I have ordered molds in different shapes that I can sell by the bag. So you will have a choice between clamshells, bags of shaped wax, & gift packages! I'm even thinking about creating beginner kits that include everything you need to make your own melts! Included will be:

- Specialty wax for molded melts

- A melting pot for melting & mixing wax

- A candle thermometer

- 3 different wax colors

- 3 different wax fragrances

- 20 clamshells 

- Warning labels to attach to the clamshells

- Detailed instructions

It will take quite a financial investment for even that because I will need to buy all those items in bulk and sell them for some degree of profit. Keep in mind, I'm doing this to survive literally! Having this company has bought food, school supplies & paid bills. So it's not only been enjoyable for me, but it's also helped my family live. I can't wait to be back on my feet again to where I can work like I want to again! Fortunately, I consider myself quite humble. 

Anyways, ive had SO much fun making these and selling to customers!!!!! Its like a dream turning my hobby in to a way to help support my family.

So PLEASE check out my website at LovingMelts.etsy.com
If theres a particular scent youre looking for please let me know. I have access to 400 some scents. Ill find what you want. With purchase, i will order it and make it immediately, let it cure a day, and then ship it out. So you will have a little extra time to wait. But you will get exactly what you want!

Im staying with the Amish loves of my life (best friends) and its been a hit! So give 3 or 4 or more a try. Its a fun thing to do!! A new scent every day. Really changes your mood!

Please, please tell your friends too! Sorry to sound like a pleading fool. A little goes a long way!!

LovingMelts.etsy.com 

Wow. 15 years? 10 years?

What a sad year. 15 years since 9/11 and 10 years since Nickel Mines. All these people taken from others' lives needlessly. It's so sad & jacked up. 

I had a flight from Raleigh-Durham to Atlanta when they first opened the airports. Today makes me think about how different the airport felt a few days after, like a ghost town but busy at the same time. I remember sitting at the terminal waiting & hardly any of the TVs were on. Probably cause everything was related to airplane hijackings.

It was quiet with no TVs on, but current events were all these strangers were talking to each other about. I knew my flight would be safe with all the security. Besides, the people were mega pumped up at the time & I knew if anyone even ACTED wrong, they'd have a plane full of adrenalized passengers kicking their punk asses. I had so many people trying to talk me out of flying. I was a bit nervous, but I knew it was ok. And, of course, it went fine. 

But with as much as I fly, I still feel vulnerable in that tight metal tube. I can't begin to imagine their horror on 9/11. Even planes not hijacked. Did people know about other planes? Were they wondering if there was an ****ole on their own plane? 

So now I'm getting ready for a flight in 3 days. I know it's safe from terrorist jackasses. But what about even mechanical problems? I know even those odds are slim. I know two flights separate me from seeing my kids again every time I go away. But my heart is with them. I can't imagine living without them. All those people who died on 9/11 who had children, felt the same way, I'm sure. I can't imagine that kind of pain. Not just knowing you were likely going to die, but the loved ones images that popped in their minds. 

Anyways, that's what's in my head today. Just had to "get it out". 

I know I said I make a post about my new home business & haven't done it yet. But please check it out at LovingMelts.etsy.com

Thank you!

August Update! My company on etsy, the Amish, and my family!

My goodness. Well, let's see what all has changed since my last blog posting (I have to get more routine than this LOL). The post I made about MusicXray seemed to be a real waste of time. I logged on a huge number of times and never once was offered music that I could listen to and "earn" money. I even changed music genres and other variables. No luck. So don't waste your time with these people.

The most fantastic news I will put in it's own separate blog posting right after this because it's just SO phenomenal.

I told everyone that I take very frequent trips to Lancaster, PA and stay with a small variety of Old Order Amish people and I work for them, make money, and my trips are essentially free. In exchange, I take care of their animals when they are gone, take care of the house. And it's not always just when they're gone. They love sharing their homes and their lives with me. And it's absolutely a blessing. I am not Old Order Amish myself, of course, and not sure I'd want to be. The lifestyle has been something that I have become very acclimated to and it's surprisingly enjoyable. It's ALOT of work. But there's some real beauty in it. My thing is that I tend to be friends with guys alot more than girls. On a friendship only level. No "benefits". I find that men like to have a good time and just be themselves. You don't hear men bashing other men too much. Yes, sometimes you get the "Alpha Male Syndrome", especially when competition over a girl occurs. But I find men to be more down to earth. That's not well accepted in the Amish community. Women may casually intermingle with men in a social setting, but men and women are commonly separate. Some Amish women, not all, can be extraordinarily catty. Not in the aggressive sense. But there is alot of gossip and wanting to know every detail of everyone's lives. I suppose after cleaning and cooking and playing in the garden, time is commonly spent with "playdates" essentially. Maybe a quilting circle. Whatever. And it's ALL about gossip.

That's where it doesn't work with me. Community is very important to them. And very important to me too. The Amish have the mindset that God is important, community is important, family, and then themselves. An example of how community pulling together is incredibly important is after my brother died. It was an extremely traumatic event. On top of that, planning a last second funeral in a family that has strong ties to the community, you have to make sure so much is in order. We had SO many families come to us offering to do anything for us. And we wouldn't have to cook for a couple of months if food didn't go bad. People brought over casseroles and food galore. It was amazing and touching. I think we were all in a daze that we really didn't have an appetite, but at the same time eating brought comfort (although we weren't normally "comfort eaters"). That's how it is with the Amish times 100. If your barn or house burned down, they'd have another one built within a week. They'd make sure every need you could possibly have was taken care of. That's the way all of society should be. But the women can keep their gossip.

I'm not saying all Amish women are terrible at gossip, but you do have many eyes on you. What happens in your life is spread through the church, and every district even states away! I'm a very private person. I love friends. Absolutely. But there's only a handful I'd want to know certain things that occur.

Air conditioning is another thing I can't do without for too long. If you are in an Amish home in the middle of a rural area with lots of farm land around, you tend to get breezes. That helps alot with cooling off a home. On the other hand, in a suburban or urban area with nothing but homes and buildings, you are caught in a heat trap. So for the last few years I have spent time during the summer with no air conditioning. It's incredible when you don't have it, how fast your body learns to tolerate it. Now, I'm speaking Pennsylvania. I'm not talking about the south where heat indexes are 110-120. That's deadly. When I was there in July, I did fine. As long as I had a shower and baby powder and clothes that breathed. You know not to use the oven during the day. Good grief! LOL But I got into someone's car that had air conditioning and it was almost too much! This is coming from a girl that sweats. Last year my house was kept at 68 degrees. Now it's between 74-76. What a change Amish living has done to me!

Anyways, so I was flown up to Lancaster from Saturday to Wednesday. It was a short trip. Only problem is I didn't realize I had a layover in Orlando. Southwest Airlines, that I fly RELIGIOUSLY, really screwed the pooch. My departure from Orlando was supposed to be 11:00 am. I didn't get to Philadelphia to catch the last train to Lancaster until 7:00 pm! It was a literal nightmare. Fortunately, Southwest gave everyone $200 in travel vouchers. I will say I know how to find a $41 flight. So I have at least 2 free round trip tickets. September 14th I am going back. I'm beyond anxious already!

As far as my family goes, my older son, Cody and his girlfriend just got engaged. They are choosing to wait a few years to get married, but I have a feeling any day I'll get a text saying "We went to the courthouse and got married!" Which, if they did, even if I feel things could be done differently, I will be very happy and supportive of them. Things can always be done differently. And it's not anyone's business how it's done but theirs.

And my younger son started middle school for the first time July 29th, I believe. Yes, ridiculous. But what can we do? Unfortunately, his school year has not been easy. He loves being an older kid now and treated less like a baby. But he's caught a very nasty chest cold. With Colin being born prematurely and being on a ventilator, it seems chest colds prove brutal for him. So he missed 2.5 days because of that. The half day was the school telling us to come pick him up because he was having trouble breathing. So he's had alot of bed rest, coupled with light activity and medication. Last night was the first night in awhile that he slept through the night. There were a few times he about went to the ER because of trouble breathing, but we got it under control.

But Colin's birthday is in a few weeks! 12 years old. Wow. And Cody is 21 in November. Unbelievable.

Well, I will get to the good news later unfortunately. But I'll say that I finally got my soy wax melt business up and moving! It's actually proved to be a blessing. I love it. So PLEASE visit my store at LovingMelts.etsy.com

My summer line sold out in a month. It was incredible. Now I'm starting my fall line. Lots of baking scents and others. There are currently 12 scents available and they are moving fast.

The biggest sellers BY FAR are:
Amish Harvest
Baked Apple Pie
Grandma's Kitchen

As of right now I have 3 or 4 left of each, so jump over there and catch them before they are gone! More fall scents and eventually Christmas & winter scents will be coming soon. Big plans are on the way with that! When I make my separate post for that I will be sure to tell you ALL about it! So please, visit my store. $4.00 each! I have not received a complaint so far! :-) I pray that continues. And tell your friends please!

LovingMelts.etsy.com

January: Amish Lancaster Trip (Day Two: Thursday)

Woke up at 4:00 am to Alice coming upstairs and licking my face out of a deep sleep. Yucky. 

I decided to get up and use the bathroom right quick. It was nearly 10 hours since my last pain pill & with all the activity the day before I was feeling every ounce of it. I slept like a log otherwise, so that contributed to my pain. Oh the stiffness. But my pain medicine & Gabapentin was downstairs in my purse that I forgot. 

So, I went downstairs. I felt like I spent two hours as a novice at a gym. I hurt in places that never existed. So I took my morning meds & a pain pill. Generally, I have found spending all day in bed makes it worse. For one thing, my joints need movement & my muscle needs stretched. I'd LOVE to try an epidural in my SI joint where the rheumatoid damage is worse & where the spinal stenosis is bad. But with the nightmare that our healthcare has become we are eating expired food from food pantries half the time just to pay $800 a month for 2 people for a $6000 deductible plan. Never in my life have I seen it this bad. 

Anyways! Sorry about that. So I got up at 4:30 and helped entertain Alice with the laser light as David fed the horses & got ready for work.  

After he was gone I filled a bucket with Mr. Clean Lemon & a rag & cleared off the table & counter from breakfast. Then I got my wet Mr. Clean washcloth & wiped the table, countertops, cabinets, gas appliances, & bathroom surfaces down. Thought about sweeping the floor, but chose not to. Washed some clothes. I will dry those out later. 

So, I did my part in keeping mildly active & useful all in one. The strong medicines make me very drowsy, so now I'm cuddled under a sheet, a baby blue blanket, and a cute multi-colored quilt. 

I do have permission to stay in bed and rest after a physically & emotionally traumatic day (half-sarcasm) at Atlanta & Philadelphia's airports. (Why is my plane always at the end of the terminals?) Not to mention 30th Street Train Station in Philadelphia. And people. They make me want to cry. Standing in line after line with so many people ahead of me. 

But on a lighter note, I feel wonderful after talking to my 11-year-old last night. He sounded so happy. Ah. Music to my ears. And the snow. Something about the air when it snows. Almost feels... Cleaner? I don't know. 

Ok, I'm going to nap a little. The pain pills have overruled my eyelids. 

Be On The Lookout!!!

I have something very exciting coming up. Actualy, a few very exciting things. First, I am going to be visiting my Lancaster County, PA once again the end of this month. My stomach has butterflies already, it's going to be a tough month to contain the excitement! Ticket is already purchased and my Amish home is waiting for me. And Alice is going to get fixed this month before she goes into heat again. Last time was when I was there in September. And they say it's every 6 months for dogs. So we have to beat her to it!!! LOL

Next, I am getting back into a hobby that I totally enjoyed when I was in college. Back then it was candle making. This time I am going to completely be committed to melts. You know, the highly fragranced wax that you put in a warmer and it makes your whole house smell good? I made them years ago as well, but people weren't as familiar with them at the time. Now it seems Good Housekeeping and Glade has a melts line on the shelves. So people are starting to get it.

I believe I have found a good company that I want to work with pretty exclusively. I had to research the wax I wanted to use and then compare prices and shipping. The company that came out ahead on price and customer satisfaction just happened to be close by here! So even better. No shipping costs. Just a quick drive over to pick up my order.

I've decided to start with 10 scents. I think that's reasonable. Since it's winter I chose some spicy scents, some all year clean scents, spa scents, and a masculine scent. Depending on whether I can sell these and make money for another set I think I'll add a "Spring Line" that will have light floral scents for people to enjoy as it begins to warm up outside :-) I'm also a sucker for simple scents. Like orange. Just something refreshing about that. And lemon. You gotta have lemon in the kitchen. And clean cotton in the bathroom. Of course. Yes. Yes.

My only debate right now is do I do 6-piece clamshells? Or do I do a 1 oz cup with a lid? So all you have to do is plop the hardened wax in the warmer. No mess.