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
