New Classes for Jan/Feb announced!
We still have the Bath Crafts, the Intro to Aromatherapy, and Blending Herbal Teas (who knew that one would get so much attention?) to go, but we've put together the classes that will begin after the holidays.For those of you at a distance, we're working on something for you ;-).These will all be on Saturday afternoons from 1 until 2:30, and they'll be held here at the N. Strickler Road location. All classes are $30 each, except the soapmaking class and the kitchen cosmetics. They are $35.Please reserve your space by registering at

Stay tuned - we've been busy!
During the past week, things have been humming along at a brisk pace here on the hill.The next issue is packed up and ready to go to the printer bright and early on Monday. It is fabulous (again)!Midweek we did a demo for a local women's group, and they started buying the soaps we took along before the program even got started :-). They were a welcoming, fun group. We love doing local workshops, talks, and programs!

...and suddenly, it is mid-November!
How did this happen? The geese are honking away, hurrying south before it gets any later. The other day (surely it couldn't have been more than a week... could it?) I was hurrying around, harvesting, drying, and brewing potions in the kitchen while the sunny breezes blew through the windows. I vaguely remember something about Halloween, and here we are rushing headlong into Thanksgivi

..met a pieman, going to the shore...
A month or so ago, I baked a delicious elderberry pie. A berry/pie fiend/friend of mine was beside himself when he saw the picture. So into the freezer went a pie-sized quantity of fresh berries, biding their time for their big moment.Tomorrow he and I will go to the shore for a few days, and so it was time to get out the elderberries! At the same time, my daughter has been ill, and I'd like her to take some back to college tomorrow.What to do, what to do?Maybe I could change the pie recipe to tarts? Maybe use a cupcake tin?So, I flattened a paper cupcake liner and used that as a cutting template.Once the dough was inside the pan, I used scissors to cut out the

fruit, herbs, and alcohol
Today we had a class on making tinctures. It was a lot of fun, and since we're just starting out with the classes, they are small. A benefit of small classes is taking home some great stuff. Last week we poured beautiful lavender oatmeal soap into lined 3" x 5" wooden berry boxes. I cut mine and it turned into 4 great bars of soap - although there is a bit of an ash layer on top because it wasn't insulated.