Chicken Scratch

A couple of months ago, I was using Pounce to find a new etsian that hadn't had a sale yet. I was lucky enough to come across Chicken Scratch. This lovely shop makes massage candles.

What's a massage candle you ask?

Well, I'll tell you. It's a soy candle, once you light it and let it burn for about a half hour, you can then pour the melted oil out into your hand and use it as a massage oil. It's a wonderful massage oil, very hydrating. And I was lucky enough to be her first sale on Etsy!

Definitely check out these candles!

Bah Humbug to you as well

Yesterday, I came across a blog post via Twitter that really made my blood boil. I immediately starting composing this post in my mind, planning on linking back to the post of evil. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized that by linking back to it, I would really just be driving more traffic to the blogger.

So, I'm not going to link to it but I am going to talk about it.

Essentially, the blogger doesn't want her child to believe in Santa Claus. So, she told her daughter the "truth" about Santa when she was 2. This is not the problem that I had with the post. It's her prerogative if she doesn't want her child to believe. She's free to raise her child however she wants.

My problem came with this: the blogger says that her daughter knowing the "truth" wasn't a problem until the child got to kindergarten and spilled the beans to her classmates. The blogger says that some of the kids in class cried when they were informed of the "truth" (quotes are mine) by her daughter. Then the blogger went on to say that she wasn't upset that her kid had ruined it for the other children. In fact, she was proud and even a little boastful. The way she wrote it, she was happy that her daughter had been able to ruin Santa for so many other kids.

Really? You're proud that you made 5 year old cry?

Because that's what she did. Her daughter didn't do anything wrong. Kids talk and they don't really know what the consequences of their talk will be. But her mother did know the consequences and she shouldn't be proud of them.

She doesn't want her child to believe in Santa. Fine. But I do want my kids to believe. I want them to believe as long as possible.

And she does not have any right to take that belief away from my children. She should have been a responsible parent and explained to her child that while they don't believe in Santa, other families do and that she shouldn't tell the other kids in her class that he wasn't "real". That it would hurt the other kids and would make them sad. In other words, she should have taught her daughter to be compassionate.

The blogger mentioned people being scarred by their parents "lying" to them about Santa. What? I was never scarred. In fact, the year I found out, I was so excited to help keep the tradition alive for my little brother. I'm betting that that is the case for most people. I don't think I've ever met anyone walking around with psychological scars because their parents let them believe in Santa.

I was worried about this since my daughter starting kindergarten this year. But it's proved to be an unfounded fear. No one in her class has ruined it for her and this is, by far, the year she has been most excited about her upcoming visit from the man in red.

Kids are kids for such a short time. How can an adult take pleasure in making that time even shorter? Grow up.

So, to that blogger I have this to say:

Remember, even the Grinch and Scrooge had a change of heart.

My new love

I'd like to introduce you to my new obsession...I mean, love. Pink Bow Bath Boutique. Oh my. Can I just say, yum!?! I bought 4 items from Amy (the brains and hands behind Pink Bow) and they arrived the other day. Happy happy joy joy.

I want to eat them. But, I'll refrain. Or at least try.

First up,
Banana Buttercream Parfait Whipped Body Frosting.

Yes, it's that good. It's rich and thick. It smells like fresh banana pudding. If it wasn't for the fact that it didn't make me sticky, I would think that it was banana pudding. Seriously, I want to grab a box of Nilla wafers and dig in. I used it on my feet and hands before going to bed and woke up with a perfect manicure. Ok, not really but wouldn't that be cool? If anything could do it, it would be this body frosting.

I also bought
Banana Buttercream Parfait Whipped Cream Soap

I've bought whipped soap from a couple of sellers. One was great, the other was so-so. This one falls firmly in the great camp. It's smooth and creamy and makes fantastic bubbles. Again, it smells like banana pudding. Mmmmmm, pudding...........What? Oh, where was I? Oh yeah, so this, of course, goes great with the body frosting above. Yes, I like bananas. Wanna make something of it?

Next is

Pineapple Buttercream Cupcake Sugary Body Polish

This is a fantastic sugar scrub. It's not at all greasy. In fact, it's very smooth and almost moldable like playdough. Nice and thick, you can tell that there's no skimping on the sugar in this one. And it smells like cake! Can it get any better you ask? Why yes, it can. It also rinses off really easily. This is especially important when you are showering with a 1 year old who suddenly decides that he doesn't really want to get wet and then clings to your leg the whole time you are trying to rinse off. And you thought showering with another person was romantic.

My final purchase was
Lemon Marshmallow Cream Beautiful Body Butter

Like I said in my feedback, it's like a lemon and a marshmallow got married and had babies. The lemon is slightly more dominate (must be the female of the relationship). This body butter is fluffy and creamy. It absorbs really well and doesn't leave a greasy feel. It smells fantastic and I'm oh so tempted to put it on some toast. But, I won't. Because, well because it's body butter, not butter butter.

Hmmm, if I used everything I bought all at once, I'd smell like a tropical fruit salad.

Amy also included 3 very nice samples in my box. I love little samples. They make me happy. I'm pretty sure, in this case, that they are just Amy's way of making sure the addiction is complete. She wants to make sure I come back for more....and I will. Afterall, I must support my habit.

So, go on, treat yourself. Go, now. Have you gone yet?

Oh thank goodness, I thought they'd never leave.

CPSC regulations

While this legislation doesn't affect my products, it does affect a lot of other Etsians so I thought I'd mention it.

There is a law due to take effect on Feb 10, 2009 that requires anyone who produces children's products meant for 12 and under to test their products for lead. Sounds good, right? No one wants lead in things their kids are using. However, the way the law is written it blindly requires testing from everyone, no matter what they make. This means everyone who makes kids clothing or diapers or burp cloths. Most fabrics contain no lead whatsoever, yet it will still need to be tested. Not just the garment (diaper, burp cloth, etc) but each component will have to be tested separately. Meaning the zipper and the buttons and the lace and the fabric. Each test will have to be performed by a 3rd party lab at the cost up to $180 per item, per test.

This legislation will put a lot of small, homegrown businesses out of business. It needs to be rewritten. If this legislation will affect you, I urge you to write to your congressman and senators.

Here is a petition that you can sign: http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/economicimpactsofCPSIA/index.html

And here's a forum thread on Etsy that is about this issue
http://www.etsy.com/forums_thread.php?thread_id=5935591&page=1

It just doesn't feel like Christmas

Until I hear this song several times




Warning: not for those of you who are scared of womens underware

Twilight

Saw the movie tonight. It was so good! I want to re-read the books again now. I thought they did a really good job in sticking with the story. Yes, there were things missing and yes, there were some changes. There pretty much have to be when condensing a large book down to an hour and a half movie. I was quite pleased with both Kristin and Robert, I thought they did excellent jobs with the roles of Bella and Edward. They certainly got the awkward teenage gee I think I like you down pat.

The only thing I wasn't too keen on was the actress who played Rosalie. She just didn't do it for me but I couldn't really tell you why.