Screech!

That's the sound I make when coming to a quick stop here at Hospitality Lane.

A stop to say that we are still here and things are all good.

Since I was here last Jonathan has had his 22nd birthday.

We celebrated it two evenings this week.

Well, one was an already planned game night that 

grew larger as some came just because we were celebrating

Jonathan's successful arrival at a new year.

The second was a dinner out at Red Lobster.

I took this photo as proof that on very rare occasions

Jonathan will eat veggies. 

 In this case it is a Caesar salad.  I know you really can't see it

because of Jonathan's big hand, but take my word for it.

That is a salad ...and he was eating it.

For those who don't know, Jonathan is primarily a 

"meat eater".  He has a real aversion to most things that 

come from the ground.  Don't even get him started on 

tomatoes.  Haha.  They are apparently the worst.

I have to brag on Jonathan a bit.

We are so proud of this young man.

He has the biggest heart of anyone I know.

One wouldn't always know it because of his 

intimidating size

and the bit of a shell he puts up to protect that 

tender heart.

I'll just say that anyone who earns his love and respect

has earned a very good thing.

He is a very good guy.

We are so blessed to call him our son.

Let's see .....what else has happened since

I wrote last.

Well, we had our traditional 

Good Friday Service last evening.

We were a small group but it was still special.  

Remembering what was involved in the 

ultimate sacrifice for those who believe.

Pastor Mike had the young men read the scripture

passages and we all sang songs that fit

the theme.

Great songs!

Chelsea made pretty Easter cookies to 

take to work and share.

She and I shared a moment of amusement 

when we found Warren innocently eating one.

Kind of like the kid  caught with his hand in the cookie

jar but since he had no idea they had a purpose 

and Chelsea bakes all of the time for the fun of it

he had absolutely no

guilt at all.

Chelsea and I simply burst into gales of laughter and he 

had no idea why.

Don't you just love those moments with family?

Laughter...it is good!

I got to spend time with a friend at a local 

cafe on Wednesday.

It was unexpected and it was great!

Phyllis....Thanks for sharing your time with me.

Let's meet up again soon.

I worked in the candle kitchen.

Surprise, surprise.

Things are a bit slow right now so I got

to create this cutie.

It has a "sister" that I want to get made up soon.

I also started a baby shower favor order

and completed a child's blessing order.

Finally, I got to use some of these adorable pottery

cups.  My friend, Deanna, and I were out shopping a long 

time ago and I found these.  I thought for sure they would 

fly out the door.  

Not so much!

But finally the right people saw them and fell in love.

30 baby shower favors are on their way out of here next week.

Tea lights in process.

It's a BOY.

I snapped a quick pic to send the shower planners so they 

could choose white or blue ribbons.

They chose blue.

Fun! Fun!

This week I'll be making up my April candles to 

get out to the Retail locations.

I'm thinking maybe Daffodil and Chocolate Hazelnut Cappuccino.

What do you think?

Is it too late in the season for the Cappuccino?

Tomorrow is our annual Sunrise Service and Easter Breakfast.

I can't wait.

It will be chilly at the pond, 

but we won't be there long and it is tradition.

So special.

I was watching a Walton's Easter special this week

and noticed that their sunrise service was by a pond and 

it looked just like ours.

Very cool!

Well, today will be quite busy as we prepare 

for tomorrow and take Jonathan to the Chiropractor again.

His back does not seem to be improving.

Herniated Discs are NOT fun.

Please pray that we would have the wisdom to 

know when to look at surgery.

He really needs relief!!

Happy Easter, My Friends.

Our Savior IS risen.

He lives!

Snow? Yep!

It is so pretty.

Huge flakes dancing on their way to the ground.

Yesterday the Weather Channel said 

6-10 inches.

As of this morning our local forecasts say we will

get a few slushy inches here.....

they will get more in other places.

This gives me hope for a fun game night 

this evening.

Some friends from church are supposed to come

next door to Georgia's house

for dinner and games.

We get to go too.

Between us we are bringing the ingredients

for taco salad.

I'm making the chili.

Yum!

Yesterday it was looking doubtful.

Today....it seems quite possible.

Spring snow storms are like that.

Well, actually, every snow storm this year was 

kind of like this.

They promised a lot....

and delivered little.

Today I am o.k. with 

"the little" part.

Perhaps I'll grab the camera when the sun comes 

up and see if there are any beautiful sights out there yet.

What is the weather like in your neck of the woods?

I'm Late...But I'm Here...For Vee's Note Card Party

We had to head out this morning to take Jonathan

to the Chiropractor.

This is effort number three to find a solution for his

back/hip/leg pain.

The family doctor sent him to physical therapy

and it was slightly helpful but only to a point.

Then he stopped going to that.

Yesterday he was trying to drive and wasn't able to 

push consistently on the gas pedal because the pain

was so severe.

I knew we had to do something.

So with a referral from a friend we were off to 

a new Chiropractor.

Diagnosis:  Herniated Disc.

It's genetic.

Both his Grandad and Uncle had surgeries for this 

when they were about his age.

Bummer!

However, 

we are going to do all other options first.

So....

here I am, 

that being my excuse for running late with this 

much looked forward to party.

Vee, at A Haven for Vee, hosts it each month.

It is fun!!

You choose four photos that have already been 

featured on your blog that would make interesting or pretty note cards.

I decided to go with some from The Virginia Living Museum.

We visited in February.

It was a blast.

I've lost count of how many times our family has 

been there.

Kind of strange for people who live in 

Pennsylvania, right?

Well, we vacation down there a lot

and this is a "must do" when we visit.

It doesn't matter how old the kids were and are

they still love going there.

Thanks for stopping by.

Candle Club Anyone?

I don't remember if I've told you about the 

Candle Club?

If you send me your email address

I will put you on a list to receive a monthly 

email offering my overstock candles

at 40% off.

I love to include a freebie most months

too.....could be a tea light....could be a 4 ounce candle.

This month it is a tea light.

The candles are available on a first come

first serve basis as I have limited amounts 

at these prices.

If you are on  Facebook you might want to 

"like" the Good Neighbors Candle Page to see 

new stuff, 

get coupon codes

and perhaps even win a 

give away.

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Good-Neighbors-Candle-Co/244884722210010

Hugs!

Bully Winter and a Sinless Cat

Last Winter didn't hang around that long.

This Winter is reluctant to let go.

We don't have this much snow this time....but I'm using it anyway.  Taken April 1, 2011?

Last evening Chelsea, Warren and I were coming

home as snow, sleet and rain were falling.

All at the same time.

We were in separate cars 

since Chelsea and I had been up to Lancaster 

for a dentist appointment and then stayed to 

meet up with Warren when he was done with work

for a soup and salad dinner.

Yum!

Warren was a few minutes ahead of us on a 

twisty curvy road that goes higher in elevation

than most around here.

Chelsea and I had discussed briefly which 

way we would take home.

Usually if the weather is questionable I avoid

 this road but we were anxious to get home

and this is the quickest route.

The roads on Route 30 were just wet.

I knew that this was risky.

But did it anyway.

We were barely out of Strasburg when 

we met a car that flashed its lights at us.

Just then the texture of the road changed.

Of course this is where the curves and the hills began as well.

Pretty soon we saw a van parked on a bridge

with a man standing in warning....

My heart began to race.

My window went down and he said that there 

was an accident just around the next curve.

I asked him if it was a small blue car.

Thankfully, for us, he said no.

We rounded the curve and found a large

jeep on its side.

A police cruiser was already there and the 

two occupants of the jeep were standing there 

looking quite uncomfortable.

I was so glad they were able to stand.

Chelsea and I continued gingerly on this road

praying our way up the hills and reducing gear

to come down the hills.

Home looked really good when we got here.

My heart was happy to find that little blue car

all tucked in the garage.

Safe and Sound.

To me this will be the winter of the nuisance 

weather.  No big snows for us.

Just lots of ice and slush.

Now, to completely change the subject 

are you curious about the sinless cat?

Well, that's a bit misleading.

It was a humorous thing my brain did this morning

at 5:35am.

From a very deep sleep I heard 

our Oliver meowing

to go out.

Then, within moments, 

he began banging the metal blinds at the door 

in our room.

I was ticked.

Not only was he requesting to go outside 

but he was making absolutely impossible to 

ignore him, which was what I would 

have gladly done given the depth of my sleep

and the warmth of my bed.

I got up and stumbled over to the door.

Opening it I was struck by the white snow on the deck.

I have no idea why but this is what flashed though my head,

"Go, and sin no more!"

I came back to my bed to attempt to 

sleep a bit longer but chuckling 

about the silliness of my brain even from 

a dead sleep.

Not two minutes later

Warren's alarm went off.

Psst....Look What is Coming!

Hopefully within a week we will be launching

the Katie Candle!

Do you remember my friend Susanna?

They adopted Katie about a year and a half

ago and she was just 10 pounds at the age of nine.
To read her story
just click here.

Well, Katie is a growing and thriving girl.

It's amazing what love and nutrition

can do.

Katie's needs continue for medical

and therapy equipment and there is 

a fund set up to collect funds for
use when the needs arise.

Things such as ankle supports are 

helping Katie be more mobile.

It is anticipated that she will be walking

within a year.

She's off to a great start as she stands

to play the piano and to reach and 

do other things.

You've seen The Tommy Candle.

That was to raise money for his adoption

costs...which have been met!

More than $1,550 came 

through these candles.

Praise God!!

Next I'll make a Tommy Candle

for the Care Fund.

These are 12 ounce candles.

$5 from each candle goes into the fund.

Once again I hope that these candles 

will remind us to pray daily for these 

precious children and the others 

still waiting to be rescued and to find love.

Watch my sidebar to know when 

there is an actual listing for these candles.

It is coming soon!

You'll know when the Tommy Candle link goes

away and Katie's joyful face is in its place.

Introducing the Soap!

Finally!  

After months of testing we have developed 

the perfect blends.

When I say "we"

I mostly mean our friend, John.

He is a great soap maker.

When I found out that he and his wife, Bonnie, 

had been making their own soap for a while

I asked if they would consider working with 

my fragrances.

Thankfully, they agreed.

Bonnie has let me know that it is pretty much 

John's thing. 

She's supportive but busy home educating, 

cooking, cleaning and keeping a very busy 

household running day to day.

So John is the master soap maker.

One thing I have come to learn about soap.

It takes TIME!

All of the soaps we are offering are at about 

eight weeks of cure time.

This seems to be a good age so that 

the soap has dried through and won't 

melt away too quickly.

Of course, it is natural and you must keep it 

dry between uses if you want it to last.

And you do!

So, our minimum cure time has been established as

eight weeks.  

Longer than that hurts nothing.

Above you have seen the French Lavender.

I present it as a more modern scent.

Kind of spa-like.

The vanilla in the French Lavender oils

turn the soap this rich brown color.

Below are the Citrus Infusion Bars.

This is my personal fragrance blend.

When the supplier discontinued

the citrus infusion I had been using I was forced

to develop my own.

It has been WAY more popular than the original.

I'm pleased.

The blend is Tangerine, Mango and Fresh Squeezed Orange.

YUM!

Friends at church are buying this from John 

in bulk.

Yay!

The soap lathers beautifully!

Is scented just right.

You can notice it but it isn't overwhelming.

I also have some oatmeal unscented and 

plain unscented to list.

Just haven't gotten there yet.

I would be curious to know if you have tried

hand crafted soap.

If so, what are your favorite features of it?

Skin Softening?

These all have Palm, Coconut and Olive oil in them.

Great moisturizing benefits.

I included a couple of comments from the testers

in the listings on my Etsy site.

If you are interested pop on over and see what 

they had to say.

Thanks for looking!!

Delightful Weekend!

I don't even know how to begin telling you how good

God has been to me this past week.

You see, 

the last few months have been so difficult

in many ways.

I think they might get harder before they get 

better....but I have faith that they will indeed get better.

I am praying hard that God is going to open 

doors and restore a relationship that has floundered.

I love my friend and miss her so much!

In the meantime I have prayed that

 God would lead me 

to new friendships.

And He has!

Perhaps that was His plan all along.

To kick me out of my rut and help me to 

get to know and receive the benefit of new 

and renewed friendships.

In the past week I have been blessed to meet with 

four, count them FOUR precious 

friends, well SIX if you count the moms.

And I do.

We have laughed together, prayed together, 

counseled each other and 

enjoyed 

precious time spent.

On Friday, the third such meeting was my dear friend

Angel.  She, her husband and their oldest daughter drove 

two hours to join us at the premiere of Noah.

This is Sight and Sound's current show.

It has been updated since the days it last played

in Lancaster and is truly amazing.

It was good before....

but the changes have only made it better.

Angel, Sean and Lily stayed over and we got to 

go into Lancaster city 

to Central Market 

and Fab Fashion.

Then they had to head back to their youngest daughter

who was in her Grandmother's kind hands.

You might remember Angel as the one 

who headed up that amazing craft show

in Chambersburg last year.

She's an amazing lady and I'm so 

honored to have her friendship.

On Sunday afternoon, 

after a rushed picnic 

on the deck,

I got to hang out with Chelsea, Mindy

and my friend Kelly as we went to Barnes and Noble

just for fun....

and then across the way to a frozen yogurt cafe

owned by Kelly's friend, Carol.

It is always such a delight to see local people

treating people right and earning a living in the process.

Last evening our mothers took us to see The Irish Tenors.

This was a result of the ticket incident at Christmas.

Both Moms got two tickets to this concert for each other.

You should have heard the laughter that was generated 

upon that discovery.

Since the theater would not refund or exchange the 

tickets Warren and I got an early Anniversary present.

Today is our 24th wedding anniversary.
It is also my Mother's Birthday!
Easy to remember!

I did tell the Moms after the show that

since we truly enjoyed it we would be willing to 

pay for the tickets.

The implication was that there was no 

way I would have offered if the show was horrid.

There was an evil twinkle in my eye

as I said that - for sure.

Oh but we truly enjoyed the live orchestra

and the amazing voices of those three

Irish gentlemen.

Our evening out finished up with half price 

appetizers at Applebees.

Fun and YUM.

Thanks Georgia!

Our evening was not yet complete, however.

Upon returning home we found that our 

head count had increased by three.

Michael, Johnny and Chris would spend the night.

AND they were starving.

So...out came the frozen pizzas 

and this happy Mom fed "the boys".

It has been very quiet around here since

the guys schedules haven't meshed and 

Chris was in Thailand and then Malaysia with 

YWAM.

I think we are about to see our house come

back to life.

All is either good, or will be good

here at Hospitality Lane.

We are truly blessed.

Prayers appreciated today as I head to the cardiologist.

With our anniversary and heart doctor all 

in one day I have declared this....

 "the day 

of the heart".

Hope YOUR day is great!

Mixed Arts

I am not the only one using our kitchen for creative purposes.

Normally, the clay figures that Jonathan sculpts

and paints turn out amazing.

Actually, 

the one I am about to show you will 

be fine too.

However every time I walk past the 

stove to get to the microwave this sight greets me.

A little bit unsettling 

if you ask me.

Amusing, though.

We are a crazy creative bunch around here.

Chelsea's artwork is found on the fridge,

in her jeans pockets when I do the wash

and 

all over her room.

But, in the meanwhile I've got 

candles to make and I'm no longer able to work around the headless dude.

So....he's moving.

Wish him well.

We Were Kind Of Hoping....

To head out to Longwood Gardens today.

Chelsea and I.

But it is blustery cold.

And I have cold number two for the season.

Turns out Warren's cold and my cold 

were of different varieties.

Bummer!

Oh well.

It could be worse.

And by that I mean that it 

could have been the stomach stuff.

I'm a serial hand washer these days.

I have a real fear of THAT stuff.

So.....since we didn't go and get new pics

I'm going to share some photos that I have recently 

listed for sale in my Etsy shop.

I'll be adding more over the next few weeks.

Ship's Mast at Baltimore's Inner Harbor

The Blue Poppy

Columbine

Red and Cream Rose

And the Pink Rose.....

Sometimes one just needs to see beautiful color

and a reminder of warmer weather.

Especially when one is minding the wind and cold.

So....

if you happen to be in my state of mind

I hope these brightened your day.

Blessings.

I'm on a Kick

A creative kick!

These devotional candles are making me so happy.

Check this one out...

What do you think?

Devotional Candle

Just a little reminder that the One who 

knows and loves us best

LOVES to hear our voices

in the mornings.

What a great way to begin the day.

Giving Praise.

Expressing our need of Him.

Gathering the confidence that comes from 

knowing we do not walk alone.

So, whether this candle gives Him warning...

or makes a promise,

it is certainly a reminder to come to Him 

each and every day.

Have a delightful day!

A Collaboration with a Wonderful Artist

If you've been reading you know that I've been

working on labels.

Really working on labels.

It came to me the other day that perhaps

I should purchase some art

to use on some special candles.

And so I did.

I knew just where to go for the art I wanted.

I've been collecting pieces from 

Niki Jackson.

Niki is an English Artist 

who paints

beautifully.

She reminds me of a book illustrator,

which is awesome because she is currently 

writing and illustrating a children's book.

It is going to be s.w.e.e.t!

You can visit Niki's Etsy shop 

if you like.

It's called The Vintage Artist.

My first project with Niki's work is

a custom wedding candle.

Chelsea picked out this adorable painting

and I thought it was just precious.

When you add the bride and groom's name

and wedding date along with your choice

of my message or a personalized one

you have a very inexpensive, yet unique gift.

I can imagine people customizing labels 

for Bridal Showers too.

What a wonderful favor.

So....I'm tickled to death to be 

working with Niki's art.

I have licensed two paintings for 

one year.

Hopefully they will catch on and 

I'll be able to continue 

working with Niki for many years to come.

Currently in the works.....

A Mother's Day Candle.

Stay tuned!