AmyJo

Good morning everyone! Happy to be home and working only half a day today. Michele, praying for good news for your brother. Looking forward to our trip tomorrow. Susan, you made me laugh , I don't know how you keep your schedule straight!! Let alone the sleep deprivation... Night shifts would put me under! Debra, thank you , that makes me feel better, I started out with candles and seem to have come full circle. And the Wallflowers - yes! - just when I make up my mind that they're all too weak, I get a really strong one and hope springs eternal. Your French Lavender sounds beautiful - I love that scent. Miss Maggie, you're kinda quiet, hope you are doing well and feeling better. How did the bedroom painting go? Well I had a big surprise with this one: ScentSationals Bottoms Up - pomegranate, orange, and spices - ohhhhh so juicy and lovely. Must have more but it looks like Walmart is sold out. BBW Pumpkin Pie - smells good enough to eat, very comforting, lovely throw and good burn. Happiness! Enjoy your Thursday all!

Thanks Cyn! Maggie, I absolutely love this month's title. Michele, continuing to say prayers for your brother and hoping for a quick and speedy recovery. I'm glad you are getting a chance to melt - and your scents from the wonderful VRC samplers have been sounding heavenly. Susan, I'm glad your client is doing well. Sorry to had to cover for someone else, as well - I don't think you sleep much. Well I am going home tomorrow and taking a couple of days off. Greatly looking forward to Michele's and my Thelma and Louise Road Trip to VRC this Friday, about a three-hour tour each way and we intend to put a dent in her inventory. There is also a Lush store nearby, but I'm sure we wouldn't even think of going over there. Well it's been: Hayden Rowe Amish Country - vanilla, clove, all spice, nutmeg, sugar - and this is gorgeous. TSGS Blackberry Mint Spritzer - so strong and juicy. TSGS Eucalyptus Spearmint - very strong but I'm thinking maybe I'm not a big eucalyptus person. TSGS Lemon Lavender - oh so lovely and peaceful. And just a word on That Smell Good Shop - these are little 1-oz mini scent shots and everything is really strong. Very dependable, delicious wax! And my beloved BBW Chestnuts and Clove - one-wick candle, strong, lovely burn, doesn't need to go on the warmer. I adore this scent and bought a three-wick at home. I am working steadily through my wax but also steadily building up a nice candle collection. The whole premise of reducing stash is just hopeless. But happiness abounds. Have a lovely evening everyone!

Hello all! Maggie, they postponed Halloween because of snow that year?? Actually that is probably wise...I imagine many people would stay home and it's probably not as safe with all the crazy drivers in the snow. And Spider Cider and Deadly Donuts, oh definitely need more of that next year! Debra, I'm sorry about your annuals. The cold has really moved in. I salute you for planting annuals in the first place... Lazy me has always stuck with perennials. Susan, I love the sound of your smoky peppermint scent! I don't know if I have anything like that. So it's been: Better Homes and Gardens Peach and Blueberry Crisp - very strong and I'm just not sure how I feel about it. I prefer CFTKR's blueberry scent. L3 Seattle Rain / Prince Charming - pomegranate and grapefruit, love this! Very very strong. L3 Legotastic Coconut Coast - starfruit, mango sorbet, coconut - lovely and comforting. I love coconut without the too-often accompanying pineapple. BBW Chestnuts & Clove - one of my favorites of any of my fall scents in any form. Burning nicely. I trimmed the wicks a bit more than usual and it isn't threatening to burn the house down, always a good thing. Beautiful nutty scent, perfect spice for my taste. Happy Sunday to all, get some rest!

DH and I were just talking about this because we haven't eaten anything Pumpkin Spice yet!! I have a colleague at work, a tiny little female electrical engineer who weighs about one pound, who has been eating Little Debbie Pumpkin Spice Rolls nonstop. I want to tear them from her hands, but they have too many WW Points and then I couldn't have my popcorn, so there you go. The person below me always enjoyed whipped cream on top of her pumpkin pie.

(I just knew you had made lots of costumes!!) Ohhhhhh mushrooms...I love mushrooms so much, all types. I even like using a huge Portobello one in place of a meat burger to make a veggie burger. I love them sauteed.... In soup.... Any way at all. The person below me uses liquid softener in her clothes washing routine.

Good morning all! Greetings from the laundry where I am washing all of the dog blankets and throws. Very crisp and cold with frozen strips on the car this morning so we may be skipping fall and going straight into winter. Beautiful sky. Maggie, I'm sorry you got so few trick or treaters! but the weather was so bad that night...I remember trick or treating with my son in the snow when he was about four, and walking very fast to stay warm.... Good memories! Enjoy painting today - you never stop. Andy yes... Next year let's do a big order to Spotted Hog - and you were right, her Halloween scents are the very best -and I don't have any more at all. Honeybear, that is very good of you to send coffee to your DD! Those shipping charges, yikes. Susan, I think your scents were perfect for Halloween! Well it's been: Ava's Iced Tea With Lemon - excellent, very strong. Wonderberry A Slice Of Summer - and yes I know I'm in the wrong season here - strawberry key lime cheesecake with graham cracker crust - love this so much and waaaaaah, I wish she weren't closing. Vintage Road Candy Shop - coconut bay, barber shop, lavender cotton candy - delicious. I seem to remember that she did a loaf in this which I didn't buy, and that may have been a mistake. BBW Banana Cream Pie - chopped it up because it had no throw burning... It did well on a candle warmer but took forever and ever to melt.... So I did the chopping thing. It needs the hottest warmer, didn't do much with the light bulb ones. I'm thinking this wax is mostly paraffin, what do you think? Still on the lighter side melting, and I think they could have added more fragrance oil. The scent is gorgeous so I am hanging in there with it. Enjoy your Saturday and bundle up!

Good morning all! Currently 29F here in Ohio and I thought we would all blow away last night. Fall is truly here. Did you all get lots of trick-or-treaters? Debra, not waxidents!! I'm sorry! They do tend to come in waves, don't they? It sounds like a good winter's rest is in order! And yes...I had to visit the dentist for a scheduled appointment yesterday... They outfitted me with music headphones and I did not go through my usual giggling routine, yay! It is so lovely to be home. I am taking a half day vacation in the afternoon today and just enjoying being in my house and looking outside at the turning leaves. Melting/burning last night or today: L3 Vanilla Lace Spearmint - a big fav of mine and so strong. Wonderberry World's Best Funnel Cake - just delicious and again so sad that she is closing!! VRC Berry Bubblegum - sweet and fruity - DH wants more of this one. BBW Chestnuts & Clove - I think my fav from the Fall Collection that I've smelled - didn't seem to get much attention but ohhhhhh beautiful. This is the one-wick and I have it on a warmer, which seems to be the ticket for the one-wicks, at least in our house. BBW Pumpkin Pie - three wick and doing very nicely. I get the crust and it's not overly spiced. I have taken down the goblin decorations but the glowing Enchanted Pumpkin melter is staying put through the holidays. I have never loved a melter as much as that one. Happy Friday everyone!!

Ha! No, even though I went completely mad for Hayden Rowe loaves during the summer, I chopped them all up so I would use them. Which I am (slowly) doing. The person below me has hand sewn many Halloween costumes over the years.

Good morning everyone from the dentist office. Maggie!! Good to see you. I'm so glad your cough is finally getting better!! I can only imagine how lively your school must be with Halloween... Are the little ones all excited? How FABULOUS that your eldest DD wants tarts - you've obviously raised her well! Susan, I'm glad to hear that your client is doing well, and I'm sure that is due to your excellent care of him. He is lucky to have you as his caregiver. Your bakery scents sound good and I love how you always coordinate your melts. Well it's been: Hayden Rowe Bahama Mama- great throw but I have to admit that tropical scents with pineapple are not always my favorite. If you like pineapple this is for you. Candles by Victoria White Chocolate Peppermint - a year old and this one was throwing through my whole house, through the windows, and out into the yard, threatening to scent the entire county. Squirrels were abandoning the trees. I had to turn it off. Beautiful but wow! And a moment of rapt silence for the following: BBW Pink Petal Tea Cake - rose petals, strawberry, and yellow cake - Oh. My Goodness. So beautiful that I don't know what to say. I have never smelled anything like this before. As a small one-wick candle, no throw, so I put it on a warmer.... Glorious. I must have this scent in my life forever. Love, love, love. I am home and plan to take some vacation time today or tomorrow. Enjoy your Thursdays!

Well good morning all, Susan, good to see you, hope you are doing well. How is your client doing? Is his hip healing ok? I'll bet that meant a lot of heavy lifting for you to help him. Again I stand in awe of you doing full time caretaking. In the South for two days and ready to go back to cooler weather. So it's been: VRC Queen Of Hearts - lovely strawberry bakery blend from the divine Cookie Sampler. Waxmosphere Strawberry Kiwi BBW Pumpkin Cupcake three-wick - had to put this on a warmer, little tiny flames and no throw. At all. But on the warming plate, it turned into all sorts of deliciousness, beautiful mellow pumpkinness with just the right amount of spice. It's a shame it wouldn't burn and I can't imagine they intended the wax to behave that way. Enjoy your Tuesday all!

Good morning all! Maggie, the board is missing youuuuuuuu! Michele, you reminded me to melt Palo Santo and I thank you for that! And the Swanky is waiting patiently as well... Sounds like you are melting and making a dent. Susan, the Blackberry & Tangerine sounds wonderful, and so great that you discover new vendors on Etsy... If I ever get off this celebration, I will do the same. Debra, your weather sounds perfect, and honestly if we ever left Ohio, I could be tempted by the PNW. Well the charred scent finally finished, so this morning it's: BBW Vampire Blood (continuing) and this has a lovely throw. Spotted Hog Cinnamon Rolls - the last of this bag and DH is very sad to see it end. SGA Palo Santo - thanks to Michele for the reminder - oooh, what a beautiful woody smoky blend. Have a peaceful Sunday all.

Good morning all, Home and it's cold and raining, perfect for spooky Halloween scents. Debra, not the furnace! Nooooooo! It's always something! As for candy corn...I had a small sample from a vendor and it was soooooo strong, so I ordered more... Which was unscented. Now it's one of those holy grail things.... Honeybear, your DH needs some rest! You made me laugh... Advertising... Well maybe that could have worked for something i really loved... With scent, that's easy, lol. I should have ordered those SGA Violet cookies, sounds so tasty. Susan, the graham cracker and caramel sounds heavenly. I love graham cracker anything. Michele, hope you are well, pretty quiet. Maggie, I hope your cough takes the next plane out of town!! Feel better my friend!! Well with Halloween this weekend I have broken out the spooky stuff: TBG Charred Jack o' Lantern - my very favorite of the ashy scents. BBW Vampire Blood 3-wick - strawberry and plum. Spidery label. Love! Colonial Candle White Pumpkin - one of my favorite fall melts. I do love their wax. Happy melting everyone!!

Good evening ladies, Well now that's more like it, lots of chitchat going on. Maggie, that orange ice cream shake mixed with...candy corn... how was that? I love candy corn but it's often so light ... Could you pick it up? Did you like? Debra, pumpkin and lavender together - that sounds interesting and maybe even lovely - what did you think? Susan, I agree... sometimes CFOW was light in my house, but on the flip side there are some strong, excellent beauties I will always order from her! Michele - that VRC Bread and Lattes - ohhhhh I think that's one of the best in that sampler! Honeybear, I am so, so happy that your daughter has her boyfriend over there for two weeks with her. What a weight off your shoulders that must be! Maybe you can get a little well-earned rest! Well it was a good work week. Also got through some melts: VRC Lemon Sugar Noel - I love this so much. It was an owl shape that I hated to melt, but it was worth it. L3 Rainbow Sherbet Southern Sunshine - a big bright fruity blend. L3 Maid's Day Off - clean cotton, lavender, vanilla, marshmallow fluff - from the lovely laundry sampler. A bit sweet....I think I like the sharper cotton blends. VRC Zen - French lavender, eucalyptus mint, seabreeze - there are no words. This Lavender Sampler is to die for, so glad I went completely insane for all Sarah's samplers! Tonight there was a big tie-up on the highway so I had no choice but to get off and go to BBW. You will all be very proud of me because I got only two hand sanitizers. The week, however, is young. Good night all!

Ha! I always used to use a neck pillow. But then I lost one... And it was one more thing to remember to haul around... So I stopped. The person below me likes thick woolen socks in the winter.

Evening all! Pretty quiet around here...*sound of crickets*... Michele, your scents sound very tempting and they are making me hungry... the baklava...the pretzel... Well I am still digesting the sad information that Wonderberry, OPT and Wax Workshoppe are all closing up shop. Of the three, I had brought only one with me on this trip: Wonderberry Coffee Ice Cream - vanilla ice cream, coffee, brown sugar, cocoa - fabulous, delicious, excellent throw - truly, truly sorry to see Courtney stop making this amazing wax. Also melting: Vintage Road Mochaccino - chocolate, whipped cream, cappuccino - from the superb Coffee Sampler - ohhhhhhhhh. and L3 Pilates? I Thought You Said Pie and Lattes - which again I would have bought simply for the name - cream caramel macchiato, pie crust, and vanilla ice cream - come to mama. From the excellent Bakery Sampler, and I was concerned when it arrived because it was so light on cold - no worries here. Strong and utterly divine. So it has been smelling pretty good around here. Cold and rainy and I think winter is around the corner. Have a good night all -

(yes the Instant Pot is a pressure cooker but you can also saute in it and go straight to pressure cooking. I was also afraid of my mom's pressure cooker!) (And I agree - I forgot about Halls - very strong!!) Yes I love three-wick candles because of the throw and also how beautiful they look, with the multiple flames. The person below me prefers Falling Behind to Springing Ahead when it comes to the time change.

Good morning all, Maggie, your paper towel trick sounds as though it might be less messy than the cotton balls. I will have to try that! Michele, I'm so glad you and your family enjoyed all of the festivities! And I hope you can rest today. All of your scents sound beautiful and I imagine the party was lovely and fragrant with your fall candles burning! Debra, the Blue Sugar melt sounds delicious. I need to hunt down that Adventure Seekers. Well it's been: Zeep Gingerbread Latte - I love her coffee blends - nice and strong, and I finished a scoop jar, yay!! L3 Corn Pancakes L3 Snow Bunny (pink sugar, buttercream, spearmint) and Pink Chiffon Everything was very strong. Happy Monday all!

Good morning, it's been: Hayden Rowe King of Hearts- bergamot, black tea, citrus, laundry - a duck sample, very fresh and nice and I would repurchase. L3 Paternoster Gang - BJBC , Lemon Meringue Pie, Coconut Cream Pie - yummy. Burning BBW White Winter Woods - icicles (?), Cedar, sandalwood - not sure what those icicles smell like but the cedar is lovely, and this has a good clean burn. Love! Hoping everyone has a peaceful Sunday.

Oooo yes. I like Ricola. (and I think this means you are taking something for your poor cough!! - which ones do you like?) The person below me has an Instant Pot.

Hello again! Michele, I want to wish you and your husband a very happy 39th wedding anniversary! That's wonderful. And a party for 50 to celebrate your daughters' engagements - I stand in awe. That's a big weekend and I hope you enjoy every minute!! Maggie, it's good to see you and I do hope you start to feel better soon!! Michele I didn't know what cottonballing a candle was until yesterday either...I looked it up and found a video. If the flames are puny and struggling, you blow out the candle, and then sop up some of the wax in the middle, between the wicks, using a series of cotton balls. You don't take it all, just enough to bring the liquid level down about half an inch on the wicks. Then relight and hopefully the flames do better. The video said that when this happens, the vendor may have used the wrong kind of wicks for that particular wax and you might have to do it again. I only had this problem on the PB&J candle. The Cocoa one has burned like a champ from the start, actually almost too well, with big dancing flames. It gives me something to fool with, which always makes me happy. Have a great day everyone!

Good morning all, A little frost this morning, what a change from 90F two weeks ago. Michele, I'm glad your brother has a date for the surgery. Continuing to keep your family in my prayers. I like the sound of that strawberry fudge scent. Honeybear, your husband needs some rest after those long days and I can imagine that you do too, with all that's been going on. Also, thank you - sugar cookie dough bread, of course! *smacking forehead* Debra, I love that you set your timers so you wake up to a beautiful scent! Well yesterday and today it's been: BH&G Fall Leaves - the last of the value pack and I hate to see this one end, even if it does have apple in it. Wax Workshoppe Baja Cactus Blossom -floral with orange juice, and actually I like this. CFTKR Butter Rum Lifesavers - absolutely authentic and strong. I didn't let this one go forever because it was a bit overpowering, but I enjoyed it for a short time. TSGS Cucumber Cantaloupe - so refreshing after all the fall scents of late. VRC Sleepy Time - pink sugar, herbal lavender, peppermint, vanilla - I could not be more delighted with this Lavender Sampler. Beautiful. And last night while we were watching Doc Martin, I burned: BBW PB&J - I love this toasty bread / peanut butter / strawberry jelly combo. It's very comforting, with the crusty bread note the strongest. I will say that the wicks were drowning and struggling so I tried the cotton ball method and that helped. I would repurchase. Enjoy your Saturday, everybody.

(I'm sorry about your lower tooth! Who knows how these things happen...I hope your lip or tongue don't get hung up on it... It's always something, isn't it?) No, I don't know the constellations...I can usually find the Winter Circle of stars at the cabin because it is pitch black at night down there... But I have never learned all the figures. The person below me goes back and forth on rose scents.

Good morning all from the airport and so glad to be going home. Sharon, I'm sorry your weather is wet and miserable. I hope the blinds get sorted successfully. And I also cheer for any melt named Pink Knickers. Yes Maggie is right, that's a cronut! Very decadent. Honeybear, I'm sending you and your daughter a big hug. I hope she is feeling a bit more at home overseas. Maggie! I think those timers are a great idea. No worry overnight. And SCDB...?? Sugar Cookie Double Butter? Silly Comment Database? Soggy Cruddy Diaper Bundle? Michele, keeping your family in my prayers. Susan, hoping you are well and going to have some fun this weekend. Well this morning Security went through all my wax and my beloved cocoa candle and told me they had to make sure it was really wax. ???? I bring more or less the same amount of stuff every week but today I was a suspicious character. *Sigh* Speaking of my beloved cocoa candle, it is about halfway through, and it took off on me last night, the flames becoming so strong and sooty that I could hardly blow it out. I always trim the wicks but gee whiz. These are the three thick ropelike wicks and I've trimmed them back even more severely this time. Wow, all I did was pop in the shower, really a lesson in not leaving a candle unattended. Still I will buy this one again. So I didn't melt or burn this morning, trying to air the room out for the next person. Happy Friday all!!

Good morning all! A new day, hurrah, and it's a wonder what a good night's sleep can do. Maggie, your selections sound so delicious, especially the Clove scent. And yes...That hay note can be odd... I'm glad you like the transparent boxes - I like them for the same reasons. Debra, thank you for the moment of silence for the Cronuts. Michele, sending you hugs . So it's been: BH&G Crisp Fall Leaves, gorgeous. And burning this morning: BBW Hot Cocoa & Cream - there are no words. This smells like the most perfect cup of cocoa, with little marshmallows melting into it. Love, love, love. Have a good Thursday everyone.

Yes...a few years ago, a friendly stranger tried to "help" me load a heavy item into the back of the car and then closed the hatch prematurely onto my face. I lost the lower third of a front tooth, which now has a crown. (And how about you?) The person below me prefers fruit to vegetables.