AmyJo

Aria - thanks for the reco on Front Porch - I checked out her site and I can't explain it, but suddenly I had items in a cart and checked out and an order was placed...remarkable! AmyJo

Greetings all and a fine Tuesday to you, We had such gorgeous, mild weather yesterday after all the rain that I am truly ready for spring. The daffodils are poking their heads out. Folks down by the river are under water and it is tough times. It looks like the Red Cross is helping out and the police are cruising up and down the streets in inflatable boats. I read that one lady has a cat sanctuary with about 60 cats and she won't leave. I salute her. Aria - I love that your son hit the bird feeder with the hockey puck *may not have been funny at the time but still* I also love birds and we have two suet feeders for the woodpeckers and nuthatches. Debra, like you I'm also feeding the squirrels, particularly the flying squirrels. I love watching them at night even though they are total piglets with the suet. Well this morning I lit a YC votive in the bathroom called Apple Cider and I can smell that one all over the house. Well done YC, let's try that amount of scent for all your candles...! In the kitchen/office I have a BBW candle in the warmer called Creamy Nutmeg and this one is divine. Have a good day all, AmyJo

Good morning all, Debra - I love the image of your dog rolling in the leaves and twigs and then dropping memories of the occasion everywhere she goes. They love to be messy (and smelly!), don't they! I'm glad the dizziness is better. Maggie - I am trying to wait a couple of days but I have my eye on a few of those Zeep B&B. Have you tried her personal care items before? Mpfand - that Rum Raisin Cookie sounds tempting. Maybe more so because I want some breakfast! Hi ho, off to work, have a fine Monday all, AmyJo

Well good morning all and Happy Sunday, The Ohio River continues to rise. People in the New Richmond area are having to flee. It was bad already last evening and then it poured all night. Every 20 years or so, that community has a really bad flood, so tough on the people. Increasingly, folks are tearing down the old homes and building up new ones on top of raised basements - but that's not so cheap to do, is it? On the home front, I'm heating up the melters so I can pour out yesterday's wax and start some new scents. So far I have one votive candle in the bathroom, YC Balsam and Clove. Cold, that one smells great. In general, the YC scents in the Christmas Votives collection I ordered smell heavenly but are weak. Happily, that works for a small bathroom. Maggie, you made me laugh - I always get the names of the scents backwards or call them something else - and yes! the names do influence me. Sometimes I try not to look at the labels when I'm in the stores so I won't be swayed....but in YC, I have to look, because their cold scent is so weak. Honeybear, I'm so happy for you, that you had a change of heart about the island - that African Mahogany sounds beyond beautiful and it will be a focal point. I love that you have a Zeep alert on your phone. Debra - sorry about the dizziness! I had that two years ago and there was some kind of maneuver I had to do, bending and turning side to side, to make the loose crystals in the inner ear go back into place...it all sounded kind of woo-woo but it worked. Well, the second-largest dog, who sometimes is white, has just come in from romping in the mud, dip-cone fashion, so I am off to find a towel. Have a fine day everyone. (edited, later) - Well, I cleaned off the muddy dog onto to have him go romping in the puddles again. I admit defeat. He is having fun and there is no way around the mud until it dries up. New scents have been established: Kitchen/office - Zeep Party Doll (she sent a "preview" with my last order - raspberry, strawberry, and champagne. DH gives this a big thumbs-up. Back bedroom - BH&G Apricot Cider Our bedroom - the last of Zeep's Grinch Cookies (sugar cookie & peppermint). I love this one, hate to see it end. By the way - for those of you placing Zeep orders - she is selling her Christmas Trees (very large, two for $5)to clear out the Christmas inventory and these are lovely, a softer evergreen than many of the more potent ones. Doing my best to enable here. Good grief, this is long. I'll shut up now. AmyJo

Maggie, Zeep's Oktoberfest is melting near me as we speak and it is much more blueberry than pumpkin, in fact it is primarily blueberry with a soft baked scent in the background. Heavenly. And - drum roll - she is restocking AS WE SPEAK, all kinds of new things appearing in the last two days - and there is a Push Pop Body Butter/Scrub that I am planning to drown in. But the bank account, the bank account.... Have fun, AmyJo

Greetings all and Happy Saturday! Home from the hills - or rather, the northern Ohio glacial plains, not much to look at - and as I had wax with me I was much happier. Thanks to all for the good advice! The work went well too (secondary satisfaction, LOL). Honeybear, good luck with the island. Maybe your vendor can do something with the wood colors. *kitchen installation envy* Debra, I understand about 2-3 inches of snow bringing things to a standstill. Down here we used to get more snow and people knew how to deal with it...now the slightest bit and the newscasters go into a frenzy and everyone rushes to buy milk and bread, which I think is hilarious. Michele, that Cranberry Lemon Curd sounds right up my alley, will have to check it out. Susan, anything with Pistachio will bring me running, sounds divine. Well I have bread rising and then today is hospital day. DH is still sleeping and the beagles are snoring, so life is essentially good. Today's scents (got a new warmer, have gone overboard): Kitchen/Office - Zeep Oktoberfest (nice! - blueberry, zucchini bread, pumpkin) Our bedroom - Zeep Christmas Tree (clearance, smells divine) Bathroom - YC votive, Aromatic Orange and Evergreen (lovely smell but weak) Back bedroom - (new elegant warmer with glass top) - my favorite Push Pops. Enjoy your day everyone, AmyJo

Good morning all! Thanks for all the comments on shapes and colors of melts. Maggie, you and I are in the same camp on the colors. I have a few melts which are brown and they look like mud in the melter...just doesn't cut it. Once again on a road trip but I brought a melter and my beloved Push Pops, plus an Orange and Evergreen votive by YC. I am prepared. Have a good day all, AmyJo

Greetings all, We have what Pooh would call "a blustery day" - lots of wind and rain. It looks pretty soggy for the rest of the week, and cooler. The Ohio River, not to mention my trench out by the road, is flooded, and I'm soooooo glad we didn't buy that cute little house in the floodplain when we downsized two years ago. I wanted that house, badly, but for once good judgment prevailed. And I'm so happy where we ended up in the country - there is a plan, there is always a plan. Honeybear and Michele - white shutters? The wooden kind? Oh, I love those so much and am saving up to put them throughout this house. So they are easy to clean? Debra, LOL, I can see that you are truly tired of the snow. How much did you get this last time? Maggie - I looked up PFOP and her melts are so beautiful. I love the various shapes she has - and it's probably a good thing that she doesn't seem to have anything stocked at the moment or I would have bought more things. *shudder* Here's a question for all of you - how much are you influenced by what a melt looks like, in your purchases? For me, I am definitely swayed by beautiful shapes and colors. At the end, they have to smell good, but part of the fun for me is the molds themselves. Today I am wringing the last bit of scent out of these Zeep melts from yesterday: Office/Kitchen - Push Pops Back Bedroom - An Autumn Walk (fun scoopable wax - like Play-Doh for big kids, lush scent) Enjoy Hump Day, AmyJo

Greetings all from sunny southwest Ohio, The heat is off for the first time in weeks and tonight we are going to eat on the picnic table. I'm excited. I do see that the Farmer's Almanac is calling for snow in March and they seem to be often correct, so I'm enjoying this little break while we can. Thanks all for the observations on the warmers and variable heat. Maggie, that's interesting that the wax could make a difference - I tried different kinds yesterday and you're on to something there. Mpfand, you've seen the same thing I have - same wattage but different results. I do think I'm taking these two cheapies back to WalMart - they are so hot that the wax smells burnt, even my beloved Push Pops. No wonder they were $6. Because I was so obsessed with the warmers yesterday, I went through a lot of different wax. This morning, I decided to normalize my poor nose and so my two not-so-screamingly-hot melters both have Push Pops in them, front and back of the house. We are Creamsicling out Susan, that Mediterranean Fig sounds lovely - I may have to check that out. DH has made his way steadily through the wheat bread so it looks like I'm kneading again before work this morning. Added in the afternoon - Melting Zeep's An Autumn Walk, scoopable wax. OMG this is heavenly. I know, I am a Zeepaholic. Enjoy your Tuesday, and say cool if you've got warmer temps for awhile. AmyJo

Morning all! Lovely to have a day off today. The weather is so warm...We had to take the second largest dog - who is part Golden and part Pyrenees - to the Dog Wash on Saturday. I may have mentioned boot-sucking mud....he was playing in a large puddle and ended up looking like a chocolate dip cone. Debra, I can't believe you have snow.... ...even I am feeling as though Spring will be a welcome change. This morning I'm melting Morning Bliss (ScentSations) in the kitchen/office and it's like putting my head inside a grapefruit. I like it very much, though. In the back bedroom is ScSa Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream (mmmmm) In our bedroom is Zeep's Not Your Mama's Waffles. I am stuck on this one, absolutely fabulous. Honeybear - I thought about ordering Zeep's Spring Box as well...let me know what you think. By the way - I wanted to ask everyone - do you see variation in the heat of your melters? I have two of the same melter (WalMart cheapie, $6.94, has a cord, no light bulb. One takes forever to warm up and never gets really hot (which I prefer). The other one is too hot to touch and melts everything into clear liquid. That one concerns me a little. Have a fine day all, AmyJo

Good morning everyone, Well, the two-day road trip turned into four, but we got a lot done so I am happy. Debra - I've done that a few times - have the post all written up and then go up to check someone's comment and whoops, my post disappears. I have had a few words with the computer when that happens. Maggie - all those Zeep treasures you found - isn't it like a present, to discover melts you had forgotten about? Honeybear - you are my enabler - I was in the hotel room, missing my melters (although I did bring a wax cube along in my pocket), and I thought, didn't honeybear say it was ok to take stuff along and melt on a trip? Heck yeah!! So I went off to WalMart and bought a melter for $6.94 and two of what I think may be new scents, or maybe spring scents from last year? - Guava Peach and Pure Bliss (grapefruit). Soon my hotel room smelled lovely and I was much less homesick. So I thank you!! mpfand - that fruit pizza sounds amazing. *checking to see what's in the house for ingredients* I am so very glad to be home, which means melting and baking. So far this morning there's a loaf of whole wheat on its second rise and caramel-pecan squares all boxed up to take to someone I bribed at work. LOL I needed some help and cookies always do the trick. Well, this morning I have three melters going: Our bedroom: Zeep's Not Your Mama's Waffles Back bedroom: ScentSations Guava Peach (strong! Running for cover!) Office/kitchen: BBW Champagne Toast - very lovely. I hope you all have a grand day. Big warmup coming here in Ohio, as in 70F next week. Enjoy, AmyJo

Hello dear everybody, On a road trip for work and unable to melt anything. Should be home tonight! Maggie, glad you're enjoying the Zeep Twinkee Cake Pops. I was melting her Wine and Dine before I left, lovely. Take care all, AmyJo

Good morning all, Well, both the laundry and the bread got done yesterday so I am happy. It's wet and rainy outside and if it were just a leeeeeetle bit colder this could all be snow. *hope, hope* Maggie, what from Zeep did you find hoarded away? Her designs are so pretty, let alone the gorgeous scents. Susan, thanks for the heads up on the OPT samplers! I will go check it out. Anything in the shape of a piglet, I must investigate. mpfand - a fellow baker! There is nothing like the smell of bread baking. What's your favorite thing to bake? This morning it's still Not Your Mama's Waffles from Zeep in the back bedroom, wafting out into the living room. DH even likes that one and he doesn't notice too much about the scents. I haven't decided for the kitchen/office yet because I am going to make a fish pot pie this morning for tonight and want to get the herbs right, need my sniffer not to be distracted. Enjoy your Sunday! AmyJo

Good morning everyone, Ahhhhhh Saturday and it has warmed up again - birds are singing - we have different seasons week to week! Aria, I am SO jealous of your heavy snowfall. How much did you end up getting? Sledding...snowballs...snow forts....all the good stuff from childhood. And yes I imagine there are cooking podcasts - I just hook up YouTube and listen to various people cooking. Our phone carrier just started offering unlimited data again so now this is possible - before, I was like a hawk on the data usage. Debra, I'm glad you are enjoying your flowers. It's just so strange to be typing that in February! I remember when the tulips usually came up around Mother's Day and it's almost always in April now. And Debra - those cookies sound amazing! Pecans, mini M&M's and white chocolate.....ohhhhhh bliss. No wonder they were gone in a flash! Maggie, I probably wouldn't like cleaning scents either, especially when they didn't intend to be cleaning scents...like the one last week that was supposed to be lemonade but ewwwww more like Mr. Clean. I got my new Zeep order yesterday and it's lovely. The one called Not Your Mama's Waffles smells good enough to eat. Right now I'm melting Spiced Chai and it's heavenly. Ashley's scents really have a little something extra, something warm and comforting. Well I am debating whether to bake some wheat bread or go do laundry....probably the laundry will win out for now. I take it all to a Laundromat, both to get it all done in one go and also so as not to overwhelm our small septic system. What I COULD do is start the bread and let it rise while I go to the laundry. OK all have a fine day and enjoy the Olympics. AmyJo

Good morning everyone and HAPPY FRIDAY! I do love the emojis on this site - very expressive. Well, yesterday was a day trip up north for work and it went fine. But doggone it was cold up there, 15F with a howling wind and a loooooong walk from the car. As for the drive, I listen to cooking shows while I'm driving and it seems like the three hours are gone in no time. A little tired this morning but so happy to be home. Honeybear, I never thought I'd feel this way, but I can see the sense in living in a warmer climate. I do envy you right now, living out west. I would miss the snow....but the cold is getting tougher to deal with. It sounds like we have a lot of cooks on this page. That makes sense to me, seems to go with loving nice scents. Debra - tell about your cookies! It sounds like they were scarfed up quickly - what did you make? *tapping foot waiting for details* mpfand - that new accent shelf sounds beautiful. And setting up in a new place sounds exciting. I hope you are enjoying the new place! Maggie, that Amish Friendship Bread scent sounds perfect - now I want to bake that! I haven't turned on the warmers yet, trying to figure out what to choose. But I will tell you ladies that I took a cube of the ScentSations Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream melt with me to just sniff periodically on the day trip yesterday. Enjoy the day all. After all the freezing rain, today it's going up to 50F. Right now it's still a crackly mess out there. A strange winter. Stay well all, AmyJo

Thanks Michele and Maggie! Both Blank Label and Butterfly Lane seem to be either closed down or working on their websites...I will check back. My cream soda scent fix will have to wait! Debra, I love that your cat has figured out how to unscrew the kitty kibble container. She sounds very clever. Cats are interesting creatures, aren't they? Ours also makes me laugh - just a little grey barn cat who was the runt of the litter. I had a new hairband in the other day and she just wasn't sure about it. She crept up behind me on the back of the couch and very slowly reached up and pulled it down off of my head. Well, this morning we have freezing rain, which is my least favorite of all weather conditions. It's hard on the birds and animals, tough on the trees, and impossible to drive in. Just an hour north, they have lovely snow. At least it looks as though it will warm up enough to melt during the day. I have a day trip for work tomorrow - going three hours north - so I can manage with the roads. Debra, I do envy you those lovely daffodils! This morning I am still with the Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream in the kitchen/office from ScentSations and nothing yet in the back bedroom. If you have nasty weather, do be careful out there. AmyJo

Candlelove - yes, supposed to start around midnight with sleet and then move into snow. As long as the roads get treated so people don't slip and slide, I'm happy with the snow. That cream soda melt sounds amazing. I looooooove cream soda. Please remind me what "BL" is so I can take a look? Today I tried the ScSa Violet Sugar. Actually that one was ok. Not a big favorite, but ok. A good night to all! AmyJo

Good morning all and it looks as though we survived Monday! Mpfand, I am truly enjoying from afar your redecorating. What colors are you going for? New furniture? Too much fun. Honeybear, I'm so glad you're getting to see your girls. That Draco blend sounds interesting because of the clementine peels - I love citrus. Debra, I can't believe your daffodils are up. That's something to enjoy in February, but so early! And 60F? When the weather swings like that, it confuses the poor plants so. I just planted 10 red twig dogwood bushes in the fall and I hope they are getting a good rest before spring. They're just little fellows. Maggie, yes I do love to cook and bake and find it very relaxing. It's not so good for the waistline and I'm trying not to keep sampling so much as I go. But DH enjoys it and my big dog always thinks it's his job to approve the recipes. This morning I'm still stuck on Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream in the office. I have Target's Happiness in the back bedroom but that is wax I used before and saved, not too much scent left, so I may switch it out. Yesterday I tried the ScentSations Lemonade Sugar Cookies and yuck. I had high hopes for that one but to me it smelled like a cleaning solution. Something you would scrub the floor with. Well folks, stay warm if you are in winter and enjoy the sun if you've got it. Have a fine Tuesday. AmyJo

Good morning all, Snowing here in Ohio so that makes for a Happy Monday, hope yours is too! Well, yesterday I baked whole wheat bread and lemon bars so that smelled pretty good and inspired me to a baking-type scent. So this morning in the kitchen/office I'm melting ScentSations Pumpkin Marshmallow Cream, which I must say is lovely. In the back bedroom I have Evergreen Spruce from Mainstays. Very nice and the house smells like a forest now. Debra, I love that your kitties sleep so close to your melter. They must also smell beautiful! Have a good start to the week everyone, AmyJo

Good morning all! Debra - LOL - "one that I didn't have to stand over" - isn't that the truth? If I can't smell a wax out in the hallway from the (small) back bedroom, nope, I pour it out. I like something strong that wafts out into the living room enough to smell it, but not so much that it sends the Pyrenees into hiding. I have to remember that his nose is many times more sensitive than mine. Maggie, I'm truly sorry that your nose has been on the blink. I hope you feel better. What about a little Vicks rub, does that do anything for you? It sounds like you've got something a little more substantial though. Thanks for the Sugar Lips description - I think I'd like that one. *must wait to order, keep repeating* Honeybear, I'm so glad you'll get to see DD#1! Also your pool sounds awesome. Our cat also doesn't like any new sounds or people...when the electrical fellows were here the other day, she went under the bed until they were gone. So I hope your kitties will weather the pool construction ok. Yes our hospital also has lots of "cuddler" volunteers who hold the newborns especially in the ICU. I work in a different department but I can see those folks really enjoy helping the babies. Today is a day of rest. I just need to get more kerosene for the three season porch which becomes four season with the kerosene heater. That is my favorite room in the house. Trees and a big field in back and you can see the sunrise from there. I am melting ScentSations Holiday Cranberry in the back bedroom and no worries about it being weak. I feel like my head is inside a giant cranberry, lovely scent though. The kitchen/office still has Zeep Push Pops which I might have mentioned is my very favorite of all my candles and melts. I'm trying to get every last bit of scent out of each piece. Have a great Sunday and for those who enjoy football, enjoy the Super Bowl. I like football but usually am in bed by 8-ish, useless after that. Enjoy the day, AmyJo

Good morning all and *ahhhhhhh* it's the weekend! Aria, I'm very sorry about your DS not being able to go into the Navy. But I'm with honeybear - I believe that there are no mistakes, and there is a plan which will make sense much much later. Still my heart goes out to you because it's so tough to see our children hit with life's big waves. I got a laugh from the descriptions of good-smelling pets - Aria and Debra - see, our addiction is serving a good purpose. Arkcandle and everyone, yes it's too late for professional help - this is too enjoyable an obsession and I can't see that it's doing us any harm, other than the pocketbook from time to time - and we're making the world a sweeter place. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm still melting ScentSations Cucumber and Melon in the back bedroom and Zeep's Push Pops in the kitchen/office. Have I mentioned that I love Zeep? Maggie, how does their Sugar Lips smell? On Saturdays I work at a hospital as a volunteer so I'll be leaving soon. Have a wonderful day everybody. This is a nice place to come visit with all of you. AmyJo

Good morning all and HAPPY FEBRUARY! Maggie, thank you for starting us out in a new month - I had forgotten that today was the 1st! I'm happy to say that our electrical system has been fixed and melting has been reestablished. One breaker and one socket replaced. The socket had burned up inside, yikes! so I'm really happy our guy knows what he is doing and had told me to turn everything off the night before when I called him. I was so happy to be able to melt again that I popped the ScentSationals Cucumber and Melon right in because that is extremely strong and my nose was having withdrawals. This morning I went to hug our Pyrenees and he smells like a giant cucumber. Lonegirl - I'm so sad you can't melt at school. But maybe you have an idea for a prank scent there - Kids After Recess. I can just imagine that... Mpfand - I salute you for being able to pick out all the parts of Wildberry Zucchini Bread Maple Donuts. That is an intriguing mix - does it all work together?? Debra - restock sales? Hunger games?? This is something I probably didn't need to know about. Keep details coming please, all! Because I couldn't melt yesterday, I was particularly bad and ordered MORE from Zeep (Chai Tea!! Come to mama) and hit the end-of-season bin at Walmart, all in one day. I did get 6 clamshells out of those bins - Lemonade something and Pumpkin Pie Marshmallow something so yes I scored big. Have a great day all! AmyJo

Good morning all, Cookielady - I also had a laugh over Snowman Balls...was not aware of their existence... MaggieMae, glad you have some snow. If it's going to be cold, I say let's make it worthwhile. Hello Aria and I'm glad to meet you! I have an electrical hobgoblin so am not melting anything at the moment. Yesterday our friend and electrician came over and replaced a breaker. Then I noticed one of the outlets is hot, so he is coming back this morning. It's always something! If I WERE melting, it would be Warm Apple Pie from YC - I dug some wax out of a candle - because I had a hankering for that after two days of blissful creamsicle (Zeep's Push Pops). Have a fine day all, AmyJo

Good morning all, Snow on the ground so it's a good Tuesday. Lonegirl - I agree, it's a delight to share these addictions with each other, so please, carry on!! I always enjoy your posts and am especially glad that you have your two boys to sniff the new packages with. Life is sweet with kids around. Debra - to think you went through repetitive tile issues - tile is not easy to fix - you have my sympathies! This morning I'm just sticking with the Zeep melts from yesterday - Push Pop in the office and Mistletoe in the back bedroom. DH came home last evening and said, what smells so good?? Have a good day, all AmyJo

Honeybear - that whole bathroom sounds frustrating - the granite and now the light - I know it will be lovely when it's finished but Your Zeep order sounds amazing. Today is a Zeep day at our house as well - Push Pops in the kitchen and Under the Mistletoe in the back bedroom. What is it about these scents? ***bliss***