What's New!!!

Hello!

I know it's been a long time since I've given an update, but things have been hectic, and I didn't have any real news to share. We have started a completely new line of products to appeal to the men. They are cute and nice for ladies to. We are now introducing Car Air Fresheners. They are available in different shapes and scents. We have Pine, Clover, Cilantro, Leather, Vanilla, Cinnamon Red Hot, and Eucalyptus. They are available at Baker Tire Service in Baker, FL or through us. They sell for $1.50 each and will last approx. 3 mos. - just about the time for your next oil change.

I have also added some new candle scents. You can now purchase Eucalyptus Mint, Baby Powder, and Fresh Bread. I have ordered more scents to try, and they will be available next month.

We had a craft show scheduled for today on Main St. in Crestview, but we didn't attend because of the rain. I was very disappointed, but past experience taught us it would not be worth all of the trouble. We are scheduled for two craft shows in April and looking forward to those. They were very successful events last year. More details on those to come.

I will try to keep up with updates more often!

-Deanna

Love is in the Air

Introducing a special limited edition of Valentine Candles. They are all Victoria Secret's Love Spell fragrance. I have made 2 oz. votives this time, and they sell for $2.25 each, not including tax.

I also have a limited amount of 6 oz candles featured with the votives below, that sell for $5.99 each.

Mixed Blessings

I haven't updated in awhile because I have been very busy the past few weeks and have taken a nice break from the candles. Over a week ago, I received a large custom order from a lady I have done business with in the past. She is someone that will be ordering on a continuous basis, and I'm thankful that God has opened this door for me.

The same day I delivered her order, I also checked my inventory at the stores and had to make the hard decision to pull my candles out of one of them. There has been a theft problem, and I had little choice. I got more disheartening news today. The owner of The Purple Elephant is going out of business. This means my candles are no longer in Fort Walton Beach. I am praying God will open another door for me to find a location down there if it is His will.

On a positive note, I made some Valentine candles today, but they are cooling at the moment and not ready for pictures yet. I will be introducing them within the next two days, so check back for an update.

-Deanna

Happy New Year!

I have been busy with the holidays and catching up on projects at home. My office is complete, and I have my new computer - hooray!

As I reflect back on the last year,I am so thankful for all of the business opportunities that came my way. I was able to get my candles in the first store in March, and God kept opening doors for me since then. I found out about some good craft fairs to attend, and also learned better ways to display my products and keep up with inventory. I made some really good friends along the way too. I'm looking forward to what 2009 might hold for me. I am excited about trying some new scents and a totally new line. I will be ordering supplies soon, so check back for updates.
Hope you have a blessed new year!
-Deanna

Getting Ready for Christmas

I wanted to take time to write again since it's been awhile. I am well rested and not near as frazzled as my last post. I am on my break from school for the next 2 weeks- hooray! I had an extremely busy week last week trying to finish up last minute things at work, and on top of that I got a new kitten for our sons and took care of him for 2 days. It was a lot of fun, but busy.
I spent all day Saturday catching up my books for the business, and I'm excited about how it's growing. My Christmas gift this year will be a new computer to be used for the business. This will eliminate some frustrating times between Hubby & I too. When I need to print labels, update inventory, order supplies or just spend hours on the blog it won't be a problem. Just kidding. I have to admit I'm the computer hog in our household.
I have alot of work ahead the next two weeks because I plan to paint our office and reorganize the closets. I hate to admit I'm a packrat, and things tend to just collect. The only time I can take on major projects like this is during my holiday break.
I am all ready for Christmas now. My parents are coming in tomorrow night and will be here for the rest of the week. We will spend time with my mother-in-law too. This year we are doing a "redneck" gift exchange. We did this 2 yrs ago, and it was hilarious. We each buy 10 items that cost $1 each and wrap them in newspaper. Each person chooses 10 things, each taking turns picking one at a time. Then we all open them and all try to barter our gifts at the same time. It is the funniest thing and can get a little crazy. We have also bought real gifts for each other - of course all of my family members will be getting candles :) For the exchange, I try to buy things that are useful like scissors, batteries, highlighters, chocolate covered cherries, thin mints, etc. The Dollar Tree is an excellent place to shop.
I am also looking forward to having fun with friends next week and have made some plans already. If I don't post again before Christmas, Merry Christmas everyone and check back for what's new in 2009! We are planning a totally new line of the business. More on that later.


Deanna

Holiday Craziness

I haven't had a chance to post anything the last two weeks because I had two craft show weekends right after Thanksgiving. Sales have picked up in the stores too, so I have been busy making candles some evenings. I truly don't know if I am coming or going these days. Wednesday is the normal day I meet with my parents at the school, but because it was pouring down rain and I work in a portable building I had to switch days. We met yesterday instead. That totally messed me up because I had visits scheduled and had to rearrange my schedule. I was so confused yesterday and actually overbooked my visits. Another example of my forgetfulness or confusion happened this morning. I had the feeling I was forgetting something (you ever do that?). I get to the end of my street and realize I didn't have my purse or cell phone in the car. They were both on the counter, so I was a few minutes late for work. My phone is my lifeline, can't live without that because I had lots and lots of errands to run today. I enjoyed lunch with a coworker that runs the First Start program at Longwood Elementary, and we did a little shopping together too.
I will have some time off soon though. The past few days I have been getting packages ready to be mailed to family and working on my Christmas cards. Those all went out yesterday and today - hooray. Tonight I am finally setting up the Christmas tree and decorating the house. The only Christmas shopping left is for my sons. I hope to actually schedule an appointment with my hairdresser one day next week :) I'm way overdue.
That's about all the news for now. Looking forward to some down time very soon!

Deanna

Our Mini Vacation

First of all I want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We made it home from Tennessee on Tuesday night. The pictures on my last post don't compare to seeing the mountains with your own eyes. It was very cold, 27 degrees when we got there on Friday night. The highs were in the mid 40's. The cabin we rented was beautiful.

We enjoyed the hot tub every day, and it was quite an experience to have part of your body emerged in steaming hot water while you could still see your breath above. We were staying between Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge and visited both places during our stay. We ate at the Brass Lantern in Gatlinburg, a restaurant we remembered from our honeymoon 23 yrs ago. We walked through the shops and went to the Ripley's Aquarium.

We had a nice relaxing time. We didn't get to see it snow, and Lee didn't see any deer or bears. It was great just being away and out of our normal routine. We left Gatlinburg on Monday and went to Dunlap for a night. We got up Tuesday morning and drove up the mountain to see our land. Here are some pics of the drive up Cagle Mountain, and a picture of our land.

I slept most of the way home on Tuesday. I am thankful that we had the chance to get away for a few days. It brings to mind the verse.....come apart and rest for awhile. Now I feel refreshed and ready to handle my busy schedule for the next month. I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving today!

Deanna