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Posts Tagged ‘Auntie B’s Wax’

Letter To A “Worrier”

Posted in Blogging, tagged , , on January 29, 2020| 2 Comments »

Dear Cindy,

Hello!  I’m alive and well.  I saw your blog post and decided to write a letter letting you know what’s been happening with me.  Last time we connected was right before Christmas, no?  Well, that’s when I fell off the face of the blogosphere, so let’s just say then.

I had a really fun time doing the song challenge in November but then, all of a sudden, my blog reading and writing became nonexistent.  However, some stuff has happened to me in the last couple of months.  Here are some highlights.

My gouged finger has pretty much healed.  I have a dent in the pad of my finger, it’s still sensitive and the skin seems “new” rather than “scarred,” but for all intents and purposes, it’s back to normal.

The Christmas season was filled with lots of activity ~ shopping (which I hate), gatherings (which I love), and shenanigans (thanks to our full-grown nephews who continue to make me laugh every time I see them).

My cute, vintage angels, spelling tidings of good cheer.

 

My cute, vintage angels now exclaiming (in Spanish) the victory of Christmas?  Thanks Paenney and Fojo, for your word scrambling (and letter hiding) prowess.

 

Our nephews pull shenanigans, that’s for sure.  But they also saved us eleventy-thousand dollars a year by buying me and Husby a smart TV for a Christmas gift, allowing us to cut that dang cable once and for all.  Husby and I are now in the 21st century, bingeing on old-time favorites and brand new TV shows and movies.  Which is probably why I haven’t blogged in a while.

Right before Christmas I lost a great consignment gig.  A heartbreak for me.  I was with the shop for over a decade and poof ! I was history.  Amazing how agendas and skewed visions can be so personal, yet be disguised as a business decision.  Oh well.  Nothing I can do about it except pick myself up, brush myself off, and start all over again.  I’m still working on gaining strength to do that start-all-over-again thing.  I will not be intimidated by anyone who doesn’t know how to smile!  Despite my business and emotional bruises, I will survive and thrive.

Husby and I are doing fine.  In fact, just today, after weeks of excruciating hip pain, my right hip joint cracked.  Audibly.  My mobility has not been this great in many weeks!  Yay for positive joint alignment!

This week my dad celebrated his 87th birthday.  He and my mom treated the family to a lovely lunch at one of their favorite restaurants, and Charlotte provided the venue for post-lunch presents and cake.  Mom made Dad’s favorite angel food cake, accompanied by strawberry ice cream and chocolate milk (the chocolate milk being a birthday tradition in our family).

 

“Damn near 90” ~Dad

With that, I’ll tell you things are going okay in Minnesota.  The concerns and “worries” you expressed about me (and others) in your blog post touched me .  It’s not often that one knows they are missed, and when that’s expressed it means so much.

I’m grateful for you!

Love, Sara

 

This letter was written in response to a blogger who mentioned me in a post about bloggers gone missing (after she was temporarily one of them due to technical difficulties).  I’ve been behind in my blog reading and writing, and while trying to catch up I read one of Cindy’s blog posts from earlier this month and saw my name.  Not only did the mention of my name make me feel like a real, live person who could be noticed as not present, it made me feel like getting back to my blog (and other) writing.  Blog friends are real friends!

 

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The Unexpected Injury ~ Icky Descriptions And Photos To Follow

Posted in Auntie B's Wax, Everyday, tagged , , , on December 19, 2019| Leave a Comment »

Have you ever been in a position where you have to get stuff done and then, all of a sudden, something happens that prevents you from doing that stuff?  Like,  having to make a visit to the ER because of a very stupid mistake?

With Christmas upon us, I wonder if you could take a moment and travel back in time to November 27 of this year ~ the day before Thanksgiving.  Charlotte and Pinky offered to host the feast, with the help of food offerings from other members of the family.  I was to bring mashed potatoes and pumpkin pie.  My grandma’s recipe for pumpkin pie.  I’d made it before and was confident I could replicate it once again.

Pie crust isn’t my forte, but with Grandma’s recipe I forged ahead and mixed the crust with the determination that it would be flakey and delicious.  Next, the gut ingredients.  Pumpkin, evaporated milk, spices, etc.  I was opening the can of pumpkin and the can opener was being stubborn.  Or was the can?  Regardless, I couldn’t open the can properly.  Frustrated, I took a fork to pry the can open and…ouch!

Dang!  I gouged the pad of my left index finger, as well as cutting my left thumb.  Oh well, I thought. A can cut is nothing to be too concerned about.  Except the blood was coming forth from my finger in a way that wasn’t quite normal.  Excessive might be a word.  I grabbed a bunch of paper towels and ran upstairs to tell Husby I needed some help.  He got some gauze and tape and wrapped my finger.  The gauze was soaked through within thirty seconds.  Husby said, “we have to go to urgent care or ER.”

 

dan aykroyd nbc GIF by Saturday Night Live

I wrapped my finger in more gauze and an old dish towel.  The bleeding wound’t stop!  Husby drove me to the ER as I texted Charlotte to tell her of my plight.  Perhaps I wouldn’t be able to make the pumpkin pie after all!

With a hand covered with a blood-soaked towel we walked into the emergency room.  Not a life-threatening injury, but luckily there weren’t too many people there.

The triage nurse was awesome and wondered if I wanted to save the bloody towel in which I’d wrapped my finger.  It was embroidered, after all (the towel, that is).  Kind of her to ask .  It was a rag towel with holes in it. “Throw it!”, I demanded.

When I was finally in one of those ER rooms a nurse’s aid came in and gave me a pail of water in which to soak my wound.  “It’s gonna sting, isn’t it?”, I asked.  “Yep,” she said.  I plunged my hand into the antibacterial soapy water.  Aaaaggggghhhhhh!  After a while it felt kind of soothing.

See the Band-Aid on the thumb.  Took care of that, cuz compared to the finger gouge it was a mere scratch. That that icky thing between the first and second knuckle of the finger? That’s a previous burn made to look horrible by the soaking in water. Pay attention to the ghastly, bloody gouge that got me to the ER! Capillaries in the fingers are a bloody mess!

When we got home three hours later, Husby checked on the half-opened can of pumpkin, which he’d put in the fridge before our trip to the ER.  There was the entire pad of my left index finger stuck to the rim of the can of pumpkin.  Ew!  It was disposed of properly.

Charlotte got Pinky to buy a pumpkin pie for the Thanksgiving dinner and I was able to make the mashed potatoes. The pumpkin pie bought by Pinky was delicious, even though it wasn’t Grandma Harriet’s recipe.

The day after Thanksgiving Husby and I did a craft show.  While I only had a Band-Aid on my finger that day, it was a struggle for me.  I had pain on pressure and worries of more bleeding.  I should have had a cast on my finger to gain more sympathy, but the Band-Aid sufficed.  As a gift from the crafting gods, I had one of the best one-day shows in my history of one-day shows!

Today, twenty-three days after my injury, I can type, I can wash dishes, I can wrap presents…I’m pretty much back to normal.  I’ll have a very interesting fingerprint.  Scars tell wonderful tales of our lives.

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Procrastinating

Posted in Auntie B's Wax, tagged , , on November 28, 2018| 4 Comments »

Hello everyone!

It’s that time of year when everyone is bustling around, getting ready for whatever holiday they celebrate this time of year.  A week ago (for those in the U.S.) it was Thanksgiving.  Now it’s Christmas.  And those are just the events in my personal life.  Being a business woman I also need to provide for others who are looking for gifts during this time of year.  Apparently Auntie B’s products are in high demand.

So, there’s baking cookies, tidying up the house, pouring candles, decorating the house, making drink charms, cutting a Christmas tree, making magnets, trimming a Christmas tree, shoveling snow, updating the Etsy shop, planning holiday cheer menus, do the laundry, stocking retail shops…  The list goes on and on.

One of the things I’ve procrastinated on for way too long is blogging.  Today I’m going to post come hell or high water, good post or bad.

The thing is, when I procrastinate on one thing I accomplish another, which can’t really be called procrastination, can it?  I mean, I’m productive at least, or merely…prioritizing?  Yes!  That’s it.  I’m the master of prioritizing.  I call that Productive Procrastination.

But I put the “pro” in procrastination.

There’s some light, fluffy snow falling as I write this, and my spirits are high.  I feel motivated, although I know I’ll procrastinate on something(s).  What doesn’t get done, won’t, because something else will be done in its place.  Productive Procrastination.  At that, I’m The Pro.  For any “pro tips” on how to procrastinate effectively, you can contact me.

Please forgive the lack of photos in this post.  I know the internet is supposed to be all about eye candy, but I’m procrastinating with taking photos and/or digging them out of my archives.  And I ask you, do you seriously need picture books/blogs at your age?

Please forgive me for that last sentence if it offends you.  If pictures and photos are a requirement for your bloggy reading, put mine off for a while (i.e. procrastinate on it).  Many photos to come, if I get around to it.

If you want to find any of Auntie B’s products for some holiday gift-giving you can find them here:

The Farmer’s Daughter – White Bear Lake, MN

artZ Gallery – Amery, WI

Auntie B’s Wax – Etsy

 

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Oh The Joy!

Posted in Auntie B's Wax, Events, tagged , , , , on July 26, 2018| 3 Comments »

It’s been a while since Husby and I have been at a craft show.  They seem few and far between now days, and I hope that changes.

However, last weekend I showed my wares at the Cannon Falls Wine and Art Festival and we had a blast.  The attendance was phenomenal, much to the delight of all food and artisan vendors.  The weather was more wonderful than could have been expected (low 80s F and wonderful breeze!) for the third week in July in Minnesota.

Whenever I show my wares at a craft show I demand my roadie participate in certain activities.  Mostly dancing.  I was so happy to listen to the music of The Northside Dukes at this festival.  Husby (aka roadie) and I have enjoyed their music for over a decade, and have become friends with the band members, mostly because we know the moves to Hand Jive.

There was a guy taking a video of me and Husby doing the Hand Jive with band, but I didn’t catch him to request a copy.  It may be out there in cyberworld somewhere.  However, the organizer of the event caught Husby and me dancing by our booth to some other song. We can’t help ourselves when it comes to The Northside Dukes.

 

Thank you Cannon Falls for hosting a most wonderful event.  Thank you Auntie B’s Wax fans for supporting my business.  And thank you, Northside Dukes, for bringing jives to my hands.

 

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An Explanation

Posted in Artists and Shops, Auntie B's Wax, tagged , , , , on March 15, 2018| Leave a Comment »

Yesterday’s Wordless Wednesday might have seemed like a piece of weirdness.  Some shop front?  What is this place?  Why does Auntie B include this image with her ever-famous photos of glory on her blog?

I know, you have questions galore, but I only have one answer for you, one that comes in story form.

A couple of years ago I was approached by a very skilled artisan asking if I’d like to show my candles at the artZ Gallery in Amery, Wisconsin.  I thought she was joking.  Me?  My candles in a fine arts gallery?  I thought I’d lose my breath for laughing so hard, but then I realized she was serious.

I’ve participated in many craft/art shows in the Wisconsin county of Polk over several years and have come to know a lot of the local artists and crafters in that area.    The artZ Gallery is “a group of 17 regional artists working together to make (the gallery) a place to take pride in and professionally share our talents. The gallery is a gathering place for viewing quality artwork of members and over 40 guest artists, with meaningful communication, the meeting of artists, sharing ideas, and participating in classes.”

Once I got my head around the fact that I was recognizable in the area because of participating in several local festivals and fairs I felt honored to have my candles shown and sold among the fine pieces of art displayed at the gallery.

This week Husby and I took a road trip to Amery to refresh and revive the Auntie B’s Wax inventory at the artZ Gallery.  We brought in lunch and enjoyed it with our friend Loretta, the artist working at the gallery that day.  Spending time in the gallery, talking with Loretta who I’ve known for at least a decade through shows and festivals, and seeing the great works of art on display just made me feel all warm inside.  “I’m a part of this,” I said to myself.  That thought makes me smile.  Always.

Loretta’s yarn. “She spins, weaves, felts, knits and crochets natural fibers to create functional and beautiful pieces to use and enjoy.” I’ve commissioned Loretta to make things for me and let me tell you, they’re glorious! Photo credit: Randy Lee for artZ Gallery

 

That’s why I posted that particular Wordless Wednesday this week.

artZ Gallery in Amery, Wisconsin. Such a cool place!

 

artZ Gallery  is the only place in Amery, Wisconsin where Auntie B’s Wax products are displayed and sold.  If you’re in the mood for some spectacular fine art or fabulous scented candles, visit the artZ gallery!

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