The Secret Garden has been my favorite book since I first read it nearly 30 years ago. When I saw your photo, just reading the names Colin and Mary together with those lovely illustrations made me immediately think of The Secret Garden -- and I'd never seen that version of the book before! Then I saw Dickon and knew that I was right. :-) At first I thought that photo of the soap was lunchmeat until I scrolled down to see the swirls. :-D While I'm commenting… I love the idea of your lotion bars, but sadly I can't use them as-is because I'm allergic to both beeswax and lanolin [that also means I can't eat honey nor use wool yarn :-( ]. Perhaps you could consider making a vegan version in the future.

FYI, the link for the bag from Howling at the Moon is incorrect.

My niece and I are making some of those flowers to give to our cousin at her dance recital next weekend. :-)

This idea would be perfect for small treats/gifts during Hanukkah!

That maze is a cute idea. :-)

Fibre -- yarn, thread, etc. -- is my most-used medium.

Oh, hope he's okay! We have a cardinal nesting in our dogwood tree right now, so we're expecting to see babies in the couple of weeks. We had robins last month and doves last year.

Congratulations!

We also collected fruit stickers! Mostly banana. Those blue ovals were as much a part of our kitchen as the refrigerator they were stuck on. :-) I just asked my mom why we started sticking them on the side of the fridge in the first place, and she said, "It's easier to stick it on something solid than to try to get it off of your fingers." Well, there you go -- laziness. ;-)

"Cold soup" is not soup, it's a smoothie. Soup is supposed to be hot.

This is a really great idea! Wooden skewers, perhaps reinforced with tape, would work perfectly as perches!

Ooh, those look great!

Just made this with vegetable broth and frozen leek dumplings I had leftover from our Chūnjié dinner. So yummy. My husband loved it. I'll have to make sure to keep some dumplings in the freezer so we can have this as a quick dinner.

Ooh, I NEED that measuring cup! Julia's Price is Right hand make me laugh out loud and wake my Bill, who is sleeping on the floor in the living room for some reason. Since he opened his eyes, the dog dropped a toy on his head [saying "play with me daddy!"], and that made me laugh even more.

I have that same star light [bought on clearance @ BRU years ago], and little corner shelves!

Ooh, my Bill loves dolphins!

(((hugs)))

My Bill LOVES peanut butter banana sandwiches, so I'll have to make this for him. Actually, we disagree about how to make the sandwiches. He mashes the banana and adds the peanut butter [much like you did for the bread] and adds some sugar, then spreads it on the bread. When I make them, I spread the peanut butter on the bread and top with banana slices [much like Alex did]. He argues [jokingly] with me that my way is wrong, and his is right. But I know that my way is better. ;-)

I usually do. I'm a cook and have to wear one at work, so it's habit. Plus, I splash things like sauce or flour on myself constantly [happens at work too, thought that's usually hot oil or grease]. I really wish my Bill would wear one! He ALWAYS wipes his hands on himself when he's in the kitchen. I can't even count the number of times I've found food smears on the hips of his shorts. So aggravating! P.S. Love the new header, very moody and appropriate for the season. :)

I donated 25.5 inches to Locks of Love over four years ago, and haven't cut my hair since. I plan on shaving it all off for another donation next summer -- I'm aiming for 30"+ next time.

LOL! [Well, trying NOT to LOL, since everyone is sleeping.]

My Bill and I are having our 9th wedding anniversary in Octobre! According to Wikipedia, the traditional anniversary gifts are pottery, china, and copper, and the modern gift is leather goods. I think we'll get each other the copper rain chains we've had our eye on.

Going to a local garden to think about our lost baby; visiting my recently-deceased grandmother's grave; making and giving gifts to my mother.

I can totally pee standing up...as long as I have something to wipe with and can wash me hands afterward. LOL

I tried your suggestions in my glass pans, and they turned out well. I used two 9x5 pans, and one 8.5x4.5 -- I actually preferred the smaller pan -- it produced a loaf that was more square [which was better for my Bill's Kraft cheese slices, lol]. I'll still buy bread from the store, but this recipe [and helpful instructions!] has definitely made me want to make this bread regularly for the sandwiches I send to work with my husband [he LOVED it, and asked when I would be making more!]. I suspect it would be awesome in a bread pudding, or used for making French toast! Thanks!