Week of Tips I Love: Tip #2- Homemade Foaming Hand Soap

Fact 1: I nerd out on soap. Full-on nerd out. The baskets of beautifully wrapped soap at Anthropologie? I'm a gonner. The aisle of cool soap at Target? Forget it. Prunella Soap being on vacation forever? Saddening. I love soap.

Fact 2: Soap is expensive. There, I said it. Soap is getting really pricey. Why is it so expensive these days?

Fact 3: As my health remains precarious, I'm getting more selective about what I put on (and in) my body. All these chemicals? Not good. They're not good at all. I'm becoming more proactive about what I use and what I buy.

Add all these together and you get why I've started making all of our hand soap around here. And it's so easy! Today I show you how I do it, and if you're so inclined, maybe you'll find a method (and a new soap!) that works for you, too!

Okay, first off: there are a hundred bazillion "recipes" out there for making hand soap. I've adapted this one from several methods, changing it up until I found a soap I liked. Adapt it to your preferences, by all means.

What You Need to Make Foaming Hand Soap:

•  A foaming soap dispenser such as this one or this glass one. I have glass ones in the bathrooms but am reusing a plastic dispenser in the kitchen. Any dispenser will do, but if you plan to make a citrus-based scented soap, glass would be best.

• 2 Tablespoons castile soap. I like Dr. Bronner's Magic unscented soap. It's pricey up front, but it lasts for ages and is gentle enough for everyday use and delicate skin.

• 1-2 teaspoons coconut oil. After purchasing this from the grocery store for awhile, I now go with doTerra's fractionated coconut oil. This is the renewing part of the soap. It nourishes my skin without leaving a greasy or gummy residue. Like the castile soap, this also lasts forever... and it has no odor and doesn't stain.

• 5 drops tea tree oil (Melaleuca). This is the purifying part of the soap. You can skip if you'd like, but Melaleuca is a known cleansing super star, so I add it... and even more during cold and flu season.

• 5-10 drops essential oils. Here's where you make it yours. Lavender, Wild Orange, Rose, Grapefruit, Lemon... there are hundreds of single oils or oil blends to choose from! I'm using doTerra's Lavender now, but will likely change it up next month for fall, etc. I'm new on my essential oil journey, but I'm astounded by how oils have improved our lives so dramatically already! 

 How To Make Foaming Hand Soap:  

1.  Add castile soap and coconut oil to your soap dispenser. Gently swish to combine.
2.  Use a dropper (or carefully pour) essential oils in. Again, swish to combine.
3.  Fill container with clean water (filtered or purified, if you'd like).
4.  Gently shake to mix.

That's all there is to it! This method makes 9-11 fl. oz. of soap, but if your container is larger, simply up the soap and oils proportionately.

By my best math guesstimations, a dispenser of this soap costs me roughly $2.11 to make. Since a bottle lasts about 3 weeks around here, that comes to around 10 cents a day per bottle. Not bad!

You should know: when friends and family come over and use this soap, they will ask about it. And, if they're anything like my people, they will ask for it! I've discovered that with a handmade dish cloth or nail brush, etc., a pretty dispenser of this soap makes thoughtful gift. Actually, it would make a fantastic friend or teacher gift, wouldn't it?

Here's to improving our health and our homes, one pump of soap at a time! Hope you enjoy. -Brin

(By the way, this post contains some affiliate links to Amazon. I add these because they directly and easily connect you to the products I like and use, and Amazon gives me a tiny percentage of any sales that may result from this post. Links like these make my blogging possible... if only so I can prove to my husband that photographing soap dispensers is not a waste of time. Heehee.)

Thoughts and Hands

My thoughts are on Thanksgiving- family, hymns, a Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, the turkey, blessings, and pies. But my hands are a whole other story. 

My hands are on Christmas.

I'm making ornaments for the nieces. Knitted things for friends and relatives. Crafts for loved ones....
 

...And a small Christmas quilt for us. I pieced it while still at Freeman House but never got around to finishing it. Don't you think it's time?

I love November.

 

A Story Marker Giveaway!

I'm really enjoying my little story markers. It truly is the simple things that add up to make a pretty life...

Since a few folks are asking about them, here's the 'behind the scenes' on the latest item in my etsy shop. If you're anything like me- a dreamy, bookish type- you're reading a dozen things right now: books, magazines, catalogues, journals, cookbooks. And it's hard to keep track of where you are in all these places, isn't it?

The beautiful solution: a Story Marker Set. Made from cast aside, repurposed books, magazines, catalogues, lists, recipes, etc., these corner bookmarkers are a smart and simple way to keep your place in the story- without damaging your book. No more dog-eared pages or bent spines! I've adored turning my old reads and pages into something useful and pretty- while keeping my books in good shape, too.

This week, for my blog readers only, I'm offering free shipping on all domestic orders for my Story Marker sets. Just enter the coupon code MYTHRILLINGSTORY as you check out and taxes and shipping are on me!

For those who can't order at this time, I want to send two sets off to a good home. So here's the deal: comment on this post and tell me your thrilling story in 100 words or less. On Monday, the day after Mother's Day, I'll draw two lucky stories and their authors will get a Story Marker Set of their own! Please make sure you leave either a link to your blog or your email address so I can reach you. :)

Thanks for being here, thanks for sharing, and thanks so much for your support. It means everything to me.  -Brin

How To Make Your Own Deodorant

Really.

In about five minutes.

With five ingredients.

All natural.  No aluminum chlorohydrate, aluminum zirconium tetrachlorohydrex gly, or aluminum compounds.  :)

For way cheaper than you can buy it.

Same consistency as the deodorant you're used to.

And it works.

Okay, I won't bore those who aren't interested with the details. If you're into this and would like my recipe, all the information's over at the My Messy, Thrilling Life Community page here. Scroll down and there you are!

Bring on summer, eh?  :)   -Brin

Herbal Remedies and Medicine: Let the Learning Begin!

...their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for medicine.

-Ezekiel 47:12

Herbs. So many folks I talk to these days are interested in growing them. Cooking them. Using them. I'll admit: I'm one of those people. Herbs thrill me. This spring, here's what I have working:

Lemon Balm

Basil

Cinnamon Basil

Thyme

Mint

Garlic Chives

Rosemary

Greek Oregano

In other words, fairly standard culinary herbs. Nothing much to see there. But here... oh!... here's what I want to add:

Lavender
Calendula
Dill

Catnip

Hyssop

Chamomile

Fennel

At least. That's my working list. 

Here is my ultimate goal: herbal remedies. Eleven years ago, I read one of my favorite books in the history of books. It's called A Still Small Voice. And ever since I read that book, I've wanted to be an herbalist. Not as a profession, necessarily, but as a skilled and knowledgeable woman learned in God's creation and dedicated to applying it to health and wholeness.

  

Thus far I've mastered an anti-itch tonic using thyme. (Get my "recipe" here.) But there's so much more I'm eager to learn! I want to whip up salves and lotions, set herbal soaps, take herbal teas and tinctures,  and bottle herbal syrups. Am I alone in this? I don't think I'm alone in this.

In asking around, I  heard this is an excellent book to begin with: Herbal Recipes for Whole Health. I also found that The Herbal Home Remedy Book is perfect for beginners:

I say we learn this. Together!  I'm so curious to hear from all of you regarding homemade, natural and herbal beauty products, cleaners, medicines and concoctions. Please join me over at the Messy, Thrilling Life Community and let's talk Herbal Remedies and Medicines. Let the Learning Begin! If you're looking for or have tips, recipes, methods, or herbal wisdom to share, please come over.  Hope to see you there! (Scroll down once you click the link above; I've shared my anti-itch "recipe" there, too, in case you're interested.)

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

By the way, my favorite "Quiet Day", A House Helper Set, was just listed as a Treasury Item on Etsy. :)

Party Puffery, A Tutorial

With my birthday this week, I'm in hit-and-miss party planning mode. I know it's... unconventional... throwing your own party, but I love baking, unusual themes, seeing smiles, and knowing loved ones are there, stress-free, having a good time. To me, that's a gift.

But this year my budget is really tight. As in, virtually nonexistent. But it's okay, the challenge has forced me to get creative and transform things around the house.

For instance, would you believe the handmade puffs above were made from these humble offerings? Here, look:

Old packing paper from moving. Coffee filters. Straight sewing pins. Styrofoam balls.

I have tons of crinkled-up paper and tissue from moving. I had a trash bag full of paper that had been wound around glasses and crumbled in corners of boxes and wrapped around breakables. As I was about to toss it in the car last week, headed for the recycling drop, I scolded myself: find a way to use it for the party, then recycle it.

And a puffery craze was born. Here's what I did:

 Find paper or tissue around the house. It can be anything: newpaper, old paperback books, magazines, catalogues, packing paper, grocery/fast food paper sacks, old lists, term papers, drawings... anything so long as it's clean. Cut the pieces into uniform circles in any size you like. I traced around a flattened out coffee filter (8-12 cup size) for my puffs.

Grab your paper or coffee filter- just one now- and pinch together in the middle as in the picture above. Give it a good little twist at the base of your pinch.

Pin it on your styrofoam ball. Just jab the pin right in. (The size of your balls will determine the overall dimension of your puffs, of course. I used grapefruit-sized balls for these, but am on the lookout for a few bowling ball-sized ones, too. Your preference.)

 Continue pinching and pinning your circles. The closer you can get them, the fuller- and better!- the puff.  Here's my packing paper puff with the top completed:

 I estimated that I could pinch and pin a puff (say that fast five times) in ten minutes. Or a bit longer, if you were horsing around with your sister and jamming out to that song from the Subaru commercial during the process.

And certainly, you could spray paint these. Or use colored tissue. Or dye your coffee filters. Or use colorful scrap paper. Your imagination's the limit! I think I'm going to try a few with water-logged, vintage book pages and old Anthropologie catalogues.

Once they're done, secure a hanging ribbon using a touch of hot glue. Then hang to your heart's delight!

Truth be told, I think this will be my most favorite party yet. :)  -Brin

In Anticipation of Picnics

While browsing the discount fabric at Hobby Lobby yesterday, I came across this pieced yardage of red and white gingham, cheerful plaid, field flowers. This would make the perfect picnic blanket, I thought as I bought almost four yards.

So last night I began pinning, cutting, and sewing in anticipation of longer days and warmer evenings. I climbed into bed thinking of walking down the pine needle path to the old boat rental shed at the state park. I saw the rainbow-colored sodas in glass bottles... boat paddles hanging from rusted hooks... fishing lures jumbled behind smudged glass. I heard water lapping against bobbing canoes... laughter... the crackle of campfires. I felt cool grass under my feet and warm sun on my back. And suddenly I was asleep....

It was undoubtedly the best rest I've had in weeks.

Here's to picnic lunches before we know it. -Brin

At Christmas play and make good cheer,

for Christmas comes but once a year.

-Thomas Tusser

Tiny sweaters, stiched from felt scraps and embellished with thread, buttons, scrap fabric yo-yos, and string. Could anything be more simple, inexpensive, and of good cheer?


I got the idea from Sew Pretty Christmas Homestyle, a book Carla snatched out of my Amazon book shop in a Christmas Eve minute. (Thanks, Carla! Here's one of the projects I loved from the book....) The pattern for these sweaters is small and the teeny sleeves can be hard to fiddle with, but a cold winter evening under a blanket with fiddly handstitching spells ultimate comfort to me. Thus, my Small Sweater Garland was born.

Originally I'd intended to hang these individually from a small tinsel tree, but settled on stringing them from this string for now and hanging them from my dresser. (They have the string at Michael's, too.) The more I think of it, the more I think I will make enough for ornaments and a garland. Wouldn't this make a sweetly treasured heirloom for a special little girl you know? I thought so.

So I intend to add more as the month wears on: snowflake sweaters, embroidered sweaters, maybe even a polka dot sweater. Christmas time is here, after all. Time to play and make good cheer....

Waste Not, Want Not: A Rug for Millie

Millie needed a soft, comfy place to lounge this fall and winter. She just did. So I found a beautiful rug in the new Pottery Barn catalogue and drooled over it for about half an hour. That's all I did, though. Tiramisu taste on a 'Nilla wafer budget, you understand.

So I did what any resourceful (read: desperate) country girl would do: I rounded up an armload of old t-shirts and, with gleaming scissors held high above my head, sounded the charge! In no time I was surrounded by a mountain of t-shirts hacked into strips and confetti. I swept the confetti pieces under the couch and rolled each strip into softball-sized balls and found the largest crochet hook I could find. Then I turned on the TV and got down to business.

Don't judge me. I can't crochet. I mean, I don't know what in the world I'm doing. When I was ten, the girl at the blueberry farm - the one my Mom wanted me to be friends with - tried to teach me how to crochet potholders. I guess some of it stuck; I can read knitting patterns... and music... and part of the New Testament in Spanish... but I still can't read anything having to do with crochet. I just play with balls of t-shirt strips and a hook until, after three straight hours of the History Channel, I can lean over the arm of the couch and yell, Look! A rug for Millie!

The rug so far gobbled up seven t-shirts and measures roughly three feet across. So either I need more shirts or Millie will have to shrink. Before someone asks, I started at the bottom of each shirt, on the right side, and cut a continuous two-inch stripe, horizontally, up the body of the shirt. Like peeling an apple. Then I did something (?) with loops and that crochet hook until it looked like this. I really don't know what I did, (UPDATE: crocheters say I single crocheted through the back loops. Eureka! Thanks, crafty ladies!) so please don't ask for a pattern. If you do, I'll have to come to your house and steal all your t-shirts, especially if you have any plum, cranberry or golden raisin-colored ones. I want those colors next. *grin*

(For another Waste Not, Want Not idea, check out my Thrifty Nifty Napkins, where I cut up more old clothes to make household things.)

The Five Dollar, Thirty Minute Scarf

I was telling a friend about this scarf last night and she was psyched. A handmade scarf? For five dollars? That you can make in 30 minutes? That you can make without sewing or knitting or anything? Tell me. Tell me how.

I did, but then ended up sending her to this lovely link, where Martha breaks down the scarf's construction for us. (I'm still in the clammy/confused state - although I feel loads better! - and didn't want to ruin her $5/30 minute scarf plans.)

Mine's a bit wobbly and free form, but I like it that way. My friend's was a bit more structured and exact, and she liked hers that way. But either way, we agreed: this scarf is a perfect last minute, inexpensive gift. -Brin

(If you end up making one, leave us a comment with a link to your scarf. We want to see, too!)

Pink for the Weekend

I love pretty pink things.

Sick. Sure enough. Spent the past two nights sleeping in front of my parents' wood stove and drinking steaming things and watching cheezy Christmas movies and laughing with my brothers and sister and cuddling with soft puppy Millie. Felt awful, but the time with my family was priceless.

But now back to pretty pink things. This weekend I'm stocking the Freeman House Shop with Christmas aprons, like the pink snowflake cutie above. I'm also elbow-deep in other pink delights. In no particular order:

These Pink Snowflakes
These Pink Cocoa Cups
These Pink Marshmallows

Everyone needs a pretty pink weekend every now and then, huh? -Brin

Patriotic Patchwork Prayer

This is a story about an apron and a prayer. If you don't mind, I'd like to tell you about it.

I was looking for another fabric entirely. But this morning as I dug through my material bin, I came across strips of patriotic cloth I've been hoarding for a quilt. As the roll of fabric unfurled, I thought of a flag. Of the stripes on a flag. And in moments, without even thinking, I was at the sewing machine stitching strips into fabric.


As I sewed I began thinking about all the women who are missing someone this Christmas. I thought of all the wives, mothers, daughters, sisters, girlfriends and friends that have a loved one overseas. I thought about the women with heavy hearts who pray - every moment - for a soldier or sailor or Marine. Who pray that he'll be safe... that she'll be well... that he'll come home quickly. Please, come home quickly.

So I began praying, too. As I stitched I prayed for families who are apart this Christmas. I prayed for ones who will wake up Christmas morning without the one they love. And I prayed for the woman who will one day wear this apron. I prayed that, whoever she is, she'll be comforted and blessed whenever she ties on the apron's red, white and blue strings.

And as I prayed, I remembered. I remembered a story I heard about a Grandmother who quilted for her grandchildren. Before she sewed up each quilt, the Grandmother would pencil a prayer onto a slip of paper and quilt it inside the blanket's layers. So I followed that precious Grandmother's lead. I wrote a simple prayer for a patriotic woman I don't even know and her loved one who's so far away. I wrote my prayer and stitched it safely inside. Then I ironed the apron and pinned on its flower.

I hope this apron, which will hit the Freeman House Shop this afternoon, has wings. I hope it and its prayer eventually fly into the life of a loving and hopeful woman somewhere.

And if it's you... if you're reading... my prayers and hopes are with you this Christmas.

May our never-failing God bless our military and its precious families. -Brin

(Update: the apron has sold, but judging by the email response to this post, I may do another Patriotic Prayer Apron. And to all you who've written, I'm overwhelmingly touched by your notes and stories, and pledge to keep each of you in my prayers this season. Especially you boys in Afghanistan and Iraq. You do us proud. Thank you.)

Waste Not, Want Not: Thrifty Nifty Napkins

Waste is worse than loss.

The scope of thrift is limitless.

-Thomas A. Edison

I ran out of napkins, paper towels and Kleenex the same day. It always happens that way, doesn't it? Later that evening, in our little local store's toiletry asile, my eyes bugged out of my head. Who pays $4 for a box of Kleenex? I wondered. Oh yeah. Me. I did. When I made $125,000 a year, I did.

But no more. Oh no. These are the days of layoffs and wipe-outs. These are the days of bail-outs and sell-offs. These are not the days of $4 Kleenex. I got so alarmed that a pack of paper towels, a sack of napkins and a box of Kleenex was going to run me almost $15 that I backed out of the aisle altogether. (I bought a Hershey's with almonds instead. The trip wasn't a total loss.)

Back home, I began rummaging through my bins of scrap material. I came upon my used-clothes stash. Oh yeah! I forgot about these pajama pants, I thought, as I pulled the baby-blue cowgirl print from the middle of the stack. They used to be some of my favorite pajamas before the spaghetti strings frayed on the top and the rear got stretched-out on the pants.

So you can guess what I did. I slit the pant legs up the side and undid the elastic and cut four pieces - each 13 inches square. Then I ironed them flat. Starting at the bottom right corner, I folded the bottom side up 1/2 inch and ironed it flat. I repeated this 'fold and iron' step all the way around the square. Now it measured 12 1/2 inches. So I turned the sides in again, 1/2 inch around, and ironed all the way around again. There. After I stitched the hem down - two with the sewing machine and two by hand, I had four perfect square feet of pajamas -turned - reusable Kleenex. And I still had fabric left over. Take that, expensive napkins and tissue!

I've only used them for a few days now, but I really love them. Toss in the wash and reuse. And reuse. And use again. My once-favorite pj's have a new life. It's strangely gratifying.

What's that old mantra my Grandma used to have? Oh. Of course: Use it up, Wear it out, Make it Do, or Do Without. I think Grandma Elizabeth would be proud.

So don't be surprised, family and friends, if you find a few handmade hankies tied in ribbon tucked in your stocking this year. I promise you'll love them, and I further promise they won't be made out of my old pajamas. (In case you were already worried.)

And if... by chance... anyone else is hung up over the $4 Kleenex thing, too, here's a great tutorial on how to make these.

Stay warm this weekend! -Brin

(By the way, I later broke down and cut up the top of that pajama set, too. And I cut up the pants below the knee. I got five more hankies of various sizes for a total of nine reusable hankies. Wow! The rest of the fabric went into my Postage Stamp Quilt basket so nothing went to waste. )

A Calendar Event

The talented Lindy commented on yesterday's post with a charming suggestion, I thought: why not use a few of the pictures and quotes seen here to do a Freeman House calendar? A bit of a house fundraising move, she said. I read her comment and then stared at the ceiling and thought, Huh. How clever! How delightfully fun would that be?

I worked on it half the night. Lindy was on to something. And the calendar was delightfully fun... and clever.

So for Lindy... and... you... and everyone else who faithfully reads, here's the rub: the Freeman House 2009 Calendar is now available! Featuring 13 of my favorite Freeman House photos and gobs of quotes and tips, the calendar will ship on December 20th to brighten and happy up homes all new year long. To reserve yours (as supplies will be limited) and for all the yummy details on the calendar itself, please go to the Freeman House Shop on Etsy and click on the image for the Freeman House 2009 Calendar.

It's always been my wish to share this wonderful old place with anyone in need of a little warmth or homemade happiness. Now I can, in some small way, ship Freeman House to you! Hope you enjoy....

Holiday Aprons Are Here!

Check out the Freeman House Shop on Etsy between now and November 14th to take one home in time for holiday hustle and bustle!

(And thanks for your support! -Brin)

Just anxiously watching and waiting and (honestly) dreading the announcement. I cast my early ballot on Thursday and, judging from the parking lot outside our tiny courthouse, am glad I did.

So with my one little vote floating out there somewhere, I'm now wrapped in a warm sweater and sipping Gingerbread Spice Tea and quietly stitching away. My latest project? Sweet, fluffy, cozy handwarmer sets. I simply love these. I've several I have made over the years. They're perfect for keeping fingers toasty during blustery walks and outings and ball games and flea marketing and leaf raking and snowman building and ... well, all the things that keep me and my icy fingers outside.


I'm making a few sets for you lovely people, too. Just my little way of spreading some homemade, holiday warmth and cheer. Visit the Freeman House Shop on etsy to get one of your own... or pick up one to stuff a stocking. Guaranteed to warm and bless. [wink]

Wishing you a wonderful evening as we watch this wild night unfold. Warmly, Brin

A Quiet Life

Anything for a quiet life.

-Thomas Middleton

This has been the cry of my ever-running and over-exerted feet and heart lately: anything for a quiet life.

Gustav brought wind and rain, but not nearly what we anticipated, thank God. He's been gentle on us. Unrelenting but calm. Compared to Katrina, I think Gustav rather spared us and I'm grateful.

Having emptied a gallon jar of leaking roof water in the back hall this morning, I now have a tin pail under the drip. Every thirty seconds or so I hear the plunk of another drop. It's so quiet, save that dripping. The stillness is comforting.

I'm working on a new quilt... a postage stamp quilt. I really, really love these. I have squares of fabric from Alicia. I have bits of material from old night gowns and shirts, bags and blankets. I even have a dress in there from one of my childhood dolls. At night, just before I go to sleep, I quietly line up the squares and piece them together. I've been delighted to watch this beauty take shape. (Yesterday I decided to put a twin bed in a corner of the study. This quilt will blanket that bed and I'm sure it will be my favorite.)

For those who've asked, I'm also preparing five more House Helper bundles to hit the Freeman House Shop on Etsy by the weekend. The one I'm doing today will be a baby set. Precious.

So there's your update: rain, dripping, quiet, quilting, knitting. There's also a pan of homemade brownies in the oven.

Anything for a quiet life.

Wind and Wattle

I know I mentioned Saturday... among all the blathering about pumpkins and how I adore fall... that it was storming violently. And when I said violently, I meant, there was violence. The wind and beating rain enacted a force of meanness on the trees the likes of which I'd never seen.

Here's how it happened: I was sitting in the library, trying to finish an awful book I wished I'd never bought, when suddenly I heard a boom. Then a craaaaack. Then the sound of a thousand heavy leaves falling. All was silent for a second, then came a thud. The house trembled. Millie jumped and I screamed and together we raced through the library, across the entry and into the dining room.

We stayed there, beside lit candles and pumpkins, while the wind blew. And wouldn't you know, within several moments history repeated itself: boom... craaaaack... falling... thud... tremble. (Note: it takes more than your average bear to frighten me. I was scared to death.)

Turns out the parts of two trees, a cottonwood and a pecan, had fallen from the sky to the house to the ground. One branch - the one by the kitchen - landed on the kitchen steps. I know it doesn't seem so alarming from the picture above, but that branch is 13 inches across and over 20 feet long.

So, when the wind gives you branches what do you make? Wattle. You make wattle. A sort of wattle fence, that is. A non-willow, Texified version. Ever since Saturday I have determined to become an expert Texas wattler, making wattle the likes of which no one has ever seen. Wattle that will impress my friends and astonish my neighbors.

You're laughing? I hear you laughing. It's okay. I'm cracking up, too. I'm laughing all the way to my new wattle fencing. For where there's a windy will, there's a windy way. Where there's wind, there's wattle.

At least that's what I always say. (laugh)

Summer Fair, A House Helper Collection

I adore these pretties. House Helpers is what I call them. They're handknit cloths... the softest, most durable, most absorbent ones to ever grace a sink, cleaning bucket, bag or car. Stop by Freeman House and I guarantee you'll find them peeking out of all sorts of corners: kitchen corners, bathroom corners, laundry corners, cleaning corners, Millie corners. I keep... and use... them everywhere.

And now you can, too. I have seven sets up for grabs at the Freeman House Shop on etsy, just in time for wrapping up our summers and getting cozy for fall. They make great hostess gifts, friend gifts, or "I'm having a bad day and I need this" gifts. And all the proceeds go to save this historic house, so you can feel even better about snatching a few up. (wink)

Happy shopping! -Brin

**Update: Wow! Those went quickly! I'll have five additional sets up for grabs next week, so if you missed out yesterday, stay tuned. And thanks, lucky House Helper grabbers, for the support!**