After a long hard week there is nothing that soothes like a relaxing bath. This recipe from Aromathyme is lovely and the lavender helps calm you like nothing else. The blend is said to bring about a good energy balance.
Add 3 drops Lavender, 3 drops Tangerine, 3 drops Marjoram and 1 drop Chamomile to 1 tbspn full milk and add to your bath.
Then put on some gentle music, light the candles and submerge your tired body in warm scented water.
Have a great weekend.
Sometimes you come across sites that just seem to hit the nail on the head. That is what Fix My Business does. Fix My Business is the brainchild of Kathie Holmes who is one of those people that seems to be full of ideas but also full of the ability to carry them out.
Fix My Business works with businesses of any size but specialises in the smaller businesses. Kathie can build a website, create a marketing campaign, prepare and distribute press releases and manage all aspects of your online business. It is a one stop shop, in effect. Kathie is an expert in the field of WAHM businesses and her packages are priced so that they are affordable to all.
If you are just starting out there is no better place to begin with than FIx My Business. Just talk to Kathie about what you need and you will see how easy it is to get started online.
Your Cheeky Monkey is a brand new online store featuring products handmade by Monique, the owner, and fair trade items that she has sourced. The products are mostly for baby at the moment althought the range is growing quickly and includes things for the whole family.
My favourite items at the moment are the finger puppets. These are bright, colourful and very inviting for children to play with. They are a great way to stimulate imaginative play while at the same time helping to develop finger control in the child.
These are handknitted by women in the Andes and the detail on each is excellent. Because they are handmade each puppet will be a little different which adds to the individuality of the character. There are a few different animals to choose from including a lion, tiger and an elephant plus more.
What a great Christmas gift these would make. Even better, there is no shipping fee on finger puppets!
NOTE: Your Cheeky Monkey is a sponsor in the Santa’s Sleigh Chase and is offering a special bargain for all ‘chasers’. To see the specials click here.
I am feeling quite shaky, and not like my usual self. The morning is not going to plan at all. My lovely daughter was good enough to turn the dishwasher on before she left for school but as i trudged into the kitchen in search of my breakfast I faced disaster. BOTH of my Mugs were in the dishwasher!
I am not sure you can appreciate the drama that this involves. I have two Mugs and when one is being washed the other is free. It is like my security blanket. These Mugs are the only ones that can cope with my demands. They are big, they are solid, they are easy to hold and, obviously, they are dishwasher safe.
My morning starts with a quick check of the emails then a sprint into the kitchen to iron shirts and make lunches. In between I lever kids out of bed and then perform traffic control duty on the bathroom and pantry. Once everyone is up, fed and dressed I start the taxi runs because, of course, they don’t all have to leave at the same time.
Once the house is peaceful I get to enjoy my breakfast and the first of my morning Muggas.
But not today.
SO I am sitting here waiting patiently for the dishwasher to end so that I can grab my Mug and put her back to good use. This poor substitute mug just can’t keep up with me.
If you need a good Mug to help you get your day started I suggest that you buy Mug from Real Mums.
What a great day to have off. The Santa Sleigh Chase begins tomorrow so I am making sure that I will be ready. Are you registered?
Get chasing that bauble and win some great prizes just in time for Christmas.
The Chase lasts until Friday and there are different events all week.
Chase Calendar:
So many gods, so many creeds,
So many paths that wind and wind.
While just the art of being kind
Is all the sad world needs.
E. W. Wilcox
Welcome to Nicole Graham, guest travel writer, with part 2 of her series about Vietnam.
In my first article, Pagodas, Temples and Rickshaws I mentioned that Hanoi, Vietnam is a great base to see some of the other sights of Vietnam.
One of those sights is the beautiful Halong Bay north of Hanoi. It is a three and a half hour drive away so we stayed overnight as we didn’t want to rush around and miss the opportunity to stop along the way, take in the picturesque country-side, quaint towns and of course do some shopping.
We ventured into Bat Trang, a ceramic village where most of the people that live in the village make an array of ceramic goods from traditional tea pots and ornaments, to modern vases and crockery. I couldn’t help myself; I have a love of elephants so we now have two large ceramic elephants that we use as side tables when needed. I digress… as a wannabe artist, to watch the people work away moulding and painting was inspiring.
Then we continued on to But Thap Pagoda, which is situated on the dike of the Duong River, Thuan Thanh district, Bac Ninh province. The pagoda was built in the 17th century, during the late Le dynasty and its founder was the Chinese Buddhist Priest, Zhus Zhus, who died in 1644. There are 10 building on the pagoda land and the pagoda is very important to the local people in the province.
As we discovered, the Vietnamese people revere Guan Yin, Goddess of Compassion and Mercy. She had a special place in the But Thap Pagoda and she was gorgeous… the whole statue, including its pedestal, is 3.7m tall. Behind her there is a round back board, forming a circle 2.2 m in diameter. The circle has 14 layers of 789 arms with an eye in each palm. Forty-two more arms encircle the waist, making various mudras (gestures of the hands).
The next day we headed out to see some of the 2000 islands around the area and the natural caves of Dau Go and Trinh Nu. We spent 5 hours on the bay and enjoyed a fantastic seafood lunch.
Once we got to Halong Bay we freshened up, ventured out to look around the local market and have dinner at a local restaurant. As we expected, the food was fresh and delicious.
While out on the bay we stopped in at a Village with a difference… I had imagined a small village nestled into one of the many islands but instead all the local villagers live on the water in their floating homes (literally they are homes on the water; they are not living on boats). They even have a floating school which is funded by UNICEF. Many of the homes have dogs because they guard against anyone stealing the fish from their farm.
We also stopped at the Dau Go cave which is not only known for its beauty but also famed for its historical 
tie to the Vietnamese history. The cave dates back to 1288 when a Vietnamese general, Tran Hung Dao fought against the Mongolian troops. He used the cave to hide his force during the war.
The cave is huge and a natural wonder of Vietnam. While on the island, we climbed the 90 rocky steps to walk through the cave and admire its stalagmites, stalactites and water filled stone wells. To highlight the cave’s beauty there are coloured lights lit throughout. Our tour guide was able to point out different crystals, meanings and images of the shadows the cave displayed.
Later in the afternoon we headed back to Hanoi - we slept most of the way… being a tourist is tiring and it was better for the soul to sleep rather than watch the chaotic traffic on the trip back.
© Nicole Graham 2008
Nicole Graham is a success Coach, Facilitator and Online Entrepreneur. Aside from managing her businesses, www.moderngoddessonline.com; www.moderngoddessgifts.com; www.moderngoddessmagazine.com, Nicole is an avid traveller and keen photographer. All photographs shown in the article were taken by Nicole.
A little birdie told me that Beauty Banquet is going to be having its surprise bargains again this week and next. At random times of the day a random item will be up for a ridiculously low price. The trick will be to be there at the right time because once it is sold out it is finished until the next random bargain arrives.
Beauty Banquet stocks fashion and silver jewellery, body and bath products, gifts and style items. Keep your eyes open!
Fortun8gal is Australia’s solution to putting your online business directly into the hands of your target market! Fortun8gal Online Business Promotion specialises in producing printed directories of online stores. They are pocket sized A6 directories that you can keep with you at all times.
The advertising rates are great and affordable for new and small businesses.
The new editions will be out shortly and include Baby Links, Eco Links and a General Directory A-Z. The General Directory will be released in January and has a November 30 deadline. The other directories will be released in May and have a deadline of March 30th.
If you have an online business in Australia you would be nuts to miss out on this opportunity.
Ahhh shopping! I LOVE online shopping.
Annette Piper has a lovely new website and I can’t help but visit to drool over her gorgeous, handcrafted gemstone jewellery. Annette is a qualified gemmologist so she knows her gemstones thoroughly. She is a gifted jewellery designer too and the site is full of some spectacular pieces.
What caught my eye this time was the perfect gift for Mum. It is a pewter bookmark featuring teacups and pots. Isn’t it cute? It picks up on both my mothers loves - reading and a good cup of tea.
Visit Annette’s site and see some of her beautiful jewellery.
