Top 5 Products For 2008

The list in some ways surprised me. Some products stayed the same and some were replaced with new products.


Here it is the top 5 for 2008!!!


5. Hand Milled Face Soap. All the hand milled soaps look like food and smell like food. Vanilla and Oats, Strawberry and Poppy Seed, Almond and Almond Meal, Tangerine and Poppy Seed, Lemongrass, and Kitchen Citrus.

4 All the other combination of Lavender Soaps. Lavender and Rosemary, Lavender and Lime and Lavender and Ylang Ylang.

3 Lavender Soap It is a classic. I started ordering Lavender Essential Oil in steel drums this year to be able to keep it in stock.

2 Whipped Shea Butter I’m not surprised. Trying to keep this one in stock was impossible this summer. It walked off the shelf. Compared to any other 95% shea butter product on the market it was the lowest in price. We carry a long list of scents with essential oils and fragrance oils for all different purposes and smell preferences.


1 Lip Butter I can’t believe it! This is a new recipe with sweet almond, shea butter and coco butter. Almost every order went out with lip butter in it this autumn. I even had a lady knocking on the door asking to purchase lip butter for her husband early one Sunday morning. He was heading out fishing and our unscented lip butter is the only one he uses.

Place Order Now!

Thursday the free shipping rate is going up to $100 for Canada and $120 for the USA. Also tomorrow after 5:00pm we have to count all the products in the shop for year end inventory report. Buy lots so there will be less to count.

Letter from Steve

Steve volunteered on our farm for 2 weeks. He was a great help.
Steve is also the first person to sign up for the affiliate program.

Hello Em and David,
I made it back to Toronto in one piece. The bus ride was smooth and I thank you again for the kindness of the ticket. I got my hair cut while waiting for the train in Moncton and made the train easily. The trip to Montreal was good and I slept well. They had to replace a section of faulty track in the middle of the night however and we were about three hours late arriving in Montreal. My replacement connector, I’d missed the first connector, was an hour and a half leaving, but I did arrive in Kingston to visit my friend. I arrived in a blizzard though, so it made the visit very dramatic. I arrived in Toronto on the 20th and have been visiting with family and friends ever since.
I wanted to thank you again for your hospitality and generosity. I really enjoyed working with you and learning about soap. I’m sure that my family will enjoy the gift I’m making of the soaps you gave me. I’ll encourage them to order too if they like them ;)I hope your tree is standing high and decorated now. Wish the kids a merry Christmas for me and have a merry Christmas yourselves.

All the best in the new year,

Steve.

Attitude of Gratitude

I’m very grateful for the Small Ruminant Club from the Vet College. They came while I was away and trimmed the goats’ hooves. Not only have they done a great job they left me a Thank you card and a mug of candy. I feel I’m the one that should be getting them a mug of candy but they are grateful to have a herd of goat’s hooves to trim

Free E-Book

I have been reading The Attractor Factor by Joe Vitale. I decided to look at his blog today and found a free E-Book "Give to Live". I got so involved that a forgot about Sunday dinner. Everybody ate turkey sandwich's and nobody is hungry.

Here you can get a copy.

Thank you for requesting a copy of our inspiring new book, "Give to
Live". Tell others they can have the book too! Send them to
www.givetolivebook.com Remember that giving begins with you. Go
and serve someone today. It's a great way to "Give to Live

Merry Christmas from My Co-Workers

Hanna loves to have her picture taken.
As you can see in picture 1 Tulip and Hanna are in the picture
Picture 2 Tulip is been told to leave.
Picture 3 is beautiful Hanna

FREE SHIPPING

Three days left for FREE shipping on orders over $80 in Canada and orders over $100 in the US. Order amounts will go up for free shipping January 1st.

NEW Affiliate Program

If you would like to make some extra income on the Internet helping people with their skin problems, please read on. At the bottom of our homepage on our storefront at http://www.greatcanadiansoap.com/ you will now see a link for our new affiliate program.

The program is really very simple to sign up for. It works like this, when you sign up you will be given a personal URL code (a link) that you can email to people that you know. If someone clicks on that link and creates a regular customer account with us, you will get a 5% cash bonus credited to your affiliate account provided they ordered something within 6 months of creating their account. For example, if your referral spends $100, then $5 will be credited to your account.

Finally, if your referral ever decides to sign up as an affiliate themselves, you will also receive a 5% cash bonus for all of their eligible referrals as well. In affiliate language 2 tier 10% commission.

Once you have earned at least $50, I will send you an actual cheque from The Great Canadian Soap Company. If you do not ever make it to the $50, you are still eligible to use your balance towards purchases of products from our company.

This is a very simple program and does not cost you anything to register and you may cancel at anytime. You can also check your private affiliate account and see the purchasing activity of your referrals as they happen and exactly what your balance is.

Ideally, we would like anyone who signs up as an affiliate to be a satisfied customer who is simply spreading the word to their friends and family. We do not want anyone sending out mass emails or spam to lists of people they do not know and any validated reports of this happening would result in an affiliate’s account being closed.

If you have any comments about this new program, please send them to me. I would like to hear what you think. Comments and suggestion will receive a coupon code.

Em

Boxing Day

We had a quiet Christmas this year. Well, as quiet as it could be with 3 kids.
I received an email from Steve. He made home safely with only a few set backs.
This is the first year in 40 years that all of Canada is covered in snow for Christmas.
It rained here Christmas day but the snow is still here.
I have pictures but all the batteries are in other electronic things. I will post them later.

Storm Hit the Eastern Sea Board

Yesterday we got our first major snow storm. The weather has been crazy with +17 c. days to -14c days.
Steven has left for Toronto to spend Christmas with his family. After Christmas he is going to volunteer at farms all across Canada with a friend for one year. He was a great worker. Even your cat fell in love with him.

Steve From Ontario

Steve has been here volunteering. He likes to keep busy and we kept him really busy for the last 2 weeks. Do you have that place in your space that you put all the things you do not want to deal with? We do and it is called the side barn. We cleaned it with Steve’s help. It looks and feels great

Curves and Hot Chocolate

To see if you are making any progress at Curves once a month you get weighed and measured. It was my turn to get weighed and measured at Curves this week after being on holidays.
I really did not think I made any progress but I did. Hurray!
Every day Katie has been making gourmet hot chocolates for me with rich dark chocolate, whole milk, whip cream, chocolate pieces and cinnamon. I still lost weight!!! It is a great program. Thirty minutes three times a week is all it takes. I don’t even go three times a week.

More about Shea Butter

Shea Better is a wonderful product that has helped so many of you with eczema, psoriases and dry skin. I have received many positive comments about our shea butter cream (above) and lotions. Doctors are sending their patient to buy our shea butter. Above are the 4 different jar sizes we carry. The biggest is 226 grams or 8 oz the price is $26.00 next size smaller is 113 grams or 4 oz $15.00 both are blue jars. The white jars are 56.7 grams or 2 ozs price $9.00 and the smallest is 28.35 gram or 1 oz the price is $6.00.
Best deal is the 226 gram or 8 oz blue jar at 11.5 cents pre gram.
A little Shea butter goes a long way because we do not put any filler in our creams or lotions.

To order go to www.greatcanadiansoap.com

A later post I will list the top 10 products for 2008

Shea Butter

This is a very long post. I wanted to tell you about Shea Butter and all it's benifits. The picture above is Whipped Coconut Shea Butter (good enough to eat). Our whipped Shea Butter is 95% pure Shea Butter

Shea Butter is quite recent to the Western world. It has been used for centuries in Africa. They use Shea Butter to protect and rejuvenate their hair and skin.
Shea Butter is only found in the tropics of Africa. It is extracted from the nuts of the Shea-Karite tree which begins to bear fruit after about 15 years; and can take up to 30 years to bear a quality crop of nuts with a high content of irremovable fatty acid. It is this irremovable fatty acid that gives Shea Butter its unique healing properties and makes it far superior to cocoa butter and other vegetable butters. Shea Butter is solid at room temperature although it quickly liquefies right around body temperature. Most Shea Butter comes from West Africa. Although a more soft and smoother variety from East Africa is beginning to appear on the market.



One of the great things about Shea Butter is its low melting point. When you apply it to your skin, it literally liquefies. However, one of the bad things about Shea Butter is its low melting point. It's quite possible it will melt in a hot room. It may even be melted when it's delivered to you in the summer months. If this happens, don't worry. The Shea Butter is good. Just take the lid off of the container and set it in the refrigerator until it gets hard again. In the winter months the Shea Butter lotion might be to hard to get out of the containers. Just put it into some hot to warm water for a few minutes and it will melt and be ready to use.

Shea Butter can provide relief from everything from just dry skin to many minor dermatological diseases (if you have a serious skin condition, you should see a doctor). It has been clinically shown to provide benefits. Here are some of the benefits of Shea Butter for the skin:
Daily skin moisturizer (face and body)
Dry skin relief
Dry scalp
Skin rash- including diaper rash
Skin peeling, after tanning
Blemishes and wrinkles
Itching skin due to dryness
Sunburn
Shaving cream to reduce razor irritation
Small skin wounds
Skin cracks
Soften tough skin on feet (especially heels)
Stretch mark prevention during pregnancy
Minor burns
Eczema
Sun and wind protection
Even skin tone
Reduce blemishes and scarring
Eliminating scalp irritation from dryness or chemical processing
Preventing bumps after shaving
Reducing acne (especially in combination with African Black Soap)
Absorbs quickly without leaving a greasy residue
Helps restore elasticity to skin
Restores luster to hair

Shea Butter nourishes the skin with Vitamins A, E and F. Vitamins A and E help maintain the skin and keep it clear and healthy. They are particularly helpful for sun damaged skin. They help prevent premature wrinkles and facial lines. Vitamin F acts as a skin protector and rejuvenator. It soothes rough, dry or chapped skin and helps soften dry or damaged hair. Shea Butter is high in unsaponifiables (a type of fat). Shea Butter has between 7-12% unsaponifiables. For comparison, avocado oil, a well known skin conditioner, has between 2-6%. This high level of unsaponifiables is one of the properties that makes Shea Butter so invaluable in treating the conditions listed above. Also, Shea Butter easily penetrates the skin allowing the skin to breathe and not clogging pores. Shea Butter has a high level of cinnamic acid, a natural sun screen. So, it provides some degree of protection from the sun. Shea Butter is also anti-inflammatory making it useful in treating rheumatism. While we make no medical claims about our Shea Butter, we do have anecdotal evidence that it is very useful in treating minor skin conditions. We have had several customers who have used Shea Butter for eczema and/or psoriasis and told us it works as well as steroids at a fraction of the cost and without the side effects. Recently we were contacted be a mother requesting more Shea Butter for her baby's severe eczema. While on vacation her sister pick up a jar of Shea Butter for her neice to try since enough thing else was relieving the eczema. Our Shea Butter completly cleared the eczema from the baby. The mother tried to but Shea Butter locally but the eczema came back.

Is all Shea Butter the same?All Shea Butter is not the same. Shea Butter loses some of its healing properties as it sits on the shelf, so very old Shea Butter is not as beneficial. Sometimes Shea Butter is mixed with other ingredients that reduce its benefits. Then, there are those products that add very little Shea Butter but prominently display "Shea Butter" on the label. While Shea Butter is not very expensive, you should be aware of products that claim to provide the benefits of Shea Butter and sell for very low prices. Many manufacturers are taking advantage of the Shea Butter buzz by adding a little Shea Butter to a very inexpensive product implying you can get the benefits of Shea Butter in their product

Ingredients on the label should be listed in the order from the ingredient that is the most to the least. Therefore, you should look for Shea Butter products that list Shea Butter early on the list of ingredients. You should know the ingredients before you buy any Shea Butter product and should buy from a reputable source. The more Shea Butter in a product, the greater the likelihood, you will receive the full benefits of Shea Butter.

You can get quality Shea Butter products right here greatcanadiansoap.com We carry a wide variety of products from pure Shea Butter to Shea Butter lotions, soaps and lip balm. All of the Shea Butter we carry is of the highest quality. We are very selective about where we obtain our Shea Butter and the extraction methods used. We will not accept any Shea Butter that has been extracted using solvents. You can find cheaper Shea Butter and Shea Butter products. Some of the major manufacturers are jumping on the Shea Butter bandwagon now by adding small amounts of Shea Butter to their products. Don't be fooled by this. Our pure Shea Butters are of the highest grade, from our shea butter cream to our lotions.

Mothers and Daughters Basting In The Sun

When we were in the accommodation business a few guest were on Mother and Daughter retreats. I thought when, it would so important to be able to get away with just my daughter, to spend 1 on 1 time with her. They grow up all to fast and the quality time we spend together is all too short. This fall Katie and I spent 9 days together visiting friends in a warm place. We never spend very much money we only spend time together. I highly recommend if possible getting away with your child if only for a weekend in a local Bed and Breakfast. They will remember it forever.

Food Bank Soap Donations

A customer this fall donated her free bars of soap to the local food bank. I added more to make 50 bars. I drop them off last week. It was really busy with families picking up food. Since the soap looks like fudge and I didn’t want anybody to try to eat it I told the older gentleman with bushy eyebrows and half glasses hunch over his list of names that there is tags for the soap so people will not eat it. He took a moment to look up from the desk and smiled at me and went back to his list. I imagine this year it will be hard filling all the baskets for the people that need food.

Early Christmas Present For The Goats

This summer we remodel the barn and painted it thanks to two volunteers from Red Deer. We tore out the old hay manger and grain tough. The new stall has a lot more room. The best part for me is the goats can not get out. If you have ever kept goats you know they can escape from almost every enclosure. Here is the hay manager under construction and finish with supper

Hockey Family Again

After a month of tryouts Jordan is playing for the Gulf Storm on the double AA team. Since there was not enough players to make a double A team in North Rustico, Kensington and Rustico had to joined to make a double A. They will be traveling to the west side of the Island. Tignish, O’Leary and Summerside were most of the games are. The first game Jordan had a shot out. His goal is to have 3 shut outs this season. In case, you do not know what a shut out is, like me until last year, there is no goals score in Jordan's net.

Anne McGlynn-Chiason question

From Anne (with an "e")
Good day;

Could you please tell me your hours for the fall? My daughter will be going to PEI on Oct. 25th and I'd like her to stop in and get me some of your soap/shampoo.

Big question: What would you recommend (shampoo wise) for psoriases on the scalp. I am just now (a little slow in my old age --teehee) discovering the harmful effects of SLS (Sodium Laureth Sulphate) on the skin. It is very difficult to find any shampoo that does not have it.

So this morning I looked at the bottle of soap I bought at your place this past summer, "Revitalizing" Liquid Goat's milk hand and body soap, and it is SLS free. YEAH!!! So I used it to shampoo my hair. Now I want to try the real deal - shampoo!

I look forward to your reply.

Anne McGlynn-Chiasson
(I also stayed in one of your cabins in July)

Em
To anwers your first question Anne we are open Tuesday to Saturday 9 AM to 5.PM

Sodium Laureth Sulphate is a forming agent in most shampoos and body wash on the market today. It stripes your skin of the natural oils and leaves your skin dry and itchy. Here is the link to wikippedia to read more about SLS http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sodium_laureth_sulfate

The shampoos we make are a goat's milk shampoo bar and goat's milk liquid soap that can be used on your hair.
The shampoo bar scents are rosemary and lavender, geranium and lavender and tea tree and peppermint. The geranium and lavender would be the best for your psoriases. Personally I like the hard bars to shampoo my hair. It takes a few extra seconds to lather but it last longer then the liquid soap. It also feels old fashion.
If you would perfer a liquid check our webstore at www.greatcanadiansoap.com for the different scents.

Tammy McKinnon a blog I follow

Tammy is a wonderful person who cares about the orphans around the world. She is the head of the adoption coalition here on the Island. Tammy and her husband have adopted two children from China and are in the process of adopting a little girl from Ethiopia. Here is Tammy’s blog I have been following for some time.
www.themackinnons.blogspot.com

Curves "I feel better inside and out"

One month ago I started to go to Curves a women’s gym. I usually walk or run in the mornings but I was finding it very hard to motivate myself to get out of bed. Being at my highest weight ever in my life I needed to do something. I had to commit to a year of monthly payments, which I don’t like. If I get hurt or really don’t like it or don’t have the time I still have to pay. So far the gamble was been worth it. I feel very comfortable there exercising with no over powering muscle bondwomen or men that I would be confronted with at other gyms. The entire teams of instructor are very supportive and caring. Janice is there most times I go and she always was a joke to share. Every month you get weigh and measured and I lost 1 pound so far but the amazing thing is I lost 4 inches. I would highly recommend Curves if you need that little extra support to get out and move your body. It feels good and it is good for you.

The Best Granola Ever!

JK gourmet makes granola without grains. It is very difficult to find granola without oatmeal, which I cannot eat. Here is their web site www.jkgourmet.com

They visited the soap shop this summer by bicycle and sent this email since I lost their information.

We are the Granola Family - Steven, Jodi, Sam, and Theo Bager from Toronto. We loooove the soap we bought that day and will be ordering more soon.
Our company is Grain-Free JK Gourmet by the way, and we're glad you enjoyed our Granola (available at the Root Cellar in Charlottetown btw)!
Jodi



www.jkgourmet.com

Diana and Ian from Tsawwassen BC

Hi folks, just a quick note to tell you how much we are enjoying your
products. We were touring the Maritimes in September and October, and
had a wonderful week on PEI. We loaded up on soaps and creams for
ourselves, family and friends - they all love them!
Glad you have an online store, as we will be ordering more soon. Thanks
again for the information and great visit.
Attached is a little photo for your collection. I call it "Diana meets
Diana". Please thank Diana and her family for their support in this
venture.
Best Regards,
Diana & Ian Kent
Tsawwassen, BC


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The Milk Run

Customers in the store frequently ask how to get to the Gouda Cheese Lady and we will say, “Oh, you are doing the milk run today.” The Cheese Lady’s place is not far from here and we share many of the same customers. Her name is Martina ter Beek and she comes from away like us. Martina is from Holland has been here since 1980. She makes great Gouda cheese and her email is ryk.terbeek@pei.sympatico.ca and phone number is 902-368-1506.

Helen Witham

It is always so nice to hear how wonderful our products are. Here is an email from Helen Witham:

My order came this afternoon. Everything was there and I am happy with everything. Thank you so much. I hope to get back to PEI next fall in Sept. and I will stop in to see you.

My family like the soaps and creams as well as I do.

Thanks again for all the getting the order so quick. Hope you have a lovely Holiday season.

Sincerely,

Helen Witham

Happy Life

While the house is quiet at night and I’m reading about happiness and how to get it. There is a new book "The How of Happiness: A Scientific Approach to Getting the Life You Want" by author Sonja Lyubomirsky. According to Lyubomirsky’s research, approximately 50% of how happy we are is determined by genetics, 10% by life experiences and the rest is in our power.
Here are four suggestions from Lyubomirsky on exactly what to do:
1) Express Your Gratitude. Keep a gratitude journal. Write down at least 3 to 5 things you are grateful for once per week.
2) Learn To Forgive. Write a letter to all the people who have done you wrong. You do not need to mail it. Let go of all the anger, bitterness and hurt in the letter.
3) Fake It. Pretend you are happy and it lifts your spirits. Try it, it works.
4) Sweat Regularly. Physical activity helps you feel more in control of your body and your health.

Calendula Flowers

I harvested my last Calendula petals for this year. They are so beautiful, easy to grow and bloom from June until now. Mine self-seed every year. This year Katie tried to weed them all out not knowing they were calendula seedlings and I still had a good crop. I use the petals in my tea tree and calendula soap and I use oil infused with calendula petals in my Healing liquid soap.

Cosmetic properties of calendula are that there are calming, anti-inflammatory, slightly astringent and antiseptic

Donating Soap To The Food Bank (not soup)

Last week a lady from New Brunswick stopped into the store with friends and family. She bought lots of soap and creams to last her through the winter until spring when she will be back. If you have been in our store you know that the more you spend the more free bars of soap you receive. She had quite a few free bars and in her words, “I do not want to be greedy please give them to a charity that needs the soap”. This week I’m going to the food bank and donating all her free soap plus I am doubling her soap with soap of my own.

Halloween Ghosts

Everyday this week we made something for Halloween. One of the days the kids made 24 ghosts. They are not all ghost some are dressed up as something else. See if you can figures out whose is who. 11 ghost, 2 cats, 1 dad, 1 mom, 1 Julia, 1 Jordan, 1 Katie, 1 bear, 1 bug, 2 men, 1 goat and 1 apple.It is so nice that the kids can make cookies all by themselves and clean up after.

Why Milk Baths are Good For You

Milk Bath

I grew up in a house that only had a bathtub. I remember every Saturday night having a bath, which I hated. The bath part was fun but getting out into a cold house was not.
In my adult life I never had a bath until a few years when I started making different kinds of milk baths and bath salts. After exercising I will jump into a warm bath to relieve any muscle soreness. It is fun to get out and participate but it is not fun having sore muscles afterwards.

Since the weather is turning colder, more people are having or thinking about jumping into a warm bath.
A milk bath is an easiest ways to improve the look and feel of your skin almost instantly.
Milk has been used to clean and nourish skin for centuries. It is believed that Cleopatra used to bathe herself in milk quite frequently to keep her skin silky and milky white.

Milk is incredibly beneficial for the skin in many different ways. Its various ingredients serve a multitude of skin-improving purposes. Part of the reason milk works wonders for skin is because it contains different kinds of good acids for your skin. The alpha hydroxyl contained in milk, called lactic acid, acts as a gentle cleanser for skin
Another naturally occurring acid in milk is a beta hydroxyl acid which acts is an excellent skin defoliant. Exfoliation is extremely important when it comes to skin care. Removing the old skin cells makes way for the newer, more vibrant skin underneath to shine through.
We add Epsom salt to our Milk Baths. By adding a little salt to your water can actually help improve your circulation. They are recommended for people with back pain, arthritis muscle tension or spasms, and minor work and sports injuries. They're great for easing stiff, sore, muscles and aching feet and legs.
Bath salts open the pores to purify the skin, cleansing away dirt, sweat, and toxins. They aid in the healing of dry skin, and making skin softer. Salts can help improve common irritations such as insect bites, minor rashes, and calluses on feet, as well as more serious skin conditions like athlete’s foot, eczema, and psoriasis. We sell bath salts with a combination of Epsom and sea salt.
Our Milk Baths are made with essential oils, which add the benefits of aromatherapy. Pleasant, soothing scents have been shown to induce calmness and promote relaxation. Many scents have healing properties to help with a variety of aliments. . The ability to relax and unwind at the end of the day is also the best way to insure sound, restful sleep at night, and a milk bath can do just that.
To see all our the different Milk Baths go to www.greatcanadiansoap.com
Now off to have a chocolate milk bath with real cocoa and cocobutter.

Grettle and Diana

Joe M. Sent this picture.

Diana again! I think she was in a lot of vacation pictures this year.

Every year we have a theme to name our kids (baby goats). The year Diana was born all the kids were named after Anne Green Gables characters. The year Hanna was born it was characters in stories. The only thing is I can’t remember who Hanna was named after. That year we had Jack and Jill, Hansel and Grettle, and Cindy and Lois. One year we named the goats after flowers. We still have Rose and Tulip that was my favourite year.

I asked for pictures from all of you that visit our farm and here are some from Maureen.

That is Diana (named after Anne’s blossom buddy) reaching for the grain bucket. The picture certainly shows Diana’s personality. Her daughter Hanna is standing by her side watching.

Winner!!!

For the month of September and October’s Newsletter we had a survey to find out what our customers want to read in their monthly Newsletter from us. All the people who answered the questions had their name entered into a draw to win $50 in products from our store.
The winner is Debbie Williams from Kingston, Ontario.

Thank you to all the people who participated in the survey.

This month the contest is to name the Newsletter. All the people that send us Newsletter names will be entered in the draw to win a box of goodies valued at $50.00 similar to last month’s prize.(see post below)

Farm Day in the City

Lots of people!!!

Farm Day in the City

Barbara Macleod the organizer of the Farm Day in the City sent me some pictures.Barbara did a great job running the event. I’m looking forward to next year.
Here is David from Boston helping at the soap table.

Wholly Cow

Four H has started for another year. Jordan and Katie went to help run the canteen with Shari at the cattle sale. The highest priced cow was over $15,000 and youngest was 1 day old.

Farm Day In The City

On Sunday we participated in the first ever Farm Day in The City. If we got a dollar for every time someone say “it looks good enough to eat” or “I though it was fudge” we would be rich.
Kids would run up to the table thinking it was sweets. People would smell the Apple Pie soap and other people would give them a funny look, thinking they were picking up pie to smell.

Personally, it was a great day! I saw many people I have not seen in a while, either friends stopping to say hello or getting updated on other vendors whom I have taken workshops with.

I like to buy unique Christmas presents at events like this one.

We were on the corner of Victoria and Queen, also known as the coldest corner in all of Prince Edward Island. The wind whipped up Victoria from the bay making it windy and cold. It did not rain and the sun shone some and we stayed warm by laughing a lot.

David from Boston is here volunteering. He is a real funny guy.

The turn-out was excellent.
Sorry, I forgot my camera so no pictures.

Hockey Disappointments

Jordan phoned from the hockey arena and he didn’t make the team. I think one of the hardest parts about being a parent is to watch your child work so hard at something and be so good at it and not be chosen to play on the best team. His save percentage is the second highest of the four goalies and a whole 6% higher then the goalie that made the team. That is the way things go sometimes. I think the other goalie played double A last year and that's probably why he is on the team.

You Are Enough

“We would accom-
plish many things if we did not think of them as impossible”
Chretien de Malesherbes

I’m a true fan of Jack Canfield. Twenty years ago I was looking for a some personal self-growth tapes and the sales person recommended Self Esteem and Peak Performance by Jack Canfield. This was before anyone knew of Jack and the Chicken Soup books.
I loved the tapes and listened to them often.

Here is one of the questions on the tape:

2,4,6,8 What is missing?
Some people might say all the odd numbers.
The truth is that nothing is missing, all the numbers are there. The missing numbers are in your head.

You are enough.

Believe in yourself and great things will happen.
Em Zember (me)

Hello Dianna

Ginny from Georgia, USA, sent this picture of Dianna. What a great picture! It shows Dianna’s true personality.

Thank you Ginny for sharing your comments and pictures.

I know you (visitors to our farm) have taken many pictures of our goats. I would love to post them. Please send them to soap@pei.sympatico.ca

Here is the email from Ginny.

Dear Friends at the Great Canadian Soap Co.,
Thank you for your email. I forwarded it to my daughter so she'd be able to save it in her address book as well. We had such a memorable & fun time while we were there. My 7 year old granddaughter laughed continuously with the goats.

Not only did we enjoy our visit with you, but I can already tell a difference in my skin! I'm a skin cancer survivor and my skin stays very dry and patchy. But, in just the week that I've been using your products, I actually look normal again. I can't wait to see what my dermatologist thinks.

I also agree that it would be a great idea to put up a map to record where all your guests visit from. We're from Georgia, USA, at Lake Oconee, an hour & half east of Atlanta. My daughter lives in Macon, south of Atlanta.

Anyway, thanks again for the fond memories & great gifts!

Sincerely, Ginny Spurlock

Go Jordan!

This is the little boy who needed a stool at the cash register to ring customers in. Now he is too busy playing hockey to even come to the store. Jordan has made the first cut of triple AAA. Last year was his first year to play hockey. After many goalie camps and a lot of hard work he is in the final 4 goalies. Jordan plays Saturday evening in O’Leary.

Tracey and Vera from Alberta

As the sun cast long shadows over the goat pen Tracey and Vera stopped into the store.
They spent a long time looking at everything in the shop. I left David in charge and went in to eat supper. I finished supper and came back out and Tracey and Vera where still shopping. I think they have the award for the longest time spent by a customer in the store. It was great to have them here. They were so excited to learn about soap.

Prizes you could win!!

If you get our Newsletter, there is a survey to fill out. When you fill it out you are entered into a draw. If your name is chosen you will win the following;
1. one bottle of liquid soap (our choice of scent)
2. three rectangle soap bars (our choice of scent)
3. two 28 gram jars of whipped shea butter (our choice of scent)
4. body butter (our choice of scent)
5. lip butter (our choice of scent)
6 slice of chunk soap (our choice of scent)

As of right now you would be the winner because nobody has filled out the survey.
The draw will be October 14th. I will post the winner here on the blog.

If you want to be a winner of a box of beautiful soap, fill out the survey!!!
If you need help finding the survey, email me and I will send it to you.

Fresh Batch of Lavender Swirl

If you are a lavender lover or know someone who is, this lavender block would be a special treat. Lavender swirl will be ready to ship October 15th. Each block is over 1 pound. The cost is $24.99 per block or a slice for $3.99. There is a limited quantity, reserve yours now.

Foxglove Seeds

The Black Eyed Susans are in bloom here now. The brown and yellow look brilliant together. The flower used to be one of my favourites but when I see the Black Eye Susan I think of the sad song by Alabama, Black Eye Susan. You will need to listen to the song to understand what I mean.

If you were here during the summer and the foxglove was in bloom you would have seen the biggest and most beautiful flower ever. Some customers took pictures, and some requested seeds. If you send me a self-addressed envelope I will send you some of the seeds before the Blue Jays carry them all away.

Dennis and Wanda Wood's fond memories of soap making

If anybody has a soap story they would like to share, I would like to post it on my blog. Please email it to me at soap@pei.sympatico.ca

Thank you Dennis and Wanda for stopping into the soap shop. Dennis, thanks for sharing your fond memories about soap and the walk to school up hill both ways. ;) There is a small gift on the way for you.


Hello from Saskatchewan,
Well we have returned from our holiday to the Maritimes and have to tell you that visiting your soapshop was tops for us.. It brought back memories of my childhood when I would return home from our country school (a walk of one and three quarter miles--uphill both ways-WELL, not quite but there was a hill!!) and find on the old buffet a new batch of homemade soap cut into rough pieces ready to cure. Nothing special, just homemade ,homestead soap but lovingly made by my mother. We appreciated the time that you took to explain about commercial products and to show us the ingredients that you use to make your very special soaps.
We have four grown children and for Selena our oldest we were having trouble completing her assortment of gifts so my wife added the piece of milled Lemongrass soap to her bag.
Selena was "very thrilled" with this and continued to smell it and pass it around for everyone to enjoy. It was very nice to talk to you and we really enjoyed our visit with the Goats as we left. We had milk goats on the farm when I was a kid so that brought back a few memories as well. Our one Nanny, a white
Saanen would get up on the milking stand and call to us when she wanted to be milked.
We moved off the farm a few years ago(we used to live on an acreage and had a honey farm) but we miss the farm and may move to an acreage sometime if the opportunity presents itself.
I was interested to hear that you are home schooling your children which I think is wonderful and would have liked to hear a bit more about that but it was late in the day.
Of all of the maritimes we really liked P.E.I.
especially since there are so many crafatmen/artisans to visit . I have to tell you that our visit to your soapshop was,unique and interesting and definately a highlight and we are really glad we stopped. Keep up the good work!! We hope to visit you again sometime.
Thanks again,
Dennis and Wanda Wood
Melfort Saskatchewan

Apple Pie Anyone???

Look what is new for fall. This pie is actually soap. It has a vanilla and oats bottom with a cinnamon and apple top with apple chucks. Check it out on our on-line store at www.greatcanadiansoap.com

Pat and Judy Laconder

For the last 3 years we have had a ballot in the store that customers fill out to be entered into a draw to win four gift boxes. In 2006 Pat and Judy from Elmvale, Ontario won the four gift boxes. They were back in the store for more soap and to fill out another ballot on September 18th to try and win the four gift boxes for this year. Good luck to Pat and Judy and all the rest of the people who filled out ballots in the store. Wouldn't it be funny if they win again?

Granola Family

As you might be aware, Prince Edward Island doesn’t have many places to stop and have a picnic. Free Wheelin’ Tours asked if they could stop at our place for a picnic with a family touring the Island on bikes. We only have 22 picnic tables; quite a lot for one family, I would say. They stopped in and ate their picnic lunch. When they were leaving they gave us a box of organic granola made by a company that they own. Well, we ate all the granola and threw the box out by accident. The granola was really good! We took a picture but it was on micro so it is blurry. Here are the cyclists (from I don't know where). We know they make great granola but we don't know who they are!

Stefanie from Germany

Stefanie spent 3.5 weeks with us. She wanted to experience farm life in Prince Edward Island. The first day she was here we brought in our hay for the winter.

Allan and Lili Meek

Allan and Lili from Mount Sinai NY stopped in a few times while on vacation in Prince Edward Island. I think anyone who has a connection to goats can’t resist stopping to see the four-legged critters. Thanks for the honey! Katie really enjoyed it before the rest of us got a chance to have some.

Fellow Soapers

You know you are addicted to soap when you make your own soap and go into another soap shop on holidays and buy more soap. That is what Leslie and L. Beresoff (sorry I forgot your first name) did while vacationing on Prince Edward Island. I did the same thing on holidays in New York. We had a great conversation about making soap.

Cathy Marsh

In 2002 Cathy Marsh from Florida stopped in to purchase soap. At that time, we just had two 3-foot shelves proudly displaying our soap above the B&B guest registration desk. I remember showing them the goats and telling them about how we make soap.

I Cannot Believe It Is Fall Already

It is time to wear your jacket again. The sun is setting earlier every evening and coming back later in the morning. The Blue Jays are fighting over the Oats for Goats bucket, and the chipmucks are busy storing their nuts in the washroom. The summer flew by, especially August. It rained and rained and rained.

As you already know, I wear many different hats. I'm in the process of giving other people my hats. Amy, who has been involved behind the scene, is now taking care of the mail order customers. Her number one priority is providing great customer service. If you have questions or need soap you can call her at 1 800 793 1644 or email her at shop@greatcanadiansoap.com.

Long busy Summer

Remember the time when summer days were long and lazy days? My days are still long but I'm so busy. I have been so busy I have not been able to post. Things are starting to fall into place now, I imagine because it is the fall season .
Check back often. I have a lot of interesting news to share with you.

The Whittleton's

Long time no see. The Whittleton's first visited us in 2004 when our soap shop consisted of an 8'x8' garden shed and came back and saw us again this week. It's great to see you again!

Helen and Greg

Helen and Greg from Brampton, Ontario stopped in to the store a few times while on vacation. It only took a few minutes of talking to Greg to find out how passionate

he is about teaching children and physical eduction. He even enrolled Helen in his vision of reaching as many children as they can. I feel all his and her students are fortunate to have two great teachers that put their heart and soul into their work.

Sara the Painter

Sara came to volunteer for a week at our farm. She and Katie painted 4 huge paintings on 4 x 8 sheets of plywood. We are going to put the sheets up so the goats can stick their heads though.

Great job Sara and Katie!!!

Adaluz from El Salvador

Now, I think I should get a map of the world to put on the wall in the soap shop so people can put in a pin to show where they come from. In the process of running a soap shop I get to meet people from all over the world and better yet they take my soap home with them.
Thank you Adaluz for stopping in to the shop. Enjoy your soap!

Campers that the mosquito did not carry away!

The White's who are not really that white stayed with us, camping in one of our cabins. Chris tried our Great Outdoor Spray and it kept the mosquitoes away from his yummy mosquito blood. Lynn's blood is not so yummy since the mosquitoes do not bother her. Lucky Lynn!

Birget and Herbert from Germany

Birget is a teacher in Germany and has taken a year off to tour Canada. She and her husband, Herbert, stopped into the store and took lots of pictures. We felt like we were in a photo shoot. Sara from Ottawa who was volunteering here at the time is also in the picture

You never know who will pull into the driveway. A group of 10 cyclists met up in Moncton and are now touring the Maritimes. They are camping along the way, as you can see from all the stuff they are hauling. They stopped in to buy soap and cream for their mosquito bites. Bowan from Ontario, Camille from Quebec, Miori from Quebec, Eve from Quebec, Ralaelle from Quebec, David from Massachusetts, Mireille from Quebec, and Genevive from Quebec.