The month of November is set apart as a season of thankfulness, culminating on the fourth Thursday with a day of feasting and football, turkey and tackles, pumpkin pie and parades, family and friends. Our Thanksgiving tradition has deep roots. In 1789, George Washington, the first president of the new United States, declared November 26 "as a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God." (source)  

Over 100 years earlier, the Pilgrims who had fled religious persecution in England came to the New World and established Plymouth Colony. Despite harsh living conditions, sickness, and starvation, in 1621 there was an abundant harvest which the Pilgrims celebrated with many local Indians, giving thanks to God for His goodness to them. For three days they enjoyed a bountiful harvest feast, which included deer, water fowl, and wild turkeys.

This Thanksgiving Day many families will gather together to ask the Lord's blessing, to thank Him for His continued goodness and offer praise with thankful hearts to their Creator. I would invite my readers to cultivate an attitude of thankfulness every day of the year, to be mindful of the daily blessings that enrich our lives, and to recognize the true Giver of all good things.

Here are several of my favorite handmade finds which reflect the spirit of Thanksgiving. 
Quotes were found here.

These adorable salt and pepper shakers would be a charming addition to your Thanksgiving dinner table decor. 
Pumpkin pie is a traditional Thanksgiving Day treat.

"Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East and from West,
From North and from South comes the pilgrim and guest;
When the gray-haired New Englander sees round his board
The old broken links of affection restored;
When the care-wearied man seeks his mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the girl smiled before;
What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye,
What calls back the past, like the rich Pumpkin pie?"
                                          "The Pumpkin" by John Greenleaf Whittier  

Dress up your table with four quilted place mats depicting traditional Thanksgiving Day motifs of plump pumpkins, harvest fruits, and a tom turkey.

"May your stuffing be tasty
May your turkey plump,
May your potatoes and gravy
Have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious
And your pies take the prize,
And may your Thanksgiving dinner
Stay off your thighs!"
                                    ~Grandpa Jones

Keep your favorite Thanksgiving Day recipes handy in this little binder.

"But see, in our open clearings, how golden the melons lie;
Enrich them with sweets and spices, and give us the pumpkin-pie!"                                ~Margaret Junkin Preston

Another fun decoration, this felt turkey wears a Pilgrim's hat and reminds us to "Be Grateful."

"Thou hast given so much to me,
Give one thing more, — a grateful heart;
Not thankful when it pleaseth me,
As if Thy blessings had spare days,
But such a heart whose pulse may be Thy praise."
                                                                           ~George Herbert

A handmade card with a hand written note is often a wonderful surprise and is always appreciated.

"Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel."      ~Author Unknown

"Thanksgiving is the holiday of peace, the celebration of work and the simple life... a true folk-festival that speaks the poetry of the turn of the seasons, the beauty of seedtime and harvest, the ripe product of the year — and the deep, deep connection of all these things with God."
                                                                                                      ~Ray Stannard Baker (David Grayson)

This poem has been attributed to Ralph Waldo Emerson and is a fitting close to this Thanksgiving Day tribute. May God give us all truly thankful hearts.  
Happy Thanksgiving!


We Thank Thee

For flowers that bloom about our feet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For tender grass so fresh, so sweet,
Father, we thank Thee.
For the song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For blue of stream and blue of sky,
Father, we thank Thee.
For pleasant shade of branches high,
Father, we thank Thee.
For fragrant air and cooling breeze,
For beauty of the blooming trees,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

For this new morning with its light,
Father, we thank Thee.
For rest and shelter of the night,
Father, we thank Thee
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee.

What are you thankful for this Thanksgiving season?

With the holiday season soon upon us, I've been adding to my soap inventory. Most of my soap sales come before Christmas, and I want to have lots of wonderful choices for folks who like to give Ewes Soap as gifts. I usually make two batches at a time since it saves on the cleanup and doesn't really take that much longer. It does require focus, though. I have to be careful not to mix things up as I go along, so I've learned to measure the ingredients for only one batch at a time. Otherwise, I might have to develop spontaneous problem solving skills, which isn't a bad thing, but it can mess up my original plans!

Both these batches went smoothly, and I am happy with the results. They will need to cure a full month before they are ready to use. During this time the bars harden up. Both will be available in my shop after December 3rd, just in time for the holidays.

For this pretty soap I used one of my favorite recipes, which has a high percentage of olive oil. Olive oil is one of the top three vegetable oils used in soap making. It's readily available and produces a gentle, mild bar of soap with creamy lather. This bar also includes coconut oil, the second primary oil used in soap making, which adds more bubble power. I also add castor oil for its moisture drawing qualities, plus it contributes stability and creaminess to the lather. Natural cocoa butter is a luxury ingredient which has special conditioning properties and adds hardness to the bar. I added dried strawberry seeds for a gentle scrubby texture. Scented with a berry type fragrance and topped with a dollop of creamy white over a layer of pink, Spaberry Ewes Soap is a berry delicious delight!

Although this soap includes the same oils and butter, the percentages are quite different. The olive oil is lower and the coconut, castor, and cocoa butter are higher. I added kaolin clay, too. Pineapple Cilantro Ewes Soap is formulated to be a great soap for shaving, with a dense creamy lather and a nice slip. I used the colors of a pineapple - green yellow, and brown - and attempted to imitate the characteristic texture of a pineapple. The yummy fragrance is sweet pineapple toned down with a hint of herbal cilantro. I made this soap in my slab mold which yields 12 - 4 oz bars.

After the soaps are unmolded and cut, I put them on racks on top of my refrigerator for a few days. Then I photograph them and transfer them to a large baking rack in the hallway outside my bedroom. I love catching a whiff of all the wonderful scents whenever I pass by. After the month's cure, I make labels, wrap the soap bars, take more photos, and list them in my shop. There the soaps wait until someone else takes them home. 

Folks often ask me which is my favorite Ewes Soap. I honestly like them all and look forward to trying new ones in the shower each month. After all, variety is the lather of life!

What is your favorite soap scent?