Please don't shoot the blogger. She is doing the best she can.

I promised myself that in the new year I would begin blogging. Today is January 14 and my mind is still blank. Why won't the words come? Am I trying to hard? Surely I can come up with something. I am never at a loss for words when it comes to talking but putting into print just feels different to me it's like exposing myself to the world but I am willing to give it a try, so here it is.

On Tuesday January 12, 2010 there were two events making headlines. The World News was focusing on the earthquake in Haiti, while the Sports Media was focusing on the abrupt departure of the University of Tennessee football coach Lane Kiffin, after only fourteen months on the job. He left to take a job at USC where he had coached previously. This sudden departure left the university, the fans, the football players, the new recruits along with the whole city feeling betrayed. There were riot like demonstrations by students on campus. Social Networking such as face book and twitter were flooded with people voicing there hateful and mean comments. I need to say here that I was one of them. I was caught up in the frenzy of the moment. I had forgotten that there was another news story that day....Haiti...oh yes, Haiti in the city of Port-au- Prince where the earthquake has devastated the city and left thousands upon thousands wounded and dead. Families separated and homes destroyed. How could I forget so quickly?

Yes there were two news stories that day. One we will move on from and it will all work out. the other will not be so easy. The devastation is so monumental that it will be felt across the globe for a very long time. So I ask myself, can I do anything to change this? Maybe not but I am going to put my efforts into the news story that has changed Haiti.
Evelyn Miller

The title of this post is taken from a quote by Oscar Wilde

Lovely Lavender

I have always loved the smell of Lavender. From the very first time that my mom pulled me close to give me a hug and smelling that sweet fragrance that was her Lavender body power until today it is still my favorite fragrance. I really never knew that much about the versatility of Lavender until we started our candle and bath & body business and I started to research the benefits of natural herbs.
The ancient Greeks called the lavender herb nardus, after the Syrian city of Naarda. It was also commonly called nard.
Lavender was one of the holy herbs used in the biblical Temple to prepare the holy essence, and Nard is mentioned in the Song of Solomon (4,14) .During Roman times, flowers were sold for 100 denarii per pound, which was about the same as a month's wages for a farm labourer. Lavender was commonly used in Roman baths to scent the water, and it was thought to restore the skin. The oil from Lavender may be used externally or topically for a wide variety of ailments. Lavender is frequently used in by Aroma therapists as a inhalation therapy to help with nervous disorders and exhaustion.
Culinary use of Lavender
Chefs in and around Provence, France have been incorporating this herb into their cuisine for centuries, either alone or as an ingredient of heres de Provence,. I love this blend and I buy it from William Sonoma. Lavender lends a floral, slightly sweet, and elegant flavour to most dishes, and pairs beautifully with various sheep's and goat's milk cheeses. Personally I find that Lavender is most akin to rosemary and I use it as a rub on my roast, chicken, and even fish.
I want to leave you with a recipes that I love. I will post more later.
Lavender Tea Cakes (a classic butter cookie perfumed with Lavender)
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
2 sticks (1 cup ) unsalted butter softened
1 cup DayBreak Farm Lavender Sugar.
1 large egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
Into a bowl sift together flour, salt,and baking powder. In a large bowl with an electric mixer beat butter until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until mixture is light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla and beat until combined well. Gradually add flour mixture, beating until mixture just forms a dough. Divide dough between two sheets of wax paper and form each half into a 10-x1 1/2 incg log, wrapping it in wax papper. Chill logs until firm, at least 4 hours, and up to 5 days. Dough may be frozen, wrapped in foil, 2 months. Let dough soften slightly before cutting. Preheat oven to 375 and lightly butter a baking sheet. Cut dough into 1/8 -inch -thick slices and arrange slices about 1/2 inch apart on baking sheet. Bake cookies in batches in middle of oven until golden around edges. 10 to 12 minutes, and transfer with a metal spatula to a rack to cool. Cookies may be kept in an airtight container at room tempture for 5 days.
Stay tuned to the Goode News Blog for more updates on the uses for Lavender.

Honeysuckle's and Hummingbirds

Topping the list of all the things I love, besides the aroma of a good cup of coffee, topping the list is the sweet smell of honeysuckle. And to watch a hummingbird hovering to drink the honey nectar from the flower. The fragrance of honeysuckle takes me back to summertime's now long gone before air conditioners and T V. As a young girl I remember the fragrance of honeysuckle consuming the night air as we sat on the porch and indulged ourselves in the sweetness. And by day we would pick the flowers and consume that one drop of liquid candy that was the nectar in each honeysuckle flower. I remember my brothers teaching me how to pick the flower and then carefully pull on the end of the flower and a string would show up and you would gently pull it down the center of the flower and then put that one drop of sweetness in your mouth and indulge.
Suburban sprawl has taken away most of our wild honeysuckles. I still have some in my yard but I know a lot of people that don't. So I invite those of you who don't to try our Honeysuckle Fragrance Soy Candle to bring summer into your home and enjoy the smell of summer all year long. Just go to our website at http://www.goodescents.com/ to find an array of of natural soy products.
Evelyn & Debbie

Real Men Wear Old Spice

I remember Christmas Morning as a child and my dad opening the red box that contained the white bottle with the blue ship on it that was Old Spice. We all sat and watched as he opened it because we knew this was his favorite. I grew up with the aroma of Old Spice. My dad, my brothers, my uncles, all wore Old Spice and I wasn't aware that any man wore anything else.

Then came all the signature fragrances but nothing ever aroused my senses like a man wearing Old Spice.

Now I find that Old Spice is the official deodorant and body wash of NASCAR and racing champ Tony Stewart just when I thought that men didn't know a Real Man's Fragrance.

Every time Tony wins a NASCAR Sprint Cup Series or NASCAR Nationwide Series race during the 2009 season, he'll autograph the towel he wears in Victory Lane and turn it over to Old Spice to acution off to a lucky fan.

We understand that 100% of the proceeds will benefit the Tony Stewart Foundation.

Because we at Goode Scents want every man we know to have the Old Spice experience we have created a fragrance similar to Old Spice that will give you the ultimate feeling of manhood.

Named for my father and Debbie's grandfather "Ben Cates" who used nothing but Old Spice. We offer "Ben Cates "body wash and "Ben Cates" soaps. Our body wash is rich in Aloa Vera and our soaps are enriched with oatmeal which is very moisturizing and great for dry skin.

Whether you buy from us at Goode Scents or direct from Old Spice we are so happy to see a resurgance of a Real Mans Fragrance.

Evelyn & Debbie