Tuesday Spotlight: The Kid's Collection

Welcome to the Tuesday Spotlight, dear reader. Our soap family voted on this week's special, and our kid-inspired collection won. This week, everything that makes bath time fun is on sale. This week's special includes Cotton Candy, Duck Fart, Fairytale, Toasted Marshmallow, and the one and only Mean One. Stuff those stockings with helpful, healthful, and fun kid-inspired soaps and moisturizers.

We use our favorite soap recipe to create bath soaps that are fun, whimsical, and scented to impress even the most discerning children. Our soaps are made with skin-loving goat's milk, moisture-rich oils, and clean, chemical-free scents. Bathtime can be filled with good, clean fun. If you have a reluctant bather, adding fun soaps that smell great can entice even the most bath-resistant child to jump in the tub.

Just because kids inspire our soaps doesn't mean there is an age limit for who can enjoy them. Kids of all ages can enjoy and benefit from our soaps created with joy and love. So, whether you are eight or eighty, make bathtime fun. Each of our soaps comes individually wrapped in glassine bags and sealed with a fun-themed sticker, so you have one less stocking stuffer to wrap.

No promo code is needed to save 25% on all our kid-themed soaps and moisturizers. The savings will be applied at checkout. As always, orders of fifty dollars or more (after the discount has been applied) ship for free. Now is a great time to stock up on stocking stuffers and favorite scents or try something new. We continue to ship six days a week. Most orders ship out on the day the order is placed, if it is before noon. Below are the shipping deadlines posted by USPS. You still have time to order before the big day. However, please remember we have no control over what happens once your order leaves our studio. We do not offer express shipping.

USPS Ground Advantage service (2-5 business days): Dec. 18. First-Class Mail service (1–5 business days): Dec. 18. Priority Mail service (1-3 business days): Dec. 19. Priority Mail Express service (1-2 day delivery): Dec. 21.

On this warm but overcast December day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, stuff those stockings, and keep washing your hands.

A Good Weekend

Happy Monday, dear reader. I hope you had a weekend filled with everything you needed, whether it was peace and relaxation or the energy to engage in fun-filled festive activities. This weekend was the kind of weekend I find overwhelming. Saturday was an over-scheduled day filled with juggling five different commitments. As my daughter grows older, her list of activities and obligations complicates my schedule. I love to see her become involved in projects she is passionate about. However, our busy schedules don't always allow me to be as present as I would like.

The Bean was participating in a play for Santa's Breakfast hosted by our school district on Saturday. Although her role was the narrator, and she convinced me I was not missing out on a Grammy-worthy performance on her part, I felt terrible about not being able to attend. She went to her play, and The Bibbed Wonder and I went to Lone Oak Farm to take part in their Merry Local Christmas event. We enjoy this annual event because it is filled with many of our vendor friends and supports dozens of small local businesses. Our friend, Jenna, was also out and about representing The Smiling Goat Soap Company on Saturday.

Jenna attended the Indiana County Faire's holiday event at the S & T Arena. My funny and outgoing friend dressed in her Buddy the Elf costume and represented us in a festive holiday fashion. I admire Jenna's outgoing personality and winning sense of humor. She also makes an impressive and hilarious Buddy the Elf. Next holiday season, I think we need to create a photo booth with an Elf-themed backdrop that reads: Jenna the Elf, What's Your Favorite Soap? I would be thrilled to have my photo taken with Jenna dressed as Buddy.

While The Bibbed Wonder and Jenna continued representing The Smiling Goat Soap Company at these fantastic local events, I had to duck out for a more somber occasion. On November 5, a friend and former classmate passed away, and I wanted to pay my respects to her family and attend her celebration of life. Although we were not close friends in high school, we reconnected over the past few years and found friendship. My friend Janeen was a bright light. Her smile was one of the most beautiful smiles I have seen. Janeen could be fiery and feisty, but she was also so brilliant and kind. She was a tremendous advocate for adopting and rehabilitating rescue dogs. While her rescue dogs were her passion, her extensive work in laboratories helped infertile couples, and she helped the medical community to understand Covid-19 better. We talked extensively, often having conversations that lasted four to five hours. I am so happy I could connect with her, but I am sad this opportunity ended so quickly. The world is a little less bright without Janeen.

After the memorial, I had to rush home to attend another annual event we look forward to: our friend Jamie's Christmas party. Jamie and Eric were friends in elementary school and reconnected a few years ago. We joyfully anticipate Jamie's party. Jamie invites the same families year after year, and Eric and I now look forward to seeing them, as well as Jamie and her family. It is not a wild and crazy party. Instead, it is a collection of friends who sit around talking about what happened in the past year, and we play a card game. This year, the game of choice was Cards Against Humanity. Oy! is all I can say about that. It's a good thing the little kids enjoy playing in another room, and the teens are too involved in their devices to care what the "old heads" are up to. Although wildly inappropriate, it was hilarious and fun.

Despite the hustle of five different events happening at once, I enjoyed myself immensely at Lone Oak and Jamies. Although paying my respects to my friend and honoring her life filled my day with sadness, I was happy to do so. As we approach the holiday, I appreciate the little moments just a bit more. It's the connections that truly matter, which is what I appreciate about the holiday season. Whether connecting with my soap family at local events, attending a party filled with new friends, or paying respects to old ones, I realize the human connection makes the holidays special.

I hope, dear reader, that you, too, have an opportunity to make important connections and realize just how special they are. On this warm but rainy December day, stay safe, be smart, and be sure to connect this holiday season. Appreciate those who brighten your world, and keep washing your hands.

Foodie Friday: Mini Cheesecakes

Welcome to the first Friday of December, dear reader. As promised, I will share cookie recipes with you in December. This week, I would like to share my family's recipe for mini cheesecakes. When I was growing up, these cheesecakes were a staple of our holiday cookie trays. These were always the first cookies to disappear from holiday gatherings. My mom always topped them with canned cherry pie filling. However, they would also be delicious with fresh berries, whipped cream, or caramel sauce. The possibilities are endless and are only limited to your imagination.

These tiny bites of deliciousness make an impressive presentation on any holiday table or buffet. Despite their impressive appearance, they are quite simple to make and require only a few ingredients. I usually double or even triple this recipe for the holidays. The cookies freeze well; just don't put any topping on them. I like to use festive holiday miniature cupcake wrappers or simple silver or gold metallic ones. If you don't know the color scheme of your table, the metallic go with almost any theme.

This recipe is easy to prepare quickly. I usually make it in the evening, allow it to cool overnight, and then freeze it in a large, flat, freezer-safe container the next morning. On the day of my gathering, I remove the cookies from the freezer in the morning, and they are thawed and ready to be topped in a few hours. The miniature size makes them perfect for cookie trays or as a bite-size dessert at a potluck. They are always a crowd pleaser.

Mini Cheesecakes

Ingredients:

16 ounces cream cheese, softened

¾ cup granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

24 Nilla Wafer Cookies

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a large bowl, beat 16 ounces of cream cheese and 3/4 cup of granulated sugar. Then, mix 2 eggs (one at a time) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.

Fill a standard muffin pan with cupcake liners and place two vanilla wafers at the bottom of each one. Alternatively, you can use a silicone muffin pan if you prefer not to have liners. Divide the batter between 12 liners, filling each cup to about 1/4 inch from the top.

Bake for 15-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from oven and let them cool completely. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or until firm.

Once chilled, add your favorite toppings before serving.

On this overcast and chilly December Friday, stay safe, be smart, keep warm, enjoy delicious, homemade cookies this holiday season, and, of course, keep washing your hands.