Kia o' Kia

Snuggle all weekend was the plan. Which we've been doing successfully. A pile of movies each day, picking away at our time with no problems. Then today arrives. The day after Christmas and the SAVE 50% at the craft store flier breaks our resolve. You have to know that once you drive a vehicle over the 100,000 mark that things are going to start happening and with as many road trips that we take and our yearly drives to Maine... well we should have never left the house. We had an obligation to snuggle and snack. Kia over heated and seized up causing five passer byes to stop and ask if we needed help. No, thanks though, the tow truck is on the way brrrrrrr. So I called my brother and he picked us up and we left our road companion on the side of the road and in the hands of the tow driving stranger. Kia was left behind in sorrow and is now alone in a yard to be serviced on Monday. Kia o" Kia we will not let you down and will have you better don't you worry. So Wynn and I are back on the couch. Snacks and movies looking at us like idiots for ever leaving. Why leave a world of make believe and salty, crunchy goodness? Why leave our chilled bottles of wine. We learned our lesson. So for now, we're back in our world of make believe, drinking wine, eating snacks, watching 500 Days of Summer and trying to forget the inevitable financial burden that awaits us on Monday. Learn, laugh, love, pay your taxes, and wish everyone would actually pay you on time. Fret Fret Fret:)

Cause and Effect of Staying Up Until 4:00 Before Holiday

This explains sleeping all day after not being able to sleep until 4:00am and then deciding to take sleeping pills in panic. I slept almost all day off and on with the constant delay of opening gifts to delay the days passing. We finalized the day with watching Sherlock Holmes which is a spectacular film.

What a great Christmas Dinner! I think the fancy dancy term is Cornish Hens (2) Then Rutabaga mixed with mashed potatoes. Corn on the cob with Parsley leaf and lots of butter. I will tell you though is that Wynn really surprised me with her salad replacement. Half a pear with the center dished out. Crumbled Amish Blue Cheese with Balsamic dressing is place in your make shift pear type bowl. Wow! I can tell you I was very quite and Wynn might as well have been poking me in the fore head to get an answer out of me but it was magical. A definite must try as it looks way opposite as it taste and will throw your guest way off from fantastic.
As you can see the combination looks pleasing to the pallet.

Becoming Funktional

One thing to remember in which we barely follow is to take time out to be together. Two full time jobs, four sons, family that pays attention and family that doesn't. It gets to the point where we have to see an opening coming and not miss the opportunity to take a break. I wanted to do something special for Wynn for our anniversary. Believe me though I am terrible at remembering to buy gifts. Truthfully gift giving is not best for me. I would rather give my time and energy to someone than to buy something. So I decided we should go to Tehquamenon Falls the day of. The kicker is that it is 6 hours away! We just did it and only spent 2 hours max there and then drove back. Wow! I tell you what though it was worth it. Getting out of the apartment away from everything and just being ourselves.

Wrapping Up the Holiday Season

Well another year has gone although it has been our first one. Things came together for our Holiday packages. We have sold many more of these than expected. Shaving Brushes have become an issue as our vendor has sold out. Looking into 2010 we are going to make many structural changes to get us more organized. I am going to build a much larger shelving unit to help us hold a large assortment of cold process soaps. Addition of an assortment of drink themed soaps. I am excited to add dead sea mud to the line. Mud is great and have used it many times. Mineral make up will be added along with a line of whipped soaps. Items to be removed possibly could be bath bombs, flower waters, dead sea salts as they are time consuming and take us off focus from soaps.
Looking forward to the new year as 2009 has been a learning experience and alot of fun too:)

Knowing When to Ask For Help

Well like most of us men I like to think of myself as invincible. Wrong! We are working day and night at funktional to get orders out. I had another spinal surgery last Wednesday and left the hospital Saturday. So my advice to men and women out there if your brain tells you that dohichey looks heavy GET HELP! My whole family put up with me cranky, endless pain, lots of medication, loss of work and forgetting what is what for two months before I was able to have surgery again.

So tomorrow the shop will be put on vacation for the week to allow everyone to recover. 

Funktional is alive and well so make your lists. When we open back up shipping dates will be tight in December. We have been warned that there are cut backs at the postal service even more during the holidays. 

Anyways stay healthy, love your family, and then take care of business with the customers coming first. I would like to get a picture of my second set of stiches to post on here they are about 6 inches up my back. The first was only three inches:) I'm sure it would have grossed wynn out and she would have said to take it of the blog:)

Drew

Essential Oils - Setting Your Mood

With Funktional Spa Wynn and I are always mixing, creating and combining scents. Tonight I thought it might be a good idea to touch on the benefits of essential oils for your mood. Specific scents are helpful for different issues; someone who is dealing with depression may need an energizing aroma while an anxious person would benefit from more calming, soothing smells. In some cases, certain scents are indicated for multiple conditions. If you're ever in need of a specific scent added to a soap, salve or solid perfume etc. let us know. We are always here to help.

Essential Oils for Anxiety/Stress:
• Bergamot: Fresh scent with a mix of citrus and floral notes
• Lavender: Fresh sweet and floral scent.
• Patchouli: Pungent and rich woody smell.
• Ylang Ylang: A mixture of floral, sweet, and fruity notes.
• Jasmine: A warm and exotic floral.
• Juniper Berry: Pungent sweet, crisp smell with fruity hints.
• Geranium: Fresh floral scent with sweet and fruity notes.
• Chamomile: Sweet and fruity.
• Clary Sage: Pungent earthy scent with a slight fruitiness.

Essential Oils for Depression:
• Clary Sage: Pungent earthy scent with a slight fruitiness.
• Lavender: Fresh sweet and floral scent.
• Ylang Ylang: A mixture of floral, sweet, and fruity notes.
• Chamomile: Sweet and fruity.
• Frankincense: Fresh and woody with a slightly spicy, fruity note.
• Sandalwood: Rich and sweet with a mixture of woody & floral notes.
• Marjoram: Slightly medicinal yet sweet and woody.

Essential Oils for Sleep Difficulty:
• Chamomile: Sweet and fruity.
• Lavender: Fresh sweet and floral scent.
• Patchouli: Pungent and rich woody smell.
• Lemon Balm: Citrusy and fresh.
• Neroli: Exotic blend of citrus, floral, and sweet notes.
• Sandalwood: Rich & sweet with a mixture of woody & floral notes.
• Ylang Ylang: A mixture of floral, sweet, and fruity notes.

Essential Oils for Mental Clarity
and Concentration:
• Bergamot: Fresh scent with a mix of citrus and floral notes
• Peppermint: Strong minty smell.
• Grapefruit: Citrusy and fresh with a slight hint of bitter.
• Lemon: Light, citrus scent.
• Basil: Sweet with a slightly medicinal smell.

About My Super Hero Wife and Her Talent

Really a man has very basic primal needs in life. Food, Water, Movements of the bodily kind, Sex, and food (Did I say food?). During my travels I decided that a brilliant kick ass partner in life is what I really needed. That is when Wynn, Creative Genius #1, super hero to many, came into my life.

As you see in the attached photo she has a very creative eye and this billboard has won her national attention. I scan through her work on a weekly basis and it continues to amaze me even to this day. To most a billboard is just a billboard. Is anything ever really that simple? Not in the world of advertising and most definitely not in the world of Wynn. Be warned! Drive by her billboards with care or those seven worded wonders may cause your neck to twist and pop off your head while driving down the highway at 70 miles an hour.

Eco-Clean Laundry Ball Product Review - Passes the Funktional Spa Test

I recently heard from an old classmate and after catching up she introduced me to the latest and greatest of "Green" products. This product is a partial replacement for laundry detergent. This made me perk up and listen a little more intently. I have issues with oridinary landry detergents. I am allergic to bleach, various brands of laundry detergent and have seen various doctors about embarrassing rashes that have all gone full circle and pointed an angry finger at the detergent industry. There's just so many times a man can endure this kind of pain and humiliation. On top of my personal woes, lets face it, the planet isn't getting any younger.

Also, anyone that knows me is wondering why I haven't mentioned the cost by now. I'm getting to it, I'm getting to it. We all know that laundry detergent isn't cheap but it's a necessary evil. The Eco-Clean Laundry Ball cost around $38. If you are a penny pinching scrouge like me you probably have stopped reading. Don't do it! You should keep reading. It might save the world, at the very least, it will make your skin breath easier and yes, it will even save you money. The Eco-Clean Laundry Ball will last you up to 1,000 washes! That's over two years worth of laundry. Now you're wondering if it works and if this is too good to be true. That's why I'm here, to report on this little miracle ball. And nope, I'm not selling anything, I'm just reviewing a product.

Wynn and I have used the Eco-Clean Laundry Ball for a few weeks now and love it! As a matter of a fact we bought my mother one for her birthday and she has been equally impressed. If we have a load that is heavily soiled we'll add 1/4 cap of detergent but other then that no detergent is needed.

How does it work? Here's what the Smart Product guide has to say:
Thanks to the friction of its ceramic pearls during the washing cycle, the Eco-Clean Laundry Ball reinforces the cleansing properties of water and softens the fabric to amke impurities easier to remove. It protects the laundry against oxidation, preserves its colors and enhances the suppleness and softness of fabrics. The laundry ball can be used alone for everyday washing.

How awesome is that?!?!
If you're interested in the product email me at funktional@live.com

Hunter's Soap

I really get a kick out of this soap. Wynn and I smelled the scent of fresh earth with amazement. It really smells like clean soil. I mixed it in our hot process soap. Our thought are that it will make a great gift for a birthday or any holiday for that special hunter in someone's life.
We wanted something that would aid in the camoflage of normal human scent. With some research we found this mix. Truelly it has not been tested by us in preventing that monster buck from smelling us.
Wynn also made labels for our Ole as Dirt Soap which would make a funny birthday gift. I am not sure what it is about giving soap to someone as a gift. Everyone takes a bath I guess and a little fun added to a natural as possible product makes it even better.
I am interested in our Chinese Anise scent which is key for fisherman. Anyways as we were cooking up the soap and I added the earth scent in it was obvious to be a hit. Hopefully it will be as big a success as the gin and tonic and mojito soaps.

Raindropgifts

I am really excited to be a part of raindropgifts. 20% of each sale goes towards the charity. If someone is interested in participating it is very easy to do. Currently funktionalspa.etsy.com has been the best for us. Although it is exciting to see us somewhere else. One of the things that frustrates me the most about selling online is figuring out shipping. It pays to research what usps charges for each of their boxes. They often have two boxes exactly the same although one may be of regular post (more cost) the other priority. I will give more tips later.

Great Customers

"What an amazing soap! Makes you feel fresh and so clean, CLEAN! haha. Okay yeah, I couldn't resist. One of my favorites! :D"

It is feedback such as this that make all of the hard work worth it:)

The tea tree is really one of our first soaps we wanted to get out there. I use to have alot of acne as a teenager and it was sooo embarrassing for me. Our sons (four strapping young punks) are coming of age and need the help of the anti-bacterial affects of the tea tree. What tops it off is the goats milk soap with a creamy lather. 

Monster Eyeball

Well I have had this monster vision in my mind for months. Last night it came to me and I worked on this wonder until 4 am! 9/5/09
I wanted something that would gradually wear away from each layer keeping the eyeball effect for as long as possible. Paint wasn't an option since the outer layer would soon fade away. I started with a black ball of goats milk soap, suspended it in a white goats milk sphere and then proceeded to do the same with a neon green glycerin layer. I ended up with over 9 ounces of Monster Eye greatness! So as you wash the green layer will turn to white, then the white to black. Pretty kickin' right?! Woot! Come on Halloween, we're ready for ya!

P.S.
Now I have to accomplish a smaller weighing eye. I'll keep you posted.