Lady in Waiting by Susan Meissner

I'm a huge fan of historical fiction so I was immediately drawn to this book. My obsession with this genre began with a trip to the thrift store. I was browsing the books and came across "The Other Boleyn Girl" by Philippa Gregory. I recognized the title since it had recently been made into a movie so I bought it...and LOVED it! Within the next few months I acquired the rest of the Tudor series by Philippa Gregory and all of the ones I read so far are amazing. When I received "Lady in Waiting" I had no idea it would tie in with those books.

"Lady in Waiting" is two stories in one. The first story is about Jane Lindsay, modern day New Yorker whose husband of 22 years recently walked out on her. She runs an antique store and one day finds an old ring stuffed into the binding of a book. The ring is inscribed in Latin with the only recognizable word being "Jane". She instantly feels a bond with this ring and its owner and tried to find out more about it. Along the way she discovers more about herself and how to deal with her marrital problems.

Story two takes place in sixteenth century England right after the death of Queen Katherine, Henry VIII's sixth wife (this is where it ties in with the Tudor series). It's about Lady Jane Grey who would eventually reign as Queen of England for a total of nine days.

The story revolves around the decisions that both women have made (or that others have made for them) and how they affected their lives.

I give this story two thumbs up! You can download and read the first 4 chapters of this book on the WaterBrook Multnomah website.

As a reminder, I was given this book for free from the WaterBrook Multnomah "Blogging for Books" program. All opinions are my own.

A few of my favorite things

A few of my favorite necklaces:

Sorry about the small pic on this one. I can't figure out how to make it larger.
This beautiful necklace is by Bella Mei Designs. I met the owner at a craft show back in December. Actually, she walked past me wearing this necklace and I followed her back to her booth to purchase it.


This lovely piece is by Vixen's Natural Jewelry. I now own two of her necklaces and I just noticed she added a purple one to her line!


This gorgeous work of art is by 3Dots. Unfortunately, I don't own this one (it sold out before I got to it) but I have my eye on a few other items in her shop as well.

Whipped Shea Butter

I love whipped shea butter...the creamy frosting-like texture, the way it melts right into your skin. I've been wanting to make some for ages and finally got around to it. This is a picture of my first batch:


There are many tips and tricks on the internet about making whipped shea butter but I learned the hard way that softening the shea butter instead of melting it, doesn't work. It turned out all gritty.

What *does* work? First off, I melted the shea butter completely. After melting I added my oil, cornstarch (to reduce greasiness) and fragrance. Then I alternated between beating it with a hand mixer (with my pyrex bowl placed on top of a larger bowl of ice), and putting it in the freezer for 5-10 minute intervals. Voila!

Not only is shea butter good for your skin but it does wonders for hair as well! I've read about the benefits of using it on naturally curly but was always afraid to try it. I thought it would make my hair greasy. Not at all! No grease, no stiffness, and best of all...no frizz!

Here's a picture of my hair after using the shea butter. I put a bit on my damp hair after my shower (no other product) and blow dried a bit and let it air dry the rest of the way. I should take a "before" picture of what my hair looks like without any product in it, but I'd rather not have anyone see me like that. It's scary!

My Newest Toy

I've been wanting one of these for ages so I couldn't resist when I saw it at 40% off! I've already used it to make some of my Christmas tags and I plan on making some fancy ones to add to my etsy shop for next holiday season.

Anybody else treat themselves to a new toy recently? I'd love to hear about it!

Book Review - The Charlatan's Boy

I love to read. What I love even more is receiving books for free. I found this great program called "Blogging for Books" which gives away free books in exchange for a blog review. My first thought was "What's the catch?". Well, I haven't found one! No credit card required, no trial offers to sign up for, and I received my first book within a few days of requesting it.

The book I chose is "The Charlatan's Boy" by Jonathan Rogers. From the book cover:


"As far back as he can remember, the orphan Grady has tramped from village to village with a huckster named Floyd, pulling a variety of hoaxes and flimflams on the good citizens of the Corenwald frontier. It's a hard way to make a living, made harder by the memory of fatter times when audiences thronged to see Grady perform as "The Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp." But what can they do? No one believes in feechies anymore.

Unless Floyd and Grady can make them believe.

Armed with the tricks of their trade, the charlatan and his boy set out to create another Great Feechie Scare, which Floyd swears will make them rich. But while Grady longs for the days when he played the feechie, he can't stop wondering if, after a life of lies, he'll ever know who he really is."


This book is a young adult novel about a boy named Grady and his travelling companion, Floyd. Grady has no idea how or where Floyd found him or why Floyd kept him. He's tried to get the story out of Floyd but showmen aren't the best at telling the truth. The two of them travel Corenwald with their many get rich quick schemes such as "The Ugliest Boy in the World", a short time as phrenologists, and of course their famous "Wild Man of the Feechiefen Swamp" act. Grady loved the feechie act and was thrilled when their Great Feechie Scare seemed to be working. All the while, he continued to wonder where he came from and scour the villages for someone as ugly as him who could possibly be his mother. Grady finally gets the answers to his questions in a completely unexpected ending.

"The Charlatan's Boy" is available through most major retailers with an MSRP of $13.99.

Black Friday - Cyber Monday Sale!

Now's the time to stock up! Whether it's for gifts or to pamper yourself, this weekend is the perfect opportunity to save some money on bath and body products. All items in my etsy shop (http://SudsNSuch.etsy.com) are 25% off with coupon code "Holiday2010". Coupon is valid from now through 11/29/10.

Happy Holidays!

Craft Show Set-Up

Someone just emailed me a picture of my table set-up from the 2009 Gar-Field Craft Show:

I plan to add a lot more to my table this year. It looks very "boring" to me. I think I need some different things on the top row instead of everything being the same height. I'm thinking a cake stand with cupcake soaps on it and a few other nice displays. I didn't have my scrubs and perfumes for that show either.

2010 Show Schedule

Angie's Suds 'N Such will be at the following events this year:

September 26 from 11am to 4pm
Bow Wow and Meow SPCA Fundraising Event
Riverfront Park, Pottstown, PA

October 23 from 10am to 3pm
Charles Wesley United Methodist Church Oktoberfest Craft Fair
6817 Dean Drive, McLean, VA

November 13 from 9am to 3pm
Centreville United Methodist Church Craft Fair and Holiday Bazaar
6400 Old Centreville Rd, Centreville, VA

December 11 from 9am to 3pm (application pending)
Gar-Field High School Orchestra Boosters Holiday Craft Show
14000 Smoketown Road, Woodbridge, VA

If you're in the area, please stop by!

New Labels!

I finally got around to ordering new labels for my soaps. Now they have my logo so they match everything else in my shop. Aren't they great?! I got them from Jennifer over at MyPaperCrafts. She's the greatest!

Suds is Turning Three!

July 26th is my 3 year Etsy-versary! Come celebrate all month long with great specials in my shop. Current special is Buy 2 Get 1 Free on everything!!