Friday, February 28, 2014

Plowing for the first time!

Well it's about that time of the year so I thought I would throw a yarn your way about when I lived on the farm in south Georgia and how as a little fellow my Great grandfather instructed me for the first time on how to properly plow the field using a mule.

We always broke the ground beginning in the middle of February up into March so that we could plant seeds on March 20th. This planting time was a family tradition that had been going on for more years than I could count. It didn't matter if there was still snow on the ground, raining like cats and dogs or so hot you would scorch your tongue if you yawned. Them seeds was agoing into the ground and that was final.

Let me give you fine folks a little background of my childhood so you can get an idea of how we did things on our farm. I lived with 11 elders and 9 other children. We had a huge two story house that my great grandfather, great uncles and grandfather hand built. We were poor and proud to be so. We ate what we grew.

So back to this learning how to break ground with a plow and a mule. I could write an entire novel on the temperament of mules, but ain't got that much room now. But, I'm telling you, mules have their own ways about them and there ain't one that is the same. Well I take that back, all of them have a few things in common, they are lazy if you allow them to do so and they love to either kick the stuffing's out of you or take a bite where ever they can clamp onto you.

It was my day to first learn the art of plowing this early morning of mid February and Papa had harnessed one of our mules named Pete. Folks what ever you might do in life from this moment forward, never name nutton Pete. If you do, you are surely gonna regret it. Well Pete was about 17 hands high, which was large for a mule and as black as a lump of coal. He had one eye that would just wonder around when he was looking, I never did figure if he was doing that on purpose or not. All us kids use to sit in the barn watching Pete and trying to make one of our own eyes wonder around, but none of us was ever able to master that fine eye workmanship like Pete. I tell you, the things us kids use to do before the video games were invented.

Sorry about that, getting off track of the learning how to plow. Well Papa instructed me on how to hold the plow upright by the handles and how to hold the reins in one hand. Then he taught me mule language. You heard correctly, there is a certain way you must speak to a mule to get him to do your biddings. Depending on who raised the mule will depend on the language he knows. In fact, when buying a mule, one of the last things you must learn is what language the mule understands.

Well Pete language for move forward was "Get Up yar." If you wanted him to stop it was "Whoa Yer." Well I was mighty pleased with myself, I had learned a whole new language in just a few minutes. Papa went on to instruct me on how never to allow the plow dig to deep into the ground or you could break the blade. This teaching went on until daybreak which once there was the gray of dawn upon us, it was time to start breaking ground.

By the order of Papa I for the first time used my new found language and proudly stated, "Get Up yar!" Proud couldn't even start to explain how I was feeling. I was gonna do what the elders did and that was plow the field. Only us grown up did that kind of chore. Well my pride and anticipation was shattered right after I ordered Pete to move out. Reason is because he looked back at me with that wondering eye and didn't move a inch.

Well what's a fellow to do in a situation like this? I did the only thing a body can do and that was, "Get Up yar" again and nutton. Papa chewed a bit on his chaw of Day's Work plug tobacco and after spitting said, "Sha boy, y'all just stand right there until I get back. don't try to get Pete amoving, he ain't gonna do nutton no-how." With that Papa left the field and headed for the barn.

I'm reckoning it was 5 or so minutes when Papa returned. He was aholding a long pole that to me looked like a fishing cane pole. I watched as he threaded the end of the long pole into a loop in the right side of the shoulder strap on Pete that I had just noticed being there for the first time and he kept feeding the end of the pole toward me where there was another leather loop located on the right side of the hip strap on Pete. I couldn't figure out what in this world Papa was about with that pole. In fact, I had never even noticed the leather loops, much less aknowing what their purpose was for. After he had finished feeding the pole into the two loops he took a strand of rawhide and tied the pole firmly to the shoulder strap. Still scratching my head, I could now see that the other end of the pole was asticking out the front of the mules head about 2 or so feet.

Still not aknowing what all this was about, Papa turned his back toward me and said, "Now boy, when I finish up here, that mule is gonna plow as hard as he can and all day long. So, you be about getting yourself ready to hang on to the end of that plow!"

Why I couldn't have imagined what Papa was about and no way did I have a clue what was about to come. As I watched, Papa was humming quietly and was fumbling with something in his right coat pocket. I then watched as he removed a piece of rawhide from his coat pocket and tie the end to the end of the pole that was asticking out in front of Pete. He then turned toward me and said, "Alright boy, I'm about to take something out of my pocket and when I do, Old Pete is gonna start plowing his heart out. So you get ready!"

Folks I have watched scarey movies at the picture show and I wasn't as horrified as I was when I saw what Papa removed from his coat pocket. It was a fat juicy yellow ear of corn that now was a dangling in mid air by a piece of rawhide at the very end of that pole. Pete hadn't noticed no corn yet, he was still looking back at me with his wondering eye. But I'm here to tell all y'all that I knew it wouldn't be no time atall before Pete saw that ear of corn and then we would be quickly getting about business. Papa had moved back out of the way and wasn't saying a word, just watching to see what was about to come. Well folks it came!

Yes sir it surely came. When Pete turned to look at Papa who was now making clicking noises he spotted that big fat juicy yellow ear of corn. Now how in this world do I put what happen next into understanible words? One minute I was watching Papa and the mule and the next I watched Pete not just move forward for the ear of corn, he actually dove for it while dragging me and the plow along with him. There was no way I could keep that plow upright, I was holding on for dear life and was being drug behind it as Pete kept on diving and running for the ear of corn he couldn't catch!

I then heard Papa a yelling out, "Sha boy, get that plow upright, you can now get about plowing, Pete is moving right smartly now!" The only thing I could do was let go of the plow handle, get up and then run for the plow while yelling out, "Whoa yer, I said whoa yer!" This I did and after trying to keep up with Pete's lunging forward after the corn I finally got the plow upright and we were really braking ground! I can't rightly state that all was in a orderly fashion and in a straight line, but we were sorley tearing up some ground.

I reckon it took that poor mule 5 minutes to figure out that lunging, diving and running after that ear of corn wouldn't gonna work. So, Old Pete changed his stratady, he decided that he was now gonna sneek up on the corn. He would sloly move forward as if he didn't care if that lushous corn was abobbing up and down in front of him and then blam, he'd dive for it again dragging me and the plow with him. I swear folks, i do believe that within a half hour, Pete was able to drag me for over 5 acres of land!

I noticed from the corner of my eye that we had drawed somewhat a crowd on the dirt road beside the pasture. I didn't know who half the people were, but they sorely were getting their eyes full of my new way of plowing. Yes sir, I showed them how all you gotta do is hang on the plow handle, let the mule drag you all over the field and you were breaking ground for sure. This went on for about an hour and I finally just dropped. I heard Papa yelling for me to get up and grab the plow but there wasn't no way I could even move. The last I saw of Pete was he was still lunging and running and trying to sneek up on that corn at the other end of the land. My great aunt's came to the pasture and with their help got me back to the big hous. I was so tore up and dirty that they just poured a washtub of water over me. My pants and shirt were only shreds. Then I noticed that my skin was scraped up from head to toe. That's when Aunt Coreene came out with the house oil lamp and dabbed kerosine on all my scrapes. I remember Papa atelling 3 of my great uncles to go and fetch Pete and make sure he got that ear of corn on the end of that pole. He told them that if Pete didn't get that particular ear of corn, he would never try for another. Then Papa said to me, "Sha boy, we didn't do so good at the plowing today, but there's morning acoming and we gonna get her done then, yes sir, morning is acoming!"

I believe that is when I may have passed out and morning surely did come and that is another story.

Join us for our Mountain Crafted News & Yarns at:
http://www.mountaincrafted.com/Mountain-Crafted-News-and-Yarns-s/1905.htm

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Baby Powder fragrance for those precious moments.

We at MountainCrafted.com have the finest Baby Powder fragrance that can be found on the web. We tried more than one supplier until we chose the fragrance we are now using. This Baby Powder fragrance is not close, it is exact!

No kidding folks, when we use this fragrance in all of our products it’s like opening a bottle of baby powder and taking a sniff. This fragrance contains natural essential oils, including Cedar Wood, Patchouli and Ylang Ylang.

It's a soft floral fragrance. When I use this fragrance oil in our products, it reaches back in my years and brings forward memories of a pleasant and simpler time of life!

Take your own memory lane trip with our Baby Powder fragrance in a large assortment of products, I guarantee you will be glad you did!

Mountain Crafted | It Just Makes Good Scents!

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Honeydew Melon

We at mountaincrafted.com now have the fresh and bright fragrance of Honeydew Melon in our line of candles and bath&body products.

If you would, travel back with me to South Georgia around the year of 1960 or so. You are of the age of nine and working on a farm. This day it is time for harvesting the Honeydew Melons and there's over an acre of them all neatly in straight rows that were earlier plowed by mules.

It is now mid-day and time for a break. Picture yourself sitting under a shade tree and with your old Barlow pocket knife given to you by your great grandfather, you take one of the sun ripened honeydew melons and split it open.

If you can travel with me back to this wonderful time, then you know what this fragrance smells like. Fresh, sweet and juicy!

Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Foot & Leg Lotion

We at MountainCrafted.com are excited that we are able to offer this Bay Laurel & Mint Foot & Leg Lotion!

When you have been on your feet and legs all day and your feet are aching and tired this aromatherapy foot & leg lotion may be the answer you have been searching for. Carefully formulated Essential Oils, Horse Chestnut Herbal Extract blended with all natural ingredients offer instant relief with its natural cooling and soothing properties.

This is a 100% pure plant-based ingredients, it exceeds the European Union Cosmetic Directive Guidelines and is Cruelty Free.

This lotion soothes tired and aching feet and nourishes dry and sensitive skin. It's formulated to replenish the skin and rejuvenate the senses.

This lotion contains no petroleum products, parabens, synthetic fragrances, “parfums”, “botanical parfums”, artificial colors, formaldehyde or sodium lauryl sulfate.

Ingredients:
Purified Water, Glycerin (from Coconut Oil), Stearic Acid (from Coconut Oil), Pure Plant Oil Complex (Soy & Jojoba Oils), Cetyl Palmitate and Cetearyl Alcohol (from Palm Oil), Horse Chestnut Herbal Extract, Pure Therapeutic Grade Essential Oil Blend: Bay Laurel (Laurus nobilis), Spearmint (Mentha cardiaca), Eucalyptus citriodora (Eucalyptus citriodora), Bergamot (Citrus bergamia), Rosemary Verbonne (Rosmarinus officinalis), Peppermint (Mentha pipsita); Poly Sorbate 80 (from Palm Oil), Glyceryl Stearate (from vegetable sources), Cetyl Alcohol (from Palm Oil), Aminodimethicone (from Silica), Phenoxyethanol and Ethylhexylglycerin (mild preservatives from plant sources).

You can find this lotion at:
http://www.mountaincrafted.com/Foot-and-Leg-Aromatherapy-Lotion-s/1914.htm

Mountain Crafted | It Just Makes Good Scents!

Sunday, February 16, 2014

We offer product customization

WE at Mountain Crafted are now offering you the ability to customize fragrances in any of your product. That's right, need something with a little lighter fragrance to it? Consider it done! Want more fragrance in your product? Consider it done!

We can do this because we do not make your product ahead of time and allow it to sit on shelves until ordered. Main reason for this is because once the natural products are blended, the countdown begins when it comes to vitamins and nutrients longevity in being able to help your skin. Second reason is because these products preservatives are plant based; again the countdown starts as soon as we blend the ingredient on the preservative longevity.

You might ask, "How about your goat's Milk soap? I have allergies with any milk products!" We heard and answered. If you do have problems with milk products, then when ordering the soap just leave a comment that you prefer no goat's milk and consider it done! You will still get all the natural ingredients we offer in our premium soap minus the goat's milk. Also when it comes to the goat's milk soap, if you have problems with colorant, then say the word and we will not add any color to your soap. How can we do this? For the same reason as stated above. We do not make this soap until ordered so that the product can retain its vitamins and nutrients your skin needs.

The last question you may be asking is, "OK, how do I inform you of my preferences?" During the checkout just leave your preferences of fragrance load, color or goat's milk in the comment edit field during the checkout procedure and we will customize your products to your personal needs.

When we normally make a product we go midrange with the fragrance loads suggested by the fragrance manufacturer. If you are fine with medium fragrance load then there's no reason to leave a comment, we will apply as normal medium strength of fragrance and ship. But if you prefer a change, we can lighten the fragrance or increase slightly. If you need to go more into detail about your preferences then you can E-Mail us your needs at: info@mountaincrafted.com and we will craft your product to your specifications. We hope this helps you that may have sensitive skin or allergies. Liked we love to say around here:
Mountain Crafted | It Just Makes Good Scents!

Friday, February 14, 2014

Mountain Crafted are now members of the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild

We at Mountain Crafted are honored to have the privilege to be a member of the prestigious Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild.

What does this mean for you? With us now being a professional member we must continue to meet certain standards of production of products and retain an ongoing diligent study and research of our product ingredients and applications. Being a member also provides us with an overwhelming resource of information supplied by other professional members outlining their own expertise in formulations.

To sum this up, it ensures you that from MountainCrafted.com you are purchasing the finest quality and highest standards of products available within the industry. Our products must be of correctness of ingredients listing.

We are proud to be a member of the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild, it gives us a high level of recognition of integrity of our products and practices in the past and assurance to you our customer the same level of expertise will consistently be applied in the future.

Our membership code of ethics consists of:
A. Conduct our business in accordance with all local, state and federal laws.
B. Follow good manufacturing practices in the production of our soaps and cosmetics.
C. Ensure that our soaps and cosmetics are safe for use by the consumer.
D. Accurately label our soaps and cosmetics in accordance with the current regulations of the authorized governmental body in our country.
E. Provide accurate information to our customers regarding the ingredients, benefits and use of our products.

Rest-assured that we will maintain our membership by continuously conducting ourselves to the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild code of ethics and offering you the finest products available within the industry!

To read more about the Handcrafted Soap & Cosmetic Guild go to:
http://www.soapguild.org/

Barry, Debra & Mariah Carver

Mountain Crafted | It Just Makes Good Scents!

Monday, February 10, 2014

hawaiian tropic dark tanning oil now on sale!

We offer this classic 8 ounce bottle of original tanning oil for only $5.95 until supplies run out. You will not find this product at a lower price either on the web or commercial brick & mortar stores.
Find it at:
http://www.mountaincrafted.com/Hawaiian-Dark-Tanning-Oil-s/1831.htm

When using this tanning oil it’s like being on a tropical island absorbing the warm Sun Rays, feeling the island breezes with wonderful fragrances encompassing you.

This oil is great not only for tanning, but after a shower you can use this as an after bath moisturizer. While still wet lightly apply this oil to your body and pad the excess oil off and enjoy the aroma of coconut for hours!

NOTE: This tanning oil does Not Contained Sun Screen.

Purchase yours while supplies last!

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Honeysuckle

Our honeysuckle fragrance here at mountaincrafted.com is bold and a lovely smelling floral at the same time very delicate and sweet, very sweet like a nectar scent with touches of greenness and fruitiness.
Using any of our Bath & Body products with this oil will bring back memories of summer days and vines of honeysuckles in full bloom!

We tried many different suppliers until we came across this wonderful fragrance oil. This supplier nailed the true scent of blooming honeysuckles! I've tried different so called honeysuckle fragrant oils that were just down right nauseating. But finally we found this version I know you will enjoy its trueness of the actual flower as we do.

I'm from South Georgia, I was raised with honeysuckle all my life, I knew what I was searching for and glad I kept up the search until I found this oil. It really does bring back memories of summer days and vines of honeysuckles in full bloom.

Bring springtime in your home year-round with our honeysuckle product line!

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Bay Rum has arrived!

We are excited to be able to offer Bay Rum Essential Oil that was extracted by steam distillation, not by chemicals. This is a 100% pure therapeutic quality essential oil and is from the Island of Dominica. Botanical Name:
(Pimento racemosa).

Neighbor this is a difficult oil to obtain in its pure natural state. In most cases this bay rum essential oil is mixed in with a carrier oil or placed in other products. Many suppliers offer Bay Rum Oil that has been extracted by the solvent method not by steam distillation. We do not carry any essential oils that have been extracted by solvents because we feel that once they use a solvent to extract the oil from the plant, then there's no way to completely remove the chemicals from the essential oil, which to us equals an essential oil that is no longer 100% pure therapeutic quality.

Characteristics: Light, spicy with a sweet aroma, some might say similar to the famous cologne. It has been stated that it acts as an appetite stimulant and to settle stomach pains. Also reported to help with general aches and pains, as well as rheumatic pains may be alleviated. Used to treat scalp conditions, dandruff and greasy hair.

This is one of my favorites. To me it's better than the famous cologne. This oil is spicy, robust and aromatic. I enjoy it in all of our bath & body products. This is not a strictly masculine fragrance; Debra enjoys this astonishing essential oil also.

Because of its reported ability to help with dandruff and greasy hair we have added this oil to our sulfate free shampoo and hair conditioner.

You can find this wonderful oil at:
http://www.mountaincrafted.com/Essential-Oil-s/1887.htm

Choosing one of our essential oils or blends in a 5 ml amber glass bottle and one of our either plastic or aluminum pocket refillable inhalers will make that perfect unique gift!

Saturday, February 1, 2014

Electric Candle Warmers

We at Mountain Crafted are excited that we now can offer you a safe alternative to burning candles with our Electric Jar & Tart Candle Warmers. They produce no flame, soot or smoke.

Just place a glass container candle onto the ceramic hot plate, plug the warmer in and turn it on. The hot plate will heat the wax in the glass jar container, melting it and releasing the candles fragrance without you having to light the candle wick. You can use glass jar container candles on the base up to 4 inches in diameter.

These electric warmers also come with a 4 inch ceramic dish that can be place directly onto the hot plate. The 4 inch dish is perfect for melting tarts or fragrance oils. These warmers are made of quality ceramic, not plastic which now are commonly seen on the market which is easily stained by colored wax. These ceramic warmers cannot be stained, using a cloth or paper towel with a little soap and water or alcohol they wipe clean.

There is an easy to use on/off switch located on the power cord. These warmers use 20 to 24 watts of power according to the unit. These electric candle warmers do not use a light bulb to heat the candle which in time can burn out and have to be replaced. They are perfect for any home decor!

You can find our warmers at:
http://www.mountaincrafted.com/Electric-Candle-Warmers-s/1913.htm

Personal note:
I have been using warmers just like these for over 2 years. I use them to test out new fragrances and in all that time I have never turned them off. These warmers are built well and are durable. They are excellent for melting jar candles without having to light the wick and allowing the candle fragrance to fill your home or office!