It has been a rainy, drippy day today, with the occasional rumble of thunder and flash of lightning. My little seedlings in the back yard are cheering, tickled pink with the downpour, and the grass is an absolutely heartbreaking shade of green. It's the kind of day that makes you want to curl up with a good book and a throw and just dream.

Indoors, we're cozy and happy, watching the rain stream down the windows and patter on the roof, a cup of tea in hand and the kitty curled up on the ottoman, fast asleep. It's a quiet day, as Fridays usually are here. The week is busy, the weekend busier, but Fridays seem to be the "slow" day at our house. My one token chore today is laundry, the neverending cycle of wash-fold-wear that makes me wonder why we have so many clothes in the first place.

This week I'm trying a new product. I ordered some bar soaps from Sweet Harvest Farms, an old-fashioned lard-and-lye soap that you grate into the wash water. It's lightly scented with lavender, which feels like a hug made of fragrance to me. I'll report later on the outcome of my first uses, but I have high hopes. After all, it was good enough for grandma...

I also ordered a few bars of Rose Petal Soap from C.J. at Sweet Harvest Farms, and after a couple of luxurious showers with the sweet-smelling rose-petally goodness, I can honestly say it's some of the best, most fabulous handmade soap I've ever had the pleasure of using. And coming from a self-professed soap and fragrance junkie, that is high praise, indeed. Next time I order from C.J. I'm thinking I'd like to try some of her potpourri, and maybe some of her soy candles. If they smell half as good as the soaps, it may be love at first sniff.

I hope your day is as restful and contented as ours here at the Homestead.