You haven't heard a lot from us these past few weeks, but that doesn't mean we've been sitting around eating cheesecake from Chris' Cosmic Kitchen. (Although that is a fun thing to do.) We are now deep in our fall festival schedule, and that is keeping us incredibly busy. It all started on September 26th with Aunt Kerry's Pet Stop's 3 year anniversary party. The day started out with some light rain, but that didn’t deter many of the vendors or guests from showing up to the parking lot at Aunt Kerry’s. There were various vendors there, including Monty’s Home, Port City Candles, Cape Fear Golden Retriever Rescue, Carolina Boxer Rescue, NC Rottweiler Rescue, CAT, DogWatch, and Saving Animals During Disasters. In the early afternoon, the rains came. We moved deep under the tents and had a great time chatting with others who braved the storm. All in all it was a great time, even with the less than perfect weather. Thanks Aunt Kerry for having us and for providing a wonderful place to buy pet supplies and be treated like family! If you haven’t stopped in at Aunt Kerry’s Pet Stop yet, you really should. It’s on the corner of 17th extension and College Rd in Wilmington. The next weekend (Oct 2nd-3rd) was Riverfest. This is a huge fall festival in downtown Wilmington. They estimate that there were over 100,000 people who walked down Water St. checking out all the vendors. We had a prime location, right on the corner and we set up along with Jackie from Port City Candles. After a few revisions to our booth set up, we just enjoyed the GREAT weather and spoke with a lot of wonderful people. People we knew stopped by, people we didn’t know stopped by, and we just had fun chatting with everyone (and selling soap). We were able to educate people on the need to stop using chemical flea treatments on their dogs (and cats), and on the importance of using soap for themselves that was free from all the nasty chemicals and preservatives. On Saturday, Gayle was interviewed for an article in the Wilmington Star News. On Sunday a lady stopped by with her son because they wanted to meet us. Turns out, her son had to do a current event for school and he chose our article as the basis for his current event. It was great fun to meet them and good to see education in action. We had a wonderful time at both events and are looking forward to 3 more festivals in the coming weeks. Come out and see us: Hanover Kennel Club Dog Show, Legion Stadium in Wilmington – October 10th-11th Salty Paws, Carolina Beach Lake Park – October 17th Dog Fest, Empie Park, Wilmington – October 24th (This festival marks our one year anniversary! Come share the fun with us.)

These days, it seems like the term “anti-bacterial” is on the labels of many of our cleaning products and soaps. Is this really necessary? What are the effects on the wider environment? We seem to be really fixated on bacteria. Without a doubt, there are bad bacteria out there, but there are also many kinds of good bacteria that we couldn't live without. There are approximately 182 strains of bacteria that live on your skin, and most of them are helpful. Think of them as an added layer of defense against germs. Repeated washing, especially with anti-bacterial soap strips your body of this defense mechanism. For example, there is at least one type of bacteria whose job is to help moisturize the skin. Anti-bacterial soap will kill these bacteria, causing your skin to dry out. The next time you go to use your anti-bacterial soap, read the label. Some anti-bacterial soaps contain MIT (methylisothiazolinone), which some studies have found to be allergenic and linked to nerve cell death. Another anti-bacterial chemical commonly used is Triclosan. This chemical is registered with the Environmental Protection Agency as being a pesticide and is believed to destroy fragile aquatic ecosystems. So, not only is it bad for your skin, as it runs out of your shower and into the water supply it is very dangerous to the environment. While anti-bacterial chemicals do play a role in professional health settings, they are not necessary in your home. Not only do they kill the good bacteria, but with overuse, harmful bacteria can become resistant. The best thing you can do for your skin and the environment is to use a good all natural soap, like those found on our website www.glynnesoaps.com . Not only will you be clean, but your skin will be softer and the environmental impact is very low. Feel free to e-mail me with your questions. If I don't know the answer, I promise to work hard to find you the answer. Jenn Soapmaker@glynnesoaps.com

Once you bring your new soap home, there are some things you can do to help it last as long as possible. I know when I have a new soap that lathers great, smells wonderful and leaves me feeling soft and smooth; I don’t want to waste any of it. Just following these few simple tips will keep your soap (and you) happy. 1) Any moisture will dissolve your soap, even if you aren’t using it. Don’t let it sit in a puddle. A draining soap dish or a mesh bag hanging in the shower will help dry your soap between uses. If you don’t have either of these, minimize the area of your soap that come in contact with the wet area; sit it up on it’s side or prop it on the edge of the soap dish. Any air circulation will keep your soap happy. 2) The longevity of your soap improves if you use a loofah, washcloth or sponge instead of rubbing the soap directly on your body. You can purchase some nice accessories on our website www.glynnesoaps.com 3) Before use, store your soap in a cool dry place. Under the sink is bad because the soap can pick up moisture from condensation on the pipes. Some people store it in a linen closet or dresser drawer so the scent can freshen towels or clothing Since handcrafted soap has no chemical preservatives, it deserves a specific care plan to insure the longest, happiest relationship possible between you and your soap. As always, if you have any questions you can e-mail me at soapmaker@glynnesoaps.com Jenn

Well, my job here as Sales Manager is going great! I love the perks (rides in the truck, meeting new people, my own office chair, the list goes on and on) I just wish I could figure out how to get my assistant to buy me lunch. Just last week we had a fun lunch meeting with our soapmaker at Flaming Amy’s Burrito Barn. (There were some pretty fun birds there. They sat in a bush and would hop down to where I thought I could taste them, but then fly away if I got close.) We sat outside and had a whole lot of fun, except I didn’t get to eat lunch. Obviously, I just need to put some money in my pocket and buy my own. Things here at Glynne’s Soaps have been very busy. Yesterday, we had some kind of excitement here! George and I went in the backyard as usual while my assistant took our foster dog, Linus for a walk. We do this a couple of times everyday, so, no big deal. Linus and I do not get along too good. This means our people always separate us. Anyway, yesterday, George fell into the pool while my assistant was away. I tried my best to get him out and was in a little bit of a panic! I ran circles around the pool shouting instructions. Fortunately, George was able to get his arm hooked in the ladder and stay afloat with out having to keep paddling…but he was very scared (me too)! Finally, my assistant came and got him out of the pool. He was shivering so much I could hardly check him over to be sure he was OK. I tried to lick him dry but my assistant dried him off with a towel, and then wrapped him in a blanket and held him until he stopped shivering. He is OK today, but keeping his distance from that pool! I have been asking for my own phone. OK, really I want a Blackberry! From a Blackberry, you can go on your facebook and twitter. If I had had a phone yesterday, I could have called for help (it’s my story and I’m sticking to it). On Saturday, my assistant and our soapmaker went to Southport, NC. They visited a shop called “Cool Dogs and Crazy Cats.” Now, I cannot vouch personally for this place, but my assistant and our soapmaker say it’s a great place to shop. It is full of fun toys; clothing and everything a cool dog or a crazy cat would want or need. They even have a bakery with lots of yummy treats. Maybe that is where I can go for lunch!! I promise to get there myself soon, so I can give a real review. In the meantime, head over there and check it out for yourself. OH! and they now carry our all-natural dog soaps. Please remember to visit our store www.glynnesoaps.com. Wrigley Sales manager wrigley@glynnesoaps.com follow me on twitter @wrigleysoapguru for our special deals

I've been busy doing sales manager stuff all day, I've been so busy I hardly had time for my tennis ball. Now that my day is starting to wind down a bit, I wanted to take time to thank everyone who attended Monty’s Home Pet Expo on Sunday. Aunt Kerry told me that we sold a good amount of Handmade All Natural Soap (that means some clean pups in Wilmington this week). I hope you are really enjoying the 70-degree weather in February. This is only my second February ever and the last one was in Philadelphia. I hope February weather is always like this in North Carolina! I get to go on family walks after dinner and we take many work breaks to go play with my tennis ball in the back yard. Much better than the cold days when I just got “business” walk after dinner and short “business trips” to the back yards during the workday. We have a new contest that starts this week and hosted by Middle Sound News. You have to read the questions about us on their website. The go to our website www.glynnesoaps.com and find the answers. You could win a basket of soaps! I hope you all were able to take advantage of my Free Shipping weekend. I am working on a Valentines weekend special for next weekend. Send me a tweet with your suggestions twitter.com/wrigleysoapguru or e-mail me at Wrigley@glynnesoaps.com. See you soon! Wrigley Sales manager