Happy Thanksgiving

Hey Y'all!

This little guy was just too cute to pass up! Even though I am a cat person, he's still cute as a button!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Give Thanks

Hey Y'all!

Long time no write. I do apologize for falling down on the job. Last week the dreaded stomach virus jumped on me and it took me all week to shake it loose. I am back now and feeling like a champ and I hope this post finds you doing well and preparing for family, friends and food!

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving. My appetite has never been more prepared for a day full of yummy goodness. As I sit here thinking of all the things I need to do to prepare for the big day, I can't help but include in my thoughts, those who will not have family to gather with, much less, a Thanksgiving meal.

As I mentioned in my post on poverty, Prevo and I give to the Harvest Hope Food Bank throughout the year and during the holidays, we always give more. I couldn't imagine living a life without the bare necessities of comfort, food, water and home. It crosses my mind frequently why I have never won the lottery because I could and would do so much for so many. Until or if that day ever comes, Prevo and I will continue to do our part to help those who are less fortunate than us.


Every day, I am thankful for much in my life. The words I speak at night, before I lay my head down, are those of thanks. I am thankful for the sun and the moon, the air that we breathe. I am thankful for my husband, family and friends. I am thankful that I was raised by two loving parents. I am thankful for the roof over my head and the clothes on my back. I am thankful for the food that we bless at each meal for the nourishment of our bodies. I am thankful for the hard knocks, for they have helped mold me into the individual I am today. I am thankful for my health and the health of my husband, family and friends. I am thankful for Harvest Hope Food Bank, for they feed so many. I am thankful to all the new people I have met online through Twitter and Indie Beauty, to name a few. I am thankful to be living in a country where I am free to own my own business. I am thankful for each of you reading this post. I am thankful for my customers. Without you, Cactus & Ivy would not be a reality.

I have so much to be thankful for and I pray that one day, there will not be an individual on this earth that has to spend Thanksgiving or any day, without the ones they love, food on the table, a roof over their head or a house to call home.


Thank you so much for stopping by and I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator-Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Jasmine Sambac Absolute

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you well and that you had a wonderful weekend! Today I am introducing you to one of my favorite oils - Jasmine Sambac!


Since ancient times, Jasmine has been referred to as the King of oils. Apparently, this is because Jasmine is the most masculine of all the floral oils. It takes 8,000 hand-picked blossoms to produce 1 gram or about 1 ml. of Jasmine Absolute.

Jasmine Sambac is an wonderfully intense aroma that is very floral, yet more masculine and musky than the Jasmine Grandiflorum. Generally, Jasmine Sambac works with all oils and is regarded as an aphrodisiac. It helps to round out scents, and tends to work well with other aphrodisiac oils, Ylang Ylang and Sandalwood are two examples.

** Please note that all absolutes are extremely concentrated by nature. They should not be evaluated in this state unless you are accustomed to the undiluted fragrance. If trying absolutes for the first time, it is strongly recommend the oils be evaluated in dilution. Otherwise, the complexity of the fragrance - particularly the exotic and rare notes - become lost.



You can find Jasmine Sambac Absolute in our Mint Jasmine blend, which is used to scent our Cocoa Mint Scrub. Cactus & Ivy also offers the Mint Jasmine in our Moisture Body Lotion, Body Bath & Massage Elixir and Cactus Body Wash.

I love to receive a massage with our Mint Jasmine essential oil blend. It has a way of awakening my senses while keeping me completely relaxed and calm.

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator-Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Soy Indulgence

Woo-Hoo Y'all!!

It is here...finally! I worked through the night and early this morning to make it happen! Don't count me off as crazy just yet, since my last post said the launch was changed to Monday. Yes, I may have counted my chickens before they hatched but I was determined to meet my original deadline.

Cactus & Ivy has a new line and it's called Soy Indulgence! This line caused me so much stress while in creation. After test driving each product, one in particular just didn't feel right so back to the drawing board I went. In the end, I am so stoked at the outcome and I hope you will be too!

The Soy Indulgence line consists of:

~ Creamy Coconut Soy Luster
~ Shea & Soy Body Melt
~ Soy Milk Lip Balm
~ Coconut Soy Bath Grains

As the name reveals, all the products contain ingredients derived from soybeans. Soybean Oil is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, a good source of Vitamin E (antioxidant), easily absorbed, helps retain the skins natural moisture and soften dry, damaged skin. Soybeans are high in lecithin, which is active in skin repair and regeneration.

Creamy Coconut Soy Luster

18oz $30.00

With ingredients including organic sugar cane, virgin coconut oil, shea oil and soy butter, you are sure to feel exfoliated, moisturized and smoothed all over. The captivating aroma of an essential oil blend of vanilla, ylang ylang, sandalwood and key lime is sure to awaken your senses.

Coconut & Soy Bath Grains

8oz $12.00

Soaking with grains containing coconut milk powder, organic sugar cane, soybean oil and a refreshing and calming essential oil blend of vanilla and sandalwood. Cactus & Ivy.....take me away!

Soy Milk Lip Balm

$3.50

This is, without a doubt, the smoothest and creamiest lip balm I have created. Soy wax was incorporated into this lip balm. Add in shea butter and virgin coconut oil and you have a nice feel with a slick glide, with just a hint of vanilla. Your lips will love you for it! Yummo!!

Shea & Soy Body Melt
2.5oz $14.25

Soybean oil, shea butter and soy wax give this balm a fantastic glide and creamy feel. Perfect for an after shave balm or to be used as an everyday moisturizer for dry, damaged skin. The essential oil blend of vanilla and sandalwood are perfect for a light, pleasing aroma to captivate your skin.

Well...there you have it! Even though this line brought me a great deal of stress, it was totally worth it. I am very pleased with the end results.

Thanks for stopping by and hope you have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Happy Friday

Hey Y'all!

I hope this posts finds you doing well. I have been working really hard to launch our new line today but it just didn't happen. However, it will officially launch on Monday, November 17, 2008.

The final tweaks of adding the product line to our site is still ongoing. Creating a line is sometimes the easy part and then everything after is very time consuming. I appreciate your patience and promise all will be revealed on Monday morning!

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you have a fabulous weekend!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Wordless Wednesday

Hey Y'all,

I hope this post finds you doing well. This is my first time participating in Wordless Wednesday. A picture says a thousand words. Here is mine......

"Freedom"

Thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

Duty, Honor, Country

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well. Today we honor all military veterans, past and present. This day is especially dear to my heart because of my strong military connections.


My father served 22 years with the U.S. Navy and is a Vietnam veteran. My husband, Prevo, is presently serving active duty in the U.S. Army National Guard and is an Operation Iraqi Freedom veteran. My two favorite men on the face of this earth know about sacrifice. They know about Duty, Honor, Country.

Today I am honoring all of those who served and fought for their country. Spoken by General Douglas MacArthur at his farewell speech, "Duty," "Honor," "Country" - those three hallowed words reverently dictate what you want to be, what you can be, what you will be".

When Prevo was deployed to Iraq in 2005-2006, his unit was given the task of Route Clearance. For those that do not know what this means, his unit was responsible for clearing routes of Improvised Explosive Devices (IED's). Talk about being on pins and needles every minute of the day until I heard from him.


Prevo has many nicknames and one of which is Shrek. He took a Shrek figure with him to Iraq and pretty much carried him everywhere he went as his good luck charm.

“The training a soldier receives before leaving home can never compare to the experience learned in battle but it helps to increase the chances that the soldier makes it back home.” ~ Prevo Rodgers, Jr.


While in Iraq, Prevo had a favorite place to go to unwind, write music and sing songs that reminded him of home. Before he left for Iraq, we went to the local bar in town to gather with all of our friends and members of our community. We took several shirts for people to write well wishes for Prevo. He is pictured above on that rooftop in Iraq, wearing a shirt signed by many who attending the gathering.


May we always remember the fallen and continue to pray for those in harms way. Take some time today to honor all veterans, past and present. They have sacrificed all to provide the umbrella of freedom we sometimes take for granted.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

It's Soy Good For You

Hey Y'all!

I hope this post finds you doing well. The weekend was relaxing and I'm ready to face a new week! Cactus & Ivy is launching a new line this week and it will contain 4 products. All I can tell you is the common ingredient is soybean oil.

Soybean Oil is high in Omega 3 fatty acids, a good source of Vitamin E (antioxidant), easily absorbed, helps retain the skins natural moisture and soften dry damaged skin. Soybeans are high in lecithin, which is active in skin repair and regeneration.

Our new product line is set to launch on Friday, November 14, 2008. And, as always, thanks for stopping by. I hope you have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

They Have A Name

Hey Y'all!

It is going to be a beautiful day with highs in the upper 70's. Has Fall disappeared?

Our newest members of the family finally have a name! Thanks to all who commented and left their choices. I decided to pass the daunting task of choosing, over to Prevo. Drum roll please...........

Prevo chose the names Bungee and Fritz!




The winners are Kelley with Priia Cosmetics for Bungee and Jennifer with La Dolce Diva for Fritz. Both winners will receive a box of goodies that will contain our new holiday line that was created from a dream. More information to come on that later.

As always, thanks for stopping by and have a fabulous day!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator-Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy

What's In A Name?

Hey Y'all!!

Wow....it's November and I can already smell the good holiday food that will surround my family in a few weeks.

What's in a name? Hmmmmm......lets see. Everything! Your parents thought long and hard what name to give you, just like you did with your own children. I take the same consideration when I name a product. For instance, Cactus & Ivy has a rub called Back Acre's. Some people thought I didn't know how to spell the last word correctly. On the contrary. I named our back rub Back Acre's for a reason.



When my family moved to South Carolina 30 years ago, the acres where my parents built their house, had to be cleared. Being the military family that we are, we cut every tree down by hand. Then we dug up every stump by hand. The trees left brush behind as well. The remnants of the trees had to be dragged to a pile, which was moved 15 times until we finally found its resting place. The labor of clearing the acres gave us all back pain, hence the name Back Acres Rub.

Now I need your help naming two little incredibly lovable creatures. My husband and I have never paid for an animal. We take in the lost, lonely, unwanted and damaged animals that cross our path.



These sweet kitties took their first trip to the vet on Saturday and received a clean bill of health. I also needed help in determining their sex. They both happen to be males and are in desperate need of a name.

Both are very lovable, rambunctious, curious and down right full sweetness. The gray loves to jump and the multi colored loves to climb. They are so much alike that it's hard to distinguish individual personalities.

We love to extend nicknames to our cats. Our other cats, Smokey and Maggie are also called Monster Man and Mag Pie. So, what's in a name? Will you please help us name our newest members of the family? The person with the winning names will receive a box of Cactus & Ivy goodies. I will choose the winner on Friday, November 7, 2008.

Thanks for stopping by y'all!

Lisa M. Rodgers
Creator-Extraordinaire
Cactus & Ivy