In this issue:

Soap of the Month
Monoi de Tahiti seconds
Bonus Points
Alabu Farm
Featured Feedback

We have had the privilege of several visits from a Barred Owl this month. Barred owls are a large, kind-looking bird with dark brown eyes. To my surprise the small birds like chickadees are not the least bit intimidated by his presence, and will land on the branch where he is perched. I guess they know this owl prefers mice.   It has been very interesting to watch him sit on a branch and survey the ground. He has turned into quite a distraction for me as I keep looking up to see if he has left only to find he is still here.  He moves from tree to tree and seems to like the open ground and drainage ditch our pasture provides. The first day we noticed him, it was cloudy and he stayed all afternoon.  The next day was sunny and he was only here for about an hour before sunset.  The next morning was quite cloudy as we were expecting a storm and he was back for a few hours.  He continues to come back on occasion—probably to see if there are any mice who would like to do lunch.

So we are continuing our weird weather trend. One Sunday afternoon I decided to take Chia out for a long walk in the woods. We hadn't gone in months and the sun was out and the temperature was 35 which didn't seem too bad. Just about as soon as we got out of the house it started snowing. About 10 minutes into our walk I saw a flash of light; I happened to have the camera with me and looked to see if I had accidentally set off the flash. Then I heard the thunder. In a few minutes more it was blizzard-like conditions. I wasn't dressed for this kind of weather and frequently had to shield my face with my gloves from the biting cold wind. Chia on the other hand was overjoyed with all the scents whipping by on the bitter cold wind. Then we had enough warm days to melt the snow and make us think spring was on its way, only to finish off the last full month of winter with 3 snow storms in a week and temps below zero. So like I said, weird weather continues.

We hope you enjoy the newsletter this month.

Soap of the Month

We have had many requests to have a soap of the month sale, giving folks an opportunity to try a featured soap at a reduced price. This month in honor of St. Patrick's Day we we are featuring Lavender Delight. Lavender is a favorite herb in Ireland and has been used there throughout history. It is a striking plant forming colorful purple patches on the landscape of the Irish countryside. A traditional Irish bride insists on having lavender in her bouquet, as lavender signifies good luck and happiness. Possibly because of its mentions in the Bible, lavender was said to be a charm against the devil. Lavender flowers bound into the shape of a cross were hung on doorways to deter evil spirits. Sprigs of lavender were a strewing herb in churches and in homes. It was sold in bunches by street vendors and placed in linen closets. Lavender was burned in sick rooms to clean the air; the powerful fragrance covered a multitude of 'sins'. Lavender changed our language; the roots go back to the Romans, particularly the Roman habit of washing (lavare), bathing (lavatio), and a Roman bath (lavabrum). Lavender—originally called spica for the flower spikes—was so generally associated with bathing that it became lavandula, the name retained in New Latin for the generic designation.

Lavender Folklore :

• Plant lavender around your house to keep away bad luck or evil spirits.
  Spouses who place lavender flowers between their bed sheets will never quarrel.
• Lavender will help you sleep.
• Lavender is a remedy for the plague.
• Lavender will cure insanity, an aching back, is an antiseptic, and heals wounds more quickly.
• Lavender will keep the moths away.

  NOTE: Coupons and special offers do not apply to Soap of the Month items.

Monoi de Tahiti seconds

This batch of Monoi soap turned out very soft due to the fact that I forgot to subtract the amount of Monoi de Tahiti oil (a type of coconut oil) from the amount of coconut oil in this batch. This is a nice soap to use. It is nicely fragranced but will not last as long as our regular soaps due to its softness.

Bonus Points - What are they and how do you use them?

We have a Bonus Point program for our customers that place orders over the internet. Customers collect 1 bonus point for each dollar in product ordered. So a purchase of $50.00 worth of Alabu products will earn you 50 points. The redemption value of 20 points is $1.00. That is, for every 20 points you have, you can redeem them for $1.00 off of your order. A 100 point redemption would equal $5.00 off of your order. The bonus points are roughly equal to a 5% discount on each order once you have redeemed them.

How do you redeem your points? I am glad you asked. To redeem your points, first login to your Alabu account. After you are logged in, click on "Bonus Points" in the "Your Cart" section of the page. This will take you to the Bonus Points page. Read through the directions to gain a complete understanding of how the program works but in short, you click on the "Convert to a Gift Certificate" and convert your Bonus Points into a Gift Certificate that either you can use when checking out yourself or you can send it on as a gift to a family member or friend.

Alabu Farm
Some pictures from from around the farm.

Click on a picture to see a larger version.

Featured Feedback
We love hearing from our customers. We get a lot of notes each month and many we put up in our Testimonial section. We do not alter the notes that we get (other than the occasional spelling error or misplaced word). We thought it might be helpful to highlight one each month that we found particularly interesting.

Dear Alabu:
Thank you for the newsletter I receive every month. I really love the pics of you all on the farm and the countryside of NY. I'm hoping to visit back there sometime and really look forward to a visit, if you allow. Thanks also for the wonderful soap; I wouldn't go without it anymore. My husband is pleased with it, too MaryAnn - Menifee, CA

A reminder, we do offer free shipping on orders over $60.

Thank you for your trust and support, we appreciate you letting us be your skincare company. We hope for you and yours to stay well and happy in 2008. And of course if you are ever in the neighborhood, stop in and say hello to the kids.

Sincerely,

Maryclaire, Dean, & Hal

In the News

In the February 24 Daily Gazette Business section a very nice article was run on Alabu. We would like to thank you our customers for the great feedback we recieved and thank you for your continued business.

Read article

New Soap: Lavender Mint

Our Lavender Mint was made to fill a request. This person loved Lavender mint so much she would buy Lavender and Peppermint and bind them together with dental floss. We tried the combination and knew at once we had a winner. Relaxing Lavender and cool refreshing Peppermint. Lavender is said to relieve stress, headaches and help reduce the spread of colds and viruses. Mint is uplifting and said to relieve a headache, reduce mental fatigue, and increase alertness. This soap leaves you feeling soft, clean and refreshed.

Alabu Blog

Our son Hal has started a new blog on his experiences in the family soap making adventure. You can check it out here .

Featured Products
Lavender Mint Soap
Soap Of The Month
Foot Care Spa

Gift Items
Gift Baskets
Gift Packs
Baby Gifts
All Gift Items
Shaving Soap
Mug & Brush
Deluxe Mug & Brush
Moisturizer
Lotion Sticks
All Products

See Alabu news-letters from previous months.