Happy New Year!

Chance and me ~ Christmas 2012

My personal farewell to the year 2012 begins here with a long overdue zesty Hiatus Interruptus.

2012 has been a remarkable year in my zesty life. It has also been a whirlwind year filled with change, shared experiences and family milestones mixed with travel, visits from family, finding professional growth, and never a dull moment in between. Yes. 2012 has been filled with remarkable, momentous moments, events and experiences. Yet somehow it’s taken me all this time and a new year to start somewhere. In all that I have said, I didn’t say easy, and I didn’t say fun. Yet in these profound moments I found the remarkable. In all the savory bits, the bumps, the valleys, the laughter, and the many tears, I found a pace that never caught up with me. A pace I did not chase and could not chase. Knowing that I would catch up to the moment only when it was gone forever.

I have been selfish in the best way I know how. By preserving and keeping these moments to savor just for me, knowing my heart will break a little when I share these precious photos and deep words. Yet somehow I shared what I could and when I could, and found strength, comfort and peace while making soaps in The Herb Room, cooking in My Zesty Kitchen.

Accepting the laws of time, through a year’s perspective, 2012 marked the moment I would see my son graduate, and would see him off to college. A year spent preparing for a successful launch when I myself could never be prepared, yet realizing I have really been preparing for the last 18 years.

But if I had to sum the 2012 year into “some things” or a list of sorts, here is where I would start. In this sharing the richness deepens, a moment’s hue may fade yet the meaning stays alive. It all comes down to today, a new year. My very own launch and self directed Hiatus Interruptus. I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy moments

are a walk in the park.

Phew. Now that I have that out of the way, I can start with these moments that have not been easy to write about. A little bit of zesty this and whole lotta zesty that. In celebration of new beginnings I give you my

12 most remarkable moments of 2012:

1. New Digs. My Zesty Life is MOVING! That’s right folks, Wimberley Texas, here I come. We are moving out of our Austin McMansion and into a cozy and quaint stone cottage on February 1! I am packing as we speak and have a whole lotta adventure and hard work ahead… Welcome to my upgraded zesty life version 2.013!

Nuestra casa.

Home sweet home.

Meet my new neighbors.

2. The CA family in Texas + Campout x The College search + Travel = Loco in the cabeza. The college search led to lots of travel, NOT vacation. College visits were all over the country from Indiana to Arkansas – not Bermuda or Bahama – sigh. I am not complaining. Okay well maybe a little. A jam packed zest fest of comings and goings that I am not sure which of the two happened more. Whew. Phew. Pooh.

Arkansas to

Indiana.

BuRRRRRRRRRRR.

3. … and only one Chance. Trust me you WILL be hearing and seeing more on the one and only Chance in the days to come – this is just to get you started.

Somehow the Chance-man (formerly C$) managed to get both of our families here to watch him graduate and even stay for a campout. He also managed to turn 18, go to prom, get out of HS, play a ton of lacrosse, and is currently attending Southwestern University, with studies in Computer Science and Architecture.

18 years and only one Chance.

From My Zesty Kitchen with love

an 18 candle German Chocolate Cake

Happy Birthday Chance!

Senior year and lots of Lacrosse!

The Grad.

Family Campout and lake fun with the Blossom cousins

Did I mention that he is also playing NCAA lacrosse for the Southwestern Pirates?  If not, he may be in your town soon, feel free to check out the Pirates game schedule – go Pirates!

Ahoy matey. SU Pirate #30 defends the goal with all his might.

And if that’s not all, in his spare time he is training as a circus master while learning to juggle Werecats. Riiiiiiiiiight. Whew. Phew. Pooh. Indeedily do.

The Rufferee takes a break from all the action.

4. My Zesty Kitchen celebrates with ONE food recipe in 2012. Okay I am the first to admit that sharing one food recipe in 12 months is pretty laughable. On the other hand, I always enjoy any amount of time I get to spend in my Zesty Kitchen, one recipe at a time. My zesty test kitchen has been inventing, test tasting and cooking up a storm. So much so that I have a journal full of hand written recipes that may reveal themselves in 2013… Mmmwaa haa haa

Insert pie drool here.

5. A smoke free year. 2012 marks 1 full year of being smoke free.

It’s official, I am a non-smoker and completely free of the cancer sticks! Whooo hoooo and YIPEEE!!!!!

Buddha approved

6. The Herb Room soaps goes local….. and sells out! Yee haw! The Herb Room saw tremendous growth and change in 2012. The Herb Room Soaps ~ Local Holiday Showcase Success debut was amazing marking the first year that The Herb Room soaps SOLD OUT! Thanks folks!

The Herb Room soaps wrapped in beautiful Holiday gift packages.

The Herb Room will be brewing soaps, as soon as we are settled into the new casa. I will keep you posted when I have some stock available. In the meantime, I have some great new soap creations planned for 2013, as well as a re-stock of the Classics and will be working on some much needed renovations and updates to The Herb Room store front. Stay naturally clean and up to date – Sign up here for The Herb Room news

Lovely Lavender mini-bar & Mint Momentum with slotted soap dish.

A gift of The Herb Room soap is

Good clean fun naturally

7. Babies! Special deliveries! The cutest Bastropian Babies arrive

Congrats to Anne and my Bro!

And this bundle of

Joy Starr Blossom. The latest and greatest 4th addition to the Blossom family! Congrats to the glorious Mama Harmonious and Jules!

8. Celebrating a 40 year old Cave Man.

In a Man cave.

The handsome cave-man Beandog (formerly B-man) emerges from his primitive cave dwelling to celebrate 40 years on the planet, as well as somehow having the ability (cave man wifi?) to co-create the beautiful MZL banners you see at the top of the page. Happy Birthday Beandog McPlug!

Many happy returns.

9. Furranimals ooodles of love and cuteness

Yo friend me on facebook. I’m serious.

Bunny

Izzy the fuzzy snuzzler is happy as can be.

Group hug. Izzy, Santa and me.

We always know where to find Sasha. Snuggled up and cozy under the tree.

A smiling face greets me Christmas morning.

Another smiling face greets me Christmas morning. But this smiling face contains a very devilish grin.

Sasha was way to easy to find for this

Can’t you tell she loves turning into Unicorn kitty?

Why let just one in on the fun?

Chance, ahem, I mean WB is looking like a very happy Unicorn kitty.

NOT.

Unicorn kitty escapes to her magical cove to find that her pillowy horn impedes her passage.

WB has magical napping powers even when not donning her Unicorn horn

These have magical powers that make me squeal and squirm AHHHHHHHHH. Everyone loves a cute basket of puppies!

10. Z-College

Architect in training

Arch Showcase – Fall 2012

Goes to show

You’re never to old to learn to ride a bike.

11. and 12.  Remarkable memorable moments shared with remarkable people. This means alls y’all. I am ready for 2013 and am looking forward to the unknown and new beginnings. I hope that you and your family, all that you love, are healthy and wish you all the best in 2013.

I can’t think of a better transition into the 2013 year than with a zesty New Year’s proclamation! It’s been a long time coming, time to take a breath and say - 2013, here I come! Hope you are ready.

Whether you are near, or far or if you just happen to be on your own Hiatus, please stop in and interrupt me when you return. I would love to hear from you.

Zesty Love and Cheer,
Robyn

PS I hope you enjoyed the various quality of these photos, many are just candid shots of the moment and were captured on whatever phone, or camera was nearby. Funny how some of the best moments happen when a camera is nowhere in site….

Ta da!

Seasonally challenged skin rejoice!

Oat Pecan is a specialty bar worth celebrating.

Up close and personal with the guest of honor, Oat Pecan soap.

This skin saving wonder bar provides stressed skin with the gentle cleansing power of whole grain organic oats. Beta glucan rich oat flour extract soothes instantly, calming even the most sensitive skin. A dash of pure Vermont Maple sugar & extract botanically brightens, while pecan meal gently exfoliates. Locally pressed Pecan oil blended with organic sunflower oil kindly moisturizes and hydrates. Oat Pecan soap has a super light, fresh scent, a custom blend of essential oils that reminds me of water lilies.

Kick up your heels to happy skin! AHHHH.

Worth the wait – Oat Pecan Soap. Limited Edition = limited quantities.

Formulated to treat & relieve my grumpy, itchy, weather struck skin. Unhappy skin gets happy again – cozy in that comfortably clean sort of way.

Skin is soothed, nourished, and oh so happy when you lather up with The Herb Room’s Oat Pecan bar. So nice to meet ya’.

Spring is in the air and everywhere and just in time to tickle your fancy
with

The Herb Room’s fresh stock of your spring-time and all-the-time favorite, Lavender soap!

The very best of the best, timeless, classic, Lavender soap.

This batch is really dreamy, creamy, aromatic – Lavender soap. A garden fresh floral that comes from pure Lavender essential oils and yep you guessed it…

A whole lotta love

Just like the love that I feel while quietly meditating in a field of Lavender, frolicking along, while butterflies dance in the wind

HUH? Surprise! Gotcha! ….. just like the love I feel when this guy pops into my photo meditation. It is a true big love. Just like the big Chance man, now a whopping -gasp!- 18 years of age. These are zesty tales that I have been saving up for y’all. Definitely worth the wait. Wink.

Now where was I?
Oh yeah. Ahhhhh. Lavender fields forever and

Lavender Soap ……back in stock and better than ever!

Celebrate spring with a skin saving wonder bar Oat Pecan soap.

Happy spring to you all! Summer soaps are up next. I sure hope you like surprises….

Zestfully yours,
Robyn

Sage wisdom brewed up in The Herb Room. My latest and greatest concoction, Sage Honey Ale soap.

Inspired and harvested from the beautiful organic sage growing in my garden and a recent dabbling in brewing beer.

Sage Honey Ale soap began with a visit to my Bastropian brewing Bro’s home to get a crash course in the fine art of brewing beer AND hang out with my one and only brother. Not just any brewer, my Bro’ consistently turns out some of the finest home brews in Central Texas, so I did some digging of my own and unearthed some herbal brew recipes that would be a perfect use of the abundant organic herbs growing in this year’s garden.

We decided to brew a unique European style beer, a recipe featuring my garden fresh sage, an herb that has roots in our Nordic ancestry and means “to save”. My brewing Bro is also an engineer, and me being the scientist and botanist knew this was going to be a great beer. Wow! I must say we created a masterpiece – the finest Sage Honey Ale, EVER. A unique twist on a Pilsner, our Sage Honey Ale had undertones of lemon, honey and a nice balance of earthy sage – divine with slices of oranges floating in liquid gold. Notice I said had – an exceptional brew like this takes no time to drink. And drink ye Sage Honey Ale we did.

Sage Salvia officinalis – a wise ally to many big and small.

Reserve it for lather? Sagely hard to do, this brew reserve turned into The Herb Room’s best truly special and worthy, Sage Honey Ale soap!

“Whatever ails ye not” with purifying Sage Honey Ale soap – created with a bit of our Sage Honey Ale brew and loads of organic sage straight from my garden!

Wishing y’all the healthiest, wisest and Zestiest best
Always,
Robyn

WOW. Can you believe it’s already February? Time sure flies when you’re having zesty fun and 2011 is already zesty busy indeed. Let’s kick it off with a riddle of sorts. Don’t worry you will not be graded. Wink.

Whaddya get when you mix life, family, critters, The Herb Room soap, a sprinkle of herbs and spices, with zesty lemons?

My Zesty Life – a fresh juiced, zesty slice.

To start things off I did a bit of reflecting and came up with my 10 in ‘10, PLUS a peek into 2011 with some brand spankin’ NEW soap offerings from The Herb Room.

Enjoy!

Reflections: 10 in ‘10

1. My Zesty Life turns one! Yee haw!

2. Sharing a zesty slice with an extra sprinkle of Tidbits

Fun Times with Family, Friends and Nature

3. Chance turns 16 AND get’s his drivers license

I know. Whaaaaa.

4. Zesty Kitchen cooked up some damn good eats & recipes

Enjoyed… by many.

Texas Pecan Pesto, Party Pasta Salad, Spicy Thai Noodles, Coconut Chicken Curry, Triple S Ribs, and Grilled Flank Steak w/ Chimichurri Sauce

It was just as fun making these dishes, as it is my pleasure sharing ‘em in my zesty kitchen. I look forward to many more years making good zesty food and eating it. Thank you all for the many hours I spent in 2010 getting reacquainted with the gym.

AND then there is

YES. Oh yeah. YUUUUUM-E.
Yummy treats speak for themselves, but I still have to add this – SUPER YUMMY commentary.

5. Some damn good clean fun happens with The Herb Room Soaps

Who can forget the wonderful vacation we all took together?

A Tropical Trio – Mojito, Pińa Colada and Texas Margarita

Oh yeah! A skin vacation and body retreat with my Summer Soap Series. A seasonal specialty bar serving skin cocktails loaded with skin loving nutrients that are always made with fresh, all natural ingredients.
Get ‘em while you can!

6. An MZL Contest! Name my Birthday Cake
and win fabulous soap from The Herb Room.

Blue the Birthday Baker chose three winners but first place got to name this baby. Begin drooling.

NOW.

Glazed Raspberry Chocolate Fusion Cake

See? You CAN have your cake and eat it too. And also smell real, real nice while doin’ it.

7. Sad farewells

We said goodbye to two very special animals, both taking the journey with us from Northern California to the wild west of Texas.

In loving memory: Rosa Belle aka Mama and Echo.

Mama Kitty: The cutest, Z absolute best Mama and friend. You are so missed…

Echo: Our family companion and my best friend

8. Happy hellos. A new critter = Bunny LOVE

Meet Sophie.
“Howdy!”

The sweetest cutest new addition in the Clark Fam.

9. The Clarks’ first Texas garden

A Garden Party!

Glorious. So, so glorious. Did I mention glorious? Truly I am dreaming of my homegrown organic tomatoes, basil, herbs, and sunshine…

10. A big Zesty Cheers to y’all for making 2010 such an amazing, successful year in The Herb Room and in my zesty life.

I’ve got another riddle for ya. Hint. It’s of the garden variety. Ready?

What do you get when you cross a gingerbread man and a ripe organic pumpkin?

This here.

New! Pumpkin Gingerbread Soap
A carb free way to super nourished skin.

My heart’s skipping a beat for pure chocolate bliss, just in time for Valentines Day!

Coming soon! I Heart Chocolate Bar Soap A luscious, decadent chocolate treat that smells good enough to eat.

I am really excited to share more of my handmade, all natural skin loving soaps in 2011. The Herb Room has been real busy and will be stocked with new specialty bars as well as your favorite originals.
I am looking forward to keeping your skin healthy and looking beautiful, and remain committed to using only the best all natural ingredients.

Wishing alls y’all tons of happiness, joy, and zesty blessings in 2011!

Zestfully yours,
Robyn

Calling all zesty soap fans. Can you hear me?

Calling all’s y’all that would love to lather up with all natural soap from The Herb Room. For free.

Can you hear me now? Yep that’s right.

It’s Giveaway time and time to have some good clean fun with The Herb Room soaps!

Here’s how: Visit Snack Bar Reviews and check out The Herb Room soap Review and Giveaway

Enter for your chance to win The Herb Room Mini Bar Soap Sampler
Good luck!
Giveaway ends January 14, 2010 11:00PM EST

A perfect introduction.

The Mini Bar Sampler includes all four mini bars of The Herb Room “regulars”:  Lavender, Mint Momentum, Confetti Rose, and Lemon Balm & Eucalyptus.

Say cheers to beautiful skin.

Zestfully yours,
Robyn

Thank you all for your kind condolences and support. This is the hardest thing for me. To share my sadness and grief on the passing of my best friend and faithful family companion, Echo. For obvious reasons, I have not been able to put my feelings into words, but know that I need to start by sharing her life, the joy she brought to me and our family with all of you in my zesty life. Echo shared 14 beautiful years with us (that would be 98 dogs years!) She was a sweet soul, such love and kindness in her brown eyes. I could always count on her, my shadow, her presence nearby – she would go to the ends of the earth to be with her family. I am so thankful and honored for the time that we shared. Thank you Echo.

Here are my reflections of her life with us over the years.

My Shadow

Some of the hardest times in life happen in loss, they Echo across the heart, skipping sadness like a rock skims across the surface of still water.
I have lost my best friend, my shadow, my dear comforting companion. Always by my side.
My puppy, you were always near. A part of our family through the years. Moments I will never forget. Moments like these that make me laugh and make me cry.
You are missed, you are loved, I will never forget you. Your sweetness, your worries, your pains. These times with you Echo, shared in living and our journey echos on. I hear you, my little one. My silent shadow comforts me while I weep. Every drop of peace you are to me. Many years worth, you are priceless. My shadow. A space for us both to linger, safety. You are still close by as I whisper, our journey ending, just as it was in the beginning. You make me smile remembering, love.

Echo through the years.

In the beginning – Echo, Chance & Me and Blue catching this moment.

Always by our side

A playful puppy

From Easter Egg Hunts

to Birthdays

You make us smile.

Footprints in the sand and my shadow Echo.

From family trips and ocean bliss

to Fourth of July river swims.

The ever changing tides, a little boy grows up with you by his side.

A blond moment and California Dreams.

Moments like these stop my heart.

A happy Echo in our new Texas home.

And this. Your favorite boy, now a young man,

and two cuddly friends meet.

Moments like these. Good times shared.  Just coolin’ off and chillin’  in the hot Texas heat with your buddy Chance by your side.

From family camp outs with furry friends

to restful days in bed.  You have been by my side.

You are love,

your smile brings joy.

Echo, such a constant comfort

and constant friend.

Your time here with us has brought us together. Peaceful and gentle…

kind.

Time we will never forget.

Echo.

My best friend.

My sweet

faithful

dog.

A spa experience before the long rest.

May you journey in peace

and know that we love you. Always. The Clark Family