The Many Uses Of Soap

With other tasks on the agenda, today was not a day to make soap in the shop, but I did think about it!

I like to think a pretty bar of soap, one that smells wonderful, or is healthy for the skin, is used for the obvious, but there are so many other uses for soap.

Remove laundry stains. A good bar of soap sometimes removes stains from fabric when pre-treating better than a commercial bottle of stain remover. I learned this trick back when my boys were babies. Baby formula stains were quite the task, until I discovered how a white bar of soap, wet and rubbed in before laundering seemed to remove the stains, they vanished!

Deodorize your car. I have done this myself. Place a bar of soap in an area of your vehicle, perhaps under the seat, and you have an instant air freshener that certainly smells better than fake pine (unless you prefer fake pine, and that is okay)! Be careful to not use the type of soap that melts easily in heat.

Make a pin holder. We hardly ever use diaper pins these days, however, needles and safety pins, and for the seamstresses, straight pins, all glide in fabric so much easier and have a safe storage space when they come from a pin cushion/bar of soap.

Freshen luggage. A bar of soap that is mildly scented, without loud colors, placed in luggage, keeps it fresh scented between uses.

Freshen clothes. I love to place a bar of soap in a closet or clothes drawer.

Soap slivers. I do not throw them away. Of course, I love to see how tiny the sliver can get before my soap actually can no longer be used. It becomes translucent, to be honest, before I lose its use. But, if you want, save the slivers, put them in a white cotton sock. Kids love to wash with them. Or, place the slivers in a slit in a sponge. The lather just billows for many uses.

Stuck zippers. Rubbing a bar of soap across a zipper, especially a metal zipper that has a tendency to stick, will help prevent it from sticking.

Insect bites. I find relief in dampening a bar of soap and rubbing it on a stubborn insect bite, especially one that itches.

Dirty fingernails. I have done this one as well. If you have to put your hands into a task where you do not want to wear gloves, you can dig your fingernails into a bar of soap before completing the task. The soap will prevent the nails from filling with dirt (or whatever substance you are trying to prevent).

Preventing soot on campfire pots. Okay, I have to admit, this one I have not tried, but did find it worth noting! If you rub the bottom of a cast iron pot or frying pan prior to placing it over the campfire, the soap will prevent the bottom of the pot from collecting soot. Interesting!

Spring is Popping Up

The spring flowers are pushing through the ground. The daffodils always amaze me how they barely appear one day and seem to grow 6" the next.

I have been busy these past few days. In fact, I missed posting on Wednesday. I moved the last of the bottle kids to their new barn suite yesterday (except for one still in special care), and guess what happened? Twins were born early, and the mother had no colostrum. All of this occured within 2 hours. I thought the tiny babies were dead when I found them, but good news, they just needed some nutrition. The buckling's front hooves are no larger than my thumbnail. They are quiet little house guests at the moment.

I hope to make it out to the shop this evening. I am itching to try an idea I have for a new soap. I will share pics as soon as the process starts!

Lilac Goat Milk Lotion Day Accompanied By Memories

After running chores this morning, and checking on Annie's Goat Hill products placed in a shop in the next town south of us, I decided to dive into lotion making for the day.

The vanilla goat milk lotion came first. Smelled warm and clean. Then the Sweet Pea type was next. I love that scent! Today was a "spring" scent type of day. Then I decided the next batch would be a lightly scented lilac goat milk lotion. I can still smell it. It will be with me all day. And it smells wonderful!

My grandmother did not wear heavy perfume. But now she is on my mind. Aromatherapy? My grandmother had "treasures." From the beginning of my memory, I have always loved soap, scents, bubble bath, you name it, and grandma's house was not short of anything in that realm.

She loved to sew as well. And that is what I am really writing about today. Her sewing machine and table were handed down to me. I rummaged through the drawers a bit ago, just like I did when I was a child.

I first stumbled across her aprons. I distinctly remember her wearing the three in the first photo. Aren't they great? They need a good ironing. And then I need to find a special place to show them off some day.

Then I looked through her tiny boxes and jars of things that she could not bear to throw away. In the marshmallow creme jar was pins, old buttons, snaps, and even bra straps that grandma would cut off before she discarded the undergarments. You can see the singe marks on some of these items (on the lid of the jar above). Grandma and grandpa's house burned down to the ground once. She salvaged things, bless her heart, and now they are treasures to me (and probably only me). Everything filled with memories.

There is an old Singer box, filled with attachments for a machine that no longer exists. Sort of ironic that I can not throw it away either. A Sucrets box as well. Vintage compared to what we see on the store shelves these days.

Then there are the pin and knife boxes. Filled with other tiny things that grandma could not part with. Perhaps some day she would have used those things when she stitched up a new project. Amazing what she kept. I can open each treasure box and find they smell like "her" things. They smell good. Wonderful.

Memories are treasures!

Goat Milk Soap On The Curing Rack

Today was a day away from the shop and office that included running chores.

I did get new bars of soap on the curing rack after lunch. I always like to see the curing area fill back up. I am happy so far with the chunkier bars!

Storms are going to roll in. The wind was strong enough earlier that Bob had to turn the truck sideways so I could get the cab door shut.

Took a photo a short bit ago of the slowly darkening skies.

Goat Milk Soap Gift Packages

A little sneak peek of gift packages going out to some Ohio shops tomorrow. Sets will be available on the website soon as well.

Despite the slow start to the morning, I accomplished quite a bit today.

I fumbled with some behind-the-scenes website problems, but did get things up and rolling again just in time for lunch break.

Then I headed out to the shop and got the packages ready for delivery tomorrow. Thank goodness the sidewalk between the house and the shop was ice free today, despite the 2 degree wind chill all afternoon. Such a warm single digit! :)

No signs of immediate labor tonight in the goat barn. Way to go girls!! Good job!!

Heading to the kitchen now to get pancakes on the griddle. Seems like a Log Cabin sort of day. Have a great evening!

Goat Milk Soap and Lotion Shop News

Good Morning!

For those of you that have kindly been asking how I am recovering from the fall, I had a very bad night. Woke up to a lot of pain around 3:30. Wish this pain would stop. It is better, but it seems to be moving, which tells me I am healing. It will take time. I am always a trooper, always, but this has been tough! Today I am suffering from very blurry eyes. I just realized it is the Motrin. I need to back off of it for a while. Drats.

I discovered a problem with the website this morning. Google had quit crawling. I spent a couple of hours fixing the issues this morning. I am certainly not an expert at the wearing of the website responsibility hat, but I have made great strides! Yeah!

Bob has been stamping soap boxes with the logo this morning. After lunch we are boxing up gift sets of soap, lotion, and bath salts. These are for delivery to a number of Ohio gift shops tomorrow.

Soap making will be back on the agenda for Friday. If you have any special requests, you can shoot them my way.

Newsletters are to go out next week, final deadline by 2/16/09.

We received just a dusting of snow last night. Local people received anywhere from 6.5 to 10" of the newest white covering within a very quick 3-4 hours last night. We were blessed with none of that!

Goat Milk Soap, Lotion and Back Pain

We can be full speed ahead one moment, and at a dead halt the next. And that occurs at a blink of an eye.

Yesterday I was heading to the store, the first time I drove my own truck in weeks. We could not get beyond the ice on the doors on my truck! As I gleefully went down the concrete steps next to the garage, what I thought was water ended up being black ice. Up in the air I went, and down I was slammed, with a concrete step edge hitting in the middle of my back right hip.

I will not go into a lot of detail, but this isn't the most fun I have ever had. I normally laugh when I fall down and "go boom," as my dear husband says, but this time I cried and remembered the cell phone in my pocket. I called for help as I rolled myself up off of the ground. I went straight to bed.

I have a store placement to prepare for this week. I will be bottling lotion and I need to get more soap on the curing rack. It will all get done. Bob cannot make soap, but he can help me package up, feed animals, and take me to the locations that I also need to visit this week. Driving is out. We both have 4x4 pick up trucks, mine is taller, and just getting in and out is very "Slow Mo" right now.

So...nope, no whining here, I will get it done, in time. At least I can sit in a chair for a short while today. My blog posts and reponses may be a little less in volume for a few days. Send me an email if you need anything. Take care!

Ingredient Article #5 - Shea Butter

Shea butter, sometimes called shea nut butter, is a common natural fat used in soap, lotion and cosmetic formulations.

Shea butter is derived from the fruit (kernel, nut, seed) of the shea tree, strictly from West Africa. The harvest process is a female activity, and is very beneficial to the West African economy. A 20 year old shea tree begins to produce the shea nut. Shea trees, interesting enough, do not reach full production until they are 45 years old!

The fruit of the shea tree contains 50% fat, yellowish or ivory shea butter, which is obtained through a crushing and boiling process.

One surprising fact about shea butter is that it is also used for cooking in West Africa. Some use shea butter as a substitute for cocoa butter in chocolate.

Shea butter contains antioxidant properties, such as vitamin A and E. It is a moisturizer and emollient. Shea butter is used to treat scars, eczema, burns, rashes, blemishes, dry skin, itching, skin allergies, and wrinkles.

Speaking of allergies, there is debate regarding allergic reactions to shea butter. Even though shea butter is derived from the nut of the shea tree, many say that the nut does not fall into the "normal" category of nut allergy families. If you have an allergy to nuts, I would advise talking to your allergist prior to using a product that contains shea butter.

Did you know that shea butter, when applied directly to the skin, can provide a light ultraviolet protection, sometimes as high as SPF6? Do not count on it as an ultimate natural sun protection product, as the SPF value does vary.

As promised, I will be following up with an ingredient article on palm oil. It is taking a bit more research, but it is on the way.

Winter Storm Warning Soap Part 2

Well...here she is!

The Winter Storm Warning Soap turned out rather interesting.

The colors will continue to fade, but they will remain pretty, no doubt!

It sure does smell wonderful to me, but I cannot let the cat out of the bag just yet...lets see what happens on the curing rack for a few weeks. :)

Ice and Soap Do Mix

Hello! Yes, Mother Nature is being active this morning!

The internet signal (satellite) has been off and on, the power has flickered as well, but all is well.

This is a pic from my front porch. The branches are pretty much forming a veil across the front yard, around the sidewalk area. Pretty, indeed.

Heavy snow is moving in, along with temps that are about 10-15 degrees colder, within the next hour.

I am going to cut that beautiful batch of soap that I poured into the mold yesterday. And I think I will make more, as long as I have power. Hopefully I can post to the blog again later.

I am also working on a plan to upgrade to equipment that will allow me to post regardless of the weather. For now, I do have dial up back up. If you need anything, I check emails throughout every day.

Hope everyone is safe! And remember, one step closer to spring!!!!

Winter Storm Warning Soap

Now, my friends, are you looking at this soap and saying, "Yuck...what in the world is that?" So am I!

I headed into the shop today with a scent on my mind. I knew how I was going to obtain it, and I got it. It was one of those wake up at 2:00 A.M., with something in the head, that just would not go away until it is tried sort of things. I like it.

The color is near what I was shooting for. We will know more tomorrow when I cut the log.

What I truly like about batches like this one is, it isn't quite what I sought after, but I accidentally found something that I really like. Everything goes down on paper when I am in one of these moods. If it doesn't, I cannot create it the second time. That is the fun of this, we can tag it a true artisan project.

Anyhow, for now, this is Winter Storm Warning Soap. Later I will tell more about it. I first have to decide what it smells like. Who knows, I may name this soap after someone that I know. Can you imagine, an Annie's Goat Hill soap named after you?

Now my husband will truly think the nutty formulator has gone mad! :)

More on this tomorrow...

AGH News

Good Morning!

I have signal this morning, very surprising. We are to receive up to 12" of ice and snow before the weather system passes on.

This lovely photo is orange mint goat milk soap. I am going to include it as a spring soap of the month. If you have any soap of the month requests, please give me a holler!

The February scent of the month will be lavender! Updated information on lavender deals will be announced on the news page this week.

If you are to receive a coupon, they are being mailed today. Thank you for your recent newsletter subscriptions!

Last, but not least, my policy is to not change a product, nor will I delete a product, without first asking my customers. For those of you that purchased rose blend goat milk soap, if you are interested in purchasing in the future, let me know. If you wish to purchase more rose blend, I'll get some on the curing rack! If not, I might discontinue. So, let me know, it is up to you!

Light Box and Lotion Sample Day

Today's projects include making a light box and formulating several batches of lotion.

There are a number of easy to follow instructions on the internet for making light boxes. If you need a place to photograph products or crafts, these boxes are an inexpensive route to take.

I bottled up 1 oz. lotion samples in the shop earlier today. With the shipment of each order I enclose a sample. The samples formerly were soaps only. Now I will be including either a lotion or a soap, and I hope to be able to give customers the option of their choice in the near future!

Our snow is completely gone now! The sun is shining again today. It sure does make the spring fever worse. The only remedy to that one is spring! I received several garden, flower, and pond related catalogs in the mail yesterday. I think Bob and I made a good dent in the pages already!

Soap Success - Inauguration Soap Day #2

Cutting was just completed a short while ago. On the curing racks they go! I am happy. :)

As a re-cap, the middle picture is the soap within minutes of being poured into the molds yesterday. The soap (in the middle pic) in the mold on the right was to be teal, green and white colored soap. See the peach in the photo, dotted throughout the soap? It made for some beautiful teal soap today! No peach. For those of you that are from the hippy era, and even those that are younger, this soap is scented (in my opinion) sort of mystical, far eastern. If you like patchouli, and this one is totaly different than patchouli, I believe you will like this one! I will say more about it in upcoming posts. I am one to get droplets of oils all over me when I soap. I keep a clean room, clean tables, clean instruments, but when I soap, I come out smelling good. I could wear the scent of this particular soap every day, I love it!

The soap on the left (in the middle pic) is pink grapefruit and mint green. Cut, (in the right pic) it is some gorgeous soap as well! Right now the mint is overpowering the grapefruit, but I believe it will settle down.

Anyhow...I hope you have had fun with this! I did!

Inauguration Day Soap

After watching President Obama's acceptance speech I headed to the soap shop. I had not made soap for many weeks. I need to get the curing racks back in action!! I pulled muscles in my back while lifting hay last night, so I watched the speech on a heating pad, which helped by the way, and for that I am grateful! I am a go, go, go type of person. So, I got up, put on my coat, and announced, "Off to the shop. I cannot call in sick today!"

These are the two batches that I just poured into molds. I did not go red/white/blue. I was in a green color mood. The soap on the left is grapefruit mint. It will not be as dark in color once it cures. The soap on the right, hmmm, quite the different story. I'll start a new paragraph dedicated just to the soap on the right, tee hee.

I'll start with, I have been making soap since 2003. Today is the first day that I have used a colorant other than herbs, essential oils or complextion clays. With that being said now, I'll also tell you that I hate to read instructions! Yes, I am one of those people that likes to try things on my own and then go back and read. Don't ask me why, even I do not know why. I learn a lot more that way, always have. But, things go wrong from time to time. So...today, I made one batch of soap that was supposed to be teal with white and green swirls. Hmmm...does the soap on the right look like teal, white and green to you? Naw...It is more of a peach cottage cheese with white and green swirls. Ha ha ha. I am not sure if it is going to "take," for a few other reasons that only a soaper easily detects. So, I may be throwing it out. I hope not!

I have been lucky, my record stands at 2 batches of soap thrown in the trash can in 2008. The one on the right just might be another. Tee hee. I hope not, it smells devine!! One of the batches that I threw away stunk, yes, it absolutely stunk! It was supposed to be a replica of a famous perfume, instead it was P-U-fumey!!!! I tried to like it. I cannot politely tell you here what it smelled like. My husband walked into the shop the day that I cut that loaf into bars and asked me what stunk so bad, and he cannot smell anything! I opened the trash can and dumped the soap. Took the trash bag out of the room as well. Funny! It had to go!

Anyhow, that is my soaping story for the day. Tomorrow I will cut the loaves into bars and share pics then too. I took a new shot inside the soap room today, just to show you how bright of a day we are having. I didn't even flip on the fluorescent lights. It was nice!

Take care...enjoy!!!!

Sunday's Thoughts

Young Miss Amelie says Good Sunday Morning to you!

I met a very nice lady a few days ago, Alix. Alix has a great blog, Casa Hice! Yesterday, she wrote an enjoyable article about William The Wonder Goat. I think Alix will see goats in her future again! For my friends that are goat or animal lovers, you will want to read Alix's post, and for those of you that want to help a nice lady (who is also in a winter slump, like the rest of us), yep you heard me, the winter doldrums, please visit her blog!

It was a warm 30-something degrees this morning as I walked down to the pond before dawn to feed the ducks. It felt great! A true heat wave, makes me want to read a book in the yard swing and bask in sunshine. We really do not have sunshine today, and the temperatures are dropping, along with wind and snow showers, but I did enjoy those few moments outside this morning with the quiet and the much warmer temps.

We are visiting with friends today. Our dear friend, Bob, has been struggling with figuring out how to print labels from his computer. This is the same friend that had never touched a computer before last spring. He has since adopted his "friend," and I give him a blue ribbon for his accomplishments. He is going to get a lesson in label printing today, along with a set of labels from my office. Bless his heart. :)

This week I am geared up for soap making. I have colorants that I am going to work with. Honestly, I have never used colorants that were not based on herbal, complexion clay, or essential oils. So...I will be making some fun colored soaps, and I'll share pics with all of you. One day this week I will tell about the colorants and the wonderful package of goodies that they arrived in.

Beginning February 1, I am going to run a soap of the month special. I believe I have the first scent picked out. It is a popular one! I'll match up the lotions, and some bath salts as well.

I also wanted to say, if you have any thoughts on scents that you would like to see in a soap or lotion, I have big listening ears. I am welcome to any ideas! I try so very hard to keep myself out of the box of selling what I like personally, what you like might be different from what I like.

Anyhow...I need to end this rambling for the day. :) I can get carried away pretty easily! Enjoy your Sunday, relax, enjoy the reprise from the arctic freeze (if you have warmer temps today), if not, get the extra covers out and hibernate!

Soapaholics Anonymous Giveaway

Good Sunday Morning!

Heidi, of Soapaholics Anonymous, has announced a giveaway. I have been following Elaine's blog for quite some time, bookmarked on my computer way before I started my own blog. She has a wonderful blog, beautiful soap, a very nice person, with a wonderful Etsy shop, and always has been helpful with questions that I have asked. She is now going to carry soap making items such as infused oils. Please check out the Soapaholics Anonymous blog. I think you will be amazed by it too!

Coffee Pots, Platters and Websites

What do coffee pots, platters and websites have in common? Nothing, but I smile as I say that.

My eyes are tired. I started working on the website this morning at 7:15 A.M., I just now finished my project. The navigation has been updated, with an easier to read site map added. If you visit some time, please let me know if you find a broken link or see something that needs repairing.

My feet and legs are cold. I never get cold inside the house, but a day of sitting at the desk has done me in. I have an oil filled heater behind me, I turned it up on high about an hour ago. The corner that my office sits in is the oldest corner in my house. I would venture to say it could be 100 years old. Anyhow, it is a whopping 8 degrees now, wind chill -4. The sunshine is pretty though, quite the fooler! And...I am jumping for joy...I just saw that we are having a heat wave tomorrow, 29 degrees is the expected high! The girls will be back outside, stretching those poor leg muscles back out!

I took several pictures this week of different areas of the house, along with things that I like to collect. The coffee pot and platter in this picture came from the same place as the chair and mirror (blog post several days ago). The man that owned all of these things lived in a very old renovated barn. That coffee pot sat on top of the huge cast iron stove in the dairy room for many years. I love it, and I was thrilled to have been given it!

I am excited to tell that I received a wonderful "Good Pack" today from Anne-Marie, CEO, Brambleberry. I have not had the opportunity yet today to open the bottles of essential oils and fragrances, but it is going to happen within the next several hours! You betcha'! Anne-Marie sent a lovely bar of soap, a soap mold, and some colorants as well. I will share all of these items with you, as well as showcase the very much appreciated hand written card within the next several days! Anne-Marie is an absolute inspiration to me. I never expected anything from commenting on Anne-Marie's Soap Queen blog, my comments come from my heart. I truly treasure the Good Pack! Thank you!

Well, that wraps up the news in my part of Ohio for the day! I need to do some reading and commenting. From the looks of the thumbnail pics, everyone has been busy! :)

Lotion In The Shop Today

I worked in the shop today. It was refreshing to be out there after sitting at the desk this past week.

Today was a lotion making day. I have new scents to put on the website: honeysuckle, vanilla, berry, unscented, plumeria, lavender and baby powder.

I have a very bad case of spring fever! I cannot wait to start my cottage type/whimsical garden. I plan to get canning going again too. I have to make it happen! I'll write more about that tomorrow.

I love a good plumeria scent. I wish we could grow them here. Today's photo shows a pink plumeria. I looked at several pictures this morning, plumeria blooms beautiful colors (white, yellow, pink, red and pastels). The plant thrives in the more tropical regions, some of the very southern states can grow plumeria. I also read that the plant can be moved to a basement for the winter. I am not quite ready to try that, but I do hope to start a small greenhouse eventually. The plumeria starts to flower in the summer, stays in flower for 3 months, and sometimes carries the flowering season into the fall.

We have snow coming into Ohio today. I just glanced at the radar. The snow line is about 2 miles away. The pond froze over last night, and it is covered with snow now as well. I hate to see the ducks not have water to play in!

Winter Temperatures and Livestock

People often ask me how cold is too cold for the livestock? I will aim my response at cattle and goats.

In my opinion, the answer greatly depends upon the condition of the animal. An animal in good body condition, with a nice winter coat, no present illnesses, can do well in lower temperatures. I even believe, similar to our local Mennonites that urge their children to play outside in the winter, animals are healthier when they romp outdoors throughout various seasons.

The general rule of thumb for outdoor temperature safety is 32 degrees. With a lack of wind, sunshine, and no snow or rain in the picture, animals can be comfortable at 32 degrees. When the temperature drops below that point, ensure the animals have a place where they can take shelter to warmer when needed.

If it is raining, the rule of thumb is 60 degrees. This does not mean that the animals cannot be left in the pasture at 59 degrees, on a day with light sprinkles. When the temperatures drop below 60 degrees, and the coat of an animal becomes wet (down to the skin), it becomes more difficult for them to retain their body heat. Adequate shelter, such as a lean to, should be provided.

In the winter, animals have difficulty browsing and grazing, so quality hay is more important. Grain is a good additive, but quality hay is what keeps the animal warm. The better quality hay, the better a ruminant animal is able to regulate their own body temperatures.

A few more words...livestock generally do not shiver. When they shiver, they might be too cold, or could be ill. There are exceptions to this rule. I do have one full grown nubian doe that shivers every morning, but only because she is excited to get outdoors. Newborn animals cannot retain their own body heat very well, and they are susceptible to frostbite, the outlines above are for animals that are well on their feet.

The picture above was taken from my office winter last winter. Today the girls are indoors, the windchill is in the single digits, with snow flurries.

I plan to get back into the soap room tomorrow. I need about 7 new batches of lotions on the shelves by Monday. That is my goal date for the website addition. I had to run to town today, picked up new stick blenders. I have a habit of dropping them on the floor. That is quite the no-no on a concrete shop floor!

Take care...stay warm!!!