Take a Leap!

It's a Leap Year!!!!  Do you know what that means???  EVERY MONTH has a 29th day!!!  Yeah...I know....crazy amount of excitement over something kinda simple huh?  But see, I have a reason....

For myself - and any one else who wants to join in - I am posting the "Leap Year" challenge.  On the 29th day of each month (hence why leap year is important cause without it February wouldn't have 29 days right?  Anyways....) on the 29th day of each month or close to it I challenge myself to "take a leap".  It can be a leap of faith, leap into something new and different in my soap, leap off the couch and get something completed I have had on hold for a while....you get the point right? Posting this one a little early so my faithful followers can tag along and have a chance to gear up and join in too!

When I realized it was a leap year I felt like doing something a little special - and I realized at the same time I am the queen of the "90% Club".  I get about 90% of many projects done and never finish them - just done enough that is to function.  I'll be posting reminders (as I remember) on instagram @nlrsoaps and on my Facebook page

So what does 2016 have in store in terms of my own personal Leaps?  Well I was thinking somewhere along the lines of this:

• January - Leap into Bubble Bars - I have had many requests for bubble bars and bath fizzies and while I've made a few and done some test runs they just haven't held my attention like the soap has ( I LOVE making soap but not always the other products as much) so January I will be leaping into that commitment.
• February - Leap into Fresh Booth Set Up - I've got this thing about reworking the booth for craft shows and keeping the set up simple yet fresh every year so this year I will be rebuilding and redesigning several elements
• March - Leap into Cheesy Goodness - I don't make cheese products for resale BUT I do make them for the house and by March there will be plenty of milk to go around so I will be expanding my cheese making skills this year....because edible yummies are just as much fun as soap sometimes!
• April - Leap into the Garden - Prayers said HOPEFULLY this year will not be so dang wet and rainy that I won't be able to get outside and get to gardening!  April is set aside for some fun outdoorsy projects because a girl needs to get her hands a little dirty from time to time in order to test her soaps right?
• May - Leap into Masculine Type Products - I have had requests for man type goodies (and made a few in small batches) but I really want to add a decent line up of male skin care before Father's Day arrives so I'll probably cheat and start on this one early.....
• June - Leap into TRAVEL! - Fingers crossed, I REALLY want to get away and visit with my West Coast Peeps....ain't been there literally in YEARS!  So maybe, just MAYBE I will dare to be gone for a while...we will see.....
• July - Leap into CHRISTMAS! - Every year I start planning Christmas season for the soap in the summer and every year I fall behind and end up scrambling a bit.  This year I REALLY want to stick with it haha!
• August - Leap into Organization - I keep a fairly tidy cluttered house during Christmas season mostly because I drop the ball on my organization, this year I hope to tackle that sooner and not let go.
• September - Leap into Balms and Butters - this year I want to add a good line up of body butters and balms with natural type aspects, I've done it in the past and dropped the ball so I would like to take the calmer month of September, once I am ahead on soap that is, and fiddle around with that some.
• October - Leap of Faith - by October show season is really starting to roll along and I tend to forget to take a little time for me and Jesus....you know, quiet reflective, calm down and slow your roll time?  So October I will be sure to stop and breath.....I need to remember to do that!
• November and December......due to Christmas Season I'm not sure 100% that I'll be able to remember anything....so Leaping into my blogging maybe?  Or leaping my rear to the post office in a timely fashion with orders?  Not sure....I'll tackle that when I get there haha!

Who else is making plans to make 2016 a better year?  Share away....maybe give someone else an idea they hadn't pondered yet to ponder!  I'll be Leaping my way through 2016 and having a blast, I just know it!  I mean, come on, we even have an extra day to achieve our goals on so it must be a good year in the works right?

Crochet - A soap related Hobby?

Crochet - yarn, a hook, and your own 2 hands. Simple stuff, but highly entertaining for some of us (myself being part of the "some" here). I haven't crocheted anything in AGES! 1) It's too hot - no really, who wants to have a 5 pound blanket made of yarn sprawled across their legs in the middle of summer? 2) WHEN would I squeeze in time for such a project? Sure, there are easy peasy cute little baby things you can make that go fast...but I don't have any kids, and I don't know anyone about to pop a baby out any time soon...so there's not much need for cute little baby stuff at the moment.

THEN it hit me - BAM! Cute can be functional AND soap related! Don't get me wrong, I know I can always make stuff for babies and turn around and sell it...but why not make something that anyone can enjoy? The answer, crocheted  in 100% cotton yarn is this:

See...I often find myself awake late at night. In case you hadn't heard, my husband snores - BAD - so I (for many reason) am up until pretty late most nights. Let's be honest, I am NOT going outside in the dark, in the woods, with coyotes, snakes, and everything else creepy crawly to do "yard work" at night. Not doing it, the end....BUT...what I can do is sit in here and crochet...small easy things, like wash cloths! I can churn out one or 2 of these in an evening, and I have been. Then I set them aside in a rubbermaid tub.

My thinking is this: come the holidays (and even at regular markets through out the year) I can offer these for sale OR I can include them in gift baskets. To me this is SOOOOOOOoooooo much nicer then the shower poof thingies, or even regular wash cloths....it's hand made, it's personal, and it's somewhat "organic " in nature (though not certified or any thing. By organic, I mean "natural" - what's more natural than cotton? NOT polyester that's for sure lol :)

So....part of what I have been up to (though in small bits of time here and there) are these little devils...if anyone wants the pattern, I'll post it - heck, I may post it just because. I figure it will be a nice, personal touch of sorts in gift baskets to come.

Gotta love the men folk....

Oh yes, it's 6a.m. and here I am.....thanks to the husband, wide awake and not in the mood to do anything besides type :P  Why does he always come home from work with orders as follows: "Please send me more of the brown soap".  Okay....um, which one? Oh...AND WHY did he wait until 5a.m. to ask me for soap????

There's Kerfluffled, Rustic, and Billy Goat Buzz - all of which are dark brown due to the vanilla content, Cherry Almond, Goats Eat Oats, and Rustic Roses, all of which are tan either due to the fragrance or how they are made (Roses is a hot process soap, and goes a little tan where it's not colored).....

I just packed up a basket and stuffed a couple lotion bottles in there for good measure, so I could plod on off back to bed and abck to sleep....nope, not working, still up LOL :)

Bless their less-than-specific souls.....the brown one it is this morning! I hope in the future my note "to please save the tag for reference" helps, and I REALLY hope the message my husband took away was to tell me this stuff in the evenings and NOT when I am sleeping!

I'm BAAAACCKKKK!!!!!!!!

Yup - I just looked and it's been OVER 2 months since I have blogged! I have made some soap since then, but not very much :( There's a few videos needing posting....and much updating to do LOL! Going in reverse order of what I have been up to this summer....

There were tamales to be made.....just over 30 POUNDS of meat! Oh yes....that's a LOT of tamales LOL!

3 giant pots full of meat to cook down, masa to make, much steaming to do....

THEN, there are the "baby goats" - whom are no longer so much babies as giant terrors haha! BUT...they have been keeping me on my toes with 3 bottles each, every day, hoof trims, ears that needed tattoos done and of course much baby goat lovin's to be given!

The disappearing/reappearing pig....who has also taken up residence in the goat pen WHEN he is home! I'm always keeping an eye out for him...some days he wanders off in search of greener pastures....

I finally made the decision to sell one of the does - she just wasn't growing up to be what I want or am going for in my herd, it was hard....but it needed to be done. Keep and breed only the best right?
I miss her, but I know she has gone on to a VERY nice pet home!

The whole herd got a bath, and hoof trims a few times since last I was here and...drum roll please....FIVE does have been "exposed"/bred for November babies!!!! I still haven't sent in bloodwork to confirm pregnancy yet....but fingers crossed I get what I want LOL! We did however send in bloodwork for CAE (all negative of course) and that was nice to be done with as well!

Five kittens were born out there, who always seem to be literally under my feet....though thankfully we are a mouse free property I must admit!

 I have a date every few weeks with Murray....our lawn mower! Keeping the grass cut down to a reasonable height takes about a half a day at least out here! THANK GOODNESS Murray is a riding mower!

The other pig...Breakfast...is growing well and doing great! I anticipate her heading off to the processor in a month or 2 more...maybe 3 months, but I bet just 2 more and away she will go and back will come pork chops, hams and bacon!

Several days were devoted to the stocking up of jams and jellies for us for the year....apple cinnamon jelly, raspberry peach jam and blueberry jam....and then I was given a heap of jalapenos so those were pickled and canned for future use in goat cheese (mmmm.....garlic jalapeno chevre!).....HOT, long, sweaty kitchen days...but nice to have enough good stuff put up for us!

A trip was made and geese were brought home....COTTON PATCH geese! Rare, heritage type geese, pretty cool birds actually! I had to do some "remodeling" outside and set up for them as well - they are happy birds, funny too! When the horses call to me, the geese honk and call back! I can't wait until next spring when we have baby goslings running around!

The hens are doing well, and I am now getting about 3 eggs every day from them! Keeping us happily in enough eggs to have breakfast for dinner whenever we please :) I do so love my poultry!

I got the herd on "milk test" - a very simple (though tons of time to figure it out) process with once a month test days where we weigh and send in samples on the milk....makes things more official in the milk department for the goats, and I like having one more bonus to market with them as I can prove how much milk they give!

I also expanded on the doe pen - put up 120 feet more of fencing and "yard" for them....I figured if I wanted to be gone more to markets selling soap and if I wanted to be inside more MAKING soap I needed to give the goats more room to roam and run and play. I felt guilty on the days when I couldn't walk them about...so I added on to their "facilities"....they like it and I feel better now, but that was yet another loooonnnggg week of hard work outside!

There's the magic "pimp juice" that helped to get the goats all bred out of season for them and synched up to be bred on the same day! That way I only have to wait on babies at one time, and not spread out over the fall!

The old water heater had a Chernobyl stile melt down and I awoke one day to a flood of Noah's Ark proportions...so a weekend was spent getting a new one put in. YES, we only have a tiny water heater, in a tiny spot....it's a tiny house, what can I say? It works...no super long showers, but I have enough hot water to test out my soaps LOL, and that is all that matters!

And that's it! WHEW! Looking back, it has been a REALLY long 2 months! I'm going to try to get the few videos I made up, and THEN, I have a TON of supplies on the way this week, so I will hopefully be making more soaps and getting THAT stuff up as well! I spent the early part of the afternoon premixing colors and getting ready to do the few more soaps I can with what I have here...but I didn't realize until last week how empty it was looking in there in the supply department! CRAZY how fast stuff can go when you aren't even trying! And never mind all of the blogs and youtube vids and such I need to sit down and watch and get caught up on! Oh my good grief I have missed SO MUCH being outside like I have been! I am not gonna lie...it's kind of nice to get away from things like television and computers for a while, but I also miss the interaction with other people of similar mindsets...it's just me and the goats most days....hanging out, chillin, and they don't talk you know?

So....off to fidget with a few things and get back on a roll with soapy stuffs and what not :) Glad to be back finally, but I really did need to focus on the farm for a while :)

Excited for the market tomorrow!

Hitting up my old stand by - Olde Security Square Flea Market - this weekend! Haven't been able to do a 2 day market weekend in a while, just been way too busy! So I am excited to be getting out of the house and heading out!

I know some people DREAD all of the work that goes into this kinda thing - I admit, it IS indeed a ton of work!  But, I really do enjoy the majority of my clients that come through and I really get a kick being about and talking about soaps and goats all day!

I know what I need to be doing at this moment is laundry so I have a clean outfit AND packing...but instead I am playing online...hehehe...naughty me right?  Just can't help it! I am TOO excited! Two whole days outta the house! WOOHOO!

Not like I have been here that much really - I made a trip to the middle of Texas this week, have had a TON of errands to run, just been on the go - but this is different.  I get to go and stay put for the day once I get there, it's nice :)

Better go fix the goats their bottles though....or they will come and yell at me shortly :)  I have some more videos loading as I type...sloooooowly :P Trying to get all caught up after a being double busy!

Revenge of the Goat Milk Lotion!!!

Okay - so not really revenge - perhaps "Goat Milk Lotion strikes again" lol :)  It's not a bad thing though, just tedious with a LOT of dishes when I am done!

First of all, since I DO put milk in my lotion, I don't like to make a ton all at once and leave it sitting around.  Unlike soap which gets harder and better with time, lotion DOES have a shelf life.  So I try to only make about 50 bottles of it at a time.  I may be bumping that up a bit since it moves pretty fast at the market though...we will see....Anyways, like I was saying...

Yes, I also put a preservative in there (phenonip if you were wondering).  But still, nothing lasts forever you know?  So I don't make more than what will last me a few weeks when I make lotions. However...this leads to TONS of dishes on a lotion day!

I have a lotion for almost every soap scent I make - not every single one, but pretty close.  I have found people like having a lotion to match the soap they use....and this means 5 - 10 bottles of each fragrance every time I make more lotions.  Of course I'm not TOTALLY daft...I make a LARGE batch, then portion it out into smaller parts to scent and bottle....not a million little batches.  At least it saves me time on weighing and measuring and melting everything ya know?

So...today is a "Lotion Strikes Again" day.  It's raining anyways, so at least if the power goes out I can stop what I am doing and come back later...lotion is pretty forgiving like that :) But...I DO have about 50 bottles to get crack-a-lacking at.....

Back to the market??? Oh yeah baby!

Ok, so I'm not gonna lie...even though mankind CAN try my patience, I actually REALLY do like people!  Living out here where there aren't many people, I find myself craving them sometimes.  So back to the market I went this weekend! I REALLY had fun last weekend when I sit down and look back at it and you know, the cash is nice.  Plus, to have more room on my soap shelves to make MORE fun soaps is really helpful too!

See, when I really looked at it, I had lotions a-plenty, and TONS of stuff I have been making since February and March - like for real, probably 200 or 300 bars of soap (when I count I'll let you know). I'm not gonna lie, even though that one redneck kinda pushed my buttons, most of the people I met were pretty awesome.  And yes, the lady with the noisy toys...the toys drove me AND come to find out another lady nuts LOL...but she was at least nice.  So, I loaded up and headed back this weekend - I know, crazy right? But why pay for insurance if I'm not gonna make an effort and really sell some stuff eh? Plus, with baby goats coming I won't be able to do it again for a few weeks at least ya know?  Can't leave when mommas are due any minute....

Anyways, I HAD A BLAST!!! Met some awesome people, pretty much sold out of everything else I had that was ready to go and now I am WHOOPED! Overall, the environment is relaxed, the market handles all the "tedious" part as everything is covered so no tent needed, and they have a LARGE table in each space so I don't even have to mess with that either! Just show up and put out my stuff :)  I think I might be addicted lol :)

Plus, get this - they do a drawing each day at 3p.m. for a space number and the winner gets $50 - and GUESS WHAT!!! No, really, guess...come on, guess.....YES!!!!!!! I won today!!!!!!!!!!  And to be honest, I NEVER win anything, not even a dollar on a scratch off! No, seriously - the only stuff I ever win is phone calls from time shares :P and I won something :)

So, I had a tiring but fruitful weekend.  Now, I need to regroup, get pictures of last weeks work posted for ya'll, and get ready for baby goats AND my garden...oh my sad attempts at a garden :(  I HAVE to get on that!  But oh yes, I think I am an addict to selling things, I KNOW I love talking about my goats and my soaps all day and I will return!

OH!  I forgot to say...when you ask "Where have you been?"  I have been at "Olde Security Square" - and I have LOVED IT!

And Leopards Suck too!

Ok, well, only sometimes.  Basically, I should have known better :(

See now, how THIS one goes is:  I went in on Monday, after a VERY patience trying last few days to soap and unwind....I wanted to go ahead and knock out the leopard spots I had been meaning to do anyways PLUS then I would be all ready to blog and post later on in the soap challenge right?  The picture above was my outcome on Tuesday - VERY respectable I do think :)  I was pleased and dammit all I SHOULD have left well enough alone...but no...

So, tonight, I figure I wanted to do a second batch.  I wanted to gt my spots a little more evenly spread out...

I wanted to get step by step pictures of the process.  But...BUT....BUT!!!! I should have known better!

See, here's the thing.  We live waaaayyyy out in the woods in the boonies - past the boonies actually - and every time a squirrel farts on a light pole the power blinks.  Every time a storm blows through the power blinks.  Tonight it was storming BAD too...and I KNEW better, I really did.  But heck, sometimes you HAVE to live dangerous you know? So into the soap room I go....

Once again, I manage to get ALMOST everything mixed.  My lye and oils have been combined, my base and my yellow have been mixed up and JUST as I go to incorporate the purple color with the soap batter BOOM!!!! The lights flicker, the power tries to go out AND something BIG just hit the roof!!!!  OH NO!!! Something little hit the floor! What you ask?

Oh, you know, nothing major...just a pound of on it;s way to purple love spell scented soap batter!  We have a GIANT oak over the house and when I heard the loud crash I thought the tree was coming down, I saw my life flash before my eyes, and I jumped and knocked my purple-to-be batter off of the counter top and onto the floor.  I froze, in the dark, not knowing where the soap had gone and not wearing shoes!  Socks, yes, shoes, no...I didn't want lye filled soap batter squishing between my toes!

Thankfully, the lights came back on FAST!  And low and behold:

There was my purple-to-be soap batter :(  Always a trooper, I grabbed another plastic jug thing, mixed up a tad more purple out of the white, and swirled it all together...just a plain old swirly mess I think...I dunno...we will see when I cut it.

The moral of the story is:  I can get away with the big cat themes once, but try for twice in the same week they will bite me - HARD!!!!

I'm a little scared to try the next method in the challenge - the house might really fall on me next time!  At least it's not a panther or a lion them...I should be safe right? And, no more soaping in storms...I really did know better when I went in there though :(

Where the Buck Stops and the Soap Starts....

Above is Starmaker - our nubian buck....wee bit fat, I know.  But ain't he a looker?  Snapped that pic a while ago now, but it's still my favorite of him all happy tail wagging while he munches on yaupon...He is where my soap really begins.

Bet someone is wondering what he has to do with soap huh?  Well, without him and his bucky saanen sidekick "Crisco" I would not be making soap.  That's right, no bucks = no milk = no soap! 

For those that don't know, here's the run down (it gets a little blunt and pg13 rated for a paragraph ya'll, not that bad but - be warned)....A doe (female goat) needs to kid (give birth) in order to produce milk.  In order to do that you need a buck to do the deed....so in theory at least, my soaps and lotions start with 2 goats bumpin' uglies...it's a farm...not just soap...so a little graphic and full of the facts of life but true. Without that guy above and the udder below I probably wouldn't make soap...

Yup...my milk for my products comes from here (and a few others) twice a day, fresh as can be :)  Sure...I freeze it before I soap with it to help with the whole "lye heats it up thing" and I always pasteurize it prior to putting in a lotion or sugar scrub (gotta be sure to kill off any nasty stuff since it'll be sitting around a bit ya know?).  But we drink it fresh, chilled and raw. I also make cheese and yogurt and such...but we still have PLENTY of milk left over from that!  Sometimes, we even have baby goats to help drink it up lol...but not always and a doe can "stay in milk" (meaning she makes milk - duh right?) for at least ten months around here while baby goats are often long gone by then. We sold the last goat from the last kid crop back in January (we bottle raise - whole 'nother blog ya'll) so I have had milk, milk, and more milk for a while now totally kid free! Currently I get about 3 gallons a day from 3 does...that's a lot of creamy goat milk goodness!  If you've never had it fresh and raw you HAVE to try it out!  So so so much better than store bought goat OR cow milk!  And so many awesome benefits too!  (But that my friends is another day and another post...)

 I know a lot of others buy goat milk to put in their soaps and I think they are missing out (though I know not every one has a place to put goats)...but it makes me kind of sad because the joy of owning goats is part of the fun!  Yes, it's work too...but I love my herd! If you've never had a goat...you need a few...I'm just saying...I love having our goats, no matter how much work they make for me:

Even when they do stupid, bad things, like climb on the picnic table behind the house....

Or when the baby in that belly has a super creepy looking "Alien moment" and sticks a hoof out like that to say hello...see it poking out the side there?

Or when they reach over to steal something out of my pocket...she was taking my cell phone when I got that pic with my other camera...Lucy is nosey...

And the baby goats that take my spot at the kitchen table and crowd me out of my chair can be obnoxious....

It's all worth it for those quiet moments when you look out and they are being good and eating and doing appropriate goat things! (Plus, the baby goats are REALLY super adorable when they aren't getting into stuff!) The fresh milk is priceless too :P

This is where my milk comes from.  This is where my soap and lotions and such start...because lord knows we get enough milk lol...I have a freezer full AND a fridge full as I type!  Sure, I make cheese and such too...but it's not the same as soap making.  Cheese = cooking = work and dishes I have to wash....soap making = fun experiments and artsy stuff and dishes that practically wash their sudsy selves! You can't really go putting glitter and shimmery micas and swirls in your cheese now like you can with yout soap....it's just not the same...I mean, I guess I could, but I wouldn't want to eat cheese with glitter on top.

This ya'll, this is where the buck stops and the soap starts for me and even though most days I have a hard time finding time for evrything, I love every single minute of it when I look back. Without the herd I never would have started soaping :)