Cherry Pie - pt. 3

I saw an old friend today. We used to see each other frequently as our children were growing up. She has seven, I have six, so we always had alot to talk about whenever we were together. As we stood there in the middle of the grocery store, I realized that nothing had really changed in either of our lives except that our kids had gotten older, we each had a few grandchildren now and our marriages are still healthy and vibrant. That was refreshing. One thing that had changed was the amount of heartache each of us has endured as we have raised our children and as they have flown the nest. Our stories were laced with excitement as we recounted how many of them are married now and were raising families of their own. Or how our homeschooling days are numbered now as our younger children have reached Jr. High school age. Sprinkled within the dialog, though, was also a measure of sadness as we each revealed a subtle disappointment now and then from some of the choices our children have made over the years. After a time we realized that through it all, our children are and always have been a tremendous blessing to us despite the ups and downs. I know there are times when the dark clouds seem exceptionally dark, but nobody said it would be easy. My mom told me today, "When they're young, they step on your toes, When they grow up they step on your heart." I know now how that feels.
One thing that amazes me most as I trust in Christ and the promises that His Word ensures, is the ability to reach for and grasp joy in any and all circumstances. These little victories that I obtain despite what is happening around me keep my heart glad and my face aglow. I feel very blessed to be called one of His children.
When I have alot to think about, I like to keep my hands busy and create. So I made soap....lots of it.

Then I made a cherry pie.

It took me several tries to make the crust, but I finally got it.

Yummy....a quick walk to the grocery store for some vanilla ice cream to put on top of my slice of pie and my cares were quickly forgotten! Funny how food helps!

Soap Making trials - Part 2

So...that glob of lye that I got stuck in my pasta pot has now been freed. In a previous post`I wrote about the lye becoming stuck in a pot after it had been exposed to the air. Well, I had to redeem my pot, so I had to find a way to un-do the damage. I had to get the lye warm again in the oven so that it would melt a little, then I had to pry it out. And I mean pry. I put on my gloves and goggles and long sleeves and pants then took it out in the yard to figure out how to get it out of the pot. Remember, it is very caustic. I looked around trying to find something that would get the job done with as little effort as possible. I tried a knife, that didn't work at all, this stuff was as hard as rock! Aha! I spotted my husband's 6 ft. pry bar that is about 2 inches in diameter and figured that it would do the trick. The thing weighed about 10 lbs. but I managed to lift it and plop it into the pot a few times and viola! the lye broke into several pieces which easily lifted out of the pot. Although I now have a dent in the bottom of my pot!

Now I can get back to the business of making more soap!

This is the latest group of soaps that I have made. Lavender, Cinnamon-Apple-Peach (for Rhoni), Oats & Honey, Lovespell, GreenTea/cucumber, Apricot-Freesia & Plumeria (for Yvonne), among others.
I gave a soap making demonstration last evening to a group of 6th graders visiting the Redwoods for their end of the year trip. That is the first time I have done something like that on a large scale. I have shared my skills with people individually, but this was a first. The kids really enjoyed it and I gave them each their own bar of handmade soap to take home. I think I might try putting on a class and charging a fee for learning how to make soap. Any takers?

Soap Making trials

Yes, soapmaking has its trial. Even after making soaps for 6 years without having to use a recipe because I've done it so many times it has become more of a pattern of movement, sometimes things just don't go right. Apparently, I made the mistake of leaving the lid off one of the buckets which allowed moisture to seep into the granules of powder. As the photo shows, these little granules refused to dissolve into the mixture. This was a problem. You see, when making soap, part of the process involves using lye. This sounds horrifying, I know, but indeed one cannot have soap with out it. Lye is a VERY caustic chemical but the process known as saponification reduces it to a state of usefulness and makes it harmless. (soapmaking 101).
I deduced that if I removed the moisture from the powder, it would become flaky and powdery again so I put it in the oven in a pot on a very low setting.

I use a jar to scoop it out and even it was stuck in the glob so hard I couldn't get it out! Several hours later I checked on the experiment only to find out that my hypothesis was incorrect! The powder actually turned liquid! At that point, I just decided to put it away and deal with it tomorrow (which is always a good way to deal with stress, right!?)


I continued making the batch of soap that I had begun in the first place. Olive oil is one of the 6 oils I put into the soap. This makes for a beautiful, rich, bubbly bar of soap. Each ingredient must be carefully weighed and combined in the proper order to ensure the saponification process.


Once the ingredients are combined, they are vigorously blended together. Here I am using what is commonly referred to as a stick blender. Usually these are used for making milkshakes, but they also are indispensable when making soap! I blend until "trace" which is a thickened state.
Once I add whatever fragrance and color I want, I pour it into the molds and let it set overnight. This batch is Plumeria.

Next I cut each bar by hand and set it on the shelf for 6 weeks to allow it to cure. After that time it is ready to sell. So this is what it takes to keep my family and friends clean and smelling nice! This is my creative expression which I love to express, so more than anything it is a labor of love!

Soap Making in Humboldt County

This photo is of a Freesia, one (of many) of my favorite flowers. I have quite a few "favorites." I absolutely love Gardenias. I grow lots of Roses. Jasmine is another favorite. And I almost forgot to mention how much I love Oriental Lilies! I have this irresistible tendency towards sweet fragrances.
Remember the cartoon illustration of the hungry character floating through the air toward the food with the smoke pulling it like a rope? That's the way I am with floral fragrances. I can never seem to get enough beautiful, sweet flowers around me. So, I have discovered a great way to express this passion for fragrance without having to plant all of these flowers in my garden......I make my own soap. I am a self proclaimed, successful herbal soap maker.

I started this endeavor about 5 years ago when I lived on a small homestead in Southern Humboldt. I attended a class introducing me to soap making that was taught by a friend of mine. I thought it interesting and promptly went home to announce to my family that I was now going to make our own soap. I had already succeeded in making all of our own whole wheat bread, raised our own chickens to provide our eggs, raised and butchered all of our own turkey and chicken meat, and grew and canned most of our fruits and veggies. So when I made this announcement, no one seemed too surprised. My first attempts did not turn out very well, but with tender encouragement from my husband, I kept trying until I got it right. I spent many hours on the internet researching recipes, borrowing books from the library and calling my friend to help me create a great bar of soap. After weeks of trial and error, I developed a bar of soap that fulfilled my expectations. At this point, I decided that I couldn't just make soap for my family; I had to make it for the entire county! Once I got going on it, I couldn't stop. I found so many titillating scents and fragrances to make into incredible soaps that I had to step up my production just to experiment with them all! I had racks and racks of curing soaps scattered all over the house and throughout my living space. All of this became the creation of my new business, "A Corner of Eden." I had to have soap displays made so I could sell the soap to local businesses.
I went to farmer's market every week to sell it. I spent my Christmas holidays attending boutiques and faires selling my specialty soaps. I put in lots and lots of hours promoting my handmade goods while raising the kids, managing the homestead, and generally keeping life running smoothly. Whew... I'm getting worn out just remembering all of that!

Several years later, our family made the decision to move away from the homestead. The circumstances in our lives had changed which made it necessary to move closer to town and off the farm. It wasn't the easiest decision I have had to make, but I was ready to accept it.
Since moving into town, I haven't gotten my soap business back up to the level I would like it to be, but I feel a change coming........It's time to make soap again. I can feel it. It's a creative burn in my hands that begs to express itself. Gardening can't fulfill it, cooking won't do it, only soap making will give my limbs the satisfaction they long for. I shall start as soon as I can get up out of this comfy chair and away from this warm fire... oh, wait a minute, is that the phone ringing? Did someone say that the grandkids are coming over to spend the day? Oh yes, and I have a test on Monday that I need to study for; and I haven't taken the dogs for a walk yet...
Hmmmm.... maybe I will just wait until tomorrow.....