tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-44427214903777273622024-03-05T21:58:30.572-05:00Koinonia Communitydreaming of
fellowship, communion, communication, and sharing through every day livingkoinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.comBlogger248125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-81107026927121928782013-05-27T08:04:00.001-04:002013-05-27T08:09:28.706-04:00Control Freak!<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="usercontent">I had mentioned a couple of weeks ago how
God was prompting me to be more transparent. Well, I’ve been kind of falling
back into my old self-controlled routine. I still need to work on giving up
control. Don’t get me wrong. I don’t want to become a basket case, always
appearing to fall apart at the seams, and unloading all my emotional garbage on
people I love (or stranger’s unfortunate enough to cr</span><span class="textexposedshow">oss my path). But I need to allow myself to be more
transparent. I need to not bottle up my concerns or frustrations…because they
poison my body. It’s necessary for me to let people know when I feel
overwhelmed….which is frequently. It’s important that I don’t always appear
confident….because sometimes I’m not. It’s important that I stop and release
that control before I unknowingly hurt myself and those around me. Sometimes
it’s important I just LET THINGS GO!</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">I look back and see all the times I used the word
‘I’ or ‘me’. Yup, it’s all about me! I know it’s not, but sometimes those of us
that are such control freaks forget to take care of ourselves, and every once
in awhile we have to be reminded that we are important. We need to pause from
trying to be all things to all people and stop and try to look after our own
needs and desires. Looking after ourselves improves our emotional health, and
energizes us to be more capable of meeting the needs of others. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Frequently we keep ourselves so busy doing for
others that we fail to see that what we are doing for them are failing to meet
their needs or desires. God tells us to feed the hungry and clothe the naked.
So often we get so busy that we feed the naked and clothe the hungry. We have
the best of intentions, but we’re running in so many directions that we aren’t
seeing that the hungry are still lacking food, and the naked are still
unclothed.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">It’s almost comical how when I get overwhelmed, the
first thing I remove from my ‘list’ (oh, you better believe I’m a list maker)
is my own wants and desires. I think that I’m helping others by completing all
the necessary tasks. But at what price? I am exhausted, frazzled, angry,
overwhelmed, and resentful, and I take it out on those closest to me….the only
people I allow to see the cracks in my façade. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Years ago I wrote an article about the importance of fellowship. I wrote that I
hoped that we got so busy chatting with neighbors on our porch that I didn’t
have time to make supper, and we were forced to throw together some sandwiches.
Those of you that know me know what a huge stretch that is. (I only recently
started purchasing cereal) I got a nasty response from a woman berating me for
shirking my wifely and motherly responsibilities. She actually said ‘how dare
I’. There’s one in every crowd. My husband laughed and said told me that
nothing would make him happier than to sit around and fellowship with friends
and for me to really relax and let my responsibilities rest. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">See, I fool myself into thinking that getting
everything done and keeping everything in order is what makes the people I love
happy. I feel like I’m doing my job, and taking care of my family if I feed
them well, make sure the house is clean, provide clean clothes and hold things
together. But sometimes they feel neglected. And I think to myself ‘I’m giving
it my all! What do you want from me?’ But I completely miss the mark. They
aren’t hungry. They aren’t naked. Those aren’t the needs that I’m failing to
meet. Do you know what they told me makes them happy? What is the most
important responsibility that I’m not getting done? What do they miss most
about from me? Hearing me laugh.</span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-77840020507143232732013-05-13T11:44:00.001-04:002013-05-27T08:09:56.716-04:00Hello Stranger!You may have noticed that after a one year hiatus, I'm back! Seems I still have something to say after all. I should warn you that the severely damaged filter that I had between my brain and mouth (or typing fingers) is now damaged beyond repair. There. You've been warned! Continue to read at your own risk.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-21864693731719664512013-05-13T11:36:00.001-04:002013-05-13T11:36:21.211-04:00Spring Resolution<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<span class="usercontent">Some people have New Year's
Resolutions. That always seemed so odd to me. The new year occurs in the dead
of winter. Spring is when I think of change. Spring is when I resolve to
examine my life garden and see what needs to be discarded this year, what needs
to be added, and what things need to be planted in greater quantities. I want
to examine what areas need to be plowed before the first w</span><span class="textexposedshow">eeds start emerging from the warm soil. So.......my
Spring Resolution...........TRANSPARE<wbr></wbr>NCY. I resolve to attempt to stop
hiding behind this poker face, and reveal the true me hidden beneath. No
makeup. No jewelry. Be forewarned! </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">It still amazes me how some people expect/demand to
be able to believe what they believe, and share their beliefs with others, BUT
the moment someone believes otherwise, the same people are the first to judge
and attempt to censor. We are all guilty of this at times. I know I am. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Some people think I'm just more compassionate and
loving than some. They think I overlook the flaws of others. Sometimes they
think I am just more accepting of people's shortcomings. I'm nowhere close to
that pure. It's just that I have a different view of who is unlovable than
most. I'm still guilty of judging others. I just am more likely to judge the
judge and jury than the accused. I usually find those that others view as
'flawed' or 'sinners' as beautiful. Those that appear 'perfect' or 'righteous'
are the ones that appear ugly to me. I believe that our differences make this
world more rich and colorful. That doesn't make me a hypocrite. That makes me
flawed.....just like you.</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Empathy, Compassion, Love. Christ taught us to show
each of these toward others; friends, enemies, family, and strangers. He loves
them with their faults, just as He loves us with ours. Maybe you don't believe
in Him, so you don't believe in what he said. Truth is the truth whether or not
you believe it to be. So you don't agree with everyone. So what! Neither do I.
I don't have to. I'm quite sure not everyone agrees with me. That's the beauty
of free will. </span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">This is my one beautiful life. I will make a mess.
I will clean it up, only to make a horrible mess in another area. Sure, some
areas of my life may be super shiny and sparkling clean. You can bet if my life
were a house, only the smaller rooms.... maybe the closets and half baths would
be clean. The largest rooms... the ones I live in all the time.... are covered
with dust, clutter, books half-read, and muddy footprints. No matter how hard I
try, parts of my life will be horribly messy. Who am I to judge the mess of
someone else just because it doesn't resemble mine?</span><br />
<br />
<span class="textexposedshow">Well, that's my soapbox statement for the day. It's
also my confession. You may agree. You may disagree. That's your choice. Even though I may sometimes shake my head and roll my
eyes, I love you anyways</span>.<span class="usercontent"> </span></div>
<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-64128703364549204702012-05-04T08:16:00.000-04:002012-05-04T08:16:11.006-04:00Soap Challenge Week #6 ~ Faux FunnelI've seen some of the soaps made using the faux funnel method and they are GORGEOUS! I was extremely excited to try my hand at this challenge. It's hard to believe I hadn't tried it before this point. For my non-soaper readers, a faux funnel is accomplished by pouring a spot of soap, then pouring alternating layers on top of your original spot.<br />
<br />
The hardest part of soap making is design. Colors? Scent? This is a great opportunity to get those creative juices flowing. However, this is also the point where your choices can lead to an amazing work of art, a so-so soap, or a complete failure. SO MUCH PRESSURE!! I decided to blend a coconut lime verbena fragrance oil with a small amount of mango fragrance oil. I wanted something summery and tropical. I was hoping that the sweetness of the mango would round out the sharp citrus notes of the lime. For color I decided to use a vibrant blue, a light green, a brown with a small amount of glitter, and white. I was going for fresh coconuts, limes, and a bit of water. I also decided to increase the quantities on my color additives from what I would normally use to try and vamp up the color intensity. *This is where I should note that I made a several errors in this batch. I was having one of those days where I was tired, it was late, and I was having trouble focusing. I probably shouldn't have made soap that day*<br />
<br />
So, now that that is out of the way....on with the journey! I started measuring my oils. I was almost finished weighing my second oil when I realized I was following the quantity in my recipe for olive oil but was in fact pouring coconut oil! My recipe called for 6.8 ounces of coconut oil and I had already poured 10.1 ounces. I sat down to think for a minute. I didn't want to make a bigger batch. I was a bit low on a couple of my oils. I decided to head to www.soapcalc.net and formulate a new recipe incorporating my nearly 30% coconut oil. I changed the recipe to incorporate the quantities of oils I had already poured and increased my superfat to (hopefully) lessen the potential for dryness from my high percentage of coconut oil. I like a bar of soap that moisturizes my skin. The older I get...the more my skin needs it. Catastrophe avoided, I moved on.<br />
<br />
My raw soap came to trace..........immediately! I divided it into my four handy dandy two cup capacity pyrex measuring cups I picked up at my last auction. I blended the colors. Uh oh! My light green? Dark green. My white? Like snow. My water blue? Cobalt. My brown? Perfect. I think I got a little carried away with my colors. I wasn't taking into account my portion size when I increased my quantities. My portion sizes were smaller, so if I would have stuck with my 'standard' quantity of color additive, they would have been bright enough. <br />
<br />
Now, remember how it came to trace immediately? Well, it went from trace to heavy trace just as quickly. I began glopping portions of soap into my mold. After each addition I would have to lift my mold about six inches off the counter and slam it down....several times. I finished pouring and dropped my head. Don't get me wrong...it looked....pleasant. But rather than coconut, lime, and water it looked like the earth. Soil, clouds, water, and vegetation! I just couldn't see how that went with the fragrance of coconut lime verbena and mango. Hmmmm.....I made it on Earth Day. Maybe I should name it Earth Day Soap. <br />
<br />
I decided to just hope for the best and wait and see what happened the next day when it was cut. I was actually pleasantly surprised. I liked it! I still couldn't see how the colors matched the scent, but I liked the appearance of the bars. With some creative naming, it could work! Maybe it needs to be named something that calls to mind an island or an oasis. I do wish I had cut on the horizontal instead of vertical, but I would have had to shave quite a bit off the top of the loaf since it was at such a heavy trace and I couldn't slam down the mold hard enough to level out the top any more. <br />
<br />
It really does smell lovely. The biggest drawback, however, is the color saturation. I knew that the color would come through to the lather...and it does. The lather is a blue green color. It doesn't stain, but it doesn't look great either. The recipe worked out great. It produced a hard, super smooth bar with a ton of lather. It is moisturizing as well.. I may have accidentally discovered my new standard soap recipe. Thank you God for that gift!<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89GVXEF9PYmL7CT2cuUDWEPFUnDnXrHyBBGRzm163N82YbtigEyJeCqrDqDHIxX4zoP8Bnj5Q7zGs9NnA1qED8SmKU8uWGg5wjO6_3HMn4U6YLSH0LcDDBoHpvShyphenhyphenkVEWvfMerAx5ItE-/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi89GVXEF9PYmL7CT2cuUDWEPFUnDnXrHyBBGRzm163N82YbtigEyJeCqrDqDHIxX4zoP8Bnj5Q7zGs9NnA1qED8SmKU8uWGg5wjO6_3HMn4U6YLSH0LcDDBoHpvShyphenhyphenkVEWvfMerAx5ItE-/s320/002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First Cut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLWUYTEFNFmwLSUe0b0le0_lmqDjjZiaaNOAEK04VjDcl8GrmpOdCS1dFHaFw2UI34r_wW80JpalaCeo2ovYUbxdmnqUip-lXxIB1PdtL3BEsSTljqGd0mCSxLvHWcy9Rgxsx_ixToPxe/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGLWUYTEFNFmwLSUe0b0le0_lmqDjjZiaaNOAEK04VjDcl8GrmpOdCS1dFHaFw2UI34r_wW80JpalaCeo2ovYUbxdmnqUip-lXxIB1PdtL3BEsSTljqGd0mCSxLvHWcy9Rgxsx_ixToPxe/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All soaps fresh cut</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwELavFn8e5Hov4Uodl8WB1N1d5qShkcR5ia7BGAgHhqJeriz76k_aDBxI0JUHidtc2ufhA2KUK6cn8RAdIAgr9bDeNnzBXZHZXjtnLzwTTepdS9ovDobX1zk_As-h68QxLsInIYBH8TH0/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%236+and+scarves+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwELavFn8e5Hov4Uodl8WB1N1d5qShkcR5ia7BGAgHhqJeriz76k_aDBxI0JUHidtc2ufhA2KUK6cn8RAdIAgr9bDeNnzBXZHZXjtnLzwTTepdS9ovDobX1zk_As-h68QxLsInIYBH8TH0/s320/Soap+Challenge+%236+and+scarves+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After a week ~ Faux Funnel</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljagGryXrFp-eXfxZWLOWNln2OiCwrNDSkaJc94vfl5H874TDs-1iAxyQBxfSR9WBMGIObqgOqa-blplkTnB7n2ffqcdjBD5rLEu6g1v_0ytRVV4qDw5trqXfxWfQgXaa40pnWFnJnSrp/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%236+and+scarves+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgljagGryXrFp-eXfxZWLOWNln2OiCwrNDSkaJc94vfl5H874TDs-1iAxyQBxfSR9WBMGIObqgOqa-blplkTnB7n2ffqcdjBD5rLEu6g1v_0ytRVV4qDw5trqXfxWfQgXaa40pnWFnJnSrp/s320/Soap+Challenge+%236+and+scarves+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quite a bit of variation through the loaf. Tops are as poured, no fancy changes (except slamming the mold down to attempt to flatten)</td></tr>
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I will be skipping the soap challenge for week #7. I do want to try it at a later date, but this week got away from me. I'm just flat out of time!<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-11868866293231085582012-04-27T23:46:00.000-04:002012-04-27T23:46:03.678-04:00Soap Challenge Week #5 ~ Mixing Your Own Scent BlendWell....I'm a little late posting this challenge. It has been nearly two weeks since I made the soap, and I am attempting to post these pictures before the link times out and the link for this week's challenge (which I'm going to attempt to make tonight) is created. This week's challenge wasn't a huge challenge for me. I am one of those people that finds it necessary to tweak every recipe I come across. Maybe I just have difficulty with following directions. As a result, from day one of my soap making journey I have been blending fragrances.<br />
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In the past I've created some great fragrance blends, and some pretty horrific ones. I like to throw together fragrances that people don't expect to find paired together. Some of my favorites have been lilac and blueberry, and one that I call "Faith" that is comprised of frankincense and myrrh essential oil, basmati rice fragrance oil, and ground cinnamon and nutmeg.<br />
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I did have some essential oils that I wanted to play with though. What I was interested in creating was a lavender & peppermint blend....softened. Both lavender and peppermint have a tendency to smell a bit medicinal. What I wanted to play with was adding some floral and citrus notes in an attempt to tone down, or soften that medicinal bite. I blended essential oils of pink grapefruit, lavender, peppermint, ylang ylang, and a chamomile neroli blend.<br />
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I decided to add some excitement by making a salt bar for this challenge, reformulating my previous salt bar recipe, and blending my own mica colors. Just for fun I thought I'd swirl the soap in the mold if it didn't set up too soon. So, how did it turn out? Well.....it has it's good points and it has it's bad points. It held up great through blending. I was thrilled to death with it when I covered it and put it in the oven. It looked great and it smelled great...a little strong, but I figured it would tone down a bit while it cured.<br />
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I pulled it out of the oven after about an hour to cut it. The top was beginning to harden and I didn't want to wait until it was crumbly. The colors had faded quite a bit. I thought maybe it was a bit ashy, so I went ahead and began cutting. Uh oh! I started cutting a wee bit too soon. It was still a bit soft. It was falling to pieces! So, after the first cut I just walked away for a ten minutes or so to give it time to finish setting up. After that time passed, it was sufficiently hardened and ready to cut. But the color was definitely a bit more of a pastel than I had hoped, and lacking the contrast I had envisioned. <br />
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The fragrance still had a bit of a bite. I couldn't smell anything but the lavender and peppermint. With a deep sigh, I decided to wait and see what happened. Well, yesterday it had been nearly two weeks since I made the soap, so I decided I just HAD to test one of the end pieces. Tell me I'm not the only one who does that! <br />
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OH MY GOODNESS!! I am in love with this bar. The fragrance is alright. It isn't all that I had hoped for. It has an undercurrent of chamomile and neroli. The ylang ylang is nearly impossible to detect. But it's an okay lavender mint. Still needs work before I'm thoroughly satisfied. But the actual salt bar is amazing. The bubbles must have been breeding because they just kept coming! And they weren't big ol' airy bubbles either. They were creamy and soft. Water was actually lightly beading on my skin after I rinsed. At first the lather looked almost oily or gummy. I know....I'm making it sound REAL appealing! But, after all, this recipe was super-superfatted since it had such a high percentage of coconut oil. A little concerned I then added a wee bit more water and it recreated itself as a dense bubbly lather, with no trace of the questionable oiliness. But the best part was after I dried off. My skin felt so soft it was unbelievable. I honestly kept catching myself rubbing the backs of my hands. Soft as a baby's bottom!<br />
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Bottom line? Okay fragrance; natural, a little medicinal.<br />
Color? Me no likee, but some folks love pastels.<br />
Bar Quality? A keeper! Should sell well if I'm willing to share.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWaSRNYRGzvxPkiXm0So3mFzSHzOZb4BKkZABlesE8IdtVY8Hbf3bBEFbi-IE1tMRWlWumXqyB9JuzHzZd3p7-K58zbAc8VQ4blJJUam7TuoJjuKHsTBHGDQesk8H5rK9B_XNKIzF9eZQ/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWaSRNYRGzvxPkiXm0So3mFzSHzOZb4BKkZABlesE8IdtVY8Hbf3bBEFbi-IE1tMRWlWumXqyB9JuzHzZd3p7-K58zbAc8VQ4blJJUam7TuoJjuKHsTBHGDQesk8H5rK9B_XNKIzF9eZQ/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colors I had envisioned</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCwalpag7GEZCLgjRAH3dlrPG0W_tHgN6qXXSHfFwJvURG0vv0pNgYVS_3HaAkl9Htao6N5D1qRb6bdQGsQlSIrcisoiHRqk_EYq1HooaAgeMXHkgSUkib9asxK19QpT4Cm-3YzgriraZ/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKCwalpag7GEZCLgjRAH3dlrPG0W_tHgN6qXXSHfFwJvURG0vv0pNgYVS_3HaAkl9Htao6N5D1qRb6bdQGsQlSIrcisoiHRqk_EYq1HooaAgeMXHkgSUkib9asxK19QpT4Cm-3YzgriraZ/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Freshly poured and swirled</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAupSOt0Mgttq_r93uaFmicJ1EaX-dyyyXa3qO0TZFeSNL_0VJEwSLGtQPQfmfBRJY-ZFmSIxPxc2J2ZQyYYS2WrITTyJLHUwNsO6zYEE-Az6gVKCwtn2Tr6EU3T13hA5DdAxyOgyEeUf/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHAupSOt0Mgttq_r93uaFmicJ1EaX-dyyyXa3qO0TZFeSNL_0VJEwSLGtQPQfmfBRJY-ZFmSIxPxc2J2ZQyYYS2WrITTyJLHUwNsO6zYEE-Az6gVKCwtn2Tr6EU3T13hA5DdAxyOgyEeUf/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+005.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The colors are already looking lighter</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzL17sZwj9_T6XJUf8VnCrQIZgIw5LRT5pn5XfhS7QEWF0eBdJ2AVJQmvnwNmKkFOXS25raKukz9ZTWGS4BiNUFgK2QmONd5pONaBUQ-72Zl3S4j7ibOg8cHtFQbmCB5zVktdmtGYsnmJZ/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzL17sZwj9_T6XJUf8VnCrQIZgIw5LRT5pn5XfhS7QEWF0eBdJ2AVJQmvnwNmKkFOXS25raKukz9ZTWGS4BiNUFgK2QmONd5pONaBUQ-72Zl3S4j7ibOg8cHtFQbmCB5zVktdmtGYsnmJZ/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unmolded ~ it looks ready to cut....but it's not!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiwpzAPs3SJ8OUINNVCY2KySO7EuUAPKU3W2hJkDFkY_Tsdt_I3dPPig-Bvz9qKGFzlLzAJTc4lRy0bfVP_L-KvjyIG4W5ihkCcTZeEGj5M0t0aTW1ed5pp-Am7s_yiipKcI8-evQ030g/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmiwpzAPs3SJ8OUINNVCY2KySO7EuUAPKU3W2hJkDFkY_Tsdt_I3dPPig-Bvz9qKGFzlLzAJTc4lRy0bfVP_L-KvjyIG4W5ihkCcTZeEGj5M0t0aTW1ed5pp-Am7s_yiipKcI8-evQ030g/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+008.JPG" width="320" /> </a></td><td style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First cut. It's still too soft ~ almost like play dough.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYigXEM4fR3e6VkHIMCCOsjzvMDfK9DQe-n6UZ4N3vFU-1cysaJdcDGiuKkIgyMzU2tRgECljdFv3gQmPWyHWhkquTiRfkc5v8yTCcZ6vElUiw3fOnAwoeVVQJxNyEpJFHaNNOaX3kgHyz/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYigXEM4fR3e6VkHIMCCOsjzvMDfK9DQe-n6UZ4N3vFU-1cysaJdcDGiuKkIgyMzU2tRgECljdFv3gQmPWyHWhkquTiRfkc5v8yTCcZ6vElUiw3fOnAwoeVVQJxNyEpJFHaNNOaX3kgHyz/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut bars</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW8FRnN9nySLy_7GogGY42VCSw-hZaeojJfDKSNqsg7pNGbufFjDb-x4HNQKVw_mFi62Rca00SAw7TyAWDqIRyynyG0DzKL7Czjd-mHBeg7RMVagTuE_-LdtxmHbfU4AbYqZlNqeKc1dd/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioW8FRnN9nySLy_7GogGY42VCSw-hZaeojJfDKSNqsg7pNGbufFjDb-x4HNQKVw_mFi62Rca00SAw7TyAWDqIRyynyG0DzKL7Czjd-mHBeg7RMVagTuE_-LdtxmHbfU4AbYqZlNqeKc1dd/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25235+%2526+Book+shelf+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More cut bars</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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I never did take any 'completed' pictures. It has lightened slightly due to the salt content. The fragrance has slightly softened. Honestly, I think after curing, it is going to smell great! But if they don't sell I won't mind a bit.<br />
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<br /><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-18847637245919822322012-04-19T11:30:00.000-04:002012-04-19T11:30:18.710-04:00Soap Challenge Week #4 ~ Making Soap Using Alcohol<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">This is a completely new one for me. I've never made soap using alcohol. Alcohol is reputed to be difficult to work with. I've heard horror stories of foaming volcanoes when people add their lye to their alcohol. I did learn after watching Amy's video and checking out several other sites online that I was better off starting with something with a lower alcohol content like beer or wine. Since I didn't seem to have any wine on hand (Huh...that's strange. Where did it go?)</span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">, and since I had an idea forming in my head, I decided to go with beer. Beer is supposed to contribute an awesome lather to soap, and the hops in the beer are reputed to nourish the skin. </span><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">That sounded like it was worth giving a try! I utilized some Yuengling Black & Tan for my liquid, and got started. A few things were suggested to help diminish the potential for lye volcanoes. First off, it was necessary to boil the beer to flatten it. Second, adding the lye to the alcohol while it was sitting in an ice bath to keep the temperature down was also suggested. </span><br />
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<span class="fbPhotoCaptionText">My vision was to make a masculine black and tan bar, lightly scented with Bramble Berry's black tea fragrance oil blended with carrot seed essential oil. Bentonite clay was added to the entire batch for slip, and half of the soap batch was then blended with activated charcoal, for color, and because it is great for the complexion. After all, even a manly soap should be loaded with nourishing goodies! I used a divider to pour half black and half tan, allowing the soap to push back and forth slightly for variation, and then lightly swirled the halves together. Overall, I'm pleased with it. It smells heavenly! I hope you enjoy it as well.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsCIYrEPWFFWjvxLmAVszJDa73tB6Qe-3LWUvcCy0lRTvEi8YMTcDBAfOHBXXep3wvVRRlbNxfFV7tZgyDFvaqZ64esNRcWzWvG_3M-AcdImvNksAxe0rUq3JrA7VpZFzsAXhGXQcbESP/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNsCIYrEPWFFWjvxLmAVszJDa73tB6Qe-3LWUvcCy0lRTvEi8YMTcDBAfOHBXXep3wvVRRlbNxfFV7tZgyDFvaqZ64esNRcWzWvG_3M-AcdImvNksAxe0rUq3JrA7VpZFzsAXhGXQcbESP/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The liquid portion. In all honesty, when I had finished lightly boiling the beer, quite a bit had evaporated. Not willing to contribute another full bottle of beer for a measly two ounces of liquid, I added cold coffee for the remainder.</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Boiling beer. </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9u8j2Omkgb9KBahkL9YItIcZy7J-RGUL93z8UEt0av9OGVaj0-K8zoQcN2ohST4JIoAbLs89VEaiKkRUTirLDiN59-ZSMiBPkOjZs_ROx5D1AplHPj0yYgZuJbLvrPpiUMwiUg2xE2CZ/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm9u8j2Omkgb9KBahkL9YItIcZy7J-RGUL93z8UEt0av9OGVaj0-K8zoQcN2ohST4JIoAbLs89VEaiKkRUTirLDiN59-ZSMiBPkOjZs_ROx5D1AplHPj0yYgZuJbLvrPpiUMwiUg2xE2CZ/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">No more bubbles</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWwLp1cNAF0vab5Fs7PwWwoqTItFLCXhJmF92ZQqgGilxf947FNHpzfkbLUyECBpoFrW3bPRWAZ0Mr_esE6PCBuzSM0hW9p8t-Fqo1z-h5K7R4o11FCR13KPJR9sfrnHQoAah-DFsaNWg/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrWwLp1cNAF0vab5Fs7PwWwoqTItFLCXhJmF92ZQqgGilxf947FNHpzfkbLUyECBpoFrW3bPRWAZ0Mr_esE6PCBuzSM0hW9p8t-Fqo1z-h5K7R4o11FCR13KPJR9sfrnHQoAah-DFsaNWg/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+007.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Divided Mold</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5dzLyLExUCrRmmxx5DAP47JZXcdsdLJeni-En1_fXdMywKHdHWLa3ZT8mDs4n8Qxi4I7mLqVWIm8b_b-zvh0NQi18O5zRXKG-Wm990nbJV18IebhDUd1TGMDl88XDHrNCMhsJIYyJlSa/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgy5dzLyLExUCrRmmxx5DAP47JZXcdsdLJeni-En1_fXdMywKHdHWLa3ZT8mDs4n8Qxi4I7mLqVWIm8b_b-zvh0NQi18O5zRXKG-Wm990nbJV18IebhDUd1TGMDl88XDHrNCMhsJIYyJlSa/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+008.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Beer sitting in ice water bath</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxmpSYSVVJYA0DTap0W5n3Br6DPrhFmfGbWPlmC7-AMG6WOh2GiqWcbBGocYD29_eEtMwzjPI7iA6ORmPbcL5bMNnnPuRUPW9LLvUvg5JP17a6_j6gosff_RMUrfQ5FavDHKHme-TGMxU/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxmpSYSVVJYA0DTap0W5n3Br6DPrhFmfGbWPlmC7-AMG6WOh2GiqWcbBGocYD29_eEtMwzjPI7iA6ORmPbcL5bMNnnPuRUPW9LLvUvg5JP17a6_j6gosff_RMUrfQ5FavDHKHme-TGMxU/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vinegar handy to neutralize the lye....just in case</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EAt-xWopX5iD605qPUqW6L_MFq1gM3LpKl1J6TVLO1805OYTz25kMF2fv53htlGxh4sqyjrJCsHIoOHzCcSDW2lcNHxmfcz0zgxCTecYjhyXscxyaf9dozZKj3ItsUy8DQQ4Zw_i_mZN/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2EAt-xWopX5iD605qPUqW6L_MFq1gM3LpKl1J6TVLO1805OYTz25kMF2fv53htlGxh4sqyjrJCsHIoOHzCcSDW2lcNHxmfcz0zgxCTecYjhyXscxyaf9dozZKj3ItsUy8DQQ4Zw_i_mZN/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lye added to beer/coffee blend. No problems so far!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qMIY35RDggV6VdxRVwZ2MJJ7arreKBfhcOhQj_yacszZcbQx1aBpEqYTG_6VNj6ndUAB6dyxP0XQ2MdZGB94PwDnvBEE0RFq3xFRWz9671QwDCP0mrpwiLSEjjTtCtbsUOQMRgzF7WYh/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_qMIY35RDggV6VdxRVwZ2MJJ7arreKBfhcOhQj_yacszZcbQx1aBpEqYTG_6VNj6ndUAB6dyxP0XQ2MdZGB94PwDnvBEE0RFq3xFRWz9671QwDCP0mrpwiLSEjjTtCtbsUOQMRgzF7WYh/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tan portion at trace PERFECT!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnGrQohzebZbyTpJ_Br9Hgq3_YIg6l_U9Yv5lrccmClbyla8VEtYr_NMTYhOVnkw8hwNeB6BZUY1cwZAcQyNfZTfIrYIzVzX6m2HV8Uv_aJMHB7tiPOMvUjDDwsaS0Zy8_TxwBWFmigtN/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnGrQohzebZbyTpJ_Br9Hgq3_YIg6l_U9Yv5lrccmClbyla8VEtYr_NMTYhOVnkw8hwNeB6BZUY1cwZAcQyNfZTfIrYIzVzX6m2HV8Uv_aJMHB7tiPOMvUjDDwsaS0Zy8_TxwBWFmigtN/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+015.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black portion at trace PERFECT!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeN2pKDsRjwXZtooL7T6d1ti76rck-t_C-5yGCdCwLbRWoU4x8n1anq1faz0bOi4pLlcuuHOMhx1-urmZwyBQ2m2WbvTbrrRKG3d5-H1CLiVwDFjXvmbnY7SWfCt2RzigqEjWuZ9r68va7/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeN2pKDsRjwXZtooL7T6d1ti76rck-t_C-5yGCdCwLbRWoU4x8n1anq1faz0bOi4pLlcuuHOMhx1-urmZwyBQ2m2WbvTbrrRKG3d5-H1CLiVwDFjXvmbnY7SWfCt2RzigqEjWuZ9r68va7/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+016.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Poured</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNx-0HtErvKA0Mi6sXt5MadqYITt89eNpriu-1vIMdQoWavYlcdI89YvLULILYoEN9G38_4KwXP9L6dHvOgEUlyDil6aFLj6RuSoV4S-8mACTcAoYRiniKHf8Ba4d0e_QhhCKA79qLZAk/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%234+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMNx-0HtErvKA0Mi6sXt5MadqYITt89eNpriu-1vIMdQoWavYlcdI89YvLULILYoEN9G38_4KwXP9L6dHvOgEUlyDil6aFLj6RuSoV4S-8mACTcAoYRiniKHf8Ba4d0e_QhhCKA79qLZAk/s320/Soap+Challenge+%234+017.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Divider removed</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE7z_oiV8tUKnPBHxCai51Gyy6GqKNEmQiDCcYpPmEf8tQ2ZRx8NB3QKNoJ_9C1K1O-bc60WE6k8Wm1rPL-Rlo4rZobs8yCzaxlVtchtxsFErd3-YvYHPVZbykmixRsDrpBbTghxEUa9f/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25234+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXE7z_oiV8tUKnPBHxCai51Gyy6GqKNEmQiDCcYpPmEf8tQ2ZRx8NB3QKNoJ_9C1K1O-bc60WE6k8Wm1rPL-Rlo4rZobs8yCzaxlVtchtxsFErd3-YvYHPVZbykmixRsDrpBbTghxEUa9f/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25234+019.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Swirled</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksp0HxLkLRifTPTC_VnO3aGyWhbtvpJS7dRres5Pc7W1yr1usDiwvz5OwR3LlW-LVpzz3LUYge-MXktBdKKxcdS2CcqEkvb6IiOon6GNOh7m4OlehkGr5u8cJWcVrEiRo4rCW70GyFezO/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiksp0HxLkLRifTPTC_VnO3aGyWhbtvpJS7dRres5Pc7W1yr1usDiwvz5OwR3LlW-LVpzz3LUYge-MXktBdKKxcdS2CcqEkvb6IiOon6GNOh7m4OlehkGr5u8cJWcVrEiRo4rCW70GyFezO/s320/004.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Out of the mold the next morning</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgYbu5EL3cFo96tqboBI0dhfAjF0kA4ry5cLJR00zQaaGuVOm4i8RQ5GaiARQ8_AZE_QteSw1bcayCEUNc8u0n75sSFg31O9jhcqtJgFOZmhcahpwVOywloLfUctDQ-KE1Wy-nT4ftIT_/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZgYbu5EL3cFo96tqboBI0dhfAjF0kA4ry5cLJR00zQaaGuVOm4i8RQ5GaiARQ8_AZE_QteSw1bcayCEUNc8u0n75sSFg31O9jhcqtJgFOZmhcahpwVOywloLfUctDQ-KE1Wy-nT4ftIT_/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First cut</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-eKvoGUfD8mQSac4URo1AAGc36nkzT-GvGiQTCUOky-suL8H2EIOuXl9xEc5ZProp5NaXZd_BHiutk1OaYKnA8c2gRJc997Eih45xyXqSr0hPHAjhDUg1IsY8YPGhwehqhyJjxOgnVHp/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiw-eKvoGUfD8mQSac4URo1AAGc36nkzT-GvGiQTCUOky-suL8H2EIOuXl9xEc5ZProp5NaXZd_BHiutk1OaYKnA8c2gRJc997Eih45xyXqSr0hPHAjhDUg1IsY8YPGhwehqhyJjxOgnVHp/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All cut, and looks and smells better than expected</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMfn5nx3JcCqkdwhzjyJIl8IE467jkpv0xeEOcLXmzF9njqophRB03KLFJZNtXE7YWTYtlyPB4d1KWrM9PS61M60Xi6aSiLyYJ-memIhb4ye2H_wlAW2q5IumBqsDIs_Spx5iFOV1SJJC/s1600/Bath+bombs+and+beer+soap+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvMfn5nx3JcCqkdwhzjyJIl8IE467jkpv0xeEOcLXmzF9njqophRB03KLFJZNtXE7YWTYtlyPB4d1KWrM9PS61M60Xi6aSiLyYJ-memIhb4ye2H_wlAW2q5IumBqsDIs_Spx5iFOV1SJJC/s320/Bath+bombs+and+beer+soap+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Yuengling Black & Tan Soap ~ light masculine black tea fragrance</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeD46iRDBJvHzEYXMKJ_L73YguFAd-gJuvfHZj53bnFUyflYWc_iFBZr2zQ0h1jYzp3P_AVuTiQiYr5E60F5HlMVUyhkzXq3pkR0x8XyVjIKTEQLJr8DB6Q8ZvWdMeCktQfFAXs_saaiP/s1600/Bath+bombs+and+beer+soap+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifeD46iRDBJvHzEYXMKJ_L73YguFAd-gJuvfHZj53bnFUyflYWc_iFBZr2zQ0h1jYzp3P_AVuTiQiYr5E60F5HlMVUyhkzXq3pkR0x8XyVjIKTEQLJr8DB6Q8ZvWdMeCktQfFAXs_saaiP/s320/Bath+bombs+and+beer+soap+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><span class="fbPhotoCaptionText"><br />
</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-63838145909622175992012-04-10T10:16:00.000-04:002012-04-10T10:16:25.257-04:00Soap Challenge Week #3 ~ Piping SoapWhew! I was excited about this challenge. Week #1 was in the pot swirls, which I have done before. I just had to increase my level of challenge. Week #2 was milk soaps, which I have done before. I just had to get back on the horse (so to speak) after a terrible past failure. But Week #3....well, I was a complete newbie for this challenge. I have never piped soap before! I have piped frosting before, but nothing real challenging in that arena either. I've never taken a class or anything. I've merely played around with decorating cakes and cookies for my family's birthdays. So I was quite excited/nervous/anxious about this challenge. I was so excited, in fact, that I knocked this challenge out at the first of the week.<br />
<br />
I'm a little low on several of my standard soaping oils, and a little low on funds to purchase more oils as well. So I decided to develop a new soap recipe. Hey, it never hurts to branch out and try a new way of doing things. Using the lye calculator at www.soapcalc.net takes all the worries out of trying new recipes. You can tweak your recipes; change your oils, change your super fat percentage, change your quantities...anything! The best thing about this lye calculator is that it tells you the suggested range of such qualities as hardness, cleansing, conditioning, bubbly, creamy, iodine, and INS, and then shows you where your recipe lines up. For example, for hardness the suggested range is 29-54. Less than 29 and your bars may be too soft, and greater than 54 and your soap may be brittle. This new recipe of mine listed the hardness as 46. I can live with that.<br />
<br />
I started with a very simple soap recipe that included palm oil, coconut oil, olive oil, shea butter, and castor oil. The super fat percentage is 6% due to the fact that it is a little harder and bubbly than the soap recipes I normally follow, and the fact that I didn't use goat's milk in place of some of my water. I considered a super fat of 8%, but hey, I was going to be piping this soap. I figured the harder the soap (and simpler the recipe) the better.<br />
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I didn't take nearly as many pictures as usual for this recipe. In part, it was because I just didn't have enough hands! Mostly it was because I was having one of those days that my hands weren't cooperating. I actually dropped my bottle of kumquat fragrance oil and spilled about a half ounce of it all over my kitchen counter, cabinets, recipe page...really just everything! My soap notebook smells like kumquats now.<br />
<br />
On to the soap! I blended my oils and lye water to a light trace, and added my kumquat fragrance oil. I then separated the soap into two portions, coloring one portion with titanium dioxide for the white cake mix, and the other with a blend of strawberry red, citrus orange, and purple liquid soap dyes for the icing. The liquid dye was my first mistake. I was going for more of a rose tinted icing. I was thinking more along the lines of 'garden tea party' than 'fiesta!'....or more 'ladies pink' than 'kids pink'. Anyways.....I lined an old muffin pan with paper cupcake liners and poured the 'white cake batter' into the cups.<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_-YrSutN4kB3wMmTCkpt6ZyNc2paUfB50etunm9lOUB3shzMY5JQYTolQ17L2rZZBF9LM4Rk5DpLh7gm8mLtz5SktwWNkPlvGL4cn3gMKF3Cq69ezol-VqdeZIxfYsI0XpXIjoQsIJ2L/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgH_-YrSutN4kB3wMmTCkpt6ZyNc2paUfB50etunm9lOUB3shzMY5JQYTolQ17L2rZZBF9LM4Rk5DpLh7gm8mLtz5SktwWNkPlvGL4cn3gMKF3Cq69ezol-VqdeZIxfYsI0XpXIjoQsIJ2L/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I then waited for the 'icing' to reach what I thought would be proper piping consistency.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3T3EVQanwtDJehs9vf_A9rPnJmwWrs_TBh5Bep28aqXEtr4U3OOBYcWsbeCA_CkPGwJpbQXzJSJ2xcDCb09jyDecozG-wudf1nP0l8IQt9QOUZxCLPefZb9A8_eBqmNrdg_NQ3aIkPtB/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-3T3EVQanwtDJehs9vf_A9rPnJmwWrs_TBh5Bep28aqXEtr4U3OOBYcWsbeCA_CkPGwJpbQXzJSJ2xcDCb09jyDecozG-wudf1nP0l8IQt9QOUZxCLPefZb9A8_eBqmNrdg_NQ3aIkPtB/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Almost!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pwtwQF7vmKNDOSLo8Cxa-3px6PDiMN_pIAMSDTXIXgEoO69ykuL3ZAab53nS3xbQxgFL5xSGGFDf0X75wWL6FW_uf2t5xL-MtqfwhdRW0h87whX59SFV5eaL4lZBxmE5QZvhH23h33Qj/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8pwtwQF7vmKNDOSLo8Cxa-3px6PDiMN_pIAMSDTXIXgEoO69ykuL3ZAab53nS3xbQxgFL5xSGGFDf0X75wWL6FW_uf2t5xL-MtqfwhdRW0h87whX59SFV5eaL4lZBxmE5QZvhH23h33Qj/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I'm guessing this will work</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>This looked like it would work to me, but honestly, my brain kept creating images of me piping this soap icing, and it just collapsing into a little blob. I decided to just go for it anyways. The few videos I viewed showed piping a star into the middle and using it to build upon. Honestly, I think it is unnecessary, but it gave me an opportunity to test the consistency and get familiar with piping the soap . If it looked horrible or turned into a blob, I could cover it up with the rest of the icing.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbXmVOa-126qyD6RsCKgEg4aGTi4saTYelHUIDb_HO3GGw0hvWNWXYkRwurvSA1QUZ1kD6f-jxCrVRTC96PlgmA7RYRMpu_22-een9Vc8f40F3L3ocg6LGydXOp2yNIWd_mBxB_eHwDbc/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJbXmVOa-126qyD6RsCKgEg4aGTi4saTYelHUIDb_HO3GGw0hvWNWXYkRwurvSA1QUZ1kD6f-jxCrVRTC96PlgmA7RYRMpu_22-een9Vc8f40F3L3ocg6LGydXOp2yNIWd_mBxB_eHwDbc/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Perfect consistency! Better than I'd hoped</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>All looked well. The peaks didn't fall. So I moved on.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xI0MwiDwTiiVum2tG6_wxSK0h9FRLpjgdfzm6MqsunT3RShYH21wgQzC7JMKsEPV-y7l5fe_goILh9e7ZkHyTVOUWRIxZaQ0_5m2YQDz1x8vVBOs56MKVVtE0fAyl8KJcQTtLkLTrInb/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5xI0MwiDwTiiVum2tG6_wxSK0h9FRLpjgdfzm6MqsunT3RShYH21wgQzC7JMKsEPV-y7l5fe_goILh9e7ZkHyTVOUWRIxZaQ0_5m2YQDz1x8vVBOs56MKVVtE0fAyl8KJcQTtLkLTrInb/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They look like cupcakes!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>They looked better than I'd hoped! They looked like cupcakes!! Of course I was WAY off on my estimation of how much soap to make, so I had a bunch of rose colored soap icing left. I decided to make some cupcakes that were rose-colored all the way through. Although the soap was a great consistency for piping, it wasn't so great for trying to fill the paper liners. I was sure they would be full of all sorts of air pockets (and I was right). I finished piping the soap and tapped some pearly white mica over the top. I wasn't real excited with how that looked, so I added some cosmetic glitter and nonpareils on top.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQbv17eiJvGejpPdnzrKoPqFebPyxb8ZDjWrREqgJgMxC8PLCjDzEZBa2vljiFl4uP22MoyDnr-MtGM8WHmr7sc1NEumKKm2GHwETc4oqqb2HxtniFdZ81FZcgDiOFe-LWOwmeadTAnFK/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqQbv17eiJvGejpPdnzrKoPqFebPyxb8ZDjWrREqgJgMxC8PLCjDzEZBa2vljiFl4uP22MoyDnr-MtGM8WHmr7sc1NEumKKm2GHwETc4oqqb2HxtniFdZ81FZcgDiOFe-LWOwmeadTAnFK/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+013.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lots of cupcakes...sparkly!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpg-46Qs25g30MTe5ORNLMUa6hPn_JIwtSKS01jdGfRVVWp4bxAkHgGXgrftGk_Rnwj_HIlLxy0xiQM6aToVto8eIxxBKz_cBnXQ2TBnKHV2lZ-u4ovqdf2F8FbP1FUMOpmz_gru8IGcr/s1600/Soap+Challenge+%25233+014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLpg-46Qs25g30MTe5ORNLMUa6hPn_JIwtSKS01jdGfRVVWp4bxAkHgGXgrftGk_Rnwj_HIlLxy0xiQM6aToVto8eIxxBKz_cBnXQ2TBnKHV2lZ-u4ovqdf2F8FbP1FUMOpmz_gru8IGcr/s320/Soap+Challenge+%25233+014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready to be insulated</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I did consider spraying the tops with alcohol to prevent ash, but didn't think about it until I sprinkled the nonpareils on top. I was afraid at that point that the colors running would do more harm than some ash, so I just left them alone.<br />
<br />
Drum roll, please...............................<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBS3XyBj8mWqlL6qs63F4kAsLD1I0S0sWULnA95hVAM-OrALvt_M6aZts1oVBJ-zIc3WsxLSEoyVepuLgIAPIjy_xmgBajVWZq0eBSF6GEqc9rast2TLn86hR6IFOiFBDKqLL8AP6ZIYu/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtBS3XyBj8mWqlL6qs63F4kAsLD1I0S0sWULnA95hVAM-OrALvt_M6aZts1oVBJ-zIc3WsxLSEoyVepuLgIAPIjy_xmgBajVWZq0eBSF6GEqc9rast2TLn86hR6IFOiFBDKqLL8AP6ZIYu/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White cake cupcakes</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table> Wow, that color changed! Also, they did develop some ash on top. It's not too bad on the cupcakes with the white cake. However, it really is hard to NOT notice it on the ones with the purple cupcake.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhv722JdM-028epQdmZZhXsmHxIz2QAnURl_-acwOi6-iYcKM7l5EOj150CpP2UjYbk9IZ7mPeylMIj19WzXxJXQdZTV-NRztjGUnAzU1Sd_oYGQVOdiQ3tNhyphenhypheneqj4T7X0U-ReLbbqYFe/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAhv722JdM-028epQdmZZhXsmHxIz2QAnURl_-acwOi6-iYcKM7l5EOj150CpP2UjYbk9IZ7mPeylMIj19WzXxJXQdZTV-NRztjGUnAzU1Sd_oYGQVOdiQ3tNhyphenhypheneqj4T7X0U-ReLbbqYFe/s320/019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Purple cupcakes made with excess 'icing'</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>On these, the cake portion doesn't have as even of a texture due to the fact that the icing portion of the soap had already started to set. The real problem I have with these cupcakes comes from the fact that the colors did not integrate fully.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eLrC8dO21hqhynmklvxamFsJP0s6GthwoE1cL6mdlJ4i2s8DlyZtgFt0P1jJuMCCnZ9288DJvhwb330VSd4689pZu_Dx7CCMrOAdv5dd9MG20gInNJ2rLM_Pca6GO_7CWJ9B9Ucs52ZM/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4eLrC8dO21hqhynmklvxamFsJP0s6GthwoE1cL6mdlJ4i2s8DlyZtgFt0P1jJuMCCnZ9288DJvhwb330VSd4689pZu_Dx7CCMrOAdv5dd9MG20gInNJ2rLM_Pca6GO_7CWJ9B9Ucs52ZM/s320/021.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blotchy purple coloring. * Deep sigh! *</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> </td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfK4xfMykkU1sQVee0dYYB0KPXtjutDbRUtehpC2bUH-PPwtmK5ZYpQ7ApKbfKyNE9q5skyz5Lbpa4y_6mPjBJ3D8uI2CEmjlx8nOdMXYdNICtrTUFVpLqMwY5hbBYSJbMbuxXlgOEF6A/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcfK4xfMykkU1sQVee0dYYB0KPXtjutDbRUtehpC2bUH-PPwtmK5ZYpQ7ApKbfKyNE9q5skyz5Lbpa4y_6mPjBJ3D8uI2CEmjlx8nOdMXYdNICtrTUFVpLqMwY5hbBYSJbMbuxXlgOEF6A/s320/029.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkXGGtKzaiNywzJ6KpWenkX8TUjPOdQxRYXHqAEjE9QzsCNzWVbCF7NThQZMa8pjtkMdlNjO2KpZmOUgZmg11gIeM0h6306On-eQVzvI_pZxmwfKYJgFrPBGtY25PXmP2TFZPRsL2xSFB/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbkXGGtKzaiNywzJ6KpWenkX8TUjPOdQxRYXHqAEjE9QzsCNzWVbCF7NThQZMa8pjtkMdlNjO2KpZmOUgZmg11gIeM0h6306On-eQVzvI_pZxmwfKYJgFrPBGtY25PXmP2TFZPRsL2xSFB/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> I was truly expecting a disaster, and was surprised at how easy it was to pipe the soap icing. I still think I'll be able to sell these cupcakes. They smell fabulous, and although they aren't perfect, I still think they are pretty. Anyways, perfection is overrated!<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-57415007837883320622012-04-05T06:30:00.000-04:002012-04-05T06:30:51.770-04:00Change is everywhere we look here at the farm. We have been home from the mountains for nearly three months now, and are attempting to catch up on all the necessary updates. Of course, the animals have been working on a few updates of their own as well.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ylDNmc14JkSOkdjgI8JzsVjdKqNUI1MrjnkRDN8bxXWlrF_r1z7VSL4eP6TghqN7NFNfi0BPH9n5Hu0YbX_lCHIhtDkJzUQxtQmUHK1N8kktQXRCQEC-2eID7pm5WH6rVovoXVyEDPUN/s1600/greenhouse+%2526+lambs+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-ylDNmc14JkSOkdjgI8JzsVjdKqNUI1MrjnkRDN8bxXWlrF_r1z7VSL4eP6TghqN7NFNfi0BPH9n5Hu0YbX_lCHIhtDkJzUQxtQmUHK1N8kktQXRCQEC-2eID7pm5WH6rVovoXVyEDPUN/s320/greenhouse+%2526+lambs+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Curly and her new companions</td></tr>
</tbody></table>For several years we have been slowly working on increasing the amount of our food that we grow and raise ourselves. We have felt that God has been leading us in this direction for both personal health and financial reasons. Much of our protein has come from our own free-ranging chickens and their eggs, and deer meat. For me it has been a difficult transition. I didn't grow up raising my own meat animals, or hunting. At first it was a challenge. But the respect and appreciation I have gained through the process has made it all worthwhile. I know where my food comes from. I don't waste a thing. I work, feeding the animals and the soil. I work the soil, and work to ensure that the animals we raise are well cared for, and their every need is being me. I feel connected to what I put into my body, and thank God for every little morsel of nourishment He provides. <br />
<br />
We were trying to think of a truly economical protein source. All our research led us to rabbits. They are low maintenance animals. They aren't expensive to feed. They are easy to keep healthy. They reproduce very easily. They only have a 31 day gestation period. They are small. Their meat is lean and flavorful. We wouldn't overflow the freezer come 'harvest' time. Best of all, their manure is incredible fertilizer, and doesn't even have to be composted.<br />
<br />
So, it was settled. A friend hooked us up with some great medium sized rabbits. A doe that will be ready to breed in June, a very young buck that will be ready to breed in August, and a pregnant doe. **Just so you know, I was really hoping for some that weren't so stinking adorable**<br />
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQW6CuLlLp8OEofLEKkX-7KLACQeBjpLSWyrzXKF-sMbceUUUYBMWOX91u-wtc3huMIEVqZdtvce0XRhSY90zaZhRjBlK29zjw1Z43Pw8fwCJ80RXMHIPd7LIzbsguDKZg3Sm9HK2ZKYE/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIQW6CuLlLp8OEofLEKkX-7KLACQeBjpLSWyrzXKF-sMbceUUUYBMWOX91u-wtc3huMIEVqZdtvce0XRhSY90zaZhRjBlK29zjw1Z43Pw8fwCJ80RXMHIPd7LIzbsguDKZg3Sm9HK2ZKYE/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The young buck (gray) and young doe (white)</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXLha4QjbWAqMvnIejNNYYJ-RQwBptEqbTRG4SmstgqUsi5uSixdXlmnWM2aP-qbVTPihd7KDNSm5tpi4cP_OpyCbVCpek1AoXEfMLZQ7Hyn0XYsSWC5sVSCCTxsy9D4QZG_6NbdV5JZp/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaXLha4QjbWAqMvnIejNNYYJ-RQwBptEqbTRG4SmstgqUsi5uSixdXlmnWM2aP-qbVTPihd7KDNSm5tpi4cP_OpyCbVCpek1AoXEfMLZQ7Hyn0XYsSWC5sVSCCTxsy9D4QZG_6NbdV5JZp/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pregnant doe</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
August 28 we put the nesting box in with the expectant mama....and nothing happened for two days. Then, all of a sudden she started pulling her fur out like crazy.<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGG-ll4YDtw9u51JV_ODB7IJVQnULKPAksMsnciDsIxIfXNdyOtnKO4KlrAIsOc7lh-2XEfOMuJgpLW__R5ek4K2Jj3VVovbnpbUJnvkIHExme2rW5YL_y0wReN-GRFhVcQg0W4MG4oWl1/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGG-ll4YDtw9u51JV_ODB7IJVQnULKPAksMsnciDsIxIfXNdyOtnKO4KlrAIsOc7lh-2XEfOMuJgpLW__R5ek4K2Jj3VVovbnpbUJnvkIHExme2rW5YL_y0wReN-GRFhVcQg0W4MG4oWl1/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+028.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama's bald patches</td></tr>
</tbody></table> I said, "we may have babies tomorrow". Two hours later, we checked on her, and there they were!<br />
<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQJ_RBK7flAXudaEzrDWhaLhCEcTY4L20jD7mBUkxPAtvYUSfhsibl8M2-C705Zvh_dXDubOAnZsGWQ5JiZOg67c-kNGZmFNyXJiphN_hfMab_r1F4fZ1O3-5rZp_NBwYmYQoer1LxkBH/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjQJ_RBK7flAXudaEzrDWhaLhCEcTY4L20jD7mBUkxPAtvYUSfhsibl8M2-C705Zvh_dXDubOAnZsGWQ5JiZOg67c-kNGZmFNyXJiphN_hfMab_r1F4fZ1O3-5rZp_NBwYmYQoer1LxkBH/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /> </a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are four kits - three black, and one white, and all appear healthy. Personally, I'm hoping they're ugly. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-59947429194588682552012-04-01T11:54:00.001-04:002012-04-01T11:59:41.458-04:00Soap Challenge Week #2 ~ Milk SoapSo, here we are on week #2 of the soap challenge suggested by Amy Warden of Great Cakes Soapworks. This week's challenge was to make a soap using milk - cow milk, goat milk, soy milk, almond milk, coconut milk, yogurt, or whatever else floats your boat. I used to make a luscious soap that contained fresh raw goat's milk, ground oatmeal, and fresh raw honey. I didn't use any fragrance but it would smell like oatmeal and honey. Yum!<br />
<br />
Well.........I haven't made it in probably two years. I know, I know! I get requests for it all the time, but I just haven't made any. Why, you ask? I used to get gallons and gallons of goat's milk from a friend. So much that we had all the goat's milk mozzarella and ricotta we could possibly eat and give away. My goat milk source....dried up. Also, the last time I made this soap I had some issues. Serious issues! I had huge pockets of unsaponified oil and caustic lye pockets. I couldn't even rebatch the mess I was left with. (or wasn't willing to) But Amy issued a challenge and refusing a challenge is like refusing a double dog dare. You just CAN'T do it. I'm not skeered! <br />
<br />
So I stepped up to the challenge. I could have used coconut milk. But I've made hundreds of bars with coconut milk. It used to be in my standard soap recipe until one of the main coconut milk plants in Thailand shut down and coconut milk prices increased by more than 25%. So, that just wouldn't have been a challenge. Anyways, I truly loved the oatmeal, milk, and honey soap I used to make. I just needed a little nudge. Okay, maybe a shove.<br />
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Welcome to my oatmeal, milk, and honey soap making adventure. Oh, it was an adventure indeed!<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIRMKwKC0tj6bQ2PvI_SFAm3963B3os2SWfsPMnXyZ1KX2njZ97o5DvWYE5PQRkj3gkCiu4kxJhyphenhyphenY6eKV1JxOLtM8GT-xBOGOT9uC2mio1O6OI7VyfOxQnulMv6x88h4eAxlAqAghOrci/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDIRMKwKC0tj6bQ2PvI_SFAm3963B3os2SWfsPMnXyZ1KX2njZ97o5DvWYE5PQRkj3gkCiu4kxJhyphenhyphenY6eKV1JxOLtM8GT-xBOGOT9uC2mio1O6OI7VyfOxQnulMv6x88h4eAxlAqAghOrci/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Goat milk chunks ready to be added</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I like to make a strong lye solution and replace part of the water from my original recipe with goat milk, which I freeze and add to the strong lye solution.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNdVdhkP6g3O4cBV2gVF-S2GJeU0yON2qY2muKS0Udqr3qi9k9jCTHyUtKLPWf88phecRVm-hc3lIWFlsUbj49DtueHNRjb6FcuyxMlK-i70gzXCTM3GzlHvK0R7Ad0tBnCSsYABseur-/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVNdVdhkP6g3O4cBV2gVF-S2GJeU0yON2qY2muKS0Udqr3qi9k9jCTHyUtKLPWf88phecRVm-hc3lIWFlsUbj49DtueHNRjb6FcuyxMlK-i70gzXCTM3GzlHvK0R7Ad0tBnCSsYABseur-/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first bits of goat's milk have been added, and the lye solution has taken on a golden yellow color</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdtDTPglE8F5_6Uyrf636GP4IaChyphenhyphenMmMq6gHk5tVuAegexHtKzYJLlVlQcrIqWuAi1kX1bocBMOZ52kQE80MR-vAzKcdk97YT-GTCeG60cAnjooTaU1FZYpCWl6alkRI0yY_OIhdI-hMP/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYdtDTPglE8F5_6Uyrf636GP4IaChyphenhyphenMmMq6gHk5tVuAegexHtKzYJLlVlQcrIqWuAi1kX1bocBMOZ52kQE80MR-vAzKcdk97YT-GTCeG60cAnjooTaU1FZYpCWl6alkRI0yY_OIhdI-hMP/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the milk has been added. Just keep stirring! Just keep stirring!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>As you add the frozen goat's milk, the fats in the milk bond with the lye and begin forming soap! Your solution begins to look curdled. But don't fret! It will all smooth out once it is added to the oils.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKdSEzDJ3zlYVnYkFpX11avCONuLt0r2ZKmEqIrErYAtpSZtdVQ7EsaPm8slQx3N8nm98msSfi_i0t1A7QE0dfFX7J0x8dMqPS6lmAQekpiS8Rm0d_1No91XQ_bwmGVATE6PpoCyS6VPB/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMKdSEzDJ3zlYVnYkFpX11avCONuLt0r2ZKmEqIrErYAtpSZtdVQ7EsaPm8slQx3N8nm98msSfi_i0t1A7QE0dfFX7J0x8dMqPS6lmAQekpiS8Rm0d_1No91XQ_bwmGVATE6PpoCyS6VPB/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+006.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All ready to pour</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFROmd7FvgeAmm4dfbGz9EBGAXxqqHOUrS8ij2lBGEI7dPiznbEd3uckXEeKWPe05BpoG0GmwZi081n_2DPjXLc1Bzm5cDo8I4OFCno1W7mu-Sp7HX0SNrQMiNtRMF2upCMcWQ3rZGzumR/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFROmd7FvgeAmm4dfbGz9EBGAXxqqHOUrS8ij2lBGEI7dPiznbEd3uckXEeKWPe05BpoG0GmwZi081n_2DPjXLc1Bzm5cDo8I4OFCno1W7mu-Sp7HX0SNrQMiNtRMF2upCMcWQ3rZGzumR/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+009.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is a light trace. The oils and lye solution have emulsified and it looks like thin pudding. Time for add ins!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>I added the lye solution to the oils, and blended until it was emulsified. I didn't want it to thicken too much on me because I thought I remembered that honey speeds up trace. Apparently I was mistaken, because it stayed nice and thin as I continued to blend and poured the soap into the mold. In fact, I had to let it set up for a few minutes while I cleaned up my mess before it was thick enough to decorate the top.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTmPtG2dcKmiFPccnq1BrRog_KQ5FHzowXhdBUIk1WByhSNEQqWP7F0cRIuwTH7qwlVqe9bWo8JuOqPN32W7Z-i6rfYFNYPr707Fz7-DabsgPVy7y4FCKXdum3UdetgJiMD8vL52xu05h/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmTmPtG2dcKmiFPccnq1BrRog_KQ5FHzowXhdBUIk1WByhSNEQqWP7F0cRIuwTH7qwlVqe9bWo8JuOqPN32W7Z-i6rfYFNYPr707Fz7-DabsgPVy7y4FCKXdum3UdetgJiMD8vL52xu05h/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+011.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ground oatmeal and warm honey added to the raw soap</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
I heat up the honey slightly before adding it to my soap. I think it bonds better, rather than sitting in it's own lonely honey pockets.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX2eoc8cJiMjBvq35lBb0yKQv0UQTTsDoIUF7LydZzBXVYE8IvwBagzzgbXFUOHzPbnR5FU7WRN7v6wU6ikbg9N_mvmi_ExforHm6qC-Bn-qawdhhNgDhgcMVX22Dx1lOAW6kPsEbfRiI/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbX2eoc8cJiMjBvq35lBb0yKQv0UQTTsDoIUF7LydZzBXVYE8IvwBagzzgbXFUOHzPbnR5FU7WRN7v6wU6ikbg9N_mvmi_ExforHm6qC-Bn-qawdhhNgDhgcMVX22Dx1lOAW6kPsEbfRiI/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+012.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Blended ad ready to pour!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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</tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrh3nt1jvPsgnvLAUq3OGq0bGHTidnqPvZV8zV9O9UUUzMB3IjHeKKJ0F-UySYfxl23rfr9F4a8_Pmj1ob_vSPcfBSQ0cGuJQA1UjpCGyoxn1idpoS0MNafN5Col0NbfsjKBfWnHwgNAt/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcrh3nt1jvPsgnvLAUq3OGq0bGHTidnqPvZV8zV9O9UUUzMB3IjHeKKJ0F-UySYfxl23rfr9F4a8_Pmj1ob_vSPcfBSQ0cGuJQA1UjpCGyoxn1idpoS0MNafN5Col0NbfsjKBfWnHwgNAt/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+017.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Still a little too thin to swirl. Excuse me while I go clean up my mess!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIScZdRVkwXPCfEMqXsHklOMTbce2s6iUXlt6CXwKG_my2LrZ7U3Yj1iEWZGcyPIwo5Dhb5jBcyhqn5ysVb69EsMsMTK3s5LBCbXLozTC_DqWiUvcaT8SGUoprADylBP_szvXp6GRMkMpR/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIScZdRVkwXPCfEMqXsHklOMTbce2s6iUXlt6CXwKG_my2LrZ7U3Yj1iEWZGcyPIwo5Dhb5jBcyhqn5ysVb69EsMsMTK3s5LBCbXLozTC_DqWiUvcaT8SGUoprADylBP_szvXp6GRMkMpR/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+018.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Now that's better</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxsC7nmrG6prsX8DIwypT0hP5il6Iisd7BbehFOkl46Ckglq1-3Z_3LJTOqaCQCi9-u8PIFe2SG20C2aa-Xev0AgcUDnZ55u8zLiDFlH8YCSzoG00vWMHEG28SaLMiopn_GadZ4FfdKK9/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxxsC7nmrG6prsX8DIwypT0hP5il6Iisd7BbehFOkl46Ckglq1-3Z_3LJTOqaCQCi9-u8PIFe2SG20C2aa-Xev0AgcUDnZ55u8zLiDFlH8YCSzoG00vWMHEG28SaLMiopn_GadZ4FfdKK9/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25232+020.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A little oatmeal on top ~ a girl's gotta accessorize!</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Normally, I cover my soap with plastic wrap and cover it with towels to insulate it. As the soap saponifies, it will heat up, and the towels will hold that heat in and ensure that the soap goes through a 'gel phase'. Gel has many benefits, one of which is a deepening of color. I really wanted this soap to stay a nice light golden color so I thought I'd try to avoid gel....so I didn't insulate it. Honey is one of those substances that likes to super heat your raw soap and cause cracks and fissures on the surface. Therefore, I kept a close eye on my soap to make sure it didn't gel. It did! So I set up a fan to blow on it. Everything appeared okay.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLdyCkqdBhBDTnyxtEEjDUUd-SK2qetRuecn1fj6FqOBRsBt5RfQvu0RDLy3ZmwYf6qv1FwXZTA_JYheMmKDYqcwF5NgkfwjNzlOQpf6mrr1yJd-tkYSA4MNw2YlskVO-E0GXckRSkwQa/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxLdyCkqdBhBDTnyxtEEjDUUd-SK2qetRuecn1fj6FqOBRsBt5RfQvu0RDLy3ZmwYf6qv1FwXZTA_JYheMmKDYqcwF5NgkfwjNzlOQpf6mrr1yJd-tkYSA4MNw2YlskVO-E0GXckRSkwQa/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+002.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Those dark areas are gelling!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sKNxzeyJDS44_ZM9YI9b3omdTw0ntYhgyEEnTStQH4DOMfE6LQ2_jSQUjAa5uWevK63JrHLUkY4AXUrsSkMuwl9aHwq_ROr885hXYwyJ-ZHSF-lVVeYFex6MoBsj_w_qSv0CAM-ORnbN/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1sKNxzeyJDS44_ZM9YI9b3omdTw0ntYhgyEEnTStQH4DOMfE6LQ2_jSQUjAa5uWevK63JrHLUkY4AXUrsSkMuwl9aHwq_ROr885hXYwyJ-ZHSF-lVVeYFex6MoBsj_w_qSv0CAM-ORnbN/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+003.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The unveiling</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNW1MzwAeK7kU7g0fNR3eBdT5dGLwSBtpnHwwZG5QxOkNF9mJb3k52q4ZkzKC6yHVUa9VgZV1b4c6szUliA8of5-zBFU3dfd3_pxesYBthcim3ydWZOyl3NtUhi0TRNlv0Hn3pfQJrKOU/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFNW1MzwAeK7kU7g0fNR3eBdT5dGLwSBtpnHwwZG5QxOkNF9mJb3k52q4ZkzKC6yHVUa9VgZV1b4c6szUliA8of5-zBFU3dfd3_pxesYBthcim3ydWZOyl3NtUhi0TRNlv0Hn3pfQJrKOU/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unmolded and ready to be cut. So far, so good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6jc5TB5cg37ro-S9dlMX_ksJ3nLUhCBvpaleZ3tQzMjFpGkWCTWh8L9gIzaLgXKcDOxUpUxjZHaC7kWBW_wc6F70CQUNu1owDRt_e7Q5tr6YPYjKKxB0MIZmIKOLaNuMf14CE7FfNxd8/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz6jc5TB5cg37ro-S9dlMX_ksJ3nLUhCBvpaleZ3tQzMjFpGkWCTWh8L9gIzaLgXKcDOxUpUxjZHaC7kWBW_wc6F70CQUNu1owDRt_e7Q5tr6YPYjKKxB0MIZmIKOLaNuMf14CE7FfNxd8/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+005.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First cut</td></tr>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the first slice in, you could see where the soap had begun to gel in the middle. The color should even out a bit over the course of being cured. But after I cut a few slices, I started seeing a problem. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Q-Vdr3c0TeuTMQNSiaq_6H438IHjXtxOKs4GJHw5KWABW5rRLSUhyphenhypheny5uC1ZEnlGbshyEk58E6nlldmGvPBTrv32_8eeou9L1X18tODmFfkx24KvwU-6Ll79WckEN4zzU4Ooz_djoxcUs/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Q-Vdr3c0TeuTMQNSiaq_6H438IHjXtxOKs4GJHw5KWABW5rRLSUhyphenhypheny5uC1ZEnlGbshyEk58E6nlldmGvPBTrv32_8eeou9L1X18tODmFfkx24KvwU-6Ll79WckEN4zzU4Ooz_djoxcUs/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+007.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oily pockets! Oh no!!</td></tr>
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</div> There were oily pockets! Oh no! Not again! I continued to cut and it appeared to only be over the space of two or three bars. I checked the pH. They are okay. I did a zap test to see if they were lye heavy (and to check if they were merely pockets of honey) They weren't either. They were merely oil. I formed a theory, and I'll share it with you at the end of this post. I continued to cut the soap, and hoped that some of the oil would be reabsorbed into the soap during the curing process. I'll keep the two or three 'holey' bars for personal use. The good news is that today, 24 hours after cutting, the soap doesn't appear oily, and the color is more even.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7l-s5FqINB_c-19YUgdKJcnITsvPSnqsTa6vjl8pmDfnDgZQd0Uen_0UVSNkWSJuGcRuX2zvLRUFusf2tHyjpD8o90AIuXWeNgDHfJydCD45UPizFT3hJICAg-mrJSfTIAuGm_5ep8SK/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgr7l-s5FqINB_c-19YUgdKJcnITsvPSnqsTa6vjl8pmDfnDgZQd0Uen_0UVSNkWSJuGcRuX2zvLRUFusf2tHyjpD8o90AIuXWeNgDHfJydCD45UPizFT3hJICAg-mrJSfTIAuGm_5ep8SK/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+008.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh cut soap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbecu_iWU0ZBfes2X200H8xnMJa7mXI1_qinz-in4JKSyScgzpe1iBUYdURJiAlUrqGjG5Aj4MGGxCgrt28EtEokPzzPj9dCaklVwc6Fd2p6uL16U7SQzv0oTjbrfeEH3h6Zv290RX7jsv/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbecu_iWU0ZBfes2X200H8xnMJa7mXI1_qinz-in4JKSyScgzpe1iBUYdURJiAlUrqGjG5Aj4MGGxCgrt28EtEokPzzPj9dCaklVwc6Fd2p6uL16U7SQzv0oTjbrfeEH3h6Zv290RX7jsv/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+009.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Better than I expected (because I was worried)</td><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi941mheC9_Yw-YfMvFjCsbLRPwf7973lAvNxee9LoK4R-0PZOzRWxNNRKC4vYJSY-VLwoBIHa1S8-x47WAG45LZOrjC9CCKYBcrIHk8W_n5JuAcpUH-F7GJDAJbG_WE9HiJXG0DP4uRhEq/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi941mheC9_Yw-YfMvFjCsbLRPwf7973lAvNxee9LoK4R-0PZOzRWxNNRKC4vYJSY-VLwoBIHa1S8-x47WAG45LZOrjC9CCKYBcrIHk8W_n5JuAcpUH-F7GJDAJbG_WE9HiJXG0DP4uRhEq/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Natural Oatmeal, Goat Milk, and Honey Soap</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-WBcPXB-MWBvTn4JVKKA9VgCCUq2WxqfGUGp2Wyd3pqdRnhn_MTR5fIGrTq21NqG2FfryBaP0kTtqo3cKAxHihCb5Wx4agT-tydCN3Vjj_NnEp2WpImOTZMxbu8qhBT5QDAvSA1RWedI/s1600/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEik-WBcPXB-MWBvTn4JVKKA9VgCCUq2WxqfGUGp2Wyd3pqdRnhn_MTR5fIGrTq21NqG2FfryBaP0kTtqo3cKAxHihCb5Wx4agT-tydCN3Vjj_NnEp2WpImOTZMxbu8qhBT5QDAvSA1RWedI/s320/Baby+bunnies+and+soap+019.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My 'Bad' Bars (still nowhere close to as bad as my last batch)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>So....what happened? The chemist in me has a theory.<br />
<br />
When you make soap, your oils and your lye become 'dance partners'. The reason you have to run your recipe through a lye calculator is to make sure your recipe isn't either lye heavy or oil heavy. Or, as I like to say....no one is left without a dance partner. Lye is grumpy. If you have lye particles left without partners, they irritate everyone they come in contact with, and just plain ruin the party. If you have oil particles left without partners, everyone dancing by feels oily and slippery and not particularly clean, and they just want to go home and shower. A good soap maker wants all of the lye to have partners so their soap isn't caustic. They want just a few oils to be left without partners so that their soap is cleansing but slightly moisturizing as well. Most of us 'superfat' our recipes to make sure we have a few oil particles left unchanged in our soap. Normally I superfat at 5%, although I that percentage in certain circumstances. For instance, when I make laundry soap, I don't superfat at all. After all, my clothes don't need any moisturizer (or any oils left in their fibers).<br />
<br />
Here is the thing. I substituted fresh goat's milk for more than half of my water in this recipe. Goat's milk contains fats, and water does not. Some of those fat globules cut in and took on my lye as dance partners. Therefore, there were more oil particles than expected left to be wall flowers. And they weren't happy! So they decided to leave the party. Does that hurt the soap? No. It will be slightly lower in cleansing power and a bit more moisturizing. Gotta hate that! But it also contains oatmeal and honey, which are so soothing and healing to the skin, I think it will be a luscious and healing bar of soap. That being said, I think the next time around I'm going to superfat at 3%.<br />
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Well, have a great day! It's time for me to start planning for the next challenge.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-74757384862426636112012-03-27T08:46:00.000-04:002012-03-27T08:46:15.087-04:00Soap Challenge Week #1 ~ In the Pot SwirlHello, my name is Natalie and I am a soap making addict. Just so you know, soap making will NOT be on my list of culls!<br />
<br />
Amy Warden with Great Cakes Soapworks proposed five weeks of soap making technique challenges. The first week (last week) was a challenge to make a soap using the in the pot swirling technique. For my non-soaper friends, that is when you take your raw soap that has reached trace and swirl a portion of it that has been tinted another color and add it back into your mixing pot. You then lightly swirl them and pour this new lovely blend into your mold. The next day is like Christmas morning! You really have no idea what you will see when you unmold and cut your soap. Surprise!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp5LSws_12kdcUdtLrgnWCXI8tMMrUsN5IuchvyFa1X_aRnS7ugPEyL9iTqkh4zn6IZcfRK5DEcsQDmSHda8_IfHH-goZwROolbnIZT84RVcWYAGz4Jq7juDFCeG9k13yuv7p6uAr6aHh/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyp5LSws_12kdcUdtLrgnWCXI8tMMrUsN5IuchvyFa1X_aRnS7ugPEyL9iTqkh4zn6IZcfRK5DEcsQDmSHda8_IfHH-goZwROolbnIZT84RVcWYAGz4Jq7juDFCeG9k13yuv7p6uAr6aHh/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Well, I have done a few IPS (in pot swirls) so I decided to truly challenge myself and increase the number of colors in my swirl to six colors. Yup, six! The challenge increases with the number of colors, because your biggest enemy/competitor in soap making is time. Time can be brutal. When you are mixing a batch of soap, it seems like it takes FOREVER to reach trace, which is the point where your oils and lye water have truly emulsified. To pour before 'trace' can lead to separation, which translates as big ol' hairy mess, which translates as NOT soap. But once you reach trace, it's like you have lit a fire under your raw soap's bottom, because it starts taking off! Some fragrances and other additives are like a rocket pack, starting the saponification process, and causing your soap to start to harden in the pot. That makes it difficult to even pour your soap into the mold. It makes getting fancy dancy pretty close to impossible! <br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26gHh9BDu7azvZSBhOH6YIKCn9B6CbWvcBsgcDHiLOIYrDqrXVqq2dna8NEm4VOm_JVV6KFz76WeytIalfXLi4AYvt0khkOzAA7euXTlPVGqxGi6l07lWITmoq5zUvffhqDeSzgMJALBg/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh26gHh9BDu7azvZSBhOH6YIKCn9B6CbWvcBsgcDHiLOIYrDqrXVqq2dna8NEm4VOm_JVV6KFz76WeytIalfXLi4AYvt0khkOzAA7euXTlPVGqxGi6l07lWITmoq5zUvffhqDeSzgMJALBg/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>I made a batch of 'Happy Hippie' soap, and colored it using a variety of micas and oxides, and titanium dioxide. The fragrance was a blend of 'Karma' fragrance oil from Wholesale Supplies Plus, and Sweet Orange Essential Oil. The top was sprinkled with Gold Mica. For the color scheme I tried to duplicate a shirt that I tie dyed the previous week. This batch was fairly easy to work with. It didn't seize up on me. I did pour it a little heavy. No biggie, but my colors would have had a little more separation, and not seem so compressed if I had poured more lightly, or over a spoon. Next time!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IGjDhWcJKW2oIGWC40S3MB4OAWQbcpcfBZIKnfre78bbz5vpH5pTqmsl-8zpPukG7_ly571sM-4sgsZasoDTsRJsWbQOeJWsaxmCcYz8_d87bcT-Hgi0Hn6htMzx8tjZim-cu5bTMTih/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1IGjDhWcJKW2oIGWC40S3MB4OAWQbcpcfBZIKnfre78bbz5vpH5pTqmsl-8zpPukG7_ly571sM-4sgsZasoDTsRJsWbQOeJWsaxmCcYz8_d87bcT-Hgi0Hn6htMzx8tjZim-cu5bTMTih/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+002.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">After pouring your colors into the pot, you lightly swirl it. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaT_NEKzIRdouxIpYeOtUt0u-CdS8dF8vEjsaz80y72SO7EVIAqVimtWz_3_LFyf4BuSgPGpdk0nsjiiKwoQ85fe7x9m8Vjpyk3yrgm_EVdaQkqc8_1bS-apaC-EKPrBm-q0psJQT7V62/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDaT_NEKzIRdouxIpYeOtUt0u-CdS8dF8vEjsaz80y72SO7EVIAqVimtWz_3_LFyf4BuSgPGpdk0nsjiiKwoQ85fe7x9m8Vjpyk3yrgm_EVdaQkqc8_1bS-apaC-EKPrBm-q0psJQT7V62/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The whole mess (I mean beautiful work of art) gets poured into the mold. At this point it isn't much to look at. You can see from the picture that it did begin to thicken by the time it was poured.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjincUJDRJz2e1x4yHa8RiWwjyfnpb-gq94h2SPhNJbdHjwpsHyRh6NVxO0N94cpif2DT6AsJy26VDpRb4MTUm7xw2qaWoAlP_bxZAVZX5tdwRlC4QMCBlnveRACeQIwBzSKiu9OM07wkfw/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjincUJDRJz2e1x4yHa8RiWwjyfnpb-gq94h2SPhNJbdHjwpsHyRh6NVxO0N94cpif2DT6AsJy26VDpRb4MTUm7xw2qaWoAlP_bxZAVZX5tdwRlC4QMCBlnveRACeQIwBzSKiu9OM07wkfw/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+006.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I saved a bit of my various colors to make a pretty swirl on top.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-MPXpay8ZxvYP0PWIwyUiVNXVuRUUNz1LhtIuFB5OlubfJXZMANqdNxNbDIAh2DXDpdHWpUd2Ui14H6Xk9hE0Oqh1Fk0pjqxWZZ8_nPzwhXEg7ESZIOYNfX8-a03QUhTWr5D8aCGKa9U/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT-MPXpay8ZxvYP0PWIwyUiVNXVuRUUNz1LhtIuFB5OlubfJXZMANqdNxNbDIAh2DXDpdHWpUd2Ui14H6Xk9hE0Oqh1Fk0pjqxWZZ8_nPzwhXEg7ESZIOYNfX8-a03QUhTWr5D8aCGKa9U/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+1+012.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After I lightly swirled the top of my soap, I sprinkled it with gold mica. Covered it. And waited......and waited....and waited.....and waited. 'Til Christmas morning! Or at least that is what it feels like when you are waiting to open the package.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz8xL2plc5-qajNnFAvPODo8OBphoq9uwmtdGwGPAZ26gjK4JUclmeweJyxe4kdNd9C6Dz3XwFSY-AF0TczlytsGesnPDhCzvuJmXLq_8mvccsoySmkkuT6i_cSCQJGaxxG4lQJY_sT4w/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHz8xL2plc5-qajNnFAvPODo8OBphoq9uwmtdGwGPAZ26gjK4JUclmeweJyxe4kdNd9C6Dz3XwFSY-AF0TczlytsGesnPDhCzvuJmXLq_8mvccsoySmkkuT6i_cSCQJGaxxG4lQJY_sT4w/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+004.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And here it is ~ Happy Hippie Soap!</td></tr>
</tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6_x2A4fY6vkxHeX-nY2LSblDucSHNIDMf2kJaCI3k9JjKpx1wzuSuONsDiO_ErvJlGLTi73is7K-BT-q8-wpKZOmg62W1v_qmobnVlGdZ3wM8bBMN0HUuOZ5GVLebKjgruOUzm_NbxLN/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt6_x2A4fY6vkxHeX-nY2LSblDucSHNIDMf2kJaCI3k9JjKpx1wzuSuONsDiO_ErvJlGLTi73is7K-BT-q8-wpKZOmg62W1v_qmobnVlGdZ3wM8bBMN0HUuOZ5GVLebKjgruOUzm_NbxLN/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+011.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR60oQmyr-pX4xjWvF_QfWLAZKV24lq7N2oOAB4O00pTv2cGdlETk2TGFsN9UekTSTfselPRldtPSB35SLC5jYmtg7nxQZV7wLv1KvGHpuIcX2C9Br2jmWLwrooObAm_-3Ttubi09RHC3a/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR60oQmyr-pX4xjWvF_QfWLAZKV24lq7N2oOAB4O00pTv2cGdlETk2TGFsN9UekTSTfselPRldtPSB35SLC5jYmtg7nxQZV7wLv1KvGHpuIcX2C9Br2jmWLwrooObAm_-3Ttubi09RHC3a/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+012.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqumGh913yd-nJB9Tl2_fZwLOo3TgtSFmueg0hzEiIvWuuULuI3o5kUFEqxiZ4HZo2bovQ51dpXQgtuiAUmLbMQD2tf1Ppe4UIUMXDo1dYm6dcZbdmjJlYbizGQ1t5f1zr_ETOSCP1jyI/s1600/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLqumGh913yd-nJB9Tl2_fZwLOo3TgtSFmueg0hzEiIvWuuULuI3o5kUFEqxiZ4HZo2bovQ51dpXQgtuiAUmLbMQD2tf1Ppe4UIUMXDo1dYm6dcZbdmjJlYbizGQ1t5f1zr_ETOSCP1jyI/s320/Soap+Challenge+Week+%25231+016.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> Hope you enjoyed it. The next challenge is to make soap with milk. Good! I've been waiting for an excuse to make some more Oatmeal, Milk, & Honey Soap! Have a great day!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-63382267710058675822012-03-26T07:59:00.000-04:002012-03-26T07:59:42.551-04:00I'm Baaaaaccckkkk!I'm back and anxious to resume sharing our journey. So much has happened over the last year or so since I've been blogging, and I may share some of it in flashbacks. For the most part, though, I'm hoping to just pick up from the present.<br />
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I have one thing I have to do in order to make this happen. What, you ask, could that ONE thing be???? Cull! For you non-farming folk, this is an old term used in livestock breeding. You cull, or separate your animals into two groups; the ones that produce desirable traits, and the ones that don't. The dos get kept, and the don'ts....well, don't. <br />
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Of course I'm not talking about breeding livestock here. I'm talking about my little (little is such a relative term) addiction. Some people are hoarders. Others are compulsive shoppers. I'm a compulsive learner. There, I've said it! I feel compelled to learn things. Now, that would be real beneficial if I was interested in merely gaining knowledge. My problem is that when I see something (usually something crafty), I think, 'Hey, wouldn't it be a blast to learn to make those myself?'. As a result, I have dabbled in painting, sewing, quilting, jewelry making, soap making, canning, woodworking, fabric dying, calligraphy, gardening, weaving, and all sorts of other fascinating little things. And I love them all! And I want to do them all!<br />
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But, alas, I have finally accepted the fact that God isn't going to give me any more hours in the day than other folks. He's not going to send me a little helper fairy to do all the yucky 'responsible' things that just HAVE to be done. I know! It's terrible, isn't it?!<br />
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So....I'm going to have to set aside a few of my hobby babies. Don't worry. I'll be okay! <br />
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Hopefully I'll keep my addictions enough in check that I'll be able to write a bit...and visit with you! See you soon.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-11319593265047991232010-09-13T11:02:00.000-04:002010-09-13T11:02:02.254-04:00Pretty Pantry<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had to clear out the back pantry shelves to make room for my hubby to put up more shelves. It seems I have maxed out the limits of our "large" pantry.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhK6U7lQvE-3-2QkWFCH5Ppa0TPVa_Pkqyp-OLDgoLJXkGqCRSzYV7ThR3rNsH05NhaRfCq9K6gQWTSVwiDOhPfInljZgg7jC8hqxa70X7rbZodj2oozAJQz_tmS4_0MmgjmIxp4TB00h_/s1600/258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhK6U7lQvE-3-2QkWFCH5Ppa0TPVa_Pkqyp-OLDgoLJXkGqCRSzYV7ThR3rNsH05NhaRfCq9K6gQWTSVwiDOhPfInljZgg7jC8hqxa70X7rbZodj2oozAJQz_tmS4_0MmgjmIxp4TB00h_/s320/258.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I love the colors of the canning jars. It is making me think of autumn.....cool breezes, colorful leaves, wood fires....deep sigh.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQZyPilX11aivgtBCG44g7OBP2teRxk79dYG0mQfFVOTZTmk1h1xfN6AYww79Q1InIqYyb-pK5PEA8-ShSgTKOwslzR8osZZ0Xcnt2nMw2j6iRWVJm76v7Nv7srZEZPW2xzrLLJ9Vn8_q/s1600/259.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXQZyPilX11aivgtBCG44g7OBP2teRxk79dYG0mQfFVOTZTmk1h1xfN6AYww79Q1InIqYyb-pK5PEA8-ShSgTKOwslzR8osZZ0Xcnt2nMw2j6iRWVJm76v7Nv7srZEZPW2xzrLLJ9Vn8_q/s320/259.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0aXLyYhmxduWlILuAwV9d9dLtdsZ5kU36ukvdo1VDcgfyJ51DUwu9uJVXqiduvHeb_3ru1MYjmo0lwJ29CBG0GQ3Q5JrGx8W9KVqNwlIVX2CP7uKK2OnfzIk200WFDva_33wG3fXAqux/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiG0aXLyYhmxduWlILuAwV9d9dLtdsZ5kU36ukvdo1VDcgfyJ51DUwu9uJVXqiduvHeb_3ru1MYjmo0lwJ29CBG0GQ3Q5JrGx8W9KVqNwlIVX2CP7uKK2OnfzIk200WFDva_33wG3fXAqux/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">And, voila! The unpainted shelves are the new ones. I think I will wait to paint them (if ever) late winter, when my stores are a little more slim. I didn't relish (relish! get it?) the thought of leaving all my canned goodies on the counter long enough for paint to cure on the shelves. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Next project.....to remove the baker's rack you can barely see on the left and replace that with a wall filled with shelves. More space makes me happy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-88377788347612244892010-09-05T09:01:00.000-04:002010-09-05T09:01:02.044-04:00MIA!Okay, so I've been missing in action. Like most families with children, our summers are packed. They are not a time to slow down and relax, but a time to run, run, run. A majority of our extended family activities are planned for the summertime when the other kiddos with less flexible schedules are out of school. It's hot and we all want to go somewhere cool...like a pool or river. And, of course, there is the itty bitty farm factor.<br />
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Summertime is THE busy time on a farm. For all intents and purposes, this 21 acre plot we live on is a farm. There is hay in the summer to cut and put away for the winter. Summertime brings mowing.....again and again and again and again. There are chicks and baby goats that require extra care. Flies need to be battled. Water needs to be hauled. Then there is the garden.<br />
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The garden! The garden is a biggie. Plowing. Planting. Watering. Weeding. Tilling. Pruning. De-bugging. Tearing up. Planting again. Sweating. Praying. Picking. Washing. Preserving. Enjoying! That is where I have been.<br />
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We have managed to put a fair amount of food away for the winter. Maybe it seems odd to you that we put so much work into putting up food for the winter. After all, we live in an area with mild winters and we are only a few miles from the nearest grocery store. More than one person has let me know that they think I'm a little on the cuckoo side. But this is not for what we need NOW. It is preparation for what we are going to need in the future. No, I'm not going to preach about the apocalypse and how we are going to need to sharpen all our survival skills....although that might not be such a bad idea if you think about it. But just stick with me for a moment and see if this makes sense....then call me cuckoo if you like.<br />
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We want better control of how we spend our income. How much money do you spend on groceries? How about eating out in restaurants? Most people in this country spend about as much on food as on housing! Some spend even more. That is insane! I can work hard to grow, harvest, preserve, and prepare food for my family and have as great a financial contribution to my family as I would if I worked a paying job outside the home. Keep track of what you spend on food in a month. Keep a food spending diary. Keep track of everything....even the drink out of the vending machine. Our spending was scary. The scariest thing is that we didn't even eat out often.<br />
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We want to eat a healthier, less toxic, diet. When we shop for most of our foods, we eat more additives, preservatives, chemicals, and dyes. The same is true for many restaurant meals. After all, your profit is going to go out the window if your food spoils before you can sell it. The sad thing is that I never noticed. But now that I am eating more freshly prepared foods, and my body is purged of additives, I frequently get sick when I eat out at restaurants and from many 'low preparation' foods from the grocery store.<br />
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Lastly, we are hoping that my hubby will be able to retire in a few years and be able to direct his focus on our family mini-farm. We want to be able to work side-by-side more. I want to do my part to make that possible. Finding a way to limit our 'out-go' will definitely make it easier to survive on less 'in-come'. So this is all training and preparation for that day. Maybe by then we will have ironed out most of the wrinkles.<br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">Here is a compilation of what we have frozen over the last few months:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #073763;">peaches, strawberries, blackberries, strawberry freezer jam, strawberry-banana freezer jam, blackberry freezer jam, cantaloupe, spinach, green beans, okra, breaded okra, squash and zucchini, pumpkin puree, meatballs, meatloaf, whole chickens, steaks, quiche, chicken broth, sausage, bolognese sauce, mixed berry pie, pie crusts, strawberry cream pie, corn, ground pork, goat milk, chorizo, basil/garlic/pesto cubes, lemon cupcakes, mint tea concentrate, zucchini bread, zucchini/coconut pies, whey</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">And canned:</span><br />
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<span style="color: #b45f06;">banana peppers, dill relish, pickled mushrooms, Cuban black beans, pinto beans, glazed carrots, beef stew, peaches, apple butter, bread & butter squash pickles, pork and beans in tomato sauce, spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, mixed vegetables</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">Coming soon~ pork chops, tomato sauce, tomatoes, various sauces, applesauce, chili, chicken, venison, sweet potatoes</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-82078848717492426162010-07-24T10:43:00.000-04:002010-07-24T10:43:42.846-04:00This, That, and the Other Thing<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Why do we always think that summer is going to allow us so much more time than we have through the rest of the year? I always think....when summer gets here I'll get that done. When summer does arrive we find ourselves busier than ever. There is the garden to plant, weed, tend to, and water. Then there is the harvesting, freezing and canning. Animals start having babies left and right, and they need more water hauled as the temperature rises and the algae forms. Mowing has to be done regularly (which, here, is no small undertaking). Some opportunities present themselves only in the summer. I mean, you can't just wait until things calm down to go swimming in the creek behind the water mill, now can you? Once the heat index rises over 100 it's too hot to do much work anyways.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Since we've been running to and fro and doing a little bit of this, and a little bit of that...but nothing in particular, I thought I would share a little bit of this, that, and the other thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtooJhJVBhnt_JPPdy4JHDCUD7ar2KJ7JXGEfK2IyLu8uX8QL6OJjeGJNdrkycuVson1GaRxMVZkW1_FUA8kGAtCuXvhC4mlFx9gFFV8u87AbzHHT6eRVzyfJI4ludYW2dZlI3x6XcRTCv/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtooJhJVBhnt_JPPdy4JHDCUD7ar2KJ7JXGEfK2IyLu8uX8QL6OJjeGJNdrkycuVson1GaRxMVZkW1_FUA8kGAtCuXvhC4mlFx9gFFV8u87AbzHHT6eRVzyfJI4ludYW2dZlI3x6XcRTCv/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Kasi weighing down the ice cream freezer at Matthews Living History Farm Museum.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Z3fTD-SfmyER-XhUVfexbawZ0kgi11bTCAKxOjLu0_EB6A8Zsvyoq4jUWMuz0HNAchufLhPJZYd5BVjQaXjRnmtR8FdY7tQ3UDM76jdI2JjYICJg5r8dj6szOd0kuBkfjen6TgpmyqrG/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3Z3fTD-SfmyER-XhUVfexbawZ0kgi11bTCAKxOjLu0_EB6A8Zsvyoq4jUWMuz0HNAchufLhPJZYd5BVjQaXjRnmtR8FdY7tQ3UDM76jdI2JjYICJg5r8dj6szOd0kuBkfjen6TgpmyqrG/s320/010.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Alea weighing it down now....and ready to add some peaches. (it was yummy!)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eKzH1ORJMWftzBz41Pj8xNxd8qAsqeZN7hqsvclOYVWQ-UK3p8Bs7x8ila1o5s9FFAQ7s2HikEcDzJtWErgwZmk_VieC-0z3A0yAqgmmkZdrQiHTgjIa5-ah0jDiHwp32fZHWLmzEjK1/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0eKzH1ORJMWftzBz41Pj8xNxd8qAsqeZN7hqsvclOYVWQ-UK3p8Bs7x8ila1o5s9FFAQ7s2HikEcDzJtWErgwZmk_VieC-0z3A0yAqgmmkZdrQiHTgjIa5-ah0jDiHwp32fZHWLmzEjK1/s320/022.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">One of the kittens napping with my potted plumeria (before she went to her new home)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rIsnxUXUNlPKUWYAQpwJEDsOZtrFx5IQDvBInYCsseBXdBC3Hmnhnls0Bl7leXTwpbyCKatfy8FxZdD-xn5OWQN5ZYmUCs_2cXe7OhXZJtN8TQWpTfHuXIuegnQga1mCtCLkTAr5-Cjf/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5rIsnxUXUNlPKUWYAQpwJEDsOZtrFx5IQDvBInYCsseBXdBC3Hmnhnls0Bl7leXTwpbyCKatfy8FxZdD-xn5OWQN5ZYmUCs_2cXe7OhXZJtN8TQWpTfHuXIuegnQga1mCtCLkTAr5-Cjf/s320/028.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Our newest chick. I think only one has hatched.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NnGyEYwrg3E0m4-jyX1PHtU4PKCLlP7-fCsoOi04rUvyu_TLR3nYzUe4EuqmhViHsQHx8ZYpIqTUkIlnLNKaU3DSULHUdmNzUXqi46vxCVKDHZWzTPHHoAXnefX-kujeVuan3V6BbCWd/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2NnGyEYwrg3E0m4-jyX1PHtU4PKCLlP7-fCsoOi04rUvyu_TLR3nYzUe4EuqmhViHsQHx8ZYpIqTUkIlnLNKaU3DSULHUdmNzUXqi46vxCVKDHZWzTPHHoAXnefX-kujeVuan3V6BbCWd/s320/030.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Has anyone had this happen? Our almost mature corn gets surrounded by 'baby' ears. We had dozens of them do this. And, by the way, the mature ears weren't all they were cracked up to be</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">.....very under pollinated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEklrWyYR73dzZ71IWazzKpV2FVTa2CFLbLe0bVczRgqPHtGqAVrc23kitv2ycfj_d5XLtOK2p54X0skMqCjhdGEPnJ2cOD8sHJdr_in9WFAlSLYsmp-kndu3mCk9xQ99V2VzHBqcCTIy/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxEklrWyYR73dzZ71IWazzKpV2FVTa2CFLbLe0bVczRgqPHtGqAVrc23kitv2ycfj_d5XLtOK2p54X0skMqCjhdGEPnJ2cOD8sHJdr_in9WFAlSLYsmp-kndu3mCk9xQ99V2VzHBqcCTIy/s320/032.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's another one (one of MANY)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvdCbu-6KAIKrpgyJxNgH0mIJmQxlOGIKlVDnCMqt6dHOMbZFAdZcNWFj3SOwc88TR2F4lxv8Z9uXgpJWjpONkqm46yWj-FhjV2txjqmSFpG4jgQ-jeY89WDdTWuM1UL1U28h43whw5Dk/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHvdCbu-6KAIKrpgyJxNgH0mIJmQxlOGIKlVDnCMqt6dHOMbZFAdZcNWFj3SOwc88TR2F4lxv8Z9uXgpJWjpONkqm46yWj-FhjV2txjqmSFpG4jgQ-jeY89WDdTWuM1UL1U28h43whw5Dk/s320/034.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A loom a very nice new friend loaned to Kasi. She is wanting to sell it (for a wonderful price) and let us borrow it to see if Kasi is serious enough about weaving to invest in a loom. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsyoFgrl7wXlyx891sVwGGehgC_UJASTZiHdIqxwz2NgxhbcsQfhZ1EIf2jtKPMD0MCV2CuB6P00hZaT0ki6Roj8qGqi_qXShBv9XsAX1_-LtuMKjNMRljggiPrABzIQG4Dmwu2thSnEn/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFsyoFgrl7wXlyx891sVwGGehgC_UJASTZiHdIqxwz2NgxhbcsQfhZ1EIf2jtKPMD0MCV2CuB6P00hZaT0ki6Roj8qGqi_qXShBv9XsAX1_-LtuMKjNMRljggiPrABzIQG4Dmwu2thSnEn/s320/036.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We've been tie-dying. We did several onesies, t shirts, and cloth diapers in all sorts of colors. We are thinking of giving in to peer pressure and opening an etsy shop to list them, my soaps, and Alea's knitted and crochet items. Opinions? </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAijheNSgKumXb0iNvIPRZFTZNba-22UgNTZpGoQX_OQ3F4Abtedq8_NZsJ2AHYLQ5cuBEkSBVy3lXY2Dx_hWYCnA_P-EKOgqwhHorDOURFpVVU0QzjgoLKQ-RZl_o3PDEC2S_YG55DPB/s1600/037.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" hw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsAijheNSgKumXb0iNvIPRZFTZNba-22UgNTZpGoQX_OQ3F4Abtedq8_NZsJ2AHYLQ5cuBEkSBVy3lXY2Dx_hWYCnA_P-EKOgqwhHorDOURFpVVU0QzjgoLKQ-RZl_o3PDEC2S_YG55DPB/s320/037.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Cloth diaper or burp cloth. Love me some color!</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-88633967965355810982010-07-15T10:52:00.001-04:002010-07-15T10:52:59.818-04:00A Country Boy's LearningThe following is an excerpt from "<strong>A Country Boy's Learning</strong>" by <strong>Joseph T. Moffitt</strong> within the chapter titled 'To Preserve Good Health';<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9a9w-vt_-YRzsA9NHTl5iy3mPhD7Hn0l3S8tlVzMgMEPX7kmZdTkzOzjCBwDYY-RHMhwpdXauo2GGdCGZ1Y14gOODPgcqYXWNs3Gqatr1N-0rzUz655HKkTMlJdDjoCvqkSud8fCBAlg1/s1600/73f651c88da01bd72dd92210_L__SL500_AA300_.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9a9w-vt_-YRzsA9NHTl5iy3mPhD7Hn0l3S8tlVzMgMEPX7kmZdTkzOzjCBwDYY-RHMhwpdXauo2GGdCGZ1Y14gOODPgcqYXWNs3Gqatr1N-0rzUz655HKkTMlJdDjoCvqkSud8fCBAlg1/s320/73f651c88da01bd72dd92210_L__SL500_AA300_.jpg" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">"A general summary and a good one to keep in mind is the following; Drink less, eat less, chew more, give more, walk more, clothe more, worry less, work more, write less, read more, preach less, and practice more."</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div>Good advice!<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-35472809278547659812010-07-15T07:40:00.001-04:002010-07-15T07:43:38.312-04:00The Incredible Edible Egg<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Holy <strike>cow</strike> um chicken! That's a big egg!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Because we are easily amused, we like to take pictures of abnormally large eggs that we collect from our hens. Keep in mind that a majority of the eggs we normally collect are in the large/jumbo range. I think we have only four or five hens that lay small or medium eggs. We have one white hen that lays white eggs so large every day that they need to be stored in the door of the fridge. (and she's so tiny) They have become so common that we don't even photograph them any longer. But when we get gargantuan brown eggs....we whip out the camera. Enjoy!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOjftPc1yFsd1G7btj4yV5aittKSzAtU769f41oPu5WoFkLqjaDfyaaUixvYMUXLA-fJtKtGMborK3QDQXG7jdRXOA4qxBibAmhH3ieZAEJYsrsd9LyQ-PAf-dfj6bHo9HPdHNSGaQ9m1/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHOjftPc1yFsd1G7btj4yV5aittKSzAtU769f41oPu5WoFkLqjaDfyaaUixvYMUXLA-fJtKtGMborK3QDQXG7jdRXOA4qxBibAmhH3ieZAEJYsrsd9LyQ-PAf-dfj6bHo9HPdHNSGaQ9m1/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO935v103NyycuDhxRPe2XhR2IMAnZKsLXYy0hmZ1CU1ffcnn_iWIi71DnVNRZvfwrE3zur4cVIypPO9A5LVe4z3HdGlbAqoLaMSA9R1I5Ys1kGqDq_DMfkZbscGSeeT6bdFpdgEmV8dyj/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO935v103NyycuDhxRPe2XhR2IMAnZKsLXYy0hmZ1CU1ffcnn_iWIi71DnVNRZvfwrE3zur4cVIypPO9A5LVe4z3HdGlbAqoLaMSA9R1I5Ys1kGqDq_DMfkZbscGSeeT6bdFpdgEmV8dyj/s320/020.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZ6_7UEPWgWe2HryxQAuCvmz3zabgs6NSQmPUvquAMP18QthidFW-TtoKgYHPpZPnkxSmYkGSdxqZ1aigUcfNQgRsUoV5l5z0mv1IeczLrLyQQ5xPUXDuWio1FxKOJE3JH7vQRrhEJw2g/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibZ6_7UEPWgWe2HryxQAuCvmz3zabgs6NSQmPUvquAMP18QthidFW-TtoKgYHPpZPnkxSmYkGSdxqZ1aigUcfNQgRsUoV5l5z0mv1IeczLrLyQQ5xPUXDuWio1FxKOJE3JH7vQRrhEJw2g/s320/018.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2_P8230VnklvkYpNUIK2cMNyRNQYv3xdzsl-649cgDfoApr3nCt4ASW0FBes8XEMI8raUsa6T_wWMdZJk9OAvDaXyuTzfl8CLUap05Ol7udBxid0azo3QSYwTA-talobL2p3uJTdw8US/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM2_P8230VnklvkYpNUIK2cMNyRNQYv3xdzsl-649cgDfoApr3nCt4ASW0FBes8XEMI8raUsa6T_wWMdZJk9OAvDaXyuTzfl8CLUap05Ol7udBxid0azo3QSYwTA-talobL2p3uJTdw8US/s320/019.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdECqIsDkAz1T80i9EdexfSfe2W82aZ2HAXqbfXXt_XLrxan_UxBIzeu9yMIX_iMpBU4N3OdDVZtGPQ8bHSv8MXmqTsvjo4gbBScuUZAlQj482QnWISbQAlEsZ4ldXho3BX6OZBmg9r03i/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdECqIsDkAz1T80i9EdexfSfe2W82aZ2HAXqbfXXt_XLrxan_UxBIzeu9yMIX_iMpBU4N3OdDVZtGPQ8bHSv8MXmqTsvjo4gbBScuUZAlQj482QnWISbQAlEsZ4ldXho3BX6OZBmg9r03i/s320/017.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Scrambled eggs from free range hens. They are much darker and richer than even store bought organic eggs. More color = More nutrients. I would photograph a store bought egg for comparison but I can't bring myself to buy them ~ not now that I have more free-range, organic eggs than I could possibly eat. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I had better go collect some right now. Bye bye!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-20176548031408744152010-07-10T05:52:00.000-04:002010-07-10T05:52:34.945-04:00Herbs Spice 'Em UpI like to throw together the unexpected and see what happens. I know, you're surprised. I seem so even-keeled and predictable. When I paint or sew or make jewelry, I like to mix colors that people don't normally think go together. Normally, it adds dimension and makes the colors really pop.<br />
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The same goes for cooking. After all, cooking is another form of art. I think we forget that sometimes. We can follow a recipe and duplicate someone else's masterpiece (or dogs playing poker print). Or we can make it our own, adding unexpected strokes of bold colors or flavors.....making it three dimensional instead of flat. Sweet potatoes are already sweet, so instead of adding sugar and cream, I like to round them out a little by tossing them with cinnamon, chili powder, salt and cumin and roasting them in the oven. It doesn't make a dessert-like dish but a side with depth, a touch of sweet, with a tickle of salt and spice.<br />
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With summer upon us, and the colors of the garden to inspire me, I have been playing with adding herbs in unexpected ways to my everyday cooking. Not where you expect to find them, like basil in my pasta sauce....but in desserts. A little color and texture to please the eye and tickle the palate.<br />
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Now, you must know that I'm not very good at following directions when it comes to cooking. Maybe I want to be an original artist and not a forger of a masterpiece. Maybe I'm just a rebel. I don't know. I just can't seem to take simple directions and follow them without tweaking them in some way. I used to collect cookbooks and peruse them for fun. It just isn't fun anymore though. Recently, I've found myself glancing through those same beloved cookbooks, and throwing them aside in frustration. "That's just not what I'm looking for. Oh, forget it, I'll just wing it!"<br />
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<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;">So, here are a couple of herbalicious recipes I discovered by 'wingin' it'. You may enjoy them, and you may think I'm off my rocker (like I haven't heard that before). I hope they at least inspire you to color outside the lines and think outside the box.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLHJF7ZIX4vlaJZsjwZX1-E4AblnfyLOfhkKRpnHx-beAOOjosehHKJnzNZ1xcSwik3Hhk1bnBK4hDmu5fbHE2lGlY1Gosy1mhXUYtVuilQFC_nhYnX9uLAF7zFqQX4PD017GXxQnDZJj/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtLHJF7ZIX4vlaJZsjwZX1-E4AblnfyLOfhkKRpnHx-beAOOjosehHKJnzNZ1xcSwik3Hhk1bnBK4hDmu5fbHE2lGlY1Gosy1mhXUYtVuilQFC_nhYnX9uLAF7zFqQX4PD017GXxQnDZJj/s320/012.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Lemon-Lime Coconut Rosemary Ice Cream</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">4 cups sugar</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">2 cups half and half</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">zest of two lemons and one lime</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 cup fresh lemon and lime juice (4 lemons & 3 limes for me)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">2 T fresh rosemary</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 can coconut milk</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Goat milk to fill lime of ice cream freezer (you can use whole cow milk if you wish)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Chop lemon and lime zest and rosemary. Or if you are lazy like me, pulse it in the food processor with your sugar. Mix first ingredients together. Add to ice cream freezer. Top to fill line with whole milk. Freeze per instructions for your ice cream freezer. Enjoy. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This is a light refreshing ice cream....not really an ice cream, not really a sherbet, </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">but great for those triple digit days we've been experiencing.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><strong>Lavender Lemon Pizzelles</strong></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">(sorry I forgot to take a picture and they are SO gone!)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">3 eggs</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">3/4 cup white sugar</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1/2 cup butter, melted</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 t lemon zest</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 teaspoon lavender, crushed</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 t vanilla extract</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 1/2 t lemon extract</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">1 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">2 t baking powder</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Beat eggs and sugar together. Stir in butter and extracts. Combine flour and baking powder, and blend into batter. Heat pizzelle iron and lightly oil. Drop one Tablespoon of batter onto each circle of iron. Cook according to manufacturers instructions for your particular pizzelle iron. Remove and cool completely before storing (or you can form them into cones while they are still hot....I bet they'd be good with lemon-lime coconut rosemary ice cream in them).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you enjoy....or create a few funky recipes of your own. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="color: orange;">Psalm 63:3</span></em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><em><span style="color: orange;">Because your love is better than life, </span></em></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="color: orange;"><em>my lips will glorify</em> <em>you.</em></span></div><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-74248984770381748612010-07-08T09:22:00.001-04:002010-07-08T09:28:47.650-04:00We Don't Need No Education. We Don't Need No Thought Control.We don't need no education. We don't need no thought control....<br />
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I love Pink Floyd. I always have. I think back to that song, and the images I remember from the video when I saw it long ago. The faceless children, slowly marching, indistinguishable from one another. They all marched off the end into a people grinder that ground them into one homogeneous mass. Seems kind of creepy, doesn't it? Then I think back to my experience with school. Is it really that far off from reality? <br />
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I was a good student....for the most part. I spent a little bit of time in trouble though. I would do goofy stuff. I would make people laugh. I would laugh and smile at inappropriate times. I would fidget when I was supposed to be still (I still do). I once got in trouble in the cafeteria for eating mustard packets instead of my lunch. I remember when I was in the fourth grade and my parents got called in for a conference with the teacher and principal for my horrendous behavior. I had held my breath during assembly and disrupted the whole thing. Gasp!!! Students were paying more attention to my behavior than the important (and equally interesting, I'm sure) assembly. It was intolerable behavior. You're shocked, aren't you?! I know, I should be ashamed of myself. The odd thing was that my parents, who were normally on the strict side, were not upset. They laughed about it.....and a few other similar instances. I still remember my strict, conservative parents saying that the educators expected their students to be mindless robots, and that I was just letting my personality show. It was that personality that was going to separate me from others when I grew up and help me to be a success.<br />
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Now I'm a parent. I have two wonderfully different little girls. We started our oldest daughter in public school, and I worked in a public school. But we felt like God was calling us to homeschool our children. Trust me, it wasn't my decision. I worked in a high school. I loved working with older kids...young adults. Small children left me baffled and frustrated. Especially my first born, who didn't really want to spend any time with me anyways. But God has a way of making his desires known. If you don't listen to his suggestions, he gets a little more demanding. So I quit work and began their home education. And we cried and cried and cried. Really! It was horrible. <br />
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Alea had some serious attention issues and Kasi (who was two and a half) learned everything without even looking and would call out answers from the other room when we thought she was watching Reading Rainbow....which would of course not help Alea's frustration. I would pound on subjects until Alea mastered them, and suddenly she forgot everything about them and we had to start all over again. I taught her to tell time at least eight times. She would have it down for days and then, suddenly....she couldn't remember the difference between the big hand and the little hand. So we cried some more. One day I sat and held Alea while we both cried and I told her that I wasn't the best teacher in the world and that I didn't know how to teach her so she would remember. I was at a loss. I just didn't know what to do. But I told her that I wasn't going to give up on her. I told her that she was smart and I knew she could learn. I would find a way to help her. I asked her not to give up on me as well. <br />
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I found over time that Alea didn't memorize well. Most kids with attention issues don't. So instead of following a curriculum and set lesson I tried getting her and Kasi both excited about learning. I started reading aloud to them....Nancy Drew so they couldn't wait to find out what happened next. I would allow them to work on something non disruptive while I read aloud. Over time Alea would almost always pull out sewing, crocheting, and paper and pencils while I read. Kasi would pull out math workbooks and puzzles. She loves workbooks, and excels at math...and puzzles. She is very self-motivated with her learning as well. Before long, I would catch them sneaking behind the door with the Nancy Drew book trying to read ahead, absolutely dying to know what happened next.<br />
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This not only ignited their passion for reading, but gave them the freedom to develop skills from their other passions. I found that as Alea developed her crocheting, she became calmer and more focused. I also learned that Kasi's puzzles and math were all tied together, developing the same areas of her brain. They became more passionate about learning and more creative as well, often designing their own games to test their skills.<br />
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As I began researching, I learned that many famous people considered the most brilliant minds in history didn't receive formal educations. They were to constraining for their lofty dreams and passions. The fact is that the public education system provides a decent, well-rounded education. But if you have a passion and a gift for a certain area of study, rarely are you allowed to propel yourself forward. You are one of many and all the students must stay, if not on the same page, in the same chapter. There is also the fact that your area of giftedness is only one of many subjects in which you are expected to do well. Energy must be drawn from your 'it' subject and poured into those areas in which you need, um, shall we say...work. But Albert Einstein and Marie Curie and countless others were allowed to direct their energies into their subject of giftedness and passion, which allowed them to develop their knowledge and discover things previously unknown. Think about this. The previously unknown will not be found in any textbook or curriculum. It can only be discovered. To be discovered someone must first be seeking it. That takes desire and opportunity. I want my children to be discoverers.<br />
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So we are now what many consider unschoolers. It is not the only way to learn but it is what works for us. Don't confuse unschooling with nonschooling. Our girls don't sit around and play video games. We work to learn. We just don't make it work. We don't clock in and out, turning learning off as we walk out the door. "Sorry guys, I'm on break" We learn all the time. It takes commitment, and really more time and effort than if we were following a curriculum and could shut the notebook as we finished a lesson. But it is unstructured. It is free-flowing. That scares people. It baffles them.<br />
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Wanna know a secret? We joke about the robot kids in the Pink Floyd song. We talk about how awful it is that teachers and employers want cookie-cutter kids and employees (uniforms aren't helping to break down that image). But, really, if we were to be honest, we desire them to be the same because it's easier. It would be so much easier if my kids weren't night and day....oil and water. It is easier for a teacher to teach thirty kids if they learn the same way, respond the same way....and if the teacher only has to present the material in one way. The military wants their soldiers to be indistinguishable from one another. They expect the same response from everyone. Employers pass blanket policies that apply to everyone regardless of special circumstances. Why is that? A machine operates more effectively if the parts are interchangeable....and is up and running quicker in the event of a breakdown because a replacement part is easier to locate. We like easy and we like familiar.<br />
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Well, some of us. There are those rebels among us that believe that variety is the spice of life. Variety and change is their water and sunlight. Don't tell anyone, but I'm one of 'them'. ;-)<br />
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I hope my kids won't grow up to be an interchangeable bolt in a machine. I want to give them an opportunity to be just okay in some subjects so they have an opportunity to soar in areas they are both gifted and passionate about. It may backfire. All we can give our children is a strong foundation and opportunity for growth. It is up to them what they build on it. But two things I do know. One is that we are having fun building that foundation together. The other is that my parents were right. (Sssshhhh! We don't want them to know I said that. It would blow my image. ) It is personality that sets one person apart from another, not some notations on a quarterly slip of paper....long forgotten and tucked away in a cardboard box.<br />
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......and just because I love a good quote or two.......<br />
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<span style="color: orange;">You can teach a student a lesson for a day; but if you can teach him to learn by creating curiosity, he will continue the learning process as long as he lives. ~Clay P. Bedford</span><br />
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<span style="color: #bf9000;">All the world is a laboratory to the inquiring mind. ~Martin H. Fischer</span><br />
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<span style="color: #38761d;">The purpose of learning is growth, and our minds, unlike our bodies, can continue growing as we continue to live. ~Mortimer Adler</span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">Teach children what to think and you limit them to your ideas. Teach children how to think and their ideas are unlimited."- Sandra Parks</span><br />
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<span style="color: purple;">Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will. ~Vernon Howard</span><br />
<span style="color: #c27ba0;">"Modern education is competitive, nationalistic and separative. It has trained the child to regard material values as of major importance, to believe that his nation is also of major importance and superior to other nations and peoples. The general level of world information is high but usually biased, influenced by national prejudices, serving to make us citizens of our nation but not of the world."~Albert Einstein</span><br />
<span style="color: #cc0000;">We learn more by looking for the answer to a question and not finding it than we do from learning the answer itself. ~Lloyd Alexander</span><br />
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<span style="color: orange;">"It was at home I learned the little I know. Schools always appeared to me like a prison, and never could I make up my mind to stay there, not even for four hours a day, when the sunshine was inviting, the sea smooth, and when it was joy to run about the cliffs in the free air, or to paddle in the water."- Claude Monet</span><br />
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<span style="color: #f1c232;">The important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn. ~John Lubbock</span><br />
<span style="color: #38761d;">"Teach your scholar to observe the phenomena of nature; you will soon rouse his curiosity, but if you would have it grow, do not be in too great a hurry to satisfy this curiosity. Put the problems before him and let him solve them himself. Let him know nothing because you have told him, but because he has learnt it for himself. Let him not be taught science, let him discover it. If ever you substitute authority for reason he will cease to reason; he will be a mere plaything of other people's thoughts."~Jean-Jacques Rousseau</span><br />
<span style="color: #134f5c;">I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think. Whereas, if the child is left to himself, he will think more and better, if less showily. Let him go and come freely, let him touch real things and combine his impressions for himself, instead of sitting indoors at a little round table, while a sweet-voiced teacher suggests that he build a stone wall with his wooden blocks, or make a rainbow out of strips of coloured paper, or plant straw trees in bead flower-pots. Such teaching fills the mind with artificial associations that must be got rid of, before the child can develop independent ideas out of actual experience.~ Anne Sullivan </span><br />
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<span style="color: #0b5394;">"A child does not have to be motivated to learn; in fact, learning cannot be stopped. A child will focus on the world around him and long to understand it. He will want to know why things are the way they are. He won’t have to be told to be curious; he will just be curious. He has no desire to be ignorant; rather he wants to know everything."</span><br />
<span style="color: #0b5394;">- Valerie Fitzenreiter</span><br />
<span style="color: purple;">"The only time my education was interrupted was when I was in school." ~George Bernard Shaw</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-64148798368764974532010-07-07T07:07:00.001-04:002010-07-07T07:10:01.913-04:00A Gardening I Go....<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some scenes from our garden. We actually have two gardens this year. One in the same location as last year, now surrounded by an electric fence. Last year we donated our entire sweet corn and popcorn crop and much of our melons and tomatoes to the wildlife population. Not this year! That is the garden where these photos are from. It has incredible, soft, fertile soil BUT it is away from the house, making it more susceptible to wild vegetable bandits, and away from a water source. Any water needs to be hauled out there in five gallon buckets. Of course, any of you that followed our saga of the first ten months we lived here without a home or well know that we are old pros when it comes to hauling water. At least now we only have to haul them from the spigot at the house.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The second garden is mainly in raised beds in our front yard, within the area fenced for the dogs. This was a good rodent control plan until our old grumpy dog died and we obtained a large, active, digging and plant tromping puppy named Cookie (aka Cookie Monster or <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Chewbaka</span>). With Cookie's influence our other younger adult dog got her second wind and is now also like a big puppy. We had to tack wire fencing over the raised beds in order to keep the Cookie Monster from digging up our seeds and seedlings. It worked great. The plants just came up through the openings. The only problem is that the dogs refuse to understand that the beds are off limits and tromp all over them all the time. Many black bean and pepper plants have been trampled to death by an overzealous and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">oversized</span> puppy while I am trying to check cucumbers. So all of our later plantings have been added into the larger electrified garden.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Having two gardens has helped us to isolate varieties. For example, popcorn is in the yard garden while sweet corn is in the 'electric' garden. We have so much wildlife here that we just don't have the luxury of planting in the yard or fields....everything must be surrounded....and surrounded well. Last year we had a fence around the garden but the raccoons found out how to lift the fence and go under it, the rabbits went through the holes, and the deer went over. We tried everything we could think of to keep them out....plastic snakes, dog hair, shiny ribbon, etc. Nothing helped. Electricity seems to be working pretty well so far.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Enjoy the pictures. They were taken as the sun was rising above the garden so some of the pictures appear a little dark. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-K0TX7rMib20o7qx5XSEV9oQHqRTsdqavVbp1SLjL3Zqe2-1wfH_wz3iqs2IIpLCaJDe_DvuDGrYn_NPtKsYTbUYQ83iEuwBBq8BAWmGAJBRCbBVGI7BT3zBHmnbS2R3LvTvYuW1Be5k/s1600/030.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK-K0TX7rMib20o7qx5XSEV9oQHqRTsdqavVbp1SLjL3Zqe2-1wfH_wz3iqs2IIpLCaJDe_DvuDGrYn_NPtKsYTbUYQ83iEuwBBq8BAWmGAJBRCbBVGI7BT3zBHmnbS2R3LvTvYuW1Be5k/s320/030.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Bean plants vining up the corn stalks.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7dbdq47QDLFG_eashArAOsXBOariA5igBJbh6xLzUvekdF1SzNCFnBmAx3FPPaOdcpWnPc2d0WdJi5FOX3T-kqFC9xpa1R9Is2qSUsBDkqNsTAXISSW9kj-4P3sPwb4EQXLtGDraZglJ/s1600/031.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; cssfloat: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhU7dbdq47QDLFG_eashArAOsXBOariA5igBJbh6xLzUvekdF1SzNCFnBmAx3FPPaOdcpWnPc2d0WdJi5FOX3T-kqFC9xpa1R9Is2qSUsBDkqNsTAXISSW9kj-4P3sPwb4EQXLtGDraZglJ/s320/031.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sweet Corn (Texas Honey June)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgravIQQDl7lhtWSRdjyKJVmvq24-EquYrZXAXN0-3sTB-Q2fJCbGPc0aEvVCeQOokgrEFVn9sWiRGEXwW13b7xtSTfQN8iFF_URbsOO98zZjyNEmM-PJDLs-DX0Gjq4jj_glNKWL0ICBro/s1600/032.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgravIQQDl7lhtWSRdjyKJVmvq24-EquYrZXAXN0-3sTB-Q2fJCbGPc0aEvVCeQOokgrEFVn9sWiRGEXwW13b7xtSTfQN8iFF_URbsOO98zZjyNEmM-PJDLs-DX0Gjq4jj_glNKWL0ICBro/s320/032.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Peanuts ~ the first time we've ever grown them. They are so fun!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMvBteEJhWso1nnVXOgE1ilWJmhMvgi1JDq1rei6m_G9c80pxtEBKrKA-007S9meGLZgyf3DaETFXQmS1vyucgk4w2io3Do1Z-xJ6KuhFEtmjYVIyoxXKuxwKO2zzvr70AL4NGTQREWvO/s1600/033.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinMvBteEJhWso1nnVXOgE1ilWJmhMvgi1JDq1rei6m_G9c80pxtEBKrKA-007S9meGLZgyf3DaETFXQmS1vyucgk4w2io3Do1Z-xJ6KuhFEtmjYVIyoxXKuxwKO2zzvr70AL4NGTQREWvO/s320/033.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Sweet Potato Vines ~ these slips were a gift from a friend...about thirty of them in all.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YhdgDh0tJGIvX3BrOMzectvDKnATqaVe1ZsswK2KOiO5tGFys0j3UbCexYqkA_fBveemlLSp7jpyJS4Zd-ag7rh5RmvrFpuwRqWgI02bxDEJVNKeJCAiqXul19UevK3g-v8OWYzjJetR/s1600/034.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-YhdgDh0tJGIvX3BrOMzectvDKnATqaVe1ZsswK2KOiO5tGFys0j3UbCexYqkA_fBveemlLSp7jpyJS4Zd-ag7rh5RmvrFpuwRqWgI02bxDEJVNKeJCAiqXul19UevK3g-v8OWYzjJetR/s320/034.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Multiplier Onions ~ the onion that keeps on giving.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45zqa7TlWOmk14nqTSLAbfHoDZtd58t2I3xEupYgTjB7pbfGigfv10v8lotLwZI_JsZjXiPU33D_OOVYLX47x6aFFRNqLQG5ZimvowRb6oFvFThyphenhyphenepc5jHuB9Rhk9aPvxbxqnOE8ChJKi/s1600/035.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg45zqa7TlWOmk14nqTSLAbfHoDZtd58t2I3xEupYgTjB7pbfGigfv10v8lotLwZI_JsZjXiPU33D_OOVYLX47x6aFFRNqLQG5ZimvowRb6oFvFThyphenhyphenepc5jHuB9Rhk9aPvxbxqnOE8ChJKi/s320/035.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Watermelon peeking out from among the vines (Amish Moon and Stars) ~ these are gonna be big boys, 20-30 lbs, and sure are some beautiful plants.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J9huksJkFu4lZz65r1OIEq8clasSe44pSUdjHZ4YOP7g_nGleyfQHpyBIAbLXaxmxVpbweqg6X7EYzDRhEJlV1qdaCcffqRt7IczP341KanrU-zI67p-n93jMayHLZE61hLdGdtnsrTj/s1600/038.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_J9huksJkFu4lZz65r1OIEq8clasSe44pSUdjHZ4YOP7g_nGleyfQHpyBIAbLXaxmxVpbweqg6X7EYzDRhEJlV1qdaCcffqRt7IczP341KanrU-zI67p-n93jMayHLZE61hLdGdtnsrTj/s320/038.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">One of many tomato plants. We got a late start on these as the ones that were in the yard had to be moved and transplanted, and many more had to be started from seeds at a later date (Cherokee Black, Mortgage Lifter or <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">Brandywine</span> ~ they all got mixed up in the move)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CEjj0S7KLKIZWt1cSFAvgGiE-baSE3Og1LHUrQYS_59FJX-uJLcAjR8LC9jr0YtPp9WFtfrDtxSdmbKkCNA5gQXv1_TCljeiga1OIC3JYjBkgYuMhIZWMrSXs8J9qVhWHLBSxSN9HcsC/s1600/041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-CEjj0S7KLKIZWt1cSFAvgGiE-baSE3Og1LHUrQYS_59FJX-uJLcAjR8LC9jr0YtPp9WFtfrDtxSdmbKkCNA5gQXv1_TCljeiga1OIC3JYjBkgYuMhIZWMrSXs8J9qVhWHLBSxSN9HcsC/s320/041.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">The banana peppers were dying in a pot in the yard. They are slowly springing back to life after transplanting.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yXyDyuMLWwXSfDzUUVhHtY3Y-DyWf_LcfzvbB_lZ_VE2aLznXKy8ewAxLRHKXYfc5hI-ZctmSPpWJLgfk_MHFhJ5SYJ71QxrZU0fHB03VD-Yla2k1nmFtjd5yZ-q5wVQsaBUJJdEivJe/s1600/042.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_yXyDyuMLWwXSfDzUUVhHtY3Y-DyWf_LcfzvbB_lZ_VE2aLznXKy8ewAxLRHKXYfc5hI-ZctmSPpWJLgfk_MHFhJ5SYJ71QxrZU0fHB03VD-Yla2k1nmFtjd5yZ-q5wVQsaBUJJdEivJe/s320/042.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Potatoes ~ and weeds and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">johnson</span> grass ( too late to weed more around the potatoes though. We don't want to uproot any taters.)</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv1Yf8ozPGqkV77rCRStMGbAFUmZ5dWJdBBrG4Z5ZpAs47hfRBJ-_5iYXoiAEhh6_FXKQoD0z3oGBR2TE-FCG97_bAvDZD6Do2sgRT4VRRjIWgL0Z75AaJtCLpVIVgcas48eMygkdrGEC/s1600/036.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfv1Yf8ozPGqkV77rCRStMGbAFUmZ5dWJdBBrG4Z5ZpAs47hfRBJ-_5iYXoiAEhh6_FXKQoD0z3oGBR2TE-FCG97_bAvDZD6Do2sgRT4VRRjIWgL0Z75AaJtCLpVIVgcas48eMygkdrGEC/s320/036.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Melon mounds from front to back~ watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, with potatoes and sweet corn in the back.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Happy gardening!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><span style="color: purple;">I think that if ever a mortal heard the voice of God it would be in a garden at the cool of the day. ~F. Frankfort Moore, A Garden of Peace</span></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-62750564511035748692010-07-05T10:46:00.000-04:002010-07-05T10:46:08.907-04:00A Boatload of Blackberries!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are extremely blessed with blackberries this year. I can honestly conservatively estimate that we have five or so acres densely covered with wild blackberries. We haven't had alot of time to venture out to pick them, but headed out once two weekends ago, and once this last weekend (with a yield of about three gallons). Of course, there have been those sporadic detours on our way in the driveway to pick a few and pop them in our mouths. I assure you we have still left dozens of gallons on the vine for the deer, birds, and rabbits. We have been trying to change our way of thinking and only taking what we believe we will need and not just what is available. There is plenty of abundance for us and the animals to share.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWxcgzOWO4g1voim53SZs9gDe6UoagEcItWk3nADcmb2_RzfJ6o3g5RkaTgaJgVPUjfOe7YfZfmbSjMWa5Lt2ZU0_rgslWpXAho8gtpbZaqNNIxVxA9EWiOB1uISiRuOCZpSO5JaTFvI4/s1600/017.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguWxcgzOWO4g1voim53SZs9gDe6UoagEcItWk3nADcmb2_RzfJ6o3g5RkaTgaJgVPUjfOe7YfZfmbSjMWa5Lt2ZU0_rgslWpXAho8gtpbZaqNNIxVxA9EWiOB1uISiRuOCZpSO5JaTFvI4/s320/017.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTjCHmN7WlJ4hwGpOvFJ9IQkrd3sZSLULvvYNgD24rrMGYBuo0RY90frP5a5S8nw1w_THipZcOoe9cDT0grZdntVScb6I553VxJD0szaKRRTFA71PI9LTOdj3raB6GNKk7nBM2BAgdc7s/s1600/022.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDTjCHmN7WlJ4hwGpOvFJ9IQkrd3sZSLULvvYNgD24rrMGYBuo0RY90frP5a5S8nw1w_THipZcOoe9cDT0grZdntVScb6I553VxJD0szaKRRTFA71PI9LTOdj3raB6GNKk7nBM2BAgdc7s/s320/022.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIu1XTJvyCrKHbXtVoXBq5IMjP-fWxIQUxaObTMVUC-SpafG3m4x_r-gqRdhjV3YXjxPuh74asxi0XgsxzXBoAbCw8cqIMxnqQFIIRZJFRQ1D1adeO5OcJJIF4jSkl3z01lqbx6HtxoJiZ/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIu1XTJvyCrKHbXtVoXBq5IMjP-fWxIQUxaObTMVUC-SpafG3m4x_r-gqRdhjV3YXjxPuh74asxi0XgsxzXBoAbCw8cqIMxnqQFIIRZJFRQ1D1adeO5OcJJIF4jSkl3z01lqbx6HtxoJiZ/s320/023.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">What really amazes me is the variety. We have big berries, small berries, hard berries, juicy berries, berries with big cells, and berries with small cells. Some are already dried up and past their prime and many are still red. From the looks of things we should still be able to head out for a couple more gallons over the next couple of weeks before their short season is past. </div><div align="left" class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoqaBL9a1WPUiY5Z_2QXn-IbL6hDvjgcGffBds8qxK6oti6kTTRTMp5XGEOc9D9qwf77pnVXHJ0yad15d3gKe9nRGVjd56v3YDYp3iPH9LSR7vqqn3lv3QNzncxNMpSESNSeXrpOhY-uu/s1600/018.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcoqaBL9a1WPUiY5Z_2QXn-IbL6hDvjgcGffBds8qxK6oti6kTTRTMp5XGEOc9D9qwf77pnVXHJ0yad15d3gKe9nRGVjd56v3YDYp3iPH9LSR7vqqn3lv3QNzncxNMpSESNSeXrpOhY-uu/s320/018.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiGQawXdLZvj_mXTWqirAIfzHJOm1RPy4DvLI6iFZJrTZu_PA7JWbpACDDwtXt-pzU0LJ9Ypo-u_wEImv6bIlpH-4mxZuciJmOFaZBxN54_n3VHMXzgTvHoXgRulpjj8kHfvPvmbuSjUt/s1600/019.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijiGQawXdLZvj_mXTWqirAIfzHJOm1RPy4DvLI6iFZJrTZu_PA7JWbpACDDwtXt-pzU0LJ9Ypo-u_wEImv6bIlpH-4mxZuciJmOFaZBxN54_n3VHMXzgTvHoXgRulpjj8kHfvPvmbuSjUt/s320/019.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We are discovering that we are blessed with wild grapes as well. I don't yet know if they are scuppernongs or muscadines as both are prevalent in this area, but the fruits aren't yet developed enough to indentify. But look at the pictures of the maturing grapes. You may also see some berries that are changing color and not gathered in clusters like the grapes. It also appears that their origin is the tree....not the vines traveling up the tree like the grapes. Does anyone know what they are? Are they edible? I am going to research them. Any help you guys could provide would be greatly appreciated.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBnTXRcqkmcw8xFBKfzG3Iu84gn0__ZnP-8r7ATLZoINIOfwV8GXy2YtzrscG9dsJx9UcrOIEY5Q8vcsrQMmdm_DIRcQiSx4bmaxqmv7EU16zz9ruIfqlFUullobB18AnO5TILUnsf24Z/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiBnTXRcqkmcw8xFBKfzG3Iu84gn0__ZnP-8r7ATLZoINIOfwV8GXy2YtzrscG9dsJx9UcrOIEY5Q8vcsrQMmdm_DIRcQiSx4bmaxqmv7EU16zz9ruIfqlFUullobB18AnO5TILUnsf24Z/s320/014.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj36cOc4hJ5igv7Rb-ggu4V8awr_rFhixHEVJm4pk3ENEkPgxQ1bxttd3maxSILpXTNqe-jCcKhR22vd3e8jG9NsR00Qlku5UjFT_Jd7P0F8SiOSjsndalYAThHOLJ0eesFAsyPZe75kk/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDj36cOc4hJ5igv7Rb-ggu4V8awr_rFhixHEVJm4pk3ENEkPgxQ1bxttd3maxSILpXTNqe-jCcKhR22vd3e8jG9NsR00Qlku5UjFT_Jd7P0F8SiOSjsndalYAThHOLJ0eesFAsyPZe75kk/s320/015.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRobvMFJx039HEhbWzQavSGcI0ZtvVlDVu2_mk56jXHhW5zmjQghlQvwnXQyv6utFg4nIINrR7NWuT7hbChUIiFvCQ00lplMaV6V6PFXfXLfN9xOuR49VdehrV4MHSgMNt_-bRn9hKBUE/s1600/016.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizRobvMFJx039HEhbWzQavSGcI0ZtvVlDVu2_mk56jXHhW5zmjQghlQvwnXQyv6utFg4nIINrR7NWuT7hbChUIiFvCQ00lplMaV6V6PFXfXLfN9xOuR49VdehrV4MHSgMNt_-bRn9hKBUE/s320/016.JPG" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsZwzCq1z0GMkP8TQBGTJJsnp9lHl_pDikoQgJeWMt7j3YLdKAnuSkPqgELkzU2Rs3HTCU3oys0mm5Kbjap_CfPJ_LKlhv1iIlM6RIo7mwxRKPfrfz_DvhtzCxcAmEceBQWG08QMvZ7Ct/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXsZwzCq1z0GMkP8TQBGTJJsnp9lHl_pDikoQgJeWMt7j3YLdKAnuSkPqgELkzU2Rs3HTCU3oys0mm5Kbjap_CfPJ_LKlhv1iIlM6RIo7mwxRKPfrfz_DvhtzCxcAmEceBQWG08QMvZ7Ct/s320/020.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">We don't yet have all the answers as to why God sent us to this land. We are getting bits and pieces of the puzzle as we go along. As happens whenever we try to follow God and guess what he has in store for us, the picture forming doesn't resemble the one we expected to see when we first started working on this puzzle. Of course it is more beautiful than the image our tiny minds had envisioned.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Every time we turn a corner, we are faced with yet another amazingly beautiful gift he has prepared for us and left for us to discover. The blackberries and grapes, the persimmons and honey locusts, the walnuts, hickories, and pecans. The amazingly rich soil that can look dry as a bone but still hold enough blessed water to nourish our plants a mere two inches below the surface. These are just a few of the little blessings God has surprised us with here. I honestly don't think I would be surprised to discover a natural spring somewhere at this point. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Sure there's also an abundance of mosquitoes and poison ivy, but that has even given us an opportunity to learn. We don't get poison ivy anymore since everyone in our family can now identify it in it's many forms....even in the winter. And have you ever seen a honey locust tree? They are fierce....definitely not something to be messed with. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">But this place is beautiful, fertile, and full of surprises....just like I imagine the garden of Eden to be. I don't picture an organized and manicured garden, but a wild garden with gifts and nourishment tucked into the folds of the natural landscape. I can't wait to share my next discovery.</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-18093622546336787532010-07-01T15:58:00.000-04:002010-07-01T15:58:57.840-04:00Too Funny Not To ShareI heard a funny joke on the radio today................<br />
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What do you call somebody who won't fart in public?<br />
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A private tooter.<br />
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Sorry. I know it's corny. But I liked it.<div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-78597342252055239862010-07-01T09:17:00.000-04:002010-07-01T09:17:31.053-04:00Improper Use of Duct Tape<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">After searching long and hard, we found a camp for the girls to go to this summer that met both our budget and our schedule. It is a horse camp located about 40 minutes from our home. During five half-days, they work on riding English, Western, & bareback. They feed, and they clean stalls, tack, and brushes. They learn grooming and the names of parts of the horse and equipment. And to top it off, they have crafts and a bible study. For three days so far I have spent the afternoons hearing all the wonderful stories that the girls have had to share about camp. I can't believe how much they have learned in such a short time.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">I dropped them off yesterday and noticed Kasi walking funny as she climbed out of the van. Her boots zipped up the side and it appeared that the zipper had broken. It was zipped only at the top. I struggled with it for a minute and finally told her she was just going to have to get someone to wrap it up with duct tape to get her through the day. Everyone has duct tape, and this was a stable, after all. And I left.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP8R5OEdsWLbMdtR9BtZeKe-jCsfUdykbxnTb8SZMmNyCth-8smnArGNv3V-F_SraeuiCeb997ByNiJij0ipyTOucUb-7WyJQMyhVM7ZsddxGRYDepCPI8arGTESKLwQ5LtxdzyfGXpSV/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" rw="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPP8R5OEdsWLbMdtR9BtZeKe-jCsfUdykbxnTb8SZMmNyCth-8smnArGNv3V-F_SraeuiCeb997ByNiJij0ipyTOucUb-7WyJQMyhVM7ZsddxGRYDepCPI8arGTESKLwQ5LtxdzyfGXpSV/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Here is the sight that met me when I picked her up. This, my friends, is improper use of duct tape. For you rookies out there, the duct tape should have been wrapped (horizontally) around the ankle in order to give it stability. That would have held it 'til the boots gave out. My husband laughed and told me that not everyone has had my level of duct tape usage experience. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Seriously though, they may not have understood how to properly use duct tape (one of those subjects I think is seriously neglected in the public school system) but you have to give them some extra points for effort, and for creativity. They are well on their way to learning to 'make due wit whatcha got'. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-76606894955848065122010-06-24T10:43:00.001-04:002010-06-24T10:46:07.036-04:00More Soapy Goodness<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: left;">Here are some pictures from the final episode of my soap making marathon. I might have to wait a few weeks or so before making some more. All these soaps were made using the same recipe that includes palm oil, olive oil, coconut oil, avocado oil, <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">castor</span> oil, cocoa butter and <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">shea</span> butter and goat milk.</div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lPdWBXuMTDoxJ9aIzoA__1kLZpkumcJAte_M1fwm2dIw44qblA54DvZjny5DK5o_aFd2jh2nTrddiG49-lY0Vk3rr4OApWBxVnUr_oFAexgJhWsDWVTDV3NZA36wtZaXMq1bKfjCkqk9/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-lPdWBXuMTDoxJ9aIzoA__1kLZpkumcJAte_M1fwm2dIw44qblA54DvZjny5DK5o_aFd2jh2nTrddiG49-lY0Vk3rr4OApWBxVnUr_oFAexgJhWsDWVTDV3NZA36wtZaXMq1bKfjCkqk9/s320/001.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Toasted Almond ~ contains almond fragrance oil (one that actually smells like almonds instead of cherries). Suddenly I'm craving marzipan....I wonder why?!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4p6oSjzlOce2xn3C4smX6md-teRjGXugI5-zo3JTK9Y0CGBrSGXLlKsYRI6pQpMRvSvL02lXzxkW1SMnb6pbbdX8zWv7W2u-tXfj8astKDXdEoeHsu0msbQ2u3zfQtaxIQiQLR5QZ6ms/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW4p6oSjzlOce2xn3C4smX6md-teRjGXugI5-zo3JTK9Y0CGBrSGXLlKsYRI6pQpMRvSvL02lXzxkW1SMnb6pbbdX8zWv7W2u-tXfj8astKDXdEoeHsu0msbQ2u3zfQtaxIQiQLR5QZ6ms/s320/002.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Kumquat ~ contains fragrance oil, orange peel, and mica (and kinda looks like cheese). Fruity and sweet.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PbFlZPerC3YI_NuPtpKgd0PKoP_rMCZQuajjrU7bRTdN0NQ_u8Cz-ORlOj3kREF5lHT3silZqFAPMV1meAOdUHVH79P_9IQcVjzKxBe2e3fPwl-55E7pyKH_SR6cnzW6sS6Mt537pzap/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4PbFlZPerC3YI_NuPtpKgd0PKoP_rMCZQuajjrU7bRTdN0NQ_u8Cz-ORlOj3kREF5lHT3silZqFAPMV1meAOdUHVH79P_9IQcVjzKxBe2e3fPwl-55E7pyKH_SR6cnzW6sS6Mt537pzap/s320/003.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Nature Walk ~ contains peppermint and tea tree essential oils, peppermint leaf, and green <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">luffa</span> powder. It's fresh and invigorating! Makes me wanna go hiking and build up a marvelous sweat....then go home and shower with 'Nature Walk'.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPsWy53ZlXrho7Kc6br_AHKNdnFMS-yPhcyHdDRc4SNai2xgDGoChcqJFt1FWjt1wwuedLNBiIdeUY57xpFlxye12n9_kZgUsHB6SHAPq5_8_gtY0hEZlulCEds7R4fXBhjybay1JFmAf/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbPsWy53ZlXrho7Kc6br_AHKNdnFMS-yPhcyHdDRc4SNai2xgDGoChcqJFt1FWjt1wwuedLNBiIdeUY57xpFlxye12n9_kZgUsHB6SHAPq5_8_gtY0hEZlulCEds7R4fXBhjybay1JFmAf/s320/004.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Peace ~ contains fragrance oil blend (saffron & honey), red kaolin, yellow oxide, & <span class="goog-spellcheck-word">calendula</span> petals. More peaceful and sensual than nature walk...a very calming, gentle scent.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you've enjoyed them. I sure had fun making them. Soap making is a perfect blending of science, cooking & art and I just love it.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-73698475931332122412010-06-22T10:32:00.001-04:002010-06-22T10:33:39.235-04:00Oh, Soapy Day!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The girls went on another 'field trip' yesterday to work with Daddy. So......I decided to make a little soap. Here are some pictures of my new bars fresh cut this morning.....</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q7euZab0u0CGq1BDLo4MZWFphpB3l1Sw_PbfAG0fUBGFJ45614KzAdkaqwxWOFOaRUmZ_b7oF2M-oK5AHHL67fvvX7Ax4zP6EU5fIewMJmwR37Id73U8hmI5dcxqkBKAOH-5xPoDHjyk/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3Q7euZab0u0CGq1BDLo4MZWFphpB3l1Sw_PbfAG0fUBGFJ45614KzAdkaqwxWOFOaRUmZ_b7oF2M-oK5AHHL67fvvX7Ax4zP6EU5fIewMJmwR37Id73U8hmI5dcxqkBKAOH-5xPoDHjyk/s320/005.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Shampoo Bars ~ palm oil, olive oil, coconut oil, wheat germ oil, castor oil, hemp seed oil, and cocoa butter w/ egg yolk and honey added. Fragrance is a blend of grapefruit, lavender, rosemary & ylang ylang essential oils.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk5uoNRC-gOnXh8zQIn6U9TD-qmqZ0lukuRzSG_MMKLU8wTAfufBYhFButLFgemvw4u2Jy6WPNNSRZ0_RFyydvm3HxmLNvlB3N2V4n2QZJpDBV8sZJVVWVlu9ei5nUs6ps6vsZEt6xeRM/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikk5uoNRC-gOnXh8zQIn6U9TD-qmqZ0lukuRzSG_MMKLU8wTAfufBYhFButLFgemvw4u2Jy6WPNNSRZ0_RFyydvm3HxmLNvlB3N2V4n2QZJpDBV8sZJVVWVlu9ei5nUs6ps6vsZEt6xeRM/s320/006.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Faith Soap Bars ~ Palm Oil, Olive Oil, Coconut Oil, Castor Oil, Avocado Oil, Cocoa Butter & Shea Butter. Goat Milk, Cinnamon, Nutmeg & Annatto Powder Added. Contains a fragrance blend of 'basmati rice' fragrance oil & frankinsence and myrrh essential oil.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Zx49YQaADC0L3zUkFkEDIrBE9b-1RFV-iSpMUpebVaKcazxP9XXBsGmVfk8-S6KWjy2XJstxG_uNtrCRBeWgqayx4IdRJrXQxGjZnkzlOPmVEfMgBcBd4DgGk76IAVS767QzZg6eQvwI/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1Zx49YQaADC0L3zUkFkEDIrBE9b-1RFV-iSpMUpebVaKcazxP9XXBsGmVfk8-S6KWjy2XJstxG_uNtrCRBeWgqayx4IdRJrXQxGjZnkzlOPmVEfMgBcBd4DgGk76IAVS767QzZg6eQvwI/s320/007.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Seashore Soap Bars ~ Same carrier oils as 'Faith'. Goat milk and bentonite clay are added. Seawater strip contains micas, oxides and green luffa powder, and tops are sprinkled with cosmetic glitter. Contains 'Seashore' fragrance oil.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHkBI0RAlZNWbTFwfBK3pxZWSv-XHUx78x9RbHkiM8zQEQgm7tMnxfzyFrcgxG5r1NwBdmzdhOMIXbJarwYHlZnBKQ9FzPzmQoDF9ASA4aMk573KV7d0uI9JvpZWI8dv_k2k3h_EvJVxw/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFHkBI0RAlZNWbTFwfBK3pxZWSv-XHUx78x9RbHkiM8zQEQgm7tMnxfzyFrcgxG5r1NwBdmzdhOMIXbJarwYHlZnBKQ9FzPzmQoDF9ASA4aMk573KV7d0uI9JvpZWI8dv_k2k3h_EvJVxw/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Kaleidosoap ~ Same carrier oil blend as 'Faith' and 'Seashore' with goat milk and titanium dioxide added. Color swirls contain micas and activated charcoal, and cosmetic glitter is sprinkled on top. Fruity fragrance oil blend contains white grape, banana, black cherry and apples.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I hope you enjoy! Four more batches are on the schedule for tomorrow.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4442721490377727362.post-32379282928328639322010-06-22T07:47:00.003-04:002010-06-22T07:50:11.079-04:00Something to think about......I want to leave you with something to think about today. I have been really thinking lately about commitment. It seems where everywhere I turn, people aren't doing what they say they are going to do. <br />
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They go back on their word. (Sorry, I got busy...it was hot so I decided to go swimming instead....I had alot to do...I got busy) I had a friend agree to teach the girls a skill. Two weeks in a row, she just never showed up. No call or anything. My girls spent hours running to the window looking for her. They made her gifts to give her on her visits, but they never heard from her.<br />
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Some refuse to give their word in the first place. (I'll come by if nothing better comes up... I'll pick it up for you if I remember...I'll try....I MAY be by to help, but don't count me in....) They don't commit. No commitment, no disappointment. Right?<br />
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But the truth is that when people commit to us, we feel loved, special, and important. When they blow us off we feel that we don't matter to them. We still feel disappointed. We feel as if we aren't a special part of their lives. <br />
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Sometimes we assume they are just bad people. But they aren't. They just don't consider the effect their actions have on others. Sometimes they just don't know how to see beyond themselves. This person who 'stood up' the girls.....they don't even talk about her anymore. The items they made for her have disappeared. It is a shame because I know she loves them, and she is a sweet person. But I don't think she ever considered their disappointment. <br />
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That is just an example but it seems that everywhere I turn, the same attitude of non-commitment is prevalent. We are quickly becoming a civilization of people that is only concerned with living our lives for ourselves. That is why our relationships are crumbling. Our marriages are failing. We have very few true friends anymore. (you know, the kind you could call anytime and they would be there for you) Every kind of relationship requires commitment to work. It requires sacrifice. It may require helping to get up hay in the heat when you would rather be swimming and sipping cocktails. <br />
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So I leave you with something to think about today. It is a phrase that I have posted in my home to remind myself of daily.<br />
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<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;">Commitment versus Obligation</span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"> </span><br />
<span style="color: #990000; font-size: large;"> The only difference is attitude!</span><br />
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<span style="color: black;">Think about it.</span><div class="blogger-post-footer">You must be the change you want to see in the world ~ Mahatma Ghandi</div>koinonia communityhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04677292428662688616noreply@blogger.com2