Scares me every time...

This scares me to death! Every time I see one of my goats like this, I run outside screaming! Then they lift their heads up and look at me like I'm crazy! Silly goats. I guess they like to just lay out like anyone else, right?

Especially since this is what he looked like a few minutes before.

Soap

So I finally got my head into making soap yesterday afternoon. I have been trying for weeks now. I'd just keep putting it off. Or something else would come up. I just really couldn't get into it at all.

But yesterday, I just started putting all my soap making things in the kitchen. Pots, measuring things, oils, EO's, herbs. So then I HAD to make soap. I got 5 soaps made!

Here they all are. All bundled up and warm in their blankets for the night.

This is the sage. I had bought some EO's when I went to Colorado. We went to manitou Springs and there was a little shop that sold them. She would pour fresh oils into little tiny bottles. It was cool. I got 4 there. This one I added some pineapple sage leaves cut up in the soap. It's a veggie base soap. Smells so good!

This is a lavender-rosewood.  And I added fresh lavender to it from the herb garden. It's also a veggie base soap.

The one on the left is the apple cider-cinnamon. Yum! Smells like hot apple cider with spices. I used my apple cider instead of water. The lye turned it red at first. The brown. And it stunk! But now it smells like apple cider. I added cinnamon EO and sprinkled cinnamon on top.

On the right is the orange-clove. I used Valencia orange and clove EO's. then ground up fresh whole cloves and added to the soap then on top. It turned the soap a little brown, but will hopefully lighten up as it cures?

These both smell like fall.

Then this is the lard based soap. I used the thyme and rosemary EO's I got from Col. in these as well as fresh rosemary and thyme from the herb garden. This is a pretty soap. And of course smells amazing too. Can't wait to cut them all now.

As you can tell, I use anything I have on hand for molds. The 2 spiced soaps are in canning jar boxes. And the rosemary-thyme is in a restaurant utensil tray. The lavender rose is in a tin baking pan. I have also used Pringles cans, long metal chicken feeders, shaped molds and also cupcake papers. So anything can be used for making soap. But it is hard for me to get a good 4 oz. bar every time. There is a guy up the road  who made my farm sign that will make soap molds but I can't afford any right now. Maybe some day. They are really nice though.

I hope this will inspire someone else to make some good smelling soap!

A long day

Do you see all these sweet sheep? Do you see a fence to the right? That's how it all started. Just another one of those days...

To the left of this picture is a huge pasture, full of beautiful green grass. And shade trees. To the right, right beside this area, is the garden. And across the driveway is the ram. Does that give you any idea of where this little story is going?

Not see that sweet white ewe in the front there? She started the whole thing. Yes, Fiona did it.

This morning, while I was feeding dogs and cats and milking goats, all I could hear were sheep. So when I finally got over there to check on them and feed them, Fiona is pacing all along the fence line. back and forth and back and forth, like a caged lion in a zoo. So I figured she was in heat. She didn't even bother going over to eat. Nope. Pacing the fence. Back and forth.

This is how I usually go into this area, to feed them and all the other things I need to do. Just easier going over this fence than going through the gate up there at the top of the picture. It has a chain and it's just a hassle to undo. So when I got done, I stepped over the fence. And there went Miss Fiona. Leaped right on over. And so did her daughter, Bonnie. And her sister Leelah. By the time I could get back over there and get to the rest of the sheep, who were going bazerk by then, they were in the garden, having breakfast. I got the other sheep back into the pasture and shut that gate. Ran back and forth, putting up the little fence between the yard and driveway gate. Moved the car to block them from going down the driveway. I had to go get Abraham and John Henry and take them back to the back yard.

By then, the 3 sheep were at the fence, ready to go over there where the ram just was. So in they went. Then had to go get the rest of the by then crazy sheep over to the pasture with the other 3. These sheep hate being apart. That's why the lambs are still with them. So that took about 10 minutes to get them ALL over into that other pasture. Then had to get them up front because I have the chickens out now. And I don't want the sheep eating the laying feed.

THEN I had to go wrestle 10,000 feet of crappy kinky hoses so I could get them some water way up front there. That took another hour. Then got the trough up there and water in it. Got them all situated finally. I think I walked 5 miles this morning.

Yesterday it was goats I was chasing. I forgot to lock them in the stanchions while milking and left to go do other chores while they finished eating. When I got back, I heard noises that I should not be hearing. Got all of them but Sandy. She had other ideas, she did. Got some more exercise chasing her. Such fun having sheep and goats!

And I have been trying to make soap for weeks now. Just haven't gotten my head into it. So today, I started getting things together in the kitchen to get started. The dogs were barking the "someone's here" bark. So had to go outside and cut herbs for a friend. More on that another time. Then it happened again. My friends that got my neighbor's whole property, which is all around me and across the road, for bow hunting, stopped in. It's the first day of bow hunting season. And he got one!! He wanted to use the hose to clean it out. Cool. So the next deer is mine! So it's a good thing I didn't start soap then.

Later this afternoon, I finally go going. I made 5 batches! Rosemary-thyme, orange-clove, rosewood-lavender, and an apple-cinnamon that I used my apple cider instead of water. And the other one is a sage with lard. And I always like to put fresh herbs in each soap. The orange-clove I put fresh ground cloves in the soap and on top. The apple-cinnamon got fresh cinnamon sprinkled on top. And the rosemary-thyme got fresh rosemary and thyme in and on top. Also put lavender in the rose-lavender. I love how my house smells when I make soap. It smells spicey right now.

So, it's been a busy day here. And I just have 1 week til the 150th Civil War re-enactment next weekend. That's why I wanted to make more soap. We're having a country store up at the community center.  I am not really looking forward to all the traffic and people that will be out here then. And the noise.

Maybe October will be quieter and more peaceful?

Blacksmith shop and doctor's office

Next stop on the tour is the blacksmith shop. It also was full of every tool a blacksmith could possibly need.

I love the huge hornet's nest hanging from the ceiling. Don't know why it's there though.

                                                                   A huge grinding stone.

This is the fire pit. I don't know the actual name for this.

Then the doctor's office. There were all kinds of medical books and journals in the desk.

And beautiful bottles everywhere. I love them in the window. You can see some of the other buildings in this shot.

Here's my mom, Iris. We had such fun looking in all the little building and the house.

                                                                       Isn't this pretty?

                                                     More medicine bottles in this shelf.

I'll post some of the inside of the house next. It is amazing in there. I hope y'all don't get bored.

Martin Davis fiber room

 This was my favorite room. Or little building. The weaving, spinning, quilting room. It was just full of cool stuff. So light and airy. It would be the perfect place to sit and spin. Or make some really pretty quilts/ Or weave a shawl or bed spread. Just an amazing place.

It makes me want a place like this now. I actually started washing some wool. Then the next step would be to card it? I'll take it one step at a time.

The Martin Davis house tour.

Yesterday, my mother and I went to see the Martin Davis house. Sept. 21st and 22nd is the 150th Civil War reenactment 5 miles up the road from me at the end of W. Cove Rd. in McLemore Cove. So they had an open house at the old Davis house this past weekend, as a sort of kick-off to the reenactment in a few weeks. There were soldiers doing demonstrations and tours of the house. Mom and I did our own tour. I really don't like being in a group and having to wait for the tour guides to talk about everything.

So we snuck around and were able to take lots of pictures. It's a beautiful old home. This sign tells about the house and all the little building surrounding it. I'll post inside pictures this week. It's a beautiful house. I ride past it all the time, going to Lafayette or Chickamauga. So it was fun to finally get to go inside and see it.

A side view of the main house. It's had lots of additions to it through the years.

Some of the little buildings. There was a little school room, a blacksmith shop, doctor's office, store, my favorite, a spinning and weaving room. A few kitchens. It's amazing what they have done here.

This is the original part of the house. You can see how deep the walls are from the top window. And it was really cool in these rooms.

One of the little buildings. I love the fireplace. Most of the rooms had fireplaces. Or little woodstoves, like the school room.

I love how they built this around this tree.  And the leaves were falling all over the little yard here.

More of the original part of the house. The well house in the background with that huge oak tree is beautiful. You can just see Lookout Mt. way in the background.

Close up of the well house and an old log structure. So pretty and cool here.

And this bell with the eagle! So pretty. I love it.

I'll post more pictures through the week of the insides of the house and buildings. It's so pretty here.

I also made 11 more jars of fig preserves and 19 small jars of plantain salve yesterday afternoon. I am making soap and grape jelly today. I can't seem to get in the mood to make soap. I don't know what's wrong with me. Making jelly is so much easier I guess. I also have enough milk now to make feta cheese.


I hope you all have a great Monday!

Sometimes, it pays to shop. And nap.

This morning I had to go to town for a few things. It was already too hot to do much outside. So went to Walmart first. I found some capris and a few shirts on sale. And a few pairs of shoes. I never find shoes I like. And these both were on sale for just a few dollars.

Then went to Goodwill. I found another pair of capris and 4 shirts and the pretty blue lamb's wool sweater. All on sale half price.

Then next door to Goodwill is another little thrift store that helps a domestic violence shelter. Right away I saw this pretty green sweater. And it's 100% wool. And it was just $1.50! And I found another cute little green blouse. Not bad for a few hours shopping. And only spent about $30.

When I got home, it was about 2. And still really hot. The sun was right on the garden, where I was going to work some. And mow. But I took a nap. I could hardly hold my eyes open. I do this about once a month, just to catch up. I feel better now!

And I did get to mow the whole place this evening. It was a lot cooler and the sun was behind the trees.

Also got to milk Sandy again. Only got about a pint. I might just have to milk her once a day. I'll see how she is tomorrow evening. Her milk is SO good. So rich and creamy.