Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Making Soap



I had a pretty productive day today. I made 5 different batches of soap. This is the first one. A tea tree castille soap. I have never used tea tree oil so I hope it works. It smells good. I met a lady last week at market who makes soaps and her husband said she makes a tea tree oil soap that he uses when he gets in poison ivy and it really helps. So I'll try it and see.






This is the mold I used for that soap. It's an old chicken feeder. It makes really pretty soaps.





                                                          Getting ready to wrap it up.

 This is some goat milk soap that I put clarey sage and rosemary EO and fresh chopped rosemary leaves. It's a candy tray. I thought that would make nice little soaps for a guest bathroom. Or just for someplace that needs a good smell.

I also made a plain goat milk. I am getting better at adding the milk to the lye now. I read on Mucky Boots blog where she learned the hard way not to wrap goat milk soap. And now I know why my last batch had so much oil on top. I wrapped it. She said she even puts hers in the freezer. So I did. And it's nice and hard already. I learn something new every day.

                                                 These are some other molds I use too.
 And this is the peppermint soap. I love this one and it was a very good seller. Already sold out of the last batch I made. It smells SO good and is so refreshing. With dried crushed mints leaves too.

Also made a manly soap today. I have been thinking I need to make some soaps for men since there are a lot of men that like home made soaps. So I made a cedar saffron that smells very manly. I used Pringles chips cans for the rest of the goat milk and for the cedar soap. 

So I feel good that I did so many soaps today. I need to order more lye and also more oil like coconut. Then I can make more. I want a lot for Fall and for Christmas.


Udderly Rediculous

 This looks crazy but I am going to try it. One of the girls on Mary Jane's Farm Connection told us about taping her doe's udders so she wouldn't have to separate does and kids. So I am trying it today. If it works, it could be quite pricey. Medical tape isn't cheap. And that's what this is. 2 rolls for about $4.00 at Dollar General.



                                                             So this is Abby's udder.



                     This is Abby looking at me like I am mean to her. How could I do such a thing?




                                                             This is Sandy's udder.


                        And she doesn't care, apparently. Just leave her alone and let her eat, ok?


                              And this is Iris Josie. She is not impressed at all. She won't even look.

And I couldn't get a picture of the other little doe kid, Brie. She wasn't impressed with all this either. But I bet she'll find a way to those teats. I betcha she will. She's good about getting to her momma like that.

And here are some of the cats, waiting for some milk. Not this morning, guys. Hopefully tonight you'll have some. If the tape isn't pulled off by ornery greedy goat kids anyway. We shall see.

Sunday, July 29, 2012

50 Chicks

When I went out to check on the Freedom Ranger chicks, one of them was dead. And it's not the little bittiest one either. I was expecting that little one to be dead any time now but it's hanging on. I'll make it drink some water then put it down in the feed so it can eat. I'll also try to warm it up. It's wings are just about bigger than the body. I hope it makes it.