Recently I came across a different recipe from Dana at The White Silk Purse.  Love the idea of keeping it in the canning jars and having a more concentrated formula to work with on laundry days.  This is definitely on my to-try list when I run out of my current batch!

I’ve been wanting to make infused herbal oils for awhile, and today seemed like a perfect day to give it a try.  Though I’d love to say I grew the herbs I was working with today, that’s not the case.  Some friends and I put in an order together for bulk herbs from More Than Alive.  I’ve had them for a couple months, and definitely don’t want them to lose their potency before I have a chance to give them a try.

Since I have two sons playing basketball, Arnica is always useful to have around.  I’ve purchased commercial salves, but really wanted to make my own so I have more control over potency and ingredients.  I used my solar oven to infuse Arnica and Chamomile.  Yes, I could be more patient and let the herbs infuse in the oil on a sunny windowsill for a few weeks, but I really want to use the oil, so heating with the sun in the solar oven was the next best thing.

The weather we’ve had lately has been perfect!  THIS is why I live in Florida — these days don’t last long before the heat and humidity come back, but I enjoy them while they are here.  My garden is doing well, and I’ve enjoyed a couple salads from my productive lettuce bed.

The tomatoes that survived our hard freeze a couple weeks ago are starting to get some blooms, so all is not lost there.  So, far my winter garden raised beds consist of tomatoes, kale, basil, radish, onions, spinach, lettuce, and broccoli.

This morning I picked some fresh lemon balm and added it to some dried homegrown mint for delicious tea.  I also had time to work on some hot pads and dishcloths while sitting on the lanai watching the hens scurry around the yard searching for bugs.

I recently learned how to felt soap and did some felting this morning.  They turned out pretty well.  My friend and I have started a company, Soapsy Daisy, and are doing a few local craft shows this winter.  I’ve also been working on getting an Etsy store up and going for selling our soaps and salves.  I think the chamomile oil I infused today, along with the  dried flowers, will be great in a bar of skin-soothing soap!

Lately I’ve been pondering how I can be more home-centered and what other steps we can take to live a simpler more sustainable lifestyle.  Things like making our own teas from homegrown herbs, and growing our own food is definitely a start.  Slowing down and taking the time to figure out how we can make do with something we already have rather than buying new is also a habit we are cultivating.

I’ve been reading some books about the great depression and thinking back on conversations I used to have with my grandmother.  We have so much available to us these days!  Things are often cheaper to buy, than to make.  However, part of simplifying is being creative and taking the time to make things ourselves.  Those “cheaper” items come with a price — whether it is fuel to travel thousands of miles, or being the result of underpaid workers, or simply that it wears out or breaks because of poor quality, causing us to have to purchase the item again.

Of course, another advantage of making things myself is the satisfaction of producing something with my hands.   Lately, even my teen sons have begun to use their creative juices!  I love sitting down to sew or crochet, and having them working beside me on art, drawing, music, and even sewing and crocheting!  Even though I was in consumer mode when they were young, and lamented about what they and I missed by not slowing down all those years ago, I can see that it really isn’t too late!  Partly from necessity, partly from their parent’s example as we embark on this journey, we’re all changing and growing…together.

As promised I’m posting my soap making photos below.  This is not meant to be a lesson in soap making, rather just illustrating the process I use when making cold process soap.  I’ve interspersed a few comments that will provide some helpful tips, or at least explain the step shown.

Lye and Water must be measured exactly. TIP - Always add lye to water, never pour water in lye container.

Oils (also called "fats") ready to be weighed. When reading a soap recipe, the measurements are by weight, not volume, unless otherwise stated.

Any solid oils, such as coconut, are added to bowl and then heated to liquid state. You can use a stainless steel pot on the stove or use safe container in microwave.

Most books reccomend checking to see that the heated oils and lye/water solution are both around 100 - 110 degrees.

I usually don't bother to check the temps - just feeling the sides of the containers works. I also don't stress about the temps, as long as the lye solution isn't super hot, and the oils are at least warm, I just move on.

In this case, my lye solution was MUCH warmer than the oils, so I decided to speed things up by putting the container of solution in a bowl of ice water for about 10 minutes.

While waiting for the lye solution to cool, I checked on my hens who were free ranging in the backyard! One of the girls made herself a nice, cool resting spot

Lye solution added to oils. Notice - both the lye water AND oils are clear.

As soon as the lye is added, the oils get cloudy - chemistry is already happening to turn these different ingredients into soap!

I love my immersion blender! As you blend, the consistency will change to a pudding-like substance.

Checking for "trace" - when the soap dribbles from spoon or mixer and stays on top of the soap, that is trace. At a "thin trace" the soap won't stay on top as long.

When I get a thin trace, I add any additional oils, my essential oils, and any other additives, such as oatmeal or dried flowers. For this batch, I only added Sweet Orange Oil. Notice that the oil is orange, which means my soap will take on that color (not as dark, but still a yellow-orange).

When adding oils, be sure they are completely incorporated while also watching that the soap doesn't get to thick to pour. A slotted spoon is great for mixing in the E.O., and you can see I've got a good trace, so it's time to pour into the mold!

Mold lined with freezer paper, this mold doesn't have a lid, so I used plastic wrap. It's okay if the wrap touches the soap.

Wrap mold in towel to insulate, and let chemistry do the rest!

A few hours after you pour the soap into the mold, you can peek and see what it's doing. It should be starting to go through the "gel" phase. The gel starts in the center and eventually the whole loaf will be a hot squishy consistency. Don't worry about color changes - when it cools, the hard soap will be close to the same color it was when you poured it.

After 12 - 24 hours, your soap will be cooled, solid and ready to be removed from mold.

After removing from the mold, I usually allow the loaf to sit for a hour or so. Then it's time to slice! This batch made 10 - 1 in thick bars.

I hope these photos and comments are helpful to your soap making efforts!  I am still learning this craft, but I’m happy to try to answer any questions

Emily and Christine, I’m happy to share my Tea Tree Soap recipe.  I usually use the same two base recipes all the time, then I change the essential oils, and any other (healthy) additions such as extra Sweet Almond Oil, or oatmeal for exfoliating.   This recipe is similar to the one I often use -  you can get the ingredients at any grocery store, so it is an easy one for beginners to “dive in” and get started.  It fits fine in a 9 x 5 loaf pan.  When figuring out my recipe, I rely on advice from other soapmakers and a handy program called SoapCalc.  All measurements are by WEIGHT.

2lb Basic Soap

Water               12.2 oz
Lye                      4.5 oz

Olive Oil          22.4 oz
Coconut Oil      9.6 oz

At trace add 4 Tablespoons Tea Tree Essential Oil.  This is more than most recipes call for, but it is the amount that works well for us.

I sometimes make my soap with Olive (50%), Coconut (30%) and Palm Oil (20%).  You can plug those percentages in for any amount of soap you are wanting to make using the SoapCalc program.  There are also many websites (just do a search for “cold process soap recipe”) with free recipes.  Your library probably has books on the subject as well.  If you haven’t already, I highly recommend watching online videos, visiting websites and reading as many books as you can get your hands on.  Soap making is not terribly difficult, but there are lots of great tips, recipes, and instructions available, so why not take advantage of them

My son recently requested I make Tea Tree – Peppermint, so that’s what I’ll make next.  Two pound batches work well for us – we get about 10 bars per loaf.  I have a few people who buy soap from me, so I’m finding that making one batch a month is enough to supply my family and keep up with orders.   The soap I made today was a special request by a friend/customer – my house smells yummy!

The sale was a huge success – I was blessed to have many friends (old and new) stop by to shop and to lend their encouragement during this season of our lives.  Most of my shoppers brought their children with them, and it was fun to see them run to the patio door to watch the chickens

Getting ready for the sale took most of my time and energy this week, so today I slowed down a bit.  I’m still catching up on paper work and emails.  Even though there is a lot of work to do at my desk, I longed to spend sometime at my loom, and in my garden.  So, scattered throughout the day I managed to do some weaving, and tonight I transplanted some herbs.

I also finished a purse/bag I had started a couple weeks ago.  After making one purse for my niece, I decided I liked the texture of the yarn so much, I just had to make a couple for me too

I was hoping to make a batch of soap today, but I couldn’t fit it in to my schedule.  We’re getting ready to go out of town for the long weekend, so my “Citrus Fresh” soap will have to wait until next week.  Some of my husband’s co-workers have asked to see my soap and other items I make, so he’s taking a basket to the office tomorrow.  One of my readers was asking about the kind of soap mold I use.  I like using a wood loaf mold for my cold-process soap.  Covering the soap helps to reduce the amount of soda ash that sometimes forms on the top of the loaf during drying/curing.  I either use a piece of wood, cardboard, or (when I first started) plastic wrap.

It is such a joy to make soap for my family!  My oldest son has requested that I always keep Tea Tree soap on hand – it is the only thing that helps his acne.  I’m happy that he’s not using harsh chemicals to deal with a skin condition.  After reading Rhonda Jean’s post answering questions about her soapmaking, I tried using my bar soap to do dishes today.  I still like liquid better, but I’m going to try to get used to using the bars until I can make my own liquid dish soap.

My busy-ness this week, has shown me more areas where I need to simplify, and driven home the fact that “life” still must go on, even if I’m ready to slow down.  As we are purposeful, and choose to live more deliberately, we can slowly change the direction and “speed” of our lifestyle – but it all takes time.  Although it was hard to part with those elementary books yesterday, I have wonderful memories of our homeschool years, and now I have more shelf space for yarns, jars, fabric, etc.  My home will change as our family dynamics change with the boys growing up and moving on to work/college.  I’m thankful to be learning new skills, discovering a part of myself that I really didn’t know existed.  I’ve never thought of myself as especially creative, but I find the more things I attempt to create, the more creative I become.  I’ll never be a Martha Stewart, but that’s okay, I’m happy being me….and that’s a good thing

In August I made 16 half pints of jam and 12 half pints of peach butter.  It is all delicious.  I still can’t get over how much better “homemade” tastes

Shortly after my last entry, I had the blessing of hearing from Lisa Vitello of New Harvest Homestead.  She encouraged me so much by telling me that there are many other sisters out there who are feeling the same nudge to return to the “basics” and learn lost skills.  Lisa has a wonderful newsletter and she was kind enough to email me a sample issue.  WOW!  Her writings and the contribution of others in her publication are just what I’ve been looking for.  I promptly subscribed AND ordered all the back issues.  It has been money well spent!  I have already gleaned so much information, and, more importantly, I’ve found confirmation and encouragement in every issue!  It seems Lisa and her readers/contributors cover every topic of interest to those of us who have chosen to be “steadfast at home” no matter whether our homestead is a piece of land in the country or an apartment in the city.

I am daily finding many things to do around my urban homestead!  Now that my busy “business” season has ended, I am finding more time to read and begin doing some of the projects I’ve had on my list all summer.  I’ve made several crocheted wash cloths – I’ll never go back to store-bought.  My son and I made soap together (in case you ever wonder…Mountain Dew and lye do NOT mix).  The second attempt turned out much better (minus the Dew!).  I’ve been deciding which edible plants and herbs to put in my front yard, and I’ve begun planning for my raised beds.  Next week, I’ll start my seedlings – yes, it will soon be planting time down here in Southwest Florida.

I’ve had several friends ask me how to make soap, so the other night a few of us got together and everyone made their own 2 lb. batch – I had so much fun sharing my new knowledge.  I do not believe it is by chance that I’ve been called to these pursuits, and it is my prayer to be able to bless as many ladies as possible, while encouraging them to be busy at home in whatever they are called to do.  Just imagine if each woman shared some of her knowledge in any area of homemaking with 2 or 3 others who are not adept in that area!  What a difference this would make in our families, churches and communities!

In some areas we’ve made some real progress on our journey – but then there are those inevitable set backs.  My “brown thumb” is definitely showing, but I’m determined to overcome

The Everglades Tomato seedlings died – I let them get too dry.  I’ll start another set next week.  I learned that you need to put a cage around a tomato seedling BEFORE it grows – I didn’t and, although I did use a stake, it ended up getting bent and the base snapped during and afternoon thunderstorm.  So, another seedling AND cage went in the pot, and they are doing well.

Those cucumber seedlings took off!  I transplanted one of them in a large pot that also contained a pepper plant.  It is vining up the “trellis” that helps to hold up our porch.  The other seedlings stayed in their starter pots for a long time, but I finally got them transplanted last week.  I used a window box I found on clearance and put one at each end.  I need to come up with something for them to climb, as they are not in a good spot to sprawl.  I also put a few bush bean seeds (heirloom) inbetween the cucumbers.  My herbs are growing well and I was excited to use my home-grown basil in a couple dishes this weekend.

Oh, I killed the pepper plant that was in with the cucumber – I over fertilized with the organic stuff I’m using.  So, I pulled it up and replaced it with some lemon balm – I love the smell of this herb!  I’m looking forward to using it in my next batch of soap.

Speaking of soap – I made my first batch two weeks ago and it turned out great!  I can’t wait to make more!  It wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be and I have just started using it (it needed to “cure” for a couple weeks).  It is scented with lavender and lemon, colored with BarleyMax powder (the stuff I drink everyday).  Everyone who has seen/smelled it has commented on how nice it turned out.

I have been trying to shop for more in-season fruits and veggies, trying to lower the amount of “food miles” we consume.  Peaches are in season now.  They are not grown locally, but even though they are from Georgia, I take comfort in knowing they are not coming from across the sea/border or across the country.  Since prices on peaches are great right now (I get 3lbs for $2 at the farmer’s market), I’ve decided to try “putting up” some peach preserves, so we can enjoy peaches when they’re not in season.

It has been a bit disheartening to see that even the stuff at the farmer’s market is usually from somewhere outside of Florida.  The produce is traveling from TN, GA, NC and SC mostly.  I guess there just isn’t enough growing down here this time of year.  I can’t wait to be able to eat and preserve our own food so next summer we can be living off of our own efforts.  (She says with a prayer and a bit of trepidation!)

Oh, I’ve been crocheting again too!  I love my crocheted washcloth and want to make some more.  I think two or three cloths and some homemade soap will make nice gifts.

TODAY – we have a hurricane headed our way.  Since we have been putting things aside to be more self-sufficient and prepared for tougher times, I didn’t have to do much last minute shopping.  We have been busy securing the house and my hubby still has to put up the hurricane shutters when he gets home from work.  I want to get my Aladdin lamp working; something I’ve been wanting to do, but never have gotten around to it, since my dad blessed me with 3 of them back in June.  I guess there’s no time like the present!