First Snow Day of 2010

Today is my kids' first snow day of the year and they are glad. We have a little over 2 inches of snow here today and the weatherman says it's going to turn bitterly cold by this afternoon and will be through the weekend.

Ended up bringing another goat kid to the house to get dry and warm. He wasn't eating much, but now he is. He went back to the barn yesterday afternoon. Keep the oldest one in the house overnight, but this morning I asked hubby to take him back as well. He's not eating as much as I'd like, but he is doing fine and I'm tired of cleaning up goat pee and poop. His mama had "adopted" the other does' baby that remained at the barn. How funny for the baby goat to have 2 mamas fussing over him. Hubby rubbed the kid on his mama so he'd smell like her, but if she doesn't take care of him it's okay. We always bottle feed all the baby goats anyway.

I have sourdough rising to make a loaf of sourdough bread and sourdough pretzels. Promised hubby I'd make pretzels over the Christmas break and haven't done that yet.

Because of caring for the new baby goats, I only made 2 batches of soap this week. So much for that New Year's Resolution! I made Castile soap on Monday and coffee soap yesterday. This afternoon I will wrap the Oatmeal & Honey, after I bake the bread and pretzels.

But first, it's time to heat up goat milk for the goat babies and take warm water to the rest of the animals and gather eggs. We aren't getting many eggs right now and hopefully they haven't frozen.

Rainy Day Today

It's a rainy, dreary day today here at Patchwork Acres. The craft shows are over for this year; but I have to continue making soaps to get ready for next year, which isn't that far off. Today's soap making will be of Oatmeal and Honey Goat Milk Soap. I don't add fragrance to this one and it always smells good.

I haven't put up the Christmas tree yet, but will get to that this week. I have to clean the living room first and re-arrange some items to make room for the tree. This will be the first year that my oldest daughter won't be home anytime over the Christmas Holidays. She's living across the country from us now and and still looking for a job. She has an interview today and she's very hopeful that she'll be offered a position as a permanent substitute teacher for a high school history class.

Hubby did some repair work on one of the chicken houses and we finally moved the chickens, who decided the barn was their house, back into their "real" chicken house. Silly birds! Don't know why they have to hang out down there. Then we get to "hunt" for eggs instead of getting them out of the nest boxes.

Hubby also got his motorcycle put back together and running again. He rode it to work yesterday, but not today. Even though the temperature is up, it's raining and feels colder than it is. And he won't ride it tomorrow because there is a high wind advisory for the area.

I bought supplies for another project....a new purse. I've never sewn a purse before, but I don't think it will be too difficult. I bought extra fabric, which I usually try to do, to use for rag strips for rugs or for patchwork quilt blocks. In fact, I need more rag strips because I made two rugs recently and used up almost all of the strips I had.

I finally, after several weeks, got to play my dulcimer yesterday. Worked on several Christmas songs. Oh, that reminds me, I need to send a web page to Hubby. It's Dulcimer song books I would like to have. He's going to "surprise" me with one or two. Well, it will be a surprise, because I won't know which one or two until Christmas. LOL. I also practiced a very short time on my harmonica. Would like to play again today, but after I make soap, I really need to bake some kind of dessert for the family and get that cleaning done so I can put up the tree. Oh, I should make some fruitcake, too, though it should have already been baked by now. I LOVE fruitcake! My kids don't, but Hubby and I do, so that just leaves more for us. Haha!

Off to get busy now. Later!

What's up at Patchwork Acres?

Well, we've had quite a lot of rain last week, actually a lot for the month of October.  It caused several accidents last week, one of which included my husband and his motorcycle.  Thank God, he's okay!  He didn't get a scratch, but his bike is out of commission for the time being.  He's waiting to get a repair estimate from the shop so he can turn it in  to the insurance and then decide what he's going to do.  Either repair the bike himself, which is most likely what he'll do, or buy another used bike or buy a new bike.  Because of his accident, I was unable to do the spinning demonstration at an area elementary school last week.  We only have one other vehicle and hubby needed that to get to work.  

The new baby goats are doing well.  Since it's stopped raining, the goats are going outside to the fields or the woods.  They don't particularly like getting wet; so if it's raining, they're hanging out in the barn.  

One of my younger daughter's friends has taken some of the barn kitties to his house.  That will help out on the cat food bill.  I like cats, but we had too many.  Now I only have 2 more females to get spayed before this next spring.  

I washed and hung a load of clothes outside on the "solar dryer" this morning.  I had to use the electric dryer last week because of the rain.  I prefer to hang the laundry outside as often as I can because I'd don't like using the electric dryer.  I keep seeing the dollars adding up on the utility bill.   I even hang the laundry out when it gets cold, as long as it's not below freezing or raining or snowing outside.  I have to hang it out first thing in the morning to give it plenty of time to dry before dark.  

All of the regular farmers' markets are over now until next spring.  The winter market we joined that's located  St. Louis will open next week, but I won't be able to go because I'm already committed to craft show that weekend.   And I'm still busy making soaps for the craft shows that are coming up.  This morning I made a batch of Green Irish Tweed Goat Milk Soap.  MMMmmm, smells good in my house!

Some really exciting news about my younger daughter.  She received an invitation to apply for admission at the Missouri Academy of Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science.  If she's accepted (of which I have no doubt she will be since she's an almost straight A student), she'll be attending the last 2 years of high school there.  She'll receive a high school diploma and a 2-year Associate's degree and have a head start on her regular college career.  We are already familiar with this program since my older daughter graduated from this school several years ago.

I've been busy knitting baby socks from leftover sock yarn.  I'll have them for sale along with my soaps at the craft shows.  I've almost finished a 2nd pair this week.  I'm using a wonderful bamboo, wool, and nylon yarn.  It's very soft and comfy on the feet!  I'm still working on the lacy, red cotton cardigan for my younger daughter.  I had hoped to have it finished already, but now my goal is to finish it by this spring.  I have too many irons in the fire right now.

I really need/want to finish sewing a skirt that I started quite a while ago because my daughter is ready to learn to sew.  She's been checking out patterns for dresses that she wants to make.  I think she'll first sew a few aprons for her older sister and for me.  Then she can tackle a dress.

My dulcimer lessons are going well, when I can find the time to practice.  I can play the melody fine, just have to work on moving my fingers faster on the chords on the faster songs.  I'm sure that will come with lots of practice and time.

Well, it's time for Y&R, so I'll go watch that and finish that pair of baby socks.

What's Happening at Patchwork Acres?

Our last pregnant goat finally gave birth yesterday to twins!  Seems like the poor thing was pregnant forever.  Mama and babies are doing well and we'll start bottle-feeding in a couple more days.  

It's been so rainy, cold and chilly this last week!  Last Saturday my family and I left the Saturday morning farmers' market early because of the cold.  There were only 5 vendors and about that many customers.  Three more weeks to go and the markets will be over until we start going to the once-a-month winter market in St. Louis, which we are looking forward to.

I do have Christmas shows that will be starting soon, so I have lots of goat milk soaps to make and wrap.  In fact, next week I'm attending a planning meeting for one of my Christmas shows.  I have a new scent, Magnolia Magnifique, to add to my list.  If you like florals, you'll probably like this one.  I have shaving soap in the molds that I will take out once I finish blogging and checking email. 

Speaking of blogging, I attended an Agritourism Celebration this week and one of the speakers talked about using social media for advertising.  She said that blogs are supposed to be updated 2 or 3 times a week.  I guess that means I'm a bad blogger because I don't update my blog that often.    Anyway, about 95%  of the meal was locally grown foods and the chef did a wonderful job preparing them!  Delicious!!!!  Go local foods!

I have a new passion!  I bought a mountain dulcimer yesterday from a local man.  His price is so reasonable.  Better than buying on the internet and again it was from someone local, who I'd rather support any day.  It was the last one he had in stock.  So now he'll have to make more for the next customer(s) who want one or two.  Oh, it is so gorgeous! It's made of sycamore wood, which is a light, multi-colored wood.   I could hardly wait until after supper so I could sit down to start learning how to play.  It is so easy and so much fun!!!!  I used an electronic tuner to make sure it was in tune.  Let me tell you, that was so easy to do.  Traditionally, mountain dulcimers, or lap dulcimers, are played with a quill.  Since my son has a stash of feathers from one of our farmers' market vendors, I asked him for one.   It works as well as a plastic guitar pick, which my daughter is loaning me until I get back to the music store to buy some picks for myself.  I'm eyeing several (5 or 6) dulcimer music books on internet, so once I buy them, I should be set on PLENTY of music to play.  The only thing else I could really use is a music stand so my music can be directly in front of my at about the same height as my dulcimer on my lap.  This will make it easy to look back and forth between the music and the dulcimer.   Hhmmm, will have to add that on the list next to the guitar picks.  

My daughter and I have also joined the local Cat Ranch Art guild.  I know some of the members and 2 in particular have been trying for while to get us to join.  We attended their Cat Ranch Round-up two weekends ago, where we sold soaps and I demonstrated spinning on my Babe production spinning wheel.  People were amazed that I was spinning wool on a wheel made of PVC pipes and a wheel chair wheel.  So since my daughter and I are both artist, creative types, and we "caved"  haha! and joined the guild last week.  The folks we have met so far are really nice and very encouraging of everyone's talents.  And the Guild is already planning on next year's Cat Ranch Round-Up.  It's going to be bigger than ever, with lots of activities and music, and most important, the members artistic creations will be on display and for sale.  Stayed tuned for more info!

I have to go now and wash dishes and then I'm going to make mozzerella cheese because I have lots of goat milk now.  I made mild feta cheese for my husband and yesterday it was ready to eat.  However, he likes marinated feta, so I put in several jars with Italian dressing.  Once it sets for several more days, it will be ready to eat.  As long as it stays covered with the oil, it will keep indefinitely.  As least that's what my recipe book says.  Marinated feta never lasts long enough around here to know for sure how long it will keep!  

Until next time.

No Time for Slacking!

Well, one farmers' market will soon be over...one more market day until late next spring.  There will be a market "finale" next week.  I'm taking along my spinning wheel and will demonstrate spinning wool into yarn.  There will be face painting and pumpkin decorating for the kids, an apple pie contest, and strolling musicians.  Should be fun.  My other two markets will continue for another month or until the produce is gone.  

But, that doesn't mean I can slack off.  No way!  Christmas is only months away and I have craft shows/events still to come after the markets close for the winter.   I joined a once-a-month winter farmer's last year and it will be starting soon.   My family and I are looking forward to attending again.   My soaps continue to sell, which means my inventory is quite low right now and I have to keep at it...making and wrapping soaps.

I washed sheep wool yesterday.  The fall brings along several events where I spin wool into yarn.  I haven't bought commercially prepared roving in quite a while since I was given 4 HUGE  bags of wool.  But I have to make time to pick it out and wash it so it's ready when I need/want to spin.  Sometimes I'll card the wool with my drum carder, but lately I've been using my hand cards.  People like to see that, as well as the spinning.

And I need to somehow find time to work in the garden, plant some fall veggies I bought, pick peppers and make pepper jelly.  Not enough hours in the day!  Maybe I should give up sleeping.  LOL!

It's been a mostly dreary, humid, sometimes rainy week.  I washed laundry this morning, but had to use the electric clothes dryer instead of my "solar dryer".  It rained this morning and it's so humid the clothes wouldn't dry anyway.   The humidity hasn't allowed me to wrap any soaps this week either.  It doesn't affect the soaps that are already wrapped, but the ones that not wrapped yet are damp.  That's a good thing in that it tells me my soaps are doing what they're supposed to do....be moisturizing.   Once the humidity level goes down, I'll be able to package the soaps.  Or I could wipe them off with a paper towel and wrap them anyway.  I did that earlier this summer and it seemed to work okay.

This coming weekend I have two events to attend.  Saturday is Marquand's Pioneer Days and Saturday & Sunday is the Cat Ranch Art Guild's Art Show.  I'll be there on Sunday.   At both events, I'll bring along my spinning wheel and sheep wool to demonstrate spinning and my family will sell my soaps.  I hope someone has funnel cakes for sale.  They are one of my favorite treats!

Better go for now.  Have to fix supper early as the kids have their 4-H meeting this evening.

Canning, Soap Making, Baking Bread, and Knitting

Had a busy week last week.  I've started baking bread to sell at the farmers' markets along with my goat milk soaps.  So I spent last Tuesday baking until it was time to leave for the market.  Wednesday morning was another market.  Afterwards I drove to my parents' farm and picked up 3 boxes full of green beans that Daddy had picked earlier in the day.  I put in them in the freezer and finished that job around midnight.  

I spent 5 hours Thursday at the shop where repairs were made on my Durango.  To pass the time, I finished a pair of hand knit socks for #2 daughter and started on another pair.  I have lots of wool socks now, so I thought I'd knit a pair to sell at one of my craft shows this fall.  While at the Saturday morning farmers' market I was telling an acquaintance of mine about this pair of socks and she wants to buy them.  She doesn't care what color or pattern I make them; she just wants a pair of socks that I knitted.

I canned a double batch of spaghetti sauce, as well as a double batch of salsa last Friday.  I didn't have enough spaghetti sauce to fill the last jar, so I made spaghetti and meatballs for supper tonight, along with 2 baguette shaped loaves of artisan herb bread.  The French chevre goat cheese, seasoned with Ranch seasoning, that I made was delicious on this bread.    I ate some on my sandwich at lunchtime, too.  

We're getting lots of goat milk right now, and I have another batch of French chevre sitting until the morning, when I'll drain it and put it in the freezer.  Hubby is patiently waiting for me to make feta cheese.  He really likes the marinated feta.  Timewise, I won't be able to make that particular cheese until later in the week.  I think we need to seriously consider buying an ice cream maker to make home-made ice cream with all the milk we're getting now.  The goatie girls are really producing!!!  Hubby is milking three right now, and we're still waiting for one of the does to give birth anytime.

Tomorrow is Market Day.  I have a batch of artisan herb bread dough in the fridge and will bake it tomorrow.  I have an order for 2 loaves of that bread.  I mixed up another batch of sourdough refrigerator rolls and they are in the fridge until tomorrow morning.  I plan to bake a double-batch of the garlic dinner rolls since they sell out quickly, just ahead of the sourdough rolls....which are wonderful with another vendor's honey spread on top!

I was finally able to make soap today!  Yeah!  I made Smokey Patchouli goat milk soap...not my favorite; and a new scented soap....Magnolia Magnifique.  I wasn't sure what to expect other than it was a floral, but it smells really nice so far.   Have more soap making to go as I'm out of Lavender, Frankincense & Myrrh, plain lye soap, and low on other scents.

Well, it's my bedtime, so I'd better get off of this computer.  I have a busy day tomorrow baking breads and rolls. 

July is Almost Over!

I can't believe that July is almost over and my kids will be going back to school is 2 weeks!  Since I last posted, Daughter #1 graduated from college and will soon be moving across the country to Arizona.  Daughter #2 spent a week in North Carolina with our church's youth group on a Servant Event.  The next week Hubby had to have an emergency appendectomy.  And the week after that the kids spent with their grandparents who live 3 hours away from us.  They really had a great time with them and with all their cousins, who also spent most of the week with Grandma and Gramps.  

While the kids were visiting their grandparents, I picked some wild blackberries to make a cobbler for our son after he and his sister were back home.  He loves blackberry cobbler and blueberry pie!  He enjoyed every bite.

In between all of that, I finally finished making the soap I needed to fill a large customer order.  And my goat milk guest soaps are now being carried by Eggers and Co. Bed and Breakfast near Perryville, MO.  They also have some of my regular-sized soaps in their General Store.  Here's their website:  http://www.eggersandcompany.com/   Now I need to replenish my own soap stock, as I am out of 2 of my more popular soaps.  

We finally received some much needed rain last week and again last night.  Several days ago we picked green beans and put them in the freezer and probably need to pick them again.  Tomatoes are finally coming on and after I go pick them, I should have enough to can a large batch.  Tomatoes seem to be ripening slowly in this part of the country.  At the farmers' market that I manage, one of our regular tomato vendors came to the market for the first time this year last Saturday.  It may be time to pick jalapenos again and make more pepper jelly.  I've almost sold out of what I made for the farmers' markets.  If you've never tried jalapeno pepper jelly, it's really good!  I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but a friend gave us a jar last year and the whole family enjoys it.

The 4 goat kids are growing fast!  They've had their vaccinations and have had their horn buds burned off.  We don't mind the goats having horns, but most people don't want horns on their goats.  Two more does should be kidding in another month or so.  Yeah!  Goat milk to drink and to make cheese, yogurt, buttermilk!

On a knitting note, I bought 2 books from Interweave Press' "Hurt Book" Sales.  I couldn't really see any damage on my books, but I got a great deal on them.  One book is about how to plan and knit a gansey sweater.  There are lots of stitch patters to choose from.  That's on my "next project" list; but first I have to finish the socks, which are almost completed, and the lacy, red, cotton cardigan for Daughter #2 before I start another project.  I usually have a couple of projects in the works, but I don't like having too many going on at the same time.   The other book is about Estonian knitting.  Very interesting with patterns, history, and ideas for knitting projects.  

Well, I'd better hang out my load of laundry and then take a walk through the garden and see what needs to be picked.  Until next time!

Goat babies, pepper jelly, soap, knitting

My son's goat gave birth 3 weeks ago to beautiful twins!  Another buck and doe set of goat babies.  They were born sometime in the early morning hours as they were already clean and dry by the time we made it to the barn for morning chores.  

I picked a gallon of jalapeno peppers yesterday morning and I made a double batch of Jalapeno Jelly.  I made another double batch this morning making a total of 23 half-pint jars.  Mmmm, it tastes delicious on cream cheese and crackers!  Most of the recipes I looked at called for a combination of red and green sweet peppers with a few hot peppers.  I wanted to use all jalapenos.  So in order to do that, I had to use liquid pectin, which I've never used before.  It's a bit more costly than the powered pectin and my canning books said the two were not interchangeable.  Anyway, the recipe was really simple:  jalapenos, sugar, cider vinegar, and liquid pectin.  And if my pepper plants keep doing so well, I'll be making a lot more pepper jelly and selling it at my farmers' markets.

Several weeks ago, my hubby, son and I put together a portable garage for our new hay shed.   It seems to be much better than the cheap blue tarp we used last year to cover the hay.  Hubby decided to put metal screws in at all the joins to make absolutely sure it stays together.  Now it's time to fill it up with hay.

I made a batch of Green Irish Tweed (type) goat milk soap today.  It's one of the scents to fill a customer order.  I have 3 more batches to go and this order will be filled.  One batch of soap for the B&B is ready and the other will be ready tomorrow.

I've been so busy lately that I haven't had much time to knit.  I took the time this weekend to start a red cotton lace cardigan for my younger daughter.  It's going to be beautiful when finished, hopefully in time for school this fall when the weather starts cooling down.  I'm also knitting her a pair of socks made from a wool, bamboo, & nylon yarn.  The Scottish lace shawl that I knitted for most of a year for my older daughter is finished except for sewing a small border seam together, washing, and blocking it.  Hopefully I will complete it before she leaves for AZ.

Hmmm, guess I'd better bake a dessert and get supper started because Hubby will be home before too long.

  

I'm Back! What a Busy Week

Boy!  Has it been a busy week and this is the first chance I've had to blog. 

Last Friday I was a substituting at a local school and we had the worst storm!  We were in the hallway, for safety, twice before the day was over.  During the lunch hour the electricity went out, came back on for a brief time, and went out again for the remainder of the day.  One teacher estimated the winds to be 70-80 miles an hour.  The sky was so black, it was like night-time before the first wave of high winds and rain hit.  During lunchtime a second wave of high winds and rain arrived to pound the area.  As I drove home, I saw lots of devastation:   trees down everywhere; electrical lines down; roofs missing from barns, sheds, and garages; and a large camping trailer overturned, but further down the highway another camping trailer hitched to a pickup truck that was fine.  Folks spent the weekend trying to clean up.  Some people still don't have electricity today. 

My family and I packed up goat milk soaps and my spinning wheel Saturday morning and spent the day at the Red House Interpretive Center in Cape Girardeau, where I spun sheep wool into yard and sold a few soaps.  The Red House is modeled after the trading post of Louis Lorimier, founder of Cape Girardeau.  Louis and Clark spent some time in Cape Girardeau before beginning their Expedition.  The Red House is very interesting to visit.

Then on Sunday, after church and Sunday School, we ate at a local Chinese restaurant for Mother's Day.  Yummy!  In the afternoon, I planted some kohlrabi plants that my dad gave me.

Monday and Tuesday I spent working in the garden: weed-eating, hauling goat manure and tilling more of my raised beds.  I planted a few tomato plants, but still have more to plant, as well as other vegetables.  I also planted a patch of green beans.   Should be enough Chinese cabbage to pick today and I'll stir-fry it along with a package of frozen stir-fry veggies I have in the freezer.

Wednesday was market day and again it started out cool and misted rain for a while.  By the end of the market it was finally warming up and the sun was  trying to come out.  However, overnight we received almost an inch of rain (yippee! I have a new rain gauge....last one broke) so it's too wet to work in the garden today.  I started out my day by washing two loads of laundry, hanging them out on the "solar dryer", made a batch of coffee soap, had lunch, and am now blogging.  

So what to do next?  Make more soap or bake something yeasty????  Hubby likes anything with cream cheese filling or drizzled on top.  Decisions, decisions!

Market Day, etc.

Yesterday was Market Day and we had a good crowd of customers, even with the rain and the cool temperature.  It helps that we can set up under a pavilion.  Makes it easier for both the vendors and the customers.  There are geese and ducks in the park and they are entertaining to watch when they wander over closer to where the market is set up.  On nice days some people bring bread to feed them.  I used to bring #1 daughter to this park when she was a toddler, years ago, so she could feed the ducks.  The rain finally stopped shortly before market closing time.  

I bought some wonderful, hydroponic lettuce at the market.  It keeps well, but it doesn't usually last long at my house.  My lettuce isn't quite ready yet and I need to plant more to keep a steady supply ready to eat.  I also bought a pound of rhubarb.  Haven't decided for sure what I'm going to make with it.  I'm looking at a recipe for Rhubarb Dream Bars and one for Rhubarb Custard Pie.  I'm leaning towards the pie since it takes 4 eggs and I have LOTS of eggs.

After the market I took care of a few errands then stopped by my sister's house to drop off several dozen eggs.  My sister, her daughter, and grandbaby had just got back home when I arrived.  My little great-niece was excited to see me.  Made Auntie Barbie's day!  She's the cutest, sweetest, little doll!  She gave me lots of  hugs, showed me some of her toys, and brought me two books to read to her.

Well, the sun is shining today!  Yipee!  So I'd better hang out a load of laundry, and get busy making another batch of soap...probably peach. The Wild Honeysuckle & Green Fig goat milk soap is ready to be wrapped.  After the grass dries I'll be back out in the garden.  I have a little asparagus to pick, weeds to pull, grass to weed-eat, and dirt to turn over.  As soon as the rain is over and the garden dries out more, we'll be planting everything!  The tomato and jalapeno pepper plants I planted on Tuesday seem to be doing okay. If the jalapenos do well this year, I will be making pepper jelly for my family......great with cream cheese on crackers!  And if there's enough, I will sell some at the farmers' markets this year.

So off with me.  I have lots to do today! 

More Soap Making and Garden Work

The Madagascar Vanilla goat milk soap is a beautiful, dark, chocolate brown and smells wonderful as ever. When I finish blogging, I'll go back to slicing and stamping the Lavender Fields goat goat milk soap that I made yesterday.  This morning, after watering the chickens and hanging out a load of laundry, I made a batch of Vera Wang-type (I renamed it Very Wonderful) goat milk soap.  And it smells great, too!  Will wrap the Mysore Sandalwood while I watch my soap opera, "The Young & The Restless".  I also have to fill up the soap boxes for the farmers' market tomorrow morning.  Then this evening the kids have a 4-H meeting.  A policeman and his canine partner are supposed to be visiting our club.  

This afternoon's plans include weed-eating in the garden, pulling weeds, and possibly planting some of my pepper and tomato plants.  The sun was in and out for a bit yesterday and it's out today, but the garden is not dried out yet.  And the weatherman is calling for MORE rain tonight. 

I went out to the garden late yesterday afternoon to check if there was more asparagus ready to pick, but first I had to walk around the garden to look at how the veggies that are already planted were doing.  Well, with all the rain we've had there are LOTS of weeds.  I ended up weeding the broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower bed.  Then I picked some asparagus and went back into the house to fix supper.

My House Smells Good!

Boy, does my house smell good!  Yesterday I took the Madagascar Vanilla goat milk soap out of its molds, cut, and stamped it.  And it smells divine! #2 daughter says the scent makes her hungry for chocolate.  My son thought the soap looked like a brownie or chocolate bar the first time I made it. The cool thing about this particular fragrance is that it turns the soap a very dark, chocolate brown color, almost right before your eyes.  It starts out like any of my other soaps, a light creamy color; but the longer it sets, the darker it gets.  It takes about 2 days altogether, so the color change should be complete tomorrow.  

The other soap I made and took out of the molds was Sun-kissed Currants and I used the sunflower oil instead of olive oil.  It smells wonderful, too!  Will have to wait a month now for the soaps to cure and then I'll wrap and label them.

Tomorrow's agenda will again include making a batch or two of soap.  I'll definitely make lavender (my #1 seller) and something else....maybe the Vera Wang-type, which I'm going to name "Very Wonderful" because it does smell so wonderful.

I had agreed to be a vendor both yesterday and today at a Living History Civil War Encampment.  But since it's been raining and the weatherman was still calling for more rain, we decided not to go.  My soap labels aren't waterproof, and even with the canopy, the rain still gets on the tables and some of the soaps.  If the weather would have been better, I would have really enjoyed attending this event.