Where I'm From

If you would like to try the "Where I'm From" template

go to Donna's blog at  Donna Just Me 

and check out her post

from Jan 29th.  I would love to read yours!

Soaps and Such

Heat wave is over.

We are back to the reality of late January.

I hope you all are finding yourselves (and noses) warm

and in the arms of a loved one.

I am so happy with how the soaps are 

coming along.

It is wonderful to enjoy their scents

as they are made and

as they cure.

So far our lineup includes:

Rise and Shine w/ground oatmeal

Coconut Lime Verbena

Cool Waters

Apple Jack w/ ground yarrow root

Tahitian Vanilla w/ground oatmeal

Angel

Soapy Clean

Rosehip Jasmine w/lavender leaves

Almond w/honey and ground oatmeal

Gingersnap w/ground cinnamon

Summer Fling

It's like living in a Bath and Body Works around here

And...

our goat's milk soaps are gentle enough for a baby's behind.

These ornery little Trolls keep finding ways to inspire me.

Now I am wanting to start a new product line

called Troll Soaps.

I think they have done more than invade my home.

They are sneaking into my heart.

much luv,

michaele

p.s.  I am slaving over working on a website where I will advertise and sell.
It is very challenging but I am learning so much, while at the same time
re-learning Adobe Illustrator.  See why I don't mind the fact that it's still winter?

Heat Wave

   We had a heat wave yesterday of 45F.

It was definitely snowman weather!

We weren't the only ones with a good idea!

But taking the tractor out for a spin, without permission,

was a bad idea.

Oh well, what's a little mussed hair to a troll?

Living With Trolls

  I was late for work today.

I was late because my alarm didn't go off.

It was the Trolls.

The Trolls turned my alarm clock off.

They do things like that.

That's what Trolls do.

They make trouble

wherever they go.

And they are always smiling about it.

We were invaded last week.

Something about Norfin Trolls and Norfolk

and "how did I think Norfolk got it's name anyway?"

And now they are back and not about to leave.

So I was late for work

and this is only the beginning of

                                                                                         Living

                                                                                               With

                                                                                                     Trolls          

                             

And The Winners Are...

We put all twelve names into a bowl.

And Rikki drew three names.

Mel is the winner of the 4 oz bottle of Goat's Milk Lotion.

Mel chose Citrus Basil as her scent.

Congratulations Mel!

Marcia is the winner of the 2 oz bottle.

She chose Almond as her scent.

Congratulations Marcia!

Sasha is the winner of the 1 oz bottle

and she chose Coconut Lime Verbena as her scent.

Congratulations Sasha!

Thank you all for entering the drawing.

And thanks for the nice comments.

Mel and Marcia - if you could please let me know your 

addresses, I will get the lotions in the mail to you.

My email address is oleson.michaele4@gmail.com.

Goat's Milk Lotion Give-Away

Would you like to be entered in a drawing

to win a free bottle of 

Sisters Five Soap and Lotion Works

Goat's Milk Lotion?

There are six scents to choose from:

Almond 

Citrus Basil

Vanilla Select

Red Clover Tea

Rosehip Jasmine

Coconut Lime Verbena

Just enter a comment of what scent you would

choose if you were a winner.

It's that simple : )

The drawing will be held on

Wednesday evening (Jan 26)  .

And there will be THREE winners!

First name drawn will receive a 4 oz bottle

Second name drawn will receive a 2 oz bottle

Third name drawn will receive a 1 oz purse size bottle.

The scent will be of your choice.

Good luck - Tell your friends!

And thanks for being a blogger friend.

luv,  michaele

A Ton Of Snow

It snowed yesterday.

And snowed and snowed.

The girls spent the night with friends

and I knew I had to move a ton

of snow before I could get my 

car out and go get them.

Thus being,

I needed a hearty breakfast.

Or shall I say, I could afford to eat a hearty breakfast,

because I would be moving a ton of snow.

I had been wanting to try this recipe from

Suzanne's blog Window On The Prairie.

She did a post on Johnny Cakes

that looked to die for.

Yes, today would be the day

I could eat these hearty cakes

and then go wear it all off.

I made the delicious Johnny cakes

(thanks Suzanne)

and enjoyed them hot with

home made New Mexico raspberry jam

(thanks Sasha).

And they really were

to die for!

I got my snowpants, mittens, scarf, and snow boots on 

and stepped out the front door to move the ton of snow.

What's this?  

Oh no!

A neighbor with a snow blower!

No - please - wait - stop

go away - you don't understand!

I ate a hearty breakfast.

I need this!

Dang!

I mean thanks!

But dang!

Now what?

If only I had Tess's energy!

My Window

This is what it looks like outside my window today.

So this is what I was doing inside my window today.

It was a perfect day for making Goat's Milk Lotion.

I use a paraben-free lotion base,

add rich creamy goat's milk,

shea butter, grapefruit seed extract

and fragrance.

I bottle it in 3 different sized containers.

The soaps are coming along nicely too.

I like to wrap the wooden molds 

in a heavy towel to keep the heat in

while they set.

Willow has found out that,

not only are the towels soft,

but amazingly a little warm.

It is his favorite place to nap.

The girls have been in Omaha all day

doing good works with the Jr Optimist Club.

I am concerned about their drive home
in the snowstorm.

Well wishes to you all.
And - stay tuned for a drawing for
your very own bottle of Goat's Milk Lotion!

luv, michaele

A Friday in January

These cold winter days make for a long week don't they?

I miss spending weekends at the farm,

but I'm not complaining because I also like "holeing up",

staying warm, crafting, baking, cleaning, reading

and waiting.  

Waiting for March

and baby chicks and goats and garden seeds

and tree seedlings and dandelions and grass.

It is nice to have that to look forward to.

I am so lucky!

In the meantime, I try to get the the farmhouse 

at least once a week.

I panic if I don't.

I stopped by there today, as I was working in the

area and needed a bathroom break.

The driveway was drifted in again.

But that's okay.  I can walk.

There were no human tracks and no sign of disturbance.

The furnace was running.  The propane tank was 1/2 full.

All was well and peaceful as it too waits for spring.

There is still activity on the place.

I am thankful for the rabbits and birds who

stop by to keep the house company

and make it feel needed and loved.

until I can.

Frisbee Weather?

Dating, Kids and Phones

I am dating someone I work with.
I lean towards thinking it is not only risky,
but also lazy.
I tried to end it once.
I sent him a text that said
"Since we are friends, can't we just keep it that way,
because I suck at relationships".
He responded with - "Well, so do I, so let's just
take it slow".
So, we are taking it slow I guess,
but I am not sure that makes me any better at it.

He lives about 40 miles from where I live,
and due to the winter driving conditions,
we decided we would go out last Friday, after work,
rather than one of us driving on Saturday.

We were at Applebee's enjoying an appetizer tray
and conversation, when it started.

First it was my phone.
It was Sara (she lives in Lincoln)
and she was crying.  I couldn't understand her.
I plugged one ear and closed my eyes trying to
concentrate on what she was saying.
Her mouth hurt.
She had a dry socket and had it packed,
but evidently it needed another look.
She didn't call the dentist earlier
and it was 5:45 p.m. on a
Friday before a three day weekend.
I repeat, she didn't call the dentist.
She called her mom, crying, and saying things like:
the dentist wouldn't care and she wanted to talk to Sasha
(who lives in New Mexico).
So - I called the dentist and they said they would wait if she
came in immediately.  I thanked them profusely and called
Sara and told her to get there - deal with work later - this
was an emergency!
Sheesh!

Not 5 minutes later, my dates' phone rang
and it was his daughter - crying.
Crying so hard all he could hear was her
sobs and gasps for air.
She got in trouble and was grounded
and her mom and sister went to the game
and she was left home.
He asked her if she wanted him to come.
She said she did but she didn't.
I kept telling him we were good and it was
fine if he went and that he should go.
She kept telling him yes but no.
Finally she settled down and was fine
and he didn't go.
By the time he got there, her mom would have
been back anyway.
Sheesh!

Then we went to a movie.
I put my cell phone on vibrate and then held it
so I would know when the basketball game was over
and Rikki and Rylee would be calling.
My date, whom I have known for three years, and who
consistently forgets to turn his cell phone off, had his
phone go off during the movie.
If you don't know how wrong that is,
everyone around you will let you know how wrong that is.
It was the school calling.
A recorded message telling him there would be
an inservice day on Tuesday and no school.
It was 9:00 p.m. on a Friday night and that's
when the school sends their recorded messages out.
Sheesh!

Beware of the Bagless

Dear Bissell,
As a concerned consumer, I am contacting you about the availability, or lack thereof, of the former bagged vacuum cleaner.  Recently my bagged vacuum cleaner became clogged with Christmas tree droppings.  Despite laborious efforts to clear the clog with tools fashioned from wire and a round file, my toiling was in vain.  I concluded that plastic vacuum cleaners are disposable and are priced accordingly. Thus being, I headed to the local Walmart to replace my $40 disposable bagged vacuum cleaner with an exact copy. I also vowed to go with the fake tree next year.
Much to my dismay, I was unable to purchase a clone of my $37 vacuum cleaner (price roll-back from $40) because they were (gasp) gone!  I walked around the double sided display again and again looking for something, anything, resembling my bagged vacuum cleaner in price and power.  Nothing. Nada.  The only vacuum cleaners available in the entire display were bagless.  And the only vacuum in my price range was $46 (rolled-back from $49).  Well, any astute shopper knows that the savings from not buying replacement bags will more than cover the price increase incurred by purchasing a bagless version.
Though not entirely comfortable with my acquisition, due to the fact that I felt my hand had been forced, I nonetheless brought my purchase into my home and hastened to operate it.
I busied myself with the task of rolling my new bagless vacuum cleaner over every square inch of carpet on the first two levels of my home.  My focus was on lifting furniture and rugs, attaching and detaching attachments to reach the far corners and picking up, by hand, what amounted to a large collection of hairpins that somehow jump right off the heads of my two teenage daughters.  It wasn’t until I had finished the upper and middle floors that it occurred to me to see what this bagless vacuum was doing with the procurement from my carpets.  Once I ascertained how to unleash the container from the locks of the appliance, what I saw left me permanently scarred.  Some things cannot be unseen.  I suffer nightmares of dust bunnies attacking me and my children and pulling out our hair by the handfuls and throwing it on the carpet.  I feel like I am suffocating in my own home with all the dirt and dander that must be kicked up with every step we take.  I can’t enjoy my yoga workout anymore, as it is too close to the floor.  My barn has got to be more sanitary.  I am forever changed, and I am angry.  What on earth possessed you, as an industry, to create such an absurd edition of the time-tested and approved vacuum cleaner?  How many homemakers did you interview?  How many polls did you run?  How did you deduce that consumers wanted that much reality in their already over-informed lives?  If we wanted to know what was on our floors, we wouldn’t have carpets.  Did we once complain about not being able to visualize the foulness of our environments?  Do you actually think we are experiencing satisfaction in looking at a container filled with a repugnant load of feculence and filth?
I want my bag back!  I don’t need this kind of information and am genuinely afraid of vomiting should I ever be forced to retrieve a valuable that was accidentally sucked up by this bagless beast.
Until then, you can find me in the barn.

Sincerely,

A disgruntled homemaker in Nebraska

Sledding

Soap Cutting, Beveling, and Displaying

I'd like to show you some tools

no serious soapmaker should be without.

I know this because I did without,

and I know how much easier it made my life.

This is a soap cutter.

Three pieces

that fit together like so.

Insert log of soap that has

been removed from mold,

Insert wood block at chosen length,

and cut.

Easy cheesy!

I like to to bevel the edges

so that the bars are hand-friendly.

This is the bottom side of the beveler

which shows the blade.

The blades are easily removed for replacing.

 Top side of beveler.

Ta-Dah.  

A beveled bar of soap, ready for curing.

These bars will cure here for

four to six weeks before they

are ready for wrapping.

The four rows to the left of the photo

are Rise and Shine w/ grnd oatmeal.

The middle two rows are

Coconut Lime Verbena,

 and the rightmost two rows are

Cool Waters.

I started making goat's milk soap back in 2004 

as a way to use up the surplus goat's milk from our goats.

My intent was to give it as gifts to family and friends.

It was such a success and I had so many requests,

I decided to go into a family business.

Here is a photo of a display we had in a store 

in the mall in 2008 around Christmas time.

This is a photo of how the soaps will look after wrapping and labeling.

The essential oil soaps will be in cardboard boxes

Rubber Duckie soaps.

 The girls and our booth at an outdoor event

in Bloomfield, New Mexico summer 2007.

(we lived in Aztec, NM for four months before we

made the move to Nebraska. And yes we moved the goats every time.)

This is Rylee helping a customer at a craft sale

in Riverton, WY, where we got our start.

I still love giving the products as gifts.

After the first soaps have cured this

blog will be hosting it's first give-away drawing

for your very own bar of goat's milk soap.

Stay tuned, 

and stay warm.

luv michaele