I'm not ready for Fall...

Its been a cool summer here in the big mitten. That hasn't kept us away from the beach though :D We just got back from Lake Michigan at a friends beach house. It was hard to rip ourselves away...especially since our friends are missionaries in Romania and won't be back for another 2 years. =( We had a great time and made many more precious memories that all 11 of us will remember fondly. Well maybe not Tucker so much, but at least I have the pictures to prove it to him ;0)

We had a nice fire down by the shore where we roasted marshmallows and cuddled together to keep warm.
Frigid water, wind and waves couldn't keep the kids away :D
And if you come here to see soap, feast your eyes on my latest batch. Goats milk, oatmeal and honey. It will be listed in the White Bucket Project shop soon. Maybe even tonight, but I'm not holding my breath.
My computer is in the shop and I'd like to say that when it gets back I'll post much more often. I just started reading the book Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology. I'm not too far but love it already. As much as I like technology, it seems to complicate many things rather than make them easier. After reading the entire book I may be ready to throw away my computer all together....or at least spend a lot less time on it :D Oh, and the best part about the book? Inspite of many degrees the author makes a living driving a rickshaw and making soap!!

The White Bucket Project

Hi all :D Its been a busy summer here and I've been working on lots of projects. My latest project is finally ready to unveil.

(Yuzu)

On May 31st I was part of something amazing. I know many, if not most of you who read this blog aren't affiliated with a church, and may not even believe in a God. I'm not going to try to proselytize or shove Jesus down your throats. I'm not that kind of girl ;0) What I am is a girl who is all about doing the right thing and bringing a piece of heaven to earth. For me the foundation of that is Jesus, for you it might be something else. I won't judge...

(Pink Clay)

So anyway, at our church on May 31st, as part of the sermon, lots of white buckets were placed around the stage. Those who had money were encouraged to give, those who had nothing were encouraged to take. I decided to go up and get money for a friend in need. As I was doing so a man I've never met walked up and put a 100 dollar bill in my hand. I don't even know what he looked like because my eyes were full of tears.

(Coconuty Comfrey)

The events of that Sunday got me to thinking. With 4 kids and a husband in school our budget is tight. Where could I come up with extra money? Selling soap of course! That's when The White Bucket Project etsy shop was born.

I only have 4 soaps listed at the moment, but there are many more to come...(including laundry soap, if I can find the time) I wish I could give everything I make, but I'll have to keep a little from each sale to replenish my supplies. You have my word though that the majority of the funds will end up in the hands of those in need.

For more details about The White Bucket Project at Mars Hill check out the Facebook page.

Please excuse my vent...

AAAAHHHHHHH!!!

With our busy lives its hard to sneak in a batch of soap. When I do get to make some its rare and usually for something special. This weekend I've made 2 batches of soap. Of those 2 I've managed to make just about every mistake in the book!!! Lye heavy, ricing, separation, over heating...just to name a few.

My batch today was supposed to be a beautiful funnel soap with lots of comfrey infused olive oil and comfrey powder. Do you think that soap would work?! NO! I'm so frustrated right now I could scream...time to do some yoga I think.

I think I've managed to save the batch. Its now a hot processed blob of poop, but at least its usable. The worst part is that both batches this weekend were for a special project I'm working on that I wanted to unveil next week. It may take a little longer now that I've got soap that is so ugly.

Oh well...chalk it up to lessons learned and a heavy dose of humility. : P

Lazy days

Summer afternoon - summer afternoon; to me those have always been the two most beautiful words in the English language. ~Henry James

Saturday was a perfect summer afternoon to spend at the beach. I've never been a huge fan of Michigan, but I realized this summer what a great state we have here... We're almost completely surrounded by water and have beautiful beaches. A 45 minute drive will take us to any number of beaches and sand dunes...
The best part of the beach is seeing the kids. We didn't have any toys, but it didn't matter. Water, sand and a little imagination are all that's needed.
The sun was warm, but the water was frigid! It didn't stop us though :D
We will be visiting again sometime soon!!
PS...All the pictures were taken with my new EnV phone/hand held computer ;0)

Aprons and clothes pins

Its been a great summer so far. Last week we did the first round of strawberry jam and hope to do more this week. There was also a visit to my parents which included time with aunts, uncles and cousins. There's nothing like sitting outside on a warm summer night with extended family...such good memories!

While in Ohio my mom and I made an apron for me. I always have grubby hands grabbing me and am also good at making big messes on my own. It doesn't take long for my shirts to get dirty so a full size apron is a necessity.
I found the perfect fabric at my Joanne's, but didn't buy it figuring I could get it in Ohio...Wrong!! I had my tub of scraps though and found a great combination with plenty to spare. I bought the main fabric last year just because I liked it...I haven't found it since then so it was a good impulse buy. The green gingham was from pieces of a skirt I almost made in high school.
I was desperate for a clothes pin bag and went on the hunt for an easy tutorial. This is what I found. I was able to whip up this bag with leftover fabric, lining and bias tape during nap time. Not too shabby for a novice like myself :D

Summer Days

Oh sweet innocence. We don't drink much pop around our house, but Tim bought the kids some Jones today. They loved it! Just like the good ole' days of glass bottles and no high fructose corn syrup. ;0)

Ahhh soap. This is the 3rd time I've made my baby soap. I love it so much. Its beautiful and luscious for the skin!! I still haven't cut it because it looks so nice.


The dress is nearly done! I started it on Monday and still haven't hemmed it. Its so easy though...its only been about 3 hours total.
Smile dear...its only 57 degrees out! ;0)

I have to force myself to hem this thing so I can start on something else. I really need a clothes pin holder and want a light apron that I don't feel guilty getting dirty.

Wow, I'm tired! Time to hit the hay =D

Green Beauty Routine

I'm all about being green these days. Its so much better for everyone, and often times frugal. With 4 kids, frugal is a necessity.

When I was looking for deodorant recipes I found a few people who were using baking soda to wash their hair. Shampoo is the one thing I haven't been willing to skimp on. I've used Redken products for over 15 years due to my unruly hair. I tried using my soap at one point, but my hair resembled something like a brillo pad afro. Yuck.

The problem with my precious Redken is that its EXPENSIVE and I've developed an allergy. It gives me huge angry welts on my head. So, when I switched to my home made deodorant I also switched to baking soda shampoo. My new routine is this...
* scrub a tablespoon of baking soda in my hair and let set for a few minutes.
* rinse out soda and use a apple cider vinegar/water mixture as a final rinse.
2 tablespoons of vinegar to 1 cup water. I put mine in a spray bottle and leave in the shower.

Now instead of big bucks, I spend about $5 on my hair care products that will last months. Oh and my hair...healthier than ever!

For those who don't think I'm completely insane, baking soda has become an important staple in our house. Its one of the best cleaning tools in my all natural arsenal, and I'll also be adding it to the laundry soap I plan on making this summer. You know, when pigs fly and hell freezes over... ;0)