Saturday, February 2, 2013 - We are going to clean up...

Cause we have soap...

All the ingredients and tools.  Some of the plastic things are JIC because I was not sure exactly what I would need for containers.

The lye and scale, the dangerous part of making soap.

The melting pot, with all the fats.

The stirring stick.  Patsy was afraid the metal in this would react with the lye, but it did not.

This was to be my lye mixer, but I decided not to use the metal pot.

I used glass instead.

Almost soap.

Soap, it smelled like coconut soap.

In the mold, aka 13x9 cake pan.  It looks a little gray.  Patsy says I need to add pretty colors because the color is important.

This was what I scraped out of the pot and formed into a circle. It is a prettier color than the other.

I added honey, cinnamon, and vanilla berry fragrance after it made soap. I think it was the cinnamon that made it gray.  It feels very creamy and still smells like coconut.  This is the recipe I used:
http://chickensintheroad.com/house/crafts/hot-process-soap-in-a-crock-pot/


I have lots of soap making ingredients left.  Helen, when you come in March we will make soap.

Betty sent me this head band to keep my ears warm.  She said the purpose was to keep my ears warm without messing up my hair.  Works great, don't you think?

And this is the dough conditioner for my cracked wheat bread.  Bread is in the pans on its final rising.  Will be bread in about an hour.

Tomorrow I will take some to Patsy and maybe even some gray soap.

Friday, February 1, 2013, Happy Birthday George...

I was planning on cooking Patsy's home grown pork chops for his birthday supper, but I went to Harrison this afternoon and  he cooked his own birthday pork chops. They were really good anyway.  Tomorrow I will make him a chocolate cake, his favorite.

I took the book and Joylin Lotion to Erin's, but she was not home.  I left it on the porch and took the bag she left.  I really like the pot holders.  I needed something to protect my new counter top from hot pots.  

Patsy thought I was coming by after work today to get the Mrs. O book.  I don't remember saying that, but I probably did.  But, then I did not. I went to Harrison after work today.

Tomorrow, I am going to make Light and Fluffy Cracked Wheat Bread and Home Made Vanilla, Honey, Cinnamon crock pot soap.  On the Chicken In the Road website, I found a recipe for dough conditioner that is supposed to help make whole grain bread rise light and fluffy.  I am going to try it tomorrow, with the new mixer.  And, I am going to make bath soap in the crock pot.  I have wanted to try making bath soap before, but it always sounded very complicated.  I thought it would likely be a lot of work for naught. The crock pot method sounds doable. 

If the bread turns out good, I will take some to Patsy.  If not, not.

Thursday, Last Day of January

And it is supposed to be in the single digits tonight.  KY3 said they did not dip into the single digits in all of 2012.  Surely that is a record for the Ozarks.

One half day more of work and then a couple of days off, if we don't freeze to death tonight.

George has his white truck running again.  Still a few things to hook back together, but he drove it out the road and back and he said it ran like it was supposed to.  They should get it all squared away this weekend.

Wednesday, January 30

Only one more day in January then on to February.  It was almost 75 degrees a couple of days ago and right now it is 1 degree above freezing.  But, I think in a day or so it is supposed to be back in the 50's.  Not too bad for February.  And, February means only one month til spring.

I found a new blog today that I really enjoyed reading.  Try Chicken In The Road and see what you think.  She lives in the backwooods of West Virginia, but she is a writer.  It was a good way to kill some time at work.

Yes, Betty, I printed your book on Mr. T's dime, ink, paper and notebook to put it in.  Erin, I will be down Saturday morning around 10 or 11.  If you have something to do or someplace to go, leave my loot on your porch and I will replace it with the notebook and Joylin lotion.

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

We have rain and it is still really warm, but supposed to get cold tonight.  They said some places might have snow either tonight or tomorrow night.  I wasn't paying much attention.  Patsy says the bad weather is over when January is past us.

I went by Patsy's after work and took her the Mrs. O ancestry book.  I am going back after it this weekend when I have more time to read.  I took her a jar of the Joylin Lotion.  

Betty, I printed out your book.  I will deliver it to Erin's Saturday when I go get my loot.  I have Joylin lotion for the three of you also.

I really made out at Patsy's.  Sam gave me 3 dozen eggs, a package of pork chops and about 6 pounds of sausage.  George can eat eggs and sausage this week and I won't have to buy any groceries at all.

Monday, January 28, 2013 - Going Down...

 

All taken with the new, little camera.

Tag Your It!

Playing dress-up.  She says 'Show Daddy that one.  It looks so CUTE!

A boy and  his truck.

Licking the bowl.

Decorated boy.

 

Run! A MONSTER is after us.

Monster falls down.

OH, he is hurt!

We need to help him.

Is he alright?

Cover him up.

Put a pillow under his head.

Is he going to be alright?

The Monster is AWAKE!!

Watch OUT!!

He is chasing us again!!! RUN!

Sunday, January 27, 2013, George says "Coffee with the boys."

He counted 14 in the pasture at one time.  They came up out of the ditch below the pond and grazed on the slop below Clayton's for about an hour.  I was fixing pancakes and did not get pictures of them  on the ridge.  After breakfast, I was Mama and the twins coming over the ridge just in front of our house.  Gradually, a whole bunch of bucks came up out of the ditch on the ridge, some of them we just saw there antlers over the ridge.  Mama and twins came on up where the goats were along the fence between us and Dan's by the road, not paying any attention to the goats. The jumped across into the pasture on our side and went down in the hollow and came up on our side of the fence in the pasture just below the other trailer.  They must have been headed for the rock query.  The bucks turned in went back across the ditch and crossed the fence into Dan's field by the salt block.  They went up over the ridge, probably going to Dan's pond for water.  In all George counted 11 bucks.  Several of the bucks had only  one antler.

Our Mama coming over the ridge in front of the house.  See the white spot on her right side?  She was the one  I saw last Sunday down by the bottom.

A conglomeration of bucks.

Big bucks and little bucks playing.

Three One Horned Boys.

Two bucks on the ridge below our house.

The ones running and playing must be teenagers.

He stuck his head over the ridge, but did not come on up.  Several times we say just his antlers peaking over the ridge.

Going back down into the ditch.

First several followed Mama up the fence line, then turned and went back down into the ditch and on over the fence at the salt block.

Mama and one twin on the ridge the other side of the pond on our side of the road.

Mama in the pasture on our side, going into the hollow below our pond. 

Mama and the twins on the ridge just past our pond, going towards the rock query.

Big boys on the ridge above Dan's big pond.  Dan's black cattle in the distance.

Coming out of the ditch and jumping the fence by the salt block.

I think this is the big boy that just stuck his antlers over the ridge earlier.

Across the fence and over the ridge.

Coffee break is over, going to get a drink and take a nap in the woods.