Slip and Slide Saponification Sunday...

With all four kids and 3 GK's here for Fathers Day (plus a healthy dose of rain the night before) we can easily say it was a great Sunday. When Uncles buy little ones things like Slip 'N Slides

And little red wagons (for the not so little ones)

We can also say the day was well spent. When the week was filled with many more soap orders we can say furthermore..."Who's bright idea was this Soap thing?" Mine all mine. But before I move ahead I must back track.

I have been very negligent with expressing my gratuities to several talented soap makers. Over the last few months I have been lucky enough to make some savey soap trades with folks near and far but kept putting off thanking them publicly until my "new" Nikon camera cam back from the repair shop.

Finally, it did. So let the Thank Yous commence. Lets start with the most recently acquired soap trades located at noon, 4pm, and 8 pm in the soap clock below.

Those three artistic bars are the creations of Tina Berryer of Essentially Made Soap Company. Just recently she had sent me several little sample bars of huge variety. Have only used one so far, her really cool Pink Himalayan Salt Bar which lathers like a regular bar. Unbelievable! The bar is mostly gone as I am been hogging it for my filthy dirty pony feet. It has worked miracles on them. If her other soaps are 1/2 as good as that salt bar...I'll remain in sudsy heaven.

Now, at the 1pm setting  ( or more like 12:48) is a sliver of Pear Juice soap from the world famous Jen of Naturalmente Mediterraneo Soaps. She and I traded soap months ago and that sliver is all that remains of several bars she sent. For weeks I would not open her meticulously wrapped treasures with their perfect corners and bars cut more uniformly than gold bricks (like I have ever held a gold brick.)  Finally I did and then used it so carefully. Like liquid silk it was wonderful on my skin, my face, my HAIR.

I will weep when it is gone.

At 6pm and 10 pm is another couple of bars I have had many weeks. Also from Spain they were made by Gingebra Argany Vivo also from Spain. She and I swapped soaps as well and I remember clearly the day her creations arrived. Included in the package were these bars as well as three big soap cupcakes covered with decorative frosting piled higher than most wedding cakes, for my grand kids. Before I could even get them unwrapped the three GK's were begging me for them.

I refused, Why do kids have to have all the fun?

OK, fine. I gave them what they wanted and then kept the rest. On top of all that generosity she also sent me a pink and white Bunny tray which the grand girls convinced me would look best in their room. That will be the LAST time I open any soap packages in front of those thieves.

Finally, we move to the middle. What in the name of  Morocco is that stuff?!?! Well, yesterday at our Farmers Market in Fairbury "friend" CK gave me the pile of brown gooey stuff. She got it from a "friend" of hers who recently  returned from Morocco with what he described as Moroccan Country Soap.

My research revealed it is indeed soap made in Morocco out of Black Olive Oil. It had the consistency of oil heavy soap, you know when your lye amount is too little, and it smelled slight;y tar like. It did not lather much, not too surprising since it was technically a castile soap (100% olive oil) and it smelled a bit like road tar.

It left my skin very soft and in fact my feet were in great shape when I used it AFTER I scrubbed the ugliest garden feet in the world with Tina's salt soap. The remaining smell reminded me of my childhood days when we ran around barefoot on the melting pavement in mid-August.

Back then the exotic foot treatments were free.

In the midst of Fathers Day events, Farmer Market tasks, attending the coolest Barn Dance Party ever (a future post) and the unloading of yet another 600 pounds of meat into our farm store...I squeezed in some saponification of my own.

Having the urge to play with powdered charcoal again, I made the bar in the upper left for my niece's upcoming wedding. I shall call it "Twinkle Twinkle Little Bar"

The soap on the bottom had a top layer of charcoal colored soap which I plunged into the bottom white layer with my uber-expensive and high tech...potato masher. All bars were created from my basic recipe of Olive oil, coconut oil, Castor oil and sweet almond oil along with Tussah silk. I scented them with a new blend for me, Amyris, Lemongrass and Grapefruit EO.

I did not use any black olive oil...yet.

PS, our Estate was infiltrated tonight when  some sneaky neighbor  had the nerve to invade my Secret Garden while I was putting GK's to sleep. I won't name names  (JD) but be warned, tomorrow I am heading to the Chatworth Hardware Store and investing in their best Security System. Yup, all 10 cans on a sting, going up across the Secret Garden Entrance. You, friend, are busted.