Simple Hobby Homesteading | Healthy, simple living on our southern Indiana homestead!

Joyful Obedience… Should we expect it from our kids?

Posted on April 15, 2014 by Jhenna 13 comments

OK, so this has been on my heart for weeks as I have watched my youngest son dread, complain about, and try to weasel his way out of getting braces. He’s 9 (10 tomorrow… double digits buddy, buck up and move on about the whole braces thing!). Should I expect joyful obedience from my sons in matters which they do not agree, like, or feel happy about? In this case our youngest son is very close to disobedience and I can tell you right now that’s not tolerated in our household.

Apparently I (mom) am ruining his life and I really think he should be an equal opportunity blamer… son, dad is ruining your life too, we agreed on this whole braces thing. He got the braces on late last week but showed no signs of joyful obedience. He wore all black, got black rubber bands and picked out a black sweatshirt, t-shirt, and bag from the orthodontist office. Apparently braces= mourning death. He’s been wearing a lot of black ever since.

He readily admitted several times that day and for the days to follow that he was glad he got it over with and that it wasn’t so bad but still feels he was completely justified for his “drama” leading up to it. So not only does he recognize that he was not joyfully obeying his parents he actually feels justified in his behavior and attitude… this, my friends, infuriates me.

Youngest son with his black braces

Isn’t it amazing how our kids seem to find the particular things that drive us completely crazy? Like we expect them to know better, do better, and think better than we did at that age. If you’ve ever uttered the words, “I can’t believe he/she did that” then you sit in the same boat as me as an imperfect parent and an imperfect person (sorry to burst your “I’m really super close to perfect” bubble). Why can’t we believe it? Is it really worse than the things we did as kids or even adults?

So, why do I expect my son to joyfully obey me when I demand he do something that I know is in his best interest but that he REALLY does not want to do? Ummmmm… because I know better and it’s way more pleasant and comfortable for me to see joyful obedience than it is complaining, arguing, and downright disobedience. I don’t enjoy dealing with the tough aspects of life and parenting so if everyone could just joyfully obey me that would be great (want a ticket to my dream world show?).

Now that I sound like a control freak and mother with extremely high expectations let me explain why I do in fact expect joyful obedience from my sons. It comes down to the fact that they are commanded by a power much higher than me to joyfully obey. First and foremost they are to joyfully obey God’s commands. Guess what, one of those commands is to obey their parents. Score for parents! I also expect joyful obedience because I know they are capable of it and when it becomes the standard it pushes selfishness and the “world revolves around me” mentality out of their heart.

With that being said, parents we need to be outstanding role models for what joyful obedience is. Do you begrudgingly do the dishes, complaining the entire time and threaten to switch your family to styrofoam dinnerware? How about cooking dinner and the million other areas you provide for your family and upkeep your home? Heading to church or Bible study? Heading to work or working late? Is it a chore or do you joyfully obey God’s commands to worship with fellow believers and learn His word? God doesn’t just expect obedience from children, he expects it from us! If I see my own sons straying from joyful obedience I need to first look at what kind of role model I am being for them.

All right, so now I’ve gone on and on and complained about my son’s lack of joyful obedience but what can be done to turn things around? Well, what was done was done and there’s not much to be gained from lamenting and dwelling on past sins. We learn and we move on. Let’s concentrate on the present and the future. My husband and I need to take a look at how we are parenting… we need to realize and teach our sons that Biblical obedience is complete, immediate and clearly displays joy. Kevin and I taught our sons from the very beginning that obedience was all the way and right away (have I mentioned Kevin is a Marine?) but we left out a very important aspect and part… “with a joyful heart.”

Leaving out the “with a joyful heart” when teaching your kids gives them liberty to whine, complain, and have a negative attitude while obeying. Obedience with a negative attitude is not what God wants nor is it pleasing to parents (or those around our kids). So are we up a creek without a paddle or can this be fixed?

Can we fix it? Well, follow Bob the Builder’s cue and just shout, “Yes we can!” Is Bob the Builder still around? He was our younger son’s favorite if I remember right… might have been oldest son. Anyone remember Bear in the Big Blue House? That was most surely oldest son’s favorite and he had a Bear that he would carry around, rub the silky tag on the bottom, and completely rub off all the hair of poor Bear’s bum while sucking his thumb at the same time (hello braces for oldest son due to that!).

How do we fix it?

Step 1: Expect Biblical obedience. None of this wishy washy, “do you want to…”, “how about we…” “wouldn’t it be fun to…” Wishy washy parenting leads to wishy washy kids who have a hard time determining when to and when not to submit to authority. Determine your own “family rules” and establish a strong family identity in Christ by expecting your children to obey authority (you, teachers, daycare providers, etc.). Set them up for success and expect them to obey (check out step 2 when things don’t go as expected)…

Step 2: Consequences. Yup, there are always going to be consequences to our actions. When kids disobey it is our duty to administer consequences in a faithful and consistent manner. When a child’s disobedience is met with consequences children learn the law of the harvest. God has built the principle of sowing and reaping into this world we live in and it is important for kids to see that picture and get that principle throughout use of consequences, teaching, and guidance.

I’m never a fan of administering consequences to our kids but I am to be obedient to the commands God has laid before me. I am blessed to know that God understands how I feel and provides encouragement…“For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but later it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11 ESV). I can’t ignore His commands just as I can’t let it slide when my kids ignore His commands.

Step 3: Watch out for who your kids keep company with. I am far from the “helicopter parent” but I do scrutinize my boys’ friends closely. Your kids’ minds are still developing and habits are being laid every day. If the majority (or even 1 or 2 close buddies) of the kids they hang out with have troubles obeying parents and other authority figures your child will most likely follow suit. Wouldn’t it be nice if your kid was the one who stood up and helped those kids learn to obey authority? Probably not gonna happen… that’s a lot of expectation and pressure for a kid of any age. Most kids prefer to follow what everyone else is doing so help your kids surround themselves with a good group of friends who respect authority and have a heart for joyful obedience!

“Train up a child up in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it” (Proverbs 22:6 NKJV).

I don’t know about you but I have some work to do so I’m off to train up some kids… joyfully!

Youngest son says, “oh great…”

Jhenna

Posted in Day in the Life

Tilapia with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Some Yummy Saffron Rice

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Jhenna Leave a comment

Tilapia with Mango Cucumber Salsa and Saffron Rice

So I am trying to juggle this whole blogging thing with keeping up with my home upkeep, family, hobby farm, Master’s degree program, cycling training and soap/lotion making… this morning the laundry won out and the tilapia recipe blog post got pushed to the back burner.

However, here it is! I love fish and with my mammal meat allergy it is a “safe food” for me (woohoo for fish not being a mammal!) so we eat quite a bit of it. My sons devour all fish but especially love lighter fish like tilapia and mahi mahi. We are all suckers for a great haddock or swordfish steak on the grill as well, yum!

Admittedly I will not be eating fish again for a little bit because I WAY overindulged eating way too much… I was stuffed to the gills!

**hehe I seriously just laughed at my own little joke right there.

This has got to be one of the easiest recipes I make. I usually make up a big batch of the mango cucumber salsa so I can snack for days with chips. It keeps remarkably well and much longer than tomato based salsas.

Tilapia with (or without) Mango Cucumber Salsa

What you will need:

Mango Cucumber Salsa: This is enough for 4 to 6 filets, feel free to double or triple for late night snacking with some tortilla chips!

2 ripe mangos : (gives a little when squeezed, reddish in color but you do not want mushy or big brown spots, peeled), sliced (there’s an oblong pit in the middle that runs almost the length of the mango, I just slice off the four sides, dice those up then slice off whatever other pieces I can away from the pit and try not to eat them all), and medium diced.

2 cucumbers: medium to small or 1 large. Peel, slice in half long ways and scoop out the seeds with a spoon (you should be able to just run the spoon down the middle and get them out easily). Medium dice the cucumber(s). You can also buy the seedless English cucumbers and just dice them.

1/4 to 1/2 of a red onion: diced small

2 jalapenoes: Diced small. Wear gloves if you will be handling little kids or babies afterwards.

Cilantro: YUM! I love cilantro so I add a lot. Normal people would proabbly add about 1/4 cup chopped cilantro.

Lime Juice: The juice of one lime or 1 tsp of lime juice from a bottle (or those cute little plastic lime things)

Salt and Pepper to taste: I use a tiny pinch of pepper and two tiny pinches of salt

Mix it all together and put it in the fridge.

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On to the fish!

Get yourself some fish filets (tilapia, mahi mahi, any light fish is good for this). I always keep a couple pounds in the freezer because they thaw super fast and are a great last minute meal. We cook 2 pounds of fish at a time but once again, when my boys find a food they like they eat us out of house and home and they like fish.

Olive oil (optional… you can also use butter to cook the fish)

Old Bay Blackened Seasoning (or make your own using this recipe… Blackened Fish Seasoning)

Butter (optional)…Oldest son loves to dip his pieces of fish in melted butter rather than eating the mango cucumber salsa. It is usually recommended to cook your fish in butter but we have switched over to olive oil because it’s a slightly healthier alternative (you get a better crust with butter) and youngest son doesn’t like his fish as crusty.

Directions: There’s two ways to make this fish… either in butter or in olive oil. Butter will create more of a crust on your fish which is super yummy but we do olive oil because the rest of my family does not bleed dairy. I’ll give you directions for both ways…

Butter Directions:

1. Melt enough butter in your pan (I love cooking fish in cast iron cookware as it helps get a nice crust) on medium heat so that it will cover the bottom (yes this may mean almost a stick of butter… skip down to olive oil if you are scared you may clog every artery in your body… I was born and raised in Wisconsin so we have butter flowing through our veins)

2. Melt a little more butter in a dish that you can drench the fish in (in other words both sides of each filet will be covered in butter as you will be bathing the fish in butter).

3. Drench (lay) each fish filet in the butter and sprinkle very liberally with Old Bay Blackened Seasoning or your homemade version (link here)

4. You will want some sort of splatter screen for your pan… Now turn up the heat to medium-high and cook on one side until blackened and somewhat crispy. Flip over and cook the other side. Add a little more butter whenever necessary. If family members (youngest son wannabes) do not like their fish as crispy just do not cook as long or use the olive oil method below.

Great Pampered Chef splatter screen that I can put in the dishwasher or handwash easily

5. Remove from pan, plate and add your salsa (if you want) or melt more butter to dip fish in (if you are an oldest son wannabe).

Olive Oil Directions:

1. Heat 4 Tablespoons of olive over medium heat.

2. Drench (lay) each fish filet in a dish or plate of olive oil and sprinkle very liberally with Old Bay Blackened Seasoning or your homemade version (link here)

3 filets with seasoning and two waiting to be seasoned. I ran out of our homemade seasoning so I went with the oldy but goody Old Bay Blackened!

4. You will want some sort of splatter screen for your pan… Now turn up the heat to medium-high and cook on one side until blackened and somewhat crispy. Flip over and cook the other side. Add a little more olive oil whenever necessary. If family members (youngest son wannabes) do not like their fish as crispy just do not cook as long.

5. Remove from pan, plate and add your salsa (if you want) or melt butter to dip fish in (if you are an oldest son wannabe).

So I totally forgot to take a picture with the fish in the pan to show you what they look like when you flip because my family was way hungry and fussing at me to stop taking pictures and just cook supper already! Imagine fish in this pan and you’ll get the picture…

Imagine fish in here…

The nice thing about this recipe is it lends itself well to the entire family and many different side dishes. We chose a spring mix salad and Jasmine Saffron rice (recipe here). Many nights we just cook up some jasmine or brown rice and have a great fish dinner. The boys like their’s without the mango salsa which is easy enough 🙂

Happy Eating,

Jhenna

Posted in Recipes

Blackened Fish Seasoning

Posted on April 11, 2014 by Jhenna One comment

This is a great do it yourself (DIY) recipe knockoff of the Old Bay Blackened Seasoning that we love so much on fish. I got the original recipe from All Recipes.com quite a while ago but made a few changes to fit our family’s tastes. I made notes of the changes I made so you can either stick with the standby or go the way of the Conways 😉

Blackened Seasoning for Fish or Chicken

2 teaspoons ground paprika
2 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder (original recipe called for only 2 teaspoons of garlic powder)
4 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
2 teaspoons salt
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons ground cayenne pepper, or to your taste (original was just 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon dried leaf oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (original recipe called for 1/2 teaspoon)

However, Old Bay Blackened is a pretty inexpensive spice blend so if you don’t think you’ll use the above spices in other recipes/spice mixes it may be best to just buy the Old Bay Blackened Seasoning. We buy and grow spices in bulk because we mix up a ton of our own blends and give them as gifts as well so we always try to have this blend on hand (though yup, we do run out of certain spices often… can’t seem to keep enough thyme in this house… and I grab the Old Bay Blackened at the store sometimes).

Place all ingredients in a jar and store in a cool dark place. Shake jar well before each use.

Posted in Recipes

Chickpea Flour… the gluten free, high protein alternative

Posted on April 3, 2014 by Jhenna One comment

From time to time I will have contributors who add to the depth of my blog. Though I am a jack of all trades I consider myself a master at none. Some of these folks are truly masters in their fields or at least a TON more knowledgeable than I am.

This whole gluten free and nut free way of life is foreign to me and I honestly don’t think I could give up gluten unless it was seriously compromising my or my family’s health. For some folks, it is certainly compromising their health and the gluten free (or lower gluten) is certainly something that a ton of people are looking for right now!

Enter Michele… (one “l”, yup I know it’s weird… took me a long time to remember to spell it right!). I am thrilled to introduce you all to my family as I continue on this journey through simple hobby homesteading. This evening I’d like for you to meet my sister-in-law Michele… younger sister to my husband and seriously one of the most amazing women I will ever be blessed to know! Now I even get to be related to her!

I’ll save the whole wonderful “how we met” story for after her article because I know there are a great many of you who seriously want to know how you can use chickpea flour on the path to a healthier you…

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Author:

Michele Magloire

Chickpea Flour

Looking for Gluten free, high protein, and or grain substitute… try chickpea flour. Chickpea flour can be found in most grocery stores. Other names for chickpea flour include gram flour, cici flour and garbanzo bean flour.

If you cannot find it, it’s super easy to make. Get some dried chickpeas and run them through a coffee grinder, food processor or blender. I personally grind my own because I’ve learned that some products sold outside the US are not required to list allergy warnings. My husband has a peanut allergy, so to make sure he is safe I grind my own flour.

Health benefits of chickpeas aka garbanzo beans

Chickpeas are rich in fiber, high in protein, good source of vitamins (including iron, B-6, magnesium, and potassium), low glycemic index, and they can lower cholesterol. “Participants in a recent study reported more satisfaction with their diet when garbanzo beans were included, and they consumed fewer processed food snacks during test weeks in the study when garbanzo beans were consumed.” (http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=58)

There are tons of recipes that call for some type of wheat-based flour, whether whole-wheat, all-purpose or cake flour, but you can replace wheat flour with chickpea flour. It adds a nutty taste, and a boost of protein and iron; it works well in any dish, from baked goods to soups and sauces. You can substitute 7/8 cup of chickpea flour for every 1 cup of wheat flour. For yeast breads, add xanthan or guar gum to replace the gluten.

15 chickpea flour recipes

http://www.mynaturalfamily.com/recipes/garbanzo-beans/15-best-chickpea-flour-recipes/

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Soooo… how I met Michele. It’s a funny story really 🙂

I was in air force basic training 2 weeks after I graduated high school. Miss Michele Conway, I think 2 maybe 3 years older than me, was in my basic training flight along with maybe 30 other women. Force all these women to spend 6.5 weeks together day in and day out and you’re gonna see every side of them. To say that we all got to know each other well is the understatement of the century. I think we all had a love hate relationship with each other (though some the scales definitley tipped more to one side)

Michele was (and still is) strong, steady, independent and bound and determined to break her government issued glasses (they were called birth control glasses because they were so ugly no guy would even look at a woman wearing them). She came into basic with two other women that she knew from home (Massachusetts) and they were constantly coming up with ways to destroy their glasses so they could talk the TI (training instructor) into letting them wear their contacts or regular glasses. Every time they tried to destroy their glasses (underneath the floor buffer was especially creative) SSgt Grant seemed to find out and yell at me for it. You see, I was the “Dorm Chief” and got in trouble for everything that everyone else did wrong on top of my own screw ups! I had enough of my own screw ups so I wasn’t a fan of Michele and the others causing more tongue lashings directed my way. They seemed to love it or maybe I was just jaded… I got an extra 2 hours of door guard duty from 2-4am for the floor buffer fiasco.

I remember one day we (the whole flight but Michele and I were often about the same speed so we woudl run together) were running (I had just gotten done with a wrestling season back home so I was in the best shape of my life) and chatting back and forth… Michele always was a great runner. We were far ahead of most of our flight but the TI came up behind us and started screaming at us about how if we could chat we weren’t running fast enough. This guy was a machine… he said he better not beat us to the end or we’d be sorry… the man was like a Kenyan Olympic runner so neither Michele nor I took him seriously when he took off… there was no way we could ever beat him (bad choice on our part for not even trying… baaaaaad choice). He took off and we went back to chatting as there were no other TIs around. He must have circled around without us seeing because next thing I know there was someone coming up fast behind us breathing hard and all of a sudden I heard, “You two had better not be talking…” and he proceded to scream at us full steam (with so much profanity it would make a sailor blush) while never breaking stride… he had some sort of crazy lung capacity… and a lazy eye but that’s a whole different funny story.

Anyways, I have no clue how that run ended… I think we had to run extra but I can’t remember… do you remember Michele? Anyways… I think that kinda started a bond with us though we never quite got back onto that friendly of terms until after Kevin (her brother) and I were married as we had many run ins with difference of opinion for months after that awesome run.

Basic training was done, we were all heading off to our separate tech schools. I was heading to Keesler AFB with Michele’s best friend and Michele told her that Kevin was at Keesler AFB (he had just gotten out of the Marine Corps and joined the Air Force Reserve) so she should look him up and say hi (Michele’s friend had known Kevin for quite a few years). I was going to the same school as Michele’s friend at Keesler AFB (in Mississippi)so I kinda tagged along a few weeks later as she went to Kevin’s dorm to say hi and wish him warm greetings from his sister.

Maybe I should mention I was engaged to my high school sweetheart at this point and he was all I talked about throughout basic training and the beginning of tech school. Well, things fell apart with that “relationship” just about the time I met Kevin. We got to know each other and 3 months later we were married.

I do believe Michele’s words were along the lines of “I told ya to look him up and say “Hi”, not marry him.” She was certainly looking after her older brother and didn’t want him to be my “rebound guy.” I didn’t understand that then (I was all of 18) but I certainly understand and respect it now. That was 16 years ago and the Lord has given Kevin and I a marriage that we have worked hard for (and continue to work for) but full of the most amazing renewing spirit and blessings.

Michele and I still have our differences (actually not many that I can think of anymore!)but I truly respect and love this woman as a dear sister. She was recently married (my boys love that they have an Uncle Serge as he just sounds “tough”… he is actually pretty darn tough!) and now lives off in Cyprus so we certainly do not see her as often as we would like.

The boys love that their Aunt Michele seems to be way “cooler” than their mom because she’s into crossfit, ceramics (they are still amazed at how good she is), UFC/MMA, video games and computers, anything zombie or shark related, and standup paddle boarding. She just sounds like a cool aunt doesn’t she! However I love her amazing knowledge and passion in cooking, gardening, traveling and the fact that this lady is well read! Her and her brother have an insatiable appetite for books and knowledge, it’s so neat! She always says she loved her time in the Air Force (I assume she is especially talking about the time she spent with me in basic…. ummmmmm probably not lol) and working as a software engineer. She is certainly embarking on a new path in life as a wife and I wish her so many blessings in this marriage! When she speaks, I listen as it’s gona be good stuff. Love you Michele and thanks for writing!

Posted in Recipes

8 Practical Uses for Diatomaceous Earth

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Jhenna Leave a comment

Diatomaceous Earth (DE), what is it good for, absolutely everything! Well, maybe not everything… I don’t think I will be using it to clean anything anytime soon as it creates more dust than a whirling dervish (I’m just assuming they kick up some dust).

I recently received a message from a friend asking, “Wanted to know if you have every used Diatomaceous Earth or knew anything about it?” Yup, I do know about DE as we have been using it here on the farm for several years.

This wonderful substance that we lovingly refer to as DE (because few, including me, can pronounce it’s full name consistently correctly) is widely used all over the world for a multitude of things. Here on The Shepherd Hobby Farm we use it as an animal feed additive, garden pest control, carpet duster and external parasite control (a lot like a topical flea/mite powder).

DE comes from fossilized diatoms (algae) that have calcified and layered as sedimentary rock. In the United States, it is now mined from old lake beds which are mainly in Colorado and Nevada. It feels like a very light powder because each diatom is so porous, but they each have jagged edges. These properties are key to its functions (according to Mother Earth News).

A bit of DE for your viewing pleasure.

I’ve heard people give two different explanations of how DE works. Many say it works in both of these ways.

One is that on a microscopic level, the diatomaceous earth particles are very sharp looking. These particles stick to an insect and get stuck between its exoskeleton joints. As the insect moves, it gets physically cut up.

The other explanation is that diatomaceous earth sticks to the insect and somehow causes them to dry out. I think this approach involves scratching the insects waxy layer which then allows precious moisture within the insect to get out. So their teeny tiny bug-innards turn into teeny tiny bug-innards-jerky.

Unless you’re buying filters for a swimming pool, the DE you want must be “food grade.” This won’t be contaminated with anything toxic and won’t be dangerous to breathe or handle. You can buy the food grade DE at your local feed store, some nurseries and online. One brand for smaller quantities is called “Pure-Earth.” Our 50# bags are called, “Perma-Guard.”

We go big! Our 50# bag of DE

Below I will list all the ways I know of that it can be used and the pluses and minuses of each use.

Worming medicine: We have goats, sheep, horses, dogs, cats, chickens, guineas, and rabbits here on The Shepherd Hobby Farm. Most of those animals (except for dogs, cats, and rabbits) are notorious for carrying worm loads on an ordinary day to day basis. We do fecal counts often to ensure our animals are within healthy ranges and keep them this way with the use of some chemical wormers when the need arises. However, our preventative program including herbs, minerals, and DE has provided us with a program in which our animals stay extrememly healthy using these natural ingredients. We mix DE into the horse, sheep, chicken, and goat feed each morning and evening. The concept behind this is that the DE travels through the animals system and the sharp edges of the DE do nothing to the animal (because they are so small) but wedge into the exoskeletons of the parasites and kill them.
Fly control. If you have horses (or cows, llamas, alpacas… hooved creatures that poop a lot) then you understand when I say I really dislike flies. The concept here is, “what goes in must come out.” The DE goes in through them eating their feed and also comes out when they poo. It’s there in it’s ever wonderful glory when flies come sand lay their eggs in the piles of poo. When the eggs hatch out in to little maggots the DE once again wedges itself in and around, tears them all up, and dehydrates them. This has drastically reduced our fly population the last few years. Sometimes I also sprinkle some DE on fresh piles I see flies swarming around just in case.
Insecticide in the garden: We do not use any chemical pesticides, herbicides, or insecticides here at the farm. At one point our chickens were loose to free range the entire property (including our front pirch which is why we have changed things a bit as far as chickens go) and therefore we chose not to use any chemicals that may make its wasy into our chickens and eggs. DE is thought to work externally on crawling insects by scratching the exoskeleton, absorbing protective lipids and causing them to dehydrate. Studies show that it is not harful to bees or earthworms (though I am a little dubious as I don’t know how it would affect maggots in a horse manure pile but not an earthworm… something seems a little off. I use DE sparingly in the garden and only when the infestation of unwanted critters is more than I can handle with handpicking and other pest control practices.
Carpet duster. We have four dogs and ten cats. Three of the four dogs are inside the majority of the time and many of the cats try to sneak in he house at every given opportunity. Therefore, even though they are all on flea and tick preventative it doesn’t mean some of these little icky pest won’t hitchike in on one of them to try to make a meal out of one of use. Therefore, once a week I dust my carpets with a mixture of baking soda, DE, and cedarwood essential oil. I let sit for a few hours (sometime sovernight) and vacuum up. This not only kills any pests in my carpets but also freshens and deodorizes it!
Pest control on the skin of animals: As I mentioned before, all ou dogs and cats are on a chemical flea prevention but we choose a more organic and natural route for tick and mites (chickens). We comb through our dogs and cats each day for ticks and dust the goats, sheep, and chickens with DE once a week. I sprinkle it onto their coats and rub it in while making them completely happy with a little rub down. They LOVE this one on one time!
Hydroponic: DE is like perlite or vermiculite and retains water and nutrients in the soil. Its porosity means that the soil will also drain well. This makes it great for potted plants.
Feed bags: With some of the animal’s feed bags that are particularly susceptible to insects and pests I put a cup of DE in and mix it all up so they die, die, die and stop eating my anima’s feed!
Human detox: I have not done this but have heard about it being done… Many people eat a quarter cup of food grade diatomaceous earth every day. They mix it into juice. I have visited with several people that are keen on living past 100 years that believe that eating lots diatomaceous earth every day will help them with that goal. I have found references where it is cited for colon cleansing, parasite control and detox. Not really interested myself, but just thought I’d throw that out there.

Earthworks Health has an interesting list of uses and claims for DE (human use). Check it out if you are interested in seeing what all DE could do for your body.

Well folks, that’s what I’ve got for DE. Thanks for the questio Karis and feel free to ask any follow-up questions or let me know what your plans ar with DE. Anyone else have ideas for DE?

Happy Day All!

Jhenna

Posted in Day in the Life

DIY Toothache Relief

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Jhenna 5 comments

All righty, I am supposed to be working on several different blog posts right now… Uses for Diamesteacous Earth, Gardening… When Can I FINALLY Get Dirty?, Unschooling a High Schooler, What’s For Dinner?, and the list goes on for quite a ways.

However… I have a toothache. Not just any toothache… I have a pounding, jackhammer in my jaw, head and neck hurting kind of toothache. About a month ago I cracked a tooth or a filling (not sure which) and lost a big chunk of something (tooth, filling, who knows… just a gaping spot that needed fixing… hand me the spackle!). Went to dentist, he fixed me up with a huge silver looking filling (no gold 🙁 ) and sent me on my way.

Well, Wednesday night (3 days ago) I started getting this bad toothache. I looked and sure enough there’s a crack on the big silver filling part. Called my dentist first thing Thursday morning and the soonest I could get in is next Wednesday. I’m really not a complainer but this sucker hurts!

I called back about 3 hours later that day and asked to be put on the cancellation waiting list… I promised I could be there in 5 minutes (virtually impossible as we live 15 minutes away from dentist but I was willing to promise anything at that point) if someone canceled. I was given a pain med presciption for Hydrocodon with Acetaminophen (Tylenol) after I kept calling the dentist office every hour to check if anyone had canceled (I totally was not offended when every time the receptionist said “Don’t worry Jhenna, we will call you. You do not need to call us, we will call you.”) I scaled back to every 2 hours just in case. I promise I am not usually this neurotic but did I mention my tooth really hurt?

I lamented to my husband via text and he suggested I look around to see if I could get in somewhere else. I did, I couldn’t. All dentists were conspiring against me most assuredly. Had the receptionist called everyone and told them I was crazy? Possibly, but the tooth WAS making me crazy.

So then the research started. What can be done at home for a toothache? Amazingly enough, doomsday preppers offered the best insight and advice! The following is a list that Kevin and I came up with and the success rate of each (or why I didn’t try them).

Ummmm do I have to say “I am not a doctor and this is not to be considere medical advice?” OK, I am not a doctor and this is not considered medical advice. I just tried some stuff and wrote down what happened (or didn’t happen). Feel free to try these at home but don’t blame me if your kids laugh at you, you develop a drinking problem, you become obsessed with essential oils, or your tooth explodes.

1. Orajel or Ambesol: A benzocaine topical ointment meant to numb the area. I was told by my dentist and most “preppers” agreed, DON’T USE THIS. It can cause abscesses to rupture which can easily lead to infection.

2. Over the counter pain relief meds: Ibuprofen can work for some but should not be taken in conjunction with Tylenol. Tylenol works well but can be rough on your organs. Aspirin is another good option (can be rough on tummy) and can be used in conjunction with the Tylenol. I have been taking the prescription Tylenol with Hydrocodon every 4 hours and the aspirin every 3 hours to offset when the Tylenol starts to wear off. Seriously, this tooth hurts that bad.

3. Warm salt water: Yes! This is one that has helped a lot but only gives temporary relief (about 20 minutes). Warm water with as much salt as you can stand. Swish it around in your mouth, especially the affected area, as often as needed. I am doing this about every 2 hours and after I eat or drink anything.

4. Whiskey: OK, seriously, whiskey? Yup! Kevin brought home a bottle of whiskey and sure enough it works (though only very short term for me). The first time I tried it was yesterday. Kevin had just gotten home with Bayer aspirin, whiskey, and clove oil. Took some Bayer aspirin right away and decided to try whiskey next because my tooth really hurt.

I asked, “Will this hurt?” Kevin replied, “Nah, it’s just whiskey.” I poured a little in a glass, hesitated for a second and then filled up my mouth and immediately swished it over to the upper right side of my mouth… OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW, yup that hurt. Like a bolt of electricity shot through my upper right jaw and needless to say I screamed and spit it out.

My oldest son came in, curious as to what was going on. No worries, dad is just trying to kill mom with whiskey, carry on son. Apparently this was entertaining because he stayed to watch and our youngest son even found his way in for the show.

I decided to try again as maybe it was just the pressure of shooting the liquid directly at my tooth that made it hurt like that. Or maybe I’m just a glutton for punishment… either way my tooth still hurt.

I poured another glass, filled my mouth, and slowly tilted my head to the right and let the whiskey ease it’s way over my tooth area. It burned (like burned my whole mouth, how do people drink this stuff?) but I just kept my head tilted and let the whiskey sit on and in my tooth area. I was then able to swish, swish, swish gently without pain. The toothache even went away while I was swishing and it was surrounded by it’s warm whiskey blanket.

I spit out the whiskey and my mouth burned for a short time but the toothache stayed away for all of 5 minutes! Woohoo! On to the next thing…

5. Clove oil: I had never heard of this but apparently doomsday preppers love this one! Clove essential oil is an amazing topical pain reliever. Kevin had found “Red Cross Toothache” at CVS which contained pure clove oil with sunflower oil (a carrier oil is a must to prevent skin burning). It even came with itty bitty cotton balls and cute little tweezers to grab the cotton balls, stick them in the oil, and then place on the tooth (not the gums, directly on the tooth).

I was dubious, but prepared to try anything especially with two sons expecting me to try the whole arsenal of tooth care products found by dad. Yeah, mom is an awesome guinea pig. Besides, those itty bitty cotton balls are adorable!

So I got a cotton ball, dipped it in the clove oil, placed it up against my tooth with one finger and held it there for the required 1 minute (Kevin was keeping track with the boys encouraging me the entire time… tooth care is a family affair at The Shepherd Hobby Farm!) I had brushed the cotton ball against my lips and cheek by accident on the way to my upper right tooth and noticed a tingling burning sensation in every area the clove oil had touched. As the seconds ticked by the burning increased.

I tried to ask Kevin if the burning was normal (hindsight… why in the world would he know?) but I had my massive farmworking hands shoved in my mouth holding the itty bitty cottonball up against my tooth so it was a little difficult to get my question undestood. The boys were laughing because apaprently this was all very funny. My oldest son offered up, “I think she says it’s burning” as I emphatically shook my head yes. Kevin’s reply, “Ok, only about 20 seconds left.”

Minute done, cotton ball came out and surprisingly there was no tooth pain. In fact, my whole rights side of my mouth is numb. Nice, I’ll take it! So the clove oil is effective for about 30 to 45 minutes which is awesome and I have repeated it several times since then.

6. Ice packs: If there is an abscess (or not I guess) and there’s swelling an ice pack held up to the outside of the affcted area relieves some pain. Yes, this worked for me but became uncomfortable after a while and it’s annoying to walk around with an ice pack taped to the side of your head (I will not confirm nor deny that I did that).

7. Vanilla Extract: Saturate a cotton ball with vanilla and hold in place. Can also use a cotton swab dipped in extract. I tried this with imitation vanilla extract and it did nothing. Not going all the way to store for pure vanilla extract. Anyone try this and have it work? Just curious.

8. Almond Extract: Same method of treatment as with Vanilla (above). I did have pure almond extract and it did nothing to help.

9. Peppermint Extract: Same as with Vanilla (above). Didn’t have it, not going to store to get it.

10. Lemon Extract: Same as with Vanilla (above). Didn’t have it, not going to store to get it.

11. Tea tree oil: Saturate a cotton ball with oil and hold in place. Can also use a cotton swab dipped in oil. Tried this (yeah for lotion and soap making supplies!!) and the tea tree oil tasted so nasty I did not hold it on long enough for it to be effective. Nasty tasting stuff!

12. Apple Cider Vinegar: Soak a cotton ball with apple cider vinegar (ACV) and hold it in place. Can also try regular household vinegar. I tried both of these. It stung like crazy and actually made it hurt worse 🙁 Bad vinegar, very bad.

13: Baking Soda: Take a cotton swab and moisten it with a bit of water, dip it in baking soda (coat the swab really well with baking soda) then apply. You can also make a mouth rinse by mixing a heaping spoonful of baking soda in a small glass of lukewarm to warm water, dissolve the soda then swish the mixture in your mouth. Tried it, offered no relief.

14. Warm or hot compress against outside of affected area. I was told by my dentist to never ever use anything warm or hot on the cheek because it will help to breed the infection (if there is one) and make it worse.

15. Potato: Cut a fresh piece of potato (raw, skin off) and hold in place. Can also pound a piece of raw potato, mix in a bit of salt and use the mash. Seriously? This one was a little weird and not nearly as fun as whiskey but probably a lot less likely to hurt so I gave it a shot. It did nothing to help 🙁

Ok, so there you have it? Any other toothache cures that you all hae? I’d love to hear them because it’s Saturday and I still don’t head to the dentist until Wednesday (unless someone cancels… please someone cancel!!) and I only have 4 of my prescription pills left (which work THE BEST!!) to last me until Monday. Sorry for kinda sounding like an addict right there… it’s the tooth talking! UGH! Ain’t nobody got time for this.

Posted in Day in the Life

“Cyprus Sunset Soap” Recipe

Posted on March 29, 2014 by Jhenna Leave a comment

Cyprus Sunset Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

My sister-in-law and her husband live in Cyprus (island in the Mediterranean) so we are very blessed to get all sorts of amazing treats. Not too long ago she sent me a bag of saffron, the most expensive spice in the world. This wasn’t a little bag, this was a huge, “I love you so much and you are the best sister-in-law in the world” bag of saffron!

Saffron has a number of versatile uses aside from flavoring foods. It is used as an aromatic in baths, utilized in perfumes, and can also be used as a dye. And because its flavor and aromas are powerfully intense, it can be used very sparingly. Saffron is often added to many food products simply as a coloring, such as cheese, soups, rice, and even various alcohols.

I chose to develop my own soap based on saffron. It was kinda like an Iron Chef episode where “saffron” was the star ingredient but this was “Iron Soaping” and I was challenging only myself (I like those no pressure situations!).

I was also feeling a bit homesick for extended family so I decided to throw in some cedar as that is my grandpa’s favorite wood (he even has an email address with “cedar” in it, cool eh!). I wanted this soap to be all natural (no artificial coloring etc.) so I went to work researching how I would get a brown coloring for my white base I was using… hello cocoa (melted chocolate would have worked too). I wanted the bottom to look like wood though in the future I think I’ll try the melted chocolate as the cocoa didn’t turn it as dark as I wanted in the long run. Still turned out nice. The top glycerin part was colored with only saffron and I added saffron oil and cedar oil for the scent… oh how I love this bar of soap!

Adjust the amount of base and ingredients you use to fit your mold but I used the typical white, 9″L, 4″W, and 2 1/4″ tall Michaels Craft Store soap mold and the amount fit in perfectly. This is actually a very easy recipe with few ingredients which are all natural but it can be a spendy soap to make if you don’t have connections in the Mediterranean or Spain (they produce the most saffron). However, I have had many requests for the recipe so here goes!

Ingredients:

2 pounds white base soap (melt and pour). I used a great mango and shea butter blend.

1 pound clear glycerin base soap (melt and pour)

1 oz cedarwood essential oil

1 oz saffron essential oil

2 tsp cocoa powder

2 Tbs ground oatmeal

2 tsp dried saffron

spray bottle with alcohol (70% rubbing alcohol)

Directions:

Clean and make your work area safe and sanitized. It is recommended that you wear gloves and a hair net while preparing melt and pour soaps but truth be told I only do so when working with cold process soaps. I do tie my hair back and make sure pets are out of the room so no doggy hair or my hair makes its way into my soaps.
Cut your bases up into chunks and put in two separate bowls.
Heat your white base (I use microwave at 30 second intervals) until melted. Stir to ensure everything is melted. If you can heat your clear base at the same time until it melts or do it after your white base.
Add cocoa to the white base and stir, stir, stir. You may add more if you want the color darker. Add oatmeal and stir to incorporate. Add cedarwood and stir to incorporate.
Pour into your mold soap into molds when grounds are suspended throughout soap base. Spray top with alcohol to get rid of air bubbles. Allow to cool enough to create a tough top layer that gives slightly when touched but you do not get any soap on your finger.
Add dried saffron to the clear base and stir. You will notice the color starts to change to a yellowish orange. Beautiful 🙂 Add saffron essential oil and stir to incorporate.
Allow the bottom layer in mold to cool enough to create a tough top layer that gives slightly when touched but you do not get any soap on your finger.
Spray your soap in mold with quite a bit of alcohol (saturate) and gently pour your saffron soap over the bottom base layer (many times I spoon some over first to make sure it can withstand the weight)
Spray the top of the soap with alcohol to remove air bubbles.
Let sit in mold for a few hours (less time in a cool environment), unmold, cut, and enjoy!

There you have it! Enjoy and please oh please post pictures and/or comments of your saffron soap and about soaping in general

Jhenna

Posted in Soap Making

Lemon Shrimp Linguine

Posted on March 27, 2014 by Jhenna One comment

I’m tellin’ ya, life is interesting. The choices we make are interesting.

As I am typing my little blog post this morning I am enjoying some great whole grain rustic loaf toast with black raspberry jelly (last jar from last summers canning goodness)…

I slathered my toast with the jelly deliciousness and as I’m eating and attempting to type (with a bandaged right index finger from a deep cut on the tip… stupid piece of metal sheeting roofing thingy attacked me) I notice the jelly slowly inching its way closer to my toast’s edge.

I raise my left hand up (toast holding hand), tilting the toast the other way so the jelly heads south instead of north (or west to east, left to right, up to down, who knows…) and continue to try to type with my right hand… ouch ouch ouch every time I tap a key with my index finger.

Another choice I could have made was to put the toast down and take a little break from typing when I wanted to steal a bite. But then could I truly be the multitasking mom, blogger and superwoman that I continually and foolishly try to be?

Lemon Shrimp Linguine (both of my sons LOVE this dish and have since the day I first made it so many years ago)

Ingredients:

2 to 3 lemons (depending on size)

1 pound of frozen or fresh uncooked, peeled, deveined, and tail off shrimp

Linguine noodles

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs olive oil

2 shallots (small onions usually pre-packaged in mesh bags of two or three. If you can’t get them I have used white and vidalia onions as well. Use 1/4 of a large onion. Grow some shallots this year in your garden or a pot… SOOOOO yummy and they can be kinda spendy in the store)

Garlic (4 cloves or 1 Tbs plus 1 tsp)… not a fan of garlic? Why? it is so very good for you. but if you insist you can use less

Fresh (or bagged) spinach

Parsley (fresh)

Salt

Pepper

Oh great a glob of jelly just went down my arm and the sleeve of my robe. Those globs really get going when helped along by gravity. I could not get to it quickly enough and I was just trying to save the keyboard! I need some coffee and did anyone just see that squirrel?

I think it’s going to be one of those mornings… the ones where nothing goes as planned, I’m on the verge of being cranky for no apparent reason but seem to think I have every right to be, and I will flitter about staying ever so busy but have no finished task to show for my work. Oh yes and it’s Thursday, my homework is due tonight (working on my Masters in Education) UGH!!

I’m back… all cleaned up and with coffee. Did I mention I have a cracked tooth and the soonest our dentist can get me in is next Wednesday? My amazing and supportive husband mentioned that maybe I should find a backup dentist but I refuse because my current dentist gives me awesome gas so I don’t feel the numbing shot. I’ve grown quite fond of that gas. Judge me as you will… I’ve never done illegal drugs so this is the closest thing I will ever get to “high”… I think it’s nitrous oxide? Nitrogen and Oxygen… it certainly can’t be bad for me because those are things we breathe every day (yes, I know my logic is grossly skewed) but I do wonder how many brain cells I’m willing to risk in the name of comfortable dentistry.

I have to admit, lately with all the dentistry I’ve had I actually look forward to sitting in that chair and just relaxing… no where else to be, nothing else I can do, and no one expecting conversation. I think I’ll send him a thank you note 🙂

Let’s try this again…

Lemon Shrimp Linguine (both of my sons LOVE this dish and have since the day I first made it so many years ago)

Ingredients:

2 to 3 lemons (depending on size)
1 pound shrimp (frozen or fresh… uncooked, peeled, deveined, and tail off)
linguine noodles
2 shallots (small onions usually pre-packaged in mesh bags of two or three. If you can’t get them I have used white and vidalia onions as well. Use 1/4 of a large onion. Grow some shallots this year in your garden or a pot… SOOOOO yummy and they can be kinda spendy in the store)
Garlic (4 cloves or 1 Tbs plus 1 tsp)… not a fan of garlic? Why? it is so very good for you. but if you insist you can use less
1/4 cup plus 2 Tbs olive oil
Fresh (or bagged) spinach (1 small or medium bag)
Parsley (fresh)
Salt
Pepper

It’s a good idea to use a nice big stock pot to cook your pasta. Pasta needs plenty of room to move around when boiling to help prevent a sticky starchy mess. Perfectly cooked pasta is called “al dente,” which in Italian means “to the tooth.” Al dente pasta is cooked just enough to retain a firm texture while being fully pliable.

Some tips for telling when pasta is al dente…

Boil the pasta according to the package’s instructions.
At the minimum cooking time indicated on the package, or even a minute before, remove a piece of pasta from the boiling water with a fork.
If the pasta is mildly chewy but doesn’t stick in your teeth, it is done.
If the pasta seems a little hard or sticks to your teeth, cook it 1 minute longer and test it again.
If you don’t relish tasting hot pasta, cut a piece in half. Then look at the cross-section of the pasta. If you can see a difference between the very center and the outer ring of the pasta, it’s not done. If the pasta is one continuous shade and texture, it’s done.
Don’t ever rinse your pasta

Steps:

1.Put your pot of water on the stove and turn to high to get it a boilin’ (I use a gallon of water in my large stock pot). Cover pot (if you have a cover, no big deal if you don’t).

Pot of water … watched pot never boils… stop watching my pot!

2. Zest 1 lemon

*don’t have a zester?… it’s a really good tool to have in the kitchen! Pampered Chef has a great one or check out reviews on Amazon.com for a good one. You want a high quality zester for the same reason that you want a high quality knife, easier to use and safer (usually holds their “sharpness longer” therefore making it easier and safe to cut (knife) or zest (zester) things). Place your zest from 1 lemon into the 1/4 cup of olive oil, give it a little stir and set it aside.

Ooh I have an idea… if you share and comment below this post I will enter you into a drawing for a free Pampered Chef zester! The name will be drawn randomly This Sunday, March 30th at 7:00pm central time so share and comment before then. I’ll mail it to the winner (or deliver if you are local).

The zester (this one is Pampered Chef)

3. Zest your second lemon into/onto (whatever… grammar is not my strongest point) a bowl or plate. Did you know you get more juice out of a lemon when it is at room temperature You do!

Cut all the lemons in half and juice them (with a juicer or the sheer strength of your hands). Pick out all seeds (if you squeezed by hand), no one wants to eat lemon seeds. You will want about 1/4 cup of lemon juice (no more but it can be a bit less). Add the zest of your lemon (on the plate or in the bowl) to your lemon juice and set aside.

Just a juicin’!

4. Finely chop your shallots and mince your garlic. If you have a garlic press I highly recommend you mince fresh garlic cloves but to be honest there are some great brands of already minced garlic out there that taste just as good and make 1 less dirty dish (oh wait… you won’t be scooping it out of the jar with your fingers, you will need a spoon so I guess the amount of dirty dishes remains the same).

: garlic and shallots

5. Put your 2 Tbs of oilive oil in a large skillet (I love using my wok for this recipe) and turn to medium high (on the higher end of medium or lower end of high, however you want to think about it). Let it heat up for a couple minutes and then throw your garlic and onions in to sauté (cook in oil over a high heat). Let them cook for about 2 minutes, stirring and “tossing” (that’s what I call messing with food in a skillet or wok) only a couple times.

shallots and garlic hanging out together happily

6. Add your shrimp to the skillet with garlic and shallots. Here I admit we double the shrimp but only because my oldest son LOVES shrimp and tends to eat more shrimp than linguine. Toss (stir) them about a bit to get them mixed with the shallots and garlic.

We put two bags of these in but most would probably like just one... wow, just realized we eat 120 shrimp.

We put two bags of these in but most would probably like just one… wow, just realized we eat at least 120 shrimp.

You will notice as the shrimp cook they turn from white to pink. They are considered done when they are fully pink 🙂

just put in, white, raw shrimp

Starting to turn pink

We have cooked shrimp!

When your shrimp is done cooking just pull it off the heat and set aside.

7. At some point up until now your water should be boiling or close to it. When boiling, heavily salt your water (1 to 2 Tbs depending on how much linguine you are cooking), break your linguine in half and put it in the boiling water. I love using sea salt and buy organic sea salt in bulk and then store it in quart jars.

: Sea salt, yum!

We cook the entire box of linguine (a pound? That can’t be right… do we really eat a pound of pasta as a family of 4?) Two growing boys makes the amount of pasta I cook seem more normal I guess. However, according to the serving size indication on the back of the box I am cooking 8 servings of pasta… and then adding shrimp and spinach. We like to eat good food.

Serving “suggestion”… I’ll just dump the whole box in thank you very much!

8. Cook pasta according to directions on package and tips listed above.

9. When pasta is done strain it (DO NOT RINSE) and put it back into big pot. Make sure your burner is off (will probably still be warm, that’s fine). Add shrimp mixture, lemon juice with zest, and strain your olive oil into big pot (don’t want the zest from olive oil in pot). Add salt (1 tsp or less) and pepper (1/2 tsp or less). Mix everything together.

straining lemon olive oil

10. The final step is one based on preference. You can either dump the bag of spinach into the pot and gently stir, the spinach will wilt and get soft because of heat of pasta (yummy!) or if you like your spinach a little more crisp you can plate your spinach and add the pasta on top. Once plated (whichever method you use) add a couple piches of chopped fresh parsley.

yum yum yum

Enjoy and happy cooking and eating! This is a favorite here at The Shepherd Hobby Farm

Jhenna

Posted in Recipes

Available Bath and body products

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jhenna One comment

Welcome to Simple Hobby Homesteading’s goat’s milk bath and body product page. We have a wonderful herd of Nubians, mini-Nubians, fainters, and Nigerian Dwarf goats that provide us plentifully with rich milk for our products! Everything is made by me here at The Shepherd Hobby Farm and I can even tell you the name of each goat who’s milk goes into your product (I always label the containers after each goat is milked) if you’d like to know 🙂

These are all the goat’s milk bath and body products I currently have available! Please check back often as this changes on an almost daily basis as orders are filled and new soaps cure. If you don’t see anything you like please feel free to email me and let me know what you would like to see! We do take wholesale custom orders upfront as well.

Goat’s Milk: Goat milk soap is wonderful for people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. It also makes a fantastic bar for folks of ALL skin types to maintain that healthy glow so don’t feel like you have to have skin problems to justify pampering yourself with goat’s milk products. Unprocessed goat milk fresh from the farm (which ours is) contains many benefits to include:

* alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid which help remove dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. This leaves new cells on the surface of your skin that are
smoother and younger looking

* vitamins…Goat milk contains many vitamins, but is particularly high in Vitamin A, which
is necessary to repair damaged skin tissue, and maintain healthy skin. There have been several medical studies showing that creams made with Vitamin A reduce
lines and wrinkles, control acne, and provide some psoriasis relief.

* Cream…Fat molecules are an important part of making good soap. The cream that is
present in goat milk helps boost the moisturizing quality of goat milk soaps

* Minerals…Goat milk contains important minerals for the skin such as selenium. Selenium is believed by scientists to have an important role in preventing skin cancer.
Selenium can also help prevent damage to the skin from excessive time in the sun

Shipping rate varies depending on the order but if you are in the Owensboro, Evansville, Boonville, Newburgh, or Chandler area we can easily work out a drop off 🙂 You can also mix and match any $5 soaps for the 3/$12 deal.

We also put together awesome gift boxes which I am working on getting pictures of to go with each description.

Please note each batch is unique and will look somewhat similar to the picture shown but may look a bit different depending on my mood, patience for artistic flair, weather, and any soap gremlins that stir up trouble in a batch. No matter the looks I promise each soap to have the ingredients listed and be amazing!

Lotion: 4 ounce: $5 2 ounce: $3 bagged (to fill your own container): $1 per ounce

Essential oils

Peppermint

Rosemary Peppermint

Lavender

Spearmint Eucalyptus

Bug Off Blend (mosquito and tick repellant)

Patchouli

Muscle Rescue

Sinus Relief

Lemongrass

Lemon Verbena

many more… you name it I probably have it or can get it!

Essential and fragrance oil mix

Aloha California (orange coconut)

Lime Coconut

Vanilla Coffee

Fragrance oils

You name it and I have it… soooo many!

________________________________________________________________________

Man Soap

*picture to come soon*

Ingredients:

312 Beer: The younger generation (mid twenties) seem to really like this beer so that makes this a Hipster soap, right? It’s a great beer folks, how could we go wrong? Beer actually adds to the moisturizing and lather of the bar of soap and gives amazing natural color!

Goat’s milk: Contains minerals (such as selenium which is thought to prevent skin cancer), vitamins (especially high in vitamin A which repairs damaged skin tissue), anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, moisturizing.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather, cleansing properties, and hardness to the bar.

Tallow:

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap… well, soap.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Shea Butter: Softens skin

Fragrance oil: Urban Cowboy fragrance oil, smells like a really awesome men’s cologne but not too strong… just right!

________________________________________________________________________

Blue Lagoon

*picture to come soon (basic cream rectangle bar)*

Ingredients:

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather, cleansing properties, and hardness to the bar.

Tallow: Provides creamy and stable lather. It also makes a soap that is very moisturizing and gentle to your skin

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap… well, soap.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Shea Butter: Softens skin

Fragrance oil: “Blue Lagoon” fragrance, fresh and clean smelling

________________________________________________________________________

Childhood Memories

*picture to come soon (basic cream rectangle bar)*

Ingredients:

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather, cleansing properties, and hardness to the bar.

Tallow: Provides creamy and stable lather. It also makes a soap that is very moisturizing and gentle to your skin

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap… well, soap.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Shea Butter: Softens skin

Fragrance oil: “Childhood” fragrance… think of clean sheets, warm breeze, and fresh air… yup, that’s what this soap delivers!

________________________________________________________________________

Lavender

*picture to come soon (basic cream rectangle bar)*

Ingredients:

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather, cleansing properties, and hardness to the bar.

Tallow: Provides creamy and stable lather. It also makes a soap that is very moisturizing and gentle to your skin

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap… well, soap.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Shea Butter: Softens skin

Lavender Essential oil: Calming effect on body and reduces anxiety, stress as well as promotes sleep. Most commonly associated with burns and the healing of skin.

________________________________________________________________________

Date Night

*picture to come soon (basic cream rectangle bar)*

Ingredients:

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather, cleansing properties, and hardness to the bar.

Tallow: Provides creamy and stable lather. It also makes a soap that is very moisturizing and gentle to your skin

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap… well, soap.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Shea Butter: Softens skin

Fragrance oil: “Ezra Fitch” fragrance… masculine fragrance launched by Abercrombie and Fitch in 2006… it has a clean and “modern” scent. Young men really like this soap! The scent reminds me of a young couple heading out for a night on the town.

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Beer Soap

#022

Beer Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photographed by Casey Braden

Beer Soap (with Frankincense and Myrh scent) made by Jhenna Conway and photographed by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Palm oil: Provides a mild soap that cleans well and adds to the hardness of the bar of soap.

Samuel Adams Lager: Ummmm it’s a great beer folks, how could we go wrong? Beer actually adds to the moisturizing and lather of the bar of soap and gives amazing natural color!

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Available with or without fragrance (frankincense and myrh)

$5 or 3/$12 or

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Coconut Lime Soap

#014

**Temporarily Sold out… Making more!!****

Coconut Dreams made by Jhenna Conway and photograph by Casey Braden.

Coconut Dreams is a fun and refreshing coconut lime triple butter soap that stands beautifully on its own but pairs exceptionally well with our Coconut Dreams Goat’s Milk Lotion as well. You can say we put the lime in the coconut and shook it all up 🙂

Ingredients:

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Mango Butter: Moisturizing

Shea Butter: Softens Skin

Cocoa Butter: Moisturizing

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye)): Moisturizer

Lime Essential Oil: Uplifting and reviatlizing scent properties. Acts as an astringent (help clear oily skin)

Coconut Fragrance Oil: This fragrance is phthalate free. Fresh and clean smelling scent.

Shredded Coconut: Exfoliant.

Lime Zest: Exfoliant as well as an astringent (help clear oily skin).

$5 or 3/$12

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Oceanfront Property Soap

#005

Oceanfront Property amde by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Shea butter: Softens skin

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Oatmeal: Moisturizer, skin softener, repairs and revitalizes skin.

Ground almonds: Antioxidants reduce wrinkles and fine lines, fights acne, major source of vitamin E (nourishes skin and vital for healthy skin), exfoliant.

Epsom salt (magnesium): Essential electrolyte mineral for our bodies. So many people are deficient in magnesium. Often called the “lamp of life” magnesium is a skin soother as well.

Honey: Antimicrobial (antibacterial), anti fungal and a humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture). You’re welcome for the new “word of the day”

Ocean rain fragrance oil

Blue colorant: Can be special ordered without the colorant.

$5 or 3/$12

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Dinosaur Discovery Soaps

Dinosaur Discovery is a great soap that can be made to order with whatever scent and color (optional) you would like. I have a clear glycerin base that I use as well as a olive oil alove vera base… both are wonderful! The dinosaur is firmly embedded in the middle so it will take some great handwashing to get to him/her (how does one tell male or female dinoasaur toys apart? Ponder that tonight!)

Ingredients:

All soaps will contain:

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Shea butter: Softens skin

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Scent: Optional

Color: Optional

Choice of clear Glycerin and Aloe Vera/Olive Oil soap base.

$6 per soap

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Vanilla Coffee Soap

#003

Starbucks Vanilla Coffee Soap, made by me, Jhenna Conway, and picture by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Mango Butter: Moisturizing

Shea Butter: Softens Skin

Cocoa Butter: Moisturizing

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Vanilla Coffee: Fragrance, skin hydrating

Jojoba oil: Most closely resembles the natural oils of our skin. Hardly anyone is allergic or sensitive to this oil (actually a wax) and therefore it is often recommended for baby cradle cap and diaper rash. Antibacterial and anti fungal and rich in skin nourishing vitamins.

Castor oil: A humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture) and increases bubbles in soaping (“bubble booster”).

Coffee Fragrance Oil: smells great and wakes ya up!

French Vanilla Essential Oil: Comforting and relaxing fragrance.

Coffee Grounds: Fragrance and exfoliation

$5 or 3/$12

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Chamomile Face Soap

#019

**Temporarily sold out, making more**

Chamomile Face Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Olive Oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Soybean Oil: Adds mildness, lots of fluffy lather, and is moiturizing.

Coconut Oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Goat’s Milk:Goat milk soap is wonderful for people with dry or sensitive skin, or conditions such as eczema and psoriasis. Unprocessed goat milk fresh from the farm (which ours is) contains many benefits to include:

* alpha-hydroxy acids such as lactic acid which help remove dead skin cells from your skin’s surface. This leaves new cells on the surface of your skin that are
smoother and younger looking

* Cream…Fat molecules are an important part of making good soap. The cream that is
present in goat milk helps boost the moisturizing quality of goat milk soaps

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure
for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are
what make soap soap.

Palmarosa Essential Oil: Sweet and flral aroma with hint of rose. It has antiseptic, bactericidal, digestive, hydrating and digestive and circulatory stimulant properties.

Patchouli Essential Oil: Warm and earthy aroma with fresh fruity tones. Effective for combating nervous disorders, helping with dandruff, sores, skin irritations and acne.

Dried Chamomile Flowers: Provides soothing calming and cleansing benefits useful for burns, blisters, inflamed wounds, dermatitis, eczema, rashes and wounds.

$5 or 3/$12

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Can’t Wait Til Summer Soap

#002

Can’t Wait Tiil Summer made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Shea butter: Softens skin

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Castor oil: A humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture) and increases bubbles in soaping (“bubble booster”).

Lemongrass essential oil: Invigorating and antiseptic properties. Astringent properties as well as an anti-depressant. Tones and fortifies the nervous system and soothes muscular nerves and pain.

Lemon-eucalyptus essential oil: Assists with ailments such as arthritis, bronchitis, cold sores, colds, coughing, fever, flu, poor circulation and sinusitis.

Lavender essential oil: Calming effect on body and reduces anxiety, stress as well as promotes sleep. Most commonly associated with burns and the healing of skin.

Ground oats: Moisturizer, skin softener, repairs and revitalizes skin.

Ground almonds: Antioxidants reduce wrinkles and fine lines, fights acne, major source of vitamin E (nourishes skin and vital for healthy skin), exfoliant.

Lemon zest: Exfoliant and antiseptic.

Dried lavender buds: Exfoliant

Dried lemongrass: Exfoliant, atiseptic and invigorating aroma.

$5 or 3/$12

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Goat’s Milk Carrot Bastille Baby Bar

#020

**Temporarily sold out, making more**

Goat’s Milk Carrot Bastille Baby Bar Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photgraphed by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Olive Oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut Oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Carrot Baby Food: Natural carrot ingredient beta-carotene is a powerful antioxidant that noxious and harmful toxins from our body works to remove. In addition, it enhances the regeneration, renewal and expansion of skin cells that makes you shed old, dead cells faster. The result is a fine white skin for those who have tried the product because healthy new cells are exposed.

$5 or 3/$12

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Eucalyptus and Spearmint

MY ALL TIME FAVORITE!!!!!!

**picture soon to come**

Ingredients:

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Shea butter: Softens skin

Tallow:

Eucalyptus Essential Oil: Refreshing fragrance that is fantastic on skin ailments such as burns, insect bites, lice and skin infections, as well as to help combat the effects of colds and flu.

Spearmint Essential oil:

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Doggy Dreams Soap

#011

**Temporarily sold out, making more**

Doggy Dreams made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Doggy Dreams made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Jhenna Conway

Here are the qulaity of pictures you will get when Casey doesn’t do my photography… I had snapped a quick pic to show her the stamped paw prints on teh burlap and she said she liked the sleeping Axel in the background… I hadn’t even noticed he was there!

This bar is a dog owner’s dream! The antiparasitic, antifungal,a dn antiseptic qualities make it not only perfect for a dog bar but also for people with athlete’s foot! So just jump in the shower with Fido when he’s due his next bath and trust that this shampoo bar is safe and beneficial for you both!

Ingredients:

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Shea butter: Softens skin

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Oatmeal: Moisturizer, skin softener, repairs and revitalizes skin.

Neem oil: Known as “plant with a promise” this oil is the wonder oil of all oils. Because of cost an fragrance (by itself) it is not widely used. Nevermind the cost, I needed a bath bar for my dogs that was awesome AND safe for me to use! Anti-bacterial, antifungal and anti-parasitic, neem is extremely beneficial in treating various infections and strengthening the immune system. It is extremely beneficial for eczema prone skin and will benefit people who suffer from psoriasis and acne. Its astringent properties help to cure minor cuts and wounds. Neem oil helps to relieve dry and itchy skin.

Castor oil: A humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture) and increases bubbles in soaping (“bubble booster”).

Honey: Antimicrobial (antibacterial), anti fungal and a humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture).

Litsea essential oil: Calming and anti-inflammatory properties. Is an astringent, antiseptic and natural insecticide.

Lavender essential oil: Calming effect on body and reduces anxiety, stress as well as promotes sleep. Most commonly associated with burns and the healing of skin.

Tea tree essential oil: Antiseptic and immune system stimulant. Fights all three categories of infectious organisms (bacteria, fungi and viruses). Combats acne, oily skin, head lice and dandruff. Now you can see why this is a MUST in dog shampoo bars!

Peppermint essential oil: Stress relief (so many dogs are totally stressed over baths!), topical pain relief, soothing and hay fever (allergies) relief. It is also an expectorant and

$5 or 3/$12

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Himalayan Mountain Air Soap

#006

Himalayan Mountain Air made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

**Not a goat’s milk soap**

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Himalayan sea salt: Used to stimulate circulation, relax the body, lower blood pressure, soothe sore muscles, and remove toxins from the body. Has a rich mineral content that includes over 84 minerals and trace elements such as: calcium, magnesium, potassium, copper and iron. It can also assist with relief from arthritis, skin rashes, psoriasis, herpes, and flu and fever symptoms.

Peppermint essential oil: Stress relief (so many dogs are totally stressed over baths!), topical pain relief, soothing and hay fever (allergies) relief. It is also an expectorant and decongestant which helps clear your respiratory tract.

Rosemary essential oil: Stimulates cell renewal and improves dry skin, easing lines and wrinkles. Helpful in clearing acne, blemishes or dull dry skin by fighting bacteria and regulating oil secretions. Imprives circulation and can reduce the apearance of broken capillaries and varicose veins.

Lemon essential oil: Cleanser, antiseptic, refreshing and cooling properties.

Eucalyptus essential oil: Refreshing fragrance that is fantastic on skin ailments such as burns, insect bites, lice and skin infections, as well as to help combat the effects of colds and flu.

$5 or 3/$12 or

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Bunny Takes a Bath Soap

#007

Ingredients:

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Shea butter: Softens skin

Distilled water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizer

fragrance or essential oil of your choice::

Blue colorant

1 plastic toy bunny: Awesome fun and bendy

$6 each and can change scent to whatever you want for $1.00 extra.

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Aloha California Soap

#008

Ingredients:

Shea butter: Softens skin

Cocoa Butter: Contains natural antioxidants and provides a barrier that helps retain and restore the moisture in your skin.

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye):Moisturizing

Coconut oil: Cleansing and helps to make a hard bar of soap.

Castor seed oil: A humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture) and increases bubbles in soaping (“bubble booster”).

Shredded coconut: Exfoliant and natural healing powers in acne problems, burns and even fungus infections. Also helps with hair care, stress, metabolism, and even cholestoral problems.

Valencia orange zest: Exfoliant and just so pretty

Valencia orange essential oil: Light and airy mood enhancer

$5 or 3/$12

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Cyprus Sunset Soap

#010

Cyprus Sunset Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Mango butter: Moisturizing

Shea butter: Softens skin

Glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye): Moisturizing

Oatmeal: Moisturizer, skin softener, repairs and revitalizes skin.

Cocoa: Contains antioxidents, has high moisturizing qualities and helps protect and soften skin.

Cedar and saffron oil: Earthy woodsy aroma and is believed to be an antiseptic, anti-putrescent, aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, experctorant, fungicidal, nervous sedative, circulatory stimulant and tonic.

Dried saffron: The most expensive soap in the world, saffron is used to lighten and even your skin tone, while cleansing away pore-deep impurities. It gently fades away pigmentation marks and blemishes; and grants you a fairer & flawless complexion. Adds a natural glow!

$5 or 3/$12

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Tobacco & Bay Leaf Soap

#030

*Picture soon to come, temporarily sold out*

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Cocoa Butter Dream Soap

#021

**Temporarily sold out, making more**

Cocoa Butter Dream Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photographed by Casey Braden

OK, seriously, this has to be one of my most luxurious bars so far. When I finished it I couldn’t stop smelling it and letting it cure for the last 6 weeks has been pure torture! You are so lucky I am even selling these bars because I wanted to keep them for myself but I want to support the Arthritis Foundation so it is in fact for sale to you. Amazing blend of essential oils, natural aroma of the cocoa butter (over 2 pounds use for a relatively small batch) and balance of complimenting base oils make this bar simply amazing. OK I used amazing far too many times but seriously, this soap is AMAZING!

Ingredients:

Cocoa Butter: Puts down a protective layer that holds moisture to the skin, acting as a softener. Contributes to hardness of bar and smells so yummy!

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Coconut Oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Soybean Oil: Adds mildness, lots of fluffy lather and is moisturizing.

Castor oil: A humectant (attracts and retains moisture to the skin) and provides great bubbles for the soap.

Distilled Water: Hydration for skin (do not eat soap!)

Sodium Hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Grapefruit Essential Oil: Uplifting scent. It is also a purifier of congested, oily and acne prone skinand is used as a natural toner and cellulite treatment. It is thought to ease nervous exhaustion and relieve depression.

Lavender Essential Oil: Calming effect on body and reduces anxiety, stress as well as promotes sleep. Most commonly associated with burns and the healing of skin.

Cedarwood Essential Oil: Earthy woodsy aroma and is believed to be an antiseptic, anti-putrescent, aphrodisiac, astringent, diuretic, experctorant, fungicidal, nervous sedative, circulatory stimulant and tonic.

$5 or 3/$12

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Oatmeal Goat’s Milk & Honey Soap

#017

Oatmeal Goat’s Milk and Honey Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Soybean oil:

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Sodium hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Ground and whole oatmeal: Moisturizer, skin softener, repairs and revitalizes skin.

Cyprus honey: Antimicrobial (antibacterial), anti fungal and a humectant (compound that attracts moisture to itself and helps retain the moisture).

Ground almonds: Exfoliant, rich in numerous skin-loving vitamins and is naturally moisturizing.

Avocado oil: Rich in vitamins A, D and E as well as amino acids and protein. Wonderfully moisturizing and excellent for anyone with extremely sensitive skin.

$5 or 3/$12 or 5/$20 for April

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Calming Goat’s Milk Soap

#015

Calming Goat’s Milk Soap made by Jhenna Conway and Casey Braden. Photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

Soybean oil: Adds mildness, lots of fluffy lather and is moisturizing.

Coconut oil: Provides great lather and hardness to the bar.

Olive oil: Great moisturizer and forms a “breathable” layer on the skin, preventing loss of internal moisture.

Sodium hydroxide (lye): All of our soaps cure for at least 4 weeks to neutralize the lye. Lye, liquid, and oils/butters are what make soap soap.

Ylang-ylang essential oil: Has a sweet, exotic and floral aroma and is a highly sought after essential oil. Can assist with high blood pressure, rapid breathing and heartbeat, nervous conditions, as well as impotence and frigidity.

Pathchouli essential oil: Warm and earthy aroma with fresh fruity tones. Effective for combating nervous disorders, helping with dandruff, sores, skin irritations and acne.

$5 or 3/$12

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Acne Soap

#018

Acne Soap made by Jhenna Conway and photo by Casey Braden

Ingredients: Goat’s milk, distilled water, glycerin (to include sodium hydroxide (lye)), honey, Cyprus Mediterranean Sea Salt, activated charcoal, ground almonds, neem oil, sweet almond oil, vitamin E oil, tea tree, lavender, lemongrass, rosemary and thyme essential oils, dried rosemary and dried thyme.

$5 or 3/$12

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Mid Summer’s Night Soap

#026

Mid Summer’s Might: Made by Casey Braden for The Shepherd Hobby Farm and photographed by Casey Braden

Midsummer’s Night Soap made by Casey Braden and photographed by Jhenna Conway

Ingredients:

Olive Oil:

Palm Oil:

Coconut Oil:

Sodium Hydroxide (lye):

Jojoba Oil:

Grapeseed Oil:

Castor Oil:

Mid Summer’s Night Fragrance Oil:

Blue Mica:

$5 or 3/$12

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Poison Ivy Rescue Soap

#027

Poison Ivy Relief Soap: Made and photgraphed by Jhenna Conway of The Shepherd Hobby Farm

Ingredients:

Aloe:

Olive Oil:

Glycerin:

Sodium Hydroxide (lye):

Pine Tar:

Tea Tree Oil:

Jewelweed Extract:

Cyprus Sea Salt:

Activated Charcoal:

Ground Oatmeal:

Dried Chamomile Flowers:

$5 or 3/$12

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Almond Biscotti Soap

#025

**Temporarily sold out, making more**

Almond Biscotti made by Casey Braden for eh Shepherd Hobby Farm and photographed by Casey Braden.

Ingrdients:

Distilled Water:

Coconut Oil:

Olive Oil:

Palm Oil:

Canola Oil:

Sodium Hydroxide (lye):

Castor Oil:

Almond Biscotti Frangrance Oil:

Ethiopian Ground Coffee Beans:

$5 or 3/$12 or 5/$20 for April

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Sweet Baby Chamomile

#004

Sweet Baby Chamomile Soap. Made by Jhenna Conway and picture by Casey Braden

Ingredients:

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Baby Rose Soap

#023

**Photo soon to come**

Ingredients:

Palm Oil:

Goat’s Milk:

Coconut Oil:

Olive Oil:

Sodium Hydroxide (lye):

Canola Oil:

Dried Hibiscus Flowers:

Baby Rose Essential Oil:

Raspberry Hibiscus Tea:

$5 or 3/$12 or 5/$20 for April

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Half Pint Soap

*Picture and description soon to come**

*Lemon Verbena essential oil based

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Payment can be made via check, cash, credit/debit card, or paypal.

Posted in Soap Making

Starbucks Vanilla Coffee Soap Recipe

Posted on March 24, 2014 by Jhenna Leave a comment

Starbucks Vanilla Coffee Soap, made by me, Jhenna Conway, and picture by Casey Braden

My soaps have been a way to raise money for the Arthritis Foundation and this soap is sure doing that job.

If you ever feel moved to donate you can do so HERE.

This has been one of my best sellers using a base that is already cured and ready to use immediately after it takes the hour or two to set up (even faster when you put in refrigerator.)

I have to give a shout out to my Keurig for making coffee soap SO EASY to make and so versatile. I am able to brew one big cup of coffee (or small, ain’t technology great!) of any flavor to use in my soaps instead of having to make a whole pot.

Sorry I skip around from grams to ounces but I don’t want new soapers to think they need a ton of base to make this soap (for me 822 grams seemed liked a TON while 29 oz was manageable… proportion has never been my strong point.) If your scale only does one or the other you can convert grams to oz or vice versa here.

Here goes… my Starbucks Vanilla Coffee Soap Recipe

29 oz (822 grams) Shea and Mango Butter base (melt and pour)… can substitute Goat’s milk base for awesome results as well!

.46 (13 grams) room temperature coffee (for this one I used Keurig Starbucks Vanilla Coffee)

15 oz (425 grams) clear glycerin base (melt and pour)

a little castor oil… I seriously wrote down “a little” on my recipe sheet and have no idea how much. I’m thinking it was only .5 oz.

.4 oz (9 grams) jojoba oil

.84 oz (4 grams) coffee grounds

.2 oz (4.5 grams) vanilla bean seeds (optional, but I love them in there! Scrape them out of a couple vanilla beans)

.25 oz (7 grams) cocoa butter

.9 oz (25.5 grams) Vanilla essential oil (you can also add .8 oz coffee fragrance oil but I tend to like to stay away from fragrance oils if I can)

Directions:

Clean and make your work area safe and sanitized. It is recommended that you wear gloves and a hair net while preparing melt and pour soaps but truth be told I only do so when working with cold process soaps. I do tie my hair pack and make sure pets are out of the room so no doggy hair or my hair makes its way into my soaps.
Cut your bases up into chunks and put in two separate bowls.
Heat your double butter (I use microwave at 30 second intervals) until melted and add cocoa butter. Stir to ensure everything is melted.
Add about 1/3 brewed coffee, about 2/3 of the vanilla essential oil (eyeball it), castor oil and jojoba oil. Stir to incorporate everything.
Add coffee grounds and vanilla been seeds, stir. You may need to reheat the base but be careful to not heat too much *DO NOT BE TEMPTED TO STOP AND GET A CUP OF COFFEE!
Pour double (now triple) butter soap into molds when grounds are suspended throughout soap base. Allow to cool enough to create a substantial hard top layer.
Melt your glycerin chunks.
Add coffee and remaining Vanilla essential oil
Pour gently and evenly into mold over top the triple butter base. Let sit to harden about 3 to 4 hours or 1 hour in refrigerator.

There you have it! Enjoy and please oh please post pictures and/or comments of your coffee soap and about soaping in general 🙂

Happy Soaping

Jhenna

Posted in Soap Making

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