Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps

A Tender Heart

April 7, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Lighten Your Heart - Fly Like A Butterfly

When I am touched by something, or someone, that I cannot help, I feel compelled to write about it, hoping that it will touch another life in a positive manner. Many of the posts in my Inspirations and General Reflections categories came about from something such as this…

For those that have a tender heart.

We all get stung now and then. Little stings that seem to pop out of nowhere.

It is good to love and care.

But, please do not allow your own energy to drip and drain away because another being has been insensitive. Forgive.

Take a big healthy breath.

Be content because you do care.

And then, live.

“When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.” Proverbs 4:12

Posted in Inspirations | Tagged insensitivity, Inspirations, sensitive heart | 6 Comments »

Natural Perfume Preparation

April 6, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Today I enjoyed my time in the soap shop. I always do savor my time there, but today I was inspired a bit more than normal.

I have been studying natural perfume and soon will be ramping up the testing.

Today I organized the essential oils that I have on hand. I organized by type (base, middle, and top note).

I will be receiving several shipments of new oils this week and am excited to test new recipes.

Of course, I want more oils. I will likely never be satisfied. As soon as I think I have the oils on hand that I will want/need I discover a new one that intrigues me. However, time, patience, and small (layered) steps are best.

Aroma has been a part of me since I was a small child. Perhaps it began during the years we lived in France when I was a young child. I do not know.

Soap was a passion that started at 7 years old.

I am excited to bring the perfume forward for several reasons. First, I find so many perfumes on the market to be obtrusive to the senses. They are overwhelming.

I believe perfume should be a personal thing. You and just perhaps a person close to you should be able to smell the aroma. I do not think perfume should permeate a room.

Perfume should not cause horrible allergic reactions for those that are near you.

That is why I am focusing only on natural perfumes.

More to come on this topic soon. I am enthused, and hoping to share more with everyone soon.

Posted in AGH Business News, In The Soap Shop | Tagged essential oils, natural aromas, natural perfumes | 10 Comments »

The Goat Family I Nearly Broke Up

April 3, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Akira (2008)

You know the story, about the time you think everything has happened that possibly can, you are reminded that it hasn’t.

A little background on one of the does: Akira is an alpine/nubian born in 2008. She has a coat that is slightly longer than most of the goats in the barn. She is a stocky type of girl. She does not fit into the graceful lines of a dairy doe.

When I walked into the barn to feed a few days ago I immediately set eyes on a newborn. She had a clean dry coat. She was walking around like she knew the world already. Then I began the task of finding the mother. Akira! How in the world did she have a kid? I checked her udder, I didn’t feel one. She had not looked pregnant.

Because I did not feel an udder, knowing there was no milk, I knew I needed to get colostrum in the kid very soon. So, to the freezer I went for a bottle. I returned with a warm bottle and the struggle began. The newborn was angry. She refused to eat. Akira was not hovering.

So, I deposited the newborn in a pen with bottle kids and returned in a couple of hours. Still, she refused to nurse.

I knew it was going to be a long night. And I was tired.

I picked up the little doeling, marched to the house with her for the night. I can sleep-walk and feed a newborn fairly well.

She finally ate at 4:30 AM the following morning.

When we returned to the barn later that morning I immediately felt Akira’s udder. She had milk, a lot of it.

I set the kid in an empty stall and took Akira to the milk stand for the first time. I milked out about a tablespoon of colostrum and dabbed it on the newborn’s lips and under her tail. I wanted the newborn to be recognized by sight and smell. When I took Akira to the pen, there was no sniffing involved. The reunion was spectacular. And guess what? The kid definitely knew what an udder was. She had been there before. She lunged for it, even though her belly was already full.

Akira’s udder is rather high. She is milking out beautifully for me. She had milk all along.

All is well. Just call me the goat kid snatcher. And, without a doubt, Akira hovers now.

Have a good day!

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm) | Tagged grafting newborn to goat dam, newborn goat | 10 Comments »

Sunshine – It Makes Us All Feel Good

April 2, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Aleecia and Her New Buckling Enjoying Sunshine

I am a person that has an upbeat demeanor.

I try to be happy. I try to be positive. I try so very hard to not let anything in life beat me up.

But, February 2010, really did do a number on me. Parts of March slid into that range as well. It was a struggle, but I maintained!

The sunshine is now glorious.

The warmth is healing.

Determination pays off. There is nothing worse, in my opinion, than a dismal person that likes to share the wealth. I avoid it at all costs.

Dismal is equal to a lack of sunshine.

We all owe it to each other, a sunny disposition that is.

Do you agree?

Posted in General Reflections, Inspirations | Tagged healing thoughts, Spring, uplifting sunshine | 6 Comments »

Let The Pounding Begin

April 1, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

If you are a regular reader of the Annie’s Goat Hill blog, you likely have heard me mention water problems.

Our well runs low. It runs slow. It runs mucky from time to time.

About a month ago I realized how my life has circled around the effort to conserve on water.

I set the timer on the washing machine for the middle of the night. I wash dishes first thing in the morning. Water for the animals comes first. Everything else comes last, and I do mean everything.

The equipment is now in place. They will be drilling for a new well within a few days.

We have been told that this area is hit or miss for water. I am going to think positive.

This week has been a flurry of water shortages, and bad water problems that have affected faucets, the washing machine, pipes, you name it. It does not affect my products because when water is required I use distilled water, thankfully. What it does affect, however, is soapmaking. When you cannot wash your equipment, you do not make soap. That seldom occurs, but it has knocked at the door this week!

I’ll tell you a little “funny” that I will likely never forget. We helped a friend who lives a mile away with a room addition a few summers ago. They developed a large leak in their hose. It sprayed up in the air like a large fountain. It stayed that way the entire 2 weeks we assisted at their farm. They never shut it off. I was amazed that someone would have that much water, within such a close range of this area. The image is forever stuck in my mind! Thou shalt not envy, right? Well, I envied!

Have a beautiful day!

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm) | Tagged Well Water | 6 Comments »

Product Monday – Lilac Goat Milk Soap

March 29, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Lilac is an ornamental flower of a shrub that cannot be distilled or manufactured into an essential oil.

So, in the case of lilac, a soaper finds a good quality lilac fragrance to add to their products.

I do not know about you, but lilac is a fragrance I look forward to each and every spring.

Today I upgraded the Lilac Goat Milk Soap photo in my online soap shop. Gone is the dark purple, what remains is the different shades of lavender (light to medium swirled into the top of the soaps).

Silky, smooth, and spring-like lilac.

Time to celebrate!

Posted in Products | Tagged handcrafted soap, lilac goat milk soap, spring scents | 6 Comments »

Aromatherapy – A New Step

March 26, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

I have been temendously busy with the goats, the kidding season, and with helping my husband fire up his new business. Yes, the blessing has arrived after a long 2 1/2 years, he is working! And he is happy.

In the meantime, I also completed a foundation level aromatherapy course.

I learned a great deal about essential oils including safety, blending, and aromatherapy benefits.

Purchasing essential oils has taken on a whole new meaning. I look at the Latin name. I look for purity (no adulterations). I note where the crop was harvested, and the method used to create the essential oil (or absolute)

I have been studying and testing natural perfumes.

It is hard work, believe me. I love the learning. Finding the time to study, and it will continue, is difficult. I will always read new materials, and another course is going to follow.

I am going to apply what I have learned not only to my products, but also to my home, health and even to my animals.

My small garden (for now) will be filled with additional herbs and flowers that I can use in products.

I am hoping to receive my first certificate within 2 weeks, if I passed the exam and did well on the projects.

I am excited, and I am very thankful!

Have you ever taken on something new and find yourself seeing things in a different light? How about the rush of enthusiasm?

Posted in AGH Business News | Tagged aromatherapy, essential oils, natural health care, natural skin care | 6 Comments »

Nothing Like Humor

March 25, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Sometimes people subtly remind us that humor really is monumental.

One morning everything seemed difficult. The challenges were back to back, unusual. You know the feeling. One step forward, ten back.

The phone rang.

My 62-year old friend, Bob, exclaims “I lost my trash can!”

What?

You have to know this guy.

I instantly began laughing. He really has done well with his first-time computer.

I asked, “Bob, how did you delete your recycle bin?”

He replied, “If anyone can do it, the moron can!”

Oh my word. He made my day.

I could not help him at that moment. Later, I went to my own PC to work on a solution. I then left a detailed voicemail for Bob while he was taking his mother on her weekly grocery shopping venture.

That evening he called.

“I found my trash can!” he said. Readers, buckle your funny bone seat belt for Bob’s next statement, “Your message really did help, but I ended up going somewhere else for the trash can. I went to the Google department!”

Oh yes, the Google department, I shop there all of the time. Don’t you?

Okay, Mr. Bob, what did you find at the Google department? He said, “Do you know how many different types of trash cans the Google department has?”

No!

I can barely type this post. Hilarious. Such perfect humor. And what is even more funny, I think he was serious.

The good news is, my friend does again have a recycle bin back on his desktop. I doubt that he completely deleted it to begin with. I have no idea what the “Google department” is, and I am not sure they have “trash cans.” But, okay.

We have humor! And that is pure gold!

Have a blessed day!

Posted in Humor | Tagged easing daily challenges, Humor, laughter | 14 Comments »

Lost and Found

March 22, 2010 by Mary Humphrey

Today I decided to not publish my regular product Monday post. Instead, I am going to talk about losing the mojo, gumption, drive, and then regaining it.

For 44 years I have been all about soap, fragrance, and natural skin care products. Never have I been disinterested.

Recently I couldn’t find the desire to work in my shop. Granted, I have a lot of kids on the ground. I have been tired. I am pushed for time. Sleep and finding time to take care of myself was a struggle.

But the tiny bursts of time I did have to do my craft, work on the business, were not filled with a desire to do it.

Today, as I prepped for a speech I am doing tonight, as I filled a basket full of sample soaps for the business-women in the audience, I thought of a soap that I wanted to make. The desire was immense. I made a batch of Rose Cedarwood goat milk soap. It smelled terrific to me, and it felt good to be creative.

What I realized is, sometimes when we are tired, when we feel backed into a corner, when we feel we have lost sight of our goals in life, what it takes is a bit of quiet time, a short break, and the “go-juice” returns with newness on its wings.

Thank goodness!

I do have plans to add new products to Annie’s Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps. I also have plans for a more natural life in my own household. I will explain all of that in a blog post later this week.

Until then, enjoy your life! Don’t beat yourself up when you feel you hit a dead-end road. Creativity will come back.

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Business Plans, Gaot Milk Soap, lost creativity | 10 Comments »

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