Annies Goat Hill Handcrafted Soaps

Hold Onto Your Hat Saturday

May 9, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Ms. Akira has funky ears…and they are really funny in today’s wind! It is a definitely a hold onto your hat folks type of day!

Akira is a doeling born to Bonnie, an alpine, and Emery, a nubian buck, last season. She is a large girl, and one that loves to chatter. I truly appreciate her. I am hoping for a nice sturdy girl on the milk stand someday from Ms. Akira.

I did not sleep very well last night, and some time during the night I heard little peeping noises. I would hear one little peeper, then silence, 20-30 minutes later I would hear another. I thought, “The goslings are hatching.” Sure enough, there are 6 little fuzzy geese following mom and dad around today. I am always relieved when the eggs hatch, no smashing, no turtles bothering the eggs. The pair of geese come back and visit each spring. We love to see them return, and are sad when the family leaves.

I cannot get very close to the family today, so I tried a photo from across the pond. The babies look like specks, but they are scattered behind and below their proud and watchful parents on the ground.

Posted in All In A Day's Time | Tagged Goats, Nature | 7 Comments »

Goat Milk Soap Beginnings

May 8, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Tonight I worked on packaging customer orders. It was hard to leave the shop. Yes, I take my time in the shop. I look at the soap, pick bars up from the curing rack, hold the end pieces from the batches in my hand, smell them, and I will admit, admire them as well. I try my own soaps out at the 2 week mark. I truly feel blessed when I carry that sliver out for trial.

Friends have recently asked me how I decided to make soap, and why goat milk soap?

This beautiful photo of a basket of handcrafted soap was taken in 2003. My soap company was named Grassypond Farms. I lived in a house on 42 acres, with a 2 acre pond, 3 horses, boxer dogs, 52 chickens, no goats, in an area called Grassy, MO. I had a website at that time, no storefront. I sold a lot of soap to locals, antique stores, florists and craft malls. The soap did not contain goat milk.

I am going to push the fast forward button to quickly arrive at today, and I promise to tell more stories later. You might be stiffling a yawn, or even holding your eyes open with tooth picks, if I tell you everything in one blog post!

I have loved soap since my younger days, about 8 years old is when I first crossed paths with a bar of handcrafted soap. In fact, on a school field trip I bought an old fashioned soap ball. It was primitive, and I was in love. Fast forward through the youngster years, I collected soap. Yep, a shoebox of soap in my bedroom! Fast forward through the young adult years, every book I could possibly borrow from the Indianapolis Public Library system on soap making, perfumery, aromatherapy, was read thoroughly by me. Fast forward to 2003. I had a wonderful basement, about 1400 square feet, and suddenly realized that I had the space and the time to begin my soap making endeavor. I taught myself the in’s and out’s of crafting cold processed soap (the process that I use, more on that later), via. the internet and all of the reading that I had done. The stories I will be telling about the soap molds and batches of soap that hit the trash can, oh boy…it was a trial for a while. Thank goodness I had a husband that wanted to help make it all come together. He was very creative with the building of the molds.

It was not until 2008 (late bloomer in the thinking aisle on this one) when I discovered the wonderful benefits of including fresh, rich goat milk in my soap. Wow…wow..and wow!!!

I am hooked, addicted, and all about fresh goat milk soap from the farm.

That is the end of my story for tonight. I will continue this later.

Ask questions…I love them!

Happy Friday!

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Goat Milk Soap | 8 Comments »

Goat Milk Soap Today

May 7, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Today I cut several batches of soap that I made yesterday.

This batch of goat milk soap is scented with a combination of pineapple, tangerine and pink grapefruit. I will announce the name of the soap and other information closer to the curing date (approximately 4 weeks from today). In case you cannot see the colors, they are pale pink and yellow. Very pretty, and smells luscious!

I worked in the shop and office afterwards. With pad of paper and pen in hand, updated the list of things to-do. I will be organizing that into a top priority, medium priority, and wish list. It has to be done now and then. We can definitely lose site of the big picture when we do not organize our thoughts!

Have a good afternoon!

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Goat Milk Soap | 12 Comments »

The Husband’s Rock

May 6, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

We have a lot of spring clean up to do around our place. Included in those clean up plans are the moving of some of the goats to new locations, such as this one. Goats are great for cleaning up woody and weedy areas. Set a handful free, and they can chomp it down in no time!

Each time my husband mowed the area where he is standing in the photo he would hit a rock. He tried to cover the rocks up with top soil. Nothing seemed to work.

He then told me that he was going to dig the rocks up. He did. There were some large ones! In fact, I think he said seven in total. This particular one is “his boulder.”

What you cannot see is the creek that runs along the property line. All of the rocks were moved, placed along the creek bed, using the tractor and bucket. The bucks are going to love their new area, with a creek, and many large rocks to play on.

The dear husband reads the blog from time to time. He asked me last night, “Didn’t you post about my big rock?” Here it is…and yes, he worked hard, and he deserves the credit!

Posted in General Reflections | Tagged Husband, Nature | 9 Comments »

The House Is Too Quiet

May 5, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

The house is too quiet. The last of the kids graduated this afternoon. They may be goat kids, but we do call it graduation day.

We really do try to not have house kids, but somehow a few end up visiting for a short while for various reasons. When we get down to the last couple of kids, they seem to remain up at the house with us for a bit longer than their forerunners did.

And now it is like sending a 5 year old off to kindergarten. The house is quiet. The kids are still on bottles (they get our support, though less than before), yet they are on their own, with freedom that is good for them.

Tonight the house is quiet. And it will be for a very long time. Silly as it may be…graduation day.

Posted in Goat Care (and General Farm) | Tagged Goats | 7 Comments »

Sunday’s Tractor Project-She Is Running!

May 5, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

This past Sunday we visited our good friends. It was a tractor restoration day. This is Bob (our wonderful friend, not my husband Bob) pulling back off of the street, returning to the garage.

This is the newest tractor project. She is a dandy! I love this one!

The guys did not know how soon she would be running, but wouldn’t you know she is putting right along already! So far they have adjusted the hydraulics and the carburetor, and Bob has given her new tires. Great progress has been made.

This girl is going to take a lot of work, but I think the more work they need, the more interesting they get!

Posted in Family & Friends | 4 Comments »

Ever Have One Of Those Days?

May 4, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

Do you ever have one of those days where you feel like you are out of sync?

See the doe in the photo with her tongue sticking out? Yes, she was bellowing at me, “Maaaaa…you are feeding kind of late, and I am growing impa-a-a-a-tient!”

Yes, it was one of those kinds of days.

There are two very significant things about me. I work hard, I am honest, and I have a good sense of humor. Wait, those are three things that I just let out of the bag!

Because I work hard, I get into a lot of funny predicaments, and because I have a sense of humor, I can laugh at it all (eventually), and many times during.

When I start my day with breakfast (peanut butter on 2 pieces of whole wheat bread every morning, with black coffee, followed with a bottle of water) and I drop my butter knife 3 times on the table, bang, pick it up, bang (you get the picture), then proceed to wad up my napkin and place it in my cup of coffee…somehow I begin to wonder if my day is in trouble. Yes ma’am (or sir) IN TROUBLE!

When you try to delete pictures from your camera, but a few moments later realize that you have your phone in your hand, you are IN TROUBLE.

It was one of those days, thank heavens this out of sync feeling is not an every day thing, and now the day is almost over. Life is a grand thing…and I feel there is a reason for everything. Perhaps this sort of disorder is to make us laugh? Perhaps!

Now I need to fumble through the dozen Post-It-Notes that I have scattered across my desktop, all from today, good random thoughts, that somehow I just could not seem to organize into anything that gelled.

I had a father in the military, I hear the evening call, “Day is done…gone the sun…!”

Have a good evening…and stay in sync, believe me, it helps!

Posted in All In A Day's Time | Tagged Reflections | 9 Comments »

Time For Yourself

May 3, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

As I cut the loaves of soap that I made yesterday into bars this morning my thoughts were on writing, sharing my thoughts with friends.

I am in the middle of making bottles, heating milk, but feeling compelled to “chat” first.

This is a busy time in many of our lives, and the “experts” say we will get even busier unless we deliberately make time for ourselves.

Some of us are older, some younger. But I personally remember a house with one phone. A phone that hung on the kitchen wall. And it had a dial, not buttons to push! That phone did not fit in a pocket, nor did anyone expect that phone to be answered every hour of the day, each day of the week. Nor did that phone have voice mail.

I personally love the connections that we have during this period of time, but sometimes we need to be disconnected. I really am not into catchy phrases, I pretty much march to my own drumbeat. One phrase that I truly did not understand was “me time.” What???? It sounded very self-centered to me. Well…now that I understand the phrase more I will attest full-hearted that we all need me time! Me time is time without the pulling of committments, down time without the phone, without the computer, time to just do the things that makes our heart smile.

Yesterday, for me, it was making soap and mowing the grass. I felt like a teenager! Those are wonderful days!

Do not get me wrong, I love my friends, I love the connections, and there are too many people to count that I have to hear from every day (in one shape of connection or another). I do not feel complete without the connection of those people, BUT, and that is a huge but, we all need time without a tug or a pull. That is me time, and we do all need it for our own mental health. And remember yourself as newer technology continues to slide your way. You can say no. You can shut it off from time to time. I believe effectiveness stems from a balance in life. Try to be all, do all, and you lose yourself as the human being with a lot of worth you are!

The soaps that I cut this morning (above) are: spa salt bar (citrus blend), summer melon (muskmelon green and white), and a stress relief type of scent (citrus, light patchouli and others) with a slight violet marble. More on the scents once cured!

Posted in Inspirations | Tagged Balance In Life, Inspirations, Reflections | 6 Comments »

Thinking of Summer Goat Milk Soap

May 2, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

On this bright and sunny spring day I am doing what I rank highly up there as one of the loves in my life, working in the soap shop!

The pictured goat milk soap will be called Summer Melon. Yes, I have summer on the brain. Thoughts of muskmelon and cantaloupe, beautiful sunshine, and relaxing outdoor gatherings!

I also crafted spa salt goat milk soap today. After cutting the loaf into bars I will take some pics and tell you about the fragrance. I recently purchased a sea salt bar that I really liked, except that the lather left a lot of brown in the tub. My thoughts were it might be better than ever with rich goat milk soap added. 🙂

Well, that is enough of a break for me. Hope your Saturday is turning into something beautiful too! I plan to mow, make soap, and mow again. Another one of my favorite things.

Posted in In The Soap Shop | Tagged Goat Milk Soap | 2 Comments »

I Thank You

May 1, 2009 by Mary Humphrey

I have had a few busy days. Not nearly enough time to write, but always enough time to say thank you.

Being a business person is not always about making money, in my opinion, it is about people. I want to make the best soap that I can possibly make, and I want you to enjoy the product. But, somewhere inside of me, I also want to make a difference in your day with a touch of encouragement, or a nice scent, or just by saying hello.

I thank you for being here. People in life is what it is all about!

I received a knock to the shop door a bit ago as I was taking photos, a local woman that was dropping off religious phamplets…the photo blurred as the door knock came. But, it was a nice visit after all, because I asked her in. And she walked away with a smile and a small bar of lavender goat milk soap! See what I mean…it is all about people. Thank you!!!