Keeping Busy

Aloe Soap, Chickens, crochet, Daffodils, Forsythia, Killdeer, Making Soap, Reflections, Starwberry Jam, , , , , ,

Hello and welcome! Spring has been very gradual in getting here this year. It seems like we go two steps forward then one step back. No quick warm up this year. I suppose the slow warm up is good in some ways – it means that trees and plants are slow to bud thus reducing the chances of fruit trees being hit by late season frost/freeze. We have had some rain as well but so far nothing extreme. There have been a few outdoors chores that I have been able to get done, but while I’m waiting for gardening and grass cutting season to arrive, I have had spring cleaning (indoors) and some other projects to keep me busy.

Making Soap

A few weeks ago, my sister told me that her husband wanted to go back to using natural soap. She asked if I would make them a batch. Of course I was happy to do it. When I asked what kind of soap she wanted, she asked for “the shaving soap” or aloe soap which makes a really nice soap for shaving. So, on April 1st I made a double batch of aloe soap. I want some to keep for us.

The above picture is the soap in the molds after several hours. The outer edges are hardening but the center is still a thick liquid. It was in the mold for about 30 hours before it was hard enough to remove. It will be a couple more weeks before this soap is ready to use but I am looking forward to it. I haven’t made this soap in a few years.

Below is my recipe for any soap makers who might be reading.

Aloe Soap Recipe

This recipe is a large batch – 32 bars of soap. It could be halved or quartered to make smaller a batch.

40 oz. Coconut Oil

70 oz. Sunflower Oil

8 oz. Olive Oil

16.95 oz. Lye (NaOH)

45 oz. Water

about 1/4 cup – Aloe Juice (Scrape out inside of aloe leaves and blend in small blender) added at trace.

For soap making instructions see my Soap Making Page.

Making Jam

When I realized we only had one jar of strawberry jar left in the pantry I decided it was time make some more since strawberry is both my favorite and my husband’s favorite. Fortunately, I still had three packages of strawberries in the freezer.

We should now have more than enough jam to last until this year’s strawberries are ready. My husband has worked hard on the strawberry patch, so we are hoping and praying for a great crop this year.

Crocheting

In a previous post I mentioned that I was making an afghan to donate to the humane society for a raffle.

I completed that project. It’s difficult to see in the photo but the puppy paws print run through the burgundy stripes as well.

I then began a new project.

This is a cat pattern that I have not made before. Can you see the cats? I began making this using some partial skeins of yarn that I have. I really just wanted to learn the pattern. I’m not sure yet if it will be a small blanket or a pillow.

A Few Spring Pics

At last, the daffodils are blooming.

Forsythia just beginning to bloom.

I finally got a picture of a killdeer. Rarely have I seen one stand still long enough to get a photo. This one was unusual because it was all alone. Usually there are a pair in the area. I did a little research and learned that migratory killdeer will generally mate for a season and males usually return to the same area each year. They may mate with the same female as the previous year. Non-migratory killdeer may mate for life. So, I wonder, since I didn’t see it’s mate in the area, if it is yet to find a mate for this season.

Our hens like to roost in the lower branches of the spruce trees. I thought it was a picture worth sharing. 🙂

Looking Ahead

The weather is supposed to be warmer this week, and my husband plans to get potatoes planted. As for me I wouldn’t be surprised to find myself cutting grass for the first time this year.

Thanks for visiting. I hope you have a wonderful week.

21 thoughts on “Keeping Busy”

  2. The afghans are so pretty, I love the colors. I bet they will raise lotsa money. I’m so excited to see everyone in May and get my soap, it lathers so good, we love it. Lots of birds and blooms and warm temperatures here. The greenhouses are bursting with beautiful plants.Its hard to hold back on planting but I’m trying to be cautious. Its early yet and mother nature likes to send those frosty nights in May.

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    1. Thanks K.C. We are excited to see you as well. I am sampling a bar of that soap right now and really enjoying it.
      Dom is thinking he started our tomatoes too early. They a getting big enough to go in the ground but we know it is too early, so keeping them alive and safe is becoming more of a challenge.

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  3. You are always so industrious Ruth – you leave the rest of us in the dust. I remember when I first followed you that you routinely made soap. It has been a slow start to Spring, but the last few days have been warm and will be downright hot on Thursday, maybe 81. I’ve seen some Forsythia bushes and Magnolia bushes out the last few days. I saw some Killdeer today at the Detroit River Wildlife Refuge including their nests which are just anywhere on the grass, but were marked with flags by the Refuge to be careful and not step on the eggs.

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    1. Yes, finally some beautiful spring weather! Killdeer nests are hard to spot. I’m glad they had them marked. I hope they make it. Those babies are so darn cute and keep the parents busy.

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      1. The weather has been great. Tomorrow will be nice too, then a stormy Friday. I’ve gotten out as much as I can for long walks and to take photos while the goin’ is good. I’ve never seen Killdeer nests before, but I know they build the nests on the ground and the parents pretend to be injured if the nest looks threatened. They had all the nests marked with orange flags so that’s good. I wish they had put orange plastic fencing around them though so any predators would stay away. I took pics of the flags and nests. I hope to see the babies. They have lots of Killdeer at the Wildlife Refuge but they’re difficult to photograph as they run so fast on those long legs. I think they are cute birds.

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      2. I’ve been enjoying the weather. We planted potatoes Tuesday. I always worry when there is a pair of killdeer in the area because I don’t want to accidently harm their nest. We have marked them in the past when they were in inconvenient spots. They really are hard to photograph and the babies even more so.

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      3. Those eggs blend right into the grass, especially now as it’s still a bit brown. It was really warm today – I was in the car and it read 85 degrees and WWJ said we had a “real feel” of 90 degrees.

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      9. Wow – that soon. I had no idea how long it took to bear fruit on a newly planted tree. Many years ago we had an elderly neighbor who had plum and peach trees in his yard. My father would shovel their snow and I would rake the leaves to help out as they had no kids. So in the Summer, they told my father to take whatever peaches and plums he wanted, so we enjoyed cobblers and pies and shared treats with them … a win-win for everyone.

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  5. I enjoyed seeing your pictures of the soap being made. Thank you.
    Spring is slowly showing up in your neck of the woods. Seeing the Kildeer is a sure sign that Spring has Sprung! And how about those daffodils. They always make me smile.
    Your afghans are darling. First dogs and now cats!
    Happy Earth Day! 🐝🌸

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    1. You’re welcome, Nancy!
      Yes, I think we have finally turned the corner toward the nicer/warmer days. 🙂 The dandelions are up and I expect to see fruit trees begin to blossom this week.
      Those afghans are fun to make.

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