Beth Woodard

About Beth Woodard

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2018 picture family

The Woodards 2017 at a Glance

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I know it has been way too long since I have done a family or ministry update, so I am going to do my best to cover it all in one shot!

2017 dawned for us with me (Beth) recovering from the flu and barely able to walk. Having the flu had caused muscle spasms that led to very painful sciatica. It would be well into February before I was walking decently and it was pretty miserable. I have never been down like that in my life, and being a rather independent person it was hard for me to deal with. In February we took a long planned trip to Washington D.C. All of our kids were studying American History that school year, so it was the perfect time. We had amazing weather there for February, in the 60’s and 70’s most days, and the lines were short. We really couldn’t have timed it better. Staying in a little row house within walking distance of the capital, we did a lot of walking to see all the sites. Although I was slower than everyone else, this helped to work out some of the tension in my muscles, but caused some extra strain on Brent’s back, which he has had problems with for many years.

Heading into March, Brent was trying to stay down and rest his back. Unfortunately that didn’t seem to help much. In fact, he progressively worsened, despite chiropractic treatments, and other basic care. Heading into April it got so bad he ended up in the ER. An MRI done in early April showed his disk in his lower back bulging to the point that his nerve was extremely pinched. Surgery was recommended and scheduled. Unfortunately none of these processes were quick, waiting for insurance approval and such. Beth has thought many times that the reason she went though the sciatic trouble early in the year was so she would be able to really empathize with Brent’s pain later. He had surgery in May and almost immediately had relief from the terrible pain. Brent’s parents were amazing in helping us through this by coming to TN, watching children, shuttling to doctor’s appointments, and harassing insurance companies. They made a very hard time a lot more manageable. I can’t thank them enough.

Hoping Brent was on the road to recovery, we went ahead with summer camp. J.P. from national office had agreed to be our program director, which was a really huge help. She did a GREAT job. Beth handled the planning, purchasing, and cooking of meals for the camp, while Brent was helping as much as he was able, while continuing to recover. Alex and Aidan both helped out in the kitchen and other areas. Abby and Andrew were both able to be overnight campers this year. We had an awesome increase in campers this year, with 53 campers attending. Many of these were new campers, and we heard from a lot of them that they would be back next year! There were 7 decisions for Christ during our three weeks of camp.

Unfortunately, during the last week of camp, Brent had a down turn, with the pain returning and quickly getting even worse than before. On an emergency trip to Nashville an MRI was done, showing the disk had reherniated. Surgery was scheduled to repeat the same procedure in a week. That was a miserable week, but we were glad it wasn’t any longer. We were also glad that God is not surprised by these things. When we had to leave in the middle of the last camp week our kids were all taken care of, a friend was available to cook the meals we had planned, and camp continued without us. God is good, even in our worst struggles. Brent’s parents returned, collected Aidan from Camp Ta-pa-win-go where he was enjoying his own camp week, and took care of things here while Brent had surgery. Recovery was a bit more difficult from surgery #2, but as of writing this Brent is doing MUCH better. He has gone through physical therapy, and while he has ups and downs and has to be careful and rest more than before, he is functioning now. There may be more struggles down the road, but we are taking each day as it comes.

July was mainly a month of recovery, and August was still a very careful month. In August we also started a new year of homeschool, with Alex starting 10th grade, Aidan 9th, Abby 7th, and Andrew 4th. It is still hard for me to believe how big they are all getting. Seriously big! Alex is a hair away from being as tall as his dad! Now it has become tough to sort their laundry as so many things are the same size! Aidan is now taking Pre-Calculus and often tries to explain things to me. I keep telling him it is hopeless, but he tries anyway. Abby remains our sensitive, sweet child, who loves crafts and arts, and currently, owls. Andrew plugs along as the youngest, making us all laugh daily.

September was time for National Conference, which we were all able to attend this year. Some friends of ours were able to care for the animals, allowing us all to be there. We loved seeing all our camp family, and it was a time of refreshment to be away from the daily life of camp. Returning from conference, we headed into the craziness of fall. I was painting and doing festivals most weekends in September and October, we had work week at camp to work on projects, and we had rental groups out here almost constantly. It is so good to see groups out on the camp property, and see children enjoying the grounds!

November still saw many rentals out here, as well as my family coming up for their annual Thanksgiving visit. During this time we were also able to purchase a new (to our family) car. This was so needed! Our Odyssey had taken us over 250K miles and held up, but many things were going and we knew it was time. We were able to replace her with a 2014 Honda Pilot, which we hope will stand up a little better to our rugged roads out here. We were thankful for disciplined saving and blessed to be able to purchase this car with no debt, and for that we are VERY thankful.

December saw our first Camp Ozone Christmas, with area families coming out to enjoy a hayride, crafts, cookies, hot cocoa, and lots of fun. We hope that will grow each year, becoming something that families in the area can look forward to. It is also a way for them to see the camp before sending their children here! In December we also lost our older dog Roscoe very suddenly, and then added to our family a new puppy, a Great Pyrenees, which will be a guardian dog to help keep our animals safe. She is such an adorable little fluff ball, and such a well behaved puppy! We celebrated our many December birthdays and Christmas, loving that time with family. Now we look to 2018 and all that it will bring!

Here’s how to help and pray for us:

  1. Follow us on Facebook for more regular updates. There is a CBM Camp Ozone Page and a Beth and Brent Woodard missionary page.
  2. We hope to get an e-mail update list running soon. We will send this same newsletter out by e-mail. If you got it, GREAT! If not, check your spam folder. You may need to put our e-mail on your approved senders list. If it isn’t there either, we may not have your e-mail. You can write us at vegaburm@gmail.com to get us that. Saving postage by getting info reliably to people by e-mail would be wonderful.
  3. Pray for our staff. Pray both for the health of our current staff, and for more to join us in this work. We desperately need more missionaries here, specifically to lead in programming and Release Time. We would love to be teaching in the schools, but with our current staff it is hard to pursue that. We know God has others out there, and we are praying for them to come!
  4. Give. We are looking for 75 people this year to support Camp Ozone. We need support for the camp in general so that we can keep the lights on and have resources to invite children and families to camp for special programs! Consider joining us in that at $12.50, $25, or $50 per month. We can also use a few more personal supporters. With some extra expenses and growing children, the board has approved a $200 monthly increase. Gotta love kids that need braces!
  5. For those who are our regular supporters…..If you have been giving at the same level for a long time, first of all, THANK YOU! EVERY gift is so appreciated and helps keep us focused on the ministry God has called us to. We do ask you to consider a small increase. We have been at the same support level for a long time, and our costs continue to go up. We would like to make a small increase in our support, and if each of you considers a 5% or 10% increase that would help us to meet our additional expenses.
  6. At this point the debt on the land has been paid down to $13,500! Praise the Lord! We would very much like to see that completely gone before the end of this year. If you feel led to help with that, simply put a note in the memo on your donation check to Camp Ozone.
  7. If any of you are interested in a “home mission” project, let us know and we would love to schedule a time to visit and serve along side us through the gifts and abilities God has given you!  We now have 6 full RV sites on camp for extended stays.
goat milk yogurt with blueberries

Making Goat Milk Yogurt

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During the spring and summer it is feast time around here for dairy products and eggs. I often get up in the morning, look in the fridge and start wondering how I can use up some of the milk that is overtaking the fridge! Some of it gets frozen for use in our Handmade Soaps, while some is used to make cheese. We eat a lot of custards and puddings. We also do some quiche, and we drink a fair bit. One of my favorite uses is in yogurt. It took me some time, and a few total failures, to get a method and recipe that is reliable for me, so I will share it here and try to save others the trouble I went through! My kids were also picky. They want their yogurt to taste like the stuff from the store, so it needs to be thick, pretty sweet, and flavorful. If you are not blessed with picky kids you may not have as many difficulties!

Note: If you don’t have access to goat milk and want to make yogurt with cow’s milk, this will still work fine for you. It just tends to come out even thicker, and you should be fine to skip the pasteurization step if it is from the store.

Goat Milk Yogurt

Ingredients:
42 ounces of fresh goat milk
ABY2C Culture
1/2 – 2/3 Cup Sugar
1 T. Flavoring or Fruit cooked down into a syrup
Yogurt Maker

Process:
1. Pasteurize your milk.
Normally we drink our milk raw. When I make cheese I generally use raw milk as well. Yogurt is one of the few times I pasteurize. The reason I do this is that I get a thinker curd that way. If you don’t mind thinner yogurt and want to leave it unpasteurized, go for it. Basically, by pasteurizing I am eliminating any competing bacteria. When I introduce my yogurt culture I will have only those bacteria growing instead of previously existing ones that might have been already in the milk.

How to pasteurize: It’s not complicated. Dump your milk in a pot, set the heat on the stove to about medium low and bring it up to 180 degrees. Use either a candy thermometer or a laser heat gun to check the temp. I use the heat gun as I always have one around and it is quick and easy. Once it is at 180 let it sit about a minute and then put it in a cold water bath to quickly cool it back down.

2. Add sugar.
I find 1/2 to 2/3 a cup sufficient for this size recipe, even for my children. If I am adding fruit I go lower, if I am using flavoring I go higher.

3. Stir and cool the milk until is is between 110 to 120 degrees.

4. Add 1/32 tsp ABY2C culture and Stir well.
It is important to add the culture at this temp. If you add it above 120 degrees you can kill the bacteria and your yogurt will fail.
I know 1/32 tsp. is a weird measurement and you are wondering how the heck to do that, but it is easy. What you need is a set of teaspoons that have “Dash,” “pinch,” “smidgen,” etc. Like these on Amazon. The smidgen is generally 1/32 of a tsp. I use the ABY2C Culture from get culture.com because it produces a really nice thick curd and is mildly flavored. There are also ways to take existing yogurt and use that to start your next batch, but that is just not the way I do it.

5. Add Flavoring.
If using a liquid flavoring (our favorites are strawberry and vanilla), add about 1 Tablespoon and stir well. If I am making strawberry I usually add a drop or two of red food coloring as well just so the kids can tell the strawberry from the vanilla.

If you prefer to use fruit, you need to prepare it ahead of time. Take around 2/3 a cup of fruit in a small saucepan. Add a couple spoonfuls of sugar and enough water to cover fruit. Bring to a boil and cook it down until it thickens. Add this instead of flavoring. It doesn’t tend to make a strong flavor, but does lend a mild fruity flavor. We like peaches with a little cinnamon when it is peach season, or blueberries. I’m still trying other fruits to see how they do as I have them available.

6. Incubate your yogurt mixture for 10-12 hours.
I prefer to use an appliance actually made for this, though others have ways of doing it with a cooler and heating pad or some other such business. My current yogurt maker is a Euro Cuisine. I like that it makes it in little individual glass jars. I used to use one that made it in a big 2 Q. container, but for whatever the reason we eat more yogurt if it is in a little grab and go individual container. The same holds true when I make custard, pudding, jello, etc. Also, sometimes someone would stir the big container. That is a BIG no-no. If you stir yogurt the curd separates and becomes runny. You get yogurt soup. The kids ruined many a 2 Q container by stirring it! The Euro Cuisine makes 7 jars. You want to buy a separate set of jars so that you don’t have to wait until all 7 of your jars are empty and clean again to make you next batch.

I usually make a batch in the morning and then put it in the fridge before I go to bed or I make it in the evening and let it incubate until morning. The incubation time is not a science; you want it somewhere in that range.

7. Refrigerate until cool through. Usually will take at least a few hours.

8. Enjoy!
Yogurt should last about two weeks, though we rarely keep it in the fridge that long! And we are going through tons of it this year!!

December Gift Box

Winter Scents 2015-2016

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The big reveal of the winter scents I have been playing around with! Wassail, Gifts for a King, Winter snow, and Woodland Elves and Gingersnap are staying around a bit longer. It’s so nice to fill the home with scents at the holidays. Then when the holidays are over and winter really gets going we can all use those scents that make us happy. Enjoy![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Plain Jane homemade soap with goat milk

Homemade Soap vs. Commercial

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I am asked from time to time if Homemade soap is really any different or better than those soaps available in your local Wal-Mart. Now, I am of course rather biased as I make soap. However, in this video I compare one of my homemade soaps to a commercial soap. I attempt to be unbiased here and just compare the ingredients of the two, along with giving you some information about the basic chemistry of soap making. You can make you own conclusions and decisions, but this should help to make a more educated decision.

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fall scents soap lotion

Fall Scents 2015

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This video will show you some of the scents I have been working with and have available for the fall. I have Gingersnap, Pumpkin Spice, and Autumn Leaves. These are available in bar soaps, lotions, bath bombs, and even lip balm. Please enjoy, and happy fall!

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lemongrass goat milk lotion

A Word About Lotion Ingredients

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I try to keep my products as natural as I can; however, there are things that require chemicals and liquid lotion is one of those things. Still, I try to choose the best options and keep it to a minimum. So, let’s look at a label.

Ingredients: Fresh Goat Milk, Sweet Almond Oil (Prunus amygdalus dulcis), Coconut Oil (Cocos Nucifera), Apricot Kernel Oil (Prunus Armeniaca), Coco Butter (Theobroma Cacao), Emulsifying Wax (Cetylstearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 90), Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetyl Alcohol (and) Butylene Glycol, Vitamin E Acetate USP, Optiphen (Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol), Bergamot Essential Oil, Ginger Root Essential Oil

This is my Bergamot Ginger lotion. First, let’s note the items in parentheses. These are not additional ingredients. These are the scientific names of the ingredient listed right before. There are very specific rules on what is required on lotion labels, and one of them is that you must list these names. I also list the common names because to most people “Coconut oil” makes a whole lot more sense than “Cocos Nucifera”

Now, to the actual chemicals. Let’s look at this one. Emulsifying Wax (Cetylstearyl Alcohol, Polysorbate 90)
At it’s core, lotion is an emulsion, like mayonnaise or a thick salad dressing. For those not familiar with the term emulsion it means you have water based elements and oils based elements brought together to make one substance. Now we all know oil and water don’t mix, so you must have an emulsifying agent to bring them together. In mayo it is egg. That won’t work in lotion so we use what is commonly called emulsifying wax. Without an emulsifying agent we just have oils and water. Whoopsie.

Next.  Behentrimonium Methosulfate (and) Cetyl Alcohol (and) Butylene Glycol
This is commonly called BTMS in the industry. It is basically a helper to the first e-wax and adds some conditioning properties.

And last, Optiphen (Phenoxyethanol (and) Caprylyl Glycol)
This is a preservative. I know Ahhhhhhh….preservatives. We hate preservatives!!!!! But WAIT. This lotion contains goat milk. Quite a lot of goat milk. And you might remember that if you stick milk at room temperature it doesn’t exactly stay nice. Actually it quickly gets really gross. Without a preservative this lotion would have to be refrigerated and it would last about 10 days. And I wouldn’t be allowed to sell it. Remember, things have their places. I have chosen this particular preservative because it is formaldehyde and paraben free.

Everything else in the lotion is a simple, natural product. Some lotions include chemicals that help the oils sink into your skin faster. None in here. Some add a number of other things. But we’re trying to keep it as simple as we can.

Don’t forget to follow the natural lotion rules: “Just use a little, and wait a few minutes!”

A little goes a long way, and without those extra chemicals, yes, it does take a little longer to sink into your skin. But I think it is worth the wait.

 

 

Me in my lab coat and science stuff

This is Me…..

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So I realized something the other day.

First, I am and always will be a bit of a nerd. To those who know me this is no shocker.

I never owned a pocket protector. I didn’t wear thick glasses and have allergies that made me a sniffling wimp. But I was still a nerd. I was not a cheerleader in high school. I was not and will not ever be into sports. I was not popular. I liked school well enough. I liked to learn things, and loved science. I hated classes I felt were pointless, but generally breezed through well enough.

I’m glad life after high school is more friendly to us nerds. I mean, in real life you want to know some nerds. We like to learn new things. We know how to do stuff. We look at the world as a puzzle and enjoy figuring it out. Why did I learn to knit? Because it intrigued me and I thought, “I bet I can do that.” Same with soap making, face painting, fixing my dishwasher and mixer and any number of other things. I still am happy to sit down with a good book for hours and hours at a time. I still will research something just because I want to know. I like teaching my children history because I get to relearn it right along with them.

Anyway, I have a point here. I was learning about making lotion and the techniques required, and one of the suggestions for proper hygiene was to wear a clean lab coat each time you make it. And, I have to admit, I was happy about this. I got to buy a lab coat! Yay! The little nerd inside me was doing cartwheels. (Ok, they would be bad cartwheels. OK, fine she would probably be falling on her bum, but she was happy, OK?) I think any nerd would get this. Buying a lab coat=fun, right?

Well, here’s where the realization came in. I realize my husband is NOT a nerd. He didn’t get it. He saw the shipping notice and asked, “Why are you buying a lab coat?”

I smiled and said, “Because I wanted one.”

I looked at me like I might have lost it. I said, “OK, I read that I should wear a dedicated outfit for making lotion and a lab coat made sense.”

“And I wanted one.”

He could accept the need but not the want. Nothing in him saw something fun about owning a lab coat.

You would think I would have know this before but it just hit me. He really isn’t a nerd.

Good thing I love him anyway.

But, this is me. I’m a nerd. And I am good with that.

shampoo

Getting the chemicals out of my bathroom: Part 1, Hair

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So, for the past year or so I have been on a bit of a quest. I have been trying hard to get a lot of the chemicals and synthetic stuff out of my life. I’m not a freak about it. We still eat fast food now and then. Sometimes I even buy the kids a bag of Doritos. BUT, I am trying to get rid of as much as I can of the processed stuff and eat organic when I can find it and it is financially possible.  And when I can make my own of something, I do so.

But then I went in my bathroom. And I realized I have an awful lot of chemicals there that I am using every day. I began to seek out some alternatives to those items as well. I was happy to find out though, that where organic food is more expensive, many of the alternatives here were cheap!

One of the first things I tried was an alternative to shampoo. I used to buy a pretty expensive salon quality shampoo and conditioner. When I would buy a big bottle I tended to spend $30 if I could find it on sale. So, I went online and began to search. What I found and decided to try was the “no-poo” method. Now this is a rather unfortunate misnomer as some may be thinking you have a condition requiring some milk of magnesia if you tell them about it, but the idea here is that you are not using a shampoo at all. Nothing soapy that is stripping the hair of its natural sebum (oil).

Some people are thinking, “But I need to get rid of the oily hair, are you saying we go around greasy?”

No, not really, though there is a bit of a transition period on this one. You see, its kind like breastfeeding. Stick with me here, if you have ever been a nursing mother you’ll get it. Your body only knows how much milk to make by how much is being used. If the baby drinks more, then your body makes more. If less, it slows production. You can even make more than your baby needs by pumping more out and fooling your body into thinking more is needed.

The oil in your hair is not so different. You keep washing it out, and your body makes more trying to fill that need. When you aren’t washing it out so much your body cuts back on production, and unless you have REALLY oily hair, it isn’t a problem.

So, the “no-poo” method. You probably have all you need in your house right now. You take about a teaspoon to a tablespoon of baking soda (depending on how much hair you have) and mix it with water to make a paste. You rub this into wet hair, trying to get it all the way to the roots. Let sit for a minute or two and then rinse out throughly. Then, step 2. Mix about a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar with a cup of water and pour this through your hair as a rinse. Let sit for 5 minutes or so and the rinse out. Done. Really, that’s it. The baking soda cleans hair and soothes the scalp, and the vinegar rights the PH of your hair to keep it soft.

For the first month or two it was hard to get used to the feel of the baking soda in my hair. My hair was more oily than normal, and I really wasn’t sure if this was going to work. However, after the adjustment time it sorted out. My hair is softer now and has more body than with the expensive shampoo. It seems healthier and my scalp doesn’t get itchy like it used to. AND I am saving a good chunk of change. That I really like.

Some people have said that they had tangle problems or they just didn’t like the feel of it. That’s cool. What works for me may not work for you. But if you want to try it, stick it out for a month or two, it just might work great!

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Azure Standard – September 2014

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I’m late posting this, but here is my September Azure order….

1 lb. of salted Rumiano butter

3- 5 Gallon food safe pails and Gamma lids

2 lbs. Biokleen Dishwasher powder (liking this, will continue to use)

10 pounds of organic, dark chocolate chips

3 boxes of Honey Rice Puffins cereal

1 case of Shelton ground turkey

5 pounds of Organic frozen peas

50 pounds of Chicken wheat

45 pounds of barley (animal feed)

1 pounds dry active yeast

5 pounds organic green lentils

 

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Azure Standard Day – August 2014

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[vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][image_with_animation image=”275″ image_align=”left” animation=”no”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]It’s time for another Azure pick-up, and like last month it is a bit of a celebration for me as I bring home all my precious finds. So here is this month’s order!

First, we have 2 more gallons of Fresh, Organic apple Juice. Seriously awesome juice. However, I don’t have room in my freezer for more than 2 a month.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][image_with_animation image=”276″ image_align=”left” animation=”no”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Then, there is the produce. Happily, nothing was squished this month!

We have 5 pounds of Organic Oranges

2# of Organic Rhubarb

5# Organic Carrots

20# of Organic Ginger Gold Apples (I found these last minute. They came up on the day I had to finalize my order and I was so excited! They were packaged really nicely, arrived in great shape, and are really good apples!)

Cheese is in here too. An 8 oz. block of Rumiano Organic Cheddar

Also in this pic is a 2 Gallon bucket with lid I plan to use for rice. I may actually use it for oats though, and order a 5 Gallon for rice. We eat a LOT of rice and I buy it in the 25# bags.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][image_with_animation image=”274″ image_align=”left” animation=”no”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]General Pantry items:

Virgil’s Soda in Cola and Black Cherry Cream soda

2# Organic Chocolate Chips

3 Boxes of Peanut Butter Puffins Cereal

12 cans of Organic Black Beans

1 lb. Nutritional Yeast (for our goats)

1# Flame Raisins

2 jars of Bubbies Dill Pickles (AMAZING pickles guys. AMAZING!)

1 jar Bubbies Bread and Butter Pickles

5# Organic Rolled Oats

5# Dried Organic Pinto Beans

1 Vial Oil of Oregano

1- 32 oz. BioKleen All Purpose Spray[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column width=”1/2″][image_with_animation image=”277″ image_align=”left” animation=”no”][/vc_column][vc_column width=”1/2″][vc_column_text]Lastly, the Livestock feeds.

80# of Organic, soy-free Chicken Feed

40# of Scratch and Peck Layer feed (this is a feed with whole grains instead of pellets. Want to give it a try)

40# Dairy and Livestock Blend (for the Goats)

And that’s it for this month. We’ll see what treasures we find for September![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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My Kitchen Table Nook Bench

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I had a lot of projects this summer. I like to try to get some things done during those short weeks when I am not also trying to school 4 children. Of course, working at a summer camp means there are no “lazy days of summer” for me, but still I have a little more free time. So this summer I finished a quilt that I had the pieces cut for and sitting on my desk for about two years now. I painted a wall with dry-erase paint. (Which is an awesome thing if you are homeschooling!) I built a bookcase to fit a very specific spot where one was needed. And now my latest project, and probably the last for the summer was to build a nook bench in my kitchen. I’m sitting on the completed work now, enjoying that lovely feeling of finishing something.

I documented the process on this one, in case it inspires someone else to give it a go. Please know, I am no carpenter, and it is not perfect, but I think it will do the job nicely!

First, the need. We have grown to a family of six, and while we do fit around our little round kitchen table, the six chairs are annoying. They are always in the way. And is it just my children or are kids just rough on chairs? I am CONSTANTLY telling them to sit correctly, stop leaning in their chairs, and keep those chair legs on the floor. Constantly. So we have broken like 4 chairs and resorted to keeping little stools meant for the kids’ coloring table at the main table for sitting on. And those are starting to break. We also had a lovely folding chair with a ripped seat. Nice right? But they held you up……mostly. So I wanted something to replace a lot of the chairs and something that was un-tippable and very sturdy. The idea to build a bench was born.

I looked up some ideas on the internet and said what I often do. “I bet I can do that!”

 

 

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I made a basic box frame out of 2 by 4’s. Which aren’t actually 2″ by 4″. Why is that anyway? I mean when we call them 2 by 4’s they should be but they are more like 1 1/2″ by 3 1/2″. Crazy world.

I had the nice guy at Lowe’s cut all my wood because I don’t like using the saw. It makes me nervous.

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I essentially made two rectangles and then connected them at the side with brackets.

When done I made sure this sat flush on the floor and didn’t rock or anything. I had one side that was up a little and learned that those little pads you put under furniture legs so they don’t scratch your floor also work well as little shims.

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Next I bought a sheet of luan plywood and again had the guy at Lowe’s cut it to fit the four front sections of my bench. I did not do the back. Who would see it anyway? I could attach it to the wall and then it really wouldn’t matter if the back was finished. I tacked on the plywood with small siding nails.

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Now I add trim pieces to box it out. Admittedly it was not perfectly square, so I used some of these trim pieces to correct that a bit. Also they were handy for finishing off the edges. I little tiresome though because I had to measure each piece to fit. I had to only measure a few at a time and had my awesome husband cut them for me. It’s a good thing I am not a perfectionist or I would have had a fit that these pieces weren’t all perfect and that I had not made it perfectly precise earlier.

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Now to paint. It took three coats of a white paint for it to really be solid white. I used a sheer paint so it would be smoother.

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For the top I used 1/2 inch plywood cut in a few pieces. I always want to use what storage space I can, so I wanted it to open. The square in the corner is fastened down but the other sides have a 2″ strip at the top to attach hinges to so that they can open.

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On to the cushions. I planned two rectangle cushions for this space. I bought 2″ high density foam and the yardage I needed of an outdoor, water-resistant upholstery fabric. I cut the foam to size using a serrated knife. An electric knife works great for this. Do I have one? No. So, the serrated knife works.

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I looked up a bunch of tutorials on how to make a cushion cover on the internet. None of them were the way I had thought to do it in my head. So, I went ahead and did it my way. And that could have been bad. But, it worked! Yay for me!

I cut three pieces per cushion. one that would go all the way around it, like the hot dog bun wrap sort of way. With about an inch and a half extra for my zipper seam allowance and an extra inch for my sides. The other two pieces were the size of the short edge, plus one inch extra each way, planning on 1/2″ seams.

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I made what looked like a big tube, sewing my long zipper into this seam.

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Then I turned the whole shebang inside out and sewed the small rectangles into the side edge, turning the corners to make them as square as I could manage. I had to be careful to open the zipper a bit so I could turn things back right side out when done.

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After that, all there was to do was to stuff the foam in the cases and put them on the bench. Voila! All done.

 

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It’s not perfect. It has flaws. But I don’t think anyone is going to crawl around down there and point them out. It is sturdy and it is doing its job well. I learned some good things from the experience and next time I take on a project perhaps there will be even fewer mistakes. But really I think these things teach me not to worry about that. Nothing  I make is going to be perfect. I can live with that.

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Making Goat’s Milk Soap

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Last time I made soap there were a lot of people interested in the process. So, here are the basics of what I do.

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First, I line a box with freezer paper, shiny side up. I want as few folds as possible and no holes where my soap will leak out. This will eventually be my mold to pour the soap into. Maybe one day I will get a proper acrylic mold and a cutter to cut perfectly matched bars of soap, but not yet. And the fact that they all end up different makes them unique, rustic, and homemade.

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Next I take the oils and fats I have chosen and weigh them out. This time I am using Lard, Coconut oil, Olive oil, and Hazelnut oil. Different oils add different properties to the soap. This particular mixture should be very moisturizing. You can do soap with all lard just fine, but I like some variety. When you have weighed your oils, run the amounts through a lye calculator like this one http://www.brambleberry.com/Pages/Lye-Calculator.aspx It will tell you how much lye and liquid to add to your recipe. Don’t trust a pre-done recipe! Always check with a calculator. And never mix by volume, only weights.

My solid oils go into a pan (which will now ONLY be used for soap. Once you use any item for soap it needs to be designated as JUST for soap as it can retain some lye residue) on low to melt and the others sit by to wait until I am ready for them.

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Although I won’t be adding Essential oils until the end, I want to figure out how much I need and go ahead and weigh them out. Today I am using Cedarwood, Orange, and Basil. I run the fragrance calculator and divide that amount by three since I am using three scents. I am using them equally, so that is easy.

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Now it is time to take my goat milk out of the freezer. I freeze milk that tastes a little off in zip-locks for this purpose. I freeze it flat so I can hammer apart what I need. I weigh out the amount the lye calculator said to use and put it in this stainless steel bucket, which is of course only used for soap now.

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Now it is time to suit up! I am not kidding. Lye is no joke. The children are shooed from the room and told not to come out until it is safe. I put on long sleeves, safety googles, and rubber gloves. When using lye it is a good idea to have a container of vinegar handy. If you do splash something with lye on you, vinegar will neutralize it. I had to use it today when  little spray went on my face! Thankful for safety goggles and vinegar!!! I measure the proper amount of lye into a plastic bag.

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When using milk the lye must be mixed in VERY slowly. Milk + Lye = HEAT. With water you can just dump it in. If you tried that with milk it will scorch and discolor. With milk you add a little bit at a time, maybe break it up into about 10 additions. I stir as I add and it will melt the frozen milk chunks. I watch the temperature. I want it to stay under 100 degrees. I have a temp gun I use to check temps in my  snake cages, so it doesn’t touch the lye. But if you use a regular thermometer, remember the rule, it is now ONLY for soap. I keep an ice bath in the next sink so that I can quickly cool the mixture if it heats up too much.

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All the Lye is added at this point and my milk is melted. It is at a happy 90 degrees and you can see it is still white and not the orange brown it would be if I wasn’t careful.

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I leave my lye/milk mixture, though I still check on it every few minutes to make sure it isn’t heated up, and check on my oils. When all solids are melted I mix all oils together and get to between 80-100 degrees.

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Now it is time for the stick blender. (also known as an immersion blender) You “can” do this by hand stirring, but seriously you can get a stick blender for less than $20 and it rely makes this process easier. I add the lye to the oils and then blend them together. Keep the tip under the liquid so that it does not splatter up.

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I blend the ingredients until they come to what is called “trace.” What this means in simple terms is that the mixture is like a loose pudding and when you drip a line on the top it leaves a line before sinking in. I notice also that bubbles leave little holes at this point.

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When the mixture is at trace it is time to mix in my essential oils. I blend with the stick blender until they are fully incorporated.

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I pour the mixture into the mold, scraping as much as possible from the pan. This will continue to heat up, so I put it up on a cooling rack and will even place an ice pack under it. If you have room this could go in the freezer for short spans if you feel it heating up. The reaction settles down after a couple hours. This will need to sit for 1-2 days.

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After it has had a day or two to harden, it needs to be cut into blocks. You can use a long knife (which remember will be only soap then) or with fishing line. It will be very slippery so I recommend tying the fishing line in a circle or tying it to a piece of wood as a handle before trying this. It is really hard to hang onto the fishing line alone. (You can guess how I know this!) Don’t forget gloves when cutting, there is still lye in there!

I set cut bars upright in a box, not touching, in a well ventilated area. They need 6-8 weeks to cure. During this time the soaponification process will occur and the lye with react with the other ingredients to make soap. In the end there will not be any lye in it, because it has been made into something new. DO NOT use the soap right away. The curing time is important to get rid of the lye. I believe there are PH strips you can use to be sure it is safe but I plan to just wait the 8 weeks.

People have asked me if it is cheaper to do soap this way…….Welllllll, I don’t know. It depends on how expensive your oils are. But I did make about 3 dozen bars of soap with my last recipe. So, it does make a lot. And, it is a great gift!

Happy Soapmaking!

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