Square Foot Gardening

Above is a picture of my gardening schedule.  I have 33 herbs, veggies and flowers on my garden list; only one of which will be transplanted to a pot.  The rest are going in our square foot gardens.  This weekend is the first weekend for sowing seeds outdoors, so we needed to get our square foot gardens ready to go.  Scott did most of the work, but I helped mix the soil and rake one of the gardens.  The soil to use is a mixture of compost, peat moss and vermiculite.  I didn’t have any luck finding vermiculite, but I read that it’s okay if y0u to leave it out, so long as you keep your garden well-watered.  Scott built the frames, then we mixed the soil and filled the frames.

Once the frames were filled with dirt, Scott hammered in the wooden lattices so that we have 16 squares in each garden.Now our gardens are ready for plants!  Tomorrow, I’ll sow spinach, beets, peas and calendula seeds. I hope our gardens produce a good crop!Visit http://www.squarefootgardening.org/ to learn more.

New Donation Recipient

All praise to God for blessing the Schoenlings with the funds they need to complete their adoption!  They are still waiting to be placed with an infant, but when that call comes, they will have the money they need for their final adoption expenses.  Thank you to everyone who bought Catie Beth Bath and Body products over the last year.  Together, we were able to give the Schoenlings nearly $175! 

In my previous post, I reported on a decision made by the Ethiopian government that will reduce inter-country adoption by 90%.  This is heart-wrenching news.  Orphans will likely be in institutions for nearly 7 years.  Another report I recently read said the Ministry of Women, Children and Youth affairs in Ethiopia will close 25% of orphanages with no plan of where these children will go.

Based on this information, I believe Ethiopian orphanages are going to need greater funding in order to take in additional orphans while meeting the long-term care needs of their existing orphans.  With that in mind, Catie Beth Bath and Body will donate a generous portion of its profits to Hannah’s Hope Orphan Care in Ethiopia.  Through donations and mission teams, they provide orphan care, refurbish orphanages, create day care centers, etc. 

Below is a video of a day care center built by Hannah’s Hope Orphan Care  in Wyrea, Ethiopia.

Ethiopia Wyrea Daycare Project made possible by donations to Hannah’s Hope Orphan Care

Orphan Crisis in Ethiopia

Help by clicking here.Last week the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s, Children's, and Youth Affairs announced their intention to reduce inter-country adoptions by 90% beginning March 10, 2011.  This plan is a gross over-reaction to isolated instances of corruption and abuse within the adoption system.

Currently, there are 5.5 million orphans in Ethiopia; largely a result of poverty and AIDS.  This act by MOWA will cause orphans to languish in institutions for as long as 7 years.  Almost 1000 orphans with prospective adoptive parents are on the court docket, but will now see a delay of at least year before getting a court hearing.

This news just breaks my heart.   I feel so fortunate to have our son, Abraham.  I can’t imagine our lives without him.  I can’t imagine him spending the first 7 years of his life in an orphanage.  He would be such a different child if that had been the case.  But, now so many orphans will have to wait to be united with their forever families.  I believe the full weight of this tragedy is yet to come.

The Joint Council on International Children’s Services is petitioning the Ethiopian Government to reconsider its plan and to work with governments and agencies to rid corruption while allowing international adoptions to continue at the rate it has been.  Please sign this petition.

Bramble Berry Soap Swap: Sheer Freesia

Once again, I’m participating in Bramble Berry’s Soap Swap!  Above are the soaps I’m swapping: Sheer Freesia.  The way the swap works is, I send in 12 bars of soap and then pay for the shipping of 12 different bars of soap to me that other soapers entered in the swap.  I hope the recipients of these lovely bars enjoy them!  They smell sooo good!  I can’t wait to see what I receive in April!

FAQ About Handmade Soap

I thought I’d answer some of the questions I’m often asked about my handmade soaps.

How do you make your soap?

Soap is basically a chemical reaction between a fatty acid and a caustic alkali.  This can be accomplished by a number of methods.  I combine plant-based oils (fatty acids) with sodium hydroxide mixed with distilled water (caustic alkali known as “lye”).  The chemical process is called “saponification”.  When the saponification process is complete, only soap, water and glycerin remain.Isn’t Lye harmful?

Yes, Lye is very caustic and extremely harmful when working with.  However, notice what is left after the chemical reaction between the oils and the lye…only soap, water and glycerin.  There is no more lye in the soap. 

Are commercial soaps made with lye?

Yes, commercial soaps are made with Lye.  In order for it to be soap, it must have been made with lye.  If you look at the ingredients on a bar of commercial soap you’ll find the words “Sodium Tallowate”, which is sodium hydroxide combined with animal fat, or lard.Why is handmade soap better for my skin than commercial soap?

Remember, after saponification is complete, we’re left with soap, water and glycerin.  Commercial soap manufacturers remove the glycerin and replace it with synthetic detergents.  They can then sell the glycerin at a high price to other skin care manufacturers.  Handmade soap retains its natural glycerin.  Glycerin is important in skin care because it is a humectant, meaning it attracts moisture to your skin.Why does it take so long for your soap to be ready for sale?

I like for my soaps to cure for a minimum of 4 weeks before I sell them.  Most of the saponification process is complete within the first 24 – 48 hours, but the process will continue slowly for another 2 weeks.  I let them cure for an additional 2 weeks so that water evaporates from the soap.  This leaves a harder, longer lasting bar that is rich in lather.

Featuring Jade Lotus

My favorite soap lately is lovely Jade Lotus.  It’s made with Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena-infused Olive Oil.  Both Lemon Balm and Lemon Verbena have astringent qualities and are good toners for the skin.  This soap also features Avocado Oil!  Avocado Oil is rich in emollient properties and soothes dry skin.  Jade Lotus has pink and green swirls and is scented with Ylang Ylang EO, Orange Valencia EO, Lemongrass EO and Basmati Rice FO.  It smells like a sweet and floral tropical island!  Give it a try if you need a breath of spring air!

How Does Your Gardenia Grow?

I began my first round of S.O.A.P. testing by testing the three Gardenia fragrances.  My first “obstacle” was that I don’t have molds small enough for test batches of cold process soap.  My husband helped me solve the problem by cutting two pieces of wood that I could wedge into my 5 lb mold; creating three smaller molds. Perfect!My idea was to make 64 oz of soap and divide it into thirds.  Each compartment would have 21.33 oz of soap.  I would use each fragrance at a rate of .5 oz per 16 oz of soap, so each batch would have .625 oz of fragrance oil.  With all my mold and calculations prepared, I was ready to begin soaping.   I made the following recipe using Bramble Berry’s Lye Calculator:                                                                                                         
Sweet Almond Oil: 2.5 oz                                                                                  
Castor Oil: 2.5 oz                                                                                           
Coconut Oil (76 Degrees): 13 oz                                                                    
Olive Oil: 16 oz                                                                                               
Palm Oil: 13 oz                                                                                                    
5% Lye Amount: 6.657 oz                                                                 
Distilled Water: 15.51 oz                                                                                 
Total: 69.17 oz (I wanted to make a little extra for when I poured the soap into separate containers)I got the soap made and, at a light trace, I began pouring some into my first container.  Remember, I wanted each of the three batches to be 21.33 oz (roughly 1 lb, 5 1/3 oz).  Wouldn’t you know it!?  In spite of all my calculated planning, I didn’t even think about the size of my containers!  They were too small!I could only get 16 oz into my two containers!  My plan was to use my mixing pot as the third container.  I had pre-measured my fragrance oil and didn’t want to lose any time lest the soap begin to set, so I went ahead and dumped the .625 oz of fragrance oil into 16 oz of soap.  I had to do the same with the next batch; .625 oz per 16 oz of soap.  That left me with a pot of roughly 32 oz of soap and .625 oz of fragrance oil.  In hindsight, I should have added more fragrance oil, but I was too busy lamenting my mistake.  So the last batch of soap had .625 oz of FO for 32 oz of soap or .31 oz per 16 oz.  Okay, so it’s not THAT bad.  Usually, the range for using fragrance oil in CP soap is .5 oz – 1 oz per pound of soap.  So, the first two batches are within that range.  But the last batch, Gardenia #3,  is only .31 oz of FO per pound.  In the bottle, it’s a pretty pert and bright fragrance, so I’m hoping it will still stand out.  I just wanted everything to be consistent.
Now, for some of my observations.  Gardenia #1 didn’t accelerate trace.  Gardenia #2 accelerated trace slightly.  Gardenia #3 didn’t accelerate trace.  I don’t know how trace acceleration works;  if trace isn’t accelerated by a small amount of FO, then would it not be accelerated by a larger amount?Here, you can see Gardenia #1 already entering the gel phase just 15 minutes after going in the mold.  Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!  My kitchen smells like Gardenia heaven!

Signs of Spring

Signs of spring are every where, so I took some time today to capture this awakening!Three days after sowing, my cabbage and broccoli seeds have already sprouted!  Seeing the broccoli sprouts gave me the idea to sow a larger crop of broccoli seeds just for growing and eating broccoli sprouts.  I love broccoli sprouts but they are so expensive at the grocery store. It took some rooting around beneath the mulch to find them, but I was rewarded by little, red, Peonia shoots pushing up through the soil. The Daylilies are popping out!So are the Irises!But the surest sign of spring was hidden beneath the downspout deflector.Bitey, our “pet” garter snake that lives under the porch is on the move.  I’ve been watching for him since the weather turned warmer and haven’t seen him, but it looks like he’s awakened from his winter slumber.  And by the size of his tracks, I’d say he’s grown quite bit!

Smells Like Spring!

I do not recommend smelling floral fragrances all at one time, as I did.  Though I stopped to smell the coffee beans in between each fragrance, I still ended up feeling slightly dizzy afterward.  Floral fragrances can do that.  I’ll work more on describing the scents in better detail when I work with each one individually.  But for now, here are my initial reactions.

Gardenia #1: Earthy, soft and subdued.

Gardenia #2: Non-traditional.  Earthy and spicy.

Gardenia #3: A true gardenia.  Bright and green.

Mystery #4: Sweet, clean and cottony.

Mystery #5: Coffee-like, fruity, warm and spicy.

Mystery #6: I like this one a lot, but had a hard time describing it.  Do I detect lavender?

Mystery #7: Fruity, sweet with hints of citrus.  Reminds me of my Mock Orange bushes.

Mystery #8: Warm, spicy with hints of vanilla?  I like this one, too!

Mystery #9: Fruity, sweet, green and bright.  Another new favorite!

Mystery #10: Green, pert, too pungent for me!

S.O.A.P. Floral Fragrances Arrived!

I was doing my happy dance yesterday when the FedEx truck pulled up and my box of floral fragrance samples were delivered to my door step!  I was selected to be a part of Bramble Berry’s S.O.A.P. panel (Soap Opinion Awesome Panel).  My mission (which I’ve accepted) is to sample 10 floral fragrances in whatever product I want, take notes of how I used the sample and how it reacted, and then return a survey to Bramble Berry by April 4th.  I hope my mission isn’t top-secret because I plan to share as much of the process with you as I can. 

Being the “nerd” that I am, I immediately created a spread sheet with a list of each fragrance and spaces for taking notes.  Once that was complete, I opened each jar and took a whiff (stopping to smell coffee beans in-between).  The first notes I took were about my first impressions of the fragrances.  Some I loved right away, others were familiar, and a few just weren’t to my personal liking.I make primarily Cold Process soap, so I plan to test all of the fragrances in CP soap.  I’ll use a basic CP recipe without colorants.  I have three questions when I use a new fragrance: 1) Will it cause my soap to trace too quickly or seize up?  If it traces or thickens to quickly, I can’t create the pretty swirls that I like to create.  If it seizes, well, back to the drawing board. 2) Will it discolor the soap?  Is it going to turn the soap brown?, and 3) How strong is the fragrance after the soap has cured a few weeks?  These are the three factors I will take notes on, in addition to answering the survey questions.

I’ll start the first rounds of testing this weekend!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Another sure sign that spring is on it’s way: I’ve sown my first seeds for my spring garden!  Hubby and I have BIG plans for gardens this year.  We’re using the Square Foot Gardening method to maximize small spaces and make it easier for the whole family to get in on the gardening fun.  We often make sincere attempts at a whole foods lifestyle, but it just doesn’t stick.  I hope our gardens are successful so we can enjoy more whole, organic foods.  I’m also hoping that my children will learn to like vegetables after taking part in the growing process and tasting what REAL food should taste like.  With that in mind, we ordered over two dozen heirloom seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds; a seed company right here in Missouri.

With so many seeds and so little experience gardening on this kind of scale, I created a spreadsheet to show when each seed needed to be sown indoors and transplanted outdoors.  It also lists when certain seeds need to be sown outdoors.  We’ll be sowing seeds and transplanting from now until summer!  I can’t wait to harvest my own vegetables'; most of which I can’t find in the supermarket!

Here’s our seed starting station in the basement.  So far, I’ve sown heirloom varieties of eggplant, lemongrass, red romaine lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, and onion.