My job

I have the absolute most perfect job on the planet. I raise nubian dairy goats and make goat milk bath and beauty products with their milk. Working from home has been a lifetime dream of mine. I just didn't know that it would take 10 acres, miles of fences, several outbuildings, and livestock to fulfill it.

I birth the babies, milk the mamas, and make the soaps and lotions. That's starting at the beginning, isn't it. Actually, the beginning goes back to breeding the right buck to the right doe to get a confirmationally strong baby and body condition. But that beginning goes back even further, too. Sigh ... there is no end to getting the right start. You just start where you are then figure out the rest.

Most folks who breed goats were lucky enough to be born on the farm and continued in the family business. My closest encounter with farm life was spending summers with my grandparents -- both sides. So maybe I'm reclaiming my youth. That's good. My childhood memories of running up and down cotton rows, crawling through an abandoned pig pens, and collecting eggs from the hen house are warm and fuzzy if not a bit black and muddy. But one of my favorite memories was of taking the halter off my horse Dolly. She wouldn't let me put it on, my grandfather had to do that. BUT she would lower her head so I could take it off.

Think about that for a moment. A huge animal (horse) knew that a smaller animal (me at 8 years old) would do what the huge animal wanted simply by lowering its head. Working/playing with animals ignited a passion within me at a very early age. Thank you Dolly.

Unfortunately that passion became hidden when my teenage hormones erupted. Don't many of us lose our minds when hormones erupt? ... moving on ... .

These hormones took over. I got married too early had a beautiful baby boy, then got a divorce when the guy took off his navy uniform. ugh ... . Yup, uniforms do make 'em look better!

Didn't graduate from high school. But have managed to earn two graduate degrees and have enough college hours for three more degrees. School was a p-r-e-t-t-y good deal after all. I became a sponge and just couldn't get enough learning.

That learning passion continues even today. I'm always researching and improving my goat milk bath and beauty products as well as working to improve my goat herd's creditability. There's no end and I like it that way.

Now I need a horse so I can name her Dolly. Actually, we need two horses. This current husband of mine has been around for more than 30 years and is my soul mate. He'll have to name his own horse, though.

Pamper Yourself Crochet Pattern Book

Several of you have asked for the patterns for my crochet goods. The link to Annies Attic is above where you can go drool over their patterns.

I apologize for not getting back to you sooner but the flu held me down for two weeks. Bouncing back, I'm working on catching up.

I do appreciate your interest. Pat

Fall Web Special -- 3 Goat Milk Soaps and Gift Tub with FREE SHIPPING

A $28.00 value on sale for $20.00 plus FREE SHIPPING. Only while supplies last.

Each creamy colored metal bucket can double as a bath container and comes with three goat milk soaps:

• Maschio Motivo's Espresso Caffé Latté contains espresso coffee grounds for a special exfoliating feeling;


• Wayland's Patchouli Plunge fills your senses with a fresh herbaceous, earthy aroma; and


• Dean's Orange Delight completes the aromatic tones with a cleansing citrus scent.

Our goat milk is high in fats, proteins, and vitamins that naturally moisturize and enrich dry, sensitive skin.

Ingredients: saponified oils of shortening, palm, coconut, olive, corn & castor oils, goat milk, essentials oils, cocoa butter glycerin, borax, salt and sugar. As a free gift, we've included a bathing puff and a gift tag for your convenience.

God's Country Outfitters, Albemarle,NC

What a delightful time we had at GCO's event. GCO has hosted this Hospice of Stanly fund raiser for the past two years, and we've been there, too. GCO has been a customer for several years so anything Nathan needs, we do our best to accommodate.

Like last year, we donated several products for the hospice auction. Actually, all the vendors donated special products or services to help rise money for hospice. Listening to the auctioneer's chant always gets folks in the mood for spending. Cool.

Throughout the day, we chatted with customers and folks came by our booth to meet Natalie. I’m amazed at how many folks had goats in their youth. Love your stories. Yes, goats are incredible creatures. We’re blessed to have them.

Our favorite spot is by the fire hydrant. It’s perfect for goat poop and protection. However, we always bring a broom and dust pan for cleaning up after our goats. It's OUR poop. We haul it in; we haul it out. Moving on ... .

October begins our festival season here in North Carolina so we always have tons of soaps for the events. Usually the weather is perfect with gentle breezes and an occasional slight overcast.

The umbrella came in handy, though. It's light weight enough that we could move it throughout the day making sure the ladies had shade, got to protect those fair skins. Remember: too much sun can be harmful to your skin. Always use a sun screen.

Attending festivals is new to us but we'll be pros by the end of the season because we're going to attend as many as possible. Our camp is made up of light weight tables, portable everything, as many wheels as possible, and fresh, good looking merchandise.

This year we unveiled our Sensual Sandalwood Goat Milk Soap with Natalie's photograph on the label. Have I mentioned that all our products have a picture of a goat? It's our way of honoring the herd that makes our goat milk soaps and lotions possible.

Goats are excellent companions. They get in and out of the truck by themselves. They can carry their weight in supplies (with care), and they work for water and grass. Natalie drew a crowd and let dozens of folks pet her while I was working with customers and talking about our goat milk skin care products.

As soon as we make more decisions on which festivals we’ll be attending, I’ll broadcast our schedule so you can come meet us. Meeting customers is truly enriching for me. I look forward to chatting with you.

More later ... Pat