A Day of Thankfulness

Yesterday was a day of Thankfulness. Surrounded by the people I love, we spent as much time together as we could and relished every moment. We went out to lunch then drove to the top of Morrow Mountain. Next year, if the weather is this nice, we'll have a picnic on the mountain. It has such a lovely view. All of need to BE in that surrounding more often.

Our son, Don, came home for the day. Ahhhh, the pitter patter of size 12s around the house once again was music to my ears. Yes I remember how to cook for a growing boy. I say growing, he's an adult but he'll always be my baby. Just like I was always my mother's baby.

At 88, Mother passed away on October 10th so this was our first Thanksgiving without her. She was dearly missed. I made it through the say without crying but did tear up on the way home from our day out. I'll always miss her because the hole in my heart will always be there. But I'm thankful for the years we had together, for the life lessons she taught me, for the love we shared, and for her grace.

We're thankful for Bob's mother, Essie. At 94 she's a pistol who is on less medication than we are. Except for her hearing loss, you'd think she was in her sixty's the way she skips around. We're thankful that she still lives independently, plays Bridge as often as possible, reads a novel a week, attends various festivals with me, and is my wine drinking companion. 

My beloved husband, Bob, will be home all week. Holiday vacations are busy times and we love it that way. We don't travel any more because we love our home so much. I say home, it's a ranch with 30ish goats, 2 horses, 5 cats, 4 dogs, and about 15 chickens. Something always needs repair or re-thinking so our holiday vacations are full.

This Thanksgiving we will have lived here eleven years. We go no further. It's the place of our dreams and we get great pleasure working on it. Well,  most of the time we get great pleasure. It's physically exhausting work but that's another reason why we decided on this way of life. In our late sixty's (me) and early seventy's (Bob) we're better physical shape than we were in our forty's mainly because we move and lift more. Yes, we pick things up then put them down -- a lot.

This year we're bring in bees to pollinate our first ever garden. Having been city dwellers for most of our lives we had to learn how to do everything on the farm. From composting, to tilling, to not tilling, from hauling hot water to the barns because all the water buckets was frozen to setting up heated water buckets. Duh ... .Yep, we've had to learn it all. Each winter instills another lesson to be corrected come spring.

For instance, this year I put the goats on a decoquanate medicated feed in October -- before our first freeze. With God's Grace MAYBE I won't lose any goats due to any parasite infestation. Everyone has been dewormed and is monitored daily for diarrhea or a rough coat; and, supplements are in the barn cabinet standing by.

I'm thankful for my business because it affords me the lifestyle of my dreams. I've always wanted to work from home. Don't know why but I've wanted to have everything I do to be of value. Back when I practiced Interior Design I worked from home. That was fun. Now I'm a ranch manager and soap maker. Neither have anything to do with my college degrees except for my ability to teach myself almost anything. THAT's what I learned from my graduate work and allllll those college hours.


I'm thankful for everyone who as used my products. If you've never made anything before take a moment to imagine how it would feel to have a complete stranger be intrigued enough in something you created with your own intellect and made with your own hands to buy it for themselves or, better still, to give to one of their friends as a gift. What an honor that is. I am humbled by my customers and work to give them products that will enrich their lives.

That's why I make goat milk bath and beauty products. Because I love the quality and value that goat milk offers.From drinking it to cooking with it, to making cheeses and skincare products, goat milk's magic comes from the love and care given the goats themselves. Our goats are incredible creatures and deserve the greenest of grasses, the best of all grains, and the utmost of all care. I"m thankful for this lifestyle and cherish every moment.

Thank you Mother Father God for all these blessings.

New Goat Milk Soap Designs from Gran' Nannys' Goat Milk Soaps

Take Me Away Chocolate Melody @ $7.00 each

 Take Me Away Chocolate Melody Soap Pie

Beginning with my Old Fashioned Goat Milk Soap base I added chocolate fragrance oil with swirls of darker soap colored with cocoa. The topping has been piped on top with a pastry bag then sprinkled with pearl-looking sugar sprinkles.

Take Me Away Chocolate Melody @ $7.00 each

Please do not eat the sprinkles, you won't like the taste but they dissolve gracefully during your bath.

Inhaling the aroma of chocolate isn't fattening so you can enjoy the chocolate's essence to your heart's content.

Another way of looking at this soap is by turning it and viewing it as a Christmas tree, chocolate, of course. My MIL (mother-in -law) noticed that. Thanks, Essie. Way to go.

Skiddy's Splash About at $8.00 each

Skiddy's Splash About
Another dream child of mine is Skiddy's Splash About. Skiddy floats! What a fun bath for children of all ages. That is unless they still put soap in their mouth. Not a good idea. This soap begins with my Old Fashioned Goat Milk Soap base with saponified oils of soybean; cottonseed, olive; palm kernel, coconut, and corn; goat milk; shea butter; glycerin and sugar sprinkles.

Last weekend I introduced these new products at the Best of Badin Festival in Badin, NC. It's a good thing I have plenty of rubber duckys because my customers bought almost all of them. I'll definitely be making more of them this week.

Mini SoapCakes
I'm still playing/working with my newest molds and forms. These new mini soap cakes are so much fun, I made bazillions of them.

Min SoapCakes at $2.25 each

I was looking for shapes/molds that would fit in the human hand when these silicone cupcake molds came up in my search field.

The pink ones are scented with ylang-ylang essential oil whereas the green ones are contain patchouli essential oil. No wonder pastry chefs are such happy people. I had no idea that pipping would be so much fun. This technique opens a whole new world of designs. I can hardly wait to get back to the factory. Although it's more like an artist's studio now. What fun I'm having. My imagination is roaring with excitement thinking about your responses.

Like Skiddy's Splash About, my Best of Badin Festival customers bought quite of few of these mini soap cakes as Christmas presents. What a fun idea.

These soaps are not on my websites yet but will be soon. Meanwhile, if you're interested in them, please let me know so I can hold them back so I won't take them to the Holiday festivals.

Take Me Away Chocolate Melody Soap Pie

Life could give you a pie in the face or you could grab that pie, slice it into smaller pieces, then use it to your advantage. Sure that's a metaphor but we've made it possible for you to have life your way.

Take that piece of pie and bathe with it. Rub nature's richness over your skin as you inhale the aromatic fragrance of chocolate and imagine life on your terms.Savoring a glass of wine while bathing with chocolate soap pie would make the evening so much better.

Beginning with my Old Fashion Goat Milk base, I then added Chocolate Fragrance Oil and real cocoa powder for color. After setting in the new pie mold, this soap pie will sweep you away from your daily exasperation into a bath of bliss.

Topped with pipped goat milk soap and sugar pearls and golden sugar flakes (do NOT EAT these decorations), this soap pie looks as luxurious as you'll feel after soaking in a tepid bath.

Here is a closeup of my new soap pie. Each piece weighs about 7 ounces..

Available with a choice of two packages:  (1) Cello bag or (2) clear plastic gable box that is perfect as a gift.

(1) Cello bag; OR ...

... (2) in clear plastic gable box that is perfect as a gift

Prices will be available soon. Please check back with this blog.

My Goat Milk Soap Factory is better than ever

More space, more storage, more supplies, more designs. My factory and I are up and cooking. Be on the lookout for new designs, new colors, new fragrances, and new products.

Taking a few steps back, a little time off, and loads of re-thinking has been worthwhile. I've developed several new products, new designs, and have tweaked my formulas just a bit. Sometime I need to STOP and focus. It is so easy to get carried away with so many creative endeavors that I over load myself. Whew!

That surgery in March was a blessing in many ways. First a primary cancer tumor was removed. IF we had caught it earlier that would have been the end of my cancer story. But no, that rascal had spread into my liver leaving about eleven small tumors there. The good news is that carcinoid tumor cancer is extremely slow growing. So if I lose weight (a possible cause of cancer), exercise (cancer hates exercise but then again, so do I), eat well (no more processed anything and tons of cancer-fighting foods), and take my octreotide shot every month, then I should be fine for years and years and years. I'll be going in for tests every three months for a while just to keep an eye on 'things'.

Second, the time down while recovering meant STOPPING EVERYTHING for several months. Not only did I not have the physical energy but I didn't have the mental energy either. Since I couldn't do much of anything I used that time to reflect on what was/is important to me and my family. In my inimitable fashion, I had managed to overload myself with so many projects that none were getting done. Forget doing them well, several projects were setting around in boxes waiting to be taken to the next level.

I quit soapmaking several times. Even got my husband to agree. But then I went into my factory and noticed all the soothing oils, healing aromatherapy scents, and designs waiting for me.

But above all, I read my customer list. I read the names of families who have enjoyed my work for years. That rejuvenated me most of all.

As I regained my strength I started cleaning the factory, moving stuff around, making more room, reorganizing my process. I even cleaned areas that were hard to get to or that hadn't been cleaned in a long time. THAT was where the remodeling came in. I couldn't move walls but I could move just about anything else. So I did.

I'll still carry the favorites but I'm focusing on my proven formulas, classic designs, fresh fragrances, and targeted marketing.

Pictures will be coming soon but for now I'm cranking in the factory and finishing a few research and development ideas. I promise, just a few ideas.

Keep smiling,
Pat Allen