Will it upset you if I talk about holiday gifts? I'm sorry. I assure you I am the very last person who would wish away summer, and that's not at all what I'm doing. But, there are the realities that soapmaking takes a good deal of curing time; that fall is an incredibly full time of year for us (I can hear the Nutcracker music creeping into the back of my head already); and well, we've been bringing in so many herbs from the garden to preserve, and store, and use in potions and lotions....and soaps! I've been eager to get to it.
And so it is that I've found myself up late a few nights this week, making batches of Calendula Soap, Honey Oatmeal, and Mint as well. Though I don't know if I'll ever get over my moment of fear each time I open the lye, the rest of the process is fun and relaxing. (This post from last year has all of my favorite soap making resources and great tips in the comments too.)
While the actual act of making the soap wasn't for the kids at all (the lye! the lye!), the rest of the process certainly is. From harvesting the flowers and drying and storing them....and now to the fun part of 'packaging' our soap for giving. Adelaide is on top of the artwork, Calvin's the official first tester of each kind, Ezra is in charge of creative naming, and Harper and Annabel are on the production team - helping me craft the labels and put it all together. This is going to be fun!
