Hillfarm - good news, thank heavens.

[valmom]

Sounds like a great vacation for you

(personally, if I never enter NYC again in my life it will be fine with me. A good friend from college lived in the city- some posh place near the park. We'd go to her "house" (appt? condo? something?) some weekends. I would have a headache from the moment we got there till the moment I got home. I was not cut out for the noise, the pace, the people, everything.

 

[hillfarm]

Had two bites on our house. They want to pay cash but havent made an offer yet. So who knows. We started looking and thinking about moving. I would love to have a place that we could feel like it was permanant.

Spent way too much money on school clothes and still need to buy more. Teen girls are killer on the purse. She wants everything and nothing. ugh.

My eight year old wanted a new pair of converse and a couple of t shirts. He said his summer shorts were all new anyway. He cost me under 75 dollars.

Teen bought 4 pairs of pants. 150 dollars. She needed shirts that matched her pants and then belts, necklaces, hats, purses, socks, and bra and panty sets. cripes, and we still have to get more crap. She's a good shopper. I have taught her to look for the clearance rack first and work from there. We bought make up last month, so thats covered.

On the chicken front my girls are doing well. Everyone has bright red combs, so I'm hoping for some eggs out of them sooooon.

All the fish in the pond died. The extreme drought made their pond too gross and it got to be too much I think. Chickens have enjoyed the snack tho.

Tomorrow I am making more soaps. Gonna hunt down some castille recipes. I also want to try making some more bath bombs. off to google.....

 

[hillfarm]

I got an egg. A tiny lil white egg with an almost fragile shell. I'm pretty sure my new girls laid it. pearl lays much bigger eggs typically.

Saw The rise of the planet of the apes. It was awesome. really loved it.

Hubby is making me watch Sucker Punch. Not a fan. Too masogenistic and sexist for my tastes. ughh.

Having a craving for figs. Wish I had a tree that was making. oh well.

hubby has a pinched nerve, so he has testicular pain. He is not being very easy to deal with.

Tomorrow I have a meeting with the school principal. Looking forward to getting back to work. yay.

 

[hillfarm]

well for sure my girls are laying. today i got a small light brown egg. and one from pearl. Im so thrilled.

I made a loaf of pumpkin soap. Made with fresh pumpkin and spices. My kitchen smells like fall. Now if the weather would get with the program.

Our drought is critical. No rain in months. Heat is brutal. I've lost major trees, all my plants and most grass. So much money gone.

But our animals are all alive and thriving. So the most improtant parts are good. We have a cooler house, Its hard to get it below 78 in here and Im grateful for that but I wouldnt fuss over a room in the sixties. I was a freeze when its this hot outside.

Todays high 107. I feel like we live inthe desert.

 

[Marianne]

Now what? A loaf of pumpkin soap? (Sorry, I have this mental picture - )

 

[freemotion]

Please explain the pumpkin soap.....recipe?? I'm intrigued, and soon will be inundated with free pumpkins.

 

[hillfarm]

Yep, hubby was disappointed we would not be eating the loaf.

Its a basic soap recipe with fresh pumpkin added to half the batch and pumpkin pie spice added to the other.

Makes for a really pretty bar of soap.

Thats the loaf today. I will cut bars and show those tomorrow.

Smells so good.

 

[hillfarm]

Here's a shot of the Pumpkin Soap cut into bars.

They look amazing and smell so good. I'm pleased how well they turned out.

 

[freemotion]

It is gorgeous! I have to learn how to swirl the colors. I looked up recipes for pumpkin soap and only found them with fragrance oils.....did you use fo's? For some reason I thought you just used pumpkin and spices. I can't use fo's, artificial scents give me migraines. If you didn't use them, could you share your recipe? Not the base oils, but the additives?

 

[hillfarm]

I used pumpkin puree, 3 oz

and on the brown swirl I used the Pumpkin Pie spice you use to make the pies. 3 Tbs. No FOs.

I also added a bit of ginger essential oil. But you could remove it, i just love the scent. and ginger essential oil holds the smell a long time. I added it to the pumpkin puree portion.