Java. the end.

[Javamama]

I'm the same way! Ohmygosh, it's a sickness I keep checking the buds to see if they are still growing. Hubby and I each did 2 of them and he would be OK with less than perfect results, but it will bug me forever

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

WOW baby GREAT work on the disbudding!

so there was no screaming and crying (by you)? just wham bam and there you go?

we need to man up and get a disbudding strategy together before we are crawling with goats.

and

i love your description of the buckling... hee hee hee hee

ps i love the name Dinah and i was just referencing that biblical story to someone. hee hee hee

 

[glenolam]

PS - give me a break on the craftiness of soap.

I just made three batches yesterday - mulberry flowers, an oatmeal milk and honey log and this awesome looking cucumber melon log.

It's wicked easy - I'd be happy to give you or DD an easy peasy recipe that I use or you can find an easier one online. Just pull up those sleeves (well, except when you're working with the lye, you can pull them down for that!) and give it a try.

ETA a smiley at the end of my first sentence. I didn't mean to make it sound that mean, just meant to be sarcastic!

FWIW I'm not crafty either, but for whatever reason I really enjoy soap making. I'm starting to get into adding colors and trying different shapes on the tops of the molds.

But ask me to pick up a thread and some string or yarn and forget about it. Big G can attest to that - I have three pairs of his work jeans sitting there because I 'can't find the time' to fix them.

 

[ohiofarmgirl]

glenolam - where do you get your lye? or do you use the red devil stuff? or the stuff from lowes???

yikes!

am i in danger of burning down the house if i try this?

 

[Farmfresh]

Be brave Ohio!

Lye is not much worse than strong bleach. Just don't eat it, spill it all over your self, splash it into you eyes or mouth ... you should be OK.

The fat element you are familiar with.

 

[Javamama]

You guys are killing me with the soap OK, as soon as I have excess milk, I'll make DH try it
note to self...put lye and other ?*craft* crap on the shopping list...

I just flexed my milking muscles and got 1.5 cups. All by myself! I'm getting the hang of it. I finally figures out that it's not just about the teat (breastfeeding humans pays off again!)

I gotta go - my sis is coming over for a visit and I need to do some babyproofing for her little stinkers.

 

[ksalvagno]

Congratulations on the disbudding. I'm going to have to start doing it again. I did the disbudding last year and then chickened out this year. Since I had other vet work that needed to be done, I just have had the vet do it so far. But now I need to do it myself and save some money.

Don't feel bad about the soap making. I don't make soap either. I have made it before. Not hard. Just time consuming. Traded all my soap making stuff to a friend for a whole bunch of soap.

 

[glenolam]

Yeah on the milk!!! I remember those days when I would waltz inside after milking Eloise (my super kicky gal) proudly displaying my measureing cup of 4 oz of milk.

I buy my lye on-line. I've ordered it from 'The Lye Guy' and Essential Depot.com. I actually like The Lye Guy better, but it's about $6 more than the other guy. The Lye Guy's bottles are easier to handle and, to me, seem to keep better.

The only suggestion I'll highly recommend (read that - TELL YOU TO DO) is to keep dryer sheets with the lye bottles and just before pouring it out into the bowl wipe down the lye bowl (I actually just use a chinese soup plastic tupperware bowl thing), the scale and the outside of the lye bottle with a dryer sheet. The static created is amazing and I can't begin to tell you the horror of watching all the lye coming out sideways into my kitchen because I didn't use a dryer sheet.

I've gotten lye on my skin and it's not going to kill you unless you take a bath in the stuff. It does burn and creates a rash, but it's no worse than poison ivy; although the burn/rash doesn't really last as long as poison ivy. White vingar and water help it.

I've also gotten raw soap on me and it's just a little irretating, but that's it. I do use my rubber gloves when I clean up after making a mess like I did yesterday but that's because I don't want the raw soap drying my hands out too much. If I'm just making a small batch I don't bother with gloves at all.

 

[savingdogs]

If a dizzy person like me can make soap....y'all can. It is much less difficult than many other things I hear about you all accomplishing. I'm with Farmfresh and Glenolam on the topic of lye.....it is like bleach or other strong chemicals. You use them with care is all.

I do not think soapmaking is a good project with small children in the room however.

I even put up my "fur kids.".......

Now making my own laundry soap, that is more a project I would encourage anyone to do.....I save so much money and do so much wash and like my laundry soap so much.

I'll get off my soap soapbox now........I don't think Java has caught the soaping fever.

 

[glenolam]

Laundry soap is something I haven't tried....but sure would love to read up on! Where's that search feature....