Final week of class and a diversion from homework

It is the last few days of my class. It is the first in my Masters program. It was an intensive 8 week course: Biostatisitics in Public Health.

So glad that it is over. Took the final and feel some relief.

I finished my last homework assignment and then I took some time to make soap and try my hand at homemade deodorant. I was able to research what ingredients work best. I will be testing out the deodorant in the next few weeks. I don’t like the idea of using products with aluminum. We have tried “Tom’s of Maine” products but they just don’t work.

I tried two different recipes: one without Beeswax and one with. the one without beeswax is a softer version that you apply with your finders like a lotion. The beeswax version is in a small push-up container and is much firmer. I scented the stick with the same southern peach that I scented my sunscreen with. The Lotion type deodorant  has “dragon’s  blood” scent which is a  subdued floral scent with a little bit of muskiness.

I tried to use one of the many pre-packed baggies of goats milk I got from the farm this summer. SO I made a batch but it turned out to be double so I made an apple cinnamon bar soap and I added cranberry pomegranate to the second batch which I will call the cranapplenate… maybe.

As I was making the soap, I remembered how much I missed the craft. Using math, science, and art to make a beautiful bar makes me happy.

The last goats milk soap bar I made was a lavender lilac and  I added some crushed  lavender buds for texture. I still have a few of those bars left. I love the creaminess of the bar and the medium lather. It is the right combination of oils , butters, and fragrances.

I love how the house will smell like the fragrances of the soap curing on the book shelf. Indeed, when I make soap the fragrance stays with me because I think I sniff too much of it while I am making the soap.

I have not bought a bar of soap in a long time, nor have I bought sunscreen since I learned how to make it. I made a batch in late July with a hint of peaches. It was delicious to smell peaches as I ventured out into the sun.

In other news, the chickens were cooped up for two days because of the ridiculous but much-needed rain this past week. We finally took them out today. As the day moved on I could see how happy my hens were. If only they’d lay an egg or two! It started to rain hard so we put the ladies away.

That is it in a nutshell.

Update: Day 3 of using the homemade deodorant and no smell. I have been using the simpler form ( a lotion vs the stick formula) which seems to go on dry and the scent lingers as the odorant blocker!