Making All-Natural Soap with Red Mountain Goodness

I have always wanted to learn how to make soap.  Maybe it started when I read about a pioneer doing so in one of my historical fiction novels.  I remember that coming up several times.

While I'm not interested in pouring lard through ashes or anything, soapmaking has remained at the top of my list of things to learn about for a long time, so I was super excited when a friend shared that there was a great soap company operating in the next county over.  I was even more excited when founder and owner of Red Mountain Goodness, Todd Hinson, immediately replied to my request for a lesson with a 'Yes!'

Todd began by sharing with us how his company began.  A research scientist by training, he was working in that field when he began to develop a type of soap to help with his wife's wintery skin.  Friends and family loved the result, and Red Mountain Goodness was born.

 The best part of Todd's backstory was the way that he encouraged our kids.  He shared with them difficulties of beginning your own home-based business, some of the details and issues that were involved, marketing strategies, and the like; all provided great information and insight to our future entrepreneurs.  He told us several times, however, that we should not be afraid to look for a solution to a problem or to do something in a non-traditional way - that those are sometimes the things that help people the most.  That those things can make a difference.  

As a scientist, Todd looks at soap differently than many.  While we might be happy to have a soap that feels good at the moment and smells great, Todd is looking for all natural ingredients.  He talked with the kids about ingredient labels on products and how the list is graduated - so that the first ingredient listed is used the most by quantity, etc., and then he compared each ingredient in order to his soap.  Did you know that one of the most common soap companies in our country puts the main chemical in antifreeze into their soap?  UGH!

Then Todd demonstrated making his soap.  While he made it look easy, he takes great care when measuring and mixing the ingredients to provide a high-quality product for the consumers. 

His soaps contain olive oil ...

coconut oil ...

goat's milk and lye.  Regardless of what other soap labels say, for a product to be a true soap, it must contain lye as an ingredient, but the lye is used up chemically during the soapmaking process, making the end product totally safe for your skin.

Combing the lye with the frozen goat's milk creates an exothermic reaction, one that releases heat, and so we watched this reaction melt the goat's milk.  My kids were fascinated by that part!

Todd has incorporated many scientific tools into the process of soapmaking.  This 'self-stirrer' (I don't know the scientific name) allows liquids to be stirred using magnet technology.  Since the soap needs to be stirred for 15 minutes after the lye has finished reacting, Todd uses this handy tool to do the work.  My Big Helper thought that was quite ingenious.

The next order of business is to combine the oil mixture with the lye mixture.  Todd uses a regular immersion blender for this, and the kids in the group all loved watching the two elements begin to change color and for soap particles to form.

Todd scents his soaps with essential oils, and our group voted to make lavender soap.  It takes 40 mg of essential oil to scent the soap.  Todd shared with the kids the best way to measure liquids in a graduated cylinder, and their eyes were all big at the sight of his scientific equipment.

As one girl inquired, the soap must be put into something while it cures and hardens.  Todd explained that you can use anything, but he uses these soap molds.  Each batch of soap will make 16 bars, and while making such small batches is quite time-consuming for a business of this size, Todd is determined to maintain the high quality of his products and refuses to make bigger batches.

When the soap is ready, Todd poured it into the mold.  He then lifted it carefully and tapped it against the table to release any bubbles that might be hiding inside.  This reminded me of the trip that candy bars take on bouncing conveyor belts to do the same thing!  

Next the bars will hang out in the fridge overnight, and then be cut the next day.  They'll then cure for a month, be wrapped, and cure for another month before being sold.  This means that each bar has been in production for a total of two months!  

Todd was a great presenter for our group.  We learned about entrepreneurship, about creativity and scientific method, about the role of chemicals in our society, on marketing and goal-setting, and much more.  I appreciate that so many kind people are willing to share their dreams and their knowledge with your young ones.  We can't replicate that kind of education!

I also couldn't replicate Todd's soap!  It feels great on my skin, has a delightful scent, and the best part is knowing that I'm not absorbing antifreeze or any other crazy chemicals in the process of getting clean.

 Red Mountain Goodness is having a special sale this weekend only.  Starting today, they're offering 30% off their soaps through their website when you enter code 30for300 at checkout.  If your order totals over $25, you'll also get free shipping!  If you've been wanting to try an all-natural soap, or if you have dry, cracked, wintery, itchy skin, this is the time to try something new!  Red Mountain Goodness soaps are designed to get you clean but leave the natural oils in your skin, keeping your skin happy and healthy.  Head over to their Facebook page, give them a 'like,' and try it out!

I am receiving no compensation in sharing Red Mountain's sale or products with you.  I'm just happy to share a good deal on a great product with others who might appreciate it! 

The Hershey Gardens

While we were in Pennsylvania a few months ago, we had to make a trip to Hershey.  When I was little we went there every year, and I have great memories of being there with my family and friends.

This time we received a recommendation to visit the Hershey Gardens, and since we had never been and had just finished studying botany, we decided it sounded like a neat place to go.

It turned out to be the perfect time for my first visit.

The entrance brings you here, near this fountain, which is set just above the formal rose garden.  Since it was the very beginning of May, no roses were blooming yet, but we didn't mind.

The tulips were in full bloom!  Tulips are my very favorite flowers and have been ever since seeing the many kinds of tulips blooming beside my great-grandmother's fence.  She always scolded my great-grandfather when he ran over them with his lawn tractor, and I loved watching them smile and laugh about it.  

We learned from a brochure that there are 42,000 tulip bulbs planted in the garden.  It was gorgeous!

The kids were as excited about the animals they saw as they were about the plants.  My Big Helper spotted a mourning dove and was determined to get as close as possible.  She spent a long time sitting here on the edge of the path as the bird inched closer ...

while My Little Man found a comfy spot to wait!

One thing that was unique to us was the Children's Garden.  This area was very well done - with a Native American garden area, a literature-inspired area, an alphabet herb garden, and interactive exhibits.  My Little Man particularly liked this sundial.

My Big Helper was excited to see this machine that would let her look out over the town of Hershey.  Unfortunately, it wasn't working on this day - but the view was spectacular, anyway.

We had a great day at the Hershey Gardens.  We definitely want to go back when next we're in the area!

What's your favorite park or garden to visit?

The First Pretzel Bakery in the New World

A few weeks ago we visited the town of Lititz with my grandmother and aunt to tour the Julius Sturgis Pretzel Bakery.  Touted as the first of its kind in America, this was a really neat tour.

We've made soft pretzels a few times at home, but the kids were excited to learn how it was different to make them 'for real.' They wanted to know how to make that special shape, too, since I can never quite get it and just end up making pretzel rods.  Somehow rods are not the same.

Our awesome tour guide seemed to know everything there was to know about making soft pretzels.  She told us all about Julius Sturgis, his family, and how they made pretzels.  She even gave everyone dough and let us all try our hands at it - though we could come nowhere close to the record numbers of pretzels-per-minute that the original shapers could.  It was special to learn right here on the original tables, however.

These pretzel ovens were set high in the walls and were heated with wood.  They got so hot that the rooms above the ovens neared 200 degrees some days!  Pretzels could dry out quickly there.  

In the ovens themselves salt was sprinkled so that the pretzels wouldn't stick.  When they wanted to clean out these ovens, it would take two days to cool down enough to be cleaned.  At that time one of Sturgis' fourteen children would be pushed inside the oven, where s/he would crawl around and scrub out the salt.  My Big Helper was fascinated at that idea, though she stated firmly that she didn't want to go in there.

This tour took about 30 minutes and was very reasonable in price.  We all received small bags of Sturgis pretzels and certificates of graduation upon completion, which thrilled the kids.  They couldn't wait to sample their pretzels.

I think I'll have some pretzel graduates help out the next time we make pretzels.

Have you ever made your own soft pretzels??

Life as a Pilgrim: Fun & Games (Part Three)

This month our Book Club girls read Ron Roy's The Mayflower Treasure Hunt.  I was pleasantly surprised by this book - the descriptions of the Mayflower are historically accurate, the initial movement of the Pilgrims are tracked throughout the Cape Cod area, and the modern Plymouth is well depicted.  I love the way that Roy added a believable mystery into the Pilgrim story, making it easy to tell which parts are fiction and which are true while still maintaining a fun and exciting story.

I had lots of events planned for this club meeting and was very excited - and then it became possible for us to travel to a local park for a "Pilgrims at Play" program, where they promised to teach about the fun side of Pilgrim life.  This seemed like the perfect place to meet about this book!

Several of the girls traveled with my family, and they talked a bit about the book on our way to and from the park. They also learned quite a bit more about Pilgrim life while there.

The program began as Hilary, the presenter, talked about basic Pilgrim facts.  As she prepared them to use books to study Pilgrim life, she taught the kids a few phrases in Wampanoag and in Elizabethan English. This was by far my favorite feature of this program. Who would expect to hear Elizabethan English in a small park in North Carolina?

Next, Hilary pulled out tubs of supplies and let the kids play Pilgrim-style.  Mine never moved past the ball-and-cup.  They were each determined to get the hang of it!

After learning about the foods available to the Pilgrims for their first Great Harvest Celebration, the kids made painted fish impressions.  They painted a textured rubber fish and then rubbed it onto plain paper to transfer the colorful image. 

After a picnic lunch on the center's beautiful stone porch and some playtime in the museum, we headed out.  Even though the rain had stopped, the girls were too happy to pose under this vibrant umbrella.

Next month we're looking forward to discussing a good Christmas mystery and spreading some Christmas cheer.

What good books have you read lately?

Shared at I Can Teach My Child.

Turtle Research & A Princess-in-Training - Part 2

So our day at Duke Gardens was loads of fun, and we all enjoyed time with the turtles.  

My Big Helper was super excited about wearing her new white dress, however, and she couldn't stop herself from twirling and playing with it all day.

She absolutely loved watching the skirt flair out!

While I want her to know that she's beautiful - because she just is, as far as I'm concerned, but mostly because she was made by the Master, I also want her to be comfortable in her own skin.  I don't want her to become so fussy that she's afraid to explore or try new things or to get dirty.  Since she was the only girl in our group of boys at the Garden, this was a great chance to practice being gracious and friendly in all situations.

In the past, she's usually played with this guy's older brother.  They're pretty good friends, but on this day, these two held hands and walked together all over the park.

She was a bit more interested in posing for pictures than the boys were ...

though they had their moments, too.

I love that they are such good friends!

But even though she was into the posing and the picture-taking, ...

she also had a grand time playing in all of the fountains, ponds, and pools.  The large goldfish in this one were fascinating to them all!

I was able to capture a few special things in our favorite magnolia, ...

but she was much more interested in being a monkey at this point.  Since it wasn't very long ago that she wasn't willing even to think about climbing a tree, I'm proud of her for being so brave and courageous!  Upon reaching the trunk, she kicked off her dressy sandals, held onto her skirt, and clambered right up.  She laughed and played and had a wonderful time with her friends.

I think princesses need to be well-rounded.  Though they must be modest and kind at all times, and we often think of them as being beautiful, that doesn't mean they have to be prissy, and today My Big Helper demonstrated that.  Her preening proved that she enjoyed both her outfit and her surroundings, but she was kind to those around her, eagerly shared the camera lens, and didn't allow her clothing to set the tone for the day.

It seems as if somewhere along the line we women stop feeling beautiful and start feeling as if we must do certain things to be accepted.  My Big Helper hasn't hasn't hit that place yet, and I hope she never does.  I pray that she maintains the innocence and purity and sheer joy in God's beauty that she showed me today.  

A Turtle Rescue & Princess-in-Training - Part One

Today we traveled to Duke Gardens for pictures, fun with friends, and some nature study time.  Although I always intend to do some specific study while we're there, we usually get so caught up in the beauty that we don't focus only on blooming flowers, crawling insects, or two-legged creatures.

Today, however, after marveling in God's creation for a few hours, this small turtle totally captured our attention.

One of our friends found it, but My Big Helper quickly scooped him up and assumed a leadership role in the turtle rescue.

She happily inspected its body and was quite happy to share her findings, like "He's got sharp claws, Mommy!"

She also held him still so that the other kids could check him out.  They agreed that his tummy was quite soft.

After thoroughly exploring him, we decided it might be best to move him closer to water than the middle-of-the-field where we found him.  We found some workers who knew quite a bit about turtles, and they offered to relocate him for us.  While they finished their current task, they got a bucket for him to swim around in.  

My Big Helper was quite sad to leave the turtle, and she talked about him the rest of the day.  While getting ready for bed, she announced that "I've never seen a turtle bottom before!"  When I laughed, she smiled wryly and assured me that she meant the underside of his shell.

After that she quietly snuck off to the playroom to make a list of all the information she wants to learn about turtles. She's hoping to learn how to take care of them so that the next time she finds a stray turtle, she can bring it home and make a turtle pet out of it.  (I can't convince her that this won't work yet, but I'm happy about the research part of it.) 

So, I think we'll be spending our weekend doing some research.  If you want to learn more about turtles, these websites seem to be a good starting point.

• Turtles
• Raising Baby Turtles
• Turtle Puddle

Come back tomorrow for our Princess-in-Training pictures!

Ethiopia

This week we had a very special guest - a local man who has made several mission trips to Ethiopia - and is planning his next one.

Jason began by telling us a bit about himself and how God has led him to Ethiopia.  From there we learned about its location and climate.

Ethiopia is a land-locked country west of the Horn of Africa.  It's dry most of the year but does have a rainy season, and while many people think of animals when they think of this country, there are far more animals in Kenya to the south.  Despite this, snakes and hyenas do populate the country.  Hyenas are dangerous to people and in some places towns consist of 'compounds' with guarded gates at night where hyenas roam the streets, searching for food.

It takes 16 hours to fly from North Carolina to Ethiopia's capital city and then another 16 hours to travel by Land Rover to the southern villages where Jason works.  Outside of the city the roads are rough dirt and full of potholes, people, and animals.  He said that honking is an acceptable means of asking people to watch out!

Ethiopia is the only African county that was never colonized.  Because of that, and because an Ethiopian man visited with Paul in the Bible and there were early Christian settlements there, Ethiopia is quite friendly to foreign missionaries.  It is not the only faith there, however; another popular one being Islam.

Jason brought along a laptop and showed us pictures and videos of his travels.  Despite the extreme dryness, the landscape was very green and beautiful.

These mission trips each serve a specific purpose and help established Christian groups in Ethiopia.  The extreme poverty of the rural areas makes communication and shopping difficult, and so Bibles are in short supply.  Armed with an arsenal of Bibles, Jason's group gets to distribute them - but the demand is great for Bibles in their own language.  While they pass them out for free, they need a way to decide who gets each limited quantity, so the requirement is the recitation of a scripture passage.  People wanting to get a Bible borrow one from a friend, learn the required passage, and then come to the distribution point and recite it.  In this picture, you can see the elders standing around a man reciting his passage and going up to receive his Bible.

What was especially humbling about watching this video was seeing the man dancing in his excitement, reciting his passage, and knowing that he would walk hours home carrying it - after walking hours to get there.  Bibles are so rare and precious that the people are willing to put that much effort into acquiring one - and there were crowds of people waiting for this chance.  How often do I claim I'm too tired - it's too hard to understand - I don't like this translation - and not even pick it up?  To me, this was convicting.

Because people are poor and many live far away from commercial businesses, they are skilled at making things for themselves.  (There is a market day in each town to buy, sell, or trade for the goods they need.)  This hat was an example of something that they made to fill a need - and the craftsmanship was beautiful!

This shirt was another.  It was subtly colorful and had embroidery on the collar and cuffs.

Jason purchased this ball on one of his trips for his son.  The embroidery on each circle features letters of their alphabet.

This is an Ethiopian coin.

Jason went waayyyy above and beyond the call of duty.  Not only did he make time in his busy schedule to speak to us, but he also brought an Ethiopian dollar for each of the children.

He brought a favorite Ethiopian snack, too:  /fond-i-shaa./  (No idea how to spell that - but that's my phonetic version.)  Popcorn!

My Little Man is excited about his popcorn.  He's also been telling everyone about the bumpy roads and grassy houses of "Indotheopia."  I'm sure he'll figure out the name soon.

I hear that there's an Ethiopian restaurant in Raleigh. Maybe one of these days we'll venture down and try something new!

I didn't realize I had so many preconceived notions about Ethiopia until I heard Jason speak.  It sounds like a beautiful, friendly, wild, hardworking nation.  


What nation would you like to learn more about??