Soap to make, a stove to test, and a hutch top gets nearer to finished....

Poppie and I went out to Flower Child's this week and picked up the gas stove we made a deal on. The deal took us about nine months to work out, mostly because I had so much to do and Poppie didn't want it in my kitchen.  I had been trying to work on him since I burned  my electric one up this spring canning.  We had a back up stored so Poppie just put it in, it is a terrible stove and it has a smaller oven than my dead one.  It also did not fit the space for it in the kitchen, it drove me crazy right away but it took some time for Poppie to come around to the possibility that we could change it out for the one I was to get from Flower Child.  He finally decided he would go look at it but he still didn't want it in the house but he would set it up for canning.  He saw it and decided it if works I can have it in my kitchen.  It is a modern one, much newer than I thought it would be, sort of sad from my point of view but Poppie thinks it will work better than he thought so better from his view point.  So today we see if it works and if it fits the space and if Poppie will actually put it in. 

I haven't made soap in a bit over a year.  I had a mega summer of making soap last year and haven't actually needed to make any.  This year I froze a bunch of goats milk knowing that I would eventually need to, and want to, make more soap.  I picked up coconut oil at the Amish store last week knowing I needed it to begin soap making again.  I didn't realize until Flower Child called me, before we went to get the stove, that I was out of Shea butter.  I have to order some but I do have a bunch of coco butter so will be making at least the first batch with the coco butter.  The coco butter I have is food grade and smells of chocolate so I am going to just make oatmeal goats milk soap.  It is one of my favorites because it is so natural and pure, no scents, well it might smell like chocolate this time when it's done.  It usually smells like honey, I have no idea why because I don't put honey in it just the plain goats milk soap with oatmeal.  It is very mild and gentle on any skin.  I did see a honey oatmeal recipe I want to try to but it is hot process, and I have never actually made hot process soap that wasn't liquid so can't wait to try a new process, but that will be the second batch.  I am thinking I will put some oatmeal flakes on the top of the soaps before they cool and cut it just for decoration.  It will be fun to have new soaps to add to the closet, which still has a bunch of soap in it.  It also smell heavenly and when you open the door it makes the whole house lovely.

Poppie still has to finish the hutch top, he is close to being done with it but things get him going this way and that.  I am hoping to paint it, and the big table I have for the kitchen but haven't been using,  in a distressed manner.  I have the primer to paint the flour bin and the sugar bin.  I have to seal the inside as well one has some rust so have to see what it will take to seal it for food use.  I hope I manage to get a nice aged look on the table and the hutch, I have the old benches that my dad made in the 70's that have all the age, wear and tear of raising 12 kids on them.  My mom gave them to me, she thought they were junk and was going to burn them but I rescued them.  I hope I can paint them to looks as old as the wear and tear says they are.  They were once stained but now just old gray batter wood.  I can't wait to have my kids sitting where we all sat as kids so long ago.

I hope your day is wondrous.  I pray that the Joy of the Lord is in your heart, in your life and in your spirit.  I pray that the Holy Spirit has spoken to you and you have sought your salvation, if not I hope you are seeking God's Word to see what God's gift is.  I pray that you believe God and know that Jesus is his son who died for you......tomorrow.