Thinking out loud

We are inventorying supplies for the soaps so see what we need.  I have the paper organized for the wrapping and am making a list from it so we can do some shopping.  We try to keep the scents color-coded of sorts.  We need to pick a color for the patchouli.

I am also thinking of scents for the future.  With the increase of scents, we are going to run out of colors.  So we are also toying with the idea of eventually going all white with the wrapping and just putting a mini version of the picture of Flora on the label like we do for the liquid and just differentiate with the scents by using a different ink color when we print the labels.  (If any of that makes sense.)

Our current scents.  (The website needs to be updated.)
Plain
Oatmeal
Honey
Coffee
Mint
Lemon Balm
Lavender
Hemp
Eucalyptus
Cedarwood
Cinnamon
Tea Tree Oil
Patchouli

Scents I am thinking of:
Basil
Rosemary
Rose
Pine
Chamomile
Citronella
Frankincense (I had a request for this.)
Myrrh (I had a request for this.)
Lilac
Orange
Mulberry

I also thought about:
Dogwood (Indiana Native)
Peach
Strawberry

It is a work in progress.  I'm sure it will always be that way.

Tired

Yesterday was a very long day.  We went to church in Danville and had a wonderful time.  We watched a mini video about the summer camp that Charlie goes to and what it's about.  After we came home, I had to quickly change and head to work where I am still being treated with hostility due to the fact that I don't give into temper tantrums given by others.

I had lobby duty (which is normal for me) and part of my responsibilities is keeping the bathrooms clean.  Well, in cleaning the men's room (you all are disgusting in general, but this takes the cake) I make it a habit of taking out the plastic triangle that sits in the urinal (those things don't flush very well to begin with as a general rule) and clean it before putting it back.  It keeps the urine smell to a minimum.  Well, yesterday in cleaning it, there was this giant slimey glob.  Recognition was immediate.  I was washing someone's semen from the urinal and the plastic thing that goes in it.  I flushed and flushed and flushed and it just spun around and floated in the tablespoon of water that sits in the urinal.  Saying a quick prayer of thanks for gloves, I reached in and scooped it out and promptly rinsed it down the sink.  Then turning to the plastic triangle, I gave that a good scrubbing.

I figure one of two things were going on here with this "gentleman."  Either his hands got so greasy from eating the fries he didn't want all that grease to go to waste or he took the slogan "I'm Lovin' It" a bit too far.

Successes and losers

Thanks to the news coverage we received from our local paper, we had an increase of business at the DTFM today.  If McDonald's paid on a weekly basis, what we made today at market would be equivalent to a one week pay check.  That is the good news.

The bad news is there are thieves.  I knew theft was going on but I had no concrete proof.  Just a feeling judging by the way some people acted and interacted.  Today, I inventoried before the start of market and again after.  Then I did the math when I got home.  What I made in sales and what was gone are two different numbers.  Monetarily speaking, we are missing the equivalent of 17 bars of soap.  Now I like to believe the best in people.  People as a rule are generally honest.  They tell the truth.  They don't steal.  But there are a few.  And I have met them.  So, there are going to be a few changes not just with the set up, but with how we do things.  For starters, everyone gets a receipt.  Even if they don't want one.  If they balk at it, well we will just tell them that it is for our records.  And it is.  Also, the shelves will have backing and sides on it so people can't just take as they walk by.

We are also going to put a sign up.  "Theft will be prosecuted."  While I am sure the DA and the police here have better things to do than arrest someone over a $4.00 bar of soap, the fact is it is theft and theft is illegal.  We work hard to make these soaps and we want for people to enjoy them.  But be honest and actually buy it.  If you want one and can't afford to spend the $4.00, talk to me.  I barter!  It is not a big deal to me to barter a bar of soap.  Just don't steal from me or my family.

K said she is going to be gone the next couple of weeks, but when she gets back she wants to sit back and watch and see what she can see.  It should be interesting.  D asked me what she should do when she sees someone steal.

Ask "Are you going to pay for that now or would you like to pay for it later?"  I didn't get to the argumentative/denial part.  But if someone denies it, then call the police.  I am not going to put up with theft.  If it were food, I could almost justify it in my head as trying to feed themselves or feed their family.  They've fallen on hard times or lost their job, etc.  But this is soap.  Soap!  It is a luxury item.  It's not some cheap bar that you can get for less than $1.00 somewhere.  This is goat milk soap.  Hard work, time, and effort go into it.  We put ourselves into the soap.  Some of our principles are portrayed in how we make the soap.  (Keep it local, keep it simple.)

Don't steal from my family.

Friday Update

ELECTRICITY: Not only did this go up, it went way up. The constant running of the washer and dryer to clean our clothes from the storm damage has kept the electrical usage up. We couldn’t exactly wait for the appraiser to show us. (He is assessing things right now. Yes, he finally showed.) But, since I prefer to wear clothing and prefer to have my family wear clothing, I decided to do some preliminary clean-up and wash our clothes. I was also doing laundry of non-replaceable items like mother-daughter-daughter skirts and other homemade skirts that I have made. Hopefully by next week things will be back to some semblance of normal.
Meter reading: 75029
Usage: 619kwh
Average per day use: 88kwh
Percentage: 293%

IDC: My indoor garden is growing beautifully. The tomato plant has lots of flowers on it and one of the suckers that I pulled off when I suckered it has taken root. When I was watering the lavender, I accidentally snapped off the top of the ornamental pepper plant and it is recovering nicely. It looks like it will bush more rather than grow straight up like it was thanks to my carelessness.  
The self-watering containers are working beautifully. I fill the bottle, put it open end down into the dirt and the roots will take what they need when they need it. Although it seems like it shouldn’t work because the dirt it dry when you look at it or touch it, the bottles emptying and the plants growing by leaps and bounds tell me otherwise.
The other aspects of the IDC show that we need a lot more work. Surviving a tornado with our home mostly in tack but eating on the go a lot tells me that we need to do more for the mental aspect of the survival. Things-wise, we have done very well. We’ve stayed here and we have done a lot of our own clean-up and even though we have food here, we have chosen to not eat here. It is almost as if we were reaching out for a comfort/convenience that we seemed to have blocked within our own home. We have emergency food. We had an emergency. Why did we not tap into it?

GARBAGE: I shudder at the thought of this. We have not taken any garbage with us into town this week, but I know we will have a LOT.  

GASOLINE: I did not fill up this week, but I did put $40 in. Husband filled his tank and it will be filled again since he is going to pick Charlie up. More gas will also be used to go to Danville on Sunday.

MONEY: Oh, boy. We have spent a lot. I don’t know how much and the thought is rather disconcerting to put it mildly. We are going to do some Dave Ramsey type accounting here soon and start doing some major savings.

HOMESTEAD: It looks like all the critters survived the tornado. Milk supply did drop off a bit, but it is starting to pick back up a bit. The drop is not surprising. They were all skittish for several days after the tornado.
The soap business is taking off in terms of advertisement and publicity. We even have a bit spot in the local paper. We were mentioned in conjunction with the upcoming fair. This is big! Ok, maybe not for big booming business, but for us it is big!

HOMESCHOOL: Charlie has been gone this week and the girls have had a week off.

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: 
1. Get a working lawn mower. Either replace the blade on the push or get a riding. I am going to combine my next two checks to (hopefully) get a riding lawnmower for my husband. While this is not a “Done by this time next week” goal, it is still a goal of mine. ***Not Done
2. Get back into Weight Watchers. I have not been to a meeting in a couple of weeks. I went to one since I started working. The truth is I am afraid to go to a weigh-in because I know I have been bouncing around the same five pounds and it is embarrassing. I have been making poor choices and it is showing on the scale. ***Not Done
3. Get fly sticks. We have a couple, but we need a lot more. Both for the garage and the shop. (Not to mention the house.) ***DONE! Wow! I actually accomplished one goal this week!
4. No drive-thru or fast food of any kind. I can’t keep eating on the run like I have been. ***Not done
5. Lose 5 pounds by this time next week. ***Not done. I’d laugh at this if it weren’t so pathetic.

NEW GOALS:
1. Lawn Mower
2. Weight Watchers
3. No fast food
4. Lose 5 pounds
5. Assess our emergency plans and implement drills

Whew!

We survived media night at the Vigo County Fair Grounds.  Tonight was a press release/press conference about the upcoming Fair and the attractions and events that will take place.  I am very excited about it.  This year is the 80th year for the 4-H fair.

This year is also the first time they invited a vendor to media night.  And, we were that vendor.  We did not ask.  We didn't even know there was a media night until we were contacted to be there.  I am stunned.

We had a mini-version display set up of what we would have at the DTFM plus we did a tri-fold display board that we are also going to use at the DTFM.

We had some soaps with us while we were out and about today and just by virtue of being out, we sold some.  That was also surprising.  So today has been a very good day.  God is definitely being good to us.

So much for a five day week-end

Which is fine.  We need the money to take care of storm damage.   I was called in last night and could have stayed until 11:00, but opted to leave around 8:30 because although we could use the money, I was needed here more to do the work that needs to be done to make this house a home.  

Yesterday, our agent sent a gentleman over to tarp The Hole.  Well, apparently he wasn't having any better luck covering it than we were with the chimney in the way.  So, he roped it and tied the rope to our truck (Husband had pulled it around back) and hit the gas.  That chimney came out of The Hole and crashed into our already demolished deck.

Tomorrow, there is a media night at the fair grounds which we have been invited to so we can get coverage about what we have and what we do.  I am a bit nervous.  We just found out about this Monday night.  While wonderful, it is also nerve-wracking.  I opened some bars of coffee soap and cut them into sample size pieces to give away as a sneak peak at next month's soap of the month.

While out today, I stopped by Health Quest and they will be selling a couple of my soaps.  Plain and Honey to start and he will sell on consignment.  I asked him while I was picking up essential oils for more soaps.  I am also pleased to discover the essential oils he carries come from Illinois.  Anyway, I picked up cinnamon, patchouli, and tea tree oil.  My next few batches of soap.  Which means updating the website again soon.  

The coffee and oatmeal came out of the molds today and need to be cut to finish drying.  I am going to pick up more oil and lye while I am out tomorrow so I can make more soaps.  I also want to pick up a tri-fold display board for the presentation tomorrow night.  And, get some pictures developed for the board.  And, and, and, and, and.  There is always something.  I constantly make myself stress out over nothing.  I just need to relax, take a breath, pray, do what I can, and let God take care of the rest.

5 day week-end!

Well, 5 day week off.  While we could use the money, I could also use the time off.  It is going to take time to clean up the mess.  I've done some vacuuming and Husband is doing some, but it is going to take a while and we are working around The Hole.  The Hole makes me nervous.  So far, the chimney is staying put, but how long will it last?  

The girls are with my SIL for the next couple of days so we can do this work.  It is not safe for them to be here while we are working.  They certainly can't play outside with the giant hole in the deck.  A lot of repair work needs to be done and we are stuck in a holding pattern.

I did go to the insurance company this morning and the agent is seeing what he can do to hurry things along since our situation is more than an annoying hole in the roof.  There is a genuine safety factor.

By the way, remember my goal of no drive-thru this week?  Well, that has pretty much been blown out of the water.  Getting hit by a tornado kinda trumps no drive-thru.  Maybe I should put "Avoid tornadoes" as a new weekly goal on Fridays.

I got nicely chewed out on Saturday.  My table helpers for the DTFM couldn't make it and C was running late.  M had already made other plans since it was her baby's first birthday.  And when it comes to a baby that shouldn't have even made it at birth much less be thriving at 12 months, it is something you want to celebrate.  D was not feeling well and driving would have been too dangerous.  So, I did the set ups alone.  I did have help from other vendors for the awnings, but the tables I did alone.  I was telling K about this and she said "Why didn't you call?"  I told her I thought about it and decided not to since the week-ends are her family time and I didn't want to intrude on that.  After chewing me up one side and down the other about not calling and asking for help, she made me realize that I can call friends of mine and they will come and help if they are able.  I am so used to doing everything myself and on my own that I sometimes forget that I am allowed to say "Hey, there is a crisis situation here and I need help."  How many times am I going to have to learn this lesson?

Storm Damage Pictures

Tornado or Straight Line Winds?

Does it matter when you have part of a chimney sitting on your smashed in back deck with a destroyed picnic table that you paid good money for or another part of a chimney sitting on the broken support beams on the roof of your bedroom and you are looking at a brand new, unwanted, unneeded skylight as insulation and drywall hangs down and covers the bed, cot, night stand, and everything else in there and it is too dangerous to go in there and clean up because of said chimney overhead being held up by previously mentioned support beams that are broken/breaking?

I have been doing laundry non stop since I got home.  I am trying to clean all the clothes that got covered in insulation.  I am also having to wash some of the fabric in the basement since the rain coming through the hole went down into the basement.  I have no clue what the floor looks like underneath everything since I am hesitant to get to it right now.  I don't know if the floor will need repair/replaced or if just the carpeting will.  I know some ceiling tiles in the basement will need to be replaced.

I picked up some fly sticks since Husband is allergic to wasps and yellow jackets and with the nice, new skylight, we have been inundated with flies, wasps, and yellow jackets.   Sometimes, it is the small things that become so aggressively annoying that focusing on the other things become impossible.

The storm came through last night.  It sounded like the bedroom exploded, then the wind coming through the hole made the most awful noise.  The house shook.  I swear, we were in a tornado.  We went running down to the basement.  We hung out there for a while and while I am sure in actuality the time of the tornado (straight line winds?) was less than 15 minutes, it felt like an hour.

I called work last night and told them I was not going to be in today because of what happened.  I got no argument.

I did go to the DTFM this morning.  I stayed at my SIL's last night and pretty much spent the market time wondering what the house looked like in the light of day and what further damage the second line of storms may have caused.  A lot of people asked about Grace and Gus.  I told them about the storms and that the kids (goat kids) needed to be with their mom and with their herd.

Pictures will be posted when they get uploaded.  They will also be burned to a CD for the insurance company.

Pictures

Here are a fer pictures of my indoor garden.  It is definitely a work in progress, but it is working or so it seems.  We will see as the season progresses.  I have used empty bottles with small openings as self waterers to help with proper moisture for the plants.  They are the homemade version of those pretty, but breakable watering globes.

This first picture here is my basil that seems to be growing in every direction.

This next picture here is an ornamental pepper plant.  It is also known as a Medusa plant.  It is very pretty, very colorful with reds, oranges, and yellows, and it is also edible.

This is an English Lavender that my SIL gave me.  I am going to use this in some of my future lavender soaps.  It is still very young, so it won't be this season that it gets used.

These are what's left of the cherry tomatoes that still need transplanting.  I am hoping to do more separation this week.

This is a sage plant I bought from one of the vendors at the DTFM.

This is a tomato plant I bartered two weeks ago at the DTFM.  I had put it in this pot as soon as we got home and it has just shot up.  I am loving it.  It has flowers now and I am hoping for tomatoes soon.

These are smaller tomato plants that I am hoping to rescue that were given away at the DTFM.  Notice the "self-waterer?"

Although hard to tell, these are pepper plants.  I don't remember if they are banana peppers or some other kind.  They were also given away at the DTFM.  They, too, need some TLC.

These are the cherry tomatoes that have been separated from the others mentioned above.  As they grow, they will be separated further.

Friday Update

And on a Friday no less!  How about that?

ELECTRICITY: This is going to be an interesting reading. When was the last time I did an actual Friday Update? Hmmm. May 29, 2009. It has been three weeks. So, in three weeks, I have used 1172kw of electricity. Let’s see how that averages out.
Meter reading: 75029
Usage: 1172kwh
Average per day use: 56kwh
Percentage: 186%
Apparently, it went down a little bit. So running myself ragged is good for the meter. Interesting. Although I do wonder how it would look now compared to say two weeks ago with the AC running full strength now and a couple of weeks ago with it not running or maybe not running as much. We’ll see how it works out. 

IDC: Last time I did a Friday Update, I shared about how wonderful our garden was doing and how things were growing so wonderfully.  
About that….
The lettuce is gone. The carrots are gone. The green beans and cucumbers appear to be growing, but we will see if the chickens leave the actual vegetables and flowers alone.
I do have a wonderful indoor tomato plant and some other plants I am going to plant inside. I am doing indoor container gardening this year apparently.

GARBAGE: I took five bags into town a couple of days ago. I don’t remember when I took garbage in before then. I do know we haven’t been recycling which isn’t good.

GASOLINE: I have been using a lot more gas since I am working and the person I take care of is now in a nursing home. I still go to see her to give her some continuity. She is more than twice the distance that she was before. But she is more than worth the time and gas it takes to see her.

MONEY:
When we get it, we spend it. It has been horrible these past couple of weeks. Now that we are settling into the new routine of me working, hopefully the whole drive-thru and take-out stuff will be a thing of the past.

HOMESTEAD: We’ve been taking Gus and Grace to the DTFM on Saturday mornings to get them socialized. The people love it and the goats are getting used to it. As long as I have water and feed with me, they are happy. They are happiest when they are together. We brought Grace alone the first time and when we brought Gus along the second time to be with Grace, it was much better.

HOMESCHOOL: I know that Charlie has been doing school work. I know Bethany has as well, but I have no idea what it is beyond the basics. I know Husband has been doing a wonderful job keeping them on task.

GOALS ACCOMPLISHED: 
1. Fill soap dispensers – DONE. Now, we have more to fill.
2. Finish wrapping the soaps – DONE. Now, we have more to wrap.
3. Mow the grass – The lawnmower is broken and the reel mower will not go through the tall grass. The backyard is mostly clover, so even though it is not mowed, it does not look too bad. The front on the other hand is a different story.
4. Clean the basement – DONE. Somewhat. The leak is fixed (Thank you, Husband) and the toy room can be played in again.
5. Clean the garage – Well. The van can still fit in there.

NEW GOALS:
1. Get a working lawn mower. Either replace the blade on the push or get a riding. I am going to combine my next two checks to (hopefully) get a riding lawnmower for my husband. While this is not a “Done by this time next week” goal, it is still a goal of mine.
2. Get back into Weight Watchers. I have not been to a meeting in a couple of weeks. I went to one since I started working. The truth is I am afraid to go to a weigh-in because I know I have been bouncing around the same five pounds and it is embarrassing. I have been making poor choices and it is showing on the scale.  
3. Get fly sticks. We have a couple, but we need a lot more. Both for the garage and the shop. (Not to mention the house.)
4. No drive-thru or fast food of any kind. I can’t keep eating on the run like I have been.
5. Lose 5 pounds by this time next week.

Another mini update

At work, it looks like I am going to be primarily a lobby person which works for me.  I like interacting with the customers and I can avoid a lot of the garbage I hear from the employees.  When a manager is sharing with a customer in the drive-thru about a crew member (due to the customer asking why the crew member looked familiar) saying "Because she's the biggest whore around" I find that to be completely and totally inappropriate at best.  Then others gleefully telling me about another person who is bulimic and if you want to make her mad, what to say.  And how did they find out?  The person shared with another crew member who told the store manager.  Then proceeded to spread it around.  If this girl told someone, it was for help.  Not to be torn down either to her face or behind her back.  I chewed my tongue to bits.  I keep praying to behave and respond the way God would want me to.  

As frustrating as this place is (the people, not the job) it is a good reminder of the type of people in the world who desperately need help.  And all I can do is be the living example that God would have me to be.  A light that shines in a dark place.  I just need to be careful to not let them extinguish the light.

A friend of mine that I have been taken care of has been placed in a nursing home.  She is in a very nice nursing home.  I am very impressed with it and with what I have seen from the people so far.  I stayed with her for the transfer and stayed at the nursing home with her all afternoon so she wouldn't be alone on her first day.  God has definitely taken care of her.  

The girls have missed me a lot.  I plan on spending time with them tomorrow.  I'm sure Charlie misses me as well, but he isn't as clingy and attached as the girls still are.

He Reigns

God is in control!

A Day Off!

Well, tomorrow is my day off.  And, technically since tomorrow will be here in 15 minutes, I will start celebrating now.  I am celebrating by blogging.  

Today, I went to work late.  I told them I would most likely be late, but would do my best to be on time.  Hosting/leading a LLL meeting, I was not about to brush anyone aside after the meeting who had questions and I was not going to go rushing up SR63 to try to get to work.  Could you imagine that ticket?

"Gee, Officer.  I'm sorry I was doing 90mph in a 60mph zone.  I was in a hurry to get to McDonald's."

I'm sure that would go over well.

Anyway, as it turns out, I did have a mom with a few questions/concerns that she wanted to run by me and I took the time needed to assure her that she and her baby are on the right track and gave a few suggestions to a couple of other questions she had.  

M had to leave right away and C booked it out of there so I had to make multiple trips to load the van back up.  (I had to make multiple trips to unload as well.)  A offered to help, but she had her baby in a sling so I didn't accept it.  The stuff is heavy and bulky.  Hopefully, by next month, I will be able to use the wagon.

Anyway, after talking with the mom, loading the van, and driving down a rainy, slick road, I made it to work at 5:37pm.  So, I will make sure that on the 3rd Tuesday of the month I am not scheduled to go to work until 6:00pm

The dryer is now broken so we are now reliant 100% on the line with no back-up dryer.  

There is milk building up in the fridge again so I need to make cheese.  I'll make mozzarella and we'll have pizza tomorrow night.  (Note to self.  This also means making dough.)

I need to get back into Weight Watchers before I start going backwards.  Right now, I am bouncing up and down 3-4 pounds.

And, I just now found out that the Dyson is broken.  Charlie was vacuuming and dropped the vacuum.  Not his fault, but still annoying.  On that note, I am going to bed and going to dream sweet dreams of a duct-taped Dyson.

Ok, Ok. I'm blogging!

See?

Yet, another Friday went by without a Friday Update.  I will have to do a mini update of sorts tomorrow then a more thorough one Friday.  I have also noticed that I have not done a Weigh Day in a while either.  This ain't good.  My life has gotten so full that I don't have time to reflect much on it or even really process it.  And, it is going to get busier.

My "part time" job is running around 36 hours a week which is fine.  Except the people I work with cuss like drunken sailors and those who are supposed to enforce the rules lead by example on how to break them.  I'm just biding my time.  There is one manager that does nothing but yell at people.  I bite my tongue.  A lot.  It probably looks like swiss cheese by now.

The customers that come through fall into three groups.  Correctional officers, EMTs, security officers, and local employees getting on/off shift.  Cops.  Drunks, people who look like they've done more experiments with drugs on themselves than the FDA has done total in the past decade, meth users.  And, finally, people who can't seem to understand the concept of basic safety.  Such as put the baby in a car seat.  Don't be piling 10 children in the back of a little 5-seater car.  A toddler on the front passenger floor between the mother's legs does NOT constitute a safety seat.

Granted, there are the exceptions with the late night customer group.  There are the normal people who come through and those with children have them buckled in properly in car seats, seat belts, and the parents don't look like they've been scraping at their face with a rusted razor, looking at me with vacant eyes, and having a difficult time putting together a single syllable word.

There's a cop who comes through who is a regular and I am very thankful for him.  He comes through the drive-thru and always takes the time to chat for a minute or two to see what's up.  He has also scattered people from the parking lot late at night without ever having been called.  He knows what time the late night employees leave and he also knows that those that leave late at night, while mostly men, there are the one or two women who are walking out alone.  (Including me.)  So when he is working, he comes through and does a scatter shortly before it is time for some of us to leave.  How long he has been doing this or what started it, I don't know.  But, I am thankful for it.

On the homeschooling front, I am going to drop the Wild Edibles and US Geography.  My plate is too full and while I would love to continue them for the homeschool group, it is not possible for me at this time.  Not with everything else going on.

On the homestead front, things are going very well.  No recent deaths.  No surprise births.  Everyone seems to be healthy and growing.  One of the hens has become broody so we are letting her sit.  The chicks are getting nice and bit.  We are planning to get more fencing and instead of putting it over the top of their area, just make it higher so they can't fly over.  Then, maybe I can plant a fall harvest garden.  (Stupid chickens.)

Market day was wonderful.  Last week, we took Grace.  This past Saturday, we took both Gus and Grace.  Getting them used to people seems to be going well.  In terms of sales, we made $4.00 less this week than last week, so we more than made back the cost of the season.  We have started a "Soap Of The Month" where a certain kind (currently oatmeal) is available at a lower price.  The normal prices are as follows:
Bar:  $4.00
Liquid:  $6.00
Bulk Liquid:  $28.00  (This is a quart-sized mason jar.)

Soap of the month prices:
Bar:  $3.00
Liquid:  $5.00
Bulk Liquid:  $25.00

I am not sure how that would work on the website, but I know that Hubby can take care of that.  Probably with another paypal button.

I am hoping that the featured soap (along with it being the "Soap of the Month" we share the benefits of that particular scent) will work its way into a "Soap of the Month Club" type thing by Christmas so people would be able to buy this as a gift and each month, we would ship out a liquid and a bar in a nice basket with a poof thing and a note sharing what kind of soap they got this month and the qualities/benefits of the soap.

Again, this is something we are working towards.

I started a blog entry

Then I lost it. So, I am starting another one. The blog entry I started was about the blog entries I started but never finished. Including the Friday Update one that I started on Tuesday thinking Tuesday was Friday.

Boy, I am losing my mind.

I think I ticked off people at work because I don't fall into the clicks, gossip, or cussing or any of that. I am annoyed at them because I have been asking for training on a couple of things and keep getting brushed aside. So, I am going in tomorrow for training on the front counter. I am going in on my day off and a manager who usually only works the McNights is going to take the time to train me. All because I want to work and not play games, not cuss, not pull any of the crap that people pull.

I try to get along and enjoy my job.

On the home front, you can tell I am working. George does a wonderful job and I know if he didn't do what he is capable of, the house would be a complete disaster. That said, I can see stuff piling up. I spent a good portion of the day today on laundry.

The plain and lemon balm soaps have been taken out of their molds and should be ready for cutting tomorrow for final drying. I'll also take the time after that to make the liquids. I am going to make a mini-batch of honey tomorrow for liquid honey soap.

I went to the WIC office today and spoke with the breastfeeding counselor in charge there and we talked for close to an hour about outreach, education and working together to help nursing moms continue to nurse and moms who are expecting choose nursing.

Charlie has final approval to go to camp. He got a tetanus shot today and is good for the next ten years. It is the only vaccine we do because we have dealt with tetanus on this farm. Charlie did much better than expected with the shot. He still freaked out, but it was easier to handle since we were doing an input rather than an output. (Just try getting a blood draw on him. Short of full sedation, it is near impossible.)

Working, outreach, leadership stuff, church, home, and business. Other than that, there really isn't much going on.

First Day of Market!

Today was opening day of market and we did very well.  We almost made enough the first day to cover the cost of the market.  I should be napping since I have to be at work in a couple of hours, but I am still keyed up even though I am exhausted.  

I left work early last night because of Hannah having gotten sick at my SIL.  My SIL gave them fettuccini alfredo and she thickened the sauce with powdered milk and coffee creamer and threw something else in it.  It does not sound very good to me.  That's for sure.

I picked up the truck magnets and the banner when I left work (they were supposed to have been dropped off at work, but since I was not there, I decided to go get them) and they turned out really nice.  I am very impressed.

Hannah is doing fine today.  SIL had said that Hannah had a lump on the back of her neck, but I couldn't find it.  It may have been a reaction to what she had or it was just a swollen gland that went down.  I don't know.

We had a lot of people stop at our stand and asked a lot of questions.  We had Grace with us and having a baby goat definitely drew people.  I had a lot of fun and even bartered for a quart of strawberries which Hannah promptly claimed as her own the minute she saw them.  She grabbed them, sat down, and went to town.  She polished them off all on her own the minute she laid eyes on them.

The other thing I bartered was two cabbage plants and a tomato plant for a bar of soap.  The tomato plant was transplanted immediately when we got home.  The cabbages still need to be transplanted.

The table for La Leche League had quite a few people stop by, but not a whole lot of donations.  The donations are secondary to the education and awareness that we want to raise.  We had one lady that had stopped by and she had mentioned that she went to LLL meetings back in the 70s when her now grown children were babies.  

We definitely need to do something about the paper.  I did put bars of soap on papers for LLL to keep them from blowing away.  But we need something better for next week.

I am very thankful we did this and I am very thankful that the first day is over.  I know I will not be the nervous wreck I was when next Saturday rolls around.

Back to piano

The children are back in piano and very happy about it.  They would not be still and kept asking if it was time to go since they discovered their weekly lessons were going to resume while at breakfast this morning.  The lessons were this afternoon.  

"Are we going to Miss L's?"
"Is it time to go?"
"I have my shoes on."
"Can we go yet?"

Needless to say, they love piano and really missed going.  I don't know if they miss practice or if it is the teacher they missed.  I wanted to go as well since I miss her, but my neighbor came over and needed me.  So, I stayed and they went.

I played with the tables today for the DTFM set up and I think I have them the way that I like them.  I know I am happy with the LLL table.  I am not 100% sure about the HH table.  We'll see.

The liquid soaps are almost done.  I don't have all the scents I want right now, but I have enough.  The honey got ruined.  First by Husband then by me.  Soon, we need to pick up more lye and also pick up some cinnamon, ginger, and patchouli.  

The banner for the stand and the magnets for the truck should be done tomorrow or the next day.  I am getting nervous about this whole thing.  I've put a lot into it.  Not just HH, but LLL as well.  My heart is in both of these tables and in both of these things.  One is my home and family and the other is my passion for education, awareness, and helping other mothers so they don't have to go through what I went through with Charlie.

Weekly Schedule

I have had several people ask me when I sleep.  So, I am sharing my weekly schedule.  Work hours are no earlier than 4:00 and no later than midnight.  So, I will just put 4-12 even though some days I may get off at 11:00 or not go in until 5:00.

Sunday:  Church - Work from 4-12

Monday:  Help a friend from 8am-10am then work from 4-12

Tuesday:  Homeschool Science from 10-11.  Work from 4-12

Wednesday:  Church from 7:30-9:00pm

Thursday:  US Geography from 11am - 12noon  Work from 4-12

Friday:  Help friend fromm 8-10.  Work from 4-12

Saturday:  DTFM 7-1 (set up and take down time)  Work from 4-12

On the days when homeschool is not listed, it is still going on.  The third Tuesday is a LLL meeting and the first Monday is Wabash Valley Breastfeeding Coalition.

It really isn't that bad.  Wednesday is a guaranteed day off and I still have plenty of time to get things done during the day.  I am going to go to WW in the morning on Mondays when I am done helping a friend out.  So, that is not getting dropped.  Just changed.  All in all, it is not that bad.

Life is still going on

I worked last night.  It was a "McNight" which means it was a fund raiser night.  Basically, different organizations go in (reserved ahead of time) and volunteer from 5pm to 8pm doing things like wiping tables, putting liners on trays, passing food through the drive-thru window, and holding the door open for people.  They hold buckets to collect donations in plus they get 20% of sales during those hours.

It is a lot of fun and the people are wonderful.  I also got another glimpse last night about how wonderful some of the people are that I work with and work under.  Normally, they don't do fund raisers for individuals, but last night they did.  Why?  Because the young lady they did it for is one of their own.  This young lady was going to college (or was it high school???) and went on an overseas trip as part of her learning and contracted meningitis.  She has lupus and the meningitis hit her hard.  She recovered from that, but lost both of her legs.  She was still considered an employee there up until that point.  She still wants to come back and work the middle drive-thru window.  That is her goal.  She has prosthetic legs, but still struggles and still has astronomical medical bills.  (The reason for the fund raiser.)  But meeting her, I can see the humor and love of life shining and how people just adore her.

I had asked W if she knew the girl they were having the fund raiser for and that was when I learned everything that happened.  It also explained why everyone who worked there knew her.

Today, I had a meeting with one of the LLL leaders and a soon-to-be leader applicant.  (She will be an applicant when the whole shifting Indiana from one location to another gets ironed out.)  We discussed the LLL table and also talked about the Wabash Valley Breastfeeding Coalition that meets every month on the first Monday.  I will need to talk with the store manager about making sure I get that night off.

The rest of the soaps got wrapped (thank you, Husband) and I am working on the liquid soaps.  This Saturday is opening day and I am getting nervous.  I need to find out of C will be at the market.  I don't remember.  I know that D is not going to be able to help with Hopped Homestead.  D and M both are not going to be able to help with the LLL table.  So if C is not going to make it, that leaves just me and I was (selfishly) wanting the first day to be with Hoppes Homestead.  But since the two tables WILL be together (they will, darn it!) I can do both.  I know Hubby will be there working the HH table.  But I wanted to as well.  Oh, well.