Soap, Trailer, & Clear Margins!

While cleaning out one of my closets, I came across 4 pounds of suspension soap, goat’s soap (from Hobby Lobby) by Life of the Party; made from all-natural ingredients, in my linen closet.  I decided to go ahead and personalize this soap.  

Using old pots as a double boiler, while continuously stirring, I melted the suspension soap.  Then I added essential oils (ginger and lime) to create a unique scent, along with a few drops of teal to create the color.   Once ready, I poured the mixture into the mold, and let the mixture sit for 24 hours.

Scent and Color Getting Mixed In

My mold is a postal box (extra tape around the box for support), lined with a commercial can liner (lay flat using my fingers inside of the box), cut open with the ends taped down on the outside of the box.   You need to make sure your mold is ready before melting your soap, because the mixture solidifies relatively fast. 

After 24 hours, your soap will be solid. Remove the soap from the mold (discard the plastic liner, don’t reuse it).  Cut the soap to the desired size using a knife or a special cutting tool, I used a wavy soap cutter (purchased at Hobby Lobby).  

The final step is to let your soap cure for 8 weeks.  I use an old cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and a couple of cooling racks.

After 8 weeks, you can place a decorative paper wrap around the soap. 

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While shopping at Home Depot for silicon, Bulldog Man and I came across a trailer; built by Agri-Fab, a hauling cart to use with your lawn tractor, made out of steel.  We’ve been looking for a trailer capable of holding 200 to 350 pounds to help with tasks around the property, like hauling dirt, rocks, and wood.   This trailer/cart even has a release lever, making it easy to dump whatever’s in the trailer.  The cost was $99.00, and we walked out, spending only $89.00 with a military discount. 

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We also have two things to celebrate. Our son Tank turned 24 years of age and Bulldog Man was diagnosed about 3 weeks ago with basal cell carcinoma next to his left eye.  This morning we drove into Oklahoma City for a surgical procedure to remove the cancer.  The surgeon, a military veteran himself, cut into my husband’s face in an attempt to remove all of the cancer and get clear margins on the first try.  We waited in the surgery suite for the lab results to come back.  If clear margins weren’t found in the initial biopsy, additional cutting would be required.  The lab results came back with clear margins, the doctor stitched up my husband’s face (10 stitches), and we returned home.