Illusions of Productivity.

[moonofwinds]

I had these great illusions this morning of getting a bunch of writing done and having a productive day. Should have known better. Oh I was productive but not so much at writing. My uncle and 5 yrs old cousin came over for the day, I ran errands with my mother and grandmother, and my sister and BIL came over for dinner. So I have written a page.

Comments

[darksirocco]

ooooh! homemade soap is a lovely gift! base and fragrance?

[moonofwinds]

Actually it is completely from scratch. Oil, water, and lye and then fragrance and colour. I'm making soap cakes, basically soap in a bundt pan mold that will be cut into slices as the goody bag gift for the guests. Sis wants primary colours, no pastels. So the soap is going to be red and yellow and orange. But I have an exchange to ship out (a bunch of soapers making soap and sending it to each other) and I need new soap boxes so I need to drive to my supplier and they are about 30mins from here via car. I don't drive so I need to beg a ride from the BFF or Mom.

[darksirocco]

that really sounds like a lot of fun! i know some of the basics, but i've never gotten to make soap. i do herbal remedies, myself, like making cough drops. i'm thinking soap-making is probably a bit more complex than that, though. :)

[moonofwinds]

Something is just a little chemistry. Lye, being that it is corrosive, seems to scar people a bit but there is no soap without it, not real soap.

My sister's nursery theme is primary colours so I'm making the soap a little reminiscent of that and making it red, yellow, and orange. Weighing everything now so I can get it going before Grandma gets back.

[darksirocco]

very true about the lye, because glycerin just doesn't cut it. and yah, it's pretty caustic, but as long as you take care in rinsing off, it's not too terrible an issue. those cakes are gorgeous, btw!

[moonofwinds]

After the lye and water and oil mix together a chemical reaction happens and by the end of it all the lye is eaten up by the oil and it's no longer caustic, it's really safe and gentle. But in the process of making it, you can have little accidents. I wear safety goggles so I don't risk blinding myself.

[darksirocco]

how cool! i didn't know that! i love chem, but i'm pretty terrible at it. *has an ashamed*

[moonofwinds]

I was never awesome at chemistry. I treat soap a bit like baking. Formulate and follow recipes, etc. It generally works out. There are failures but mostly successes.