Well, life has been interesting since I last posted.  I've recovered from my surgery, retired from 30+ years in the IT world, had a new floor put in our kitchen because of a leak in the dishwasher, had a new roof installed due to hail damage, and had to say goodbye to our two cats.  Nomad went first because of pancreatic cancer and Tom Thumb last Saturday because he was suffering  from liver cancer.

I sold all of my soap equipment and supplies to a fellow soap maker and am in the process of looking at condos so we can downsize.  I will be making stained glass windows and suncatchers as a hobby as soon as we get established somewhere.  Life continues.

Been a while

I've been away for awhile since my surgery and haven't been doing much with my soap except providing some for family and friends.  I may be moving soon and am concentrating on that for now and will return to soap making as soon as I can.  My surgery went great and my rehab got me back on my feet in no time.

Surgery

My surgery went great and the surgeon decided to repair my mitral valve instead of replacing it.  This is great because replacement valves usually have to be replaced after 10-15 years, but the repaired valve should go the distance and I won't have to go through this again.  Started cardiac rehab today and will be going 3 days a week for a few weeks.  Still won't be able to soap since I'm not allowed to lift more than 10 pounds for a few weeks.  The first picture is the day after my surgery and the next one is 3 days later.

Time out

I will be taking time away from making soap to have a little surgery.  On September 1st I will have the mitral valve in my heart replaced at Vanderbilt Hospital.  It's pretty much a routine procedure these days and I will have more energy after I heal and can get back to making soap.

New Soap

I made a new soap last weekend.  It's scented with peppermint essential oil and a little rose mint fragrance oil.  I used olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil, shea butter, and cocoa butter and added a little heavy cream and colloidal oatmeal for a skin-loving bathing experience.   I also dipped my toes into the world of youtube and documented the process.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36Fnkw6fsCY

My web site

Just wanted to let everyone know that I'm having a sale on my web site.  http://www.nomadhandcraftedsoap.com.  Thanks for stopping by.

Dog days of summer

I've been traveling a lot the past few weeks and haven't had much time to myself.  We did find time to go to Mere Bulles restaurant in Brentwood, TN this morning for a wonderful brunch.  we were celebrating (late) my wife's 66th birthday, Mother's Day (late) and Father's Day (early) with our lovely daughter Anna.

HSCG 2015 Conference

At registration we got this giant goodie bag.  I took it to my room and spread it out and took a picture.  Great stuff!

Busy getting ready to go to Indianapolis next weekend to the annual conference of soapmakers sponsored by the Handcrafted Soap and Cosmetics Guild April 17-20.  Going to be lots of information swapped, meeting people I've only known on the internet, and lots of fun and food.  Maybe a drink or two as well.  :-)

Here are some of the soaps I have made since my post last August.  The first is my answer to the Dove Beauty Bar (which is not soap) - it has shea butter, cocoa butter, greek yogurt, heavy cream, and goat milk.  Now that's a beauty bar.  The next one is the tomato soap cut into bars - wonderful for your skin.  The last is a combination of the other two for a really great bar of soap.

I've neglected my blog for too long.  I made some lotion bars and put them in deoderant containers and they were a big hit.

Making soap again!

I finally have finished all of the paperwork involved in settling my Dad's estate and am back on track making soap.  I made a 5lb loaf yesterday using my standard recipe but substituting tomato juice for 2/3 of the water.  This makes for a great facial soap.  It will have to cure for 4-6 weeks before it is ready for sale.

New Car

I'm still dealing with my Dad's estate.  There is so much paperwork and I keep getting requests from the insurance people for the same things over and over.  Haven't sold his house yet either.  I did, however, buy a new car because mine had 162,000 miles on it and was about to need a few thousand dollars in work.  If I bought now I should get it paid off by the time I retire.  It's a 2014 Hyundai Sonata Hybrid.  I love it!

New soap

I got back to making soap now that most of my Dad's estate has been settled.  I made two batches using the lard, olive oil, coconut oil, canola oil and rice bran oil I had on hand.  On loaf was scented with peach and pineapple mixed and the other with Dragons Blood.  The blue/gray batch was scented with honeysuckle and used for swirling and the leftover was made into bars.  The batter got thick very quickly so the drop swirls didn't penetrate very deeply, but that's OK.  Dragons Blood makes soap get dark due to the vanilla content.
Check out my web site at http://www.nomadhandcraftedsoap.com.

Liquid soap vs bar soap

Since I make bar soap I found this article to be very informative.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/bill-chameides/chemical-marketplace-bar_b_2104678.html?utm_hp_ref=fb&src=sp&comm_ref=false

I'm back, sort of

I've been working my way through all the paperwork for my Dad's bank accounts, insurance claims, stocks, bonds, etc.  The first weekend of April I will be in Lizella, GA at my Dad's house having a 3-day estate sale.  If interested in attending, email me at nomadhcsc@gmail.com and I will give you directions. It's strange being the last remaining member of my family.  At one time I had two parents and 3 younger brothers.  After the estate sale I'll be selling the house and property.  A double-wide mobile home on a permanent foundation with front and back porches added on 9.67 acres.  I'll bet back to my soap business after all of this is done.

I've been away

I haven't posted in awhile because my Dad was in the hospital and I went down to Macon, Georgia to be with him.  Unfortunately he wasn't responding to treatment so he chose to cease the treatment and let nature take her course.  He was 91 years old.  As the last surviving member of my immediate family I had the task of taking care of the funeral and closing down his house and accounts.  I had a great deal of help from my two nephews Matt and Brad and I really appreciate their help. Matt's wife Priscilla also helped a great deal as well as my cousins Steve and Jeff.  I still have to go back in a couple of weeks to probate the will and disperse the estate.  I'll miss Dad, but am glad he didn't have to suffer a lengthy time of invasive treatments in a hospital or in a nursing home. I'll get back to soaping as soon as I can.

Over the Holidays

Finally over the holidays.  Cookies everywhere, traveling, freezing weather and finally a bad cold.  Feeling pretty good now, so I'll get back on track this weekend.  I'd like to invite everyone to view my web site:  http://www.nomadhandcraftedsoap.com.   Also saw this sign of Facebook and liked it.

Banana-Maple Syrup Soap

I had one of those small bottles of maple syrup you get at Cracker Barrell with your pancakes and decided to make soap with it.  I used my regular recipe and added pureed bananas and the syrup to the oils.  Seems to be a great soap.  I'm calling it Banana Flip and it is available on my web site. #handcrafted #soap http://www.nomadhandcraftedsoap.com

Newest Acquisition

Found some 6-in long tubular molds on eBay that are perfect for embeds.  I'll be travelling over the holidays so I'll be making soap with them after Christmas.