the Goat Wore a Purple Hat

Friday, January 19, 2007

Huh? Goat wore a purple hat? No, I'm not smoking crack. Please.

I signed up for a soap/toiletry swap on a forum that I frequent. I decided to make soap so tonight I pulled out all my soapmaking materials and got to work making a 10.5 pound batch. (For those not in the know - that's a good sized batch. 167 ounces of oils).

I have a recipe that I've perfected through countless batches of soap through the pasta 6 years. It's quick lathering and yet super gentle on the hands. Leaves them feeling soft and moisturized. And you can't hope for much better than that!

So with this batch I decided on a swirl. I'd do a creamy white/golden shade swirled with purple. The creamy base is scented with Heliotrope. The purple is scented with Lavender (how appropriate!). What is Heliotrope? Well, it's a flower...

]any hairy plant belonging to the genus Heliotropium, of the borage family, as H. arborescens, cultivated for its small, fragrant purple flowers.

What's it smell like? It's got a vanilla undertone. And maybe a bit like sugar cookies - it's rather indescribable. Suffice to say, it smells quite good! And when paired with Lavender the resulting blend is simply divine. The Heliotrope provides a soft base for the Lavender and tones it down a bit. Makes it a bit more sweet and not so biting.

But anyway, I melted the oils, mixed my goat milk and stuck it in the freezer, and mixed my lye and water together in an ice bath. Stepped away for 45 minutes or so and came back to mix it all together. So far I've been quite successful in making goat milk soap. It's the only type of soap I make. It didn't take but a few batches of burnt orange ammonia before I learned how to keep the GM cool and add it to cold lye water. It heats up enough to add to the oil and voila! No more burnt goat milk.

Once it was mixed, I poured the base into the 3 log molds, keeping out 2 pounds to mix with the purple Lavender. Once that was mixed I spread it over the base and used some chopsticks to swirl it into the base. It looks loverly from the top - but we'll see what it looks like once it's cut. I know the swirls won't go all the way through and this is where the Goat Wore a Purple Hat comes in!

Yes, I've already named the stuff. I'm pathetic that way. As it's GM soap and since it has a purple top - the name fits perfectly. I'm super anxious to get up in the morning and see what it looks like umolded. Fingers and toes crossed!

I'll post a nice photo once it's cut. Then everyone can see the Soap Master at work. Ha! Master I am not. But I sure do enjoy making it.

Cousin hits the big-time

Wednesday, January 17, 2007

I've got a cousin, well, I've got quite a few cousins actually, but this particular one has a rather, umm.. unique item that she has created and is selling. In fact, i's so unique that it's caught the attention of the Rachael Ray show. And the Today Show. What's next, Oprah? I predict YES!

So, what's she make that's so unique? Would you believe purses that are knitted from discarded cat/dog fur? Yes, it's true! She owns a cat grooming business and was looking at the leftover fur one day and realized it could be spun into yarn. Since she deals primarily in Persians, the fur that's left is of the soft and squishy type. Luxuriously soft. Not your short-haired tabby fur (ermm... gross!) - little pieces of 1/2 inch long fur. No!

This is her website here: Catty Shack Creations. It's funny to read the different reactions she receives when folks find out what she does. They fall into 2 main categories... Ahhhhh and Ewwwww. I hate to say it, but I'm firmly in the "Ewwwww" category myself. But I also have issues with pet fur and hair in general. I don't wear wool and while I like to look at alpaca and other high-cost animal derived yarns, it kinda grosses me out. So, when it comes to wearing a purse on your shoulder made from the trimmed hair of Fluffy, I'm definitely not a customer.

But, how cool is it that my cousin is getting notoriety for this! Who knows, maybe this time next year you'll see Fluffy on the arm's of ladies nationwide - a new accessory phenom. Hmmm...

Whatever you do, don't be getting your purse in my Spoon Fudge!

American I-dull

Tuesday, January 16, 2007

Oy. Spare me. Please. While I enjoy American Idol as much as the next person, what is WITH these people who honestly think they can sing? How unkind for their families and friends to encourage what is so obviously NOT something they are even remotely good at. Real love and real friendship means telling the hard truth when it needs to be told. When little Bobby Shearer wants to go audition and you know he sounds like a dying goat, PLEASE tell him so. Better to hear it from family or friends than to be humiliated on national TV. And better to spare the audience from the horror that comes once they open their mouth and begin to "sing." Urgh.

The gal that went last in WI? Very scary. Someone needs to help her learn to apply her makeup. I actually had nightmares from viewing her portion. Eeek! And the kid before her? The 16 yo juggling/dancer/singer? His mom should have smacked him one for the language that left his mouth once he left the audition room. Don't hide your face behind your hands, mom. Use them to smack him good and hard. That kid is going to make an *excellent* functioning member of society someday. Yes, of couse I'm being sarcastic! Don't be firing that kid or he'll come in in the middle of the night and torch your office or home. Scary. Scary.

I've never understood this draw to being on television. When the price of admission is international humiliation, it's amazing the number of people that are battling to get in. Bizarre. I think that public humiliation is a *bad* thing - guess I'm just one of the odd ones. At least I've kept my dignity!

I liked very few of the singers in last year's competition. Here's hoping that this year ends up with a better choice.

Pink shorts, Bob?

Monday, January 15, 2007

oh boy. I about had a stroke tonight from laughing. Those shorts? Wow. I'm really at a loss as to what to say about the subject.



Really. What self-respecting, straight guy would be caught even *touching* that thing?! No... I'm talking about the SUIT!

J looked at me and said quite calmly not to even think about it and that no, no amount of money in the world would cause him to even consider wearing them. The thing was, I hadn't asked him anything. Yet. Hmm... he knows me too well. But I digress.

These shorts were a hoot and a half. I suppose if this were the Gaypprentice, that would be totally different. Did the team think they stood a chance with those shorts in their collection? Not that the other guy shorts were any better. I'm thinking that most guys aren't going to find skin-tight shorts something comfortable when frolicking about on a sandy beach. Those shorts were close enough that with a few grains of sand, they would be like sandpaper and strip the flesh from areas that really cannot afford to lose it. Zoikes.

I think the project Mgr should have gone as well. She obviously had no control over her team to allow those things into production or onto that runway. The contestants this year seem a bit, um, stupid. Ignorant. Really NOT the pick of the litter.

And I'm thinking that what I told J the first night will come to play in upcoming episodes. You're going to see the winning team (excuse me for not remembering their team name. Neither name was anything close to imaginative or memorable. Boring!) throw one so they can boot the PM. Once the Duck announced that the winning PM would remain the PM - I turned to J and told him that it would only be a matter of time until they lost on purpose, just to get her out. Tent city? Who cares - at least someone else will get a chance!

Oh, and those shorts? You watch. You're going to see more of those out in the real world. I guarantee it. Carey is going to run with the free publicity he gained from that episode!