Soapmaking: The Day the Gremlins Visited, August 31, 2010

I  was going to title this entry, "The Soapmaking Day from HELL"...because it was.  Let's just say that if this had all happened on my first day making soap, I would not now--12 years later--be a soapmaker. 

The day started out nicely.  I had picked up my equipment and supplies from the warehouse the day before.  So, I thought I was ready to roll.  Then I remembered that I had forgotten (!!!) to pick up the Pomace oil from GFS  (Gordon Food Services) coming back from Ali's volleyball game last night.  No problem, right!?  It's just a half hour delay.  And, I am only doing one 4 pot session this morning.  Easy, peasy. 

When I got home, I got the hotplates out and setup the headboard counter in my parents garage.  I pulled out a card table and got the scale and all the oils ready to go.  I decided to finish pouring the final couple of pounds of castor oil out of a big 50 pound cube box.  Normally, I set the box on a table, put a gallon jug under it and turn on the spigot.  The oils flows serenely out of the box into the jug...and I am around to make sure nothing goes wrong.  This time however, I decided to go in and put a recipe on the Lye Calculator while it was flowing.  When I came out, something had bumped the box and it was serenely flowing onto the soaked paper towel I put under the jug...onto my parents very clean garage floor.  Dang it!

But a little mess like that is not going to deter me!  I got my four stock pots loaded with the oils and shea butter and put them on to melt.  Then I poured the lye bowls out--except I mispoured the lye in the first one.  I only needed 14.2 ounces and by the time my brain registered how much the scale read it was already over a pound.  Oh well, the drain down in the basement sink was running slowly--time for a good clean out!  Crap--I hate wasting my precious soapmaking things!

After a bit everything was finally combined, stickblended and starting to cook.  This is when I usually turn to my sink and wash out the lye bowls.  At my parent's I have to dash into the kitchen to do this.  When I give hot process  soapmaking lessons, I always stress not to turn your back on the cooking soap.  I really need to practice what I preach.  By the time I got the bowls washed, the oil/lye mixture was rising out of the one of the pots, splashing onto the floor and everything within a four foot radius.  OH SH*T!!! 

That little cleanup took about a half hour and used up an entire roll of Bounty paper towels!  And it was only done good enough to keep working--the final cleanup would take a couple hours and included washing walls, mopping the floor four times and cleaning up all the gardening and painting tools that got hit with the oily mixture.  And, my soap!  I ended up having to throw away 12 bars of partially cooked Kumquat soap.  But then as I carried a wash basin full of oily, dirty water into the kitchen, it slipped out of my greasy hands and fell...onto the threshold of the back door--some of it going onto the tile kitchen floor, some of it onto the garage steps and runner carpet.  Which led to another half hour of cleanup and more cussing.  LOTS more cussing!

So, now a normal person would have just shut down the soapmaking operation for the day.  After all, ALL SIGNS are pointing to eminent danger.  They are at least suggesting that if you continue on the track you are on, it may lead to loss of limb, life or blowing up the house.  RIGHT!?!?!  But, no.  I come from farm folk.  Good, sturdy, Scotch/German genes.  We don't give up.  We ARE NOT sissies.  We PERSEVERE!  DAMN IT!!!

So, I continue with the soap cooking.  Another 15 minutes pass with no problems.  Whew!  I finish three pots of soap, remove them from the burners onto the concrete floor to start cooling.  I give the slow cooking pot a good stir and turn my back...and that dang pot falls off the burner--three feet to the ground and hot soap goes all over.  Onto the wet vac, my Dad's big CB radio receiver, the power cords, and more on the floor.  Are you F*****G kidding me!  I lose another 4 bars of soap, this time my Olive Oil Castile. 

By this time, my parents have holed themselves up in the house.  They are afraid to come out for fear that my bad mood may fall on their poor shoulders.  They are also taking notes to write a new book on current trends in bad language--very bad language.  It will be a bestseller for rappers, kids from the hood and Vice President Biden.

But, this story has a nice ending.  Four soaps make it to the mold and come out very nicely the next day.  I am sure that every other soapmaker that had the good luck to make soap this day had only good things going on in their soapmaking worlds.  Every single gremlin, goblin and evil soapmaking devil was visiting me that day.  I don't think any of us will have to worry about soaping for a while.  I took them all to task and whooped them good!

Schaumburg Septemberfest, September 4-6. 2010

My fourth year at Schaumburg was awesome.  It was my best year in both sales and FUN.  Mom and Jodie joined me for the long weekend.  We decided it was officially a Girls Weekend!  Unfortunately I forgot to document the festivities for posterity...and the blog!  So no pictures.

We arrived at the Marriott after a quick trip over from Rockford.  We had to take two vehicles to get all the soap here.  The room was nice, but, small--with two double beds.  So, I brought my sleep mat in and made my sleep cubbie on the floor by the window.  No one believes me, but, I sleep great on the floor.  Actually I sleep fitfully the first night while I decide if the floor and room are clean enough.  Then I sleep like a baby the rest of the time.  I may be the luckiest traveler in the world--I haven't stayed in a room yet that had bedbugs.  At least not yet. 

Friday night we hit Lou Malnattis for their classic salad and a thin crust pizza.  Mom was reluctant to believe us about it being the best pizza and salad in the WORLD.  But she is now a believer.  We got to bed early as we had a 6:15 call to line up for  setup.  We had a little problem with parking in the school lot--apparently it is ONLY for volunteers now.  But Jodie was able to find street parking with no trouble after we unloaded.  Set up went great.  We were next to Jeff, Deb and Pops of LB Wood Shoppe once again this year.  They are the nicest people--I look forward to seeing them at many of the shows I do up this way. 

Saturday was gorgeous and the great weather brought out tons of shoppers.  The day went quickly and before we knew it we were heading out to Cheesecake Factory--after a quick stop to get some copies of my order form made.  Dinner was yummy, cheesecake was awesome.  Mom tried the Splenda Classic Cheesecake--actually we all tried a bite--and it was good enough to order again.  I had my usual CHOCOLATE and more CHOCOLATE cheesecake--something like their Anniversary edition this time.  We finished off the pieces of cheesecake at the hotel--feeling properly sated and sick at the same time. 

Sunday was another great day and we had dinner at Ruby Tuesdays before trying to get back to the hotel to watch Mad Men.  Of course the hotel did not get AMC on their cable.   Damn!  So we got to bed pretty early as we had early breakfast plans with friends at a local place.  The day was definitely nice with a bit of rain, but, the shoppers were fewer and further between.  I ended up doing really well for the three days, and, I think my helpers had a good time too! 

More Summer Stuff, September, 2010

It is not often that my brother takes a day off.  He works hard for Wonder Bread.  So imagine my surprise when he suggested a market to me, it was on a day I had free AND he could go too!  The bad news is that his co-worker gave him some bad information.  We woke up at 1:30 am to get to the market to ensure we got a prime spot.  Unfortunately, no one else showed up until 4:45--so we were plenty early.  The market turned out to be a snoozer, but, Jeff and I had fun. 

My parents are still planning the big 50th Wedding Anniversary party.  Mom and I went to check out cakes at the local stores and I came away with this little guy.  We HAD to test the cake, right?!  Besides, I LOVE crabbies...more so when one of  the Deadliest Catch guys is attached to them, but, a big blob of frosting works too I suppose.

Jodie and I spent one night after work printing out the invites I designed.  It went slick as a whistle, but, we did use a LOT of yellow ink.  Luckily her boss doesn't mind the employees using the nice laser printer for non-work stuff.  Dad helped me put on stamps and return address labels the next morning while Mom worked at the Church.  It was lucky she didn't see me spill a glass of water on about a dozen newly addressed, stamped and labeled invites!  Lucky for me they dried off nicely and the mail lady picked them up a couple hours later with no problem.  Whew!

Jodie and I also volunteered to do the food.  It is going to be a light buffet, so, we are going to put together meat, cheese and veggie trays.  Oh, and make about 50 pounds of potato salad!  One of my customers suggested a local grocery deli, but, nothing compares to homemade.  Especially when Mom thinks hers is the best around.  LOL   Let's hope I don't screw it up.  Oh, and here are some platters that came from the local deli.  I know we can do better than that!

I also went shopping one night with Jodie along to give a thumb up or down.  It's good to go shopping with someone else I think.  Especially when you are buying something besides my usual shorts and t-shirts.  I tried on a few things at Kohls but didn't find anything I liked.  So we went across the street to Bergners and we hit the jackpot.  The only bad thing was looking at the price tag after deciding on an outfit and finding the pants were $98 (darn you Laura Ashley)!  Lucky for me, there was a sale on, and since Jodie offered to put it on her credit card for me, we got an extra 20% off.  So, all three pieces were only $57.  Gosh, I love getting a bargain!  Now to find some shoes that will work...no Crocs for me that day I guess.  Unless I have Rod bring me the 4 inch Croc heels! 

Lake Geneva Venetian Art Festival, August 21 and 22, 2010

Lake Geneva in the summertime....ahhhhhh!  I asked to be up front on the sidewalk this year.  This is why:

All weekend long, I got to sell soap, wait on customers and every once in a while, look at this:

And Sunday Mom and Jodie came so I got a chance to look at this too:

For us Midwesterners, nothing compares to being able to spend time at the lake.  If the Lake happens to be gorgeous, with a nice beach too--perfect! 

I did actually get pulled out of my reverie a couple times to visit with some really nice repeat customers.  This is my third year at this August festival, so, I have some die hard customers who come to see me.  Luckily, I picked up a new wholesale account while here.  The In Focus Gallery which specializes in nature and wildlife photography is now stocking my soap.  The shop is on Main St. right behind the Kilwans Chocolate Shop.  I know you all know where that is, right?!!!  But remember to shop for SOAP first, then photography and last but not least--CHOCOLATE!

Another good thing about this show is the quality of the art.  My neighbor was Paul Prorok, a Chicago photographer.  This guy's work had me thinking I was in Italy every time I glanced to my right. Gorgeous photos and being an offbeat artist kinda guy, he took a swim every time he got hot...which was frequently.  At first I didn't connect the old guy without a shirt getting into the water in front of my booth.  Paul's wife said this year wasn't as bad as a couple years ago.  She had to yell at him to get out--he had pictures to sell. 

On Saturday night I had Chinese and then caught a movie--"The Other Guys" with Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrall.  Silly, fun and made even better with an audience that didn't take it too seriously. 

Lake Geneva with the Guys, August, 9, 2010

When Rod comes up during Fair Week, we have started a tradition of getting with my brother Jeff to do something.  Jeff takes a week off during the Boone County Fair and since we don't get to spend much time with him, it's nice to get away and do something fun. 

On the agenda this time, Rod had in mind seeking out a Tiki Bar that he had read about on Jimmy Buffet's fan site--a place called Hemingway's.  So we  printed out a map, and headed out.  But first we had to run the folks car into Clinton to be serviced, so we did a little side trip to the Clinton Cafe, a place renowned for their pie. 

Since we got to the dealership's service department at lunch time, we headed into town to find the pie place.  We made it in before a large group of Japanese "tourists" who we hypothesized were in town to check out buying the whole town.  Honestly, maybe they just heard about the pie because a couple of them wanted their pictures taken in front of the Clinton Cafe sign outside!  Maybe there is a new pie franchise coming our way?!

The lunch was nice and the pie we sampled was incredible.  If you are ever there and the Dutch Apple is offered--get it--warmed with vanilla ice cream.  I am sure the Blueberry Jeff got was good too, but, after the other one I just couldn't taste it.  The dealership was ready for us after lunch and we were in and out of there pretty quick.  Then just a short drive into Lake Geneva where we parked near the Library.

The day was bright and sunny with lots of activity going on at the beach.  We did a slow walk through the shade trees on the waterfront, the guys hoping to scope out some thong clad women at the beach before coming around the tour boats and heading back to the car.  We were gonna do a drive by the Lake, and in after thought we should have.  By then we were hot and ready for a cold beverage, so we headed to Hemingway's instead. 

When we found it, there was one car in the parking lot and honestly it looked like it might have been there over the winter months.  A quick look at the sign in the door told us we were too early for drinks in the Tiki Bar.   Maybe when I come back for the Venetian Art Festival in a couple weeks I can have a drink there and send a postcard to Rod!

So Plan B was a return trip back to Rockford.  I told the guys we could have a drink at Rascals and maybe catch the Cubs on one of the TVs.  They of course were still hot and thirsty so we high tailed it back to town.  On the way I sent Roger a text hoping he could join  us.  He ended up bringing Richele along with and we all had a couple beers, shot some pool and then headed back to the folks house for dinner.  It was a nice day even though it didn't totally go by our original plans!

Wilder Park Craft Fair, Elmhurst IL, August 7 & 8, 2010

Mom decided to come along to this craft show put on by the same promoter who does the Downtown LaGrange Craft Show.  We headed out Friday afternoon--early we thought--to drive down to LaGrange first to pick up a pail of lye from a supplier there.  Unfortunately the traffic around O'Hare was horrible resulting in us being about 10 minutes late to pick up the lye.  Lucky for us, Deb in the office of Boyer Chemical was very accommodating and she was able to wait for us.

After picking up the lye supply, we were free to explore the area and find the hotel.  Our hotel was up in the Itasca area so we opted to drive the local roads there to see if we could find any great places for dinner.  We stumbled on Christy's Pancake House where we should have gotten the Friday fish fry, so, we weren't exactly "wow"ed after eating.

The Hotel was a Doubletree Inn just up the road which we found ok.  The front desk staff was wonderful and they even give you a couple warm chocolate chip cookies when you check in.  Very nice rooms and a nice business center to check email too!  We hit the beds early since we were trying to get to Wilder Park to set up by 7 am. 

It turns out that the promoter's setup time was 7:30, so we chatted with other vendors for a while before getting down to work.  We even found a grocery store to get some sandwiched because it didn't appear they were going to have any food.  There were maybe 60 vendors at this show, mainly spread along the sidewalk at the park's edge. 

As usual, I wasn't at the sidewalks edge, but rather down in the park with 12 or so other unlucky crafters.  Turns out the promoter thought the ground slanted too much at the sidewalk, so, they moved us down where it was flat--and where no one wanted to walk when it was wet.  LOL

Saturday was a slowish day with not too much traffic but absolutely gorgeous weather.  We made plans to get some copies made after the show and find a place to eat.  That turned out to  be a hard thing to do--we drove around forever never finding just the right place.  In Wood Dale we came upon the "Sweet Baby Rays BBQ" joint and while neither of us were feeling like BBQ, we were happy we did.  My St Louis ribs were awesome and Mom enjoyed the baby backs.  We ended up getting the copies made at the hotel while we settled in to watch a couple episodes of "Say Yes to the Dress". 

Sunday we made it to the show about 10 and were greeted with rain and grey clouds.  By 12:30 you could tell it was clearing.  By, 1:30 the promoter was telling everyone that this slow moving "storm" wasn't going to clear up until after the show's 4 pm closing time, so we were free to leave.  Which of course meant that half the crafters packed up to leave!

Once I am set up and it is raining, I am just not ready to give up.  First, your tent's gonna have to be dried out.  Second, packing up soap in the rain is very stressful and can lead to lot's of damaged product.  And finally, I committed to being there until 4 pm and I needed more customers!

By about 1:45 the sun was out but no one was coming off the sidewalk to shop.   SO, Mom and I carried our tables right up to the edge of the sidewalk and Mom proceeded to sell almost as much soap as we had the whole day on Saturday in two hours.  The customers couldn't believe that the crafters had left.  The promoters had left about 1:35, so, I guess they had another commitment that day.  Pretty lousy of them, I thought!

The good news is that by the time we got back to Rockford, Rod was within striking distance of being there!  Two months apart is TOO LONG!  So glad to see him and be able to spend some time together...finally.

Hampshire IL Coon Creek Country Days Festival, July 30 - August 1, 2010

I decided to try this little community festival since it was so close to Rockford.  They had a nice line-up of music events and it seemed like a great way to spend a weekend.  The only downside was that it was four days long and the evening hours lasted until 11 pm.  Luckily, crafters could pick the days they wanted to come.

So, I decided to drive over on Friday afternoon and setup for the 6 - 11pm hours.  When I arrived, the only people to be found were the Pretzel vendors in the food area.  A short while later, one of the organizers drove up and he helped me find my spot.  The weather was threatening to rain, but, we never got more than a misty sprinkle.  By about 7 pm the sun was out and the bugs too!

I ended up doing alright for a Friday night, making all my expenses and a little profit.  I was looking forward to Saturday--but I had been warned it would be quiet until the evening hours. 

On Saturday, more of the crafters showed up.  There were about 24 crafter/business booths spaced out and by the weekend they had all been filled.  However, there were probably only about 12 true craft booths.  A little disappointing to both those of us looking for a craft show and customers too. 

The best thing about the festival as a whole was the music.  Friday night's lineup was incredible.  I had to ask one customer if that was the band playing or canned music between sets.  They were great!!!  Saturday during the day the music was geared to a younger crowd, so, not my favorite thing.  By Saturday night the good music was playing again along with a FANTASTIC fireworks display. 

Now fireworks I know--living right behind Universal Studios I get to see three sets of fireworks nightly during the summer and Holidays.  But, it's been sometime since I saw the ground level displays.  Both the high stuff and the ground stuff at Hampshire were AWESOME.  I am not using those capital letters lightly, folks! 

On Sunday there was a parade through downtown followed by FREE sweet  corn prepared by a local farm using their old steam tractor as the source for the heat.  Lots of locals came out for both, and some even walked through the craft area.  I think this festival has a bit more growing to do before it will support a true craft show.  But, the organizers have their hearts in the right place--I enjoyed being a part of it!