Maynerd would be proud!

I was making laundry soap this weekend and got to thinking about all the soap slivers I'd been been saving for no particular reason.  My grandpa Maynerd used to make his own lotion soap for his soap dispensers out of his soap slivers by melting it down in the microwave.  I was already grating up the Fels-Naptha and thought I'd try an experiment.

Here is the rainbow of grated soap ends.  I melted it down on the stove with two cups of boiling water.  I let it cool and the result had the consistency of Crisco.  Then I added more boiling water, heated and cooled it again.  I monkeyed around with this all afternoon and into the evening while I was cooking supper.

This is my dedicated soap pot and whisk I use for laundry soap.  When Dave came up for supper and was dishing up his plate from the stove, he pointed at the soap pot and asked, "What's that?"  I quickly said, "Don't eat that!  It's an experiment!"  By the time I was satisfied with the soap, it was quite aerated and reminded me of marshmallow fluff.  I wound up with over a half gallon of liquid/lotion soap.

I have to smile and laugh thinking of my Grandpa Maynerd.  I miss him terribly but I remember funny things about him.  He'd save lint from his dryer for fire starters and soap slivers to make his lotion soap and he always referred to himself in the third person when he spoke to us grand kids.  Every now and again, my mom and aunt Mary would do a blitz cleaning of his house when they knew he wouldn't be home and just clear things out.  I will never forget him telling me, "Your mother threw away Grandpa's lint and his soap!"

Here is the first peony of the season.  My mom happened to email me a picture of all her cut peonies.  I immediately ran out to check our bush and picked the one blossom we had before the rain showers tore it up.  We have 3 more buds yet to open and the shrub roses will be opening any minute!  The background is the new tablecloth I got at Homegoods.  I just love it as a tablecloth but I'm also half tempted to cut it up as fabric!