Keeping the Water Flowing

This  happy, homey scene is our bathroom sink in the RV. Featured are my homemade Lavender Tea Tree Goat Milk Soap and Lavender Tea Tree Lotion Bar made with all natural coconut oil, shea butter and beeswax. The bottles in the background contain homemade mouthwash, toner and nasal spray. But enough product promotion. This post is all about how we make the above picture possible. RVing in sub-zero temps is not what we had in mind for starting our full-time RV lifestyle. We have adapted.

After a few minor freeze-ups in December, earnest efforts to keep the flow of water steady were undertaken. Both fresh and gray/black water systems had to be addressed. The sewage pipes were wrapped with R30 insulation and further protected by surrounding them with old hay bales. We discovered that, when parked for more than a few days, the gray and black water need to be kept moving. Normal driving of the RV usually takes care of this. If you are traveling slow, as we are, and are parked for a few weeks or months in one spot, you need to run more water through your black tank, especially, to flush out all the solids. This is fine, because we are also hooked to pressurized water and can afford to use a bit more for flushing.

As for the fresh water, the hose was heat taped and covered with foam insulation, which has kept the water flowing into the RV. I leave the faucets open to drip slowly overnight and the Colorado sunshine keeps the hose thawed (along with the heat tapes) during the day.

The addition of plywood flashing or some more of those old hay bales around the bottom of the rig would undoubtedly help, as well.

As for my little trailer, well, spring is on the way...here you can see my latest batch of soap - Pure Castille, cut and waiting to be put on the curing racks inside the trailer. It should be ready to ship in March. Look for details on my first adventure in soapmaking on the road, in my next post.

Thanks for stopping by.

If you enjoyed this post, you might like:

Vintage Trailer Rehab

A New Direction

Outfitting The RV - DIY Mattresses and Drapes

   

Mobilizing The Homestead

Dry Skin Relief - Coconut Oil, Shea Butter and Goat's Milk

It's well into winter and relief from the dry air seems far away. Heaters, fireplaces and air cleaners don't help with the dry skin issue. Even normal, everyday activities like washing clothes, dishes and produce, even just handwashing seems to leave my skin ready to dissolve into powder. That might actually be less painful that the cracking, splitting and peeling that is taking place. 

Wait, I'm a soap maker! I should have soft, smooth, healthy skin, right? Regular use of my goat and cow's milk soaps certainly helps. They are gentle and nourishing. My reformulated lotion bars, with extra coconut oil and shea butter, are easier to spread in winter's colder temps. The thing is, in the drier climates, I find I need to reapply frequently. My homemade lip butters are handy for this. The coconut oil and shea butter are soothing, and heal up our chapped lips quickly. If we would remember to keep using it, the chapping would also be prevented.

My favorite lotion bar in the winter is the Jasmine Rose. Rose oil is reputed to be soothing for dry skin. I like to recycle a 2 ounce size tin or snack container with a tight-fitting lid, smoosh a lotion bar inside, and carry it in my purse for easy application after handwashing on the go, or any time. I also keep a lotion bar next to the soap on each sink in my house, RV, trailer and in my travel bag. Okay, that seems obsessive, but I really am the biggest fan of my homemade soaps and lotions. Of course, that's why I make them. They're all natural and if I'm not happy with them, I know you won't be, so I make sure they're just right.

Want some help with your dry skin? Check out my Etsy shop, or my website, Mrs. D's Homestead.

Thanks for stopping by.

Farmer's Market

Homemade breads, pickles, cronuts; cucumbers, zucchini.

First, a correction to my last post. Our new homes are a 28 foot RV and a 14 ft. travel trailer. What's a few square feet here and there, anyway?

Kreations by Katy, a member of Mrs. D's Homestead

We've really been enjoying participating as vendors at the Saturday Market in Williams, AZ. Helen Gorney, of Open Studios set this up as a venue for local crafters, bakers, and gardeners to market some of their products. So far, we have enjoyed local apples, pears, tomatoes, zucchini, cucumbers and eggs, home canned jams, salsas and home-baked goodies, gorgeous hand crafts and local honey. Our last Saturday for the season is coming up on September 28th. Hopefully next year we'll see lots more home grown produce.

Lotions, lip butters, soap cozies, rice bags

Mrs. D has picked up a number of new customers for her handmade all natural shea butter and coconut oil lotion bars and lip butters, as well as meeting with loyal repeat customers. Katy's Kreations are attracting positive attention, with the Dammit Doll being particularly popular. (Hope to have some up on the Etsy store soon). Jacob's Store is selling out of his handmade rustic crosses and his new beanbag ice therapy packs. He's also doing a booming business with ice cold lemonade, made with lemons from grandpa's backyard tree, and ice tea. Now to just get him to update his Etsy store.

Yak's lemonade and ice tea venture

What IS a Lotion Bar?

These yummy looking candies are actually solid lotion bars.  I have been making lotion bars for many years, now, but since a lot of people don't know what they are, I will give you a brief overview.  

Lotion bars are solid lotion. Not soap. Lotion. Rub one between your hands to soften, then spread wherever you need extra moisture and silky softening.  I use mine on my face, hands and body.  My friend uses hers on her cracked heels: she massages it in before bed, puts on cotton socks and in the morning - soft feet. For especially tough dirt and grease, even makeup, rub some lotion bar in and let it set for a few minutes. Then wash with some good old-fashioned homemade soap (which I also make) and watch the grease float away. Baking soda can provide grit to help get the grease out, if necessary.  Rub some more lotion in to moisturize after that tough scrubbing.

Now for the exciting news!  For years, I have been making my lotion bars with shea butter, beeswax, olive oil and essential oils. This combination makes a nice, solid bar, which is just a bit too solid. I have had an ongoing discussion with my friend and sometimes business partner (mostly brainstorming partner) Maryruth, about the virtues of coconut oil and at what percentage to incorporate it into the lotion bars. I am happy to say that I have finally hit upon a formulation which produces a solid, spreadable, silky-soft product. The addition of coconut oil was pure genius on Maryruth's part. Getting it right has been purely hard work for me. 

Mrs. D's new and improved lotion bars now contain shea butter, coconut oil, olive oil, beeswax and essential oils. They are also available in unscented. We are also offering the same formula in our Lucious Lip Butters, in a handy tube. Several flavors and unflavored available.

I hope you will give Mrs. D's new formula lotion bars a try. I think you will be as pleased as I am at the improved performance. Visit one of our stores below:

Mrs. D's Homestead
Mrs. D's Etsy Shop
Cool Canine Clothing