Let's talk about feet, baby.

Confession time...again. I have really, dry cracked feet these days. Yep. They hurt. Feet are actually the least favorite body part I own. But I need them. You would think Summertime would be nicer on them. It's not. I get to choose between that dirty feeling if I wear sandals or that sweaty feeling if I enclose them in sneakers. Alas, neither option works for me. But going barefoot just hurts. Of course, this condition has only gotten worse with  my age. In fact, the last time I can recall liking my feet was as a child. Oh how I loved sifting the sand through my toes or the soft, Spring grass under my bare feet. No shoes, no rocks. So....what's a girl to do? Make a Salve. Yep, a salve does mean I will have to apply my concoction on my feet,  which in turn = touching them. That said,  after multiple attempts (through out the years and when it occurred to me that I could actually make something to help my poor heels), I have stumbled upon one that is literally a lifesaver....for my feet. Which I still need. I will post the recipe here and it will be for sale in my shop here-https://www.etsy.com/shop/shackontherock

A river runs through it....literally.

Well, it least it only lasts as long as it takes the waters to drain from the ditch. Yep, a lovely drainage ditch runs through our property, effectively dividing our home from our barn. Not cool. Of course, it only does so when it rains. A lot. Like it has this year. While I am thankful our mobile is situated higher up where the waters don't reach, I'm not so thankful to wade through flooding waters in the middle of the night to rescue our goats. The kind you milk. The goats come with names and affection attached too. So what does this mean? It means more money. Money and time and work to come up with a new solution for our goat barn. Why you ask? Well, frankly the goats and I neither one enjoy milking in the remains of a cow pond. Would you? Eeww!

Tiny house movement....eat my dust!

So, I love seeing all of these "cute" little tiny homes posted everywhere. I was even convinced to sit through a documentary specifically "documenting" this "tiny house movement". Don't get me wrong, I think living debt-free is well worth the effort. I even admire the skill level it takes to build ones own home. I relish the idea that a tiny home makes less of a footprint on the earth. So I've come up with a great idea! What about just re-purposing a trailer? One less footprint on the earth by "up-cycling" right? How come you don't hear about the "mobile home movement"? I think I should start one, don't you? It could sweep across America! Maybe we could get HGTV involved? How many people do you think would "tune in" to see mobile home make-overs? I, for one, actually would. Want to know why? Because my own mobile home is a constant work in progress. Some fresh ideas are a good thing in my book. So, here's my question - do you think I could get HGTV to come to my house first? Hehe. (the following is a picture of my old friend whom I credit with the true tiny house movement - Polly Pocket)

What came first...the chicken or the egg?

Well, for us it was the Chicken. We had to raise them for 6 months before we got the eggs. Years later, we have two of our original girls still with us. We love our "girls". We know each of them by name. Don't laugh. Life is better with our "girls" in it....and Rico the Lavender Guinea. We've recently heard about the threat of Avian Flu. Yuck. I've been keeping my girls inside of the coop as I heard this particular type of flu is transmitted via wild birds. Not cool. The thing is....have you ever watched one of those documentaries about the commercial chicken prisons, oops, I mean houses? It's actually an unbelievably sterile environment. From the boots to the suits everything is washed thoroughly with some type of chemical to avoid this very thing? So, it begs the question...how did the bird flu get inside the prison house? Hhmm....Oh, and there's the case of the backyard flock getting it too? All of this really stinks to high heaven in my opinion. Of course, so does a coop if you don't keep it cleaned frequently. So, I find myself warring between letting the girls free-range and hiding them in their coop. I'm not sure really what direction I need to go in to insure my girls are safe. Oh, but they are! That is, sure of what they want me to do. Everyday I swear if my girls could speak English one or all of them would need soap in the mouth for all the bad words they are saying about being "cooped up" all the time. Poor girls. So, for now I just hold them and pet them and call them George. Also, I bribe them with lovely kernels of corn frozen in ice cubes. I'm pretty sure this is why I still get plenty of eggs. Yummy, farm fresh eggs that still cost the same vs. the prices you now find in the stores. What would you do for your "girls"? (taking into account that you have some and lov'em too)

So, confession time. I live in a Mobile home. Yep, you read that right. A mobile home. Often referred to as a mobile, a trailer, a manufactured home etc-. But, it's really just a mobile home. Only, here's another confession. We removed the axles. Actually, we donated them to a worthy cause. Another mobile home business. To re-purpose them. Kind of like how we're re-purposing our trailer. I mean, Mobile. Actually, what one sounds better to you? Anyway, I digress. We got rid of (I mean donated) our axles because we knew the trailer/mobile wasn't going anywhere. We had a plan. To live in our mobile and become debt-free. After all, there are plenty of United States Citizens with consumer debt. Why do we need to join their ranks? So, when my husband was medically retired from the Service and we found out his Grandma's place (trailer and all) was being sold, we jumped on it. Or, actually, my husband jumped on it. I dragged my feet a bit(actually a lot). I said to myself - "Traci- you're not trailer trash!" Yep, old misconceptions at it again. My mother said to me "Traci- there is no such thing as trailer trash, just people living in trailers". I said to my mom- "Um,well,I want the American Dream, Mom! The one that include the little white house with matching picket fence!"! So, I live in a trailer. I mean a mobile. I mean a manufactured home. I said that already, didn't I? ( I bet you thought I would post a picture of my mobile home, huh? Ya Right!) http://www.nerdwallet.com/blog/credit-card-data/average-credit-card-debt-household/

New Work Space!!!

I promised those pic's of the new and yet, old office space! Hubby built it in the kitchen to free up a corner in the hallway for curing space!

Update

Wanna a business update? Well, you're gonna get one! Haha! Hubby is working on a built-in computer/office area in our kitchen. Currently our "office" (understand I am using this term lightly) is tucked away in it's precious little corner in my hallway. By moving the office to the kitchen, we free up space, floor to ceiling space for soap curing racks!!! What you may ask does this mean?? Well, I hope it translates into more production+more space to cure soap= inventory always being available for you guys!! Yes, pic's to follow.....when it's all done.

This quote means a lot to me as I feel it personally describes the opening of my Etsy account this month!

Light it up!

Hey All! Check out the wonderful, wonderful light box my hubby built for me! Yaa! Everything I've read says when you sell online you need excellent photographs. As a visual learner myself, this makes perfect sense to me! If I can't taste it, smell it or touch it than it had better look good! So that is my business tip for "Tip Tuesday". Make a light box and photograph your stuff well! We used PicMonkey to edit or "touch-up" our photo's for that professional oomph. It's free and priceless! Our light box is made from foam board and freezer paper and one sheet of poster board. All from Walmart. It costs us less than $10. Pretty cheap for expensive looking photography! So worth it!

The Ranchers Wife Pop-Up Shop!

Hey All! If you saw the post on Dec. 17th than you have a good idea where we stand on the issue of debt. You should also know our conviction is to grow our business solely on it's profits without the need to get a business loan. For that matter, the last 3 years we have used portions from our own paychecks to fund our fledgling soap making business. Everything I have read has backed up the fact that the first several years of ANY business are spent putting money into it to make it grow. So why am I seemingly on a tangent? I'm not! I am absolutely thrilled! Grateful to have been invited to be a part of "The Ranchers Wife"! So grateful that it turned out to be so profitable for us! The year 2014 saw our business go "black". That is, we finally started to see profit. With the end of 2014 came a blessing beyond what we had expected. We now have the funds we need to purchase some much needed items that will allow us to take our business to it's next level of production. Stay tuned for pictures of all the purchases we will be making to grow our dream of owning a small family business that will establish a legacy for future generations and sustainability for our family! Thank you, Thank you, Thank you to all of our old and new customers who made this possible for us! We'll be coming up with something to show our appreciation soon! Sincerely, Shack on the Rock

Owe no man anything....

Hey All! This is an excellent read. We personally believe you should "Owe no man anything" and this extends to our business sense. Our goal is to fund our business exclusively on it's profits. In this current economy to rely on the banks is simply not what we consider to be a wise move. Unless you can do what this business does, which is to pay your balance off each month! We, here at Shack on the Rock, desire to live "debt-free" and become as self sustaining as we are able to be, all the while producing what we hope is a quality product that benefits the skin of our customers! FYI- We support this small business owner and purchase many of our supplies from Brambleberry (her company)! http://www.soapqueen.com/business/cash-king-credit-pawn/#

100% "Natural"

Hey All! Did you know the word ‘natural’ is not a regulated or defined term in the soap and cosmetic industry? That means anyone can use it regardless of whether or not their product is actually "Natural". Very sad indeed, but there's good news for all of our customers! We want you to know if we call it "natural" it's because it is! Only natural colorants like Clay or Essential Oils for scent are used in our all-natural line of soaps! Yes, we do make soaps that are scented with phthalate-Free Fragrance Oils, and while they could be considered 97% Natural we simply don't label them that way. So if your soap label say's it's 100% natural. It's because it is! Just thought you should know!

We're on Pinterest!

Hey All! We're on Pinterest now! Check us out! http://www.pinterest.com/pinterest/pin-pets/

Christmas Tree Farm here we come!

We feel so privileged to be a part of Ozark Valley Christmas Tree Farm & The Ranchers Wife Pop-up store this Season! It's an opportunity to expand our business and see where that road takes us! So come on out and see us!

It's good to be square!

So.....it's been awhile. A long while since we've last posted ANYTHING! So there's no better place to start than with the NEW shape of our soap......square! We like this shape as it suits us! It's fairly unique, fit's nicely in the palm of your hand, and makes us different! Gotta find a way to set ourselves apart from the crowd! As a budding new small business finding your niche is essential!
So here's to future posts about our journey!

Beginnings....

Here's to branching out and "bloggin" about our products! Can't wait to get it going!