A Day at Work

In my self-examination about my work options, I decided one good choice is to devote myself more to my already-existing business, Red Robin Soaps. If you click over, you'll see I don't keep my facebook page as up to date as I ought! 

It's a well-established home business with faithful customers and excellent products. Why turn my efforts to other avenues when this one is already good? 

Today I spent the day making Bee Balm, Healing Herb Ointment, and Insect-Repellent Lotion Bars. These products sell so well, and my customers rave about them. I thought I'd take you through my day today as I made them.

First, Healing Herb Ointment for damaged skin -- burns, poison ivy, scratches and bites. 
Several days ago I collected plantain, yarrow, and dandelion leaves and began infusing them into olive and coconut oils.

 After the leaves are strained out the oils are very green and ready for other ingredients. Adam cut up lots of beeswax for me.

 I have a large collection of essential oils. Four go into this ointment.

 Shea butter and grapeseed and almond oils are also added.

 My little hand-written recipe book contains all the scribbles needed.

 As the Healing Herb Ointment cooled, I began the Lotion Bars. They're made in silicone molds and are 1/3 beeswax.

 The golden oil above is safflower oil infused with dried dandelion flowers. This recipe is pretty labor-intensive and finicky!

 These lotion bars have 7 essential oils that repel insects, and they work wonderfully.
I slipped them in the refrigerator to cool, and began my next item: Bee Balm. More beeswax!

 Bee Balm is a simpler recipe, a lovely lotion for healthy skin. 

 By the time all these products were cooled, packaged, and labeled, it was 2:30, and I was ready for a nap!
Earlier, in the morning, I sorted dried herb leaves for tea. 

 Tarragon, lemon balm, mint, and lemongrass are my tea blend.

 I put tea into little tins that I find at the thrift store and sell them for $2 to $5, depending on size.

If I sold all those products tomorrow at the farmers' market (which I won't ...!) I would make a little over $140 profit. Adam made me crunch the numbers and be sure of the cost of each product I make because he's convinced they are under-priced, haha :) But I do make a profit, and I enjoy what I make. I enjoy meeting and talking with my customers very much. It's satisfying to know my products are beneficial to others.

Last Saturday I sold $98 at the market, a good day. I realized later that I'd have had to teach nine half-hour piano lessons (at my old rate) to make that much money. That's four and a half hours of teaching. Both are good work for good return, and I'd like to teach piano again too. But I get to choose my own hours in my soap business, which is a blessing. We'll see. For now I think I may reconsider finding a desk job that would take me away all day. Jobs like that here do not provide benefits, but they would radically alter our home life. We're having good success at trimming our budget and watching our spending.

It's hard figuring out these priorities and duties at my age, as some of you know! But for now, I'll keep making lotion.