Hot-Process Soap Success

I let my first batch of hot-process soap cure for a couple of weeks, just to be on the safe side since it was my first batch. We've all had a chance to try it out at the sink and in the shower by now, however, and the decision is unanimous....

We love it!!!

 
It's quite a bit softer than I thought it would be--I don't know if that's because it could stand to be cured for a while longer, or because of my recipe. Even going through the soap at a bar a week, though, each homemade bar is still cheaper than the cheapest soap at the store, and the ingredients are completely natural, AND it smells delightfully of cinnamon and geranium essential oils, with just a touch of lavender.

In other news, Matt has been gone for most of the week as part of the jury for a high-profile local trial, the murder of an IU assistant professor. It was hard, and upsetting, and stressful, both for Matt to be there and for me to be at home and not know when he's coming home, and to hear people on both sides trash-talking what the jury would supposedly do and think. The jury deliberated for twelve hours, they did their job well and returned a fair verdict, and then they went home to their worried families. Thank goodness it's over.