Would January have been the logical choice for our first ever blog post? Yes, yes it would have. Actually, multiple years ago would have probably been the ideal time to begin a blog. But we’re just not that family or that business, so here we go!
Welcome to 2023 everyone! Sorry for the very late well wishes, but wow has the year already been a blur of activity. Anyone else feel amazed that we are only halfway through the second month of the year? How is it not at least April yet? Thank goodness it isn’t, but it certainly feels like we’ve lived through more of this year than we actually have.
Let’s start with what we’ve been up to so far here in 2023.
Patrick would most definitely like me to mention how much soap he has made already! Bars upon bars upon bars of small batch, botanical soap that he truly does pour his heart into. Small batch soap making seems to be a perfect medium for someone like Pat who loves both science and painstaking craftsmanship. He cannot just cut a giant log of soap into rectangles, wrap it in a cute labels, and sell it as is. He MUST trim and carve all rough edges down so each bar looks and feels beautifully smooth. He is very particular with every batch he makes.
And we have been fortunate enough to make several new connections within our community that have led to selling soap in both wholesale and white label capacities. It makes my heart so happy to hear other people gush over how good Pat’s soap is. I know it’s just soap. And I know that Pat accomplishes a myriad of tasks, large and small, that deserve praise or admiration. But because he loves making soap so much it’s just extra special to see him receive compliments for it and then receive requests for it.
Random soap science discovery for you: when you make a batch with tallow as a base and include hemp as a botanical, you get bars that cure into a beautiful, mellow violet color! We don’t use any dyes or fragrances in our soaps, so we end up with many various shades of tan, brown, and cream. And as lovely as they are in all their natural beauty, it felt like a special treat to finally have a batch of soap turn out a vibrant color. Science is both wacky and gorgeous.
Along with all the new soap, we’ve been predominantly crafting two other hemp products so far this year.
Pat collected all our old candles and we began making many more Hemp Fire Starters. Yes, we discovered at the end of last year that if you cover hemp flower in wax it makes very sturdy kindling. We tested them out in the snow on an incredibly windy day and they stood up against the elements. They work wonderfully both for outdoor fires and a home’s wood stoves. And…they smell amazing as they burn. It feels important to also mention that we aren’t just chucking our grade-A hemp into fire. We wanted to find a way to use the leftovers from our very first growing season’s hemp harvest in a creative, fun way. We also had loads of old candle wax. So, Hemp Fire Starters were born. Pat even make cute little wood crates for their packaging.
My new year’s product creation was a new Bath Soak Satchel. I had developed these at the end of 2022 in a Body Ache Blend formulation and they have been doing really well both online and for our retail buyers. The Body Ache Blend was a mixture of epsom salt, hemp flower, and our farm grown chamomile, meant to sooth tired or swollen muscles. They make for a special boost to any evening bath routine. But I also wanted a version for dry, angry, irritated skin; an option for someone with a rash, some hives, or just terribly agitated winter skin. So I just released (literally just yesterday up on our website) an Itchy Body Blend. With oat flour, hemp, and our own calendula these Bath Soak Satchels are for the bath lovers who need something extra calming for their dry bodies!
Other changes to our lives here at Headland Homestead include some infrastructure upgrades. We now have two windows installed in the second story of the barn where we will have a sort of living space. It felt like such a big, beautiful step, especially for me. I have been dreaming of building my own home since I was in middle school. Being able to welcome in the sunlight to that barn bedroom area was just an instant boost of joy. We will continue to work on that space bit by bit until we can spend the nights there on the farm.
Pat has also been busy on our new workshop space in the barn. It will have its own four walls located behind the current lab space we’re constructing. It will serve as an area where Pat and his brother can enjoy their wood and metal working pursuits. Such a large part of what 2023 will mean to us is centered around the goal of moving all aspects of our life to the farm in Durham. We’ve been too segmented and in motion for too long as a family. Moving all the tools and materials that we need to live our lives on a week to week, month to month basis all to the farm would mean the world. The amount of time we spend in between our big project tasks because what we need to do the task with is somewhere else is just too dang much.
What else can I update everyone on?
The goats are still goofy but hate the snow. The chickens are still laying, but also hate the snow. And the bunny is still adorable, but really hates the snow. And I don’t blame them. Snow is beautiful and it’s important to Maine in many ways, but if warm weather and golden sun could melt away the snow more quickly we would be not-so-secretly appreciative.
The greenhouse was ripped to shreds in our last storm. Or at least the plastic was. Technically replacing it was about a year overdo, but it was still a bummer to see. We will be getting a team of friends together soon to recover the wooden frame so everything will be ready for seedlings.
Seedlings! Gah. Can’t believe it’s almost time for a greenhouse full of fresh, green new life. The heavy, wet heat of a greenhouse full of little plant babies is absolutely the best. It may be the only aspect of spring I really love. Aside from my birthday.
And what about our little one? Who, I will officially mention here, will always be referenced just as “our little one” or something along those lines. I try to never give her name. Regardless, she is thriving and so excited for all the events that 2023 has to offer. She’s still enjoying speech therapy, Tuesday’s with a fellow homeschooling family, and lots and lots of art projects. I can’t believe she’s going to be six this year. Absolutely blows my little mama mind.
And what are we looking ahead to within the upcoming month? Hmmm…
I need to re-order the labels for the Children’s Whipped Salve we’ve made and jarred. The first print was on labels much too small, so I need to adjust the size and proportions. I wanted to economical and only have one label printed for the jars, but all the required, boring info (ingredient list, “Made in..” info, etc) doesn’t look good included on the primary front label. So I may need to to just have a back label printed, too.
Overall, I feel like we are just looking forward to warmer weather around here! I want to start hiking with my little one this year, but the ice no mud on the trails right now is nothing I want to force her through. And I certainly am excited for farm spring clean up, but everything is still stuck in snow and ice. My big goals for the year include getting the farm to the point where we can start hosting real events, workshop, homeschool days, and parties. But a lot of organizing and clean up needs to happen to get to that point. I’m eager to get started and it feels hard to wait for the melting snow.
Well, I think that’s enough for now. I hope all of you are well and staying healthy out there. The state of the world feels a bit insane right now, so I hope everyone is getting through and finding the time to mentally recoup for the craziness. I find myself reading more, needing more sleep, taking longer breaks for play time with my little one, and enjoying more movie nights with Pat before bed.
Hope to see you all back here same time next month in March!
“Burn, baby, burn!”
Our Valentine’s Day Hemp Fire Starters were so fun to make for SeaWeed Co.
