It Started with a Journal

First batch of soap: made. We'll see how it turns out. I don't really have a good place for a soap lab, where I would feel safe knowing that the pets can't get to any of it. :/ I think, once K. and D. move all their stuff out of my garage, I can use that area for a small workshop. In fact, I know I can, because the former owner of this house was a very handy sort of guy, and he had a whole tool setup in there, put up extra lights, etc.

I didn't make a totally basic soap -- if you know me, you're probably not surprised. >.> I took the opportunity to try out some coloring (rose clay; it did NOT work) and fragrancing (orange essential oil; it may or may not have worked. Apparently citrus scents evaporate quickly in cold process soap).

( Other details from the experience. )

=========

Does anyone know anything about caring for orchids after their blossoms have fallen? I've been meaning to look it up but I feel like that will just bring me down another research hole. :)) Basically a couple months ago I got three gorgeous orchids from work that I took home. One of them got infested with some sort of bug, which didn't look like a bug, only bumps on the stem/flowers, but after looking it up, confirmed it was a bug. :/ It seemed to stunt the growth of that particular plant. And then all its flowers fell off, but it was sort of about time, because the second orchid's flowers also all fell off, even though it had been perfectly healthy otherwise (that I know of). I'm not sure if that first flower is a lost cause, and the bugs will always be there, or if now that the flowers have fallen and we can cut the stem off, we can be rid of the bugs that way?

Anyway, despite the fact that these two orchids both lost their blossoms around the same time, the third one that I kept in my bathroom was hale and hearty for weeks longer! I don't know why it kept its blossoms for so much longer, but I kept it on the windowsill above the tub with the window open (maybe it was the fresh air?), and it looked so nice. I wanted to get a picture of it before its blossoms inevitably fell, too, and I literally took this picture two days before they started wilting! Sheesh! (And then Jaime knocked the whole thing down and two of its leaves broke. :/ I hope that won't hurt it for next year. That would make me so sad.)



=========

Speaking of Jaime, I took this shot back in April and meant to share then, but today it is! We were looking all over for him, and he wasn't responding, and finally I saw where he was hiding, lol.



=========

My three mystery paintings from Afremov have arrived! I was actually kind of dreading them, because after the experience with Misty Mood 2, I was unconvinced that these would be ones I'd like, even though they're originals. But I love them! I do think it makes a huge difference when he does originals rather than replicas. I haven't decided where I'll put them yet

( Check them out! )

=========

In a final bit of yayness, at work we just moved into temporary digs where we have to all share this giant room (think YMCA gym) with like 75 other people. All our desks are crammed in there. I'm finally used to working in an open space instead of having my own office like I did for the first 10 years there, but this is so insane. It's supposed to be for only seven weeks, though I would be shocked if they actually finished remodeling our other space in time. To make things a little more tolerable for us while we're there, my GM is giving his team Bose QuietComfort 35 Bluetooth noise-canceling headphones, which is nice. I'm getting mine in silver.