soap and other good stuff

It's been a really long time since I posted, so I thought I'd make it easy on myself and show you some of the goodies I've bought over the last few months. Recovery from two back surgeries+pandemic+weaning off pain meds=buying lots of crap. 

Back in August I went on vacation to visit my cousin in PA. We visited Kitchen Kettle Village, which is a collection of stores and food places. They also have a place called Pappy's Kettle Korn that makes fresh kettle corn and OMG it's the best I've ever had! (They also make caramel corn and flavored nuts.) Every time I go there I get a huge bag to bring home. Problem is, it never makes it home as a full bag. I always open it on my way home. This time I was smart and bought a huge bag for home and a small bag to eat on the way home. It only took me about an hour to open it and start snacking. (When I went online to Kitchen Kettle I saw they have a website AND they ship!!)

I decided to try shampoo and conditioner bars. I'd heard of them, but hadn't seen them in the store. I felt they were expensive, but wanted to give them a try. I was told the shampoo bar can also be used as body wash/soap and the conditioner bar can be used for shaving. While the shampoo bar lathered well, the conditioner bar felt like nothing at all on my hair. It was a weird experience because I'm used to feeling the conditioner in my hair. Once my hair was dry, it felt kind of heavy, like I didn't get the conditioner out or that it wasn't completely clean. I gave these bars a few more tries and decided this isn't something I'd buy again. though I'm sure there could be others I might like better.

Most of what I bought during the last few months has come from Beekman 1802. The guys who started this company won season 21 of the Amazing Race back in 2012. We were able to visit their farm a few years and it was fun.  I've never bought any of their products before and I figured with recovery from surgery and a pandemic going on, it was a good time to try them. 

Here are some of the items I bought from Beekman. I didn't take pictures of everything, but most of it is here.

(Note:  some of these items can be found cheaper on the Home Shopping Network website.)

• Natural deodorant: https://beekman1802.com/products/milk-stick-deodorant. I read on their website that switching to a natural deodorant can take the body up to 30 days to adjust. Deodorants that are also antiperspirants contain aluminum, which clogs the pores, which in turn controls wetness. As such, it takes time for the body to adjust to something that is aluminum-free. Since I'm working from home and not going out much, I decided to try it. Overall I like it: it smells nice, it feels like, and the stick I bought seems to last (that's a plus since it's $18.00). Although my body has adjusted, I find I need to reapply at least once during the day depending on my level of activity. I also don't care for the wetness. Because of this, I've decided to switch back to a regular antiperspirant/deodorant. 
• Goat milk soap:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/goat-milk-bar-soaps.  I bought a lot of these and I like them all but one, which is the Spring soap. It smells too musky for me and not like Spring at all. These soap bars aren't cheap, but they're HUGE at 9 ounces each. They lather well and smell nice, plus they seem to last a long time. 

• Goat milk fudge:  Regular: https://beekman1802.com/collections/sweet/products/original-hot-fudge and Coffee:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/sweet/products/coffee-hot-fudge.  Whenever I mention this fudge is made with goat's milk, people tend to cringe. No, it doesn't taste like goats! This stuff is so delicious, rich and thick. So much better than Hershey's or Smuckers. I think the goat milk enhances the chocolate flavor and just makes it very rich. I really don't want to admit how many jars I bought over the last few months, all of which didn't get used on ice cream, but were simply eaten straight from the jar. My husband at one point asked, "Why are there so many damn spoons in the sink??" No idea...
• Salty Goat Milk Fudge Cookies:  These were delicious! Very sweet with a hint of salt. These are pricey at $15.00 for four.  https://beekman1802.com/collections/sweet/products/goat-milk-fudge-cookie
• Blaak Tomato Jam:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/savory/products/blaak-tomato-jam.  This stuff is delicious on a good, sharp cheese and really makes all the flavors pop. I used it on their Blaak Cheese. The cheese was OK, but I wouldn't buy it again. I really disliked the vegetable ash coating on the rind, because it got all over everything and also stained my cutting board, kind of like when you spill cocoa powder; it's almost impossible to get all the residue off surfaces.
• Goat milk hand cream:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/hand-care/products/honey-orange-hand-salve. I got this in the Honey & Orange Blossom scent and I like it. It feels very rich and isn't heavy. 

• Heirloom Flower Garden Spritzers:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/perfumers/products/flower-garden-spritzers-peony.  I tried all three scents--honeysuckle, peony, and gardenia. I liked honeysuckle the best, probably because I love that scent in general. They can be used for linens, as a room spray, or even a body mist. These spritzers are only water and fragrance, which means they're very light. But it also means they don't last all day. I needed to respray several times throughout the day.
• Goat milk shampoo and conditioner:  https://beekman1802.com/collections/hair-care/products/honey-orange-shampoo and https://beekman1802.com/products/honey-orange-conditioner. These aren't cheap, but they smell great, lather really well, and my hair seems to like them. I plan to buy these again, though probably from HSN and not the Beekman website. On HSN I can get the set for $35.00 (yes, that's still expensive). On the Beekman website it's $24.00 for a bottle, or $48.00 for both the shampoo and conditioner. 

As you can see, I went a little wild with the bath products, among other things. I like Beekman, though. They make quality products using local ingredients, people, and businesses.  They also make things like jams and jellies; candies; condiments; goat cheese and Blaak cheese (once a year); hair, skin and bodycare products; and ceramics.  If you ever get a chance, take a tour of their farm. It's usually offered once a year in the Spring, though I'm not sure if that will happen in 2021 due to the pandemic.