Soap, foggy days, book rethinking

So I made soap yesterday and I didn't die or horrifically burn myself or anything.  It all went smoothly and I am the proud possessor of about a dozen bars of oatmeal bath soap that I can start using in about 4 weeks.  It was fun!  Alright, it was a little stressful but overall it was fun, and informative, and my arm is sore from whisking and whisking to get the mixture to 'trace'.  See, I'm already using the lingo - sure sign of a professional there.

Today was supposed to be sunny and unseasonably warm, but instead it was foggy and cool from yesterday evening all the way until noon today, which kind of ruined our plans - I had big thoughts of putting on the sprinkler and breaking out the popsicles - instead we have been stuck inside all day, tired, crabby, chilly.  Now that the sun is out maybe we can go outside and play.

I gave Ramona the Pest a good shot, but the children aren't feeling it.  I'm not sure if it's just a bit too far out of their realm of experience for them to enjoy it, or if it's simply not their cup of tea right now, but we've had no luck getting any interest in the book.  So I closed it up and tried Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm (which I know is so much older) but the language wasn't doing it for them.  It's a challenge.  I've taken Gooseberry Park by Cynthia Rylant out of the library and I think it might have just the right mix of gentle adventure, short, simple story and nothing too old or too young.  We read two chapters aloud today while sitting under the lilac bushes outside.

While David is working, we're puttering around.  I managed to get two good sized mason jars of homemade chicken broth in the fridge, and the small stock pot is on a back burner and full of beef bones and a little lemon juice.  I have no idea if this works, but I always add a little acid to my broth as it cooks to help leach out the calcium.

I'm grateful that yesterday I had the foresight to make a double batch of spaghetti sauce, which we will eat with garlic bread and a lot of cheese before we all hit the hay early.  This spring cold has worn out its welcome.