A Week in the Life: Soap Making, Sheep Moves, and 4-H Prep on the Ranch

Jul 8

One of the things I’ve wanted to do more of is give you a behind-the-scenes look at our week—not just the quick hits on Instagram, but the kind of real-life updates that feel more like a conversation around the kitchen table. So here we go.

Finding Summer Rhythm

Last week was probably the first time all summer that I felt somewhat on top of things. Between the ranch, the garden, the studio, and homeschool prep, life has been full—but it was a productive and even fun week.

Most mornings start in the garden or a flower bed, pulling weeds and trying to stay one step ahead of nature. The weeds are starting to get away from me (as they always do by mid-July), but I keep telling myself this might be the year I stay on top of it. Maybe.

Back in the Studio

I finally made it back into the soap studio! It had been a few weeks, and getting back in there felt good. I made five fresh batches of our handmade goat milk soap, dyed three skeins of Finnsheep yarn, and even got some roving dyed and drying.

Our studio and my office are upstairs in the historic venue building we own here in town. We recently moved my office into a larger room to give me more space for inventory. It’s one of my favorite spots in the whole building—with tall windows and the kind of natural light that makes work feel like a treat. Built in 1909, it’s full of charm and creaky floors and inspiration.

I’ve set a goal to have all my Christmas-season soap stock made by the end of August. That means many hours in the studio in the weeks ahead, and I’m excited about that.

Working Sheep & Moving Sheep, Ranch-Style

On Thursday, Colton and I moved the sheep to a new paddock. Just the two of us. The move wasn’t far—just to the next field over—but if you’ve ever herded sheep, you know even a short move can be an adventure.

What amazes me is how the sheep let us know when it’s time to move. They’ll holler at you every time they see you until you open that gate. Once it’s open, it’s a race—the goats and the lead ewes will rush the front, and if you’re not fast, you’ll be in their way. That’s where Colton comes in. He usually leads them while I make sure the stragglers don’t get lost. Good flock leaders make the job so much easier—when they decide to follow you, the rest fall in line.

On Saturday, we finally worked the sheep and goats—a job that usually happens in the spring, but with everything else going on, it just didn’t happen until now. Working the flock is one of those necessary, hands-on tasks that keeps our animals healthy and gives us a clear picture of how everyone’s doing.

Each animal got a CDT shot (to prevent tetanus), the ram lambs were banded, and we wormed the whole flock. Kinzie was in charge of recording tag numbers so we could update our flock records—she took the job seriously and did great. It’s always a big job, but putting eyes and hands on every single animal is key to raising a strong, healthy herd.

Meet Batman: Our New Bluefaced Leicester Ram

We added a new ram to our flock—our first Bluefaced Leicester (BFL)! He’ll be bred to some of our Finnsheep ewes this fall, and I’m excited to see the yarn this cross produces. BFLs are known for their soft, lustrous wool, and combined with the Finnsheep’s loft and texture, I’m hopeful for something truly special.

Of course, fiber farming requires patience. It’ll be nearly two years before we get to spin yarn from this year’s lambs, but I think it’ll be worth the wait.

We named him Batman—because with those big ears sticking out like bat wings, how could we not?

Homeschool Planning & Book Lists

I’ve been finalizing the syllabus for the high school literature class I’ll be teaching at our homeschool co-op this fall. It’s hard narrowing down the book list when there are so many good ones! A few we will be reading are Peter Pan, A Christmas Carol, Pride and Prejudice, and The Hobbit. I just reread Pride and Prejudice and forgot how much I enjoyed it.

We also finally placed our big homeschool curriculum order for next year. That’s always a hit to the budget, but it feels good to have it done. The kids do most of their core subjects through our hybrid-style co-op, but we supplement at home—especially in reading, writing, history, catechism, and math. Living on a ranch gives them plenty of biology and natural science, whether they realize it or not.

4-H Season is in Full Swing

We’re deep in 4-H fair prep mode now. Our county fair is the last week of July, and, as usual, we’re not quite done with everything. Kinzie is finishing her needle felting and photography projects, and all three of the older kids are baking for their foods project. Thankfully, most of the goodies can be frozen—or we’d all be rolling out of here.

Livestock chores are still happening every morning, and other projects are being wrapped up. I really do love this time of year. It's busy, but it’s the kind of good busy that makes memories.