Well, by now I assume you have guessed that we are not located in Israel. We are at the bottom of Michigan in farm country. We live on nine acreas with half woods and half rolling hills. The nearest three cities to us are about 30 to 40 minutes away. Our town has a post office and a church, that’s it.
I chose the name Mount of Olives because we make a mountain of olive oil soaps. This name also has religious meaning to us. Jerusalem is the holy city of many world religions. The Mount of Olives has rich significance and history to many people. I am facinated with the history of olive oil, the olive tree, various essential oils, many herbs, and fruits of that area of the world.
I have been making soap for about 25 years now. The first soaps I made were from animal fats and lye. I got started making soap in college with the help of my mother-in-law and grandma-in-law. I mostly made soap to use on laundry as a pre-wash. I also used tallow soap a lot at my in-law’s house and Jim’s grandma’s house. In fact, Jim’s grandma used it for everything, even washing the dishes. I guess I tolerated the soap but never really fell in love with it. I found it was not very lathering and it left my skin feeling kind of slimy. The good qualities it had was that it was very hard and lasted a long time and it did get laundry very clean. After a while, I lost interestest in that kind of soap. It really didn’t smell very good and it kind of seemed unclean to me because of the source of the fat.
After a few years my husband, who was a carpenter, started developing sores in the folds of his skin all over. It got so bad he was miserable. He was always trying special creams and powders to try to get relief. My oldest daughter also started having skin problems. I had to do something. I tried different soaps and laundry soaps. I was even trying products from the health food stores. I soon found a book about making homemade soaps from vegetable oils, Olive Oil being the main one. Well that was about 10 years ago. My family no longer has any skin problems not even much acne with my teenagers. I have the whole soap making thing mastered, now. Believe me, I had bad batches of soap in the beginning. I threw out many that were a total loss. The only problems I have these days are when I experiment with new ingredients or recipes. But isn’t that part of the fun, inventing new recipes to help special skin needs.
All of our products are made with mostly stainless steel and glass, and a little plastic equipment. I use accurate scales for measuring ingredients and keep exact accurate records of amounts and directions. I try to make the products the same each time but it is never exactly the same because so many things can affect a product. Room temperature and humidity can make a product a little thicker, thinner, or different. I do not use any chemicals to fix my products. Often products can be too thick, thin, or something and a company will use a chemical to fix the problem. I just work longer at it till the texture is right. Accuracy it the most important thing. Any degree in temperature difference or gram in weight difference can make a big difference in a product. This not a hobbie for me. This is a business of helping others with personal care needs and suppling healthy alternatives to commercial products. I am careful with the products that others will use like I would like others to be careful with products that we would use.
Our small children are watched by our older children as I make products. I usually don’t let anyone near when I make products unless I need help with something. I don’t let anyone touch the ingredients or equipment to avoid contamination. This is very important because I don’t want to have to use very much of a preservative. My husband and older children usually help in some way, though. Mostly our children help with wrapping, organizing, labeling, or storing away products after the lids are on tight. My husband likes to get involved in cutting soap and wrapping sometimes. He is mostly a salesman for the business.
I have no time for useless hobbies, so I have never gotten into making fancy exoticly scented soaps. All of my skills are for practical use. I have a family of thirteen. My husband and I have eleven children (actually some in heaven also) all still living at home. They are all ours together and planned by God. We have homeschooled all of them. Now, 4 are in college, 6 are homeschooled, and one is a pre-schooler. We live so far from town, I am hoping this business will employ our older children.
My daughters are great advocates for our soaps and other products because they are sure that is why they have such nice skin without blemishes. We are constantly trying new recipes for homemade personal care products at their request. Even my sons ask for special products like after-shave and hair gel. We make many more products than we sell. Like the old saying “necessity is the mother of invention” everything we make came out of a need. We use all the herbal ointments and keep them everywhere in the house. The small children love tell everyone their mom can make this or that because they love everything. They often request special shampoos or lotions just for them with their favorite scents. I usually only do this at holidays or birthdays. Could you see our shower if everyone had a special shampoo?
By the way, just because we have a lot of children, it does not mean our house noisy or out of control. Actually, our house is usually quite quiet. I think that it is due to the fact that when I see someone, often there is some little job I need done. I think they hide to avoid work. Just kidding!
Come join us for church. We would love to meet you and I am sure you would love the service.
Pastor Daniel White (517) 768-0879
Fellowship Baptist Church
3200 Reed Rd.
Clark Lake, Michigan 49234
The church is at the corner of US127 and Reed Rd. between US12 and M-50 (south of Jackson), across from the road side park.
Please contact me, Sandra, with any questions or for more information.
If you need to talk in person, you may call, but any of our children could answer the phone, so be patient. Also, we are very busy so I am in and out a lot. (517)547-8289, or cell (517)812-6858.
