Welcome to Spoon River Soap Co.!
Spoon River Soap Co. is a relatively new business that was started by me in January of 2015. I'm going to be honest, there were actually a few reasons why I started making soap and depending on what day you ask me will depend on what answer you receive. They're usually between:
1. I was tired of using commercial products that would cause my skin to break out.
2. I was looking for a business that would help me stay home with my son more.
3. After being tired of working for other people, I wanted to strike out on my own and find some way of helping my community.
4. It felt like a great artistic outlet I had been missing since I quit taking art classes after high school.
5. Goats.
All those reasons are fairly self explanatory, with the exception of one... Goats.
I live on a farm in rural central Illinois. When I was pregnant with my son in 2013, a local homesteader was moving out of state and had to find new homes for his livestock. He had a bunch of goats and my husband, who loves the idea of homesteading, said we could take a couple. I agreed, mostly because I love animals of all shapes and sizes (I think full grown pigs are adorable for goodness sake). Andrew wanted to milk the goats, so that means we had to get a buck. Three goats quickly turned into seven goats tend to get into thing. Lots of things. We quickly realize that our pasture was not goat proof. And then I realized that my horse stalls, along with my feed stall for all the critters, was not goat proof (see the about me section for the explanation on the horses. :D). One day, Andrew and I came home to the feed stall wide open, all of my cans of goat and horse grain opened and goats and their equine friends in the feed stall, eating my alfalfa hay and whatever grain they could get their heads into.
Not long after that, I listed to goats for sale. Very cheap. Andrew was not happy about that, but in my opinion, taking a loss on them was still cheaper than paying for one of my two horses (or the one horse we had on lease for the summer) to have to see the vet for colic and possibly surgery.
So, going back to goat milk. We were going to end up with a surplus of goat's milk. In a google search, I came across another blog about making soap out of the milk. The idea interested me beyond measure! When
About Me
I suppose I should tell you a little bit about myself. My name is Jessica Jackson. I'm a 26 year old living in rural Central Illinois in a little town called Toulon. What, you've never heard of it? Probably because the population is only 1,600... If that. I didn't grow up here, but rather I was transplanted. I was born and raised in Joliet and Plainfield, Illinois, up near Chicago. Growing up in the suburbs, I was always a little different. I loved horses and I loved art. I was never very good at fine art, but I did excel at photography, ceramics and a class we had at PHS called Commercial Arts (which was basically what it sounds like. Our teacher would give us "jobs" and we would complete them like we were employed by a business).
Back to the horses, though. The art classes will come in later. I've been riding since I was 6 or 7. I was the kid that asked for a horse for Christmas (I got a stick horse one year. Sarcasm runs deep in my family). So when it came time for me to pick a college, it was far easier for me to put down the camera that I had adopted over the last 2 years than it would have been to drop my reins. I chose Black Hawk College - East Campus in Kewanee, Illinois. They had an equine program, it was a small campus, it was close to home (only 120 miles away) and honestly, it was WAY cheaper than my first choice, which was the University of Findlay in Ohio. I learned a lot at Black Hawk, like how to adult (although that still escapes me most days), how to ride, how to take criticism, and most of all, patience. When working with a 1,100 animal that doesn't want to do what you've got planned or doesn't understand what you're asking him to do, you learn really quick how to work with them and not get angry. Come to think of it, horsemanship is a great exercise in team building... Anyways, I also discovered my passion within the horse industry: Barrel Racing. I fell in love with my school horse at Black Hawk, so when the head professor of Equine Science asked me if I wanted to buy him off the school, I might have cried. More on Cash in a little bit.
My last semester at Black Hawk, I met my now husband, Andrew. He might have started off a little creepy, but when we started going on dates, he reminded me that chivalry isn't dead and there are still good, decent men out there. He assisted in changing my plans for the future and instead of transferring to a four year university like I had planned, I moved in with him at the end of the school year. He offered to put up a fence for my new horse, how could I say no!? :D
He asked me to marry him on November 4, 2011 in a very Andrew-like fashion. Later that month, I bought my second horse, Rosie (more on her later). On May 4, 2013 we were married and in July that year we were expecting our first baby! Samuel Lane Jackson was born on February 20, 2014 and he's been an absolute amazement to both his father and me.
Sam is almost two now and its been great to watch him grow. He's smart, outgoing, loves animals like his mother, loves tractors like his father and is a fiend for technology. His best friend is our Australian Shepherd, Ruger, and he loves to climb the fence to check on the horses. From the start, Sam has always been an easy going baby. He hardly ever fussed, he slept through the night at 3 months old, he would sleep entire car rides to my parent's house and still at 2, loves to cuddle. Words really don't describe this kid. He's absolutely amazing.
Now, about the critters. Cash is my now 20 year old gelding. I've owned him for 5 years now. Cash taught me a lot of things, like barrel racing. He terrified me at first, but with lots of guidance (Thanks, DI!) he got over the worst of his fears and anxiety, I got over mine and we started working as a team. He helped me get over a fear I had of loping/going fast after I got bucked off at Show Team practice one day and gave me back my confidence. He baby-sat my when I was first learning barrels (when he wasn't trying to "kill" me) and as a team, we won our one and only belt buckle together! Every day, I thank God that horse was put in my life, because he's truly been a blessing... Ok, some days he was a curse, but I loved him anyways. He'll be on this farm until he decides it's his time. Cash is now retired and is just a hay burner in every sense of the word. In 2014, he decided he would pull back while tied to my trailer, break his lead rope and flip over backwards into our driveway; he fractured his pelvis and his wither. He's perfectly sound, but it's best for him to baby-sit my six year old mare now, which brings us to Rosie Pony...
I purchased RP with Andrew in 2012 as an unbroke two year old from the Crago Ranch in Belle Fouche, South Dakota. I loaded up my two best friends, Julie and Natalie, on Halloween in 2012 and we went on an adventure looking for a prospect for me. RP wasn't really even on my list to look at; she was on Natalie's. To amuse Nat, I added her to the list to look at when we got to the ranch and she ended up being the one I bought. She was cute, had some attitude, and was a bargain bin find due to a small abnormality that she grew out of with some work. Rosie has had many nicknames around our house. Some of which are flattering, some of which... not so much. Life with RP has been interesting to say the least. Some days I want to sell her and other days wonder how I could have thought that. She's one talented little mare and I can't wait to see where her future leads her!
I also can't wait to see what the future hold for SRSC and my little family! We are currently expecting our second baby in July and things for the business keep looking up! We've been super busy since the new year and I can't wait to show you all the neat things that are happening!
If you'd like to receive updates on what's going on with Spoon River Soap Co. (and occasionally family updates), subscribe to this blog, follow us on Facebook, Instagram & Pintrest. If you're interested in purchasing products, those can be found on Etsy!
Thanks for reading!
-Jessica
If you're interested in soap making, here are some of the best resources you can find!
Bramble Berry: Supplies
Soap Queen: Read
Soap Queen TV: Watch
Teach Soap: Learn
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