A bit of my soapy history

In 1994 I came across a book on soap making and thought, “Well, gee, it can’t be too hard.” I remembered my great grandmother from Sweden had made soap, and so had my mother when I was much younger. I gathered my ingredients and set forth to make soap. The first batch turned out great, then the next, but the next after that was a dismal failure. What did I do wrong? I decided maybe I should take a class. I contacted the local adult education center and found the instructor had left the area. Would I be interested in teaching? I got talked into it and started the following January. I taught soap making for a total of 11 years in Minnesota. When I came to North Carolina in 2004, I had to hunt around a bit to find a venue, but ended up at a local college in 2007 and have been there ever since. I teach soap making along with other natural product classes. I also sell my soaps and other products online, at local tailgate markets, and at the state fair each year.