a day at the goat ranch

i hope everyone had a great weekend!  we had a pretty relaxing and fun time enjoying the gorgeous san diego weather.  one highlight from the weekend was our visit to rancho juliano.  this 4-acre goat ranch is just 15 miles up the road yet it felt like we were way out in the country.  molly and marcy are two friends that started making fresh goat milk soap in the past year.  unlike other goat milk soaps that use powder or canned milk, they only use fresh milk and create small batches of cold pressed soap that takes 6-8 weeks to cure.  it is an art and the soaps feel and smell incredible.  i fell in love with the property and you can imagine my excitement when molly said they were happy to rent it out for special events like scrapbooking, soap making, or almost anything else you're interested in.  it's a peaceful retreat that i think fosters creativity.

love every detail!

shh!  kitties are asleep...

classic scent

one of my favorites

marcy and molly demonstrating

safety first!

in addition to a soap making demonstration and the goats themselves, there were a few local artisan vendors demonstrating their crafts as well.  one of my favorites is lilygirl jewelry.  owned by two beautiful sisters denise and lori, lilygirl is a handmade jewelry shop named after this studio dog.

lily - photo by lori

i love their pieces and am looking forward to building up my collection.  i also love their mom, norma (the wonderful woman who taught me how to knit beanies!), and their belief that "although jewelry may not solve the world's problems, it sure does make life more beautiful."  check out their shop here.

saraya loved playing with the goats and exploring the property.  it almost makes me want to get a pygmy goat of our own!  almost...

she thought the tail wagging was hilarious

making friends

hugs

we had a jumper

investigating the escape artist

pretty chickens

stealth paparazzi shot

spotted!

beautiful little chapel

loved the weathered doors on the chapel

inside

showing uncle travis how to play with rocks

they put a sheet down divided into sections with different letters  and if a goat pooped on your letter, you won a prize!

one side of my bingo card

not a winner :(

the airstream lounge stocked full of refreshments

guarding the trail to the chapel

and this

angel's soap is not available online yet but it's supposed to be up and running soon.  i'll try to let you all know  when!