Washed Clean

God's Child, Peter Andrew

Tell me.  Doesn't that look like the face of someone who needs to remember his baptism?  Yes, my little Pete is a sinner and a saint! I'm blessed that God has entrusted him to me. 

A few weeks ago we celebrated Pete's first baptism birthday, and we're still enjoying the soap we made as part of our festivities that day!  Luther suggested we remember our baptism when washing our face, and so we are! Ok, we didn't really make soap.  We just sort of re-made bar soap, giving it new life as liquid soap. In a way, I guess that makes this project even more appropriate for a baptism birthday, a day to recall our rebirth in Christ.

I first saw this idea on Pintrest, and couldn't wait to try it.  Click here to see one of the posts I pinned.  To make soap, all you need is a bar of soap (!), glycerin, and water!  We made nearly a gallon of liquid soap from one bar of Ivory.  For a baptism birthday I probably should have trotted up to Publix for some Dove (get it, Holy Spirit, Dove...yeah, I know, you're shaking your head), but we had Ivory on hand and it worked just fine!

Grate the soap into a bowl.  This is not a job for little fingers.  I did let Adelae grate exactly two scrapes, and then I did the rest.  It took no more than three minutes to grate the whole bar, so the kids were happy to sit and watch.

 The children did enjoy playing with the soap shreds.

After touching, smelling, and knowing Peter, probably tasting, the soap, Pete tossed it into a big pot of warm water.

Adelae helped me count 15 drops of glycerin.  She also helped measure the water - 10 cups.  We took turns stirring, but it really wasn't that exciting - just a pot of bubbles.  We let it cook until the soap was dissolved and then I turned off the heat.

 The pot sat all afternoon until it was completely cool, looked like milk, and moved like egg whites.

The hardest part was filling all of the soap dispensers in the house!  What a clean mess! 

We filled all five soap dispensers and still have this applesauce jar ready for refills!  I do not recommend refilling the foaming pumps, however the results were splendid when used in a traditional dispenser.

I love these kind of thrifty fun projects, especially when they are full of meaning and good conversations.  When you wash dirty hands and faces be sure to remind those little souls that they are washed clean of their sin.  By the waters of baptism we are washed clean, forgiven, rescued from sin, death, and the devil, given eternal salvation, and made God's children!

He saved us by the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that, having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life. This is a trustworthy saying.  Titus 3:5-8