Naturally Made Soaps by Angela

I have found a new treasure - a bar of handmade soap by Angela. Good soaps are important to me. I look forward to long, relaxing soaks in the tub and handmade soaps are a splurge item for me. I search for soaps that moisturize my skin and smell great. I am thrilled with my Orange Spice soap from Naturally Made by Angela. I have to spread the word about these wonderful bars of soaps made by a woman on her homestead.

Naturally Made by Angela

I became aware of Angela through some online homesteading groups. People in those groups share their stories about gardening, chickens, cooking, canning, and living a more natural life. There is much to share with Angela's story. One part of her story is that she makes natural soaps. 

I ordered the Orange Spice bar based on the knowledge that she uses pure essential oils. When the soap arrived in the mail, in an envelope with a simple brown paper label around the bar of soap, I immediately fell in love with the scent. I couldn't stop sniffing it. I wanted to immediately go take a long soak in the tub but I waited so that I could take photos of this simple, pretty bar of soap.

A beautiful bar of Orange Spice soap

Yesterday, I took a long soak and used this bar of soap. I loved it while using it in the tub - it was so creamy and smelled so good. Then I woke up still feeling the moisturizing effects this morning! You see, I judge the moisturizing ability of soaps with my elbows.  If I get out of the tub and my elbows are immediately rough again, the soap is no good. I had this disappointing experience with a bar of soap I purchased recently. No good. A good bar of soap, in my opinion, is one that makes my elbows softer for at least a few hours after my bath. This Orange Spice soap by Angela has my elbows still feeling softer the next day! 

To find her soaps online, check out her facebook page Naturally Made by Angela.

UPDATED 1/17/2018:  I am happy to be able to provide an update and announcement of Angela's Etsy store. You can find and order her items from NaturallyMadebyAng on Etsy. Etsy makes ordering these handmade soaps even easier. 

Angela - An Inspiration

Angela inspires me. She lives with her family in the country. They garden, raise chickens, and share that part of their lives on videos (youtube and patreon). People who know me are aware that my goal is to move to my land and  retire with a garden and chickens - living a simple life. Angela inspires me to keep moving toward my country living dreams. 

Angela's country living abilities are not the only things about her that inspire me. Or that her children appear happy, confident, and excited to show-and-tell their favorite chicken. That inspires me too, but that's not all. You see, Angela has survived multiple brain aneurysms and surgeries to repair those aneurysms. Despite these terrifying (to me, if not to her) health emergencies, Angela continues on. I don't know how. I'd ball up into a wimpy, complaining puddle of worthlessness if I was faced with what she's been faced with. But not Angela. 

On Angela's facebook, you can read that her health slowed her soap production at one point. In some of her videos, she gives information about her health and updates about her surgeries. But outside of that, I would not know that she has had these experiences. I've experienced Angela as a kind and gentle person who encourages others. I can't recall a time I've seen her complain or be mean. And, as a person who suffers migraines and struggles to get out of bed many days, she inspires me most by facing the health challenges she's faced with such a good attitude.

Thank you Angela for the amazing Orange Spice soap and for the inspiration to keep moving forward. 

*This article may contain affiliate links. If you shop via one of the affiliate links, I may earn a small commission - at no additional cost to you. I am very appreciative of every reader who visits my articles. Thank you. 

Related Links:

In case you missed the link above, you can order Naturally Made by Angela soaps by messaging her through her facebook page.

I follow several homesteading groups. My favorite by far are Appalachia's Homestead with Patara groups. These groups are where I came to know about Angela as well as many others who share their skills and knowledge. This is the link to the free group but there is also a premium members group. 

My regular readers are aware that I love soaps. I've previously written about two of my favorite goat's milk soaps.  I have also written about the reasons I rely on Dr. Bronner's castile peppermint soap - which includes some migraine relief. 

And here is a peek at one of my favorite video personalities! Angela has wisely chosen to share the majority of videos with her children on her patreon page - of which I am not yet a member. However, I've seen her children in videos and live streams. Their happiness is infectious and they always make me smile. In this video, Winston is helping with the chicken chores. 

The Carroll County Farm Fresh Store

Visiting Carroll County Farm Fresh.

I recently found a local fresh food treasure that is worth writing about. In my search for Pawpaws, I received information about a store that carried them. I immediately entered the address into my phone's map app and high-tailed it to Carroll County Farm Fresh. Not only did I find Pawpaws, I found a treasure trove of organic vegetables, fruits, meats, eggs, and milk. I also found the best customer service I've experienced in a very long time. It is refreshing to find someone who is working with passion about their product.

Carroll County Farm Fresh, Maryland

I cannot confirm if the store is located in Eldersburg or Sykesville, Maryland. My map app, road signs, and subsequently the internet seemed to use the town names almost interchangeably. And I'm not familiar enough with the area to know where one town ends and the other begins. Despite not being very familiar with the area, the store was incredibly easy to find.

I do know that the address is clearly: 2808 Liberty Road. The store was easy to access at the corner of Oakland Mills Road and Liberty Road. A turn at the light from Liberty onto Oakland Mills and an immediate turn into the roomy parking lot. 

Andrew greeted me with happy helpfulness and without hovering or high-pressure sales techniques. He did offer a complimentary fresh-squeezed orange juice. The orange juice was delicious.

I was thrilled to find that they did indeed have pawpaws. HUGE Shenandoah pawpaws from Deep Run Orchard. Woohoo! That made my day. After all, I've become a huge pawpaw fan since my first pawpaw taste test.

Pawpaws and fresh-baked Pawpaw Bread

Other customers came and went as I decided I had to take some photos to share with my readers. 

Andrew explained that this is their family business. And many of their items come from small local farms and businesses. For more information you can find Carroll County Farm Fresh on their website and on their facebook page.

I wish I had taken notes on the variety of products and farm names. Just a few of the other farm names and items I noted were:

• Baugher's (apple cider)
• [be] essential (goatsmilk and vegan soaps)
• Cherry Glen (goat cheese)
• Deep Run Farms (pawpaws and tomatoes)
• Serene Lavender Farms (jams and teas)
• Thelma's Homestead (goatsmilk soaps)
• Whispering Breeze Farm (cow cheese)

Once Upon A Crumb

There are also baked goods available. If you know me, you can imagine how ecstatic I was to find loaves of fresh-baked Pawpaw bread. Of course I bought one. It was divine! It was a fresh, rich, cinnamon bread (reminded me of a coffee cake) full of pawpaw flavor. 

The breads were baked by Once Upon A Crumb. If you liked fresh baked goods, you MUST try one of their items. 

If you want fresh organic fruits and vegetables, meats raised on small local farms, fresh milk and eggs without the increased preservatives the stores are boasting about ("fresher longer" ads), and variety of other products and customer service, you would be glad to visit Carroll County Farm Fresh.  The store was clean, fresh, and I really wanted to purchase one of each item. 

Words are not adequate so I will just end with a few of the photos I snapped.