Q: Are you really a doctor?

A: Yes, I just finished graduate school, earning a Ph.D. in clinical psychology, with a specialization in neuropsychology and now that I've defended my dissertation I officially a doctor. The ink hasn't even dried on my diploma, yet!

Q: So if youe a shrink, why do you sell soap?

A: A couple of reasons: First, I have pretty sensitive skin that, as I barrel headlong toward age 40, is becoming increasingly sensitive to the harsh chemicals put in commercially available products so I started searching for milder, more natural alternatives. I cook a lot and sometimes get cuts on my hands, so I couldn really use salt scrub (owie!) and the sugar scrubs they were selling in the stores were around $60 for pound - YIKES! One day I read a label and said, ell, I can do that,and ran right home and did. That led to making bath salts, which led to making the soaps, and with each success I tried my hand at the next thing and before I knew it, I had a whole line of goodies and my skin has never looked or felt better. I started giving my products to friends as gifts, then they started buying them to give as gifts to their other friends, and then those people started asking me for more. Second, as a graduate student with a Ph.D. worth of student loans to pay off, every penny I can bring into the house counts. Oh - I almost forgot - and it way fun to make.

Q: Do you really live on a farm in Texas?

Yep no foolin' It may sound clichbut my sweet husband, daughter, 3 dogs & I live on about 20 acres in the middle of nowhere about an hour southwest of Dallas. We have a big ol' tractor, cattle & horses, just like you'd expect, but no oil wells. When he's not busy finding new ways to be my hero, being a dad, helping me make soap and making post office runs, my husband raises Brangus cattle, grows hay and does custom hay baling for local folks.

Q: Wow. Sounds like youe really busy. How do you find the time?

A: My philosophy has always been that time is not found. People make time for the things that they find important. In addition to the job (I do psychological testing for a local agency), the soap thing & being a wife and mom, I also volunteer in my community as lute momin the local schools and teach private flute lessons in my home while juggling the obligations PhD study, friends, aging parents and civic organizations. Yes, it crazy-busy but I don think I have it any other way.