I’m really starting to worry about fulfilling my 2014 Pay It Forward challenges. I mean it’s September already, where the hell did the year go? Finding something for my high school friend Victoria turned out to be a cinch though. While in Prince Edward Island, we came across The Great Canadian Soap Co., which carries an extensive supply of handcrafted natural goat milk soap and body care products. The inside of the store was quite impressive in size, and outside you had a chance to visit with the many friendly goats who so generously give up their milk. I’m always a sucker for a goat, and the sheer amount of them all in one place just made me feel like a little kid in a candy store. If we had more time to lollygag around, I would have happily chosen to spend hours in conversation with the sweet little creatures.

So is it weird to bestow the gift of soap to a person who makes their own soap? Victoria is the creative wonder behind Maitri Bath & Body, which creates homemade, handcrafted cold processed soap for sale online and at local farmer’s markets, vendor fairs, and charity auctions. Perhaps it was not the most useful gift I could have given her, but walking through the store really made me consider her love and talent for soap making, and I just had to purchase a bar for her. I chose to give her a “bar” of Cocoa & Oatmeal Hand Milled Soap, because it’s cupcake resemblance was too adorable to pass up, and the smell was just hallelujah magnificent. I’ve been using a half size version for the past week, and it feels like shower sin. That sounds a bit weird, but I swear using that soap feels almost naughty. The smell is divine, and the texture of the soap really helps to slough off dead skin cells, leaving your skin tingly and invigorated.

You can purchase soap from both The Great Canadian Soap Co. and Maitri Bath & Body online.