Vanilla

 

 

I ordered some Madagascar vanilla beans a few months ago. Every time I go to the store and see those glass jars with the one vanilla bean for $10 I am like,

"I want some vanilla beans". But not for $10 and not just one. So I found this awesome vanilla bean company online and ordered me some beans.

THEY SMELL SO GOOD!!!

As soon as I opened the package, I knew I made the right choice to purchase these bad boys.  

 

Bailey stamp of approval. You know it's good!!!

 

 

I knew I did not want these precious little heavenly beans to go to waste, so I started researching things to make with them. There are a lot of homemade goodies to make with vanilla beans. Homemade vanilla ice cream, where you scrape the seeds of the bean into the ice cream while it is churning and it is oh so yummy. Done that! Vanilla bean sugar scrub. Want to do that! Plan to do that. I have planned to make a special holiday vanilla bean lip balm. I can't wait for that. I already know that is going to be lovely. But Vanilla Extract? Something I use all the time. I can make my own? Vanilla Extract is perfect. Just in time for the holidays.

The recipe is so simple. Who knew that you could make almost anything into an extract. Not anything but a lot of things. All you need is vanilla beans and alcohol. Specifically Vodka or Bourbon.

 

The process takes anywhere from 4-6 weeks or longer. My vanilla has already been brewin' up for 7 weeks now. The longer the vanilla beans soak in that bourbon bath (or vodka) the stronger your vanilla is going to be. The vanilla has to be stored in a dry dark and cool area. Certainly not in the sun like it is in my pictures. I just took my vanilla on a little adventure for picture purposes and approval of course.

 

This is how I made my Vanilla Extract

 

What you will need

Mason Jar with lid (or similar vessel)

Paring Knife

16oz Bourbon or Vodka  (the higher quality alcohol, the higher quality extract)

6 Grade A or B Madagascar Vanilla beans (or Tahitian)

 

First, pour the bourbon into the mason jar. Then, using your paring knife make a slit down your vanilla bean length wise, starting from 3/4 of the way up and working it all the way down to the end. Again, run the tip of your knife down the inside of the pod from top to bottom and scrape out the seeds of the bean. Put the seeds in the bourbon as well as the bean. Do this to all 6 beans.

Screw the lid on tight. Label the top with the date that it was made. It is easy to forget how long the extract has been fermenting, so writing it down helps. The only thing you have to do now is give the jar a little gentle shake and store it away. Again, it is important to not leave the vanilla sitting out in a sunny place or cold or hot or wet. Store it in the pantry or somewhere dark and safe. Let the little angel get it's beauty rest. She's gonna need it.

I just go in every couple of days or so and give the jar a little rocking. You don't have to do it as often. Once a week is fine. I just get excited watching something come to life. Yes, something as little as a delicate jar of sweet vanilla extract.

 

Jaxon approved too!

He wanted to give the vanilla a little shake too after playing in the rainwater barrel. That is the kind of love that went into this batch of vanilla extract

 

Blessings to all

 

DIY Natural Baby Wipes

You're probably thinking that making your own baby wipes takes a lot of work and only those Martha Stewart kind of women can do it. I am here to tell you, It is super easy, super cheap and so much better for your baby than buying the store bought kind.

 

The first time I used homemade baby wipes, they were given to me when I was pregnant with my first son at my baby shower. I thought they were such a cool gift and since this woman who barely knew me made them for me, I kind of thought it was my favorite gift. It is the gift that keeps on giving.

 

When my son was a baby, he had super sensitive skin, he suffered from some really bad diaper rashes and when I would use store bought baby wipes on his bottom, he would scream. I felt so bad. I had no idea what was in those wipes and after all, they said natural on the package. It wasn't until I did a little research and simply read the ingredients label that I realized how much junk and chemicals were in them. Including the "natural" ones. Why would there ever need to be chemicals in a baby's wipe and why are there chemicals in the wipes that you think are natural. If you check out IREADLABELSFORYOU.COM She wrote a post on baby wipes and explained what all was included in these natural wipes.

the ingredients on Huggies Natural Wipes.

 http://www.ireadlabelsforyou.com/huggies-baby-wipes-safe-or-toxic/

 

Not what you were expecting right? I never knew all of that was in the wipes either. Half of the ingredients I can't even pronounce, nor do I know what they are. If you check

out the link above, she goes into more detail about these wipes and ingredients. It's worth a read.

 

Needless to say, I never used store bought wipes again. I made all my wipes homemade with both of my boys. When she gave me those wipes, she was kind enough to write down her recipe on the top of the lid and it was so simple and easy that I had no excuse not to make my own. Now I want to share how to make them with you.

First what do you need?
1 large heavy duty paper towel roll (I like Bounty or Costco brand. They seem to work the best)
2 cups of tap water
2 Tbs of baby wash (your choice) I use lavender
1 Tbs of baby oil (you can also use natural oils like almond oil or jojoba oil)
a large container with lid
a good knife to cut the paper towels in half

 

That's it!!!

 

First you want to cut your paper towel roll in half with a really good knife. I use my big butcher's knife. I would not recommend using a serrated knife. Been there. Done that. It tears the paper towels apart. You don't want little shredded pieces of paper towel everywhere.

 

Then measure out the baby wash and oil  

 

Add the oil and baby wash to the 2 cups of water and stir well.

 

 

Pour the mixture over the paper towels after you have placed them in the container. Allow the liquid to work it's way through all the paper towels and completely saturate them.

 

Once the paper towels are soaked through you can pull the cardboard cylinder out of the middle of the paper towel roll and it should slide out easily. Then you can pull the very center wipes from the roll and pull off what you need as you need them.

Just like the old school cylinder wipe containers. I really liked those.

 

Place the lid back on the wipes when you are not using them and they will stay moist and fresh. Try to use them within two weeks so they stay the freshest. One of the reasons store bought brands have so many chemicals is because they have to stay on the shelf for months upon months.

 

These were really easy to make, weren't they?

Now you can make these in a snap. I buy the 12ct roll of paper towels from Costco for $16. I cut each roll in half and that makes 24 containers of paper towels for $16, plus the other few ingredients. Chances are you have water that you already pay for. A couple of bucks each for the baby wash and oil. A few bucks for a couple of big containers and I would say this is a much better deal economically than buying them from the store. Even more, you have the piece of mind knowing that they are not harmful. They have only 3 ingredients and you made them. I use a lavender baby wash, so mine smell really great. You can add a few drop of essential oils into your mixture as well. Like lavender or tea tree.

 

I love making these so much and I love sharing them with my friends and family that I now make them for baby showers. Whenever I have a baby shower to go to, this is always one of my gifts. You can write the recipe on the lid and give them the extra half of paper towels to make it that much easier to continue to make them. Whether or not anyone actually makes them again, I don't know. But I planted the seed and the rest is up to you. I hope that this makes it a little easier for you to start your own baby wipes and hopefully share the idea with your friends. They make great gifts. Homemade gifts are always my favorite. Thank you for reading. Enjoy!

 

Blessings

How I quit my job to start my own business

I started working right out of high school. I graduated when I was 16 and worked at a small cheesecake bakery for a couple of months until the owner could no longer afford to keep me on as an employee anymore. My first big lesson in the workforce. You are never guaranteed to have your job tomorrow. Nothing is forever and you're kind of on your own. So not too long after the bakery I turned 17 and landed one of my favorite jobs I ever had at Starbucks. I worked there for a year and a half and left for another job at a day spa that I thought was better only to leave that job for another job at a cardiologist that was even worse. At 19 I found myself back at Starbucks for another year and a half and started school at the Aveda Institute of San Antonio to study aesthetics. You know facials, skincare and all that jazz. I really enjoyed it but working late nights at Starbucks and partying a little too much began to take it's toll and I ended up not finishing school. A big regret but I believe everything happens for a reason and I took a lot of knowledge with me when I left.

Needless to say and without naming every job I have ever had, and there are many, I kept noticing a pattern. I would start a job and within six months or less, I would always realize, this is not where I want to be, not what I want to be doing or who I want to be spending my precious time with. I was never satisfied no matter where I worked. I had a hard time dealing with authority. I am a natural leader and a dominate, organized, take-charge kind of girl and I realized time and time again that I was extremely unsatisfied with every job I had. I got in trouble often for not following the dress code, not wanting to take my tiny little nose stud out and questioning or arguing with authority when I felt something was wrong or if I felt under appreciated or overworked. I always felt like I needed to be somewhere else than where I was. I knew that this can't be it. This is not what my life is supposed to be like. I always came to the table with great ideas that were shot down. A lot of jobs that I had I was over worked and under paid. I was taken advantage of. Some jobs sexually harassed. Some jobs verbally abused by my boss. I may have had a lot of jobs for my young age but I can say one thing for myself, I always took up for myself and spoke my mind. Employers hate employees like me. They don't like being questioned or challenged. Employers want you to come to work and just put up with whatever they throw your way and of course, keep your mouth shut. I just couldn't do that. That is not who I am.

So I began to see that I was simply not going to change and not because I don't believe in change, because I certainly do, but because I felt like this lifestyle was not right for me. People around me would say, "deal with it" or "that's life" and my response was always "maybe for you but not for me." Society has ingrained in us that we are to be slaves to a job and we are not to question it. Society has everybody thinking that this is how we have to live and that there is no other way. I called Bullshit on that whole thing. I knew there had to be another way. I was tired of feeling bad when I or my child was sick and I needed to take a day but was made to feel bad about it. I used to feel sick the night before I went to bed because I knew I had to go spend 40+ hours a week at a job that I hated, with people that were cruel, judgmental and could care less about me, for a measly amount of money per hour. I always seemed to have those jobs were I did everything for the boss. I answered phones, scheduled their meetings, organized their files, wrote their correspondents and letters, did their research and much much more. I could literally do their jobs for them. Yet, they made the big bucks. They got to come and go as they pleased. They got to take 2 hour lunches while I stayed behind to answer phones. I often thought, "why am I doing all the work so I can make this person richer?" I know that company owners all have secretaries and assistants to help them be more successful at their jobs and that is great. But I realized that I wanted to be the boss. I could do it. I did do it.

The older I got, the bolder I got. The more I learned at these jobs, the more confident I was that I could do it on my own. The older I got, the less crap I would take from an employer. The last "job" I held was an office manager for a furniture company. I was real ballsy at this point in my life. The manager who had no kids and had no life outside of work (also a sexual harasser) would leave the doors unlocked after we were supposed to be close at 7pm in the evening and would expect me to stay late to check any left over customers out. Financing people for furniture and doing all the paperwork and scheduling deliveries is a lengthy process. How was it fair that I stayed an hour or two later to check out his customers, of which he could make hundreds of dollars off commission, just so I could make less than 30 dollars for my two hours? I knew why he wanted me to stay late but I wasn't going to. $30 wasn't worth my time when I had a small child to get home to. I started telling him NO. I am not staying late, but I will train you to check out your own customers or I will do it first thing in the morning. Needless to say, he did not like that. The more I stood up for myself, the crappier he treated me and the harder he made my job. I knew at this point, I could no longer do this. I was fed up and knew from experience that it would be this way no matter where I worked. No one should have to be harassed or abused at a job. It is just a job. Something that means absolutely nothing to me except a small paycheck. Maybe the rest of the world was okay living this way but I was not. I knew I was worth more and deserved more.

I knew I had to make a change and I prayed about it heavy, hard and consistently for over a month. I didn't want to find another "JOB". I didn't want to work for someone else for their pay and their hours ever ever again. I talked it over with my boyfriend who was deployed at the time and he agreed I should quit. I felt a complete peace come over me and I knew what I had to do. During my prayers, I felt like God was telling me to have faith in him. Of course, faith. God does say in the bible not to worry about tomorrow. He says I will provide for you today, so why worry about tomorrow. You can call it whatever you want, the universe, God or whatever but it is all in the same to me. I trusted and had faith that God would provide a way for me if I just followed my heart and stayed true to myself. So I did it. I quit my job. I should have been scared but I wasn't. I actually felt this release or this weight lifted off of me for the first time in years. I felt free. I didn't know what I was going to do but it didn't matter. I just trusted in God and that he would provide and I jumped.

Two years later, I am still surviving and I have started my own business. I have grown so much. I have spent a lot of time alone, reading, learning, growing closer to God and growing as a person in general. I have learned a lot about myself and what I am truly capable of. I may not make a lot of money but that is okay. Money had never been my motivation or what I was after in the first place. I wanted my time back. My time is worth so much more to me than money. I wanted my freedom. So it only seemed appropriate that I Started a company called The Freedom Co. I wasn't sure what my company would necessarily be about or what I would do, offer or make, but I knew what I wanted the foundation to be built on. Freedom. I continued to pray and ask God for guidance and ask him what he wanted me to do. I prayed and asked God what his will for me was. I believe that it isn't about what I want but what God wants. I thought I wanted a lot of things in my life, only to find out I was wrong. But when I let God be in control of my life and when I tried to fulfill God's will for me, everything worked out so much better. God knows my heart better then I do and he knows what I need better than I do. God always provided for me in some way or another. I never knew how I was going to pay my bills, but they always got paid. It was my faith that kept me going and trusting that today I had everything I needed and I did not worry about the next day. I know releasing control is hard for some people and especially for me. I am a control freak and I honestly don't allow anyone to have control in my life. But God, God is the one being that I have no problem completely giving control to. He has never let me down and I can't imagine trying to do it all on my own. I lay it all at His feet.

After about a year of tinkering with different ideas and trying different things and doing odd jobs here and there to support myself, it finally came to me. I wanted to make natural beauty products. Products that were "FREE" of harsh chemicals and unnatural ingredients. See how this is all coming together. Why not? I had a background in baking and natural skincare. I also realized that all these jobs and hobbies that I had done were actually for a reason. I knew how to bake and make recipes. It came natural to me. I knew a lot about skincare and natural products from working at the day spa and my training at Aveda. I knew a lot about how to run a company and all that it Intel's, from all the office jobs I ever had. I finally realized that everything happens for a reason and nothing is a mistake. I was grooming myself to own my own company all of these years and never realized it until now. Everything that I had ever learned from all the jobs I ever held were only setting me up to be successful at running my own business. I always knew I wanted my own business and I have started several different businesses on the side, aside from my regular job. But none of them ever worked out and I was never truly in charge. I make my own products now. I make an amazing lip balm. I was surprised at how good it actually came out. It is the best lip balm that I have ever used and not just because I make it, but because it really is. If it wasn't great, I would have kept trying until I got it right. I felt divinely inspired to do what I am doing now. I do it all on my own. My business is still small, but that is okay. I am growing and I will keep trying and won't quit.

My goal is not to make a lot of money and be filthy rich. All I want is my freedom and when I say that I mean, I want my time. I want to know that If my babies are sick that I don't have to ask permission to stay at home and take care of them. If I need to get personal stuff done, I can take the day. If someone needs me, I have the time to help. If I want to go on a vacation, I don't have to get approval. I could go on and on about what freedom really means to me but I think you get it. The Freedom co isn't just about making all natural, chemical free products but it is about any kind of freedom for myself. It is a way for me to do something that I am good at and feel good about myself for doing it. It is a way for me to give back and If my business gets really big one day then I plan to do more and maybe offer people the same opportunity to have a little more freedom in their lives. I plan to do good things with my business. I know people say that all the time but I really do.

I you take away anything from reading this, I hope it is that you know that you are worth more. Have faith in yourself and most importantly have faith that God wants more for you. God wants you to be happy and do what makes you happy. Have faith. never quit. Trust that as long as you are provided for today, then there is no need to worry about tomorrow. Believe in yourself and let God move you. Let God guide you and allow him to work in your life. I think God just wants to know that I trust him and If I ever waver in my trust, It shows in my life. I know that it is easier said than done, but for me it wasn't a choice. It is what I had to do and now I know it is the right way for me and the only way for me. Jump. Take a leap of faith and see what happens. No matter what, it will be okay and the world will not come to an end. You might just find out you are made of a lot more than you give yourself credit for.

If you are interested in trying out my lip balm and/or learning more about the product you can check out my Lip Balm Page on my blog and it also has a link to my Etsy shop where you can purchase your own. It really is theBalm. Blessing to you all and good luck in your endeavors.