Sweet Sixteen

Well, dear reader, we have hit yet another milestone here at the farm. My baby, my favorite human bean, turned sixteen yesterday. The Bean turning sixteen is bittersweet. There are times I long for her to be my little love nugget so badly that my teeth hurt. Yes, it's real. I have a terrible habit of clenching my teeth when under stress, duress, or extreme emotion. I unconsciously clench my teeth so tightly that my jaw and teeth ache. It's probably not the healthiest coping mechanism, but it's what I do. My jaw has been aching for almost two weeks. Sigh.

When she was a baby, I would look at her adorable little wardrobe and think, "Oh, my! She's never going to be big enough to wear that!" Inevitably, she would grow into the next size. When it was time to go to preschool, I had difficulty letting her go. Poor Mrs. Presloid, Jordan's preschool teacher at SSCD! She often had to escort me out of the room while I was on the verge of tears. She was as kind and gentle with me as she was my child. Often, I would spend Tuesday and Thursday mornings at a small coffee shop waiting anxiously for the four hours to pass while she was in preschool. I was not a mother who looked at preschool as a much-needed break from my child. I was anxiety-ridden and heartbroken she was away from me. Despite my being heartbroken as she was growing up, The Bean thrived in social settings. She loved her school, her friends, and her teachers.

As we have celebrated birthdays and milestones, I have had the gift of watching her grow into an exceptional little individual with strong convictions, a good head on her shoulders, a kind heart, and a contagious joy for life. She loves big, knows her worth, is strong and brave, and understands the value of hard work. I can say with sincerity that she makes me proud every single day. It is not that life is perfect and without challenges. Life can be tough, especially when you are a young adult. However, she faces challenges and hardships with a spirit that can overcome anything that gets in her way. She learns from her mistakes, grows, and rarely repeats a bad decision. What more could a parent ask for in a child?

Yesterday, she met yet another milestone. The day came, and despite my denial that my baby would never be as old as sixteen, it was far, far away; turn sixteen she did. We celebrated with our usual birthday tradition of one's favorite meal, cake, and gifts with a small crowd of those she holds most dear. She has chosen to celebrate her birthday at the new Texas Roadhouse this weekend. I convinced her to wait until the weather was nice before holding her sweet sixteen party. She has to decide whether to hold it here, at the farm, or rent a small venue. Right now, she is leaning towards the farm. However, like most teens, her mind changes with the direction of the wind. We host a big birthday bash every five years. Her last big birthday party was when she turned ten. I do not believe in taxing her friends and their families with gift commitments every year. Even if I ask for no gifts, generous friends always shower her with gifts.

She will also take her driver's permit test this weekend. Gasp! The Bibbed Wonder has requested the privilege of taking her for her test. I will graciously stay home and let them do their father/daughter bonding. He generously gives me the freedom to participate in all her activities. I have been a classroom mom throughout her elementary years, chaperoned field trips, went on vacations, and done all the mother/daughter excursions like spa days, shopping trips, and any fun activities one can think of doing with one's child. At the same time, he took a backseat to allow me to have a one-time experience. He's a good man, a fantastic husband, and an exceptional dad. He deserves to enjoy this milestone with her.

So, we begin 2025 with a sixteen-year-old student driver and an incredible young woman. It blows my mind that she will graduate from high school in two years, attend a school of her choosing, and build a life outside this farm and her adoring parents. I am choosing to believe that it is far, far away, and my baby will never be so old that she will leave. Of course, I know this is a lie, but I tell myself to cope. If I am being transparent, I am thrilled and excited to see where her path will take her. She will continue to make me proud, just as she has since taking her first breath while in my arms sixteen years ago. My jaw will probably develop arthritis from all the teeth clenching, but I will smile through the pain and celebrate each and every milestone I have been gifted to be a part of. Being her mother has been my greatest gift, my most exciting adventure, and more than I could have ever hoped for.

On this cold and blustery Wednesday, stay safe, be smart, tell yourself the lies you need to hear to keep your heart from breaking, embrace the gift of loving others, smile through the tears, and keep washing your hands.

Tuesday Spotlight: Vanilla Bean Dream

Today's spotlight shines upon Vanilla Bean Dream. This warm, rich, decadent soap is a blend of vanilla scents, dried vanilla beans that have been finely ground for gentle exfoliation, and our original lux goat's milk soap recipe. If you love all things vanilla, Vanilla Bean Dream will put a smile on your beautiful face.

I resisted creating a vanilla-scented soap for many years because using vanilla in cold-process soap turns it brown. I questioned whether I could make a brown soap beautiful. Although I don't consider Vanilla Bean Dream my most exquisite creation, I do believe it is a lovely soap that, once you take one sniff, all is forgiven. From the shelf, it smells lovely. However, add it to a steaming shower, and it moves from lovely to divine.

If you enjoy layering scents, I gently suggest following with our goat's milk soap moisturizer of the same scent. You will smell of warm, rich vanilla all day. Let's face it: there are far worse things one can smell like...insert a wink. Many of us suffer from dry, itchy skin with the cold, harsh temperatures. Combat dry, itchy skin with our natural, small-batch, handmade-with-care, personal care products. Your skin will love you.

This week, Vanilla Bean Dream is on sale for 25% off exclusively on the website. No promo code is needed to save; the savings will be applied at checkout. On this cold, snowy day, stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands.

Vanilla Bean Dream

Coming Soon

Miracle Milk Face Balm

Happy Monday, dear reader. The Bibbed Wonder and I collaborated to create a new product. I am so excited to share that we have finalized our recipe for (drum roll, please!) Miracle Milk Face Balm. Guys, for real, this stuff is magical. I have wanted to create a face cream with hyaluronic acid for the last six months or so. As is par for the course, I was told to wait until the holidays were over. Being skeptical of my husband's "not right now" attitude with all my ideas, I figured this project would be years down the road. Well, didn't my nay-saying fuzzy bottoms fool me?

Last week, he asked me to look at the hyaluronic acid and decide what I wanted, and then he asked for my formulation. I was shocked. I had no formulation because I assumed I would be told no at least a million times before he finally said yes, and I was dumbfounded at his agreeability. Situations like this make me question his motives, but I didn't want to miss out on this opportunity.

Of course, it wasn't a smooth road. We went back and forth over packaging, percentages used in the formulation, and music for the video. After all these years, he still fails to see my vision. Sigh. However, he has been very accommodating. He finally saw the light and agreed to glass jars. He tried my suggestion for more hyaluronic acid in the first formulation, which did not work. He also changed the song on the social media video from a twangy folksy song (it's not his fault; The Bean took him to see the Bob Dylan movie, and he was inspired...insert an eye roll) to a classical piece. Eventually, we got on the same page.

Once we began formulating the hyaluronic acid moisturizer, everything came together for a perfect concoction of sheer moisture. I have struggled with dry skin, fine lines, especially around my eyes and lips, and dull skin. If I could fill our old clawfoot tub with hyaluronic acid and soak in it, I would! However, one pays a heavy price for this magical moisture bomb—$500 per pound. I believe my husband would divorce me if I filled the tub with hyaluronic acid. I digress.

In the first formulation, I demanded a high percentage of hyaluronic acid because my attitude is the more, the better. I was wrong. The formulation's consistency was the equivalent of glue. It was thick, sticky, and did not package easily. I slathered it onto my arms and legs, and it refused to absorb. Rather than throw it away, I demanded it be kept, and I would keep it for personal use. Side note: my feet have never been softer. It might be like glue, but it's magical moisture-rich glue. Also, I could not stomach throwing away a product with such expensive ingredients-such a waste. To his credit, my bib overall-wearing buddy did not bat an eyelash over my mistake.

We lowered the percentage of hyaluronic acid in the subsequent formulation, which is perfection. The Miracle Milk Face Balm is thicker than our facial moisturizer, thus the term balm. However, after just a few minutes of slathering myself in the new formulation, my little wonder buns diplomatically declared that if I did have wrinkles, he believed they appeared less noticeable. My skin is so soft. After four days of use, my neck is less crepey, the fine lines around my eyes are diminished, and the fine lines around my lips are less defined. I also believe my complexion looks brighter.

When we finished the formulation, I took the hyaluronic acid from the glass mixing bowl and slathered it over my face, legs, and arms. Within minutes, my skin's dry, crepey appearance was significantly reduced, and within thirty minutes, it felt soft and silky to the touch. I cannot say enough good things about hyaluronic acid. Now, I am trying to convince my little nay-sayer to allow me to create a simple hyaluronic acid serum. It's a work in progress. He says we have to see how popular the Miracle Milk Face Balm is before he will agree to another product.

We are including sample jars as gifts in a limited number of orders. We hope the recipients will try the Miracle Milk Face Balm and give us honest feedback about our latest creation. We have a limited number of samples, so if you want to be the first to try it, I gently suggest placing an order today. It's also a lovely time to try our new Champagne Problems-scented soap and moisturizer. I am very excited about this new scent.

I did not think our fresh, raw goat's milk products could be improved upon performance-wise. However, the addition of hyaluronic acid is a game changer. I refer to it as a moisture bomb for one's skin. I hope you, too, are excited to try our latest creation. As soon as our new packaging arrives, we will release the Miracle Milk Face Balm exclusively on the website. I am thrilled to offer this luxurious goat's milk product. I genuinely believe you will love it as much as I do.

On this snow-laden, arctic Monday, stay safe, be smart, and be excited about our latest creation; if you want a sneak peek and a free gift, I gently encourage you to place an order and keep washing your hands.