Scents

If you've followed my blog for any length of time or if you know me then there's a good chance that you know I own a business. I sell goat milk soap and super scented 100% soy candles.

I love making both, they are about the only creative outlet I have, and even then it's not really good. :D No colors, no swirls, nothing fancy, nothing overly girly or attractive about them. It's just a bar of soap that does it's job by moisturizing people's skin or a candle that pleases everyone with it's fragrance. It's Just lots of fun to see ingredients come together to make a product that works (it's a lot like cooking).

There's one problem with this entire gig. In making candles and soaps you are around things that have scents to them. Be it a sweet, sour, strong, light, or pleasing scent it's still there. :D

In the past few months I've noticed a very disturbing thing...I seem to be sensitive to scents. The stronger they are the worse off I am (well, duh!!). But even some mild scents can cause a headache bad enough to make me want to quite the business.

It's enough to make me want to cry and ask about the fairness of life (yes, I know life is never fair). Couldn't one of my sisters who doesn't have a business in soaps and candles be the one who is sensitive to scents? Or the brother who could care less if his soap smelled like leather instead of a flower be the one that in the very near future might need to start keep unscented soap in the kitchen instead of cranberry marmalade? Oh, the injustices of it all!!!

Trying to decide if I should use a new scent can be a little on the side of torture and soaping some scents is enough to confirm for me that I HAVE lost my mind. But do you want to know want the worst thing out there? Worst then soaping, worse then make three large batches of soap, worse than breaking a bottle of fragrance oil in my door way? Walking within 20 feet of Wal-mart's craft or seasonal section. I think that overwhelming scent could give anyone a headache. That is if it doesn't kill people first. lol


there’s your warning, if you are sensitive to scents I would HIGHLY suggest you stay away from the craft section of Wal-Mart!

Just a few Thoughts

• Turkeys are the stupidest animals on the face of the earth!! I just had a turkey sit outside the window for five minutes, pecking at the window trying to get the fly that is on INSIDE of the window, while it had a dozen flying all around him.

• Chickens have got to be the second stupidest animal on the face of the earth!! Yesterday while I was at the computer I heard something hit the window, I check on what it is before I start yelling at a toddler for throwing something at the window and realize that was a chicken trying to get away from another chicken!

• It's slightly depressing when I am happily sewing away and realize that I need my glasses to thread my needle!

• Here is an 'interview' I did for another blogger; I have greatly enjoyed reading her blog the past few months. :D

• The Astros won the rubber game last night, 4-1; Wandy went 8 innings giving up only 4 hits, ending the Marlins streak of ten hits in each of the last 15 games (A record that had stood since 1937!). Now if the Astros can keep winning and all the teams ahead of them would kindly start losing. lol

• It's Friday!! That wonderful day of the week that has us all running around like chickens with our heads cut off. You know, the day when we have to get everything ready for markets, hopefully by noon, but 4 at the latest (if all goes well).....Make sure the market buckets and bags are packed, pack all three cars for market, ice chest ready to go, ice all frozen, clothes laid out, product all labeled, etc. On top of that, to make this an even busier day, we are trying to get ready for school next week and preparing to get back to our school schedule.

Midwifery Conference

In my case this is the main reason that Swede Farm Naturals started. At the end of 2006 they were looking for vendors for the conference and mom wondered if a friend of ours who made soap would like to be a vendor. Mom hates making phone calls, so she had me do it (I had to call the lady anyways, so why not kill two birds with one stone?) So, I made the phone call never really know how it would change my money making future. lol

I asked her and she replied with "No, but you can! Here's how you do it. And while you are at it why don't you try candles and lotions? Oh, and I have enough stuff to get you started!"

When I was talking to mom about it she thought I should also add a "mommy and baby" line, a balm line, and a pampering line. It also went like this. "If you are going to do candles you should do Soy candles, they are the best and my favorite! I think you should look for scents that smell like _____, try and match you candles to you soaps and lotions, and make gift baskets!"

To this day I am SOOOO Glad that I did not look at my list of products that I had to make until I had them bought, made, packaged, and labeled!

Well, after that fast and surprising start, I am still going one year latter and attended my second conference. All the midwives loved it (even though I did have to do a little correcting "No, this is MY business! The dairy is the family's and the soaps are mine, when I get married and move out I am taking it with me. :D ) and I had a very enjoyable time. :D

Now, we will have to wait and see if I will be there next year in Austin, like so many of them wanted me to. :D

Oh, boy!

These up coming four days promise to be fun! :D Between now and Saturday our days are PACKED!!

Today, tomorrow, and Friday we have to make two batches of yogurt, one batch of chocolate milk, possibly a new drink, and pasteurize plain old white milk at least once if not twice!

As well as go to yet another new market tonight in Collage station, called Brazos Valley Farmers market.

Friday and Saturday I have a conference. I am going to be a vendor with Swede Farm Naturals product. :D I need to make a few things for this and pack everything so I won't be worry about this late tomorrow night or way to early Friday morning. :D

Saturday we have two markets, Bayou city and Grogan's Mill.

Not to mention we still have a farm, animals, and children to take care of! lol That just never ends. :D

Oh! And did I mention that today is Emma's 11th birthday! :D HAPPY BIRTHDAY EMMA!! (I will do another post just for her latter, after I have made a few candles for the conference. :D )

So, please pray that we don't go crazy, get sick, or overwhelmed and that we all have fun during Emma's birthday, markets, conference and anything else that we have to do the rest of this week. Thank you!!

Behind the Name

I thought I would explain why the blog is called Naturally Texan. But to explain that, I would need to explain why Swede Farm Naturals has that name, and then to explain that I would need to explain why Swede Farm is what Swede Farm. Then I was trying to figure out how to explain. Do I explain it all one post or three separate posts? Do, I do the blog name first or Swede Farm's name first. It was very confusing!


After much thinking I have decided to explain it in the order that they came--The Farm, the business, and then the blog, all in one post. So, here goes....

The Farm:

Dad and mom moved us out to the farm in '04 so that the kids would have a place to run around and play and so that our Grandfather could live with us. We named our farm Swede Farm after our uncle, who's nick name was Swede. He was dearly loved by us all, and this was our way of remembering him. Here is a quote form our website about him.

"It was through Swede's hard work and diligence that we were able to follow our dream and purchase our farm. Our lives were better for having loved him in life and forever changed by the provision he made for his family at his death."

The Business:

Since then any new project or business having to do with the farm has had Swede in it's name, one way or another. When I started Swede Farm Naturals, I was having the hardest time coming up with a name. One of the reasons was I had to have a name that I liked as well as both of my parents. At first we came up with Swede's Stitches and Scents. (Because Grace and I were going to start a sewing business as well.) Since I was the only person who kind of liked that name, it didn't stay around for long. Truth be told, I don't really know how we got Swede Farm Naturals, but to say I think mom said "How about Swede Farm Naturals?". Everyone LOVED it and it has stayed. :D

The Blog:

For the blog we went through a number of names, but I WANT my parents input when I do new things such as this. Esp. when I will be talking about their family, farm, them, and their lives. It took a lot to find a name that both I and my parents would liked. About three months of them thinking, and about a year of me thinking. (I am still not certain if dad really likes the name or if he just said is was O.K. because it was the one he preferred over the other suggestions.) Again, mom came up with the name (She is a LOT better at that sort of thing then I am.) We went with Naturally to kind of stay with my business (which is what they did with their blog, because we do have a part of the farm business called Dairy Berries.) And Texan because I am a 100% Texan and proud of it!! (Also Native Texan was already taken).

There you have it, the reason behind the farm name, the business name, and the blog name! I hope it made sense to you! :D