Skin smoothing scrub

When I found out I was pregnant with Lukas the first thing I did was went out and bought vitamin e capsules, and Palmer's cocoa butter. I applied both liberally daily, and yet my stomach was still covered in stretch marks. 

I don't care what your cousin's sister's best friend says, that stuff doesn't work. If you are one of the lucky ones who have the genetic predisposition to get stretch marks it is probably going to happen. If your cousin's sister's best friend did it every day and didn't get stretch marks, all that means is she probably wouldn't have gotten them if she didn't do that stuff either. 

Stretch marks happen. It's a fact. But they don't have to be forever.

See those deep reddish purple stretch marks? Those stayed around for a while.

Then I remembered I had used an under eye serum by Murad that had caffeine in it. It was one of those miracle serums that removed the red puffiness from my eyes, so I got to thinking.

If caffeine could do that for my eyes, maybe it could do the same for my stretch marks?

So I started experimenting, and I came up with a scrub that actually helps! I still have stretch marks, but they are now the same color as my skin... Huge improvement!

To start you need:

Coconut oil (extra-virgin whole kernel)

2 Tbsp Coffee grounds

2 Tbsp Sea salt

4 Tbsp Raw honey

Mason jar

Pour the coffee, sea salt, and raw honey in the mason jar. Fill the rest of the jar with coconut oil and mix thoroughly. Voila! That's it!

The ingredients in the scrub were thought out, and put in for a reason.

Coconut oil is extremely moisturizing, and healing. I'm not going to go into all the benefits of coconut oil, but I can't sing its praises enough! It is a wonderful product. Make sure that you are buying a high quality coconut oil. Some of the cheaper brands dilute the coconut oil with olive oil.

The coffee grounds really are the magic ingredient in this stuff. The caffeine in the grounds stimulates blood flow when rubbed on the skin. This blood flow starts the healing process, and this is when those scars start to heal. This is great for stretch marks, scars, even cellulite!

Sea salt draws excess fluid out and helps tighten the skin. This process is why people lose so much water weight when they get wraps.

Lastly, raw honey is super moisturizing, and contains tons of antioxidants. These antioxidants help neutralize free radicals that are responsible for the aging process. There's a reason Cleopatra bathed in milk and honey!

Not only does this scrub help, but you smell delicious too!

Happy scrubbing ladybugs!

Made in the USA- Week 1

After my last blog I quickly realized how I picked a particularly hard month to do this.

This month I have Mother's Day, my little brother's graduation, my birthday, (which technically won't be a challenge for me, but rather, for Patrick) and Lukas' first birthday. (Although, due to my psychotic need to plan a memorable first birthday, I've had most of the necessary party supplies for over a month) 

Patrick informed me he wasn't going to be able to get me a birthday present because it would be all too hard to find something American-made that I will like. (Someone help him!) L-A-Z-Y

Also, a friend pointed out another pro to the American-made project. By purchasing closer to home, I am doing my part to reduce our carbon footprint. Yay!

Per the same conversation I also made a decision as to how I was going to approach this project. Patrick and I do a lot of shopping at our local co-op. They have several more obscure, more green brands- some of which are made in America. While I prefer to buy from "greener" companies, I realize a lot of people don't have access to these same brands- be it because of geographic, or financial limitations. The goal of this project is to identify mainstream, American-made brands that are easily accessible to the masses. I realize not everyone shops at the co-op, and in order for any changes to be made, American-made has to be accessible to everyone.

So week 1 was not too terribly difficult.

We found out that Quilted Northern, and Bounty, are both American-made brands. Both are manufactured by the parent company Georgia-Pacific, and their manufacturing facilities are in Green Bay, Wisconsin. I was kind of disappointed because I'm really a Charmin ultra soft kind of girl, so boo. 

I also found out that the laundry detergent (Charlie's Soap) we use to launder Lukas' cloth diapers is made in the USA. It's also environmentally friendly. We will probably use it for all of our laundry for the time being, but I know Charlie's soap is not accessible to everyone, so I am on the hunt for a "mainstream" alternative.

We use the Walgreens baby wipes, which thankfully, are made in the US. One less product to worry about switching!

I'm noticing companies that do put out American-made products are not shy about letting you know. They put it right out there in big, bold letters for all to see. 

All of our other purchases thus far were food. 

Saturday, we shopped at the farmer's market. This is a fairly typical Saturday morning for me- Patrick; however, is another story. 

I got lots of local goodies, and after a conversation with my friend Ashlie, who has started a locavore project I'm thinking that solely local foods are in our near future! You can check out the details on Ashlie's locavore endeavors here.

I will say this. Buying American-made has cut out our impulse spending. My bank account is thankful!

I'm trying to update on a more regular basis, but Lukas doesn't always make that easy... I'm doing what I can. He's teething so I'm seeing more and more of this face...

Oh what fun! Until next time!

Made in America- it matters.

I work with a lot of American manufacturers. Companies that are still making it in the USA.

That may not seem that important to the average, everyday person, but manufacturing is vital for the health and future of our community, and the surrounding communities. For every 10 manufacturing jobs 16 new jobs are created to service the manufacturer. That's major.

I handle several accounts that have outsourced some of their production to Mexico. They shut down their operations in American cities, laid off American workers, and shipped operations south of the border. You can bet that the factory closing was reported on the news. You can bet that the number of layoffs were reported. What I would also bet, is that the number of jobs that were lost servicing said manufacturer were not reported. Why? Those job losses were not all at once, but they happened. Guaranteed. Families were left struggling. Wondering how they were going to cover their mortgage payment. Or their car note. Or their grocery bill. 

This is happening all the time, and it's my fault. It's your fault. We are all at fault. It's not okay.

It's not okay that in the chase for instant gratification (because, after all, that's what it is when you are chasing down the cheapest price, that you can instantly afford, rather than suck it up, save and pay the premium for quality.) families are losing their homes. Men and women are coming home, having to tell their families that they have to file for unemployment. 

We are a community. We are tightly intertwined. What you do, and where you purchase matters. It affects your neighbor, whether you know it or not. Where that label says that item is manufactured matters. That item stands for jobs. That item stands for homes. That item stands for community. 

With all that being said, I have to put my money where my mouth is. I see the value in "Made in the USA." I value quality items. I value American manufacturing. I value local artisans. 

So because change starts in the hearts of individuals, I'm starting a project. Made in America.

 30 days. After thirty days, it should theoretically be habit. This means I won't be able to instantly gratify those wants or needs. This means I'll have to research items. This means I won't be able to make thoughtless purchases. This means I may have to save to be able to afford the premium for American made. This means I am contributing to American job growth. This means I am keeping American manufacturing in America. This means I'm ensuring the safety of my own job. 

I'll update regularly. We'll see how it goes! 

Wish me luck!

Mustard crusted ribeye

I'm kind of a snob.

I don't mean to be, but I like high quality things. This is including, but not limited to food.

...lucky for me I married an equally snooty food lover.

So when I stumbled upon this little gem of a recipe, I knew we had discovered dinner!

Side note: I don't believe that high quality has to mean high price; however, this was not a cheap dinner- even for cooking at home. In the future we'll save this for a more special occasion than a Tuesday. 

This dish is rich, and succulent, and super fun to make... In part, because you get to use a mortar and pestle, and that's always a good time!

To start you need:

2 tsp mustard seeds
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tsp peppercorns
1 tbsp fresh thyme
1/4 c. olive oil
1/4 c. Dijon mustard
1 stick of softened butter
4 lb beef ribeye
Cooking twine

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. In the mortar combine the mustard seed, salt, pepper, and thyme, and grind to a course mixture. Mix the olive oil in with the spice mix. In a bowl, mix the butter and Dijon until smooth.

Next, combine the two mixtures.

Rub down the ribeye with olive oil, and then sear your giant mass of meat for 1-2 minutes on high heat on each side. 

After browning the meat, tie the ribeye with cooking twine. Next, brush on the spice mix, and place on a roasting rack. Cook at 250 degrees for 3 hours, or until the meat reaches an internal of 160 degrees. (for medium rare- why would you eat meat any other way?!) 

After you take the meat out of the oven, take some red wine and mix up a quick reduction. With tonight's dinner we had a bottle of pro-mis-q-ous, and used that for the reduction.

Pro-mis-q-ous is a really great California blend that Patrick and I heard about from his mom and step-dad. It very quickly became one of our favorites! It is reasonably priced, and velvety smooth- both plus' in my book! I believe they have it in a white as well, but I don't drink white if I don't have to... 

Back to the food... All I can say- you are lucky I was able to get an after shot. Patrick was not messing around! 

If you give it a try, let me know what you think! Did you make any tweaks? 

It's officially time to head off to dreamland! 

Night, night lovebugs!

-Victoria 

Dear Lukas- 1

Dear Lukas,
I'm writing you today mainly for my own benefit.

So I don't forget.

Not that I really ever could truly forget, but as time goes on it becomes harder to recall the little details. Those little morsels that I deem unforgettable get a little more cloudy. A little more gray. And I need to remember how wonderful you are.

When the days grow longer, and the nights shorter I don't want to lose sight of the way you squeal with delight at the discovery of what once was unknown. I don't want to forget the pure sweetness of your baby's breath. I don't want to lose sight of the wonder in your eyes.

You are growing so fast. Each day you learn something new. You become something new. And I stand amazed by your innocence, and your sweetness, and your goodness.

You are perfection.

Even when you are repeatedly pulling books off the shelf. Even when you are climbing the fireplace. Even when you are spilling gallons of water on the kitchen floor. I love you, and I wouldn't change one thing about you.

From your legs that are strong like trunks, to your eyes that sparkle like the sea. From your hands that are chubby and curious, to your smile that could light up the room.

You are my greatest adventure. You are all that is wild, and free.

Last but not least- you are loved by me.

Love,
Mom