A Day in the Park and Etsy Shop Product Review: Orglamix's All-Natural Make-Up!

Such a lovely day in the park...I love being surrounded in nature, and so does my face! I have made a conscious effort to strive to find the perfect "all-natural" make-up for my face (without parabens, artificial dyes and colors, and other harmful synthetic ingredients). You know your face can soak up all of that stuff! So in my search, I stumbled upon the wonderful Etsy Shop: Orglamix!


This is Orglamix's Butternut Pure Organic Mineral Foundation (light skin with golden undertones) that perfectly matches my fair skin tone and blends in beautifully...see!


I also love this Rosy Future - Pure Organic Mineral Blush (tea rose) by Orglamix which I am also wearing in the photos above.


They have a large variety of all-natural cosmetics including powder foundations, blush, eyeshadow, and more!


My beautiful and expecting twin sister, Andrea, and our gorgeous grandmother "Nana", Sharee.

Please check out Orglamix's Etsy Shop here:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/orglamix

Kefir and Currant Cheesecake!

This decadent, smooth, and delightfully rich cheesecake is absolutely delicious and healthy for you too! Made with a homemade kefir pie crust, this completely "from scratch" kefir cheesecake will blow away everyone's expectations and taste buds!

Kefir and Currant Cheesecake

8 oz (1 cup) fresh kefir cheese (labne)

2 Tablespoons fresh milk kefir-grains

4 oz (1/2 cup) Sugar

2 oz (1/4 cup) Currants

1 large (or 2 small) Eggs, preferably organic and free-range

1 oz butter, melted

A pinch of nutmeg

A pinch of cinnamon

Finely chop kefir grains with sharp knife on cutting board. Mix the chopped kefir grains with the kefir cheese (labne), currants, and spices. Beat the egg and stir in with the sugar and butter. Line the dish with the homemade kefir pie crust pastry (recipe listed below) and put in the kefir cheese (labne) mixture. Bake in a moderate oven (350°F) for 20 minutes or until set. Delicious hot or cold; serves approximately six people.


Homemade Kefir Pie Crust Pastry

2 cups flour (preferably organic spelt and organic pastry flour; I used organic whole wheat flour)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup kefir
2/3 cup oil (I used peanut oil)

Combine the flour, salt, kefir, and oil. Stir only until the dry ingredients are blended in. Roll the dough between two pieces of wax paper. Remove the top layer of the was paper and transfer crust into desired pie plate with the bottom wax pap still intact and on top. Remove the wax paper from crust and shape the edges as desired...simple and delicious!

You can chill your completed pie shell in the freezer for 1 to 2 hours before baking for extra crispness.



If you would like to make your own Kefir Cheesecake, Kefir Pastry Crust, or any of my other scrumptious kefir recipes you can find the organic, probiotic kefir grain cultures in my etsy shop...all you need to do is purchase them once and you can make delicious, healthy kefir indefinitely!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45802218/kefir-a-cultured-dairy-product-full-of

Here are a couple of my most recent wonderfully sweet kefir grain reviews:

"Stellar transaction! Well packaged plump and healthy grains arrived quickly from a caring individual." - Mauricio

"These little fellas are in great shape! Nice packaging and fast shipping time. Thanks again!" - Eliza

Calming and Comforting Chamomile for your Skin, Senses, and Spirit!

Chamomile is praised as a major analgesic, anti-inflammatory and wound healer, since it works wonders for relieving pain, redness from any cause, and promoting skin repair. Chamomile is good for dry, red, and sensitive skin and a very beneficial, therapeutic ingredient in my All-Natural Golden Goddess Vegan Soap! I use pure Chamomile essential oil in this lovely soap which has antiseptic properties and is therefore a wonderful skin cleanser. Chamomile aids skin problems (such as Eczema and Psoriasis) that have a constituent of irritation, inflammation and/or infection.


Chamomile also has excellent calming properties; it is effective for irritation, impatience and feeling disagreeable, and has great value in treating PMS and other menstrual and menopausal problems. Not only does chamomile sooth and calm, but it is also very effective for skin healing and for tissue regeneration.

Please check out my All-Natural Golden Goddess Vegan Soap in my Eco-Friendly Freckles online shop:

http://www.etsy.com/shop/ecofriendlyfreckles?section_id=6962890

Here is a delightful review I received for my All Natural Golden Goddess Vegan Soap:

"I am in love with this Golden Goddess soap! I have been using it for a few days now. I have dry skin that is prone to acne - it leaves my skin feeling SO clean yet not too dry, and so soft as well! It is exactly what I was hoping for when I read the description. Plus Jessica is so sweet and has fabulous communication - I highly recommend this seller! Thanks again!" - Cara (from stonesofhealing2)

The Secret to Serenity - Now Selling A New Kind of Exotic Kratom Herb!

I have just added a new kind of exotic herbal incense to my Eco-Friendly Freckles Etsy Shop known as Green Vein Thai Kratom:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/46742749/green-vein-thai-kratom-incense-uplifting

Kratom is a tropical tree that is used for its aromatherapy and medicinal properties. It is an extraordinary plant that has been used for a long time; this plant is easy to grow and it is unregulated in the United States. Kratom has a long history in the East, and it has been used for its therapeutic properties by many people. Kratom is a tropical tree growing from 15-50 feet tall that is native to Thailand and Malaysia.


Kratom can be burned as incense and it combines well with other incense blends for a pleasant natural aroma. For centuries, Kratom has been very useful for its uplifting and medicinal qualities in its native cultures; it has helped with depression, pain, sexual enhancement, and diarrhea to name a few; it also is found to be a creativity booster and mood lifter. “Kratom also contains alkaloids that are thought to play a beneficial role on the immune system and lower blood pressure, as well as epicatechin, a powerful antioxidant also found in dark chocolate and closely related to the EGCG that gives green tea its beneficial effects” (posted from the Wikipedia link listed below). To find out more about this beneficial and historic herb you can visit the link at the bottom of this listing. However, this Bali Kratom herb is sold as exotic incense only.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kratom


This listing is for one small Ziploc bag containing 20 grams (approximately 3/4 of an ounce) of dried powdered high quality Green Vein Thai Kratom herb.

My Sister's Beautiful Baby Shower!

Yesterday, my twin sister, Andrea, had her delightful and beautiful baby shower at a nearby park. In the shower gift that I gave her, I included a personalized hand-painted upcycled decoupage canisters titled: "Brilliant Baby". The baby boy pictured on this canister, is what I envision Andrea's baby boy to look like...an intelligent and charming baby.


I baked a cake for Andrea's baby shower, and Andrea helped me decorated like a lion for her Jungle-Safari Baby Shower. Here are a few pictures of it...the first one, I took of Andrea and her adorably sweet niece Paige.



Andrea, and her husband Robert, received many essential and cherished gifts at their baby shower...Isn't my sister beautiful? Andrea is glowing; she is going to be a wonderful mother to her sweet, little baby boy.

Mommy's Memorandum Feature and Kefir Grain Giveaway!

Woo hoo! Check out the lovely feature Julee from the Mommy's Memorandum posted for my organic probiotic kefir grain giveaway today on her blog! You can find out more about my kefir grains here:

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45802218/kefir-a-cultured-dairy-product-full-of

Also, I have some yummy recipes using probiotic kefir here on my blog:

http://ecofriendlyfreckles.blogspot.com/search/label/probiotic%20kefir



http://jonbonjovious.blogspot.com/2010/05/giveaway-ecofriendly-freckles.html

How to Make Your Own Kefir Cheese or "Labne"!

This delicious and versatile kefir cheese or "labne" is so much fun to make and very addictive...in a wonderful way! You can add fresh herbs for an exquisite, easy homemade cheese, stuff it in your french toast, or make a scrumptiously decadent kefir cheesecake.


This recipe is delightfully simple! I just took a big flower vase of mine (you could use a big jar or just suspend a cheese cloth over a big bowl) and I placed a cheese cloth on the top of the vase and poked it down about half way down the vase and secured the sides of the cheesecloth with a rubber-band. Then I just poured in my homebrewed, slightly aged kefir and let the curd separate from the whey...drip, drip, drip and before you know it you have whey at the bottom and all of the curd (kefir cheese or "labne") suspended in the cheese cloth. Now all of you have to do is scoop out the cheese and VOILA!


If you would like to make your own Kefir Cheese or other scrumptious kefir recipes you can find the organic, probiotic kefir grain cultures in my etsy shop...all you need to do is purchase them once and you can make delicious, healthy kefir indefinitely!

http://www.etsy.com/listing/45802218/kefir-a-cultured-dairy-product-full-of

Mommy and Baby in the Park

I took these pictures yesterday of my twin sister and mother-to-be, Andrea, in the park yesterday. She is now officially in her third trimester! Isn't she beautiful?! This will be her first child...a baby boy! I can't wait to meet my new, little nephew!

Photos of My Hand-Painted Upcycled Decoupage Canisters at The Gift Emporium!

Hurray! Here are the pictures of my Eco-Friendly Freckles Hand-Painted Upcycled Decoupage Canisters at The Gift Emporium in Kingston Rhode Island! Isn't this a stunningly gorgeous store?! Can you see my art on the top shelf on the left? They are displayed so beautifully showing off their functional qualities!





If you would like to see the rest of the photos of The Gift Emporium, you can view them here in this "Opening Day Photos" album:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/49061682@N08/sets/72157623844224377/