The Boyer Sisters: Part 4

[church_of_dog]

On June 29, 2017 at 2:37 PM, ViolaSebastian said:

Thanks for replying! A lot of the pain I felt isn't an issue if I just wear shoes with a wide enough toe box, but I'm also having issues with pain in my arches and I wanted to see if there was anything that could be done about that, too. Basically, I turned 34 and my feet started falling apart. My mother has terrible plantar fasciitis, and if I can do something to avoid her fate, I'm going to do it. My new job has me on my feet for eight hours, and different people give me different advice about what shoes I should wear, so I'm going to get it straight from the podiatrists mouth. 

I have bunions too, although mine don't cause me pain (they are apparently genetic and connected to having ligamentus laxity -- loose ligaments!) so I don't need to fix them unless they become painful.

However, I did have to have foot surgery a few years ago for a Morton's neuroma, and while at the surgeon's office he told me of a brand of exercise/running shoe that has an extra-wide toe box for bunions -- the brand is Altra.  I'm on my second pair and I like them!  Not sure if they have nicer designs for office dress codes, but for anything you'd wear running or walking shoes for, I recommend them.  https://www.altrarunning.com

[catlady]

8 hours ago, Jasmar said:

I don't think I want to go on an oily journey.

"oily journey"  is such a weird phrase to use.  i actually went to their site to see if they really used it (not that i didn't believe you, Jasmar!  ), and holy crap, they did; wtf!

Jess and Char are apparently having fun on their oily journey and want us to join them.  Well, truth be told, i'm already on my own oily journey and didn't even know it!

Last month, i harvested the lavender in my garden, and i looked up how to make lavender oil.  i followed the instructions and dried the flowers for about a week, then stripped the blooms from the stems.  they smelled heavenly in the bowl, as did my hands.  i put them in a mason jar--a fancy purple one--with some inexpensive olive oil.  the instructions said to use any oil that doesn't have much of a scent on its own, so that it doesn't overpower the lavender.  Since it was what i had, and Mr. CL agreed it wasn't very strong, i proceeded.  i used between 1/2 and 2/3 pint oil, added the lavender (about a cup on its own), and closed the purple mason jar with a fancy floral-print lid (the only thing i ever bought from that infernal Pioneer Woman; she just rubs me the wrong way, but maybe she needs an oily journey too).  i set the jar on a sunny windowsill to infuse for two weeks.  

FAIL!  i opened the jar this morning, and somehow, the lavender intensified the scent of the olive oil.  yep, it now smells exactly like the premium olive oil that my sister likes to use for fancy dinners.

 it should be noted that the stunning failure of my oily journey will *not* inspire me to hitch my handcart to the Boyers' MLM scam scheme endeavor.

[Lurky]

@Jasmar I laughed out loud at "oily journey"!  So many terrible images!

[AlwaysExcited]

"Going on oily journey" should be a post count title.

[catlady]

i told Mr CL about the oily journey, and he said, "since when does Free Jinger discuss porn?"  after we got done laughing, we googled it.  it appears that the Misses Boyer did not invent that term.  scores of photos for EOs appear on the google, and i found one that says, "Want your oily journey to begin?"  it contains an email address that i don't know how to edit out (so i don't want to share it here), and while i first thought it belonged to a company called Oily Little World, OLW sells Young Living products.  so either YL makes its consultants work from a scripted sales pitch, or Charlotte exaggerated her branding skills in a recent blog post.  further, i'm now wondering who is the marketing bureaucrat who thought "oily journey" was a good idea in the first place.   

 

[Palimpsest]

2 hours ago, catlady said:

FAIL!  i opened the jar this morning, and somehow, the lavender intensified the scent of the olive oil.  yep, it now smells exactly like the premium olive oil that my sister likes to use for fancy dinners.

I love lavender and thanks for the laugh!  You can still use it as a culinary oil.  Or donate it to your sister!  I've been told sweet almond oil is good if you want scented oil.

Oily journeys! 

[catlady]

thanks @Palimpsest!  i was hoping we could still cook with it, so you just saved me some research.

[Palimpsest]

Just now, catlady said:

i was hoping we could still cook with it, so you just saved me some research.

So long as the lavender was well washed you should be fine.

[nastyhobbitses]

2 minutes ago, catlady said:

thanks @Palimpsest!  i was hoping we could still cook with it, so you just saved me some research.

You can get culinary grade lavender; I've seen a lot of recipes for lavender macarons/buttercream/shortbread that call for that specifically.

[jozina]

Lavender tastes amazing.  Cook with it!!

Oily journey definitely makes me think of greasing someone up for XXX adult fun.  And if a friend invited me along to a blogger's oily journey webinar I'd be imagining it was live web cam sex and wondering if my friend had been hacked or what the Jeebus they were on about.

[MarblesMom]

15 hours ago, catlady said:

that infernal Pioneer Woman; she just rubs me the wrong way, but maybe she needs an oily journey too

Agreed 10000% on this subject.

And you totally cracked me up with your oily journey story.  Sounds like what would happen at my house if I attempted it

[hoipolloi]

Oily journey  = euphemism for laxatives. 

Thanks, though, for the suggestions on cooking & baking with food-grade lavender -- they sound good!

[elliha]

Oily journey gives me a much more innocent association, I think of a waterslide running on oil instead of water.

[Grimalkin]

     Make sure the oil didn't become rancid! 

      Oily journey makes me think of Grease, the movie. A Grease marathon would be a fun oily journey.

[Palimpsest]

28 minutes ago, Grimalkin said:

   Make sure the oil didn't become rancid! 

Yes, I forgot to mention that!  Taste it first, @catlady.

I am creative enough to make herbal infused oils to cook with.  I usually use safflower oil, make it in small quantities, and keep it in the fridge though.  Olive oil can be refrigerated but goes solid.  It has to return to room temperature to go liquid again.

I am really disappointed in Jessica and Charlotte.  There really isn't any "creativity" in jumping on the latest MLM bandwagon.

They are just oily little sheep following the latest trend.  I hope they don't lose money.

[Jasmar]

You can also add the contents of a vitamin E capsule to preserve homemade infused cooking oils. When I've done that I haven't needed to refrigerate.

I love to make cooking oils, using things like rosemary sprigs, whole basil leaves, tiny Thai peppers, peppercorns - anything pretty and tasty. You can arrange them so that the smaller ingredients are balanced on the herb springs. Theyre gorgeous and taste amazing!

[Grimalkin]

    It seems to me the EO game has already peaked. Most people likely have a contact to buy from by now. 

[catlady]

@Grimalkin and @Palimpsest, yes, I will test it first and be mindful of its freshness. Thank you!!

[Lurky]

Has Brigid disappeared from the internet since she got married?  I hope she's ok out there. That transition from their weird life of performing for cash while being socially isolated to a normal life must have been hard, so I hope she's been able to make a ton of friends, join a library, start a class or two, and is really enjoying not having to be part of a brand.

[Palimpsest]

I also hope Brigid is doing well, making friends, branching out. and learning to be more than just the "middle sister" of the Boyer family.  She's probably a buyer of those EOs even if she's not selling them!

Gabe would know, but he's not telling although he drops by to read here and check on us fairly frequently.  His Etsy shop is taking a break, however.  I was hoping to see some of Brigid's designs there.

And I have a feeling Brigie is keeping busy elsewhere. Perhaps on Pinterest pinning vintage patterns for children's clothing ...

[Lurky]

Did we ever get confirmation that "Gabe" was the real Gabe?  I still wonder if it was someone just trolling us for lolz.

[Palimpsest]

@Lurky, I don't think he was ever verified but I'm pretty sure that was the real Gabe.   It was his discussion of the difficulties he had tailoring the velveteen jacket that convinced me.  He could have faked the knowledge of kilts and yeti sporrans but he pointed out exactly what was wrong with that jacket.

I've been neglecting Mr. Brigid Boyer of late and his FB is private.  However, I note with glee that Gabe is Facebook friends with "Doug WP."  Watch out for that guy's other aliases, Gabe, you may find them defrauding.

He's also Facebook friends with the appalling Nathaniel Darnell, John Robert Moore, assorted Neidnagels, and has a lovely new outfit for cosplay.

[JemimaPuddle-Duck]

On 7/15/2017 at 5:24 PM, jozina said:

Lavender tastes amazing.  Cook with it!!

 

Am I the only one who hates lavender in food? I use lavender a lot, it's the only essential oil I consider essential, but it tastes awful. I've tried it in baked goods and tea, and it just makes everything taste like soap to me. I can tolerate it in herbes de Provence, I think, because it gets overpowered. 

[ViolaSebastian]

5 minutes ago, JemimaPuddle-Duck said:

Am I the only one who hates lavender in food? I use lavender a lot, it's the only essential oil I consider essential, but it tastes awful. I've tried it in baked goods and tea, and it just makes everything taste like soap to me. I can tolerate it in herbes de Provence, I think, because it gets overpowered. 

Nope, I'm the same way. Lavender=potpourri and perfume to me. I can't get away from associating it with that in my mind long enough to enjoy it. 

[EowynW]

6 hours ago, ViolaSebastian said:

Nope, I'm the same way. Lavender=potpourri and perfume to me. I can't get away from associating it with that in my mind long enough to enjoy it. 

Lavender and rosemary are the two I can't quite accept in good.