vanilla-making and giving thanks (and a giveaway!)
November 26th, 2009
Last week we had a vanilla-making party. The whole thing was Sonja’s idea, and Brenda, Sue, Heather, Jen and Bonnie all quickly agreed it was a brilliant one.
Plans were made, vanilla beans and bottles and vodka were procured, everyone was looking forward to the party. Yay!
Then something sad happened: Sonja got sick, and she couldn’t make the drive down for the vanilla party. We were all bummed she couldn’t be there, but we decided to go ahead with the vanilla-making. Because it had taken approximately two weeks and 78 emails back and forth between everyone to figure out one day when we were all free, we thought if we postponed the party would likely never happen at all.
If the party had never happened that would have been sadder still, because it was a fun day. Annalie wasn’t interested in making vanilla again (she’s made it before) and Bonnie’s son E preferred to chase the cats and play outside. But the rest of the moms and kids were really into it. Bug and Audrey and M and even 2-year-old Molly all stuffed beans into bottles and took turns pouring vodka from a measuring cup into a funnel.
Bug especially enjoyed holding the beans to her nose and sniffing “the yummy, yummy vanilla!” The rest of us enjoyed her cute vanilla-caviar mustache.
Altogether I think we made more than 60 bottles of vanilla extract that day. Since we bought everything in bulk, each 4-ounce bottle cost less than $2.50, which is about one-third what a similar bottle would have cost at the grocery store.
Even though we started out with 5.25 liters of vodka we ran out before we were done. So I grabbed a bottle of rum that had been languishing in our cupboard and used that for a few bottles of extract. It’ll be interesting to see if there’s much of a difference in taste.
M was quite proud of the fact that she did all these bottles by herself. She was a vanilla-making champ. Molly wandered off at some point and jumped on the futon with a yellow balloon. She is a futon-jumping champ.
And these three transformed into kittens with a few strokes of a washable marker. They spent quite a while crawling around on all fours and meowing.
Brenda did some stealthy crafting while the rest of us finished up the vanilla. She’s had wreaths on the brain for a while now.
Basically, a good time was had by all. Except when we were missing Sonja and Noah, and wishing they were there. Thanks for the idea, though, Sonja…consider yourself permanently invited to any and all parties at my house in the future. Especially on January 10th!
Today, as you might know, was Thanksgiving in the U.S. We had a fabulous feast at our house with Brenda and Toby and Bug, and Brenda’s parents Sue and Tom. It was extremely kind of them to come to our house and share the day with us, distracting us from the fact that we really miss Troy and wish he had been here too. When we counted our blessings today—along with the arrival of my newborn niece, the beautiful weather, the upcoming 3rd season of Chuck, the many times this past week we’ve been able to Skype with Troy—we counted each and every one of our friends who have made this long deployment of Troy’s so much easier to bear. Thanks, you guys! You know who you are. I hope you know how much we love and appreciate you!
I am so thankful for all the amazing people the internet has brought into my life. I am thankful that email and this blog have allowed me to maintain friendships that otherwise might have faded away. In honor of that gratitude, I’m going to give some stuff away! If you comment on this post before December 1st, 2009, you will be entered in a drawing for one of five prizes: three bottles of homemade vanilla extract, this plate, or a $15 gift card to the winner’s choice of Starbucks, Target, or iTunes.
Have a great rest-of-the-weekend, everyone! What are some things you are thankful for?
Comments are now closed. Winners will be selected and announced soon!
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How cool that you had a vanilla making party! I think I may have to round up some friends and have one myself. Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and hope you get to kiss your husband soon!
I love the vanilla making idea–what a great gift idea!
That vanilla making sure looks like fun. I might have to do that with my cooking club here in Indiana. hmm…
Although I am a “non-blogger” myself, I still love reading you blog and believe to have been reading your blog for um I think 3 yrs now. I actually still have your holiday card from 2 yrs ago, on the side of my fridge (the one with the mosaic). I always look forward to reading about all your adventures, and ideas (baking or crafting). I sometimes feel like an internet stalker since I always read, but hardly post comments so here ya go! ;) Btw, love love love the idea of your vanilla making party, loved reading about it last year too!
I forgot to add, I so love the picture of Bug with the vanilla bean, so cute! :)
The vanilla looks great! Hope you had a great holiday, Bethany. And hope Troy makes it home soon, safe and sound.
loadsa vanilla!!
what a great idea! i guess i have to make some vanilla extract myself…..esp. now that i know that’s it so easy with kids:)
and i’m glad that your thanksgiving was celebrated with people you love:)
have a great weekend!
I am curious about the run too! I wonder if it will taste more like store-bought vanilla, since rum is made from sugarcane and apparently some commercial brands add corn syrup (I’m looking at you, Kroger, and the return I am so irritated about having to make because who the heck looks at the ingredients on “pure” vanilla extract?)
What a great idea! I’ve never made vanilla before. It looks like such a great activity!
I’d love to win some! Happy Thanksgiving :)
A vanilla-making party is a great idea! It looks like you had a fun day and I’m glad you got to spend Thanksgiving with loving friends. I imagine it must be especially hard to be apart from Troy at the holidays, for all of you. We in my house are thankful for men like Troy who have taken protecting our country as their job!
I love watching the adventures you get in to! I’ve picked up on several crafty ideas that Lil Man is finally old enough to participate with. It’s fun doing neat little things with him that I have ‘watched’ you and Annalie do!
My mother-in-law says she just keeps filling her bottle full of vanilla beans with rum over and over. I almost went the rum route. Maybe next time.
Your vanilla looks AMAZING!!! I am so thankful for my husband and my beautiful daughter. Thankful that my husband still has a job, even though we do struggle at times. Thankful for the roof over my head and the food in my belly.
I love that you made vanilla again! I’ll be down at the end of January, if you end up not being away that weekend…
I’m amazed that you can make vanilla extract… and relatively easily too! I love reading your blog and all the creative things you create. I’m thankful for my wonderful family and all the blessings God has given us this year.
I have been thinking about making vanilla extract ever since you posted about it last time! I think I’m going to go get all of the supplies and do it this year!
I’m thankful for my friends and family and the fact that we’re all healthy, employed, and happy (for the most part!) :)
Ack! Not only am I still sad to have missed all the fun, I’m also still sick! That’s just not right!
But hey, I’m totally coming on Jan. 10th. NOTHING shall stop me!!! :)
I am so impressed by your vanilla that I am inspired to try it myself.
I’m glad you had a good Thanksgiving.
Where do you orde your beans and bottles Bethany? (Oooh a tongue twister-fun!) Also glad to hear that you guys had a good Thanksiving.
That vanilla party looks like such fun! I’m thankful for all my family and friends.
That party looks like so much fun!!! I’m going to have to try that. :-)
I’m thankful for the internet and blogs…which sounds lame, but it’s for a good reason. It has allowed me to meet wonderful new people, and those people have allowed me to grow and become a better person. They’ve also helped me live through deployment!
Looks like such a fun day! And I’m so glad you guys have such a strong group of friends to help you through the deployment, just like you’ve helped so many people!
I’ve never heard of home made Vanilla!! What a neat idea!!! A Vanilla Party!! Sweet! (No pun intended!!)
I know what you mean about trying to get friends together. It’s challenging trying to find time. I’ve been trying to having a crafty day at my house and I think the first email I sent out was on the 11th. Everyone’s so busy we’re shooting for December sometime…hopefully.
That is such a awesome idea! I wish I had the time to have a vanilla party right now!
I had no idea vodka was used to make vanilla. Learn something new everyday.
Yay!! So glad to be entered to win! I was just writing about making homemade vanilla extract today! Thanks for the giveaway!
Looks like a fun time had by all. I like the cute little kitties who were playing ; )
Enter me! Enter me!
My comment is: I love how you count Season 3 of Chuck among your more traditional Thanksgiving blessings!
Totally thought of you Thursday when I made mashed potatos for the first time after learning how from you and Troy 2 Thanksgivings ago. Miss and love you!
I so have to try the Vanilla making. Looks fun!!
Looks like fun! Cute pictures :)
I still haven’t made vanilla…still have the big bottle of vodka. The vanilla beans here are way too expensive.
My teen-agers have watched Chuck from day one…usually several times on the DVR.
Just thought of another show you might like if you can find it on Hulu or on DVD…The Middleman.
I originally came across your site because of your first vanilla making party. And now I want to make try it even more!
Glad to hear you had a good holiday Bethany! I love Thanksgiving but I’m glad it’s over, the past week has been a blur. I’m going to go against all odds and hope that I win one of your contests again :) I want one of those yummy smelling vanilla bottles!
I’m thankful for my wonderful fiance and also having a stable job in Oregon’s disgusting economic climate.
I love how you fill your life with wonderful people, wonderful activities, and wonderful surroundings. :)
I love any excuse to get together with friends and create stuff. What a great “party” idea!
Right now I’m especially thankful for my husband and my two beautiful daughers. Thankful for our warm home and the laughter that fills it.
Thanks for yet another great craft/creation idea! You have no idea how many countless hours you’ve filled in this household with your creativity :)
Happy Thanksgiving
Looks like so much fun was had at your house and what a great gift idea those bottles of vanilla are! I may need to try and make those.
What a fabulous idea for a party! I love all of it. Especially Bug’s vanilla bean mustache.
I’m especially thankful for our little family. It’s so amazing to create your own house full of love!
The vanilla making party looks like a lot of fun. I told my roomie about how you make vanilla and we might try to do it at some point.
Happy Thanksgiving to you too! I’m glad you got to have good friends over for the occasion.
Your Vanilla making party looks like it was so much fun.
Glad you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with Brenda and her family. I am thankful that we were able to make the trip out to see you this year. It was touch and go for a while, but we are all so happy that we got to meet you and Annalie.
I am thankful for folks like your husband who are serving the country and have to be away from their loved ones. May he return safely and soon.
I was so inspired last time you posted about making vanilla and mentally bookmarked the idea. I recently reminded myself to go through your archives and find the post, but alas, you have solved my problem. I can’t wait to do this, as I badger everyone going on a cruise to get REAL vanilla for me in Mexico!! I love your blog, so inspirational and down to earth, keep up the great work. And, especially, please thank Troy for his service to our country. We appreciate him.
Bethany,
I’ve been reading your blog for about 3 months now. I got to it from reading a friend of a friend’s or a friend’s blog and somehow popped up on yours. I love love love your blog. I’m in NC and am so jealous of you Californians!! :)
Liz
Oooh, I keep saying I’m going to try making vanilla. Maybe this year! Or, er, next. But soon!
I am thankful for family, friends, twitter (brought me to your blog!) and sacrifices your family makes everyday to keep our country safe. (Thank you Troy!)
Many blessings to you and yours. I too will try your vanilla someday. ;0)
I love your blog and you and SAJ have a great relationship, something to definitely be thankful for!
Poppy