Bio

Hi!

I’m Jenny. Thanks for stopping by my little place in the blogoshpere! Leave me a comment and let me know what you think about this little blog o’ mine.

So, you’re probably asking, “What’s with the birds and the soap…and the soap…and the birds?” Well, I guess you could say I’ve never had a penchant for naming things, lol. My blog started as a place for me to write about stuff I love, and birds and soap are just two of the things that top my list!

Here’s the story:

It all started way back when in my teen years. My parents moved our family to the mountains, it was always a dream of theirs to live somewhere in the forest. There I was, 15 years old and living on a mountaintop just one mountain range behind Bogus Basin Ski Resort. (which was cool, because we could sit on our deck and watch the skiers at night beneath the glow of the lights). Needless to say, I was an outdoorsy kind of girl. I spent a lot of time hiking the forty acres our family owned, as well as the surrounding Forest Service Land. It was bliss, really. So I did what any young girl without a social life would do.

I got into birdwatching. We put up feeders and kept a nature journal every time we saw a new species. We used our Audobon Field Guides religiously, taking them on walks just in case we could identify something new (that’s a Western Tanager on the cover).

I learned the names of all the plant species in the area (Latin and common).

Did you know that an Yellow Fawn Lily is also called an Alpine Lily, a Dogtooth Violet AND a Glacier Lily? I do. Yep, I am THAT BIG of a nerd.

Not only did my parents move to the mountains, but my Aunt and Uncle did as well. In fact, they purchased the land adjacent to ours and built a house. It was like having our own compound. Forty acres, nine miles off of the highway, down a dusty, bumpy, dirt road. We were a mile off of the county road and at the end of a private drive, so we rarely had “drop-ins” by unexpected guests. My Dad got all crazy posting “Private Property” signs too, so it kind of gave you the feeling it was our neck of the woods- and only ours, lol.

My Aunt Farel was my life support during that time. During those tumultuous teen years when parents and children often collide, she was my saving grace.

We spent much time together, drinking in our surroundings and finding fun things to do. My Aunt decided that she wanted to try her hand at making soap and like any good helper, I was along for the ride. What started as a hobby in soapmaking soon blossomed into a business, and before you knew it “Timber Mountain Soap Company” was established at the Capital City Farmer’s Market in downtown Boise. I spent my Saturday mornings peddling soap with my Aunt, eating fresh baked bread from the local bread shop, and talking shop with the other vendors at the farmer market.

Over the years, my Aunt lovingly taught me the art of soapmaking. It was there on that mountain I fell in love with handmade soap and incorporating the art of Aromatherapy into everyday life. When she made soap, I made scrubs and lip balms. I used these skills to eventually start my own soap business.

In 2004, “Essentials by Jenny” was born.

See, I’m not good at naming things!

I can’t tell you how many business names I tried to conjure up before I just went with this one because I had to have a label on the soap before I could sell it!

It won by default. I’ve never been crazy about the name, but for five years, that was me. I loved it.

 

The knowledge of my lackluster ability to name my business came full circle one night after watching an episode of “The Office” with my husband and my brother-in-law, Jake.

http://youtu.be/oIFjpUFfSH0?t=3m30s

So here I am now.

It’s been a few years since I started blogging!