I pray you’ve all had a fantastic, productive week -- I sure have! I'm moving into my second week of 2 new work projects and my last semester in grad school so, as you can imagine, I’m super busy and when you’re busy, stress is just waiting to rear its ugly head. Can’t let that happen! I’m introducing Ase Ire’s new series Pamper Yourself withtoday. This series will always appear at the start of the weekend to give you some ideas on how to treat yourself to a little “somethin’ somethin’” before you return to the grind on Monday.

The first person each of us should direct positive energy towards is the self. If you don’t feel good, you can’t help anyone else feel good, so you are the first person you should seek to love, coddle and pamper. I keep the stress at bay by always taking time to do special things for myself that recharge my positive energy.

One way I like to indulge myself is with baths, and one of my favorite bath additives is rose water. Now sure, you can buy rosewater but it’s just as simple – and to me, super satisfying – to make it yourself. Aside from being fragrant, rose water is also a great toner and is said to stimulate the nervous system among other benefits.

I made some rose water today out of t he gorgeous roses pictured above, which I received for my 30th birthday. I use a super-simple steeping method to make mine for the bath, but there is a more complex old-fashioned distillation method that you may want to try. Here’s how I make mine (yields about 2 quarts):

Step 1: Put a kettle or pot of water on to boil

Step 2: Place the petals of 1 dozen roses in a large glass bowl (about 2 quart capacity)
Note: Damask roses are traditionally used, but you can use any kind

Step 3: When the water is nice and hot (it doesn’t have to boil) remove it from the heat and pour it over the petals

Step 4: Cover with a large pot top and let steep for about 30 minutes or until the roses are pale and the water has cooled taken on the color of the roses

Step 5: Remove the petals, squeeze them out and strain the water into a vessel – I like to garnish mine with a few petals

Fresh rose water must be refrigerated, and can remain refrigerated for up to 7 days. Placed in a pretty, clear glass bottle (A Crown Royal bottle is perfect!) with some of the petals, this makes a beautiful gift!

I like to run a bath of hot water and pour the whole batch of cold rose water in. The bath water is then just the right temperature and it smells heavenly! Enjoy!

‘Funlayo