Friday, October 30

New Shaklee business cards and some good/bad stories

I am really excited about my new business cards that came in the mail this week! I wish we had a better camera to take clearer shots, but hopefully you can get the idea of how fun they are!

In a similar vein, I had a great conversation yesterday with a customer I hadn't heard from in awhile, but had ordered a lot in the beginning. Here is a basic reconstruction of the conversation:
A: "Hi Danielle! This is _______, ______'s mom."
D: "Hi! How are you?"
A: "Well, I just went to the doctor, and I have a horrible case of acute dermitis. About a month ago, I ran out of the powder Shaklee laundry soap and had some Tide at home, so I started using that. Well, it was the first thing the doctor asked about. How long before I can get some Shaklee laundry soap?"
D: "Wow. I'm so sorry! Well, if we order today [Thursday] it should come in by Tuesday or Wednesday. They're usually really fast. You know, though, A, you're welcome to come by my house and get powder for a couple of loads of laundry to hold you over."
A: "I might just do that because I can't wash any of my clothes. I'm in a hurry because I'm on my way to pick up my steroid cream for the dermititis, but I'll call you later. Can I just order online?"
D: "Yep. That might be easiest. Or, I can place the order for you."
A: "Okay, I'll just go ahead and order. And I'll call you back if I need to borrow some. Thanks."
I had to look it up on two different websites, so in case you didn't know, acute irritant contact dermatitis is "produced by local exposure to a primary irritating substance. Common substances that produce an inflammatory reaction in the skin include harsh soaps, bleaches, detergents, acids, alkalis, saliva and urine. This reaction occurs in all those who are exposed to the irritating substance, variation in the severity of the dermatitis depending on the condition of the skin at the time of exposure, the strength of the irritant, the location of the eruption and local factors such as perspiration and maceration....a single exposure to a substance causes an acute dermatitis, within minutes to hours after exposure. The course of events is: irritant substance penetrates the skin. Substance damages the membranes of skin cells. Cell damage prompts release of chemicals that trigger the immune system into action. This is called an inflammatory response. The chemicals involved (inflammatory mediators) include lysozymes, prostaglandins, histamine and kinins. Some inflammatory mediators cause increased blood flow while others attract further inflammatory mediators."
You know, all the time I can look at Shaklee's website or newsletter and hear stories of people who have found better health through Shaklee products. There's something different, though, when a "real life person" has a story to tell. That just made me think of another story: my friend just recently ran out of dishwasher detergent and went back to a store brand. If you're not in the habit of buying things online, I think it can be hard when you run out of something to reorder it. Instead, sometimes we do the easier thing and pick some up at the store when we're out anyway. I understand this. I used to do this all the time, but not much anymore. Anyway, so my friend had kind of forgotten about this until her dishes started to look spotty after being cleaned. She made the connection (or her husband did, I think, in this case!) and they reordered Shaklee!
People are often worried that "green" isn't as good. This may sometimes be the case with certain products, but it is not with Shaklee. That is why their promise is "Always safe, always green, ALWAYS WORKS."


Wednesday, October 28

Fun stuff happening this fall!

Obstacle course night with the fam.
Dad loves his boys (and girls!)

This is how "full" my life feels (and is!) these days

Owen took this of the entrance of our subdivision when we were driving in...
didn't he do a great job?!?

Selah's first playdate with her precious girlfriend Claire
(Can you tell it was hard to get these two active girls to stay put for a picture?)



Braden's hayride at Amazing Acres--me and all four kids!!!

Sunday, October 11

A Great Weekend


This weekend was a lot of fun for everybody in our family. Mom and Dad took the boys to the Indiana Dunes State Park for a wonderful time camping and hiking. Dad tells me this second camping trip has now officially become an annual event since "Grandma has already promised Kole next year we'll go on Trail 10." What a great tradition! The boys were in heaven and came back tired and happy--a great combination. I went to a Shaklee convention in Chicago with friends (yes, I may become one of those people!), and Karl worked, spent time with Selah (who also had a wonderful day with my friend Katie--thanks, Katie, for loving on my little girl!), and scored a goal in the Bethel College Alumni soccer game. He's such a stud :) It was also the first weekend of Crossroads North going "live." Karl spoke and I was on worship team. Now we're kind of like a church plant but still a Crossroads Community church--it's just instead of a video venue with the head pastor, Karl's speaking every week. I'm excited and so proud of him!

Tuesday, October 6

I love fall!












Our life continues to be slightly chaotic, but with a lot of fun times in the mix!!! Today was Owen's very first field trip to Thistleberry Farms with his Salem Preschool. I love fall! We had a lot of fun navigating the corn maze, jumping on the gigantic "pillow" and playing in the corn and hay playground (you should have seen Selah's hair after that little adventure :) )