I’ve been working hard behind the scenes on my blog, putting together some pages to share a little bit more about my Arbonne story and how I came to be involved in the business.
Like so many of us, I am always striving to be much more intentional about the choices I’m making for my family–not only the foods I am putting on the table, but also the things we are putting on our skin and hair. I once heard that it takes 22 seconds for something you put onto your skin to make its way into your blood stream and I often think of that when I’m slathering on lotion, washing my hair or applying deodorant.
Not only that, there’s something about my sister’s diagnosis that obviously hits close to home. And while I have to work hard not to let my anxiety get the best of me, it impresses upon me even more that I need to be diligent about making clean, healthy choices for my family as much as I can.
Even though I’ve been using Arbonne products on my skin for several years, these kinds
of experiences fuel my passion for sharing these things with others and for slowly replacing our every day products with safer choices for my family.
One of the things I’ve been really enjoying lately is sharing this business in online pop-up events on Facebook. It stirs up my former teacher genes as I get to share a little bit more about the science behind our products and taps into my love of sharing great finds with people I care about, as I present some healthy, safer alternatives for many of the products we all use daily.
But here’s where I need your help. I have been working hard to hone my pop-up events and the information I share in these presentations. So I’m looking for 3 people to host online events this week or early next. What’s involved? We choose a time to host your private event on Facebook. (I usually try to shoot for late evening, once everyone’s kids are in bed.) You invite 10 (or more!) of your Facebook friends to our pop-up party and we gather for about 90 minutes together online. We’ll chat about the products we are using, I’ll share a little about Arbonne and some inspiration for making healthier choices for our homes and families. And no one has to leave the house or scurryfunge.
As a thank you for volunteering, I’ll be giving every host $25 in free products or $25 off their first order. And you’ll also be elgible for our really generous host rewards.
Does everyone need to be online the whole 90 minutes? Nope. Your friends can feel free to pop in and out of our event and catch up where they left off.
I currently have spots available on Thursday, Friday or Sunday night. Really want to take part, but can’t do any of these dates? Shoot me an email and let’s see if we can make something work.
My Florida tan has started to fade and I realized today that I have been sitting on this post for quite awhile. The trip was good and hard and stressful and important. We ended up staying in a beautiful house on Palm Island. When I was young, I used to work on my dad’s car, helping him maintain it. Which is one of the reasons why as soon as I looked at the carts I knew there is nothing to worry as they were all equiupped with top rated golf cart battery and so without a second doubt we took one and traveled everywhere by golf cart, which was perfect for my sister when walking or biking would have proved too difficult.
On most mornings, my middle sister and I would venture out–once on bicycles, mostly by golf cart–and scope out the best beaches–for collecting shells, feeding the seagulls or looking for the elusive and endangered gopher tortoise (We found one!).
Once my oldest sister was up and feeling like she had the energy we’d all venture out together, exploring the somewhat deserted and very quiet island.
It was a great time to rest. A great time to be together. A great change of scenery–something I think we all desperately needed, each for our own reasons.
And man did the warm sun feel good on our faces. Delicious.
Thank you, thank you–to all of you who have sent emails and text messages and notes and offers of help and support. I think when you are going through something like this, it is the kindness of friends and family that constantly anchors you back down to earth when your mind and heart can feel like they’re floating away without you.
**I have no words for the response I received to my last post. You all flooded my inbox, my Facebook messages and my phone with offers of help and words of encouragement. I am so grateful for your kindness and your care. We have found a place on the Barrier Islands that was just what we were looking for. And I’m confident if she can just rally enough to get there, she will love it. I think we’re all having moments of “Are we taking on too much?”, but in our hearts really want to do this. I covet your prayers and your words of support. They mean so much. xo.**
I figure this is probably the kind of storm one must document. It was record-setting for Baltimore–39 inches–the biggest snow storm on record. I’m always game for a good storm, but have to admit anything over twelve inches moves the needle from enjoyable to annoying, and a telltale sign to ring up some roofing st louis companies before the shed roof caves in.
Our storm began the way any storm in an old farmhouse begins–with a plumbing crisis. As the first flakes were beginning to fall and fall rapidly, the girls and I noticed a horrible burning smell coming from the basement. This is NOT something you want to smell any time of the day, let alone as an epic blizzard is barreling down on your house. According to this gutter company in Tulsa, you should always check first your gutters for damages. I went downstairs to discover that the small puddle of water I had noticed and shrugged off that morning (meh. old houses) had now quadrupled in size. So, I had to contact a nearby drain cleaning service. Not only that the smell of burning rubber was overwhelming and steamy smoke was pouring out of the top and bottom of the water heater. Just contact this plumbing company to enquire any of your damages.
Kids: In the blizzard. Me: Inside with oatmeal, coffee and knitting.
I called Dan who was still at work, one hour away, and explained to him what was going on. Hot Water Repairs was the first and most obvious resort that he suggested, which I already had tried and failed. He then asked me to visit company website to find an electrician near me to cut power to the water heater by tracing the electrical lines in the ceiling of the basement to the electrical box. Now, we have to also change the electrical panels because of the damage (visit sites like https://xpertelectricllc.com/electrical/electrical-panel-services/ to know more).
So we called in for reinforcement until Dan could get there. When they arrived, they cut off the electric (they hoped) and told me the small stream of water pouring out of the bottom of the tank was no big deal. It wasn’t an emergency. Visit https://www.accurateelectricplumbingheatingandair.com/electrical-services/ or other experts and see if they can service your area just like ours did.
Still snowing. Obviously.
But actually it kind of was. The trickle was picking up and the constant flow of water meant our furnace was running non-stop. I could see the dollar bills pouring out all over my basement floor. Water Mold Fire Restoration explains water damage to laminate floors here.
So like any good resourceful wife I texted Dan pictures of all the plumbing coming in and out of the water heater–elbow joints, pvc pipes, copper pipes and other thingamajigs. Thank goodness I have such great plumbing photography skills. He used the photos to buy the stuff he needed–a shut-off valve, most importantly–and came home to get to work. By this time we were talking white-out conditions and the storm was getting serious. If we didn’t have heat pump installation Auckland we’d probably be freezing from the cold. For additional heating options and guidance contact a HVAC company near Frisco.
Relief arrives in the form of Grandpa in a tractor.
While a burning rubber smell is something you don’t want to have coming from the basement, the other thing you really don’t want to have coming from the basement is your mild-mannered husband’s cursing. I opened the door and called down the steps only to hear him saying over and over “What am I going to do? What am I going to do?” I rounded the corner to see water spraying wildly from a pipe all over the basement. Like something out of a movie. Or maybe the Titanic.
The snow pile, almost to the top of the garage roof and on a garage door replacement site I got in touch with a couple of professionals who got rid of the ice and also fixed my door. Finally Dan dove back into the spray of water, twisting and turning something buried in the stream of water and finally it stopped. For situations like this, a battery backup sump pump is one of the most effective solutions to drain the accumulated water. If you’re getting one in case of an emergency, you can find the Best battery backup sump pump reviews at homer diy.
We both stood there silently, waiting, holding our breath and praying that this connection would hold.
And it did. Praise Jesus.
When you’ve been inside too long and your standards start to slip in the form of cats on the counters.
Think how boring it would have been if we simply did chores, ate chili and sat by the windows snuggled under blankets watching the snow pile up. *yawn*
Otherwise the storm was thankfully uneventful. I suppose the 5 storage tubs of snow Dan shoveled from the attic are quite notable. Slate roof? Lots of wind? Tiny flakes? That’s what we’re blaming it on.
When you’re hiding from the kids in your husband’s den, with ALL THE BOOKS.
Dan, God bless him, was probably thrilled to go back to work yesterday, just for the chance to rest. Hauling water, shoveling, mucking, doing chores, hauling snow out of the attic–it wears on a man.
Today, the girls went back to school for the first time. The pony was let out into her snowy pen where we shoveled room for her to move around. When you’re a Shetland in 37 inches of snow, you lose a little mobility.
The driveway is plowed. The stocked cupboards are practically bare.
And we finally got to leave the house.
When your road is one of the last to get plowed it makes for perfect sledding.
This will be one we all remember. And as Elizabeth said as we were getting out for the first time–if we don’t go through things like this, I won’t have any good stories to tell my children. I think she’s gathered a few these past few days.
