A Look Back at the Past Year

I've been so busy this past year setting up two stores and all the accoutrements that go with them, that I haven't had time to just sit down and write. Today is the day!

Looking back on the past year (which went by extremely quickly, by the way), I can see how much I've changed as a person. I went from being unemployed for two years with no real long-term plan in mind, but somewhat happy, to running two stores, two websites, becoming a very spiritual person who is much more aware of the living and those who have passed before us, much more content with life, and someone who can help others heal. I have also learned how much that takes out of me and that I need to learn to say no once in a while (really have to work on that). I am also on our town's Historical Society board now, a member of The International Paranormal Society, and still find time to be a Cub Scout leader.

I've also found one of my spirit guides, Caroline, who I discovered has been instrumental in helping me but I never knew about her. Many things in my life that didn't make sense to me now do. My fear of water is hers, the color yellow, the victorian style clothing and romantic decor. I wish she were alive today, we would be good friends. She lived near the bridge in the picture above.

Now I'm expanding my empire again; we have added a Seance Room and we're opening a fine art gallery next to Heaven and Earth Essentials. We have events in the store, like Yoga, Evenings of Tea, Wiccan Night, paranormal events, and other classes.

I thank my good friends that I've met this past year for all the encouragement and help. Not a day goes by that I don't thank the universe for them and wish them blessings. Peace and love to everyone, and may this year be filled with good health, success, and joy.

What's Up, Doc?

Carrots are endowed with the ability to smooth, heal, protect, and slow down the natural aging process of the skin. And they are easy to obtain--either from the store or your garden.

To make a healing carrot mask, peel 3 medium carrots and steam them until soft. Mash the carrots to make a fine paste and add 2 Tblsp of honey, which cleanses and moisturizes the skin.

For dry skin, add 2 Tblsp of olive oil. For oily skin, add 1 teasp of fresh lemon juice. If you desire a smoother texture, stir in a small amount of water. Then wash your face and neck with warm water and pat dry. Apply the mask evenly to the face and neck area, and allow it to set for 15 minutes. Rinse with warm water and pat dry.

You can also use your juicer to make a fine carrot tonic to help your insides too. Start with carrots, honey to taste, some celery, and anything else that suits your fancy. Enjoy!

4 Minerals Essential for Gorgeous Skin

Did you know that your body requires specific minerals for your skin? Of course you did. Do you know what they are? Here's a reminder:

Our bodies need 4 minerals in particular for gorgeous skin: iodine, silicon, sulfur, and zinc. If you get the right amounts of these minerals, chances are your skin will be more resilient, luminous, and healthy.

Where can you get these minerals? You can purchase expensive facial products that are advertised on even more expensive television and internet ads, or you can get these minerals from natural sources.

These natural sources include: Iodine~eating fish, shellfish, kelp, or blue-green algae; eating sunflower seeds; and using iodized salt or sea salt. Using our Ocean Splendor Salt Scrub helps too, it contains Dead Sea Salts. Or try a Seaweed soap or bodywrap. Silicon~eating apples, berries, beets, onions, almonds, peanuts, grapes, and more. Sulfur~eating turnips, soybeans, lean meats and fish, eggs, asparagus, onions, celery, and more. Zinc~Echinacea root, wheat germ, pumpkin seeds, milk, eggs, oysters, beans, green leafy veggies, and more.

It's as easy as that!

What are the benefits, you ask? How about increasing oxygen consumption and metabolic rate in your skin and aiding in healing skin infections--which help prevent roughness and premature wrinkles!

Without these minerals, your skin may be dry, have poor tone, be slow to heal, and have poor skin metabolism.

So eat some fish, use some sea salt, have some sunflower seeds! Be healthy in this new year without spending a lot of money doing it.

Shower Time as Happy Time? Not Today...

This morning in my usual happy shower time, surrounded by my many jars and bottles of fabulous-scented bath products, I was planning out my day, making my internal list of things to do, my mind running 1000 miles an hour. I admit it, I wasn't focused on what I was doing.

Oh, I wish I had been focused. I am a self-proclaimed Sugar Scrub addict, lotion addict, hair care product addict, and then some. I love my fancy soaps, sitting pretty in their crystal dish like the jewels of a crown. I love getting compliments on how my hair smells as I walk by someone in a store. Okay, I like to smell good and I do it for myself more than for anyone else. So...?

So this morning in the shower as I'm thinking I'm also grabbing for my favorite jar of hair conditioner. It's the kind that you savor, you don't use it every day, but for when you want to feel extra special. It's in an older, fancy, plastic jar. Or should I say, "It WAS."

Yes, I dropped it. Only it didn't bounce...it didn't roll...it BROKE. It sat there on the floor of the shower, sitting upright, and I thought, "Oh, good, it's okay, only about half spilled out. Whew." I picked it up. The bottom and part of a side were still sitting on the shower floor, with my fabulous conditioner now inching toward the drain.

I didn't cry. Not really...I mean, it's only hair conditioner, right? But it was my favorite! My special treat! I hurriedly scooped as much as I could off the shower floor and then tried to figure out--with hands full of conditioner--how to open another container and add it to the existing product inside. (Not an easy feat, let me tell you.) In the end, I did manage to save about a fourth of the container. But it made me think.

I MUST really be a hair-care product addict if I'm willing to scoop my hair conditioner off my shower floor so I don't lose it! (Good thing I just happened to have cleaned the shower yesterday, although I don't think that would have stopped me.)

I felt I just had to confess. And yes, my hair looks and smells fantastic as I'm writing this, so it's all worth it. :)

Parent-Teacher Conferences, or My Kid isn't the Stinky Kid!

A few weeks ago we had parent-teacher conferences at school. After the initial pleasantries, the very first thing out of my third-grade son's teacher's mouth was a compliment on how nice he smells every day. I had to laugh out loud, of course, and she looked at me as if to say "What did I say?".

We women know that our families are a reflection of us. If our spouses/boyfriends/children/even pets are out in public and they look good and smell good, we're judged that we are doing a good job. If not...well, it's not THEIR fault, it's OURS. Because we didn't take the time to pick out their clothes, get them bathed, haircuts, etc.

Isn't that funny? I know in my household I've trained my boys with this philosophy. One look at them and they know to go back into their rooms and pick something else to wear. Or there's the look that means "Did you actually shower? With soap? Because...wow...you need to try that again."

I'm especially aware of all this because we live in a small town and I have a bath and body products business. If anyone is stinky around here, it reflects poorly on me! So even our dogs smell good.

Alex's favorite scent for everything used to be our Blueberry Waffles, but now with our 2010 Holiday Elegance Collection, he has a new favorite: Milk and Cookies. And he smells fabulous (for a nine-year-old boy)! Thank goodness, now I can worry about other things. Like getting him to clean his room.

5 Things You Can Do with Old Perfumes

Do you have older perfumes that you aren't sure what to do with? You don't really want to wear them, even though you still like them, but you don't want to throw them out? You could try adding them to other products. Here's some suggestions:

We offer unscented products. Why not give new life to your old perfumes by adding them to a product? For example, try our unscented Shine On Shampoo. Add a little bit of your old favorite perfume to it, mix it up, and voila'! A new version of your old perfume.

Or how about adding it to some Ocean Splendor Salt Scrub or our Whipped Sugar Scrub? It doesn't take much, but you'll smell beautiful and have smooth, silky skin afterward.

You could even add a couple drops or mists to your bath, with some of our Therapeutic Bath Salts or Himalayan Pink Salt chunks.

Or maybe you want to add it to lotion. Our Emollient Lotion is wonderful for your skin, and when you add a couple drops or a mist of your favorite perfume to it, it's got your signature on it.

There's many things you can do with your old perfumes, get creative! Don't let them sit in a drawer or cabinet or gather dust in your boudoir--use them, wear them, enjoy them! It's why you bought them in the first place.

Bad Shopping Experience is an Opportunity

I like to think about bad experiences as opportunities. If I don't learn from that experience, the universe is bound to present me with another one, similar in nature, to make her point. So learn I do.

I recently ordered some products online from a company whom I had never ordered before. I was excited about getting my goodies in the mail; I had ordered something that was fun and just for me. (I don't do that very often.)

I received my automated order confirmation. So I waited. Patiently.

After several weeks, I hadn't received anything and was worried. The items all said "in stock". So I emailed the small company. I eventually got a response but it was basically a copy of the order confirmation. Thanks.

I waited some more, then emailed again, inquiring about the status of my order. "OMG! I've been sick. I'm sorry." More than a week later, I finally received my package. Six weeks total wait time.

Inside the package, I found my order. I expected to find a note or something from the one-person shop's owner, who I'm sure would want to retain me as a customer. Nothing. Not to mention that I was disappointed in the order itself.

I had been so excited about this purchase, but when it finally did arrive, all I felt was disappointment. Needless to say, they lost a repeat customer.

So, after having said all this, here's what I learned:

1. I don't want any unsatisfied customers.
2. I will always do everything in my power to ensure that orders go out in a timely manner.
3. I will always ensure that every order has extra goodies in it--from a handwritten thank-you note to samples, and more. Every HaEE customer is special and your orders are too.
4. If we do make a mistake, we will admit it, rectify it, and make it up to you. We will never just ignore you and "hope" that you place an order again with us someday. We will work even harder to make up for our mistake.

Feeling dissatisfied with a product or company shouldn't be an everyday occurrence. You should enjoy the product you purchased, be satisfied with the relationship between you and the product's company--because you are ultimately in the driver's seat. Our businesses exist because people want to purchase a particular product and want to be able to trust the company that makes and/or sells the products you purchase.

I want Heaven and Earth Essentials to be that kind of company.

If you ever have an issue with any of our products, I want to know about it so I can personally fix it. Of course, if you love something we've created, I'd enjoy hearing about that too.