Saturday Scribbles Vol 25

Gena, Gwen, and I in line at registration.

I meant to have a post LAST Saturday about Seminar. That didn't happen do to being very tired and spotty wi-fi while I was in Dallas. And my kindle isn't on my data plan. So today is the Seminar post. It's very picture heavy. In fact, it's almost all pictures with captions.

Gena had never been to Seminar before, so we made sure that she got to take the tour of the Corporate Building.

Gwen in line for the bus to Mary Kay Corportate

Gena in line.

There were buses that took us from the convention center to the Mary Kay Corporate Building. While we were there, we had lunch in the dining room.

Gwen & I in line.

It was a lot of fun to take the tour. I'd not done that since my first Seminar. The building itself is pink granite and 13 floors. There were some scenes from the TV show Dallas that were filmed on the 13th floor. I think the conference room was used in one episode. But I never watched the show, so I really don't know.

MK Corporate

While we were at lunch, we ran into one of our sister consultants, Tina. It's so good to see Tina.

When we got back to the convention center, we wandered around the Expo. We got to see the new products, the cars, the holiday line, and of course the rings for next year's courts.

Since we don't have a National Sales Director, we are part of what is called the Go-Give Area. That means we have a semi-formal event on the first night there. Gwen was tired and stayed in the hotel room. Gena & I went for a little while. But we didn't stay long.

Lunch. Gena, Gwen, Tina

Outside of Mary Kay's Office

Thursday was a full day in the General Session. That night we loaded up with Laura & her husband and drove across town to the Magic Time Machine for dinner. The food was really yummy. Our table was in the hold of the Pirate Ship and Snow White was our waitress.

Tina & me

Court Rings

Friday had us in classes and then the Awards show that afternoon/evening. That's the really formal event we go to. It's always fun to see. It's like a combination of a Broadway show, Miss America, and the Oscars all rolled into one.

Hold of the Pirate Ship

Snow White, our waitress.

Laura, Gena, me, Gwen. I discovered the stickers on the Fire. 

Top Ten Tuesday - Goals, Goals Goals

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature over at the Broke & The Bookish. Feel free to join in.

With tomorrow being New Year's Eve and Thursday bringing in 2015, this week's topic is about goals for the new year. Reading goals. Blogging goals. Personal goals. What ever type of goals. In fact this past weekend at my Mary Kay event, my director had us write obstacles and challenges we've faced on one side of a board (actual wooden piece about 2 inches thick) and on the other side we wrote our goals. Then we break the boards with a nice big karate chop.  It really is a lot of fun and the first year I did it, I didn't think I could. But now I KNOW I can, and I always break it on the first try now.

The action shot of me chopping my board!

Over the years, I've found out that I'm not one to make New Year's Resolutions, because by the second week in January, I've broken them. But I like goals. Goals are something I can work towards. Maybe it's my Mary Kay training where we learn to make goal posters and track goals, but I find that for me at least, a goal is easier to reach than a resolution.

So here are my top ten, or rather five, goals for the new year. It's a combination of books, blogging, and personal.

1. I have a goal set to read 175 books this year. I'm pretty sure I can reach it thanks to the wonderful Goodreads challenge tracker. This past year, I set a goal of reading 140 books. As of the time that this was posted, I've read 166 books. Those are the ones that I remembered to mark that I'd read them. Here are all of the ones I read this year, officially. I'm thinking this year, I'll display them here on the blog's sidebar.

2014 Reading Challenge

Dawn has completed her goal of reading 140 books in 2014!

hide

166 of 140 (100%)

view books

2. For my blogging, I have a goal of only posting book reviews M-F, unless the publisher has a specific date that the book needs to be posted and it falls on a weekend. I want to save the weekends for blog posts about life, the universe, and everything. ;) Seriously, I'd like to keep the weekends free for anything that is not book related.

3. I have a goal of doing one giveaway every 3 months, because I'm horrible at remembering to mail out the packages. So for instance, a giveaway in January, one in April, one in July, and one in October. I think I can remember that.

4. The biggest goal I have in my personal life right now is regarding my job. I need something that will allow me to really stay focused on paying down my student loans while still providing for my needs. I'd LOVE to be able to drop between $2,000 and $3,000 a month onto my student loan and have it paid off (and then I'd be completely debt free) within two years. But to do that, I need a better job.

5.  I have a goal of earning my red jacket. I've actually got my eyes on moving into directorship. But this is my first step. All it takes for me to earn this is for me to have three active recruits. I'd love to share my story with you about what caused me to join Mary Kay and why I stay in it. Because this is a company that is about so much more than just lipstick. Sure we are a cosmetic and skin care company. In fact, you can look at my website to see our products. But it really is about so much more. And I'd love to share it with you. If you want to know more, then leave a comment on this post just saying "I want to know to know more about Mary Kay" and an email address where I can reach you.

At Seminar July 2014 "borrowing" a sister consultant's red jacket so I could see myself in it.

I'm sure that there are other goals I could set. But these are the ones that are the most important to me. 

What are some of your goals for the coming year?

My Mary Kay Weekend Specials

I hope that each of you, my readers, has had a fabulous Thanksgiving. I spent the day with my cat at my Mom's. Mom has the Hallmark channel, so I enjoyed several Christmas movies plus a couple of DVDs. It was a pretty quiet day. Just me and Mom. But it was still nice. I actually finished a ruby red scarf and got over halfway finished with a midnight blue scarf. I hope to finish the blue one today.

Anyway, since this is the biggest shopping weekend of the year, I am running all sorts of specials for my business this weekend. 

My first is the PINK FRIDAY Sale!

Here's the breakdown of it: 

• From 6am - 9 am - take 25% off your entire order
• From 9 am - 12 pm - take 20% off your entire order
• From 12 pm - 3 pm - take 15% off your entire order
• After 3 pm - take 10% off your entire order

You don't even have to live in the Houston area to shop with me. You can shop directly on my website! I offer free shipping on all orders over $75. 

Saturday is Small Business Saturday. Did you know that by supporting a small business, that 100% of the profits go back to support the local (in my case Houston) economy? I'm so serious. So my special for Saturday is simple:

• Every $25 spent will gain one entry into a pampering basket. Meaning if you spend $100, then you get 4 entries!
• Tax free all day long
• I'd love for you to be my guest at out Studio Bee from 8:45 am - 10:30 am, breakfast included, for Holiday Dash Out the Door Glamour and Mary Kay Jeopardy! Reservations are required by Friday at noon.

Sunday we celebrate my birthday. So in honor of my birthday, I am offering 37% off any ONE item as my Happy Birthday gift to you, my customer. 

Then Monday is Cyber Monday. How many of you will be sitting at work on Monday, shopping online? It's the biggest ONLINE shopping day of the year. All day long on Monday, I am offering FREE Shipping and 20% off all online orders only. These orders must be received via my website, Facebook (either my personal page or my business page), Twitter, or Email. I just need it to come some sort of way online.

And that's it really. In the past, my Thanksgiving weekend's sales average around $600 once all is said and done. I'd LOVE to be able to have a really strong sales weekend that will set the stage for a strong Holiday Season of sales. 

So whether you need a teacher gift (satin hands or a coffee & cream), a gift to say I Love You (NEW Thinking of Love eau de parfume), for the teen ( Mary Kay @play line or the Clear Proof Skin Care line), or you want stocking stuffers (lip glosses or lip sticks), I do have the perfect gift for you. And if you're local (within a couple of hours drive), I'll even gift wrap it for you!

You can find me here:

Website

My Mary Kay Facebook Page

Twitter

Email: d janis (at) mary kay (dot) com (I added spaces and spelled out the at/dot to prevent spammers)

My Phone number is listed on my website. 

Together We Can Make a Difference

Happy Tuesday my fabulous readers! I usually try not to have two posts in the same day, but this is just too awesome not to post today!

I wanted to share something that my Mary Kay unit is doing right now.

We are adopting the moms at one of the Houston area Women's Shelters for Mother's Day. Some of these women have come to the shelters from situations where they literally packed up and ran in the night and they have had to leave all of the"comforts" behind. Lip gloss would most likely be a "comfort."

So here's how we want to help out. Until May 11, we are asking for people to adopt a mom by purchasing a lip gloss for the mom. We don't know which moms will receive these lip glosses, but we do want each mom to receive one.

You may be asking "How can I be a part of it? Well it's simple really. Here's the details.

1. You buy a lip gloss for $14.00 (wholesale cost is $7...my profit would be $7). Remember this lip gloss will go to the mom and not physically to you.
2. I am paying tax/shipping (out of my profit of the lip gloss - about $2)
3. $2 from the purchase of each lip gloss will go directly to the shelter. (This is out of my profit)
4. $2 from the purchase of each lip gloss will go to the Mary Kay Ash Charitable Foundation for the fight against domestic violence. (This is out of my profit).
5. My profit from this is $1 for each lip gloss.

And that's it. If you are wanting to purchase one (or several), let me know in the comments that you want to help out. Make sure to leave an email address so I can contact you. If you're local, I can meet you to pick up the cash/check.  If you're not local to me (Houston area) and you still want to help, then that's GREAT! Tell me in the comments that you're not in Houston, but still want to help out. You can place an order for the lip gloss off of my website and put the coupon code of Adopt a Mom in the box at the checkout. All payments are secure and all major credit/debit cards are accepted.


And that's it. Really simple.

Also, if you are local and have no plans this Friday night - May 2. We are having Bingo night at my director's home from 6:30-9. Snacks will be provided. You can shop sales tax free, preview the new summer products, play Bingo, win prizes, participate in a raffle where the proceeds will benefit the Adopt-A-Mom program and just have a good time. I will need to know by Noon on Friday (CST) if you want to come.

Have a fabulous day, my reader friends!

A Princess, a Queen, and a Lady of the Realm

Yes, you did just read that title correctly. No, this isn't a book review (for once). Let me tell you about my journey of becoming a princess, a queen, and a lady of the realm. There will be pictures peppered throughout. :)

I just returned from Dallas for my Mary Kay Seminar. This year (in September), the company is celebrating their 50th anniversary, so Seminar was a bigger than usual party this year. What is Seminar? Well the best way to describe it is as the Oscars, a Miss America pageant, a Broadway show, and prom all rolled into one. Well that's really more Awards Night. But Seminar is the awards celebration for the Mary Kay sales force. It's where diamond rings are handed out. It's where dreams are born. It's where secrets are revealed. It's 3 and a half days of education and recognition.

My first Seminar experience was in 2010. And I took the tour of the Mary Kay Corporate and the factory. I'd never experienced something like that before. Mary Kay is a completely different culture. It's hard to really explain it. But, I digress. Let me tell you about this year.

I typically head up to Dallas a day early. I'm more rested and can have more fun. This year, I stopped at my cousin's in Waco the day before I needed to be in Dallas. It's always such fun to visit with Sharon and her family. In fact, one of the boys insisted that Sharon, Danika, and I play Disney Trivial Pursuit with him. Danika and I were on one team and Sharon and Tanner on the other. I've got to say that Danika and I did pretty good - especially on the categories relating to Disney movies we'd not seen (and I've seen A LOT!). Still it was a lot of fun. I then headed out to drive on into Dallas the next morning. It's only about a 2 hour drive from Waco into Dallas. I wanted to be there when registration opened at 10am to get my packet and start enjoying Seminar.

My invitations

So I'm there, in line, when my director Laura and her husband Glen arrived. I join them in line. I go and pick up my packet. Inside my packet there was a name badge ribbon - a blue ribbon that said I'd achieved
Sapphire level as a 4 quarter star. There were also two invitations in my packet as well. The first was to the All-Star Prize Party and the second one was to the Go-Give Area Reception for earning Princess Court. I'd never had invitations to special functions in my packet before. I was so excited. Of course we also got free product as well (part of the new Fall/Holiday line of the Fairy tales & Fantasy Collection and the new on-the-go set of the Clearproof Acne System).

Me & Laura in line at Registration

I've got to say. It's pretty special to be able to hang out with your director and her husband all by myself without having to share her with the other consultants. And that's what happened. Roxanne and her car load decided to take the tour of the Company, and Gwen and Lois were taking their time in coming up. So I spent the day with Laura and Glen. Which worked out really well since we had to be back at the Convention Center by 4:30 that evening for the Reception.

So Laura, Glen, and I head over to the Prize Area. I actually heard the woman checking invitations tell people who didn't have an invitation to step to the left, but she waved us on in. I had no clue what to expect in this prize lottery. I knew I'd basically be spinning a wheel and whatever it landed on would be my prize. But it wasn't quite like I'd imagined it.

Typing in my ID

There were computer terminals (sorta) where we typed in our consultant number and hit Enter. Then whatever prize popped up on the screen was the prize you got. There were handbags, jewelry, electronics, and more. They ranged in price from $20-$400. So I typed in my number and hit Enter. Up popped the Dooney & Burke red handbag. My first thought was "it's another purse." Then when it was handed to me, I saw that the price tag was still on it. It was a $338.00 hand bag! I've never owned something that expensive! I'd NEVER have bought myself one either. I took a picture of it with my phone and it quickly found it's way onto Facebook. Talk about a Cinderella prize. And that was only the beginning!

Laura & I with our prizes

That evening, I dressed up and headed out with Glen & Laura to the Go-Give Reception. I've never earned a special function before, so it was rather special.

Going into the Reception

When we got there, our invitations were checked and we were ushered into two lines. One for Princess Court and one for earning a National Court. We were handed a GORGEOUS necklace and earring set.

Our Necklace & Earring Sets

Then we got to eat finger foods and chocolate! Oh was there chocolate! Yummy cookies and pastries. Then we got early entry into the Awards seating. So we were able to snag a table and wait for the other ladies from our unit to join us.

Right before 6, they called for all Princesses, which I'm one, to line up and we would get to walk across stage! Are you kidding me? A stage walk?! Just for doing our job?! Well, yes, that's how Mary Kay works. Success is celebrated. So I took part in my first ever stage walk. Afterwards, Laura met me at the edge of the stage and she asked me how it felt. I told her that it was a little nerve wracking to walk across stage and be cheered on, but it was fun.

My First Stage Walk!

She told me that it's not much further to do Court of Sales as I'd done over $20,000 in retail (Court of Sales is $36,000). And honestly, it's a bit more believable now. It doesn't seem as hard.

The next night, our unit went to Medieval Times. This is a restaurant and a show. Did I mention it all takes place inside a castle? Oh and you eat your entire meal with your hands - there are no utensils! Our dress code for the evening was pink and black. Pink shirts and black capris, jeans, or skirts. We had our group photo taken with the Royal Falconer and the Falcon. We each were given a copy of it. Then we had to quickly do our unit awards so that the Queen would be read to be knighted by the King of the Castle. Having earned Princess Court and already being a Princess, it was no surprise to anyone in the unit that I was our unit Queen of Sales. My total sales for the year was $20,065.00. Which is by far the highest I'd ever achieved. So I was also Most Improved. All because something clicked in my brain last year. I remembered the words one of my sister consultants told me during my first year "The Company will do all sorts of contests throughout the year. Just focus on being a Star every quarter and you'll hit the Company Contests." So I did. I also learned to not watch the scoreboard to see where I was at but instead to track my progress.

Being Knighted!

Anyway, back to Medieval Times. The announcer called for me, and all of the Foxy Ladies ran over to the place where the Knighting Ceremony was taking place. I had on my crown, my sash, my feather boa, and the fun ring my director had given me. I was asked to kneel on the red velvet pillow, and the Royal Adviser draped a cape over my shoulders,   pulled my hair out to lay over the cape's collar, and face the King. The King had his sword and he talked about chivalry and honor before he touched first my right shoulder, then  my left, and finally my head with his sword. He announced to all there that I was knighted as a Lady of the Realm and Queen of my area. It really is hard to put into words all that I felt at that moment. It was awe-inspiring I guess is the best way to say it.

My Photo with the King & Lady of the Realm

We were then given permission to wander about the Castle until we were called for dinner. The feast itself was delicious. Soup & bread. Chicken, BBQ rib, and potato. Finished with an Apple Tart. All of which we ate while watching the tournament. The knights jousted, competed in sword fights, and everything that you'd imagine with a Medieval Tournament. We even got to see the falcon soar. It was a little funny each time that the bar tender came and asked for drink orders. He'd do a gentleman's bow and call me "My Lady." At one point he asked if I'd gotten a flower yet, when I shook my head no, he handed me one. As he moved on, Laura leaned over and said "He either thinks you're cute or is hoping for a large tip." I laughed as I replied, "Well it still won't change the fact that I won't be ordering any drinks from him." It was truly a magical evening.

I wore my crown through the rest of Seminar. On Friday when I got back to my hotel, I'd made arrangements with a friend who has a ministry to the homeless in Dallas to swing by and pick up a box of things I'd brought with me to donate. She wasn't able to meet me, so she sent someone who worked with her to the hotel to pick up the box. When her friend called me and asked how he'd recognize me, I told him that I have blonde hair, would be wearing a black skirt, white blouse, a purple sash, and a crown.

Foxy Ladies on Awards Night!

He was like ok. When I got home, I texted my friend to make sure that she'd gotten the box. She said yes and let me know that her friend said he'd never picked up donations from someone wearing a tiara before! We had a good laugh about it. I even wore the crown home. I stopped at Buc-ee's in Maidsonville on the way home for gas and to stretch. I had some of the funnest comments while I was there. "Is it your birthday?" "Every woman needs a tiara." And my favorite, "Look Mommy! A Princess!" Seminar was a wonderful experience and I am already looking forward to next year.

I set some goals for myself this year. First goal - be a four quarter star again. I'm already on my way to that one as I've just finished my Sapphire Star for this first quarter! Second goal - move into my red jacket. I'm ready to team build. So in order to team build, I need to find people who are interested in the company, or who may know someone who would be great at selling lipstick! So my readers, if you or someone you know may be good at this, contact me for more information. Third goal - go on target for my car.

Diamond Ring

My car is currently being held together on a wing, a prayer, and duct tape. Yup duct tape. Or at least that's what it feels like. In order for me to earn my car, I have to have a team. And you and your team work together to earn the car. Fourth goal - and it's scary to put this out there - earn Court of Sales. But I realize it's only $16,000 more in retail than what I did last year. And I was over halfway done with it this past year. Besides I'd love to earn a diamond ring.

Miracles happen if you believe

What an amazing month! Yesterday ended the Mary Kay year for me, and it was amazing. I've always heard over and over at Mary Kay events that June is the month of miracles and most of the miracles happen in the last 48 hours of the month. I never dreamed I'd see on happen to me.



One of the mirrored table lamps.



My biggest goal this past year was to be a consistent four quarter star consultant. Each quarter, I finished it up EARLY and not on the 15th of the month. And each quarter, I got a prize. The first quarter was a rustic iron blanket rack. The second quarter was a voucher for business supplies. The third quarter was a three piece tote bag, purse, and wristlet set. And for the fourth quarter I got a pair of beautiful mirrored table lamps.


I cannot wait to set them up on my nightstands by my bed! This month, at Seminar, I will have a special invitation to a special function for being a 4-quarter star consultant. And at that function, I will get to spin a wheel for an additional prize. I have no idea what prize I will get. I've been told there's everything from jewerly to electronics. So we'll just have to wait and see. Also, because I was a 4 quarter star consultant, I will be receiving a necklace with a star key on it.

At the end of May, my sales director, Laura, gave me my numbers for the year. I'd thought I was at about $12,000 retail, but I was wrong. I was actually closer to $16,000 or $17,000 - I don't remember which - and all of a sudden a new prize was within reach. That new prize was a chance to earn the National Princess Court of Sales for retail sales of $20,000 or higher. So I was between 3 and 4 thousand that I'd need to get in for the month. I set my goal for Princess Court and decided I was going to go for it. I knew I'd be placing an order around the 15th of the month that would move me up to the ruby level of star consultant. Once that order was placed, I had just a little over $2100 retail to do in 15 days. So I was going to work hard.



The jewerly that will be given at Seminar for earning Princess Court.



I let my customers know of some of the specials I had going on (discounts for coming to my meeting, etc). And I got to work calling, texting, emailing, meeting people, just going about my life. I had my eyes on the prize and I was going to work hard to reach it.

On June 12, I discovered a water leak in my apartment. Actually 3 leaks, and my apartment wanted me to pay for the damages because they were unable to get in to make the repairs. (Yes I'm a horrible house keeper and my apartment was a DISASTER!) So for the next several days, I was at the apartment tossing things out and cleaning up and just getting rid of things (hence the blog posts with books up for grabs) with the help of a friend and her teenage daughter. Truthfully, without my friend's help I'd never have gotten it finished. So my cat and I packed up the minimal things we'd need (litter box, cat food, cat carrier, clothes, etc) and headed over to my mother's. My mom was currently on vacation in Alaska and so we camped out there while repairs to my apartment got underway. Needless to say, we're still at my mom's as the apartment complex is still working on the apartment. The bathroom floor has been replaced and now they just need to do the sheetrock and I can move back in.

Yet, through being displaced, I still was working towards the goal of Princess Court. On June 22, I sent out several texts, emails, and Facebook messages to my customers asking for their help. I even did a blog post on the 23rd. I offered my customers a chance to be entered to win a pampering basket of goodies by spending $50 or more. Basically if a customer ordered $50, she got her name entered once, and then an additional time for every $50 past that. My customers responded. I had emails, texts, calls, and online orders coming in left and right. I'd write down what all they ordered on a sticky note, head to the apartment after work and pull the products and then plan my delivery trips. Because I was still working at my full time job and still reading books to review.

On morning of Saturday June 29, I'd gotten in $465.50 in sales since the texts were sent out on the 22nd and had no clue how the rest would come in the next couple of days. I went to my sales meeting that morning firmly believing that somehow, someway God would provide the amout that was left. My order was ready to go. I just needed the funds to show up in either my bank account or my propay account. With all of the sales and what was already in my bank account or propay account, I was sitting at $714.30. In short, I needed a miracle.

I arrived back at my apartment on Saturday morning after the sales meeting to check my mail. In my mail box was the typical stack of things - fliers, bills, a letter. Oh look a letter. I opened it up and I found a sweet note from one of my author friends that said "I believe in you. Use this to help finish your goal." The this was a check for $800. This author friend isn't a customer of mine. Just a friend who believes in me. I pretty much started crying right then. Because I knew God had just showed up in a really big way. So I stopped in the apartment office to pick up the package that was delivered on Friday (a book to review yay!) and to find out about when the sheetrock would be replaced. Then I headed over to the bank to deposit it into my account.

That $800 added to the total of $714.30 was pretty much the EXACT amount that I needed to finish. It was all in my bank account. On Sunday, I made a couple of product deliveries to people at church who wanted to pay via credit/debit card. So I get home from church, process their cards, and then place my order. My order ended up being $15 more than what I needed to complete Princess Court. Of course, I double checked my numbers about 10 times before hitting submit.

One thing I've learned through all of this is that God likes to do things in a BIG way. When it seems impossible, He moves in such a way that it can only be from Him. I didn't ask my friend to send a check. She just decided to do so.

The song lyrics (or at least part of them) from the song When You Believe by Whitney Houston kept playing through my mind.

There can be miracles
When you believe
Though hope is frail
It's hard to kill
Who knows what miracles
You can achieve
When you believe somehow you will
You will when you believe

When you believe...Miracles happen. I am proof of that today.

So what is your miracle?



Giveaway Winner and Mary Kay Goals

Happy Sunday to all my wonderful blog readers!

My Stealing the Preacher Giveaway ended yesterday and a winner has been chosen.

Thanks to random.org for selecting the winner.

The winner is Katie!!!! Congratulations. I've sent you an email asking for your address.

To those of you who claimed books from my getting rid of books posts, I will have them all in the mail on Saturday June 29. I've just not been able to make it to the post office yet.


Friends,
I need your help. I have a HUGE HUGE HUGE Mary Kay goal to finish on June 30. I am only $2200 retail sales away from earning the Princess Court. What is the Princess Court? Well it is a national court of sales where those in it will have done a total of $20,000 retail production from July 1 - June 30. This is my first time to ever be this close to being a princess. And I'm pulling out all the stops right now. How can you help me? I'm so glad you asked. All I need you to do is go to my website and place an order. For every $50 you order, you will get your name into a drawing for a pampering basket that I will give away on July 1. I will ship FOR FREE to anywhere in the US.

Mary Kay has all sorts of totally awesome products from fragrances (my personal favorites are the Dance to Life and Thinking of You) and body care (I love the body wash and shave) to three different lines of skin care (Botanicals, Timewise, and Timewise Repair). There are also mascaras, color products, lipsticks, etc. I'd link the catalog, but for some reason the link's not working.

The products are 100% guaranteed, and I promise that I will not sell your personal information. All credit/debit card purchases are processed through a secure server. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.

So my friends, I am really hoping that I can count on you to help me reach my biggest goal EVER!!!

Fundraiser for Anna Joy

Hello my wonderful blog readers. This month, I am not going to do a giveaway. I have something else in mind that will bless you far more than me giving away a book. Plus it's a chance to help out a child receive a miracle.

Meet Anna and the miracle she needs

My cousin Amy has a 5 year old daughter who joined our family this past summer. Anna Joy was born in China. Anna is such a sweetheart. I've only met her one time, but she's precious! Anna is deaf. In fact, she has a very rare form of deafness called bilateral Michel's Aplasia which is where her inner ears did not form properly before she was born.

There is a surgery, called Auditory Brainstem Implants, that may help Anna be able to hear. Anna is a candidate for this surgery, only she just missed the age cut off to have it here in the United States. There is a doctor in Italy who preforms this surgery on children, but does so only twice a year, and there was an opening for this February. Through an amazing and miraculous turn of events, God has provided the funds for the travel to Italy and the initial payment for Anna's surgery! My uncle, Amy, and Anna are in Italy right now as I write this.

The miracle that is needed is the funds for Anna's surgery. The surgery is very expensive and without help, there is no way that Amy or her parents could afford it. One of Amy's friends has set up a fundraiser of t-shirts for sale with the proceeds all going into a fund for Anna's surgery.

You can follow along on Anna's story here. 


I wanted to do something to help out too. I purchased one of the t-shirts, but also wanted to help out beyond just that. The idea I describe below came to me and together so quickly that I know it was from God. Having never run a Mary Kay Fundraiser, I didn't know what to do. I have a friend who has just successfully completed a fundraiser with lip glosses and a donation to her local battered women's shelter in memory of a co-worker who was murdered. I texted my friend to get the details of how she did it. This was late last night. She texted me back to tell me what all she did, and I thought "I can do that too. Only I'll sell hand cream instead of lip gloss."

Here's how you can help

I will be selling Mary Kay Fragrance Free Hand Creams for $12 each. This price includes tax and shipping if I need to mail it to you. $5 from each hand cream will be donated to Anna's Surgery Fund. I am making no profit off of these.

Provides 24-hour moisturization in a fragrance-free formula.

• Luxurious formula absorbs quickly.
• Provides a protective layer on hands that lasts through several hand washings.
• Clinically tested for skin irritancy and allergy.
• Dermatologist-tested.

The hand cream is one of the best selling items Mary Kay has in it's line. The fragrance free hand cream is great for men, women, or children.

The hand cream is great for you or as a gift for someone else. 

My goal is to raise $300 for Anna's Surgery. Which means I need to sell at least 60 hand creams.

To order one (or several), please leave a comment with your name and an email address I can reach you. Or if you want, you may email me directly at dawn(dot)janis(at)gmail(dot)com.

Do not order these from my website as this is something I am offering out of my own personal inventory and not directly through Mary Kay.

I will take cash, check, or credit cards. If you are worried about your credit card being secure, let me assure you that I run the cards through a secure connection and if you want to pay via credit card, then you can let me know when I contact you.

If you are local (Houston area) I will be delivering the hand cream personally. If you are out of town, I will ship it to you. I will deliver to you, arrange to meet you somewhere, or ship to you once my current order 60 hand creams arrives, which should be the early part of next week as the order was just placed this afternoon.

I will run this fundraiser until March 14th (so I can make deposits at the bank), and will place a final hand cream order with Mary Kay on March 15th.

Remember that I am not making any profit off of this! All proceeds will go towards Anna's surgery!

Please feel free to share this on FB, Twitter, etc. And please prayerfully consider how you can help.

Giveaway

It's one of my best friend's birthday today. So I'm going to do something special just for fun.

Today I'm going to give away 4 Love Inspired Historical books to one person. This will last until Friday, April 6th when I pick a winner. I'll mail out the books on Saturday April 7th.

The books are:

The Protector by Carla Capshaw

Highland Hearts by Eva Maria Hamilton

Wanted: A Family by Janet Dean

A Gentelman's Homecoming by Ruth Axtell Morren

Here's how to enter:
1. Leave a comment telling my about your best or most memorable birthday.
2. To gain additional entries leave a second comment telling me these things (1 entry per item you tell me):

• following my blog
• Tweet about the giveaway (you need to mention me in the tweet - DawnJanis)
• Like my business's facebook page - Dawn's Mary Kay Business Facebook Page
• Register on my business website Dawn's Mary Kay website

Please include your email address in your comment so that I know how to reach you if you win. You can use this format to leave your email address dawn(dot)janis(at)gmail(dot)com

Forgot to say that I can only ship to the US.

Irrational Fears and New Goals

I have an irrational fear. That's of hospitals. I'm ok if I'm going to visit a new mom or doing something Mary Kay related, but to actually go and visit someone in the hospital -- that's terrifying for me. A couple of years ago when the woman I've adopted as my grandmother had to have knee replacement surgery, I went and visited her the day after her surgery. She wasn't in ICU or anything like that. Just a regular room. I literally sat in the car for 10 minutes before walking in. And through the entire visit, I was extremely tense. I can pinpoint exactly when this fear started. I was 11 years old and Daddy had died. True he didn't actually die in the hospital, he'd collapsed at breakfast, but the hospital is still what I remember vividly. Since that time, hospitals terrify me. In fact, one of my favorite books, Donovan's Daughter by Lori Wick, is my favorite because of how I relate to the main character, Marcail.

Marcail has a fear of doctors and finds herself married to one. Her fear stems from the doctor who diagnosed her mother's illness and shortly after her mother died. While I don't fear doctors, it's the same concept for me with hospitals.

But I'm slowly making strides. Yesterday I'd invited myself over to my cousin's for dinner. I do that pretty regularly, so it's nothing really new. Earlier this week, my uncle had been put in the hospital for a heart cath. He ended up needing to have a triple bypass surgery. And then he had a bleeder, so they opened him up again to stop it. Which they did and he's doing ok. Needless to say, he's still in the hospital, ICU basically. So instead of dinner and a movie at my cousin's, we went to visit my uncle in the hospital. For the first time, I really was ok. I didn't actually go back and see him as his visitors were restricted to immediate family only, so I visited with my aunt, my uncle's sister, and his daughter in the waiting room. I know that the only reason I didn't have to give myself a pep talk was because I didn't actually see my uncle. That and I'd been praying before hand for the strength to go. I'm nowhere near over the fear, but I am making progress.


I've decided to set some new goals for my business. We have a brand new skin care line, Botanical Effects. Here is the new e-catalog featuring this line. So my goals. I want to facial a minimum of 30 people in the month of March to try the new botanical line. I want to do another 30 in April, and another 30 in May. Which means I need to call my customers to tell them about this new line and ask them to be on my panel to try it. I've been using it for a week and I love love love it. And I need to hold parties all 3 months so that I will also have the sales and even possibly earn my red jacket. So March I'm focusing on skin care. I have a few samples of the botanicals I'm sending to a few of my customers who live out of town/state.