Can You Believe I Won?!

I’ve won the occasional online giveaway of a Kindle book here and there and a couple times, won an actual book, as opposed to a digital one. And truly, I love those gifts, because I love to read!

But this is the first time I’ve won a GARDEN GIVEAWAY! And I couldn’t be more thrilled!!!

Brijette over at the San Diego Seed Company‘s channel on Youtube recently celebrated her 10,000 subscriber mark by hosting a giveaway.

We’re fairly new subscribers to her Youtube channel, but we’ve been enjoying the content she puts out. It’s extremely educational and – bonus for us – it is targeted to those growing in Zones 9 and 10 of the Plant Hardiness Zones. That is perfect for us here in central Florida.

I was super ecstatic to receive the message that I won that giveaway!!! I giggled and squeeeeed and clapped and kept saying, “I won! I won!” Honest…you can ask my husband. I was *that* excited!

My box arrived yesterday. It was full of awesome goodies that I can’t wait to use.

So…first thing…this insect spray.

I’ve been so nervous to choose something to use in my garden. I don’t want to use chemicals and I don’t want lose my crops to bugs either. But I had no idea which product to use. Well, now that problem is solved. I’ll be using the Insect Killing Spray by Safer to spray on anything that’s munching on my garden babies.

These lovely plant clips were also in the package Brijette sent.

The reason they’re so cool is that they are made from corn and are biodegradable. If they accidently get caught up in any spent vegetable matter that’s headed to my compost bin, they won’t be leaching plastics into the compost.

These awesome things are called Tomahooks! They’re for growing tomatoes!

These gadgets are used to grow tomatoes in the lower and lean method. Brijette does a video to explain what that means, and I can’t wait to try these out.

Next is this awesome white shade cloth.

We used shade cloth this past summer to cover our sitting/potting area and to cover some of our veggies that were in 5-gallon pots. It does an incredible job of dropping the temp in that area by several degrees. That is a great thing during the hot spring and summer days here in Florida. The cloth Brijette sent is white, which will reflect that sun even more, and there’s a really good-sized piece of it.

And the calendar! Oh my goodness…it’s a thing of beauty!

Every month’s page is full of tips, information and helps for planting in our Zone. She lets you know which seeds should be sown each month and how to adjust for the weather as it warms up. It’s a treasure trove of info for the backyard gardener!

And lastly – these seeds!!!

Brijette was incredibly generous with this seed collection. There are veggies, flowers, fruits and gourds. I was just overwhelmed by the variety. I told Doug we might need to lay out new garden beds just to get them all in for this season.

And here’s the really cool thing about these seeds, the San Diego Seed Company has grown each and every one of these seeds. Much of their farm is designated for growth of plants to harvest the seeds. They grow heirloom, non-gmo, organic plants in a sustainable way for their area. These seeds are adapted to their growing conditions and are therefore healthier and stronger for farmers in those same zones. I’m excited to try them out!

All in all, can you believe this awesome package of goodies I received??? I am just so grateful for small business owners who reach out to help others grow and improve their skills. It’s a very generous practice and it will grow a successful, loyal customer base for their products. Pretty smart, if you ask me!

Thanks for checking out my prizes! I’ll let you know how everything goes.

In Him,

Alesha Kay

Just FYI

I entered the Southern Magnolia Minerals Holiday Giveaway Extravaganza!

Learn more about it here: http://tinyurl.com/b7en57a

 

You can also read my post about this Customer Service STAR business here:  A Business Closed on Sunday?

 

🙂

Another Customer Service STAR

 

I'd like to share with you another wonderful company that I've discovered!  This gem of an Etsy shop I found on Pinterest…imagine that!

The shop is called "Francesca Baby" and is owned by a sweet lady named Sally Webber.

I was so intrigued by the lovely baby things in her shop that I contacted her to see if she would be willing to make something for Isaac.

Not only was she willing, but she also quickly sent us 3 handsome bibs for Isaac to try.  I chose the Dr. Seuss print.  You can see for yourself, they are fabulous!

 

Francesca Baby

Isaac looked so great in that yellow "Thing 1" print…or is it "Thing 2"???

Here are the other 2 prints:  Rainbow and Red Thing 1…or 2.

 

Francesca Baby

 

Each bib has a very strong snap at the back.  (Yay – no more tying on bandanas!)  I have seen Isaac pull on these bibs, too, but he has not been able to unfasten the snap!

 

Francesca Baby

 

The back of each bib is "Oh So Soft Minky" which makes the bib incredibly soft and wonderfully absorbant.  I have not seen any dribbles on Isaac's shirts while he was wearing these bibs.

 

Francesca Baby

 

He really seems to enjoy them.  There is much less material bunched around his neck than with the usual bandanas.

 

Francesca Baby

 

Sally is giving my readers with special needs children a special deal, too! 

She is offering us 1 bib for $9-$10, depending on the size.  Isaac weighs almost 70 pounds, and his bibs measure as follows:  13 inches from the neck to the bottom tip and 15 inches around the neck opening. (This is substantially larger than her baby bib size, so that's good for those of us with big boys and girls!)

 

Francesca Baby

 

If you are interested in ordering a *special* bib from Sally, please email her at the email address on her business card above:  sfwbaby@gmail.com

Be sure to tell her that you read about her bibs on my blog!!!

By the way, the Dr. Seuss is not her only prints for the baby bibs.  You have to check out her modern, whimsical, and elephant/giraffe bibs too.  She also has bib and burpcloth sets and wet bags.

(The baby bibs were so adorable that I could not resist picking up a couple for my newborn girl cousin, too!  This is one of the few times that I was wishing Isaac was a girl – SO many CUTE prints!)

I'd love to hear if you order a bib from Sally.  They are a truly quality item and I believe that you will be completely satisfied with your purchase.

Blessings,

Alesha

A Business Closed on Sunday?

Gasp!

Incredible! Unthinkable! Amazing!

How will their business ever florish???

Well, this Customer Service STAR business is doing just fine, thankyouverymuch!!!

I've mentioned here before that I found an online company who makes a mineral makeup that I really like.

This week I received an email newsletter from the company, and I knew I had to share part of the contents with you.

Here is the excerpt:

Email us at barb@smmcosmetics.com

 

 "Why be able to shop on the weekends, if you are not going to be able to help me?  Don't advertise 24/7 if you can't be here to help me.  I can only shop on Sundays and was going to make a significant purchase, but refuse to spend my money on a business that doesn't respect their customers enough to stay open."  Maggie 

 

 Hi Maggie. WOW. I am so bummed and pretty much taken aback by your email.  Unfortunately, I will not apologize for being closed on Sundays.  I can only say that if it wasn't for God, I wouldn't be open the other 6 days a week.  To be honest, I love and respect my customers and dedicate myself to each of them 5-6 days a week.  But I dedicate every day to God and if that means losing a customer because I close on Sunday, then so be it. I wish you the best in finding a makeup company who can accommodate your needs.  Be beautiful, Barb  

 

 ***I just want to clarify with everyone that when I say 24/7, I mean our website is always open 24/7 for your shopping convenience.  Our staff is here Mon-Fri 9-5, and I am here Mon-Fri (most Saturdays) from 9-til whenever!  I know alot of you get tickled because I am answering emails at midnight most nights!!  We do have live chat support Mon-Thurs 11am-4pm available on the site when you have questions too, and you can post on our fanpage at facebook.***  

 

If you have a question or comment for us, send an email to: barb@smmcosmetics.com  Your question or comment could be featured in our next newsletter!

 

Needless to say, I was impressed with Barb's response; and in my experience, the customer service that they practice the other six days of the week more than makes up for their taking Sundays off.

 

Here is their website:

 

Southern Magnolia Mineral Cosmetics

 

Here is the story of how she got started in the makeup business:

 

More about SMM

 

I have loved  every product that I have received from them.  They also sell refills, which I love!  AND I have gotten free samples with every order. :)  What's not to love about that, yeah???

 

I hope you will take a look at their website. 

 

I will also let you in on a little secret, too:

 

Barb has FABulous coupon codes and sales – all the time!!! 

 

If you "like" them on Facebook, you will be the first to catch those codes and sales, too.

 

~~~~~

 

I think I'm going to continue these stories about companies with fabulous customer service.  It seems to be a rarer and rarer thing these days to find a company that goes above and beyond the standard business practices to truly meet the unique needs of their customers.

Look for "Customer Service STARS" on the toolbar at the top of my blog.

 

Oh, and let me know if you order anything from SMM.  I'd love to hear what you think! 🙂

 

Alesha

 


FABulous Customer Service

I know that post title got your attention, didn't it?  It is a rare thing indeed to find a company that strives to meet the need of the customer, and leaves the customer happy and content.

So, I'm as pleased as punch to tell you about LupinePet.com

Remember the harness that Kepler chewed up?  I showed you the letter I sent to the company to return it just last week.  We mailed the chewed harness out on Saturday.  Today we received the following:

Harnesscollar

Not only did they send us back a harness, but they sent us a larger, wider harness. 

AND they sent me the collar I had asked about in the larger, wider size too!!!

Both for free!

I was amazed and very impressed.  How about you?

So, I recommend the Lupine Pet harnesses and collars whole-heartedly.  I am so tickled to be able to share with you a company that excels at customer service.

Newharness

Oh, and right before Christmas, I found an excellent deal on dog beds.  They just arrived today, but they were worth the wait.  We're expecting a cold front tonight, so the timing could not be better.

Dogbeds
I got a handsome tan/black for Newton and a pretty pink/orange for Keppler.

Yep, the dogs will be styling tonight!

Isaac is doing fine, by the way.  He has slept all night the last 2 nights, thank the Lord!  We were getting very, very tired again, trying to keep him happy all night, every night.  Hopefully, this trend will continue for a while.

I had a girls' day out with my mom today.  We both got haircuts then went to lunch, did a little shopping and had a wonderful time!

So…how was your Thursday???

Alesha