Ok, it's taking me much longer to get all the contest stuff ready to post than I anticipated. But! I shall announce the most important part now, so that Carroll, who is leaving on vacation, can read this!
EVERYONE who entered won! Yay!!!! You will all receive all four stories! Yay!!! I have to figure out what to do with the garden gnome, but I will post all the entries and homemade gnome photos as soon as I can get it done. Tomorrow? Maybe!
The reason everyone won is because I was touched by all the entries and felt that anyone who tried to change their life deserved to win. AND! A few people who didn't enter the contest but sent me beautiful emails telling me why they didn't think they could ever win but wanted me to know what they did - THEY won too!!!!
Ok. That is all for now. It was one of those days when six hundred things collide. My youngest boy, Harry (Ok, I really miss the numbering system), is still coughing up a storm. We're all beat. So off to bed I go. The cowboy will have to wait.
The reviews keep pouring in! Here's another exciting Avon reader review!
Review by Bonnie of Wandering Willow Review of Avon Mark Fig Basil Stuff
What does a person do with Avon Mark Self Sanctuary Fig Basil Body Sorbet?
Well, I started to get out my crystal dessert goblets, when I noticed that on the back it says "Use It Like This: Smooth On. Feel New." Why can't they just say "lotion"? I realize it sounds more appealing as Body Sorbet, but that's a pretty comical name.
Gingerly I opened the package, fearing for the usual allergic reaction I get when I smell perfume. A really lovely scent wafted out, but I didn't feel sick. So far, so good! I tried Smoothing it On, so that I could Feel New. Still no allergic reaction! I wouldn't want something that strongly perfumey on me for long, though, so I tried it as a shaving cream for my legs. That was perfect. It makes a wonderfully smooth and fragrant shaving cream. I'll actually consider buying it for use as a shaving cream. The amount of fragrance left afterward was just right for my tastes.
What does a person do with Avon Mark Self Sanctuary Fig Basil Shower Wash?
Well, I got out my bucket and scrub brush and headed for the shower walls, when something in me suggested I try it another way. Why can't they just say "liquid soap"? There I go again, raging against the Marketing Machine.
This stuff smells heavenly. Why it doesn't create an allergic reaction is a mystery to me. They must be doing something right. It's kind of fun to use, all shiny and fragrant and smooth. I noticed that, with my allergy, if I don't rinse it off well, I itch a little. For a normal person, there should be no trouble at all. I really like these two products!
Fig Basil, though? Not according to my nose. I suspect the Avon Marketing Team spun the Wheel o' Words on their Random Noun Generator to come up with that name.
Thanks, Jade, for submitting such a great product review!
Review by Jade Fox, Avon Rep in Independence, Missouri
Product Review: Avon Silky Stay shave gel
I was so excited to try this! It looked so cool, "blue gel shows where you've shaved", and "silk formula stays on until you shave it off" claims the page devoted to it in the C-7 brochure.
I am a lazy shaver; my husband gently complains at times that porcupines have invaded our bed. I am just unenthusiastic about running sharp instruments on my sensitive-to-cuts lower appendages. But today, I was excited to try this stuff.
I shaved in the shower, so I could fully test the "stays until you shave it off" product claim. It comes in a blue Skin So Soft labeled tube, and is (I think) a generous 6.7 oz size. I didn't like the cap, which screws off (though I noticed in the C-7 brochure that it's advertised with what appears to be a flip cap. Hmmm, what's up with that?). I'd rather have something to more easily dispense it with.
The gel was runnier than I expected. It had a strange, light scent, not overpowering, but with a slight smell that made me reminisce about playing with play dough. I spread it on my right leg and began the shaving experience. It felt nice and silky smooth, albeit a bit slimy. After the first pull of the razor I could tell where I'd shaved, but a few more strokes I couldn't see it. I thought perhaps I should have put it on more thickly, so I proceeded with the left leg, slathering it generously. Still, after the first few swipes I couldn't see a trail blazed up my wet half shaved leg. Granted, I AM very nearsighted, and the lighting in my shower is less than ideal for inspecting anything closely (we of do that on purpose, helps us feel like better housekeepers), so that may have had a bearing on my ability to see it.
I next tested the claim that it stays on until you shave it off, and stuck my half hairy half shaved leg under the running water. By golly, it did stay on! I was pretty impressed. I got a nice close shave, and my legs felt quite soft. Overall I think it's a good shaving product, and I will be stocking up! (My customers are already buying it.) I've given my husband a nice reprieve from the pricklies for a few days too. Perhaps I'll actually keep it that way.
Well the boys are finally over strep, and I am tired, but on the mend as well...
Today will be a grand posting day since I'm too tired to attempt any Avon sales. I'm posting (for sure! I just wrote it but have to format it!) the next cowboy installment today, and a reader review! Also, tonight I will post the contest entries and a surprising - and wonderfully fun for everyone - end to the whole thing.
J.K. emailed me the link to this book. I think Gandalf and Harry (wow, that's the first time I used 11's and 9's new names in the blog) might appreciate this now that they are car engine cooking experts. The Twinkie Sushi sounds especially... interesting. Any other wacky cookbooks out there? Post 'em in comments! My boys need a new project!
Note to anyone new. My boys cooked dinner... on our car engine! Read about it: Part one, and Part two.
