-- Virtual Open House --

I've had several people ask me if I was having a Holiday Open House for my MK business. Unfortunately, by the time I was ready to plan it, my calendar was booked.

I promise, next year I will do one mid-November. So, be ready! I will be!

Instead, this year I've decided to have a VIRTUAL Open House!

Here's the deal:

-- FOR DECEMBER ONLY --

When you place your order between the 1st and the 15th, you get 20% off your total order.(Purchasing by the 15th will guarantee a 'by Christmas' delivery for anything I don't already have on-hand.)

When you place your order between the 16th and the 31st, you get 10% off your order.

So, no matter when you shop until the end of December, you'll get a great discount.

So feel free to stock up! And tell a friend!

PLUS, when you purchase a TimeWise or Velocity set (cleanser and moisturizer),

you get $5 off of your choice of foundation!

That means that if you purchase a Velocity set with a liquid foundation before December 14th, your cost goes from $36 to $24.80!

And a TimeWise set with a mineral foundation, your cost goes from $58 to $32.40!

If you ever wanted to try a new quality skin care line, now is the best time to start!

So, visit my website and check out all of our limited-edition holiday items as well as all of our great regular-line items. Knock out some of your Christmas shopping or pick out a few things to make YOU look gorgeous.

You can place your order online, send me an email message, or give me a call.

And I'll do everything I can to get your order to you as soon as possible.

My little disclaimer: Just to make my tax preparation easier, I will be charging 7% interest on the retail value (the 'before discount' price). Questions or concerns, please let me know. Thanks!

Leslie Doyle
Independent Mary Kay Beauty Consultant
www.marykay.com/lesliemdoyle
lesliemdoyle@hotmail.com
812-296-7152

Zumba!

I went to my very first Zumba class tonight.

What is Zumba, you ask? It's a type of aerobics that consists of Latin dancing and constant movement. There's even a website dedicated to all things Zumba. Check it out...Zumba!

So, this was my first workout other than walking in YEARS. I wasn't even sure that I could keep up. And I definitely didn't think I could do it for an hour. But I did! I did a much more low-impact version than the instructor. But I kept moving. And sweating. And burning calories.

When we were done, I felt great!

Terri and I have decided to attend a class weekly through December...in Vincennes. After that, hopefully we'll be attending those same classes here in God's Country! THAT would be ideal!

I know, I know...

I said I was going to try harder to post more often. I'm not sure what it is. I have been filling more of my time with Mary Kay. But my plans to spend more time on my fitness and my home haven't happened yet. So, I'm not sure why I can't seem to find the time to blog.

I do have one theory. Every time I find myself wanting to blog about something, I find myself poking fun at or pointing out the negative aspects of something. And I don't really want to get in that habit. If I'd just spend a little more time on the 'idea', I could swing it in another direction, making it more informative and less entertaining at someone else's expense. On the other hand, I want to be witty. And sometimes it's more of a challenge to be witty and informative at the same time. Whereas being entertaining at someone else's expense is all about being witty.

So, I've been pulling back. Instead of mocking absolutely ridiculous commercials or venting about the latest happenings on my favorite shows, I just roll my eyes and change the channel. Instead of writing about the strange habits of one of my co-workers or venting about my son, I simply talk to myself out loud, rather than sharing it with the world wide web. Instead of complaining about being tired or whatever ails me this week, I type up a journal entry for my 'private' blog and feel the satisfaction that comes with publishing an entry...even though my faithful readers don't get to see it.

I'm pretty sure that NO ONE reads my 'other' blog. But I've posted to that one 49 times since the beginning of September. This one? A mere 16 times in the last three months. Shameful, I know.

My 'other' blog, my 'private' blog, is strictly a journal. I don't worry about entertaining anyone. In fact, I mail in updates that post immediately for that blog. I rarely go view it myself. I type up a journal entry and send it to a particular email address and al-la-peanut-butter-sandwiches, it's there for the world to see...if they just knew where to look for it. No pictures. No editing. Nothing special. Just the random, raw thoughts that were running through my head when I started typing the email.

This one, not so informal. I spend time trying to decide what's appropriate to share. I try not to be offensive. I try to be witty and sometimes even informed. I type it up and edit a couple of times. I make sure the font is the same as previous posts. And I find just the right picture to go with it. And if I don't think I have the time or energy to do all of that, I don't even complete step one. I put it off until another day. And then another day. And yet another day. Until three weeks have gone by between my blog posts!

I've thought about doing more of a journal here. But that could be less than entertaining for the readers, especially since I tend to use several acronyms and only first names. And I've thought about chronicling my Mary Kay efforts or my weight-loss efforts. But again, I figure that would be pretty boring to someone who isn't trying to accomplish the same things.

So, do you have any suggestions? What do you want to read? What do you want to know? Tell me all about it.

Sesame Street

Sesame Street is 40 years old this month. Wow, I had no idea that Sesame Street was older than me. I turned 39 yesterday; Sesame Street turns 40 on the 10th.

I haven't seen Sesame Street in years. In fact, I'm not even sure what channel or what time to look for it. But I have memories of Sesame Street. I'd imagine we all do.

For many of us, that was our first introduction to Spanish. We learned about hard G (Grover) and soft G (George). We got to figure out which one of these things doesn't belong here. Every episode was sponsored by two letters and a number. And even though we usually didn't know (or care) who they were, there was never a lack of celebrity guests.

But things have changed in the past 40 years, even at 123 Sesame Street. For instance, when I was a kid, there was no Elmo. Grover was the cute, cuddly monster. And he wasn't loud and annoying either. No offense, Elmo. I'm just sayin'. And Cookie Monster used to eat cookies...A LOT. But with the ever-growing childhood obesity problem in our country, even Cookie Monster has had to adjust. I wonder if Oscar is still a grouch or if he was enrolled in some anger management course.

Congratulations, Sesame Street, on your 40 years of success in teaching us and our children...about letters and numbers and manners and how to be a good friend. I hope you have another 40 years of unbridled success.

PS. To my faithful followers, I apologize for my long absence. I promise to try to do better in the future. lmd

One Nation Under God

I received the following in an email. It moved me, so I wanted to share it. Feel free to share it with your email buddies. In fact, please do!

Some folks passing through Texarkana last week noted signs in people's yards that said, "America, prayer is our only hope" with II Chronicles 7:14 underneath. We certainly need God's help!

I have no idea who started this, but I certainly agree with this e-mail. I heard a preacher on TV who said if we pray for our nation that things will turn around.

After a day of contemplation and soul searching, I have decided to reach out to my friends and relatives and ask you to do something that has been troubling me for a long time.

Our nation is/has been on the slippery slope for a long time. If you look around you will find corruption, greed, moral decay, and a steady move away from the things that made us great. The principles upon which this nation was founded are no longer our backbone. However, we can reverse this trend.

II Chronicles 7:14
"If my people
who are called by my name
will humble themselves
and pray
and seek my face
and turn from their wicked ways,
then I will hear from heaven
and will forgive their sin
and heal their land."

I am convinced that we must pray for our nation and its leaders and ask for forgiveness. So, I ask you to join me in this plea to our Lord. Would you please send this to people in your address book (send it to all of them); ask them to pray EVERY DAY.

If you and they comply, we will lift up millions and millions of prayers a day to our Creator. He will hear us and in faith, will answer.

Let me just add a quote from Ronald Reagan "If we ever forget that we are one nation under God, then we will be a nation gone under." I truly believe this is why the United States of America is in the shape we are in today. Most people have forgotten that we are one nation under God! Let us as Christians stand up and remind people of this.

Today, I met SAIC's new CEO. He's only been on the job for 24 days and is making the circuit across the country to visit his many employees... THOUSANDS of us. After shaking hands for the meet and greet portion, he asked us all to join him in saying the Pledge of Allegiance. He told us that we'd learn more about him in those 30 seconds than we would reading all the information on our company's website. I found that to be very moving as well.

One nation under God. I heard it twice today. Must be true. Thank God!

$62.86

Have you ever considered being a Mary Kay consultant?

Have you ever wanted to run your own business, earn some extra money, maybe even earn a free car? Or perhaps you just want to be able to purchase your favorite MK products at cost.

Well, there has NEVER been a better opportunity to do just that!

This month only, the cost for starting your Mary Kay business is only $50 plus shipping and taxes. That's a total of $62.86. (I had two orders last week that were at least that much. Had I known this deal was coming, I would have at least let my customers know that for that same money, they could have registered to be a consultant and gotten their products at cost for the rest of their lives! They may or may not have been interested, but at least they would have had the choice.)

So, I'm telling everyone I know -- all my Facebook friends, all my faithful blog followers, all of my Mary Kay customers, and pretty much every woman in my email address list. So, if you're reading this, that includes you!

A few things you might want to know...

What do I get for $62.86?

1. the Opportunity Kit (as opposed to the full Starter Kit) which includes:

• the On-the-Go Tote, a roomy black bag-style purse with pink trim
• samples of the TimeWise Ultimate Set (cleanser, moisturizer, day/night solutions, and the microdermabrasion set)
• 7 different color cards (5 ea)
• foundation shade selector tool
• MK Sheer Mineral Pressed Powder samples
• MK Ultimate Mascara and demo wands
• Satin Hands Pampering Set samples
• educational materials
• sales tickets, customer profiles, and catalogs

2. a free MK Personal Website for six months (check mine out!)

But this limited-time offer gets much sweeter when you make the commitment to start your business with a product order of $1,334 suggested retail ($600.30 wholesale) or higher by November 30. This initial order makes you eligible to receive:

• a 55% discount (as opposed to the normal 50%) for that initial order. (For example, if you choose to purchase $3000 suggested retail, it'll only cost you $1350 plus tax and shipping.)
• additional product bonuses and special offers, including the rest of the full Starter Kit.

Am I obligated to purchase anything else?
- In short, no. But if you want to get your favorite products at cost, you have to place a minimum $200 order once a year. To be considered 'active', you'd have to place a minimum $200 order once a quarter. Do you think that you'd use $400 worth of MK in a year? I'll bet you could. And if you don't think you'd use that much, you can always get items for your close friends and relatives. Then they'll be helping you get to the $200.

- Also, if you want to get the rest of your Starter Kit (including retail-sized products to use as demonstrators for your classes) and qualify for the 55% discount, you'll want to place a $600.30 order before the end of November.

Do I have to hold parties/classes/shows?
- In short, no. Personally, I think it's a great way to meet new people, earn some extra money, and build a dream. But you are under no obligation to share these products or this opportunity with anyone.

What if I don't know anything about skin care and cosmetics?
- No problem. The company, your director, your sister consultants, and me -- we will ALL help you reach whatever goals you want to reach with Mary Kay. Not to mention, our Mary Kay website has information on each product we sell and every service we provide. You'll never be at a loss for information or inspiration.

Seriously...think about it. It's really a good deal!

How do you plead?

I have never been asked that question before.

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to sit in on a court session. It was a first for me. I've always wanted to...like from the Juror's box, NOT from the defendant's table, not even from the plaintiff's table, and definitely NOT from the judge's bench. Yesterday, I was mostly just a spectator.

Yesterday's docket included 13 different cases, all initial hearings. Those charged came in all shapes and sizes, were diverse in age, and were all male except one. Four of them were wearing orange as they were currently residing in the local jail/prison. Most of the charges were misdemeanors, but there were a couple of felony counts in there as well.

I was expecting to hear the judge ask each individual how he or she wanted to plead. But that didn't happen. I also thought that each individual would receive his or her sentence. That didn't happen either. The judge explained that the whole intent of this hearing was to ensure that each person understood what they were being charged with and the ramifications of pleading guilty to that charge. He described the difference between a bench hearing and a trial hearing. (Everyone was getting a bench hearing unless they specifically requested a jury hearing in writing.) He described all circumstances which would revoke each person's bail. He informed us when the actual 'how do you plead' hearings were to be scheduled. He also explained that a "Not Guilty" plea would be entered for everyone, unless they chose to change that.

Finally, he said that if anyone was interested in a plea bargain, they were to speak with the prosecutor prior to the next hearing...which was scheduled for five weeks later. Apparently Indiana has a 'diversion program', which falls into the plea bargain option. To qualify, you have to be in good standing with the courts, including no additional outstanding charges against you. You have to pay the associated fee, which is $300 or so. Then you have to agree to stay completely out of trouble for a specified amount of time. I believe it's six months. If you happen to get into trouble during that time frame, you'll be back in court, this time facing penalties for BOTH charges...the old one and the new one.

I'm sure you're wondering why I am telling you all this. On July 29th, a teenager that I happen to know really well was busted for Consumption of Alcohol by a Minor on School Property. I didn't hear about it until early September. Yesterday was the initial hearing. And that teenager I mentioned before has opted to complete the paperwork for the diversion program

Now let's see if he can stay out of trouble for the next six months.