The Bibbed Wonder, AKA Jesus Christ, Super Star

I have said many times my husband is one of the most intelligent people I have ever met. Well, dear reader, my little bib overall wearing wonder buns knocked it out of the park this time. I am forever grateful he is part of my life. For the last two weeks or so, I have felt poor. My face and hands turn numb and tingle, my heart does this weird fluttery thing, I become short of breath with minor physical exertion, I am lightheaded and dizzy, I lose all my color, and I’m exhausted. The kind of exhaustion that a nap can’t cure. I thought I was having a bad spell or flare, but when it lasted for multiple weeks, I thought it must be my blood pressure. I was almost ready to call the cardiologist…no judgment; I know I should have called a doctor. However, I hate to go to the doctor. I feel like a hypochondriac or a whiney baby. Most of the time, I write everything down, and when I go to the doctor every three to six months, I go in with a list. Perhaps not the best approach to health and well-being, but it’s what I do.

The Bibbed Wonder was worried about me. He worries, but he’s not a pushy pain in the bottom about making me go to the doctor. He says he has respect for my wishes, whereas I violate his privacy and right to choose his care when he is sick…sigh. I am just an aggressive caregiver. I tell him I care about his well-being, and he merely hopes I disappear so he can find a blonde-haired, blue-eyed, Asian little person to make his bride. That, dear reader, is a story for another day.

The Bibbed Wonder Googled my symptoms, and anemia was the first thing to pop up. He asked me if I thought I could be anemic. I am continually anemic like I can’t ever donate blood because I am anemic. I know I should take supplements, and I’ve been given prescriptions, but I am always reluctant to take pills, and most of the time, I blow it off. When I told him this, he sighed a long, annoyed sigh and returned to the computer. The following day, he had errands to run. The Bibbed Wonder hates to leave the farm, but sometimes it’s necessary. When he returned from his speedy trip, he handed me a small brown bag and said, “Take these and see if they help you.” He brought home a bottle of iron supplements, folate, and vitamin B12. I took the B12 immediately because it was the only one that did not recommend taking it with food. Most days, I don’t eat during the day, and I have dinner around six. I was unaware of the power of B12. I wish I had known about it sooner.

I had almost an immediate boost in energy. However, by dinner time, I was an irritable, shaking mess, and I was hangry! Eric and Jordan kept making fun of me for my meanness and threw wontons dipped in duck sauce at my face to get my blood sugar up. I felt almost buzzed once I ate and took the iron and folate. It was an odd sensation. However, when I awoke the following day, I was not dizzy when I stood up from bed. I did not have to hold onto the wall to maintain my balance, and I felt GOOD. I’m talking really, really good.

I had so much energy and felt so much better that with the help of my fuzzy bottoms, I cleaned windows, deep-cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, and cleaned the spare room. That, dear reader, is a lot for me. I could not get over how very good I felt. I made sure to eat during the day so I did not have a repeat of the hangry shakes, and I drank a gallon of water. The Bibbed Wonder told me he cured me like he cures our goats when they become anemic. He teased me and said for good measure he should worm me and asked if I preferred a shot, pour on, or a drench. I had a few choice words for him, and he replied, “Okay, have it your way, but the shot burns.” Sigh, he ruins all his good qualities with that mouth of his.

I thanked him repeatedly for getting me the supplements and taking the time to research my symptoms. He now raises his hands over his head, sings ah, ahhhh, ahhhh, and proclaims he is a healer. When I roll my eyes and act annoyed, he covers my head with his hands and yells, “Exercise the demons! Demons be gone!” Seriously, he is A LOT. However, along with his caring comes his innate ability to make me laugh even when I find him completely exasperating.

I am very grateful for him, the fact that he cares, and he never says a word; he just acts. It’s amazing what a few supplements can accomplish in a very short amount of time. With all the blood work I have done, one would think a doctor would have mentioned low iron levels. This adds to my questioning of the medical field and medical professionals. I’m just relieved I feel better. I will now put up with my husband acting like Jesus Christ, Super Star, and appreciate him and even his antics. However, the references to The Exorcist and his imitation of a Southern Baptist Minister are a bit much. We must take the good with the bad…sigh.

On this sunny November day, stay safe, be smart, take your vitamins, and keep washing your hands.

Tuesday Spotlight: Rose

This week, the spotlight is on Rose soap and moisturizer. Rose is the quintessential floral scent for all floral lovers. This classic fragrance echoes of past eras and classic roots. Rose was one of the first scents used as a perfume, dating back to the 18th century and Queen Marie Antoinette. In ancient Egypt and Rome, the rose represented love and beauty. In medieval times, roses were used to mask the scent of death and disease. Fortunately, we don't have to hide the scent of death and illness, and roses continue to represent love and beauty. As a classic scent, it stands the test of time.

Our rose soap and moisturizer are created with care and filled with skin-nurturing oils and our fresh, raw goat's milk. Rose oil is believed to aid in reducing inflammation and soothing red, irritated skin. I make no medical claims, but I do believe from an aromatherapy standpoint, rose is calming and creates a sense of well-being. If you are a lover of roses and rose scent, this week's special will put a smile on your face.

As always, our Tuesday Spotlight is on special exclusively on the website. Save $4 on bars and jars for the week. As always, no promo code is needed for the weekly special. The savings will be applied at checkout, and all orders of $50 or more ship for free six days a week. Stay safe, be smart, enjoy the savings, and keep washing your hands on this lovely November day.

Sunday Meltdown

We pride ourselves on our approach to customer service. Too many companies have the misconception that customers can’t live without their services and treat loyal customers with disregard. That is not our approach. We understand that without our dedicated soap family, our dream can’t happen. Yesterday, I watched my husband meltdown over what he considers a major faux pas in customer service.

When The Bibbed Wonder melts down, it is seriously unpleasant. I mean, it’s never pleasant when anyone melts down, but my calm, cool, collected hubby, with his humorous approach to life and who can turn anything into a joke, can make me nervous when he loses his cool. It’s just such an unnatural state for him. Yesterday, he was in atomic meltdown mode over Facebook.

We are not masters of social media by a long stretch. Neither of us is comfortable with being in front of the camera. We don’t understand what content grabs people’s attention and are reluctant partners with social media. However, when operating an online business, social media is a devil you get comfortable with and do your best to understand. A month or so ago, Eric jumped on the Facebook Store wagon because it seemed to make sense.

A business posts content or products on its Facebook page with a direct link to your online store. It makes sense, right? We thought so, too. However, as is our experience with social media, it never seems to go as well as expected. If it weren’t for a patient and understanding soap family member, we would still be in oblivion about Facebook sales. The pleasant and understanding person who messaged us inquired about an order number we did not recognize. She then explained that she had ordered via Facebook and had not received a shipping notification.

Thus began my normally calm and collected buddy meltdown. We receive no notification when there is a sale on Facebook. We don’t receive messages, emails, or notifications on our Facebook page. Unless we are logged into the Facebook store 24/7, we aren’t aware of any sales that occur. Not only do we not receive notification, but there is also no link to our shipping site, no update to inventory, and we can’t print out a packing slip. All things that make one bib overall wearing fuzzy bottoms absolutely furious and twitchy. I thought my anal-retentive buddy was going to explode when he saw six orders sitting in limbo.

You see, The Bibbed Wonder plays Beat The Clock with our mail lady, Cindy. Every. Single. Day. Eric has two daily goals: A) Get all orders packed and ready to go before Cindy comes around noon. B) He has so many orders boxed and ready to ship that he makes Cindy cry, especially on Mondays. Making our lovely mail lady cry has become a personal goal for one bib overall-wearing tormentor. We know Cindy well enough that we know she dislikes Mondays. We also know Monday is usually a big shipping day for her because of orders that come through on Saturday night and Sunday. We also know nobody, including us, likes Monday.

Often, late Monday mornings, you can find The Bibbed Wonder giggling like a schoolgirl and dancing around like a white guy wearing bibs imitating dance moves fit for a club. The dancing Bibbed Wonder is an elusive creature. Trust me, if I could get a video of him dancing, I would share it with you. Often, the shop is filled with “Hehe hehe, Cindy is going to be sooooo mad! Today is the day, she’s going to cry!” By the way, Cindy never cries. She is more prone to tell Eric to shut it and dismiss him than to cry. That’s why we like Cindy…well, I like Cindy. Anyone who won’t put up with Eric’s nonsense is solid in my book.

This was a personal defeat for the guy who takes it as a personal challenge to get orders out as soon as they come in. He kept repeating, “I can’t believe I dropped the ball!” Trying to figure out the whole Facebook Store thing had him in a tizzy. Mark Zuckerberg is Satan reincarnated in Eric’s book. Facebook developers are lower than worm poo, and only an idiot would create something so inadequate. Add a lot of colorful language, and you get a pretty accurate picture. He spent the better portion of the day trying to get everything figured out. To add insult to his injured pride and now broken personal record, he has to spend time conversing with Facebook tech support to get the answers he needs.

I think the culmination of missing orders, breaking his impeccable record for fast shipping, and having to talk to tech support because he can’t make heads nor tails of the Facebook Store has him in a twist. We worked to get the six orders packed and ready to ship. We sent notes of apology and packed extra soaps in each order. Eric took it upon himself to write the notes because he really does take it that personally.

If you ordered through Facebook, please accept our most sincere apologies. As with anything, there is a learning curve; in this case, we are at the bottom of the curve. We will do better. Please know your orders are coming; we don’t take this lightly. I’m sure today will be equally unpleasant in the soap studio as my bib overall, wearing fuzzy bottoms, spends the day on the phone with tech support. However, a day of unpleasantness is well worth offering the best customer service possible.

On this lovely November day, stay safe, be smart, and pick up that ball if it gets dropped; no one is perfect; take your time to learn, and try to do it without being scary. Also, keep washing your hands.