These Four Hands...

...plus some help from good people.

Chris and I talk a lot about how and what we want our lavender business to be and how to achieve our ideas. If you visit our tent at the farmer’s market or at another event you’ll hear us use the phrase “these four hands do all the work”. We grow the plants in the field, we make the soap ourselves, we package the products, we set up the stand, we tell you what conditions your plant needs and we bag your purchase. Two people and four hands do it all. We like how small we are and hope our customers appreciate the work we put into bringing a bit of ourselves to the plants and products we offer. You won’t find our products in stores or our label in a venue where we aren’t standing behind the table.

The past two weeks we’ve been at big and busy events. It rarely happens but we called in the troops to help us out. Our past customers may have noticed new faces selling them lavender soap or helping them learn how to cook with lavender pepper. The three women who came to our aid were people close to us and we are very grateful for their assistance.

At the Sand Springs Herbal Affair my good friend Cathy covered our backs with cashiering and selling of products. Cathy is someone I instantly liked when I met her at my all-time favorite knit shop, Fringe (now closed). She’s smart, funny and tells great stories about her adventures bicycling around New Zealand or living in a cabin in Fairbanks, Alaska. I always have a good time when I’m around Cathy.

Making an appearance in both Sand Springs and Jenks was my sister, Londa. She’s the gal with the fun silver spiky hair and sparkling smile. My big sister has always played an important role in my life. If you were at our booth very long you probably heard her talking about our culinary line. Londa is an amazing cook and is completely fearless in the kitchen. We’re often trading recipes or cooking ideas. She’s also the gadget-girl in the kitchen – if there’s a new kitchen tool she’s got to try it out.

And rounding out our team was my daughter Hillarey. Most parents are biased and think their kid is wonderful, and we’re not immune to that, but she’s really pretty amazing. Smart, independent, and creative, Hillarey is often the sounding board we go to if we dealing with issues and need another opinion. She’s is a good person to have in our lives. Hillarey’s an art student and the beautiful silver jewelry that she wears, and often that I’m wearing, are her creations. I like who she is and what she stands for (and up to, sometimes!) and I’d like to think that even if I hadn’t given birth to her I’d choose her for a friend.

Now it’s back to “these four hands doing all the work”, but we want to thank the extra six hands that helped make the past two weeks a smooth success.