A Dangerous Mistake

Today, I was eagerly awaiting some new prescriptions to be filled.  These were to help with my osteoarthritis in my back.  I was practically foaming at the mouth to get some relief from the pain.  Finally, the prescription was ready!  After I picked it up, I went back to my work area to take my medicine.  As I was taking the pill, I thought it awfully small for an anti-inflammatory.  Terri was there and she looked at the bottle.  "Brendal," she said, "This is a water pill, not an anti-inflammatory!"  Low and behold, it was hydrochlorothiazide, a water pill used for patients who have high blood pressure.  And I took it!

Fortunately, in my case, the pill I took will not be detrimental to my health.  I had been given someone else's prescription; the other person had my prescription in their bag.  When I returned to the pharmacy, I explained the situation.  They were very calm and pleasant about it, but I could tell that the pharmacist was a bit upset.  I wasn't worried about myself in this instance.  It could have really affected the other patient though.  Mobic (my anti-inflammatory) is not to be taken by people with certain heart conditions.  The pharmacy filed an incident report, informed my physician about what happened, and called me later in the day to check and see how I felt.

Even though I was not injured, this could have been a fatal error on the pharmacy's part.  In 2006, the National Academies stated that 1.5 million people are injured annually due to medication errors.  Some of these injuries have been fatal.  So, remember, please check your prescriptions to make sure it's the correct medicine, dosage, and that it belongs to you.

Market Friends - xoelle

I would like to talk about one of my friends that I see each time I am at the Palafox Market.  Her name is Laura and she is there each week with her son Jack and husband Garth.  She's such a friendly and inspiring gal.  Each time I'm vending at the market, I have to stop and say hi at least once, if not more often.  Usually it's the more often part, she's such a pleasant gal to be around.

Laura always has a smile on her face and a good thought in her heart.  To me, she is the epitome of happiness.  Laura, I know you're gonna read this and I just have to say that I heart you! ;)

What does Laura sell at the market?  Well, her company is called xoelle.  My favorite thing that she makes is repurposed journals.  I'm not the journaling type, but I'm a list-maker.  I have at least 4 journals from her that I fill with random thoughts and to-do lists. 

But that's not all this amazingly talented woman does.  She makes cool, funky bowties, notepads, and other things as well as taking photos to document her life and the joys of her family.  Her blog posts are interesting, funny, and cute.  I thoroughly enjoy reading her updates.

Make sure to stop by and visit her blog and Etsy page. You'll have a good laugh, get to see some great photography, and maybe get a cool bowtie or journal. 

Twitter - Are You Making Use of It?

 

I have a huge reading list and love the fact that I have a Kindle reader.  This means less books in my house, but more options for me to read.

The latest book that I have read is Twitter Power 2.0 by Joel Comm.  Joel is a Social Media expert and this book talks about how to use Twitter for branding, marketing, and getting your name or your company's name out there.  Following his advice, I have set up a Twitter profile.  In the three days since I began tweeting, I have a following of 168 and I am learning great things through the people I am following.  It's addicting once you learn how to make use of it. 

I highly recommend this book.  It is an easy read.  There is a 30 day plan at the end of the book to get you started.  If you haven't thought of using Twitter for yourself or your business, you should consider doing so.  Feel free to ask any questions and I'll be happy to answer if I can. 

Take Time To Relax and Unwind

Even though I have my own business, I still work full time. One day, I hope to take The Funk Soap Company to a level where I am able to support myself and my family. Until then, I work my job, my business, and spend time being a mom and wife. This can take a toll on a person. So, I have to make it a point to take time to relax and unwind.

Plan your "me" time if needed - I don't personally schedule a time, but it usually falls around 7-8 pm when it's getting close to time to go to bed. Some of my favorite unwinding techniques:

• A bath with peppermint and lavender essential oils. I use 10 drops of each. The peppermint helps with my back pain and the lavender is soothing.


• Reading. Not everyone is a reader, but I find that it takes my mind off of the day's activities as I get lost in the story.


• Have a movie marathon. These are usually on the weekends and I spend the entire day with my family watching movies, snacking, and lazing about the house.

What are some of the things you like to do to relax and unwind?

Bacon Jalapeno Poppers - Better Than The Frozen Ones

Tonight, my husband made jalapeno poppers from this recipe. When he made them, he left a few seeds in some for an extra kick. Others, he left no seeds in them. The seeded ones are very spicy and we like spicy in this house! The non-seeded ones are much milder, but just as tasty.

Remember, when you handle hot peppers to wear gloves. Not only can you get the oil in places you don't expect, your skin can burn from the oil. Rubbing your eyes with the oil on your hands is also not so great. Ask me how I know...

SEO - Learning & Improving My Website

Recently, I purchased Rock Your Website Traffic! from The Small Business Muse. I've been getting her newsletter for quite some time and it's always been very informative. So, I decided to purchase this workshop and give it a go.

Let me tell you, I have learned a lot from this. I won't give it all away because they are not my tips, nor my research, but maybe a few hints to get you started. Here are some things I have picked up that I didn't know:

• Try to choose less competitive keywords that still get a good amount of search traffic daily.
• Add a robots.txt file to your site if you don't have one. This place tells you how to make that file.
• Fill your website with relevent content, even if it's a shopping cart. Search engine spiders like lots of info!
• Avoid link "farms", they can decrease your search engine rankings. You can still swap links with reputable sites that your customers or reader will find are related to your service.

This workshop teaches all of this in detail and takes you step by step through the process. There are worksheets and checklists to help you get your site up and running. It's a lot less expensive than hiring an SEO expert to do the job for you. I can try to answer any questions you may have, just post them in the comments.

The Gulf Oil Spill

For months now, we have been hearing about the Gulf Oil spill tragedy. Recently, the oil has hit the beaches here in the Pensacola area. I have been looking for opportunities to donate to programs since I am not physically able or trained to help with clean up and rehabilitation of the wildlife affected by this spill.

Tri-State Bird Rescue and International Bird Rescue Research Center have facilities here in Pensacola, Florida, Theodore, Alabama, and Gulfport, Mississippi taking care of the wildlife in each state. If you are in an area affected by the spill and find oiled wildlife, please call 1.866.557.1401. Individuals are encouraged to call this number if an oiled animal is sighted.

Since BP has committed to funding the rescue and cleanup operations, donations cannot be accepted specifically for this purpose. However, you can donate to the above agencies to support other programs and even adopt a bird.

For the months of July and August, The Funk Soap Company will be donating 25% of each purchase to the IBRRC to support other programs and to assist in future rescue efforts.