November

Oh, what to write?  There has been a lot going on in my life.  I just had my last B and B guests for the season, unless someone else calls and needs a room.  This season has been unbelievable.  I hope next season is even better. My dream is finally coming true.  The B and B is making enough money to pay several months of mortgage.  I love that money coming into my bank account.  if you know of anyone coming to Alaska next summer and needing a place to stay.  Please contact me at alaskaglaciercreek.com or phone me at 907-362-1584.

Tomorrow may be one of the best days of my Shaklee business.  I'm taking the bull by the horns and doing a holiday showcase.  I'm hoping to get my name out in the Seward crowd.  I'm also advertising an open house for the 17th.  If this does not work, I'm not sure what I will do to get my business off the ground.  I hope I can also get Sandy's name out there.  We need to get her mind off school and onto activities that will make it possible for her to retire at the end of this school year.  

I'm adding something new to my blog.  I am going to start juicing.  I just bought an Omega J8006 juicer.  My adventure will begin on Sunday.  I can hardly wait.  i have lots of veggies and fruits to put through my juicer.  If you have any recipes or ideas for juicing, please let me know.  I want to be healthy wealthy and wise.

It is amazing.  I still have tomatoes growing.  One of my plants has 9 green tomatoes.  I wish I had a heated green house that I could use all winter.  Maybe if my B and B makes lots of money every summer I can build my dream green house.  I'm going to take the Master Gardener Class this winter.  I'm hoping it will motivate me to start my seeds early and grow lots of veggies and flowers.

It is hard to believe that in less than two months it will be 2013.  This spring I will have been retired from teaching for 8 years.  It makes me feel so old.  I keep hearing stories that all the new teachers are so young.  I was young once, but that is not the case any more.  As my Grandfather used to say, you are only as old as you feel.  Some days I feel really old.  Working with some really young gals, makes me realize that the professional office is totally different than what I was brought up to believe in.  

Well, it is time to go to bed.  I'll have to write on m blog angain in the near future.  Once I start writing, it just keeps pouring out of my mind.  See you in the near future.

Last of September

What a month!  Today is the last day of September.  This month there has been 30 inches of rain, two hard frosts and lots of new snow in the mountains.  I hope that this is not setting Seward up for another winter like last winter.  I don't know if I can handle all that shoveling again.  There were a couple of months last winter that the plowing bill was higher than the fuel bill.  That just doesn't seem right.

Last night I got up about 3AM.  I thought someone had left a light on outside.  When I went to check, it was the moon.  I'm glad I got to see the moon.  With all this rain, the sky has been pretty cloudy. When I got up this morning the moon was on the side of the mountain out the front window.  I tried to take a picture, but it just did not do the moon or the mountain justice. 

Yesterday on my way into town for the Seward Music and Arts Festival (which was all the fun), I saw the brightest rainbow.  I've not seen a rainbow that bright in a long long time.  I even stopped at the side of the road and just watched it for a few minutes.

I think tonight will be the last night for B and B guests.  This has been a very long season.  I started back in the middle of May.  If I can have this kind of B and B season from now on, I'd be a happy camper.  It is a true miracle.  I already have reservations for next June.  The funnest part about this past Summers guests, most of them were from foreign countries.  This is one of the biggest reasons I started the B and B.  I get to meet the most wonderful people and touch their lives on their trip to Alaska.  Most of the time their Alaska trip is either a "Bucket List Trip" or a "Trip of a Lifetime". 
If you know of anyone coming to Alaska next Summer, send them my way.

September

It is hard to believe that today is September 1, 2012.  Where did this summer go?  The weather is sure looking like fall. :( 

I just had the most amazing B and B guests.  It was a Mom and son.  The Mom, takes her adult childrean on trips all over the world.  This trip was for her son.  I'd say he was only a couple of years younger than I am.  It was very refreshing to see a son treat his Mom like a queen.  This is one of the major reasons I own a B and B.

It has always amazed me how different B and B guests are from those that stay at a hotel/motel. My B and B (knock on wood) has never been damaged or had anything broken.  It has never had anthing major stolen and the guests are always very respectful and prolite.

Once again I have great guests from another foreign country.  This has been the year for B and B guests from other countries.  I wish I could travel as much as all these people.  However, if I was out of the country, these B and B guests would not be staying here.

Enough for today.  I'll be back at a later date.

End of August

Will, in less than 4 months, Christmas will be over.  I have B and B people for another 4 weeks and a quilt retreat in fours weeks.  This has been a very busy non-gardening summer. 
I was very sad today.  I had to miss a fishing trip.  I went to see what they caught.  Boy did they have a great day.

I went to an amazing wedding last weekend.  It was held in an airplane hanger.  They had the hanger door open and the guests looked out at Mount Alice.  It was a beautiful sunny day.  The wedding only took 15 minutes.  The reception was in a white tent and blue metal building.  The chandelier that hung in the building was amazing.   I just learned that it was handmade my the bride, her Mom and the wedding planner.  It was pretty classy for Seward.  It was fun seeing and talking with a lot Seward people that I don't get to see very often. 

http://images.shaklee.com/video/show.php?video=DifferenceLandmark

http://content.shaklee.com/shaklee/flash/show.php?video=First90Days

These are great videos.  Please watch and let me know what you think.

I really can connect with this letter.

This is a letter written by Dr, Jamie McManus

Cinch® Inspiration Tip: Managing Self Sabotage
Are you one of those people that despite your motivation and commitment some how you seem
to sabotage your own weight loss efforts? Well, you’re not alone. People do sabotage themselves
for a variety of conscious and unconscious reasons.
Maybe you do it because unconsciously you have a fear of failure. You’ve been on lots of diets
before with not much luck, so why should it be different this time? Because we have failed in the
past often makes us not want to even try again.
then there’s fear of the unknown – even though you want to lose those extra pounds you have
become comfortable in who you are. If you lose those pounds things could be different and
sometimes that’s scary. Sometimes its so scary we  unconsciously put up an invisible wall to
protect ourselves from the unknown.
What about fear of success? Sounds silly right? Well, the truth of the matter is you might actually
worry about what your life would be like if you were thinner, healthier and more attractive.
Here are some tips on how to better manage it:
• Make a list of all the reasons why you want to lose weight. Reinforcing these reasons
will make it clear why you don’t want to engage in self sabotage.
• Believe in yourself and your ability to over come self sabotage. Even if you have
self-doubts, keep telling yourself you can and you will. You may not believe it at first, but
your behavior has a way of catching up with positive self talk.
• Identify your self sabotaging behaviors and make a list. Read them over so the next
time you do one of them you will recognize it.
• Try making a commitment to yourself to stop one sabotaging behavior for one
week. Write it down and come up with a positive behavior to do in its place. Repeat this
process from week to week and your success will build upon itself.
• Note the new behaviors you do and how they make you feel. It’s important to
recognize how you feel when you engage in healthy behaviors that build your confidence.
• Get support from others. Sharing your experiences with others who have “been there
done that” can help a lot.
If self sabotage is a problem for you, don’t worry, it is conquerable. Just recognizing the fact
that you do this is a step in the right direction.

If you are interested in learning more about Shaklee's Cinch products, please contact me.

Happy August!  I don's know about you, but it does not look like those of us living in Seward will not be having much of a summer.  It is only 53 and raining.  It has rained just as much this summer as last.  So does that mean our winter will be the same as last winter?  I'm not sure I want to deal with over 170 inches of snow again this coming winter.

My spring flowers are just finished blooming.  I have one entire flower bed that has not had any flowers return. My garden vegetables look like is should be the end of May.  The only thing that is growing well are my potatoes in my buckets.  I'm hoping to get enough potatoes to have at least several meals. 
My biggest project for the summer has been killing alders.  They are fierce weed/trees.  I have trimmed a lot of them from the ditch by the road.  I have some great pine trees that need to breath and straighten up.  I've also whacked down most of the alders that are growing over the drain field.  It really looks great where I've whacked.  I hope that is stops raining long enough to get all the alders whacked.

I've found a great organic weed killer online.  The ingredients are items that might make you say HUMMMMMMM!!!  

1 oz. orange oil (I've found through Amazon.  It is garden strength not an essential oil )

2 squirts liquid hand soap

1/2 gal vinegar

1/2 gal water

I used a round-up pump sprayer that I bought brand new.

When I did my first batch, I used less water.  I was very impressed at how well it worked.  If you look at the plants, you'd think I'd have used round-up.  

Watch for my next blog on my B&B season and Shaklee.

What a summer!  The snow did not melt from my yard until June 15th, but on the 4th of July we had new snow up on the mountains.  My flowers and vegetables are not doing very well.  My flower beds are really struggling.  I think this is a great year to redo restructure and replant my beds.  Most of my perennials did not come back.  I don't think they liked all that snow.

This winter/spring there is going to be a Master Gardener class.  I can hardly wait.  I really want gardening to be a major part of my life.  I love playing/working in dirt.

Now for my B & B news.  My B & B has been fuller than I thought it would ever be.  I have met some amazing visitors to Alaska.  If I can keep the people coming, I might be able to retire from the state for a second time plus make my mortgage payments in a couple of months.  

This year I've have visitors from all over the United States, Canada, Germany, Spain, Italy, India, and Asia.  I have loved meeting all these people.  This is the real reason I love doing the B&B business. I have the gift of gab, plus meeting people is so very interesting.

Now for my tattle tailing.  My Shaklee business has not been doing very well.  I am in a rut.  I come home and sit in front of the computer or talk to B&B guests.  I'm not done any calling or parties to tell people about the wonderful products Shaklee has or the great business possibilities that Shaklee offers.
If you or someone you know are looking for a way to stay home and make lots of money, please contact me.  I'm looking for a business partner. 

Benefits of Building a Shaklee Business

When you build a Shaklee business, it's about more than earning extra money. It's about getting more of what you want out of life by creating the experiences that inspire you. Built into the Shaklee Dream Plan are rewards that help you to create those kinds of experiences. From trips and cars to electronics and recognition for your achievements, Shaklee can be your vehicle to create the life of your dreams.

Quarterly Incentives

Win Shaklee logo items, electronics, and other cool prizes!

Fabulous Trips

Earn fabulous trips to exotic Bora Bora, French Polynesia, and the Atlantis Resort in the Bahamas as you build your business and reach higher Leadership ranks. Plus, earn other special rewards, like trips to San Francisco and the Napa Valley, a Hometown Celebration, and an invitation to a Leadership Conference at the Shaklee World Headquarters!

Monthly Car Payments

Earn from $225 up to $600 when you advance in rank and grow your business.

PLUS, we'll hand you the keys to your own Mercedes-Benz S400 hybrid when you achieve our top Leadership rank.

Global Conference Recognition

Get the star treatment and on-stage recognition at the biggest event of the year—the 2011 Shaklee Global Conference in Washington, D.C.
"The first time I was recognized on stage at a Shaklee Global Conference, I was on cloud nine! I realized that Shaklee was real and I could do it. My fears of failure seemed to be less and less, and I knew this would be my life's work. I knew I could succeed." -- Kathy Aleman, New Master Coordinator, Florida.

It is now June 11th and there is still quite a pile of snow in the yard.  The fire pit is still full of snow.  I heard in May that Seward had over 170 inches of snow is Seward this past winter.  I hope that is not going to be a yearly habit.  That is way to much shoveling and plowing to deal with in the dark winter. 
Now that most of the snow if gone, I'd love to have the weather warm up so that my garden plants and flowers will start growing.

I can't believe what a great summer for the B&B it is turning out to be.  Guests started coming the middle of May and from June 11th through the 6th of July there are only two days open without guests.  If I can get July and August to be as full as June, I could quit my job and just do B&B.  This year there are having guests from Israel, Germany, Spain, India, Canada and of course the good old USA.

My Shaklee business is doing better, but not nearly as good as I would like it to be going.  I'm sad that I will not be attending the global conference in Vegas, but I have B&B guests that weekend.  If anyone or if you know of anyone that is interested in earning some extra money or getting healthy, please contact me.  Shaklee is an amazing company to be associated with..

 10 amazing healing plants you can find in your garden:  This is a great article.  I learned several very interesting and healthy tid-bits.  I hope you enjoy this article as much as I did.

http://www.mnn.com/your-home/organic-farming-gardening/photos/10-amazing-healing-plants-you-can-find-in-your-garden/dan

 

My Oh My; what a winter Seward is having! There is more snow on the ground right now than there was all of last year. It is a good thing that I have a large yard, so the snowplow can push the snow out of the way. I still have room to turn around in the yard.  I have friends whose yards are like tunnels.  I'm hoping all the snow is melted by the first day of Summer.  This will give a really short growing season.

My Mom sent me a really interesting article about germs.  The one that caught me off guard was the section on your purse.  The article said that the bottom of your peruse is a breeding ground for bacteria.  Think of all the nasty places it's been-on the floor such as:  restrooms, resturants, cars, work, and may other places.  The solution is to clean the bottom of your purse with a wipe and hang them on the back of chairs or coat hooks to keep them off the floor.

The B&B season is starting out with a bang.  I already have more reservations for the coming season than I did all of last season.  I'm so looking forward to this year.  If you know of anyone coming to Seward this next summer, send them my way (alaskaglaciercreek.com) is my website. 

Shaklee is looking better and better every day.  I'm actually getting brave enough to talk to or call friends and family about the products and/or money making prossilbities with Shaklee.  My goal is to make enough money to get a new car and save enough money to build a green house.  If you know of anyone that wants the best nutritional green products on the market or make some extra money, please send them my way.

Early Snow

Can you believe this snow? We have about 10 inches on the ground. It has been here since Halloween night. I hope this does not mean that we are in for a long snow filled winter. I was hoping for a short mild winter that ends in March.

I'm looking forward to Thanksgiving. I'm having a a few very special friends for a mid afternoon dinner. Has anyone ever had a smoked turkey. I'm actually doing two turkeys. 1 regular turkey and one smoked turkey. The only thing I don't look about Thanksgiving is that I have to work the next day. I could take the day off, but I'd rather save my leave for a really good day to take off.

The B & B is going better than ever. I already have two bookings for next year. I'm currently working on the website. The prices are a little less this next year in hopes that I will get more bookings.

Since the winter came so early, I did not get to plant my bulbs. I'm very disappointed, because I had over 150 bulbs to plant. Maybe I will be able to plant them in the spring. I did however, get to plant some garlic. A friend and I are doing an experiment on growing garlic in Seward. We planted some garlic in her greenhouse and some garlic outside in one of my flower boxes. I hope all the garlic grows. I just love to eat and cook with garlic.

I am very excited; this fall to be chosen for the Seward Wellness project. I have to journal all the food I eat, exercise I do and journal how I feel during this project. I have only been doing the project for a week and already I have lost 2 pounds. I have already turned my thinking about food and exercise.

Next weekend is going to be all the fun. I'm going to go quilting with all my wonderful quilting friends. I always have the best time at these retreats. My quilting retreats are one of my truly relaxing fun filled weekends that I will not miss for the world.

Fall 2011

Wow, where has this summer/fall gone? It is so hard to believe that it is already October 15th. The snow in Seward is almost to tree level. I'm hoping that the snow will wait until November to get to sea level.

It is hard to believe that 10 years ago October 30th, my Dad will have been dead. One thing that our family has achieved is that we talk about Dad all the time. When we are talking about him it seems that he is right there beside us listening to all that we are saying. I hope that the next 10 years are as healthy and happy as the past 10.

Wow was the B&B season strange. It started out really slow, but by August it went into full swing. Even though we were not as full as I would have liked to be, the people that came and stayed were truly awesome. I've made some wonderful new life friends. I guess that was probably just as important as how many people came and stayed. If anyone knows of people that are looking for long term living this winter I have a room available.

Shaklee: what can I say. The conference in Washington DC was very exciting. I always come away from the conference fired up. The guest speakers this year were Aaron Ralston (guy who cut off is own arm), CMDR Mark Kelly (Space Shuttle) and Olympian Eli Bremer. There speeches were truly inspirational.

I want to let everyone that I talk to about Shaklee understand just what miraculous products that Shaklee is selling and what an amazing compensation plan they have for making money. Please contact me if you have any questions.

I just have to tell this one story. I have to go to the dentist every 3 months to get my teeth cleaned. I'm a horrible flosser. However, this past year, I've been using the Shaklee toothpaste. When I went to my teeth cleaned this past week, the hygienist said that my teeth looked the best she has seen them in quite awhile. I did not tell her that this was the worst I've ever done flossing. I guess the toothpaste is doing the cleaning job for me. :)

Well, I have one last thing to talk about. My neighbor and I are giong try growing garlic this winter. It is going to be an experiment. We are going to plant some of the garlic in a greenhouse, some next to the house and some in garden boxes. I sure hope we get lost of great garlic.

Believe It or Not!!

I'm back. This has been quite the summer. Not many B & B guest, but the guests that came were totally amazing. This summer was so much better than last summer I can hardly believe I was in the same state. I had so many beautiful flowers and a few vegetables. I guess my gardening skills must be getting better.

I had the saddest August. I had to put my best friend to rest. Anne was 14.5 and had really bad hind legs. Her hips just were not working anymore. I really miss her at night when I come home from work. It is amazing how hard it is to not have someone meet you at the door wanting to listen to how my day went.

I was so lucky to be able to go to the Shaklee Global Conference in Washington DC. My wish from the conference is that everyone would realize how wonderful Shaklee products are and how wonderful they are for you. Also Shaklee has to most awesome payment schedule. You can earn up to $100,000.00 in just 15 months. All you have to do is find 3 people that want the same thing as you as a business learned. If you know of anyone that wants to make this kind of money, please contact me. Not only can you make lots of money, you can earn some amazing trips. All the trips are first class and totally paid for. The trips are to the Mayan Riviera and a Kenyan Safari, plus there is a trip to San Fransisco and Napa Valley. Please consider trying Shaklee!!!!!

I have to tell you that I have a friend that came to Seward to teach for a year. He and I became very good friends. He moved back to Connecticut to continue teaching. This past year he wrote a book. It is called "Summers Off". It is on my bucket list to read this winter.

Well this has been av very soggy September. Questa Woods the subdivision I live in lost a lot of big trees. Several of these trees hit building and vehicles. Now all the clean up is taking place. I hope we don't get anymore major down pours. I'm not sure our ground can take it without doing some flooding.

My goal this winter is to write more often and post some pictures on my blog. I just wish I had a bigger audience.

I'm Back!

It has been a while since I have written on my blog. Life has been extremely busy. It is hard to believe that it is already June. May weather has been a disappointment. My flowers are waiting to be planted outside. I'm real ready for warm sunny weather.

B & B: Were Are All The Reservations??? The b & b season is not looking very good. Last year at this time July was almost full. This year we have only one day that is full, several days with two rooms rented and many many days with no reservations. I hope that the reservation will start pouring into my email.

Shaklee: I have not been very good about spreading the word about being healthy, taking natural vitamins and using earth friendly products when cleaning my house. Shaklee has some amazing products that I wish my family and friends would try. If they would try the products than I'd feel better about them saying "NO" about wanting to continue using the product.

Well, it is time for bed and I want to get this posted. I hope you enjoy my short update. I'll will be better about keeping this updated.

April 8th

What is with this weather? I'm not sure I like all this snow. My driveway is awful. I'm glad I still have my studded tires still on my car. It is still cloudy and looking like it is going to snow some more. I planted over 200 bulbs this fall. I hope at least half of them will bloom. On to B&B news. The reservations are not going as well as I had hoped they would go this season. I'm still thinking it will get better, but with the price of airfares and gas being so high, maybe my thank in getting more reservations is all in vain. If you have any family or know of anyone coming to Alaska and need a place to stay, please consider "Alaska Glacier Creek Lodge". My website is alaskalaciercreek.com Shaklee: what can I say except, I'm getting very lazy. Earth Day is coming and this is a great video to watch: http://images.shaklee.com/video/show.php?video=earthday2011 Well, it is Friday night and I'm going to go and relax. Please contact me if you have any questions about anything I have written in my blog.

Share Join Free with a $30 Order & Help Create 50,000 Healthier Homes

Share Join Free with a $30 Order & Help Create 50,000 Healthier Homes For the Shaklee Family, every day is Earth Day. But this is a great time of year to tell our environmental story, and to teach how easy - and thrifty - it can be to make a difference for yourself, for your family, and for the planet. One healthier home at a time. Consider this: one family deciding to convert to our non-toxic biodegradable household cleaners keeps the equivalent of 5,000 bottles of conventional "ready-to-use" glass cleaner out of landfills. What would it mean if 50,000 families did the same? A great big thanks from the planet, and from people all over the world who share this wonderful home we call Earth. In honor of Earth Day, over the next 7 weeks, Shaklee will be offering everyone a world of savings, some great ways to make an impact for the planet, and a nice way to make a healthy living too. Join Free with $30 and Three Extra Months of PWS with GOLD PAKApril 1 through May 20, 2011 Through May 20, 2011, when anyone new purchases at least $30 in Shaklee, the $19.95 Shaklee membership fee will be waived! It's a great time to tell any of your friends, prospects or "fence sitters" that as Shaklee Members, they also will get … 15% discount (off retail prices) on product purchases Special promotions, offers and discounts Unconditional money-back guarantee Access to MyShaklee.com, Shaklee’s center for health and wellness news and information from Shaklee’s Health Sciences Team, and product experts Do you have someone thinking of joining as a GOLD? Through May 20th, anyone who purchases a GOLD PAK gets a Shaklee Personal Website (PWS) at no additional charge for three extra months! This offer adds an additional value of $44.85 to each of the GOLD PAK options - and a PWS for an extra three months helps everyone hit the ground running!Oh, and you might mention that as a GOLD, they can start earning a car bonus, better income, and exotic trips. These rewards are not just for the rich and famous—they’re available to anyone who shares Shaklee products with others as they build their own Shaklee business. *The $299 GOLD PAK normally includes three months’ Personal Web Site. The $599 GOLD PLUS and $750 SUPER GOLD PAKS each include six months' Personal Web Site. During the promotional period, when someone joins with any choice of GOLD PAK they'll receive an additional three months’ Personal Web Site, valued at $44.85. Other join options are available for less than $200.

2nd Month of 2011

It is hard to believe that we are already into February. Why is time moving so quickly when I am moving so slowly? Maybe it is because I'm a year older and not as spry as I used to be. I guess it is time to start making that new year's resolution a reality.

This winter has been very strange. In November we had cold weather; in December we had cold, warm and rainy weather; January was the same as December and February is starting to be rainy and cool. This is not what is supposed to be happening in Alaska. Things that make you say "hhhhhhhhhmmmmmmmmmmmm".

B & B reservations are starting to pick up. So far they are better than last year, but last year was amazing. I'm hoping this next summer is phenomenal and every year after is even better.

For those of you that have been following my Shaklee business, you will be happy to know that it doing well. It is not as well as I would like, but I really can't complain. If you would like to see a couple of interesting video by the CEO of Shaklee, check out the web address:

http://tpg.myshaklee.com/us/en/interview01.s.html

Have a great February and I'll try to get another blog out before the end of the month.

2011 Is My Year!!

Happy New Year! I'm making 2011 a year to remember. Can you believe that 2010 is over? 2010 went way to fast.

I don't know about you, but I sure wish we had the cold weather back in Seward. It is now 35 and pouring rain. We now have slush, slop and puddles. It is January 2 and it should be cold, snowy and white outside!!! I need SUNSHINE!!!

This is the year I get my Shaklee business off the ground, have better health, get in shape and change my "I need" to "I must".

My Shaklee business is going, but not near what I want it to be. So, I'm asking you to watch this video clip. If you have any questions, please contact me by phone (907) 362-1584, email: jkristenson@yahoo.com or
go to my Shaklee website: greenandfit.myshaklee.com
I look forward to hearing from you.

Please watch this video clip:
http://content.shaklee.com/shaklee/flash/show.php?video=LiveYourDreams2011rse

Better health: Of course Shaklee is going to help me get and stay healthy. My problem is making sure I take my vitamins and minerals every day. I also need to start and continue an easy exercise program. I probably hold the record for starting and never continuing exercising.

One of the easiest way to get healthy and stay healthy is my using the Shaklee Cinch plan. It is almost to easy. The shakes are awesome in that you do not loose muscle, you just loose fat and they are full of protein. You have a shake in the morning, shake for lunch, afternoon snack, and then make yourself a healthy evening meal. Now I must make the commitment and get started.

If you are interested in starting a "Let's Get Healthy" blog, support group, or whatever PLEASE contact me. I need all the support I can get.

B & B is starting to pick up. I'm trying to get a powerpoint ready for the website, change one of the rooms into two single beds instead of a queen and update the website.

I guess I had better get this on line, because I have way to much to do for what is left of my three day weekend.

Happy New Year!!!

8 Days and Counting!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I can hardly believe that it is only 8 days until Christmas and 15 days until 2011. This past year has been good in some ways and in other ways I'm really ready to have the year over.

I have some big news. I have a new job that I absolutely love. I still work for the State of Alaska, but now I work in the personnel department. I now get to see the light of day through regular sized windows.

The weather here has been cool and windy. At night we have had beautiful clear skies. I've been lucky enough to see some of the meteor showers. I wish the northern lights would now come out. Then the clear night skies would be worth the cool temperatures. The Matsu Valley had 80 mile per hour winds yesterday. I'm glad we only had 50 mile per hour winds.

Shaklee has been a great part of my year. The conference in California was wonderful, I met and made some wonderful new friends and the products have kept me healthy through some pretty nasty flu bugs. If you would like to know what I take to keep myself healthy, contact me at jkristenson@yahoo.com or greenandfit.myshaklee.com

Have an awesome holiday season.

December Already

Can you believe it? In 3 weeks it will be Christmas. Where has this year gone? My "To Do List" is still way to long. I have lots of Christmas thing still to do, plus lots of regular list stuff that is not completed either. I guess I had better get busy.

It sure was nice to wake up to clear skis after yesterday icky weather. It was hard to believe that we had horizontal rain, plus getting 4" of new snow all in one day. I think the town of Seward got worse weather than out of town. It will be fun to see what the roads are like when I go to town to the Arts and Crafts Fair (one of my favorite things Seward has in the winter).

I just finished listing to a great live Internet training with Janet Legere. She is very motivational. If I could do 1/3 of what she asks, I'd be on top everything I want to complete in my life.

I also got a great email from the Cinch Brag Book. Getting into that book is a must do on my list. If you are concerned about your Calcium and vitamin D. Take time to read the following:

New Calcium and Vitamin D Intake
Recommendations – What You Need to Know

Hello Shaklee Family,

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) just released the report "Dietary Reference Intakes for Calcium and Vitamin D" that establishes higher recommended intake levels for vitamin D. The new Recommended Dietary Allowance (RDA) for children and adults ages 1-70 has been increased to 600 IU/day and the RDA for those aged 71+ has also been raised to 800 IU/day. The Tolerable Upper Intake Level was raised from 2,000 to 4,000 IU/day for adults. Calcium intake RDAs remained essentially the same with a range of 700 – 1,300 mg per day depending on age and sex. The full report can be accessed at http://shaklee.custhelp.com/rd?1=AvUg~wqRKP8Sx9LbGvAe~yL~Jvsq~6T~JUT3jjr~&2=11646.

We recognize that the goals of the IOM are to make broad-based recommendations for the entire population, and develop reference values that serve to guide nutrient guidelines for the US and Canada. We applaud the IOM for updating the vitamin D and calcium nutritional reference values established in 1997, for the potential far-reaching benefits to public health, but we also believe that such modest adjustments in recommended intakes may under-serve the many population groups who are at potential risk for low intakes of calcium and/or vitamin D..

We also want to take this opportunity to reiterate that Shaklee’s mission is to support optimal health for everyone, and in this case, we believe the potential benefits of calcium and vitamin D supplementation go well beyond simple nutritional adequacy and bone health. Scientific research links vitamin D inadequacy to an increased risk for certain cancers, cardiovascular disease, osteoporosis, and diabetes, and higher intakes of vitamin D may help reduce the risk of these diseases. These are precisely the reasons we conducted our own extensive review of the scientific literature and sponsored two independent vitamin D research studies. We also recently adjusted our individual vitamin D intake recommendations based on an individual’s risk factors for vitamin D insufficiency.

It has been estimated that as many as 80% of Americans may have “insufficient” blood levels of vitamin D and there are many reasons why low vitamin D levels seem to be commonplace today. The season or calendar month is a major risk factor for vitamin D insufficiency because sunlight is less efficient during winter months at triggering vitamin D production in the skin. The risk for vitamin D insufficiency rises as sunscreen use and time spent indoors increases. The latitude of your residence is another determinant of sun exposure and those with darker skin are less efficient at converting sunlight to vitamin D. Other factors that can increase risk for vitamin D inadequacy include increasing age, increasing body mass index, lack of exercise, and low intake of fish and other vitamin D rich foods in the diet.

While we support the IOM for the long-awaited adjustments to the calcium RDAs, increases to the vitamin D RDAs, and the increased Safe Upper Levels of Intake (UL) for vitamin D, we also remain committed to individualized and potentially higher vitamin D intake recommendations based on an individual’s unique vitamin D risk factor profile.

For more information about calcium, vitamin D, and your health, talk with your doctor or healthcare professional to discuss the steps you should take to achieve optimal calcium and vitamin D intakes. To obtain an individual vitamin D intake recommendation from Shaklee Health Sciences, based on your own risk factor profile, take the Vitamin D-Ology questionnaire at http://shaklee.custhelp.com/rd?

Sending warmest regards,

Dr. Jamie McManus M.D.
Chairman, Medical Affairs and Health Sciences
Shaklee Corporation

I just got plowed out. I did not realize there was as much snow as there is. I had to go move my car. Now this afternoon I get to go clean up the small berms that are left. It will be good exercise for me.

Well, I need to get this completed and my day going. Have a great week.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. It is that time of the year to sit back and think about all the things we are thankful for. My list is very long. Thank you for being part of my life!!