It’s Leigh’s March 2023 newsletter from Featherstones Comfort Pad! Volume 2, Issue 5
Hi all! We’re normally all Featherstones Comfort Pad all the time, but we’re a bit off schedule this month.
We’ve been busy in a bunch of areas, not the least of which has been helping my son and daughter-in-law as they work so tirelessly on their new home, doing much of the interior work themselves. I’ve been a flooring installation assistant the past couple of weeks, and Scott’s become the door and baseboard painter. Our weekends and some afternoons find us in knee pads or dabbled in paint – lol! We love it! We’re very excited for them to move in this spring.
Speaking of which, while I may market my patented Featherstones Comfort Pad, I also know what else brings me comfort – and that’s the arrival of spring! Now, spring may have officially joined us on March 20, but the actual day fluctuates, according to when the spring equinox hits. We’ve always thought spring begins on March 21, yet this year it came on the 20th, and it’s come as early as the 19th! Who knew?
If you’re curious to learn more about all that (as I was!), just go here to the Farmers’ Almanac website and read all about it.
And if you’re like me, you truly welcome spring! New beginnings, reawakenings, the freedom to start over, hoping to learn from past mistakes so we can try to make future connections all the more meaningful.
You know me, always looking to the inner meanings of things. Here’s a nice piece on the spiritual meaning of spring.
Life is an art. It’s a science. It’s a nuance. And the least we should be able to get out of it is comfort.
Yes, my Comfort Pad helps achieve this. And now so do my new Comfort Blocks. But I’m also talking comfort in our daily goings on, in our relationships with partners, kids, parents and friends. And with the people down the block, at the store, on the train. With all the insanity in the world, sometimes it’s hard to be aware of all the peacefulness. The love, the camaraderie, the sense of community that we’re blessed to live in and immerse ourselves in.
Here in our home, we pretty much took the winter off – well, not off off, but we stepped back from the higher intensity stuff, played less, more stayed in touch and allowed separation to grow the fondness. Ate out a little and stayed in a lot. Rested. Put on a couple of winter pounds, but those are going.
And now, spring! We’re ready to start stepping out again, resume activities with renewed vigor and a new view to the future. We hope whatever purpose spring brings to your world is rich with life and happiness!
A little promo never hurt!
We may have slowed down a bit personally for the winter, but we’re still traipsing along in our business missions.
A local magazine is featuring the Featherstones Comfort Pad in its April issue, due out next week. “Greet Duxbury” is part of a franchise small-town publishing company that does lots of family and small-business spotlights, and, of course, sell advertising. They heard about the Comfort Pad and had to learn more. So we wrote up a fun blurb and submitted it with photos, which they’re publishing in the April issue. Anything to get the word out!
Speaking of which, our regional community access television station set up in our living room and in my Featherstones office the other day to interview me for a new series about local “seniors” who keep active and not sit idly by. Not that I feel especially seniorish – but apparently I qualify. Well, if I can help inspire others to pursue their passions at any age – and get some Comfort Pad love at the same time – then why not?
These will be online at some point, and we’ll let you know when!
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Comfort Blocks find a home!
I mentioned last time that we had a verbal commitment for our first order of our new Comfort Blocks. Well – we got the order! Boston Children’s Hospital ordered several dozen of these 3x5x2 goodies, made of the same materials as our Pleather-covered Comfort Pad. They also ordered more Comfort Pads for their MRI Department. The blocks are being made now, and we’ll deliver in April. Can’t believe they’ve been using Comfort Pads for a year already!
We’re grateful that their MRI team likes our products so much. They rave about the comfort that the Pads and now the Blocks provide their patients in those awkward situations. And now three other major hospitals are testing the line. We’d like to push the “hurry up” button, but we know the process takes time to play out.
Here are a few of the several photos BCH MRI technologists took to show how they use the Comfort Pad.
We’re grateful to Boston Children’s for their continued faith in our products and reliance on them to provide real patient comfort. And for their asking us to create new products for special applications, such as the Comfort Block and also now a new head pad we’re developing for them.
We enjoy receiving the hospital’s newsletter, which is packed with insights into children’s health issues. If you’re interested in getting it, you can sign up for it here: Patient Resources (childrenshospital.org). From their last newsletter, here’s a link to BCH’s cute Instagram post for National Snack Day, asking hospital nutritionists their favorite Snack to Pack: www.instagram.com/reel/CpdnTMQgsFk. Apparently March is National Nutrition Month – good thing no one told me! Whoops!
So, what’s your favorite Snack to Pack? Here’s one of ours!
Snack to Pack recipe time!
Gotta admit, we like a snack as much as anyone. And usually it’s a Greek yogurt with a little granola (we love the Purely Elizabeth brand of organic granola – especially the Original and Pumpkin Cinnamon Ancient Grain recipes, which we found in the organic aisle of our grocery store, tried for fun, and never looked back!). But for a while I was making these tasty tender morsels. No idea where this recipe came from – someone passed it along, like so many others I have.
Energy Balls
Ingredients
*3/4 cup of chopped pitted Medjool dates (“the fruit of kings”)
*1/2 cup rolled oats (“old fashioned”)
*1/2 cup chopped dried apple
*1/2 cup plain almond butter
*1/4 cup chopped pecans, toasted
*1 tbsp ground cinnamon
Directions
- Soak dates in hot water until soft, 5-10 mins.
- Combine oats, apple, almond butter, pecans, cinnamon and dates in food processor
- Process until finely chopped
- Roll into balls, about 2 tbsp each
- Refrigerate at least 15 mins; can last up to a week in the fridge
One or two of these guys make a fun snack for when you just need a little something. I don’t know the calories (we’re not supposed to count those any more, right?), but at least there some amount of protein and fiber. They just taste really good, and they’re filling. So, that’s our Snack to Pack contribution. What’s your favorite?
Thanks to Boston Children’s for soliciting suggestions!
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A request, with the sincere thanks of a grateful entrepreneur!
If you enjoy your Comfort Pad, please, right now, this very moment, leave a rating and brief review. Just go to https://featherstonesinc.com/comfort-pad and click on the pad model you own and you’ll see where to do it. Reviews help immensely with our marketing, so, sincerely, thank you!!!
It’s also very helpful for you to share our social media posts so like-minded people in your world see them. Here’s where to find us: @featherstones.comfort.pad on Instagram and @FeatherstonesComfortPad on Facebook. We post a mix of business, info and fun Monday through Friday. 😊
And please feel free to forward this newsletter to anyone you think might enjoy it – if they like it, they can sign up at the website. We’ll never sell or give anyone’s info away!
As we say in our posts: “Featherstones – pass the word!”
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And that’s our newsletter for this month!
We are truly grateful that April is lying around the corner. Now to remember – did March come in like a lion or a lamb?
A joyful spring to you!!!
With love, Leigh
leigh@featherstonesinc.com
https://featherstonesinc.com/comfort-pad