THE LILY STORY:

It was interesting to grow up with my father on the farm. Oh, did he love his apple trees! In the spring, if we were going to have a killer frost, he would get us up in the middle of the night to light heaters under the trees. If a tree had a limb too heavy with fruit, he would climb up there and tape it, like someone would wrap and support a sprained arm. There was only one mortal sin on the farm: throwing an apple. Apples represented everything he worked for, honored and loved.

It is primarily from my father's reverence for the land that I gained a respect for botanicals. My sister, though, was a parallel influence. My father's deep respect for the land did not transfer to animals. One day when my sister was five or six years old, he cut off the heads of our pet chickens. Unbeknown to him, she witnessed this. Making the connection between live animals and meat on the table, she never again ate meat. My whole life growing up, my mom would cook my sister her own little vegetarian version of the family meals.

It was also my sister who, whenever we were on vacation or in a nearby town, would drag me into health food stores. I wasn't too interested in health foods until suddenly at the age of fourteen I developed acne. Desperate, I would go into the stores and study the skin care products, asking, "What's is in this lavender stuff? Why are these flower essences in these products?" I began seeing a dermatologist. Prescribing a topical ointment, he offered hope, but little more. For ten solid years I didn't eat a potato chip, french fry or chocolate bar.... but still had acne. I studied all the labels in the department and grocery stores comparing ingredients and the whopping price differences. After close examination, I concluded that there was no difference in the ingredients of the department vs. grocery store products. Worse, there was no ingredient in any of the products which, even by chemical definition, would clear up skin. But I discovered that the health food store products were truly different. Often they contained many botanical ingredients, such as Witch Hazel, Calendula and chamomile, which in their chemical constituency are anti-inflammatory, pore-tightening and healing.

After experiencing three dermabrasions, I decided to gradually bring positive things, habits and people into my life. I bought every book available on skin care, and attended the Colorado Herbal College in Boulder, Colorado. I made my own applesauce masks, witch hazel and spirulina, wheatgrass, alfalfa, brewer's yeast and apple juice (fondly known as "pond scum" by those of us who drink it).

I was having fun with herbs, making pineapple astringents, honey and papaya masks, putting almond, primrose and kukui oil in my hair. One herbal moisturizer I made was light and oil free with the benefit of nineteen different healing herbs. I was so enthusiastic about it, I considered marketing it. With encouragement from my mom and sister, I started my company. With more tenacity than brains, I plugged along. It was so vital to me that my products contain only pure, natural ingredients that I have trademarked the phrase Purely Botanical(TM ) to describe them.

Ten years later, we continue striving to provide you with the purest products available. I hope you enjoy using our products as much as we enjoy making them fresh for you weekly. We love to hear our customer's comments. Call our 24-hour voice mail at 1-800-333-LILY (5459). If you like our products, tell your friends-if you don't tell us!

So buy our products so I can buy a new tractor!

Thanks for your support!