"It Is With Heavy Heart...." breaking news to you...

Oh ladies... how do I even say this...

This morning, I sat down with coffee in hand just,

like every other morning,

and began the task of perusing my emails...

What's this? An email from my favorite people at

Jeanne d'Arc Living!

I always open their emails first! :)

Click.

Open...

Heart sinks....

Cannot believe what I'm reading...

Oh how can it be?

I think the universe could hear the

sigh that came from my gut...

December 3^rd 2009

Dear customer

We regret to inform you that we unfortunately no longer will be able to sell our products to customers in United States of America.

Thank you for understanding and showing interest in Jeanne d´Arc Living.

Did you just have the same reaction that I had?

{I shortened the email, deleting non-pertinent details and left just the "bottom line"}

I'm at a loss for what to tell you.

I will say this --

I had a very, very nice long talk with a very, very nice chap at

Jeanne d'Arc Living very, very early this morning...

I actually do feel somewhat better after that.

Here's what I can tell you...

It turns out that the main bugaboo has been in dealings with customs and

with cost-prohibitive freight/shipping costs for the orders coming here to the U.S.

So, until they can figure something else out that makes it possible to trade with the U.S. shops, they have had to make the hard decision to cease trade - for now.

And this takes effect NOW... immediately.

{Oh how I am now savoring that shipment we just got in!!

Had I know then what I know now, I would DOUBLED our order!}

In my chat with the representative at Jeanne d'Arc Living, he did offer us the option of continuing to be able to stock the magazine ONLY.

But no products --

for now...

Now...

their offer to continue to allow purchase of the magazine issues does not come

without it's own set of new stipulations and changes...

mainly...

the price is going to

increase.

My cost to bring it to you is going to be ratcheted up quite a bit

and in keeping with that,

well....

the price of the magazine in the shop will also have to go

up...

I have mulled this over and over and as I told my friend at

Jeanne d'Arc Living this morning on the phone,

I think the best thing I can do in helping me determine whether to

go forward and continue stocking the magazines is....

to ask YOU.

So, I am...

I'll just lay it out for you:

if we continue to bring the magazine to the states, the price is going to go

from $24 per issue up to approx. $35 per issue.

There will be 8 issues published in 2010 (there were 6 in 2009)

and all issues will be in English.

There is no way of knowing if or when we will be getting a chance at anymore

of the Jeanne d'Arc Living products, but for now, let's just say it won't be

any time soon...

SO....

for now, all we have is the magazine.

What do YOU think?

Remember back several months ago, when they were considering printing the

magazine in English and they wanted me to come to YOU to gauge

how much interest there would be in an English version?

Well, I'm coming to you again -- this time to gauge how

likely you will be to continue to order the magazines in light

of the new price.

I can't tell you enough how much I will

COVET

your responses.

Let 'er rip -- let me know what you think.

I will likely make my decision to either continue carrying or

not carry

the magazine going forward, based on what you all

have to say.

So please, be honest -- let me know where you fall on this new news of today...

I respect your ideas and thoughts -

I stock this store for YOU, so what YOU think matters.

GOOD NEWS for you

(because if you've read this far, you can use some!):

I still have a few things that I have not yet put up on the site from my latest shipment

from Jeanne d'Arc Living

so there ARE still things here,

on this side of the pond,

from Jeanne d'Arc Living to be had...

but when they're gone, there is no guarantee they will be

able to be restocked... at least not for some time.

So that about covers it.

I cannot wait to hear from you!

Oh, and one more thing -- the current issue for the first time ever, reflects a

U.S. price of I think $17.00. That is an error!

Shopkeepers across the country who stock the magazine were all

fairly shocked to see that price, since we can assure you --

it doesn't cost much less than that for US to get it here,

so PLEASE know that the $17.00 price is not an accurate rate of conversion for the magazine

and is not an accurate "MSRP" for it.

Future issues should have that corrected...

P.S. -- on a lighter note,

don't forget my giveaway in the blog post just below this one!!

I'll draw TWO names Friday night and hopefully ship

the winnings out on Saturday!!

~Ruth~