Happy October!

Welcome to our *newly established* monthly newsletter. Here we will share what’s going on with Above and Beyond, such as employee of the month, new procedures, our charity involvement, and some other snippets of a day in the life at Above and Beyond. Additionally, each month we are going to showcase a different business in our community so that our customers can stay aware of who to call when a need arises. In addition to that we will also do a section that showcases current clients that make items that can be sold as gifts! We are so happy to have the opportunity to serve you! Grab your favorite beverage for reading and have a seat because this edition is packed full of excitement!

Above and Beyond’s Business of the Month

This month we want to tell you all about Express Lawn & Landscape, LLC, who have been serving our community since 2004. Since then, they have made sure their customers know that they strive to provide quality service at a fair and reasonable price, building beauty & value into Home & Family.

Express Lawn & Landscape, LLC was established in the spring of 2004 and it began as a temporary way to earn a living, based on some previous experience. Soon, it was much more than a temporary solution and became a career. Now, sixteen years later they are going strong and they still provide the same quality service that they started with.

When you book a service with Express Lawn & Landscape, LLC you will receive high quality work and beautiful results! You can always count on honesty, integrity, and quality workmanship. This month you can be on the lookout for 10% off of any Fall Cleanup or Trimming Project, and as always, FREE estimates are provided. Also, take advantage of their year-round packages and take the guesswork out of your budget!

Employee of the Month!

Sharon Waterman has been with Above and Beyond Housekeeping for almost five years! Her service has helped hundreds of clients achieve cleanliness and happiness. Sharon has two children and a pet turtle. In her free time she enjoys the art of crochet. When asked what she loves about her job, Sharon says she loves all of the wonderful clients that she serves. She has had several customers call in to compliment the quality of her work every month. When Sharon has some free time she likes to travel out of state to enjoy herself. A couple of Sharon’s favorites are the color burgundy and salad! We asked Sharon what she would do if she won the lottery, and we’re not surprised that she said she would make donations and help her family. Thank you for a wonderful job and continued great service, Sharon! Keep up the good work!!

News and Updates

Covid-19 Update

Here at Above and Beyond Housekeeping, we have taken extra measures to eliminate as much cross-contamination as possible between houses. So we have some new policies and procedures to keep everyone safe. The safety of our customers and our team is of most importance. When you depend on Above and Beyond Housekeeping to disinfect your home, you can count on us to be diligent and extremely thorough.

Expect to see us wash our hands immediately upon entering your home, then we will go straight to disinfecting hot spots, next we will get out the vacuum we provided to you and disinfect the handle ,then we will do our routine cleaning, and before we leave all of the counters will be disinfected and left to air dry. It is always our mission to leave your home in Above and Beyond shape, all while keeping everyone safe!

Events

This month in Reading

Oct. 2 – Movie night at First Energy Stadium – Playing Field of Dreams. Gates open at 5:45 PM

Oct 1-16 – Virtual tour of Picasso: Master of Clay/Mouly on the Move @ 9 AM via Facebook live

All Wednesdays @1 PM – Guided Tours of GoggleWorks

For more events and info, please visit https://www.readingpa.gov/calendar/events/2020-10

Handmade Items

Joel’s Pen Shop

Joel’s pens are each handmade out of a cube of material. Sometimes that material is an exotic wood and sometimes it is made from colorful acrylic. These pens are all unique to themselves and not one of them can be replicated exactly. Joel makes a beautiful pen each time he begins a new project. These would make fantastic gifts for anyone and each pen comes in it’s own carrying pouch! To see some more example of available product, please find him on www.facebook.com/joelspens

Additional Information

If you wish to be featured in our newsletter for your business or your handmade items, please reach out to us at abnewsletterapp@gmail.com and we will send you a questionnaire. We look forward to your submissions and can’t wait to showcase you!

Click Here for a Free Estimate!

*|MC:SUBJECT|*

Happy November!

Above and Beyond's Business of the Month!

Pet's Buddy

Brian started officially pet sitting about three years ago, but he as been caring for pets of family, friends, and neighbors for more than fifteen years. He decided to go into business because he has a friend with an established business, "Doggie Days & Stays" in Wyomissing, and she loves what she does! Pet sitting had been on his mind for a very long time so he decided to jump in and give it a try. His friend introduced him to many of his first customers and he has continued to grow from there. He even cares for his friend's pets occasionally along with Ellen's pets, owner of Above and Beyond!
When asked about his values in business, Brian said "Remembering I am responsible for people's pets, which in most cases are members of their family, and treating them as such. Dogs and cats will often tell you what they need with signals, so I watch and pay attention to those signals. However, the pet owners are the actual customers, and they use actual words, so I listen to them!"
You can reach Brian at bwarfel222@gmail.com or 610-349-4145 to set up your meet and greet!

Brian offers FREE meet and greets! If the pet owner will be away for more than a day, he often sends pictures and videos, which many customers ask for and it is an enjoyable part of the job. Brian feels that keeping the customer connected with their pets helps them feel secure that he isn't just sitting around watching the clock! He is involved and engaging with the pets while he is there. Brian is also willing to pack up his sleeping bag for travel if there is a dog that is more comfortable knowing someone is there all the time!
When we asked Brian if there was anything else pet owners might like to know about him, he told us "Its not exactly part of my business, but more of a very rewarding extension. I recently got involved helping to transport newborn pups with birth defects through Northern PA and even sometimes into New York. The Mia Foundation, in Rochester, NY has a team of very dedicated volunteers to see that pups and other pets receive the necessary treatment they require to survive. In addition, they have a loving Foster and Adoption program. They're truly a wonderful organization."

To get your business showcased in a future newsletter, please email us at abnewsletterapp@gmail.com

News and Updates

This month we are collecting items to donate to Safe Berks. The have a wish list for things that can be donated. Any donations may be dropped off at our office or you can send them with your cleaning technician. You can visit HERE to see the wish list.

We would like to collect:
New Items:

Towels

Clothing of all sizes (Men and Women)

Small packaged snack items

We are also collecting items to donate to the
Animal Rescue League of Berks County. They
too have a wish list of things they are in
need of. You can visit HERE to see the wish list.

We would like to collect:

Canned food for cats/kitten

Canned food for dogs/puppies

Dry food for dog/puppies

Dry food for cats/kittens

Cat litter

Durable toys

Kuranda beds

Bleach and laundry detergent

Did you know??

When you are thrilled with your service and you give us a review on Google, you can mention your cleaning technician's name and she will receive a $25 bonus from Ellen, the Owner, but WAIT!! When she gets that bonus, Ellen tells her that it came from YOU! What are you waiting for? Send a Google Review HERE and let your cleaning technician know how much you appreciate her today!

Employee of the Month

Maria D.

Maria has been with Above and Beyond for almost four years! She has two daughters and two granddaughters. When Maria has some free time she likes to relax and watch some television. Some of her hobbies include reading the Bible and singing Christian music.
If you ask Maria what she likes most about her job, she will tell you she likes that she can complete her work on time. Her favorite color is yellow and some of her favorite foods are rice, fish, and beans! If Maria won the lottery she would use it to help people in need.
We appreciate everything Maria does. She is hardworking and dedicated to her job. Thank you for all you do, Maria! Keep up the great work!

Events

Nov 4 - Top Secret: License to Spy - Reading at Reading Public Museum
Nov 7 - Reading Public Museum Fall Clean Up
Nov 13 - Preschool Story Hour - Oley at Reading Public Museum
Every weekend - Reading Public Museum, Forever Forest
Nov 26 - Thanksgiving Day
Everyday - Artist lectures via zoom

For more event info please visit HERE or HERE

Handmade Items

The Sentimental Gift

Mary Rose makes Zentangle Art, Artisan designed organizer bags, and paper sculpted flowers. She has been a Certified Zentangle Teacher for three years and a full time artist for over ten years! When asked how she began in business, Mary Rose said " I come from a family of beautifully creative and talented women across many generations. Some form of art/craft/creativity has always been part of my life. After a 21 year career as a computer programmer, I switched jobs and became a full time artist. At that point I began to follow the creative journey, allowing every year to lead me in different directions of development. After a personal challenge to myself to expand my art ability, I found Zentangle, and that exploded a joy and confidence that I had never known. It has led me to teach in several parts of the country, and to have peers all over the world. For 2020, all of my classes have moved online, and I have students attend from many parts of the country, Canada and even London! I look forward to every January so that I evaluate the previous year, and make changes for the new year, so my studio is always an evolving path of inspiration."

Products made by Mary Rose can be found at www.TheSentimentalGift.com. If you're looking for a deal, you can find several specific styles of artisan organizer bags that are currently on sale. They can be found at www.thesentimentalgift.com/shop/designerzipperbag/2.
Looking for more information? Zentangle is a mindfulness and relaxation technique that uses a pen stroke as focus. It is an easy to learn skill that can be done by anyone, and is a tool you can use throughout your life for stress relief and mindfulness. All you need to begin is a basic 101 class, which is offered monthly. Go to https://www.thesentimentalgift.com/classes for dates, times and more details. Once you complete the 101 class, you can attend any other class on the website, in any order.

To get your handmade items in our newsletter, please send an email to abnewsletterap@gmail.com and ask for the questionnaire.

Last Month's Showcases:
Employee of the Month - Sharon Waterman
Business of the Month- Express Lawn & Landscape LLC - Website Here
Handmade Items- Joel's Pens - Website Here