THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the rain that makes this corner of the world so beautiful. What's one thing that you're thankful for?

SPORTING SOME SPECTACLES

As of yesterday, all four little Ws have glasses! I took this picture of them together when we got back from picking up the newest pairs at Woodburn Vision Source yesterday afternoon.

Silas was the first of our kids to wear glasses and he got them back in 2015, although we don't remember exactly when. He'd been getting headaches that we knew weren't triggered by dehydration, what he ate, or lack of sleep, so we took him in for an eye exam. His eyes weren't horrible, but it did confirm he needed glasses for reading. His vision's improved a bit, but he still wears glasses most of the time when he reads and picked the same style last month that he has the two previous times.

Naomi was the next kid to get glasses and she's had them for just over two years. I blogged about it at the time because it was a big deal. We didn't realize how bad her vision was and getting glasses changed everything! She chose small, pink, wire frames the first time and matching purple ones the second, but went for something totally different this year. Bigger frames and two-toned (brown outside, blue inside) glasses that she absolutely loves.

Last year we took Devon in just because he'd never had an exam and it seemed like a good thing to do since two of his siblings needed glasses. His eyes were perfectly fine, but this month's exam showed a slight turn for the worse. He just needs glasses for reading, which is how he spends much of his free time. He's had them for less than a day, so he's not sure what he thinks about it yet.

We took Tyler in for an exam the same day as Devon earlier this month. He didn't seem to have any problems, but we figured a baseline exam for him would be good for the same reason it was for Devon. It turns out his vision is even worse than Naomi's and we had no idea. In hindsight, the only indication of a problem was a squinting face he makes occasionally. He has the most expressive face of all the kids, so it always appeared to be a look of concentration, not an attempt to focus his eyes. Nope. He needs glasses on all the time and we'll do some patching next year if his weakest eye doesn't improve enough by then. He loves red and black, so he was pretty thrilled to see a pair in those colors.

My parents and siblings have all worn glasses and now all my kids do, but so far my eyes are still working as they should. I anticipate that will change at some point as I get older, which doesn't bother me, but for now it's fun to see the little Ws picking out and sporting cute glasses of their own.

FUN WITH THE FAM

We have a tradition called "Family Fun Friday" where all the Ws who are home on a Friday evening spend time doing something fun together and eating a snack of some sort. Last Friday Tim and I saw four flavors of Hubert's Lemonade, which we'd never heard of, at Wheeler Dealer, so we snagged one of each, along with a few bags of chips, and brought them home to the  kids. 

We all had a lemonade sampling session, which was fun because we're (mostly) water and (sometimes) tea drinkers, then ate chips and popcorn while we watched Ragamuffin, the story of Rich Mullins. Here's a quick family picture taken in the middle of trying all the lemonade varieties. 

On Sunday night we had a snowball fight in our living room. Everyone was laughing and panting, layers were getting shed and windows opened (and it's cold here) as people worked up a sweat, and there was a fair amount of trash talking. We spent about 45 minutes pelting each other and it was so much fun!

Here's the crew in action.

And here's a little explanation, along with more action.

We snapped a quick picture in the middle of the fight, partly for the memory and partly because we needed to rest for a minute. The gradual loss of clothing layers from the first video through this picture show you just how hard we were playing. It got hot in our living room!

If you're looking for a fun Christmas gift for a family or just want to bring some fun into your own home, I highly recommend getting a tub of Snowtime Anytime snowballs! It took us nearly a year to use this gift from Ashley, but it was a blast and I predict a whole bunch of snowball fights in our future.

In case you think these pictures and videos indicate life is always a party here and we love every minute we spend together, let me assure you we have plenty of conflict. In fact, we probably have more tension than you'd expect. Sometimes sharing a life and roof with other people is super hard, but that's what makes things like lemonade sampling and indoor snowball fights so awesome! It's good to do something fun together, make some positive memories, and laugh a whole bunch. Those are the moments that carry you through the rough patches, right?

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THANKSGIVING - 2017

As we've done for the last 20 years or so, we spent Thanksgiving with my bonus in-laws, the family Tim lived with for a chunk of his teen years. I didn't take any pictures there, but we did get a few before we left home.

The big Ws.

The little Ws.

The smiling Ws.

The silly Ws.

AN EXCITING BOOK UPDATE

Twelve days ago we launched Random Conversation Starters, Volume 1, in a pdf format people could download. We quickly realized from our own excitement and brainstorming, then from unsolicited feedback from other people, that there was an interest in other formats. 

Tonight I'm thrilled to show you the screenshot I sent to Tim earlier this evening. 

Folks, that's a Kindle version!! On Amazon!! Can you believe it? This version is already on our Kindle and a friend used her Kindle app to get it on her phone. So fun!

The PDF version is still available, but I've cut out the middle man. I'll now be accepting payment directly through the "Pay for goods and services" option on PayPal or in cash from local people and e-mailing the files myself. The Kindle version will be sold exclusively on Amazon, except for this coming Monday when I offer a Cyber Monday deal. Both versions are listed on the product page, which is here and on the blog sidebar.

You know what else? There are printable cards and a paperback book coming!

I've had a few people ask about a card version, something they could hand out for ice breakers in a group events, tuck in their purse, or keep at their dining table, so the printable cards will be great for that. Meanwhile, I've had some people tell me they've printed and cut up their PDF version into strips that they stick in a jar on their table for mealtime conversation. Such a great idea! The printed version will be just as fun as the other options, but it will also make a fun gift, a coffee table type of book for the person who has everything.

I don't really consider myself an author, given that all I've done is list questions, but it's still pretty fun to see my name on the cover of a book. Knowing it will help put #BracesOnFaces makes it even better!

UPDATE: As of 11/26, there is also a PDF printable card format available. Next up? A paperback book!

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever.

A BRACES ON FACES UPDATE

As you know, I started my Pampered Chef business in September to pay for the multiple sets of braces our family needs. I've given some #BracesOnFaces updates on Facebook, including a live video this morning, but realized today that I haven't done any here. Oops.

So, let's start off with how and when I'm getting paid.  All consultants get paid on the 7th of the month, but those who earn a certain amount of money before the 15th get that money on the 21st. So far I've been paid twice a month from Pampered Chef, but I'll always be paid at least once.

Pampered Chef is where the vast majority of our braces fund comes from, but today's update also includes two other sources. First, a check I received from Amazon with money earned from affiliate links here and on For The Love of Grub. Second, the profits from a book I launched last week called Random Conversation Starters, Volume 1. 

Now that you know where the money is coming from, I want to explain what I'm doing with it. The first thing I always do with new income is tithe. For those unfamiliar with that word, it's a biblical principle of giving a tenth of your money back to God through your church. It's something I'm not required to do, but choose to because I believe it's a way of acknowledging that all I have comes from him in the first place. It's a gesture of gratitude for what I already have and trust in his provision for whatever I'll need later. 

After that's done, I set some aside for giving. This is not money for birthday presents or Christmas stockings, but for helping those in need. That's something we already do with our regular income, but I'm continuing the practice with this money. Even though this income is for a very specific purpose and not a dime of it is being spent on any regular bills or what I call the fluff of life (eating out, vacations, etc.), it's still important for me to give some away. I figure if I have enough money that I can save for braces, then I have enough to share with those who are doing everything they can to put food on their table and coming up short.

So those are the only non-braces things that any of this money goes to. They're both important to me and non-negotiable. 

However, there is one more category I put money in before I the remainder goes in the braces fund. Business expenses. I actually have very few of them, but here's how it's looked so far. 

I borrowed money from our savings account to buy my Pampered Chef kit. They have three different kits available, so I bought the one I felt was best for me, then every cent of my profit went back to our savings account until it had been fully reimbursed. That happened to be taken care of with my first paycheck, but I'd have dragged the process out as long as necessary. No money was going toward braces until the debt to our savings account was taken care of.

The next business expense was a service that takes care of all my Facebook party posts for me while I go about my day. It's priceless!! It's awesome to have a party run while I'm parenting, doing school, and taking care of our home, then be able to get online and interact with guests during times of the day that are convenient for me. I'm currently in a three month free trial, but I'll eventually have to pay for the service. They offer six month and one year subscriptions. Since the one year option is slightly less expensive per month, that's what I chose. After my kit was paid off, I set aside money for a one year subscription so that I can pay it in full when the bill comes, then started setting 1/12 of that amount aside each month so that I'll be ready for the next bill when it comes a year from now.

Once the kit reimbursement and one year subscription were out of the way, the only monthly business expenses I have are about $20 a month total for 1/12 of my posting subscription and a fee for a service that allows me to have a Pampered Chef site people can order from 24/7. I also set aside a little bit for postage if I need to mail catalogs and paid for labels to use for putting my contact information on catalogs when I first started. At this point, most of each Pampered Chef check is going straight to braces. So exciting!! 

I also tithe and give off the top of my Amazon checks that come from my affiliate links, then the rest goes toward braces. As for the book income, I'm only a week into it and already making changes. I've been in a free one week trial with a service that gathers payments and sends a link for customers to download a pdf version of the book. I initially set aside enough to pay the very nominal fee for a full six months once the trial period was done. However, a couple people had problems getting their books and I've decided to remove the middle man. I'll be collecting money and e-mailing the pdf books myself. That change hasn't happened yet, but will be taken care of in the next day or two. 

In related news, and slightly off-topic, we have plans for a Kindle version of the book that may be available on Amazon in time for Cyber Monday. How cool is that?! I don't even like books on screens myself, but I know many of you do and I think this particular type of book would be super handy to have on a mobile device. Even if it's not ready by Monday, it will be ready soon! We also have plans for two more book adaptations, but I'm not saying anything about them until they're closer to becoming a reality. Just one little update at a time!  UPDATE: The Kindle version has launched!

Ok, so back to #BracesOnFaces. About a month ago I asked Devon to make a pie chart for me to keep track of the progress I'm making toward paying for the first set of braces. The chart is broken into 5% slices and today we hit 30%!!!  Folks, I am so excited and phenomenally grateful!!

I've started referring to payday as "coloring day" because I get to fill in more of the pie chart. Here's how I do it. I don't fill in any of the chart until the money is actually in the bank. So, for example, the money I earned from a party that closed last night is not factored into the percentages shown in today's update. If it's not in the bank, it doesn't count. Additionally, I don't count all the money that gets deposited in the bank. This chart only represents the portion of my income that is going toward braces after I've set aside some for tithing, giving, and business expenses, not my total income. Finally, I only fill in another slice when there's a full 5% more to add. The braces fund is currently at 32%, but I won't color again until there's 35% in the bank.

I know this was a long and wordy update, but it's important to me to share it with all of you. If I was saving for a vacation or kitchen remodel, I wouldn't tell you anything about it. Nor would I give you updates if we were saving for braces out of our regular income, no matter how excited I was or close to the goal we were getting. The reason I want to tell all of you about how I'm managing the money I'm earning and how many slices of that pie chart have been colored in is because you are the reason it's happening!

The support I've received with my Pampered Chef business, and then with the book launch, has been simply astounding. Long before I became a consultant I'd taken the cost of one set of braces and figured out how much I'd need to earn each week at any job in order to pay for one set each year. I have no idea how this will all play out over time, but right now I'm at 139% of what my goal was for this point in the process, eleven weeks into it.

I'm so very thankful for every person who has purchased a book or Pampered Chef products, given me useful feedback or practical help with either of those things, or simply shared in my excitement. Thank you so much!!

PAINTING TIME

Today we met a bunch of friends at Happy Art Ceramic Studio for a couple hours of painting, chatting, and newborn snuggling. Such a great way to spend the morning!

The picture above was taken right before we left, but I got some pictures of the kids in action. I'm not free to show what they painted, so I just scribbled those parts of the pictures out for the sake of this post. I'll come back later on to swap these out for unedited ones.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for lotion and coconut oil to help dry skin. What's one thing you're thankful for?

IT'S TIME FOR A BOOK LAUNCH!!

A few years ago I started posting random conversation starters on my Facebook page. They're just random things that cross my mind as I go through my day and have been a fun way to dialogue with my friends. People have frequently told me that I should compile all the questions into a book, but I've never taken their advice. I simply wasn't motivated. 

Exactly one month ago yet another friend, Sarah, suggested turning all those random conversation starters into a book, but she put a different spin on it. Knowing about #BracesOnFaces, my quest to pay for fixing all the messed up mouths in our family, she said I could put book profits toward our braces fund and that she'd help me with the process. I told her I'd think about it. That's what people who don't take risks do. They just keep thinking about it.

Yesterday afternoon I told her I wish I'd gone ahead and done it because the book would be a fun purchase for holiday gatherings. I figured it was too late. Little did I know that between my collection of questions and her computer expertise we'd have an e-book ready in a matter of hours!

So, without further ado, I present ...

Folks, I'm so excited! I was going to tell everyone about it tomorrow, simply because I already had one blog post go up today, but I just couldn't wait that long.

Random Conversation Starters, Volume 1, is filled with 100 questions and is super handy when you want to learn more about someone or just need something to talk about. It doesn't matter where you are or who you're with, you'll find questions that provide entertainment and discussion.

If you want to buy a copy, then click here. For the sake of convenience, you can also find that link on the blog sidebar. And if you enjoy your copy of the book, please spread the word!!

I never intended those Facebook posts to be anything more than what they were, just a way to learn more about my friends, but I'm thankful for all the people who have suggested I share them with the rest of the world. I'm also super thankful for Sarah's help in turning all those posts into a book.

Enjoy your random conversations!

UPDATE: The book is now available as a pdf download or Kindle version.

SMOKIN' SALMON

Tim went fishing on Saturday and came home with this salmon. Big fish! We went again on Sunday and took Silas with him. They hooked another one with a minute to spare and reeled it in, but had to release it because of some technicality I don't understand because I don't fish. The salmon in this picture is now soaking in brine so that Tim can smoke it later. His smoked salmon is tasty!

A THOUGHTFUL GESTURE

I came across these cards as I was sorting through some old things last night and smiled as I thought back to receiving them. I remember being called to the school office one day and finding flowers when I got there. My mom had died about five weeks earlier and, unbeknownst to me, my friend Kater had made note of when my mom's birthday was. She surprised me with flowers on that first missed birthday during our sophomore year, then continued to do so throughout the rest of the high school.

During a hard time when we were blessed with more acts of kindness than I could possibly keep track of, her thoughtfulness in acknowledging that initial milestone and the two that followed still stands out in my mind as one of the highlights of feeling loved and cared for nearly 26 years later. Making note of significant dates, primarily their birthday, at the time of someone's death continues to be something I try to do myself and encourage others to do when they're looking for ways to support a grieving person or family.

I'm thankful for Kater's friendship back then and love the way one relatively small decision she made has had a big ripple effect for so many years.

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for people and things that make me laugh. What is something that you're thankful for?

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I'm thankful for the book, CD, and note that the mail carrier dropped off yesterday and for the thoughtful person who sent the package to me.