Rewind to Wednesday, 7:38PM. I thought the poor guy's hand was going to be blown off...or at least look like it went through a cheese grader. Youth night brought out the pyro-fire lovin' people in our group. And this young man was leading the way. He took a long bottle rocket, lit the fuse, and within a few seconds the thing started sparking in his hand and (thankfully) shot up and away. Between you and me, angels were watching over him. But I can't blame him for his contagious enthusiasm for...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Just so you know, Reader, my 3 year-old has the habit of sneaking into my bed at night. Usually I wake up with a chubby arm around my neck and a small puddle of drool by my cheek. Last night Flynn came to my side of the bed. (He still hasn't forgiven me for leaving him for girl's camp for a week. My momma heart breaks for him - the poor guy.) Last night he came in but with slurry words and half asleep questions. "I go with you mommy. And will you come with me?" I knew he was half asleep (I...
8 months ago • 1 min read
Let’s talk about the elephant in the room 🐘I know I’m not the only email marketer you follow.I know there are 1,547 email marketers out there. Your feed is full of posts about growing your business and selling to your list.But there’s one thing you can’t afford to get wrong.You have to slam dunk who is reading your emails and the 1 thing they expect from you.And it’s not the “i want home decorating tips.”That’s very 2017.You need to think deeper.Are they first-time parents who want their...
9 months ago • 1 min read
Camping is not my forte. But I LOVE me a burnt-to-a-crisp gooey marshmallow. And the quiet after nightfall. It's a fine balance between peace and a little unknown (for this city girl, anyway). And that's where I'm at all this week: girl's camp with the young women from church as one of their youth leaders. And I can't wait to tell you the stories next week, Reader. Until then, use these weekly email themes for the month of July with your readers: ♥️ Suggest fun outdoor activities for...
9 months ago • 1 min read
At exactly 6:22am this morning, it hit me. And I haven't stopped thinking about it since. My family and I moved into a 155-year old home a little over an hour outside of Kansas City, Missouri last November. It's not a ready-to-go home. More like a tornado hit a construction zone and just left behind exterior walls and a door. (But she's going to be beautiful when she's done, Reader). While my husband works on the electrical and putting up the drywall upstairs, I get to work on the...
9 months ago • 3 min read
You can only read this email if you promise not to judge me. It took me 7 hours to create my first digital product. This was pre-Canva days too. Do you remember Pic Monkey? (such dark times). Anyhooo, it was a marriage conversation bundle I put as a tripwire for $7. I was so proud of that little thing. And sure, it brought in enough for a donut run once a week and sometimes if I was really lucky, my toddlers picked out a My Little Pony or Paw Patrol character juice box. Then Alison Prince...
9 months ago • 2 min read
My brothers and sisters could tell by how many Coca Cola's my mom drank each day if she would say 'yes' to our questions. If she drank 1 coke, then she was having a great day. If she had 3+ then we would ask dad. So, when Coca Cola came out with their "Share a Coke" campaign and put people's names on the bottles, you better believe we had a fridge full of Maria's. And between you and me, this was a brilliant move on Coke's marketing team. Millions of people drink Coke, but for people like...
10 months ago • 2 min read
I can't believe I fell for the bait. I was sitting on the plastic cushion of a computer chair when a pop-up came on my computer screen. "See what the most beautiful twins in the world look like as adults." (In the biggest and brightest pink words EVER). Their eyes were so blue! So I clicked... ...and clicked... ...and clicked... ...and clicked... and 27 years later would have been clicking if it wasn't for the public library's computer limit time per patron. Obviously clickbait is icky and is...
10 months ago • 3 min read
"Do your boys know what poison ivy looks like?" An older man asked my husband on the father-son campout. My husband snapped a finger, got our boy's attention and pointed a few feet away from him. "See these plants? They have 3 leaves? Don't touch. They're poisonous." And just like that our two boys chose to enjoy axe throwing and (as my 8 year old said, "I peed on a tree and now my back hurts") moments. Rather than itching, scratching, and being downright miserable. You see, your email list...
10 months ago • 2 min read