SOLD

My favorite part of this week so far?  I SOLD my first item in my ETSY store - Dream Weaver Prints!  I can’t tell you how exciting it was to get the alert on my phone, and to see the fun image that popped up in my email congratulating me!  I was ecstatic and I was thrilled to be able to tell my husband, my kids and my family.  So, I thought I would share with YOU as well!  I SOLD SOMETHING I CREATED!  That’s a heady feeling! And, much to my surprise, it wasn’t to someone I knew, or even a friend of a friend!  It was a legit Etsy customer who saw my stuff, liked it, and PAID ME MONEY for it!  WOW!

The first item I sold was a baby boy birth announcement subway art print fashioned like the one I made for my son Jake.  In my policies, I make the file, and then I send it out to the customer offering the first set of changes for free.  I was very nervous about her feedback, and almost rightfully so!  The first email I got back from her, I could tell she was disappointed.  Her son’s name is Paul Joseph, but they are going to call him PJ, so she wanted his initial nickname on the sign somewhere.  I had never done this before, so I knew it would be hard to make it just right for her.  So, after her initial dissatisfaction, I reworked 3 more versions to help find her the perfect fit!  OF COURSE, she liked the fourth (and LAST) one I made for her!  But, I was happy to do it because now I know where to put initials next time!  PJ is now one month old and lives in Portland Maine and he has a BDub Writes original!  Makes me smile!

In other news, life is just carrying us on its wave!  Dance practice; basketball practice and games; Odyssey of the Mind workshop, rehearsals, and projects; March for Babies committee work, March of Dimes committee work, ΑΔΠ work… WHEW!  Not to mention, Jake will be SIX on Friday!  WOWza!  Time sure flies!  Finn passed his vision check up and doesn’t have to go back for 2 more years, and he has a hearing screening tomorrow.  Preemies sure keep you on your toes as far as appointments go!  He also finally transitioned from the bottle to sippy cups!  He can do a straw cup and a traditional sippy cup now!  YAY, FINN!  The big kids are all doing excellent in school – Emma and Lara both brought home straight A’s on their report cards, and Jake declared he was the smartest kid in his class at dinner the other night.  The only “bad” mark he got on his report card was in PE – poor kid can’t skip.  I don’t think that will keep him from becoming President. LOL!

On the horizon for Britt and I (and Finn) are a couple of BALTO week events with Edmond North High School.  ENHS has an annual fundraiser called BALTO, standing for "Bring a Light to Others." It is a fundraising effort that lasts several months ending in February. In years past, BALTO has raised over $250,000 for their chosen non-profit. This year BALTO has chosen the March of Dimes NICU Family Support program as the 2012-2013 recipients! At this time, Mercy Hospital (where Finn was born) has the only NICU Family Support program in Oklahoma. With the funds being raised by BALTO, they are hoping to expand this program to other NICUs in Oklahoma as well as improve the program at Mercy Hospital. The March of Dimes feels blessed to be BALTO's recipient this year and are very excited to do even more for the NICU families in Oklahoma with this extremely generous donation.  The first event is this Saturday when The BALTO Carnival will serve as the 2013 Mercy NICU Family Reunion. There will be food and games for the entire family.  This event is open to the public and the game tickets are $0.50 each.  Come out and bring the family!

Next Monday, the 28^th, Britt, Finn and I will go to ENHS to speak (inspire and encourage) the student body at one of their morning assemblies getting the word out about the upcoming finale of BALTO week.  We are very excited to be able to share Finn and out story with these amazing kids!  The final assembly is slated for February 15, and that is when they will announce the total amount of money raised!  We can’t wait for that day and to see how March of Dimes NICU Family Support uses those funds to touch lives!

The next event is something my runner friends may be interested in!  February 2 - BALTO 5K @ 9:00 am and 1 Mile Fun Run @ 10:00 am @ Mitch Park. $20 until January 25 and afterwards $25. Includes a T-shirt. All preemies and mothers of premature babies will be given a purple ribbon to wear. We would love a lot of participation in this event! When registering please indicate you are on the March of Dimes team. (registration available on the BALTO week website)

If you are interested in making a donation to BALTO week, you may do so through the BALTO website www.baltoweek.org or through the March of Dimes Oklahoma Chapter website.  We would like to help BALTO reach their goal of $225,000 in order to help even more NICU families in Oklahoma!