Time on my hands

Hi all, this is Jera. Allie and Julianna have completed their first week of school which means I'm slightly less busy with time to help Brad blog.

Back-to-school-time is bittersweet. I miss them, but they were ready to go. It's also nice for them to get the affirmation and guidance from someone who is not Mom.

Allie is now a third grader. Julianna is in first. Lily starts school next Wednesday which means our baby will be a schoolgirl. I don't want to think about that yet, so more on that when the time comes.

Allie is responsible, kind-hearted, and funny. She likes to work. Even when she was a baby, she preferred challenging puzzles and games to playing pretend. She's adamant on making others happy, so she always tries her best with everything she does. She was cooperative even in labor and delivery. Allie was born on July 18, 2000 at 8:24 AM. She was born one week early and I was only in labor for 8 hours. I swear, from the moment I laid eyes on her, I could communicate with her. I don't remember having that feeling about my other two newborns, but with Allie, she could tell me everything she needed to in an instant. She walked at 9 months and talked at 10 months with her first word being "balloon".

Julianna, on the other hand, is our easy-going, free-spirited, always-in-character middle child. If she's not being Ariel, she's Miley or Hannah or Sharpay from HSM. She walks around the house with a little strut, shaking her hair, and talking to me as though she's 25. I'm only Mom if she's tired, hungry, or sick, otherwise I'm her sidekick. When it's time for homework, she sits at the kitchen island staring out the window or talking, talking, talking....whatever it takes NOT to put pencil to paper. When she was born, and the nurses would bring her to me in the night, I always knew she was coming because she was screaming. Not crying. And nothing's changed....she's still as dramatic as the moment she entered this world on April 8, 2002 at 6:53 PM.

And along came Lily, who's been full of surprises even before she took a breath. She arrived on April 13, 2005 at 8:13 PM (weighing 7 lbs. 13 oz...13 must be her lucky number). At 27 weeks, she tried to make an appearance but after 3 days of some nasty drugs, contractions stopped and, ironically, I went 5 days overdue. At least her delivery was easy. Lily loves being the baby in our family. She works it too. She does a good job keeping up with her big sisters which makes her seem to grow up so fast. She still has that cute little kid voice and pronounces many words in her own little way so we're trying to drink it all in before she grows up. She puts her little hands on her hips and talks to me like she's in charge.

They are all precious, happy, and absolutely adorable. And I'm not just saying that because I'm their mother. Just ask their dad.

Entrepreneur magazine is in stores....

On Newsstands Today

Much thanks to Entrepreneur Magazine and Lindsay Holloway. To be included in this very-accomplished list of 12 other business owners is an honor.

We are especially happy about the end of the article: the "Online Exclusive". It's always nice when we are allowed to share our faith. Without that, who knows where we'd be, as you can see from reading some past entries.

Thanks to the catalogs and stores that carry our product, as well as our online customers who have enjoyed, referred others, and continued to return for their alphabet photo keepsakes!

http://www.entrepreneur.com/worklife/successstories/youngmillionaires/article196568.html

A special thank you to Catharine Schaidle for her wonderful story in the always-supportive Peoria Journal Star. Not only was her story a great reflection of who we are, but she got us on the front page of last Sunday's edition. Allie and Julianna were THRILLED to see their picture front and center Sunday morning!

What to drive

Sorry I haven't written for so long - 17 days. We've been so busy producing your personalized keepsakes I have been tired! It really takes time to sit down and think about what to write, and then it takes time to write it out! I'll try to be better.

When I left my company in 2002, I left my company car behind (for some reason that was a requirement), and I had to purchase one. Since I was starting my own business, I was uncertain how much we’d be earning, and I wanted to be conservative. So, on the way to the Chicago Marathon I bought a 1999 Lexus for under $20,000. I recommend having someone drive you home after a marathon, as having leg cramps and trying to drive an unfamiliar vehicle is not a pleasant experience.

Fast forward to now. I’ve had this car for almost 6 years. I’ve only put 45,000 miles on it in that time, so it’s still in great shape. But, I’m ready to have a vehicle in which I’m comfortable toting around the younguns. My wife has mentioned wanting a convertible since I can remember, but it seems impractical living in the Midwest, as we only have about 5 months out of the year when it has the chance for the top to be down. Otherwise, it doesn’t make much sense to own one. With three children and me being 6’ 3”, a small car is out of the question.

Anyway, I stumbled upon a vehicle I think will be a win-win. It will give me the room I need, can seat 5, and it can give the open air driving experience when we want. Additionally, it is under $30,000. Plus, in talking with a couple used car experts, I’ve found this vehicle holds its value better than any other on the market.

Meet the Jeep Wrangler Sahara 4 door:

While that is not me (nor anyone I know) in the picture, this vehicle will likely be in my possession as soon as I bring myself to write a check for $28,000, something I don’t often like to do. I am allegedly cheap, though I like to consider myself frugal. So my hand shakes when I have to write a check like that. The family wants to have it to enjoy during this season, though I might wait until Spring. We'll have to see.

If you know someone that wants a nice 1999 Lexus for a reasonable price, and they are willing to travel to central Illinois, send them my way….

Martha Stewart Radio

We just wrapped up a live interview on Martha Stewart Radio. Traditionally, radio is a little more difficult to convert listeners to customers, because they are usually in their cars. We have to make enough of an impression and hold their interest enough that when they finally reach their destination they come visit us. Additionally, Martha Stewart's listeners are primarily DIY'ers, but we had great success when Jera appeared on her show last year, so we knew this was a great opportunity.

We were able to tell the truth about how difficult and time-consuming it can be to make a personalized keepsake with alphabet photographs, unless you have the equipment to do the job right. I accurately explained that it can take a few weeks just to get the letters for a name and then have to pay to get it custom framed can end up costing twice as much in the end. While we’re not naïve enough to think everyone who hears the show is going to put off the weekend plans, grab the family, the camera, and head out letter hunting, it would be irresponsible of us to make it sound easy. We might have legions of listeners wondering, “Why?! Why did you make me drag my family all over town for two straight weekends when we could have been getting other things done with our precious time?! Now, my husband and kids are cranky, the housework is piling up, and I’m running around like Ansel Adams over here taking pictures of things while strangers point at me like I’m crazy! To top it off, my name is MEHATAPEMAPETULAN, and so far I only found 5 letters that will work!”

We were the first segment in a series called “Collectors Week”, and while many of the guests are going to be experts at collecting antiques and other more common items, we were the “letter photograph” collectors. It was a cool spin.

The show's host, Emily, was truly excited about what we're doing and very complimentary. We had a great time. Thanks to everyone there for making it a memorable experience.