A Book Review & Some Fun Year End Numbers

Everyone needs a break from time to time. Christmas is the busiest time of year for me as the owner, designer, and artist behind Mama Hess Painting. After I finish all my Christmas orders I force myself to take a break from all custom orders until late January. And an amazing thing happened. I read a book!

I know this is seems like a small thing. And in all honesty, I have read lots of books this year. However, most of them are children's books. Maybe sometime I'll blog on the best kid books I've read... but not today. Today is reserved for a special book. A book written for adults. Like actual grown-ups. And I read it silently, not aloud to sometimes squirmy kids.

The book is called: The Puzzle: Some Reassembly Required by the one and only Katherine Devlin Flood. (To purchase the book simply click on the link provided in the title.) A portion of the book's synopsis is provided below, then I will give my personal insights on the book.

"Life was set on a comfortable path, until an awful night in June, 1985. College was almost done. Kati had so many dreams, and aspirations for her future. Suddenly, all of these pieces of her life were trampled and crushed by an awful car accident. The Puzzle; Some Reassembly Required, covers the time from this awful event to her marriage - the incredible breakthroughs along with the heartbreaking setbacks. The pages of this book will renew your belief in hope. Miracles do still occur! Learn to believe in your capabilities, rather than predicted expectations."
Quote from lulu.com 

Without giving too much away, I want to share some of my personal reflections on Kati's book. **Spoiler: Kati survives the awful car accident.**  As previously mentioned, I haven't read a "real, grown up book" for quite awhile. The ones I have started haven't held my attention long enough to finish (or I got too busy). I couldn't put this book down. Kati writes with such honesty and humor. You will love her grit and determination to live her life as fully as possible despite her traumatic brain injury. She has a wonderful way with words that really make her story come alive. I am not a medical doctor. In general, I feel like when I'm at the doctor (even for simple things) the words go in one ear and out the other because I just don't have a frame of reference for the words they say. So it is with much appreciation that Kati does not dwell on medical terminology. She does give some really good information early on in the book, but she doesn't continually bring up words that only people who have been in her situation can understand. It makes her book accessible for all readers.  **Caution: the accident scene is very descriptive and hard to read.**

I had the great joy of meeting Kati, now 30 years after her accident, during a Bible study this past September. You notice Kati for several reasons. First, the obvious, physical reasons: she walks slowly with the aid of a cane. Then you notice Kati because, well, she's Kati. She has a great sense of humor and personality. Sometimes it requires a little more time to talk with Kati as her speech was affected as a result of her TBI. This doesn't mean she CAN'T talk! No, my friends, Kati talks. And I think in general, our culture (and me, personally) aren't good listeners. So I'm learning from Kati. I'm learning not to rush through things. I'm learning to listen. I'm learning to slow down. From reading her book I've learned the importance of being there (physically and emotionally) for people who are going through challenging circumstances.

There are really only two things I wish would have been included in Kati's book. First, her age at the time of various events. I know she does mention the years a few times and I know she listed her age at least one point in time, but for me I think it would have been a little helpful if her age was given right at the beginning, and then mentioned a couple more times just to keep me on track of where she's at. (The book covers the seven years following her accident.) And the second thing I would have liked to have seen are pictures of Kati at different stages following her accident and during her recovery. I've never published a book, so I'm not sure how complicated or expensive it is to add photos, but I think that it would be helpful for the readers to see Kati throughout her reassembly. Kati writes so well that it is really hard to picture her in those times where she is hooked to machinery, unable to talk, unable to walk, but able to hear and comprehend.

I highly recommend Kati's book. Kati is also currently in need of funds for a helper dog. I know Kati would appreciate any support. You can donate directly to that by visiting her GoFundMe account found here:
Helper Dog Support for Kati

Or you can purchase: The Puzzle : Some Reassembly Required.  

SOME FUN YEAR END NUMBERS from Mama Hess Painting.
If you like numbers, keep reading. If not, disregard the rest of this blog except the part where I say, "thank you, from the bottom of my heart!".
If you follow me on Facebook or Instagram you have already seen this picture, but I think it's worth sharing again.

This image shows the amount of views, favorites, and orders I received in my Etsy store this year, 2015. To put that into perspective, I will give you last year's numbers. On Etsy in 2014 I had 6,778 views, 232 favorites, and 53 orders.

The total number of signs I sold in 2015 were 342 (including Etsy, Facebook, and live events). Some numbers that I don't have tallied are other things I sold, such as mugs, coasters, and cords. (Some of those things ARE included in my Etsy orders, but I don't have exact figures on those other items.)

I can hardly even comprehend those numbers. Three hundred forty-two signs in 2015. I truly can't thank you all enough for your support. I am so excited for what 2016 will bring. I have so many ideas floating around while I'm on break. I'm not sure how many I will actually have time to do for you all, but I am really excited about the new year.

So I end the year saying, "Thank you!" Thank you all for your kindness, for your generosity, and for your support of my tiny but growing business. I joked at the end of 2014 about a ridiculous goal for 2015. The goal was completely smashed. I thank you all for that. Can't wait for 2016! Talk to you all in the new year!

XOXO,
Mama Hess

Caroline Rose turns Two

Facebook does this wonderful thing where old photographs you shared will pop up on your computer. I can see how this might cause distress if a photo or video shared can bring up painful reminders of the past.

December 20, 2013. Caroline Rose entered the world. A planned C-Section, four weeks early due to her growth restriction and my previous Cesarean involving a vertical cut through the uterus, thereby compromising its strength to bear any contractions. Four pounds, fourteen ounces of sweetness. She immediately went to the NICU.

Soon after she was born.

One Day Old

 At two days old she suffered a collapsed lung and was placed on a ventilator.

Chest tube and on the ventilator

She was kept sedated as she was grabbing at the vent and her tubes when she would start to awaken.

At five days old (Christmas day) I was finally allowed to hold her in my arms.

A sweet gift, indeed.

At ten days old she was allowed to come home.
 

She has grown rapidly and we have done our best to soak in these great moments.



She didn't walk until she was 18 months, but now is all over the place with her unique gait. (Her left foot turns out, and she walks on the inside of her foot.) This has gotten much better since she started walking as the doctor said it would self-correct.

18 months

Now at two years old Caroline is full of life. She has no negative repercussions of the collapsed lung other than a small scar on her chest.

Caroline loves babies. She has commandeered babies from Maggie for several months.

Stealing babies from Maggie.

 It was with much delight that she received a baby of her own, just the right size for her to carry around, for Christmas. She also received a doll stroller for her baby. At first this gift brought tears as she tried to sit in it herself and we wouldn't let her. Once she understood that she can push her baby she was overjoyed.

Caroline's favorite book right now is: Little Mommy. We read it multiple times a day.

This is the third year I have taken this same picture with Caroline on Christmas day. That first Christmas with her was undeniably hard. She was in the NICU and I was discharged and I had three other girls at home. I couldn't drive and I just wanted us all to be together for Christmas. And now we are, and I am just plain grateful.




She is also a little chatterbox (no surprise here!). She keeps us all laughing with her adorable phrases. She loves dipping anything in ketchup, and the way she pronounces ketchup sounds like "dat-juice". She calls Annie "Ee-ee", Abbey, "Abbey" (easy to pronounce), Maggie, "Mah-mee".

Hess Girls X 4

 Caroline is still very small for her age, but it's truly amazing to see her growth through the years. We are tremendously grateful to the medical staff who cared for her, as well as our regular doctor who sees that she remains healthy.  (Professional Photographs courtesy of Stacy Parmarter Photography)

Happy birthday, sweet Caroline. You are so loved.

Tenth Anniversary

Today. Ten years ago today. I was twenty years old. Still in college. Fresh-faced, round cheeked and happy.

I married the man of my dreams.

He was twenty-three. So much older and wiser. Six months out of college. Baby-faced and happy.

We married.

In our little Mennonite Church where we both grew up. Poor as church mice, barely a cent to our name. We married.

A little city house was purchased, and wall paper was peeled and scraped. Stairs were sanded down. Three whole rooms were ready when our day came.

The wedding was simple. Our little church wedding. I giggled through most of the ceremony.



Words were said, kisses given and received. Uniting us together. Til death do us part.

Ten years ago. Today.

Merry *early* Christmas

Over the past two years since owning Mama Hess Painting I have gotten a little better at gift giving and purchasing gifts in advance. But let's be real. Sometimes that is just plain hard. Or too expensive. Or you draw names and don't do that until after custom orders are closed.

While I like to try to keep my prices low here at Mama Hess Painting yet still keeping myself in business there is something that feels really good about getting a bargain. The past two years I have done a Black Friday 50% off sale. However, this year I was hosting my Hess family, and family comes first. But, now that I'm on my last couple custom orders I wanted to offer you all an amazing deal.

Fifty percent off all inventory. Unfortunately the inventory is going fast even at regular price this time of year, so snag something while you can. Everything (including mugs!) are 50% off. This sale only comes once a year (and it's late this year), so enjoy it! Simply plug in the code 50PERCENT at checkout. If you are local and want to pick up your sign just leave that in the "notes to seller" box at check out and I'll refund the shipping amount to you.

Now get to bargain shopping!! Just click here on Mama Hess Painting!

Merry *early* Christmas to you all!
xoxo,
Mama Hess

FLASH SALE

Let me cut right to the chase then give you the story afterwards.

I have two CUSTOM listings that I am marking $10 off for one day only. Monday, October 26, 2015 in the morning until 11:59 PM the following two signs will be reduced. All sales must be made through Etsy. These signs may take up to 8 (EIGHT) weeks to be finished depending upon the volume of orders. They will all be made and ship/be ready for pick up prior to Christmas. If you want to pick up your sign use the code PICKUP at checkout on Etsy. PLEASE DO NOT USE THIS CODE IF YOU ARE NOT PICKING UP!!! In the drop down menu I listed the most frequently purchased colors. If you do not see the color you would like simply choose "other" and in the Notes to Seller box at check out write out the color you would like instead using the color sample chart that is pictured in the last photo of the listing.

1.) Regularly $40+tax, this one is marked to $30+tax. (Click link below for full information)

Personalized Mark 10:9

2.) Regularly $35 reduced to $25. This is a STEAL!!!

Order this sign HERE!

Now the fun part. The story. Many of you may know that the past week my husband and I have been gallivanting in Charlottesville, Virginia, acting as though we haven't a care in the world, let alone four children! And why? We were celebrating!! December 17, Trent and I will be married for ten years. In honor of our tenth anniversary I am marking these two signs, which recognize the value of a committed, Christ-centered marriage, down by TEN dollars. 

This idea popped into my head months ago when we started planning our trip. Originally I wanted to have the sale on our anniversary, but that is the very end of the busiest time of the year for Mama Hess. (I mean, who gets married the week before Christmas?? Oh yeah, us crazy, in love kids.)  So, there you have it. A great sale for you and a fun way to encourage your marriage, or a loved one's marriage!  I can't wait to see the colors each of you choose for your special sign.

 So: happy {early} anniversary to us and merry {early} Christmas to y'all! Look for a blog post of our trip - hopefully soon!!

Another Break & a Break Through

I know what you're thinking. "Didn't you just take a break?" And the answer is, "Yes." And I'll beg you to forgive me for this unusual behavior. So, the last day to order will be Wednesday, October 7th. I will reopen Monday, October 26th.

Favorite photo from my last break.

I PROMISE this will be my last break until my regularly scheduled break from when I stop taking Christmas orders. I will take a break from the Christmas cut off (Nov. 30) until the end of January. This gives me time to make all the Christmas orders before Christmas, and then breathe a little and even create some new designs that I've been wanting to do. Early in November I have a craft show I'll be at for all you locals who want to come out. More details closer to the date.

AND - I will be offering a FLASH SALE on the Monday I re-open. It will only be on two signs, but you can customize them and they will be finished before Christmas. I am so so excited to offer these to you all, so check back. I've never done a flash sale before. Ever. So this is going to be really big. You will love it. I promise!

For those of you who like my personal updates I have a really exciting one for you. As you probably know, I am not just a sign painter, I'm also a homeschool mama. And this year has been TOUGH for us! I have one Kindergarten student and two second graders. I've been challenging my Kindergartner to push herself to read. She WANTS to read, and knows the letter sounds and can sound out words. However, she has had a hard time NOT sounding a word out. She will sound out the name "Pam" every time it appears, even though she just read the same word one page ago.

That little girl on the far left is now a reader!!

Yesterday, it clicked. It was the quintessential light bulb moment. It made sense that every time she sees the letters p-a-m in that order, it will say Pam. And the same with the rest of the words in the little book she was reading over and over. She was SO excited to run to her big sisters and show them that SHE CAN FINALLY READ! And the way they gushed over their little sister and her big accomplishment was beyond precious. Then she waited for Daddy to get home to reveal her BIG SECRET. She wouldn't tell him all through dinner what the secret was. After she finished eating she ran for her little book and read it to Daddy.

Of course, my dear husband who has supported me through all the really rough days we were having lovingly encouraged me to write this down. On the really hard days where I'm sure I'm ruining my kids' (and my) life, I can look back and remember why I'm doing this. I wouldn't trade this moment for all those hard days wrapped together. And such is parenting, isn't it? It's like those old ladies in the grocery store who are always telling you to cherish every moment because they go so quickly. And yes, even if the little old ladies are a little fuzzy on whether their child ever had tantrums, they are crystal clear on one thing.

It is worth it.

To Help the Perfectionist

I like goals. I especially like when they are attainable and when I meet those goals.

However, raising children isn't exactly like other goals. For example, in business, I may have a goal to make, say, $1,000. And I can work hard and be creative to meet and exceed that goal. There may be factors that detract from that goal, but there are a lot of things that I can do to make it happen.

This school year started out really rough for one of our girls. So challenging, in fact, that I questioned my ability to even teach her. Yet as the days wore on I came to realize that the material is not too difficult for her as I suspected at first glance. The challenge for this child is that she is a perfectionist. She has unrealistic goals for herself. For example, every week I give the children a pre-test for their spelling words for the week. The idea behind this is to see what they already know and what they need to study. At the end of the week when the take their test they can see how they have improved and what they learned. If, however, during the pre-test they already know how to spell all the words I do not require them to take the test. This was a semi-frequent occurrence for this child last school year. This year there are more words and they are more challenging. So during a pre-test she has the unrealistic goal of getting all 16 words correct. And then she gets to a hard word (without even trying it because she *knows* she will get it wrong) and will throw her pencil across the room, or start yelling, or run out of the room. I wish I were exaggerating. You can see why I would wonder whether going to "real school" (as the kids like to call it) would be a better option for her.

The thing with a perfectionist child is this: they are much more prone to depression and other psychological problems with physical side affects (such as cutting, drug use, etc.) In their unattainable quest to perfection they can spiral out of control. Perhaps going to school would curb those physical outbursts, but more than likely they won't be building her spiritual needs or really addressing the area of perfectionism that needs help.

The idea with helping a perfectionist is to remind them that doing their best is what is most important. It's really hard not to coddle the perfectionist and prevent her from ever failing (and watching the irrational outbursts that come from a perceived fail). Also to help them set realistic goals for themselves. Yes, it's good to have hard goals, but for the perfectionist they need to realize that spelling one word incorrectly is not worth throwing a pencil across the room or running away. And I don't want this child to have these intense struggles for the rest of her life. If I can help her work through this as a young girl I'm hopeful that it will be easier for her as she grows up into a young woman.

As we wrap up our third week of school I am grateful for how much progress we have made already. We have hard days, and days where she is unnecessarily hard on herself. But we're making it. And (dare I say?) even enjoying it. But pray for us. It's Friday - spelling test day.

Back to School

One week down, 35 to go. But who's counting?

I can't think "Back to School" without thinking of Billy Madison. Sorry. It's just the way I was raised.

There's so much good in this video. Is it silly? Of course. But the truth is so many kids feel that same way as the head back to school. Even our home schooled kids had those fears and a little anxiety as they headed back to school or officially started school.

This year we have two second graders and a Kindergarten student. This is my first year needing to teach more than one level at a time. The first day back was last Monday, August 17. The teaching part went well, but the homework part was a nightmare for one of our kiddos. There was a lot of yelling (mostly on my part) and a lot of frustration (pretty evenly split between the student and me).

First day of School - started out so fun and sunny!!

A large part of the problem was that I had a recent huge influx of sign orders, and normally I paint in the afternoon for about 2 hours while the children have a quiet time. Quiet time has turned to homework time and this student wanted me to sit directly beside her as she did her work. I told her I had my own work to do and she needed to do her own work. What she heard was, "Painting signs is more important than you." I'm not proud of it, but it's very close to the real meaning of what my words said.

Day 2 - sitting within touching distance as Abbey does schoolwork.

That evening I took a step back and evaluated my priorities. Do I enjoy painting? Yes. . Do I love homeschooling? Yes. Do I love my daughters? Yes. And then I needed to think about what I can change to still do all of these things (if possible). Most important on that list are my daughters and homeschooling. I enjoy the other things as well, but if I have to sacrifice any of those things on the list, it will be the painting. In order to still do the things I like best some changes need to be made.

Day 5 - getting into the groove and loving these quieter moments of the day.

1. I need to go to bed earlier. I've set myself a time limit on how late I will work during school nights so that I am a better teacher and a better mom.

2. I need to be willing to give up that chunk of afternoon time for painting in order to help my daughter gain confidence in her ability to work independently. We have compromised on this. I allow the children one hour FIRST to watch a movie. During this time I will write e-mails, respond to messages, create designs or paint. Whatever doesn't get done in that hour has to wait.

3. I need to extend the lead time from order to completion. Previously I was telling customers 1-2 weeks, but my goal was to get all orders completed in one week. However, since I'm not exactly sure how many signs my new hours will allow me to complete I have increased my time from 3-4 weeks from order to completion. As I get into a better routine this may look like 2-3 weeks or it could increase from 4-5. It all just depends on the volume of orders.

Please don't feel guilty about ordering. I WANT you to order. I LOVE painting. I'm still just so grateful that you all are so trusting in my ability to create something beautiful. And I'm excited that many of you are willing to wait three to four weeks to receive something I have made.

I would love to hear how you all fit in all the things you love? What do you have to give up to make your schedules work?

The Joys (and trials) of Sharing a Bedroom

For the first six years Trent and I were married we lived in a 1,080 square foot home in the city. We had three tiny bedrooms and one small closet. After our third daughter was born we really felt the squeeze of finding space for all the necessary things that kids have (clothes/shoes/coats/beds). We aren't even addressing toys, here. I searched the internet high and low for ways that other large families make small spaces work for them. Unfortunately I didn't find much that was helpful and did my best to be creative and make things work for us.

We are now in a four bedroom home with 2,400 square feet, and somehow we still feel that squeeze from time to time. Our three oldest girls share one bedroom which is about 10'x11.5'. (Plus a 5'x2' closet, which is really helpful!) There are unspeakable joys that go on in that little back bedroom. The girls laugh and chat, tell stories and read them. There is also the occasional fight that must always be worked out because, well, they share a room.

This is their room. It has pieces of each of them intertwined. Horses for Anne, owls for Abbey, and baby dolls and monkeys for Maggie. The room consists of a bunk bed:

(Bedding from Home Goods)

Anne sleeps on the top and Abbey and Maggie share the bottom.
 
There is a larger dresser across from the bed that belongs to Anne.

Maggie is wiping down the dresser. (Dresser painted by yours truly)

Each of the girls has their name, it's meaning, and a special verse on the wall. They also have an assortment of trinkets that they seem to love. :)

Then there are two smaller dressers are tucked inside the closet and Abbey and Maggie share those dressers.

All three girls have dresses hanging in the closet.

One thing that we have found that works for us is limiting the amount of clothing the children have. Let's be honest, they have about 3 shirts that they love to wear on repeat, along with a few dresses here and there. It really is not necessary for my 4, 6, and 7 year old to have enough clothes to last four weeks without needing to wash them. Trust me, they have more than enough clothing.

Things the girls love.

How Anne spends time in their room.

At this point the biggest punishment is when they can't settle down and someone has to sleep in the guest room ALL ALONE!

Generally it's one of these two that can't settle down.

 I like to credit their close sibling bond in part to sharing a bedroom. They already talk about when they grow up they want to live beside each other. They even picked out a house close by that they just love. It did my heart good to see the house they chose. A ram-shackle mess of a house that desperately needs worked on. They saw the beauty through the mess.

Sisters: growing up with my best friends.

I like to have the girl's art and characteristics displayed as well. this is a flag Anne painted. (Lampshade was made by my friend, Jessie)

I like to believe that that is what family is all about. Seeing the beauty through all the mess. We are far from perfect, but we can be joyful in the midst of our imperfections. We have that opportunity because of God's grace. Because He saw through our messes and showed his unfailing and compassionate love.

This is a very real BEFORE picture. There is beauty and life in that mess.

So there you have it. How to fit three girls into one small bedroom and have them enjoy it. In fact, they are already talking about when little sister can join them in their room. If and when that happens I'll be sure to update you all on the changes we make to the room.