What’s Next

With surgery approaching soon (December 3), and with my post-surgery restrictions, I wanted to take some time to fill you guys in on some things that will help us and also some things I have up my sleeve for when I am healed.

Thanks to my amazing community, our home and my sanity are ready for surgery.

• Chelsea, from Claremore’s The Cranberry Merchant, came over with her friend Stacy to set up all of my Holiday Decorations.  They both have a gift for decorating and my home looks more festive than ever before.  Make sure you check out her store for the best antique and vintage finds in Claremore.
• A great friend from church, Jamie, came over and helped me get all my Christmas gifts wrapped.  This was such a blessing to me that she would give the gift of her time to make sure this chore was completed.  If you are not tied in to a church home, you should check out Church on the Move.  I urge you; don’t just attend church, but take the time to volunteer and get plugged in.  Your life will be better for it because you will be cemented in a community that cares!
• A local charity called The Giving Heart Foundation has offered the use of a lift chair for the duration of my post-surgery healing.  This is such a huge blessing as it will help me be more independent and be able to get up and down on my own.
• My entire community has been so generous throughout this journey.  I am beyond grateful!

After all of this, there are really just a few things that will need to be taken care of to support both Paul and me during this time and beyond.

• Even with two forms of insurance, there have still been things that weren’t covered, or deductibles that have piled up.  I am a person who hates to just ask for money, but appreciates having an exchange to earn that money.  I have supported many people in this way over the years and I love to have something to look back on from my support to remember the blessing God has allowed us to be from time to time.  So, I have decided to also support a local business and do a t-shirt fundraiser to help with the bills that have piled up.  If you would like to support us by purchasing a t-shirt, click the link below.

• I will be immoblie from the waist up for quite a while after my surgery.  That means I will not be able to cook.  While Paul is fully capable, he will be very busy running his business and taking care of me.  I know that most people are crazy busy and don’t have time to cook an extra meal, and I am kind of tricky to cook for with my dietary choices.  So, DoorDash gift cards are a great help during this time.

• They have told me that I am not even supposed to be typing during my healing, so that makes running my Scentsy business a bit tricky.  I have done some things in advance to help secure and boost my sales, but without being able to post as much as possible, it’s gonna be tricky.  I would love it if you would support my Scentsy business in December by placing an order online.  When orders are placed online, I make full commissions, but the corporate warehouse fills those orders for me.  It allows me to make money without physically having to work.  

Before my diagnosis, I had already started working on writing a book and building a platform to promote myself as a public speaker.  Things were just getting started and I was working hard to build this new avenue for me.  

When I was diagnosed, I was crushed.  I thought my dream was crumbling.

BUT THEN, GOD!

God has given me renewed vision, amazing ideas, and clarity for this next part of my life during my cancer journey.

I have ideas now for several books, and I am working on multiple different ideas for offerings for public speaking gigs.  But that is just part of the good stuff!

As my hair began to fall out from chemo, I had been gifted several (and ordered several) different kinds of beanies and hats.  None of them were both comfortable AND cute.  Many of them were made from itchy fabric or fabric that caused my head to sweat.  Others had exposed seams that were very uncomfortable on my tender scalp.  The ones that were made well with soft fabric were too big of a circumference for a bald head. And don’t get me started on the prints!  They all looked like they were made for a seventy-year-old, not someone my age who loves to be stylish and play with fashion. 

When I tried on my many felt or straw hats, they were WAY too big now with no way to adjust the size.  As for my ball caps, that little metal grommet at the top of the hat was so painful on my head. I tried taping a cotton ball to that metal piece, but it still just wasn’t a good fit for all-day every-day wear.

So I went to work!

I have enjoyed sewing from time to time since I was in high school.  I have even had a side hustle before, called Crafted for Hope, where I sewed or crafted items to sell to raise money for our mission work.

I went to both Hobby Lobby and Joann and found some fabrics that would be perfect: both soft AND cute prints.  Then I started to look on YouTube, trying different beanie and turban DIYs, and perfecting those to make it the perfect beanie.  After a few failed attempts, I was able to design exactly what I wanted.  I have designed a beanie that is both versatile and comfortable, and in great solid colors and cute prints.

As I would wear these beanies, I was asked several times where I had gotten them.  When I told people I had made my beanie, they asked to buy some from me.  At first, when I was sick from chemo, I just told people no.  But as I began to feel better, I started making beanies for others as a gift.  I knew I was on to something big, I didn’t know if I wanted to start a side gig sewing and selling beanies, or just make them for friends or maybe even donate them.

BUT THEN GOD filled me with the idea of a whole brand: Comfort Beanie!

My dream is to create a whole company of comfortable headwear, for not just chemo patients, but anyone who loves a soft comfortable beanie.   

But, here is where it gets really exciting—-

As I was talking to God and asking him for clarification of what this was, a business or a charity, he clearly said “It’s Both!”  If you have ever bought items like Toms shoes or Bombas socks, then you probably know of their “buy one give one” programs.  I was always skeptical of if they really did this until I got to pass out Toms shoes in a very poor village on a mountaintop in Honduras.  It’s real!  They really do give away free shoes to those that need them.  And that is what I want to do with Comfort Beanie.  Buy One, Give One.  For each beanie I sell, I will donate one to a cancer treatment facility.

This is VERY MUCH in the beginning stages, but I am on FIRE about it and ready to get things rolling as soon as I am healed.  You will be hearing much more about this in the near future.  

But for now–I need to focus on healing my body and making sure I am STRONG for the fun and exciting things in my near future.

God is so Good!!!