My Project Life Book Revealed!!!

Well, kids, I have my Project Life book printed and in my hand. Because I do this digitally, I have to delay the gratification of having the book out to look at and see come together. Everything's tucked into a file on my computer (and my hard drive, and the cloud back-up system...I don't take chances, folks), but I can't actually touch it...until now.

I got my book back from my printer and I'm so happy with the way it came out. You ready to take a little look at it?

The cover. This book is hard backed and has think board pages. The pages are a bit thinner than a child's board book,  but still thicker than paper.

The back cover. I took a little month by month look at the year and put down the major "events" that happened. Like a snapshot of what people might see in the book.

Okay, I'm not going to lie, the book is heavy. 12x12 thick pages. It's so heavy I think it might just stand up to the beating that my 3 little girls are likely to give it throughout the years. 

This is a lay-flat style of page. You can see how it's not floppy like paper so my kids can't rip the pages out. It also lays so nicely when it's open so that the entire 12x24 layout can be seen together without a dip in the middle.

Really high quality photo printing on these pages. I'm very happy. They are darker than on the computer so this year I'll be sure to lighten everything before I send it in. 

I put the dedication on the back cover for my family.

The girls love looking at it. They ask if its them in every single picture, "is that me? is that me? is that me?" haha.

So where did I end up printing and how and how much and all that?

Well let me just say first, yea, it was pricey. It could have been done much cheaper on regular paper but I want this to last forever. I don't want pages torn out. I don't want dog ears. I just want it to look pretty when I'm old and I'm looking through this book for the 8,347,462nd time.

I ended up printing through Millers Pro Lab. 

Miller's Signature Album. 

12x12 Size, 35 spreads (70 pages)

Wrap-around custom image cover

Thin pages (1/32" thick, you can order up to 50 pages/100 sides)

E-Surface Photographic paper

Price: $450

So there it is. I figure that with what I didn't spend on scrapbook product and all that this year, I'm probably still saving money doing it this way. No binder, no filler pages, no papers, no embellishments.  Plus, it's nice and compact. 

So there you have it. I hope you are loving your Project Life book as much as I am!!

Can We Be Frank & Can We Pretend We're Friends?

Okay, I've been thinking about writing this for the last month and a half but something stops me as soon as I start because, well, it's awkward and I don't want anyone to get the wrong impression about how amazing Essential Oils are. I really, really, really don't want what I'm about to write about to overshadow what I know about Young Living Essential Oils, which is that they're legit, people and they will work for you if you're consistent and educated on their uses. So let's just be frank, can we? Let's pretend that you and I are friends and you know in your heart of hearts that I wouldn't sell you some crap that doesn't work and try to suck you into something shady, because truly, that's who I am. I would never do that to the people that I love the most in this world. I would REALLY appreciate it if you'll read through this entire post and not just turn it off when you see something you think might be a "trick." I promise you I am not trying to trick anyone into anything and I'm not one to be easily snowed. I swear to you, I'm trying to help you and open your eyes to a path that you might have never thought of going down. Two roads diverged, folks, and here you are. Let me tell you, this one ain't traveled often. We know what Robert Frost would tell you to do... Alright here we go...

Young Living is a multi-level marketing company. There, if you didn't know, now you do. I have that same feeling inside my gut when I so much as write it. I have had the same experiences with people that try to get you to buy-in to some product that you don't really want and then they chase you all over God's green earth to get you to buy more. I get it. I promise you I do. I would even go so far as to say that there are Young Living members that do that exact thing to get people to try the oils. Even my own mother about drove me CRAZY over a MLM company she was involved in. She tried to get me to purchase product from her when she knew we didn't have the money to do it because she was so focused on her MLM goals. I love my mama, but ugh, that sucked. Personally, I believe this "sales tactic" is ineffective and I think it's not the right way to really reach people if the product is good. The fact is that most people have tuned you out before they even try the product because you're pushing them. This is EXACTLY why the Lemon Droppers were created. It's a breath of fresh air in the muti-level world. You still with me? Okay, good, it's like a bandaid, just rip it off. Let's move on. 

Now, the good news is that YL products are the bomb shizzle, and by that, I mean they'll rock your face off, and by that, I mean they're great. They work. They transform lives. They can help us with aches, pains, annoyances, health, wellness and pretty much everything you could imagine. Truly. You name it, there's an oil for that. The best part? There's no catch! You're not going to feel good temporarily at the expense of another problem popping up down the road (i.e. taking 5 Advil a day causing you to need a liver transplant in 10 years). Young Living Essential Oils are 100% pure, natural, therapeutic grade oils. They're good for you, dude, so get into it! So why would anyone go and ruin that perfectly good product by trying to "sell" it to someone? WHY, GOD, WHY? Oh, hey, sorry, forgot you were here for a minute. I'm obviously passionate about my hatred of multi-level marketers. 

We lemon droppers? We get that. We have set out on a mission to spread the EO love without force-feeding them to our friends and family. You want to know the best part about this plan? It works. Yea, buddy. It's not rocket science. It's not even hard. In fact, I'd venture to say it's dang easy. Does it take time? Yep. Are you gonna need to be dedicated to it? Yep. Will you have someone helping you? Guaranteed. Will it pay off in the end? YES, bigger than you can imagine, I would bet. I can tell you that it's so much bigger than I imagined it would be. Now, in order to show you how much bigger it is than I thought, I'm going to actually give you my numbers. Does this sound fair? I am going to be honest about what I've done and the kind of money that I'm making by being a Lemon Dropper and building a business with this team of people. Okay? Okay. I'm nervous all of the sudden...bandaid, bandaid, bandaid. Let 'er rip...

FEBRUARY
I started with Young Living in February. I got my kit (which I paid $150 for 11 oils and have run a train on those things) and had 2 friends that said they wanted to try a few oils too and they signed up right behind me with my number. I still wasn't sure that this whole oils business was for me as far as the multi-level thing, but I sure was down to get my oils paid for every month, and so, that was my goal. I'll just sign up enough people so that I can have free oils every month. SCORE. Here's what February looked like for me

Total People that signed up to try the oils: 6
Total number of people "under me": 8 (one person that signed up under me signed up 2 people)
Check total for February: $389.82

There were 8 people in my "team" at the end of what would become my first month in the business (though I still wasn't on board for calling it that yet). What did I do to get them? I just posted a couple of pictures of my oils on my facebook so that my friends could see what I was up to and I told the truth about what I thought about them. What did I not do? chase people down. I never once sent an email to someone who didn't ask me for information first and that's the God's honest truth. That's not my bag.

MARCH
Totally shocked by the fact that in my first month with almost no work, I was able to get my oils paid for plus some, I decided, "hmmmm, maybe this could work in March too." By this time, my friend, Monique, who has the same vision for what does and does not work in this arena started putting together videos with strategies on how to most effectively earn the most money within the YL payout confines. It's a numbers game and she figured it out. The awesome thing about that? I didn't have to sit and watch the compensation video 800 times to get it. She did it for me and then spelled it out for me so that I could understand it. So, I just continued doing what I was doing, I started to understand the pay structure through YL and I started directing my friends that thought they might be interested in working the business to the same videos. Here's what March looked like:

Total People that signed up to try the oils: 4
Total People that were signed "under me" (this includes the previous month as well, it just keeps building): 28
Check total for March: $640.94

Unknowingly, in March, I laid a lot of foundation. I build a new Brand alongside Monique and Kelli for the Lemon Droppers, I decided 100% I was going to do this thing and I answered A LOT of emails...a lot. Obviously, they didn't all sign up in March, though. Which is cool. I don't chase people and I don't pressure people. So let's move onto April. The month we just finished. See? I've only been in it for 3 months.

APRIL
So April was the first full month that I was in this thing for the long haul and I was now not only looking to get my oils paid for, I was prepared to make money. A lot of it. The more the better. If I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it, dang it! It was a BIG month. What did I do differently? Not a thing. I answered emails, I posted what I'm up to and what I think the oils could do for people, I made some marketing materials that I believe are relevant and not cheesy, typical, multi-level stuff, I posted pictures and I was honest about what these oils were doing for my family. That's the key. I am being so real about them. I'm not going to compromise that about this adventure.
Total People that signed up to try the oils: 26
Total People that were signed "under me" (this includes the previous months as well, it just keeps building): 97
Check total for April: $3,171.20

I'm sorry, what?!?!?! Yea, that just happened. You know what I did? The same thing I did the months before. I've noticed my numbers are doubling (plus some) every month and you know what? I'm not the only one. This is something that Monique has done in her own structure and that the people that are working this with me are doing as well. We work together to double our number every month and help each other reach the next milestone so that we can earn at a higher level. I put a lot of hours into it this month. I spent a lot of time answering questions and helping the people that are learning this structure so that they can do the same for the people that come after them.

Look, I'm not telling you that we're all going to be making $50,000 a month by the summer, but an extra $3,000 in our vacation fund sure isn't the worst thing that has ever happened to me. I think the way we're training our people to train their people is the right way and working so closely as a team to help replicate our success is working. It's not every man for himself; we are growing WILDY as a group. We work together, we talk goals, we talk out ideas, we see what works and what doesn't. Most of all we don't spend all of our time putting together boring classes and meetings to sell people into this business. The product does it for us. In our experience (especially my team, I've noticed), they fall into doing the business end of Young Living because people come to them. People want an alternative for pain relief. They've tried everything and this WORKS! Why wouldn't they tell their friends about it? Why wouldn't they get their oils for free? Give them your number to sign up for that kit. It's awesome.

I would LOVE to work with you guys if you're thinking this might be cool to try and you think this is the right move for you or your family. I will put absolutely EVERYTHING out there for you guys to see. I hope you can learn from what I'm doing (though, come on, I don't have it all figured out and I'm certainly not expert). Come and watch a few of the videos that we've made to simplify the learning curve that comes with this business structure. Come see a few of the materials we've made that will help your friends and family see how essential oils can help them. You'll be absolutely AMAZED by what you can do. I just know it. The Lemon Droppers are different. We're not looking to have you purchase a kit and then move on. We want you around for, well, ever! Ask me any questions you have. Let's see what we can do together.

The bottom line of this thing is that this is a total God thing in my life. I feel the pull from something "else." I have prayed about it. I even fasted about it, which I realize might sound totally strange to you guys, but I just want to make sure I'm doing this as God would want me to. I want to make sure this is all Him and not all me. It's so unexpected. I could never have predicted this. I am SO happy and SO filled up about where this is leading. I know what kind of change this could bring for my family. I see Christian school and college for my girls. I see summer camp at Kanakuk for them. I see mission trips as a family. I see things that I never thought were possible becoming a reality. I see the blessings in our family turning into blessings for others. I just want to share it.

Love to you all, truly. My cup runneth over.

Family Pictures Melissa Koehler Style | My Someday Photographer

We all have the one photographer in our mind that we say to ourselves "someday that person is going to take my family photos." Right? Or is it just me? I don't think it's just me. You should make note of those photographers that you love and set out to have your photos created by them. They're your "someday" photographer.

Well, I've drooled over Melissa Koehler's photos for YEARS now (one tiny look and you'll see why). When I was living in Colorado she was actually thinking about making a trip out and I was trying to scramble for ideas on how I might be able to afford to do it then. Melissa lives in California (San Diego to be exact) so getting a session with her would be tricky for sure. When we made plans to be in So Cal for vacation this year, a photo session with Melissa became a reality. I booked like 8 months in advance or something to make sure she had room for us and we drove from LA to San Diego just for this shoot. Look, when you want something, you gotta make it happen, right?!?! You don't get the opportunity to have your family pictures done by someone you admire and love just every day!

Here she is. How cute is she? She's good peeps.

Well, folks, we did it and I'm happy to say that I love EVERY. STINKING. ONE. of the photos Melissa took of the family. She's adorable and funny and sweet and talented and I could go on and on. Money well spent. If you're in the San Diego area or you ever plan to be. Save your pennies because she's worth 8 times what she charges. True story.

Who wants to see some photos, huh?

Still can't believe this is us. We're like a real, live family and all that. I don't know why it's taking me 3 kids and 4.5 years to figure that out. Still feels strange.

Boston (left), Teagan (right). 4-years-old. Identical mirror twins. Can you believe that? What am I doing with twins? That's one question I'll be asking God once I get to heaven. Believe that.

 Kenendy Elise. My little ninja. She looks so innocent here. Like she'd be the last child on EARTH to stick unknown objects up her nose and sneak candy into other rooms to eat it.

This is one of my faves. Look at those colors all around us. So good, Melissa. So good.

 lovin' on my dude. yep. we still got it goin' on.

Me and my Addy girl. Still my baby. Don't want her to EVER grow up! 

These girls loved being at the beach with their daddy. It's the thing they talk about the most about our vacation and considering we went to Disney Land, that means something. They ran away from waves for HOURS. He's so good at being a girl daddy. That's one question I never have to ask God about because the answer is so obvious. He's just meant to be a daddy of girls.

haha. this makes me laugh. look at B & T laughing. Adorable. 

Yea, I'd say this pretty much sums it up.

 Daddy & Addy. BFF's. I'm pretty sure she's his! ;)

Boston Bean. Love this girl. She has decided to take the "give mom a run for her money" crown from Teagan lately. She's lucky she's cute!

Teagan. Sigh. Can this possibly be the same tiny baby I held on December 7th at 4 pounds?

 

 Yep, he's a superstud and yep, he still looks smokin' hot in pink.

 My little girls. This picture makes me so happy. I'm going to hang it on my wall and it will be there until the day I die. I'll look back on it when I'm old and they're having their own babies and I'll remember how much I love them and that all the time and energy is 100% worth it. THIS picture right here is why you hire your favorite photographer and not the one that's the cheapest. There's just something different about it and it's about the artist who creates it. Love you, Melissa, for this photo...well, all of them, but this one especially.

 How long until they stop holding my hand? Hopefully never.

So who's your "someday" photographer? Don't let these years slip through your fingers, they'll be gone before you know it.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things...

I haven't done this kind of post in a while. I'm due! Let's get to it shall we?

1. Chanel Chance Eau Tendre Perfume

Have you guys smelled this stuff? I smelled it on vacation when my sister in law let me use some of her perfume when I forgot to apply one evening and I am in LOVE with it. I ran out to get some as soon as I got back. It smells different on different body chemistries. I got 3 compliments on how good I smelled the day I bought it. I'm telling you, it's good. There are 3 different scents in the Chance line. I got the pink. Awesome. The French lady that helped me at Nordies told me it's their best selling perfume and that the ingredients aren't commonly used in perfume right now.

2. Young Living Essential Oils
You didn't think I was going to leave this off, did you? No, no, me either. I can't go an hour without using one right now so they're going on this list! The everyday oils is a great place to start if you haven't ever tried EO's before simply because of the HUGE variety of oils that come in the kit. I am seriously diggin Purification and Frankincense these days for headaches and acne. If you haven't jumped on board yet, I just don't know what you're waiting for...they're that good. PROMISE.

3. The Lemon Drop Lounge
I've been writing a few blog posts over at The Lemon Drop Lounge recently. The blog is awesome, the "street cred" section rocks my face off. It just explains everything in easy-to-understand, non-hippie-freak-witch-doctor language!

Love that place and I love spreading the stories about what these oils are really capable of. Here are a couple of my most recent posts:
Something You'll Never Regret
4 Drops a Day Keeps the Inches Away

Pic-Tap-Go
Behold the power of Totally Rad Actions on your cell phone. Pic-Tap-Go. I can't post an instagram without it. I'm not even kidding you. I try and I just can't post it without running it through this app first. My favorite actions are High Fives, Sweet Tooth, Brightside and Lux.

Here's a video.

PicTapGo! The photo app that likes you back. from Totally Rad! on Vimeo.

See? Cool. Go buy the app. Totally worth a couple of bucks. Plus, the logo? Adorable. Love it.

Lush Bath Products

So, I made the huge mistake of happening upon a Lush store on my girls night out with my friends Liz and Stacy a couple of weeks ago. It's horrifyingly expensive in there but you get what you pay for (100% believe that in pretty much any facet of life) and you're gonna get a good product for your hard earned money. Also the people are WAY over-the-top excited and enthusiastic about the way you bathe yourself (think high school drama club enthusiastic), but it's kinda nice considering the state of customer service at most stores these days.

 I tried the Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub. LOVE. Smells like heaven and is great for creating soft skin.

I also tried the Floating Island Bath Melt. TDF, y'all. Soooooo soft. You gotta try it.

Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Bar (Peanut)
So, my mother-in-law is the woman that is prepared for any situation. When we met in California for vacation last month, she came prepared to feed and take care of an army. In her bag (read: 8 bags) of tricks, she had some of these Nature Valley Sweet & Salty Nut Bars. God love her for bringing these and keeping my kids happy at Disney Land. Love that woman.

Now, I'm not a peanut butter girl and I am SURE not a nuts fan, but I LOVE these things. It tastes similar to a Scotcharoo a little bit but only better for you and no chocolate. I can't explain it. They're just awesome. I bought 2 boxes at Costco last week lest they stop carrying them between now and refill day.

Starbucks Customizable Cold Cup with Straw
Stop it right now. I love this thing. I got the double-extra-grande-venti sized cup (or 24 ounces for those of you that aren't down with the 'bux lingo) for my water and I use it every day. The straw won't come out the top when my kids pull on it. It doesn't condensate down the sides because it's double lined.

oh Starbucks, i love your clean marketing and the fact that you're on every corner in this city I now live in.

Soma Vanishing Edge Panties (...nope, can't even write that word without feeling gross) Underwear
Soma. Why did I not shop here before this year? WHY? Is it strange that I'm telling you what kind of underwear I wear? Probably, but I don't even care. They're amazing.

They don't ride (seriously, they don't) and they don't show lines (seriously, they don't).

 Yep. Go buy some. They're like buy 3, get 2 free every day. The bikini style is my fave with the hipsters close behind (no pun intended).

Project Life Honey Edition
Shut your mouth, how cute is this kit?

I die of cuteness. I think this is the one I'm most excited about for this year's releases!!! Run over to AC Digitals and get ya some of this kit.


So that's all I've got. Any of you tried any of these things? Anybody have anything that they can't stop talking about and using lately? Love to hear it.