Quite a bit can happen
in one short little year
Your alma mater magazine
may place your picture here

Your family may support you

And little helpers cheer

And that’s not all that happened
In my 2016 year

Many schools made welcome

To hear me share my book

Son Corban clicked through PowerPoint

And we found other nooks

In libraries

And local stores


And even in the paper

(We made it thrice in color;
now that was quite the caper!)

Then work began on writing more

and drinking all things hot

Designer James played his main game
In making Book 2 ROCK


The second book was published

Business cards came out in pink

I bought a shirt to match them
(and wore it every week!)

I found a voice on Instagram

Sold books at ten craft shows

And then began the biggest plan

A book launch party to throw

The Paper helped us spread the word

And then I burnt my hand
(So badly that I nearly feared
I’d never write again!)

#slightexaggerationfordramaticeffect

The party planning was my life

As well as of my friends’


We cut and traced and glued and then

The party time began!

More cutting, gluing, smiling

And talking ’til we dropped
(And I was still two months away
From when my baby popped!)

I finally slowed down to a crawl
To welcome Baby 4

And then one fun October day,
we jumped back in for more

The Shoephabet turned one this year

We made a birthday cake

And took new, better pictures

It was time, for goodness’ sake

I tried to make a col’ring book
But couldn’t make it cheap

And so instead I listed it
On Etsy nearly free!

I closed the year by reaching out
To a nearby sewing friend

Who made two fabric alphabets
To match the books I’d penned

We shipped so many books out
We nearly have none left!
Right now, we’re still deciding
To buy more or just rest?


2016 gave me time
to write and plan and learn
And for this next year, I have hopes
But those will wait their turn