The Ultimate Side Hustle Book - 450 Moneymaking Ideas for the Gig Economy

 A recent book I browsed through was The Ultimate Side Hustle Book - 450 Moneymaking Ideas for the Gig Economy by Elana Varon. As I'm trying to think of ways to earn money when Olivia begins college, I'm looking at some side hustle books. This one had quite a few ideas that sound intriguing and worth exploring. 

The ones I'm most interested in or intrigue me are:

- Arts or Crafts Teacher - teach art or craft classes to adults or children. Need experience with the medium or method you are teaching, a teaching degree or certification if teaching at a school. Teachers charge students for materials, but for photography courses, students bring their own equipment. Can offer private lessons to groups or individuals. Promote lessons on social media. Teach through adult education programs. Charge per student - about $60 or more for an hour lesson. Earnings depend on what is left after your expenses.

- Lesson Plan Creator - sell your lesson plans and teaching materials to other teachers. Post materials to online marketplaces where teachers sell lesson plans and materials. Set your own rates for materials. Sites take a cut plus may require membership. Prices range from less than $1 to $15 or more.

- Baker - sell baked goods, such as cookies. Need to be able to bake plus comply with state and local cottage food laws. May be able to sell your products from your home. Customers and social media generate orders. Set up a booth at the local farmers' markets or events. Sell through local stores. Price your products to cover your costs and time.

- Fiber Artist - make woven clothing, accessories, or home goods. Need to be good-quality items. Need yarns and equipment. Sell online, farmers' or crafts markets, or in stores. Use social media to market your work. Cover your costs and pay yourself for your time. Craft artists make an average of $19 per hour.

- Personal Chef - cook meals for clients in their homes. Know how to cook nutritious everyday meals. Professional training can help you get started. Get friends and customers who have had your cooking spread the word. Network with friends on social media to promote your services and meet potential customers. Private chefs can earn $30 per hour or more. 

- Photographer - Event or Portrait - photograph weddings, individuals, families, children, or pets. Need artistic ability, experience capturing individual personalities and group relationships, and ability to create rapport with reluctant subjects. Having a portfolio enables you to showcase your abilities. Need a camera, lenses, and related equipment. Just as with the above side hustles, social media, friends, and customers seem the best way to get leads. Event photographers can charge $100 or more per hour and wedding photographers get $2,000 on the average per event. Portrait photographers earn about $20 per hour.

- Photographer - Prints - shoot images to sell as artwork. Know how to compose, shoot, and edit photos. Hospitals, libraries, and places of worship may show work for sale by local artists. Galleries and art shows are other options. Cover your costs and time plus whatever fee a gallery or shop takes out. Average pay is about $20 per hour.

- Social Media Marketer - write social media posts for companies, interact with followers, and manage social media accounts. Need writing, digital marketing experience, a social media presence, and knowledge of social media metrics. Need a computer, smartphone, and reliable internet service. Join an online freelance platform, network with colleagues, and promote your services on social media. Pay ranges from $10 to $50+ per hour.

- Event Planner - plan and organize conferences, lectures, or social events. Bring an event concept to fruition. Develop and work within a budget. Coordinate vendors such as caterers, florists, speakers, and entertainers. Start by planning small, social, community, or business events. Network with people you know, promote your services on social media, and get referrals from people who have attended events you planned. Earn about $25 per hour.

- Home Organizer - help people arrange their space and reduce clutter. Have experience organizing closets, drawers, and living spaces. Take classes to improve your skills. Do projects for your friends and use social media. Pay ranges from $40-$200 per hour, depending on your experience and location. 

- Party Planner - plan and organize parties, such as birthdays and special occasions. Identify a niche theme - children's birthday parties, baby showers, spa treatments. Need equipment and supplies. Can earn anywhere from $250 to $2,000 depending on the type of event and number of guests.

- Slide Presentation Designer - create presentation slide decks. Have design ability, business, marketing, or industry knowledge; storytelling ability; and expertise using PowerPoint. Leads - start-up companies that need a library of slide decks for presenting to funders and customers. Rates vary. For formatting and basic editing, it may be less than $20 per hour. Someone with proven storytelling and design skills can charge $100 per hour and up. 

- Balloon Twister - make balloon sculptures on-demand at parties or events, or create balloon art as party decorations. Know the craft. Friends, neighbors, colleagues, and neighborhood or community groups can be sources of work. About $100 per hour is common or by the piece.

- Food Tour Guide - take groups to visit local restaurants and food shops to teach them about local specialities or a type of cuisine. Know the food and establish relationships with local restaurants and food shop owners. Some cities require tour guides to have a license. Network with hotel concierges, restaurant managers, specialty food shops, and travel agents. Give free tours to generate word-of-mouth referrals and social media posts. List your tours on travel and food business review sites. Guides who work for tour companies earn about $13 per hour. Earnings are higher for independent guides. If you charge $25 per person for a two-hour tour, you'll make $50 per hour with a family of four. 

- Mock Juror - give only survey feedback to attorneys about their cases before trial. Have to meet minimum requirements. Sign up on a mock jury site. This one has multiple sites listed. Jurors are paid $10-$50, depending on the site.

Soulful Simplicity - Book Notes

 During the past couple of weeks, I read Soulful Simplicity - How Living with Less Can Lead to So Much More by Courtney Carver. I found this book insightful with a lot of practical ideas for streamlining one's life in multiple areas so that a more authentic life can be led. 

There were some key things that I found interesting in the book and wanted to remember:

- One of the reasons we keep our lives so complicated is so we won't have to listen to our inner voice telling us what we need to do to make our lives work better.

- Getting rid of everything that doesn't matter allows you to remember who you are.

- I was too tired to make it to the gym, and when you feel like crap for long enough, you start treating yourself and everyone around you like crap.

- Take a look at your pain points, your suffering. It may be a chronic condition or disease, or maybe it's something else like a strained relationship, the stress of overdue bills, general fatigue, or just a sense of "something isn't right." Use any of them or all of them as a catalyst for change.

- I changed my diet, paid off my debt, decluttered my home, cleaned out my closet, quit my job, created work I love, downsized from a big house to a small apartment, deepened my relationships, owned my introvertedness, became soul-centered, and took my life back. 

Playing games as a family is something 

we want to do more of in 2021.

- If your heart isn't in the game, permanent change doesn't stand a chance.

- You have to do things you don't want to do so you can do things you want to do and have the kind of life you really want. 

- 3 things that had the greatest impact on the author's health: eating greens and other real food; walking, and sleeping. 

Healthy meal I made recently. 

- Make a list of 10 things you don't want to do that you know will help you. Choose one thing from your list that you can put into action immediately. 

- Whom do I envy and what do I lie about? Author Gretchen Rubin suggests that the answers to these questions might reveal things you need to change in your life. 

- Clutter attracts clutter and calm attracts calm.

- "Just in case" ownership of things. When you think about things you own, think about the following sentence and complete it: "I'm keeping this just in case ______________." One reason the author gave is that someone is afraid they won't have enough. Think about these questions: "Does this really matter to me?" or "Am I holding on for the right reasons?"

- Instead of going shopping, think of other things you can do. For example, take a walk, do yoga, call a friend, make a smoothie, sleep for an extra hour, write, meditate, or send a thank-you note. 

- Dave Ramsey said that 78% of Americans live paycheck to paycheck and 90% are buying things they can't afford.

- When you need to buy things for your things, it's time for fewer things. Get rid of stuff instead of accumulating more things to store it in.

- Redefine success.

- After a while, I wasn't saying no because I was so busy, I was saying no because I didn't want to be so busy anymore. 

- Do a 30-minute practice of writing, yoga, and meditation each morning. Before doing anything for anyone else, take care of yourself first.

One of the views on a recent walk I took.

- A morning routine should boost your health, happiness, kindness, and inspiration.

- Instead of measuring ourselves by what we get done, let's measure by how we treat people and how we engage in our work. 

- Prioritize love and health.

- Work with people who want my best, not my busiest. 

- If I spend too much time online, I start feeding unhappy, dissatisfied, and disconnected from the real world.

- Take digital sabbaticals.

- You don't need an impressive title, big car or boat, or big business to live a beautiful life and be a beautiful person. 

- The secret to havign it all is recognizing that you already do.

- We can better serve the world when we have time to respond thoughtfully instead of reacting mindlessly.

- Reclaim the lost art of lingering by creating for thirty minutes. Draw, color in an adult coloring book, and do something creative. 

- Sentimental items can be the most challenging to release, but remember that less isn't none. 

- Our hearts know that our real treasures are not in the attic or contained in any physical thing. Our hearts know that real treasures are smiles, tears, moments, and people. 

The girls with the dogs by 

our Christmas tree in 2020.

- The simple yet sometimes hard truth is that your children don't want your stuff. They just want you.

- I don't want my legacy to be my storage containers of stuff.

- When I go, I want to be remembered for how I loved while I was here.

- Take pictures of your sentimental items or write about the reason you saved them. 

- Grief is the price we pay for love. 

- I created a lifestyle that is meaningful to me so it doesn't matter what other people think. I know what matters. This is my soulful simplicity. 

- Let go of the stuff that reprsents your past: the tent you never use, the boxes of things you are saving just in case. 

- Let go of the items you think others people may want someday. Instead of guessing, or assuming, ask them, "Do you want this?" If the answer is yes, give it to them. If the answer is no, let it go.

Books to Read:

- Your Money or Your Life by Vicki Robin and Joe Dominguez

- Financial Peace University by Dave Ramsey

- Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

- The Story of the Mexican Fisherman

Blog to Read: 

- archives - Be More with Less

Spring Chores...a Bit Delayed

Each year, there are things that we need to do in the Spring. These are both chores that make getting through spring much easier; and things that will help the wildlife and/or flora.

1. Spring cleaning and purging - inside the home as well as outdoor (hobby shed, barn, and tractor shed).

Well...this goal was a bit different than anticipated this year. We had a fire at our farm which destroyed the hobby shed and playhouse. So much for Spring cleaning and purging what we no longer need. That was done for us by the fire.

There was a demo crew that had a machine that picked up and put the charred remnants of the shed and playhouse into the dumpster.

It took two dumpsters to haul away everything. There's a bit more that needs to be removed from the shed and fire pit; and that will probably fit into one more dumpster. 

The fire also burned half of the front of the barn and half of one side of the barn.

A gentleman from the local Lions club came out to help with cleaning out all the water-soaked hay and straw from the barn. It was soaked because the firefighters saturated it with water so the fire that was already burning the barn wouldn't jump to the hay and straw and quickly ignite the entire barn. 

We pushed out all the damaged hay and straw out the loft door.

A few days later, the gentleman from the Lions club came back with his Bobcat and moved all the water-saturated hay and straw.

He moved it away from the barn to a new compost area.

We now have two compost piles going which will eventually be good for the plants and trees here.

I do need to clean out the feed room and the section of the barn that holds other items and tools. The little shed behind the barn also needs to be cleaned out still, but that isn't a top priority given what happened with the fire.

2. Muck out the barn.

On May 16th, we cleaned out one-third of the barn. The meant removing all the wood chips that the horses had used for bedding during the winter. Up until mid-April, the bedding was frozen since we had an abnormally cold and long winter. So, we were late this year with cleaning out the barn thoroughly.

The girls started cleaning the barn and removing everything down to the thick, rubber mats.

I - along with another gentleman from the local Lions club - worked on another section of the barn. After he left, I finished mucking out about half of the barn and putting down fresh bedding. On Memorial Day weekend, I finished the other half of the barn and put the rest of the bedding down. It is much better now.

When the Bobcat was here, all the used bedding was moved to our primary compost pile. 

There were many different piles were we put the used bedding when we were removing it from the barn. These were all cleaned up.

Afterwards, he smoothed out the area where the horses spend a lot of time. They didn't seem to mind the Bobcat moving around the pasture.

On Memorial Day weekend, I finished mucking out the barn. It felt great to get all the bedding out of the barn and to the compost pile. It looks (and smells) better now with fresh bedding.

3. Replace the numbers on the mailbox after they were damaged from the snow and then the heat from the fire.

The numbers were either missing or starting to peel off from the mailbox.

I replaced all the letters and numbers so they are affixed to the mailbox.

It looks so much better now.

4. Tune up/service the lawn tractor.

The last time that I was able to use the mower was in Fall 2016. Last year, at the start of the season, the mower didn't work. With the service technician I normally used no longer operating his own business, I was at a loss for how to fix the riding mower. So, I hired someone to mow our lawn.

A neighbor showed me how to check and/or charge the battery and it was fine. Yet, the mower didn't start. So, we finished out the 2017 season with someone else mowing the lawn.

This year, because of the fire, we had many Lions Club members helping. One asked about our lawn since he noticed the grass was long. He took the battery and checked it (it was fine); and then came back to look at the lawn mower.

He was able to fix it (a wire came out of the fuse and so it wasn't able to start). Because he knew how to splice wires and connect them, the mower was able to start up again. By the time I was able to mow our lawn for the first time this season, it looked like a hay field - with grass as tall as my knees in some areas.

In the photo below, Aspen is walking in an area I did the first cut through. It was still long, but not anything like the "hayfield" I was growing.

After I mowed it for the second time, it was a much more acceptable length. There was still a lot of grass laying in piles all over the lawn, so the girls and I raked up everything; and then hauled the cut grass to an area next to the driveway. In this way, the lawn has a chance now to get sun, water, and air; and the horses can't get to the cut grass which would make them sick (too much and too rich/high in sugar).

I should have taken a before and after picture. The lawn looks significantly better now that it is raked.

Now, the next step is to buy a weed trimmer (since ours burned in the fire) and do trimming.

5. Repair and/or replace the pasture fence.

Part of the pasture fence was damaged in the fire. There are sections that are missing and that we've had to use baling twine to string across to create a temporary fence. Thankfully, this section of the fence is just between the west pasture and the area by the barn. It's hard to tell where the fence was and where it needs to be fixed.

In another section, the wood posts were charred, so that length of fencing will all need to be repaired. We have t-posts and chicken wire up temporarily until the fence can be fixed. 

I'm looking forward to this Fall when things should look significantly better.

6. Prepare the garden beds - create new ones and build new raised beds.

This one doesn't look like much right now because it is the rose bed that burned in the fire. At least the weeds are removed.

There were perennials in this garden that I hoped would grow, but it looks like the fire was too hot for them to survive. Looks like new roses and perennials will need to be planted.

That being said, there were two roses that did come up which made me happy. These were ones that my Dad tended to for many years, and I took care of after he died and until my Mom died. I transplanted them here so we could continue to enjoy them.

The flower bed next to the roses is filled with yellow irises from my parents. They are doing well this year. I had transplanted them in October 2016. In 2017, they didn't do too well - just shot up some leaves. This year, however, they have been blooming for quite some time now which is great!

We have another type of wild iris that grows in the west pasture: Blue Flag Iris. These have been spreading and doing exceptionally well each year.

When we first moved here, I don't remember seeing any. Now, they are prolific. 

I am hoping to continue to work with different gardens around the front- and backyards. There are many and has not been enough time to work on them. Perhaps later this month I can make some progress on them.

Even so, there are some flowers coming up in the gardens - like wild columbine:

and tulips.

The peonies, wildflowers, and lilies (day and Asiatic) also are growing now.

7. Plant seeds or transplants.

I didn't take photos of planting the seeds or transplants because I was the only one who did it. There are four 4'x3' gardens that are planted with tomatoes (4 types), green peppers, jalapenos, about a dozen herbs, green beans (2 types), yellow beans, carrots (2 types), cucumbers, zucchini, and watermelon.

There were three gardens that were damaged in the fire, so I need to transplant the two rhubarb plants, and then find a place for all the dirt. The space where the gardens are now will be part of the driveway and entry to the new garage.

8. Clear out the fire pit and make it smaller.

When the Bobcat was here, we had the fire pit cleaned up. It was a big job because we've been using the same fire/burn pit since we moved here in 1995.

Needless to say, there were multiple loads that were removed and put with the rubble from the shed. We had hoped that it would be hauled away when the rubble was taken, but the demo crew needed another dumpster. 

I spent some time picking through the dirt and found broken glass, rusty nails/screws/metal, and other items that needed to go into the trash. We still have some more work with this area - picking up any more garbage, leveling it out, and then putting grass seed or sod on it. 

We won't be doing any more large-scale burning at this point in our lives. Even though the shed fire wasn't our fault and not a result of our burning, doing a large fire doesn't hold the same appeal it once did. Making a small fire pit that we can sit around and enjoy, and make some food over seems more relaxing.

9. Make repairs to any buildings damaged during the winter; and then paint them.

Because of the fire, we are starting from scratch for the shed-turned-garage. The barn, which also was damaged, will be power-washed once it is repaired and then painted. With new windows and doors on the front, loft doors fixed, and holes in the siding repaired, it should completely change the way the barn looks.

We hope that this project will be done by late-July or early-August.

10. Start splitting and stacking wood.

We will start on this project in the late-Summer or early-Fall when

Book Review - Almost Amish

One of the books that was on my "Books I Want to Read" list was Almost Amish by Nancy Sleeth. The book had many principles and ideas that are already a part of my life thanks to my parents. On my dad's side of the family, there are both Amish and Mennonite ancestors.

That being said, there are some things I want to remember since they reflect what I either learned and/or wished I were a greater emphasis in our family (especially as they relate to the way the Amish manage their money):

Principles that guide Amish finances:
- Work hard. (Proverbs 13:4)
- Spend wisely. (Proverbs 21:20)
- Be honest in all dealings. (Proverbs 11:1.)
- Be prudent. (Luke 14:28)
- Don't become a slave to debt. (Proverbs 22:7)
- Save for lean times. (Genesis 41:35-36)
- Provide for your family, young and old. (1 Timothy 5:8)
- Give generously. (2 Corinthians 9:7)

Amish proverbs:
- We live simply so others may simply live.
- Use it up, wear it out, make do, or do without.
- Take all you want, eat all you take.

Appreciation of nature is a core Christian value, and central to the Amish way of life.

One of the first instructions in the Bible is for man to tend and protect the garden.

There's an emphasis on stewardship of the land.

Our tendency to focus on sedentary activities involving electronic media is separating us from nature. We are spending less time in parks, less time camping and hiking, and less time in unstructured outdoor play because videophilia is replacing biophilia.

Simplicity involves cutting back on two major kinds of stuff - the kind that fills our houses and the kind that fills our calendars....The Amish avoid both kinds of clutter. They don't fill their houses with lots of unnecessary things, and they don't fill their calendars running around from activity to activity.

Supporting small farms, patronizing small businesses, volunteering in local schools, getting to know our neighbors, and building a small faith community make our lives more simple and sane.

The Amish emphasize other kinds of education as well, including learning that goes on outside the classroom.

If you know your neighbors, you know their needs. And they know yours. You can help one another out. You have a support system. You don't have to go it alone.

Both the giver and the receiver get something back from the act of service. The more they give, the more they gain.

Daily interaction within the Amish community makes...isolation nearly impossible. When something goes wrong, the community is there to fill the gaps.

Service takes two forms: service to people we know and service to those we don't. The Amish engage in both.

It's no wonder that the Amish are so service oriented: they try to model their lives after the pattern set by Christ. It is he who is our highest example of service.

The Amish serve their children by doing the hard work of parenting, teaching them the skills and habits that will make them healthy spouses, colleagues, and neighbors. Instead of short-term distraction or coddling, they aim for long-term character and strength.

Through example, they show how caring for grandparents is a joy, not a burden. Likewise, service to neighbors and coworkers is treated more as an opportunity than an obligation. In acting kind, we become kind. In serving others, we are served.

Security comes from self-sufficiency, hard work, and careful stewardship of God's gifts.

Make ice cream "Sundays." Have pizza and movie night.

Having a regular time to wake up, do chores, pray, work, and go to bed also builds in security.

Build stability, routine, and tradition into [your] life:
- Encourage routine.
- Stay put. If you have a choice, don't move.
- Take responsibility.
- Set boundaries.
- Model stability in marriage, parenting, and friendship.

Intentionally seek out businesses located within a couple miles of your home that are not part of a chain and stop in at least once each week to learn about what they of.

Community is like an old coat - you aren't aware of it until it is taken away.

If you are not already a member of a church, visit those that are closest to your home. Once you commit to a church, see if they have a small group you can join.

Amish leisure....connects people to one another around the outdoors. It is almost always community oriented, revolving around family and friends.

Make an effort to attend local festivals, picnicking in the parks, and engaging in informal socializing are simple ways we can build community while having a good time.

Many of us can make choices to bring family together rather than allow jobs, schooling, and chance to separate us indefinitely.

Sharing meals is an act of intimacy. It creates bonds that are essential to preserving a healthy marriage and family life.

What makes Amish families different? They:
- live near each others.
- share meals.
- respect gender roles.
- expect children to be citizens of the family.
- honor the fourth commandment.

Amish saying: "A happy marriage is a long conversation that always seems too short."

JOY means Jesus first, Yourself last, and Others in between..

Take small steps toward an Amish-inspired life:
- homes are simple, uncluttered, and clean; the outside reflects the inside.
- technology serves as a tool and does not rule as a master.
- saving more and spending less brings financial peace.
- spending time in God's creation reveals the face of God.
- small and local leads to saner lives.
- service to others reduces loneliness and isolation.
- the only true security comes from God.
- knowing neighbors and supporting local businesses build community.
- family ties are lifelong; they change, but never cease.
- faith life and way of life are inseparable.

Jeremiah 6:16: "This is what the Lord says: 'Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.'"

Blogging from A to Z Theme Reveal: Hobbies

Next week I will begin the Blogging from A to Z Challenge for the month of April. I have done the challenge in two years (2013 and 2017). This will be my third year.

During 2013, the theme was homeschooling. I chose one topic for each day and Sophia, Olivia, and I did activities related to the topic (e.g., Agriculture, Baking, Composer Study, Drama, Etiquette, Flower Arranging).

During 2017, I focused on going through my homeschooling files that I created from the time that Sophia and Olivia were in preschool. Some of the files were still relevant while others I decluttered and recycled in the process.

Each day during April, I picked one of the files to focus on - either doing a hands-on activity or sharing some information from one of the files. On the average, there were three different topics that I wrote about each day - all starting with the same letter.

This year, I will be focusing on hobbies that I have introduced to my daughters to through their childhood and teen years. Some were done as part of homeschooling, while others were areas that we explored because we were interested in the subject or activity. These are hobbies that anyone of any age could try as well.

I had wanted to do an A to Z of quilting blocks using fabric that I had on hand. In that way, I could go through the bins of fabric and keep what I wanted, donate what I no longer needed, and use some of it for making quilt blocks. That may be a topic that I do more casually throughout a year - taking two weeks at a time to create a block rather than a day.

Photo Scavenger Hunt - March

On Swap-Bot, I signed up for a electronic swap that is a photo scavenger hunt. For the swap, the participants needed to find six items, take a photo of each one, and share the findings with their  partners.

Here are the items for March:

An animal that is not your pet:

I was driving Sophia home from harp lessons on Wednesday, March 21st and we were passing beautiful, open land about 10 minutes from our home. In the distance, there were two large birds. Pulled to the side of the road to get a closer look and saw that they were sandhill cranes.

The day before, the first day of Spring, I had heard a sandhill crane flying by our home. The 21st was the first day that I saw a pair of them.

This is sure sign that Spring is here...despite the snow on the ground!

A funny or unique poster or banner that your saw on a wall or building somewhere:

This is a sign for a business that is about 15 minutes away from us in a town that has strong Swedish roots.

It struck me as funny the way that they chose to depict Swedish people and a family restaurant. I don't see people looking like this around the area. The sign did catch my eye though...so maybe that's the purpose of it.

A beautiful sky - clouds, sunrise, or sunset.

This is a sunrise on March 25th. It is looking northeast from our farm.

The clouds were shades of pink and lavender beyond this golden orange sunrise.

Your favorite mug or cup.

Olivia gave me this mug for Christmas. I like wildlife and we've seen foxes on our farm, so this mug is a nice reminder of seeing them.

The design of the fur and tail - with tiny patterns that are colored in randomly also is something that I enjoy looking at. Coloring and art are things I've enjoyed doing as a child and adult.

Something cluttered or messy.

We have a hodge podge of dishes - some belong to sets, others are random pieces from the thrift store, and others are ones that the girls painted in ceramics classes throughout the year.

Since we're a homeschooling family, we eat all of our meals at home. Every once in a while we will go out for something to eat. However, the majority of our meals are eaten here. So, that means we go through a lot of dishes each day. Regardless, I needed to reduce the number of dishes so they are easier to find ones we need and put them away.

 
So, I took everything out of the cabinet plus the extra dishes in another cabinet and we went through each plate, cup, mug, bowl, salt and pepper shaker. We got rid of ones that were chipped or ones that we didn't particularly care for any more. It still looks like a lot of dishes. However, the majority of the dishes are ones that we typically use within a two-day period.

Something purple or mostly purple.

These are some of the grand champion ribbons that I have won at the county fair for items I've entered. There have been awards for needlework, food preservation, writing, and collections.

The ribbons hang on a closet knob in my home office. The other closet knob holds the reserve grand champion ribbons and additional grand champion ribbons that didn't fit on the other knob.

My daughters and I enjoy competing in the county fair each year. We've been doing this now for 11 years. We're looking forward to the upcoming season and entering projects in a variety of areas.