Crumbs....what are they? Sometimes they're little annoying bits to knock off your shirt or lap after a bite to eat. Sometimes they're a sweet little sample of a fresh-baked treat, or a leftover reminder of what once was. Crumbs can even become a trail to leave behind, marking the path so you don't lose your way.
I am starting a new journey and I wanted a place to share that experience with others. I wanted to share the 'sweet stuff' of my journey, and the annoying stuff, too. And I wanted to mark the trail, for myself, and perhaps for others who need a little encouragement on their own life path.
Hence the name, Julie's Crumbs. Corny? Maybe. But I promise you, it'll be real. And sometimes funny. And encouraging, for both of us.
Now, to my new journey. For those of you who don't know me, I'm 45 and Jeff and I have been married 25 years. We have 7 children, ages 20 to 7. Our first four are 'homemade' and our youngest three were 'handpicked' from Ethiopia back in 2009. I homeschool 5 of our children, grades 11 down to 2nd. I have been so blessed to be able to invest my time at home and into the lives of our children, without the pressure of having to have a job outside the home. I realize not all moms are able to do so, or desire to make such a choice, but this is the path I've chosen for myself. On my profile, I didn't want to put down that I was a 'full-time mother'. Have you ever met a mother that WASN'T a full-time mother?
And while I'm very happy with the role I've had over the years, there's still dreams I have that have yet to be fulfilled. And we've got a big family with needs to match. So the desire grew to find a way to contribute financially to our family; to find a way to translate my years of experience in various areas into an income stream of some sort. And to do it without upsetting the balance of life a family of our size demands.
It all actually began with my kitchen floor. It's in bad shape and desperately needs to be refinished. And while we found an economical way to do that, we also realized the kitchen needed other help, and the floors couldn't be done until those other things had been fixed, first. After adding up the price tag, we knew we couldn't do it. So we decided to start a 'fix the kitchen' fund with money I earned from decorating cakes.
You see, I am a baker. My 'career' started when I was 3, making biscuits by my mother's side. Over the years, my skills have increased to the point where I actually auditioned for a cable TV network baking competition series and while I didn't make the show, I just missed the final cut two years in a row. I didn't want to go to the effort to audition again, but instead, invest that time and energy into something I could keep and control. Something that could benefit me and family for years to come.
I've realized that as much as I enjoy baking, I enjoy teaching even more.
And that got me to thinking...what if I could create an internet business around me teaching cooking and baking? What if I could do teaching videos to help inexperienced cooks become comfortable in the kitchen? I could do the work from home, post it on the web, and I could be 'working' in my sleep! What a concept!
And that's what my journey is about. Can a 45 year old mom of 7 actually find a way to start a 'new' career by creating her own business? Can she take all that she's learned over her life and transform that wisdom into an endeavor that will not only help provide for the needs of her family, but fulfill her dreams and encourage others along the way?
I'll share more details soon. And I'd love to have your feedback, too. I have much to learn and a trip is always better when you have friends to share it with.
Thanks for letting me share my crumbs with you!
