Thanksgiving was lovely.

Simple and well spent.  Full of far too much food, games of Monopoly that lasted just sightly longer than they should with victory just out of reach for me.  Our table was loaded with friends and family and sweet potato pie and grateful hearts.

I’m not really into whatever comes after Thanksgiving day unless it involves pie for breakfast and one turkey sandwich on white bread with mustard only.  You can count me out of trips to the mall or to Target or to any store at all actually.

I might occasionally partake of an online Black Friday deal here or there if it lands in my inbox at just the right time, otherwise, my Friday after Thanksgiving is about being outdoors and being with my family and taking life as slowly as I can take it.

So today I’m shifting gears and not offering up a Five Finds Friday.  Instead, I’m giving you something for nothing.  I mean, something for mostly nothing.

This is what I’m talking about today.

It’s a giant wooden ruler that makes a perfect gift for a family with young children or a family expecting a baby.

I love writing height hash marks directly on a wall and the nostalgia of those little pencil and Sharpie lines fills my sentimental heart right up to bursting.  But I’ve never owned a home.  We’ve moved a half dozen times at least.  It’s maddening and heart breaking to not be able to take those marks accurately with you to wherever you move.

These rulers are the perfect solution.  Portable!  Take it everywhere and hang it right at your new home – rental or owned.

My friend Rachael makes these.  I’ve purchased two in the past as gifts for family and framily.  At her shop – which you can find on Facebook at Twinflower Heights – you can order giant rulers with custom wording down the side.  A child’s first name, a family’s last name, a sweet phrase.  You can pick!

Today you get a chance to WIN this growth ruler – the one Otto is holding for me here – for your very own.

I asked Rachael, who is married to the youth leader at our church, a couple of questions so that you could get to know her a little better.  I love supporting local, small businesses run by people I actually know and like.  Of course, sometimes I send my money to Target or Gap, but I really like it when I can both buy a gift for a friend AND support another friend at the exact same time.  Because we are all out there together, artists and writers and craftsman and creators, trying to make a living, to care for our families, in all the ways God has gifted us to do so.

This is Rachael and her family – the mom of two sweet young sons.

And here’s what she and I talked about:

Rachael, what’s your motivation for creating and crafting?

I struggled with my identity when I first became a mom and began to stay home with my oldest. It’s definitely not as dreamy as I thought it would be! I realized after several failed Pinterest projects that I loved working with my hands. Our house is also fairly small, and I wanted to learn how to make the limited space we had as beautiful and functional as possible. I found that making my own creations was both financially beneficial and also gave me a level of satisfaction I hadn’t experienced before.

Where do you find time to do this with two young sons?

Growing up, I was “that kid” who HAD to have my worksheet done first. I’ve always been an abnormally fast worker, and being strategic is my biggest strength. I’m always thinking ten steps ahead, which helps me get things done in the most efficient way possible. Also, Elmo. My kids have been known to indulge in Sesame Street binges from time to time. But I figure, my oldest knows how to count to 30, and I certainly didn’t teach him that…Elmo did. It’s all good. But with few exceptions, my work gets done in the evenings after the boys go to bed, and I’ve been known to turn down projects if I feel like my plate is too full.

Why is it worth your time as a new and young mom to find time to create?

I would say it’s worth it because the time I spend creating is some of the only time that I feel like my own person. I love my family, and there’s nothing I would rather do than stay home with my babies and support my husband’s ministry by keeping the home fires burning. But I’m sure most moms would agree, by the end of the day, you just need to do something that makes you feel like you’re not a milk-making, diaper-changing, snot-wiping machine. Creating is that thing for me. I turn on the shows I dare not watch in front of my toddler, grab a Diet Dr. Pepper, and go to work. It’s awesome.

Tell me more about your background and other creative endeavors.

I’m a graphic designer by trade, so creating has been an active part of my life for over 7 years. I have an Etsy shop with fun stuff I make, I blog at All Kinds of Yumm, and I have a handful of clients I do design work for on a regular basis. I’ve been making these rulers for less than a year, but I love how they’ve resonated with people. You’re recording memories that you’ll keep forever. I want everyone with young kids to have one.

So now you know al little more about Rachael – and you probably understand precisely what she means about finding something that you enjoy doing purely for the sake of doing it, not because you have to and not because you need to, but because you WANT to.

For this giveaway, because the ruler is leaning against the wall in my bedroom right now and it’s six feet tall, this is a locals-only giveaway.

Here’s how you enter to win this one.  You need to do two things to win this ruler.  (Which you can then use for your own children or gift to one of your friends this holiday season.)  You need to:
1.  Like the Twinflower Heights Facebook page.
2.  Share this post on your own Facebook page.

When you have accomplished these two very tiny tasks, you can comment here and let me know and you will be entered!  (See, I told you, I am giving you something for mostly nothing.)

I’ll draw a winner by Sunday night (or Monday morning – who can predict how the weekend will end exactly?).  If you are the winner, we will email and arrange a meeting place for you to receive your victory prize.

And friends, Rachael has kindly offered a discount for the SoEveryDay readers.  Order a ruler by this Sunday and you receive $10 OFF your order.  (Just let her know when you place your order that you saw this post and you’d like your $10 off!)

Thanks so much to you guys for playing along and thanks so much to Rachael for sharing her skills with us – also for giving us a glimpse into who she is and what she does!

If you have a business or a product and you’d like to participate in a holiday giveaway in December, I’d love to talk to you about it.  Send me an email and let’s make a plan!

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