A Little thirty-one Party

To raise some money for MDA and Little's Medical Fund, I've got a few different fundraisers going on right now.  Don't worry, I won't be as in your face as I was in March for the Muscle walk, but expect me to be like that every Feb/March, as that is the event my mom and I have picked as our main Little's League event each year.  But this is August, so that means that Labor Day is just around the corner and as you all ought to know by now, with Labor Day comes the MDA Labor Day Telethon.  Now it is being called the MDA Show of Strength.

No more Jerry Lewis, no more 24 hour marathon telethon, just a quick 3 hour broadcast crammed full of previously recorded segments by your favorite celebrities (hello, Luke Bryan, Carrie Underwood, and B.o.B.).  I know the Little Rock telecast will be on Fox and Little and I will be there at the station so tune in, AR folks!  Everyone else, check your local listings.

So, fundraiser number one - or should I say, thirty-one:



Do you love thirty-one?  Do you love Little?  Well sweet!  Then you'll love this fundraiser!  I'm such a carnie.      My awesome friend Tanya approached me about a virtual thirty-one party where she will be donating her profits to Little's League for MDA and Little's Medical Fund!  The party is online NOW and is up til at least August 17th, so go get your shop on!!!!  Here is the link to our facebook event page http://www.facebook.com/events/383990335000120/  and one directly to our party, where you purchase the products at Little's thirty-one Party.

Fundraiser number 2:
The Little's League tees.  Still taking orders.  Still $15.00  Still $5 for shipping if you live outside of central or NW AR or Ft Campbell. Still blue.  Still the same logo.  Still the same way to pay and contact me as before.  Here are the sizes available again: 2t 3t 4t 5t yxs ys ym yl yxl axs as am al axl axxl axxxl The deal I made with Tee Shirt Man is that he'll give me this great deal IF I order 100 shirts...........and I am NOWHERE near 100 orders.  So....... Here they are in grey, in case you forgot what they look like......even though I feature someone in them at the bottom of every post. :)

Fundraiser number 3:  Saving Our Sons & Daughters II.  You know, that book I have a chapter in.  It's still for sale.  Just click on the picture of the book on the right hand side of this blog.

Fundraiser number 4:  MDA's Show of Strength websight.  They have a direct donation link just like they did  with the Muscle Walk earlier this year.  The link to Little's League's page is Little's League for MDA

So I have some pretty kickA friends, bc without Tanya and Kari, fundraisers 1 and 2 wouldn't be happening.


Today's Little's League Member - Diane Johnson!  HOW COOL IS THIS PICTURE??????  Diane is on a mission trip with her church in Nicaragua!  Some of the children in the village gathered around her and all made a muscle for Andrew and the camera.  I mean some of them don't look real thrilled about it, but I'm sure they are just thinking "oh, crazy American!"  HA!  I love this!!!!  Diane goes to Cambodia soon, so hopefully as she travels and spreads the word of God, I'll get more pictures like this!  I seriously SO love this picture and that Diane (who has known me since I was 8 and is the mother of 2 of my dearest friends) did something so special as her picture for me and Andrew.

If I were published in a book...

would ya'll buy it?  I want some honest opinions here.  I have the opportunity to snag a co-author spot (along with about 40 others) in Misty VanderWeele's newest book, Saving Our Sons & Daughters 2.  It's a collaboration of short stories and poems by people who have been affected by Duchenne.  Misty was quite successful with her first edition, Saving Our Sons - one story at a time and so I have no doubt about how well she will put together this one.  

What I would need to do is reserve my spot by paying my share (about $200) and submit my story of 1500 words or less all by October 31.  Short timeline, I know....it kinda worries me.  I wish the deadline was a few months out so I could have more time to pick and choose the theme of my entry.  Also, is it too early for me to weigh in?  Little's only been diagnosed for 6 weeks - am I going to offend "veterans" by having the audacity to speak on something I've barely been introduced to? 

The $200 fee is to help cover publishing costs, formatting, editing, etc.  She is allowing 1 picture per submission, which drives up publishing cost, too.  Mister's first objection was over the cost, but I understand why Misty needs to charge.  We can't expect her to front all the cost herself!  I, unfortunately, have to put the fee in the "con" side of the page.  $197 is a LOT of money for this household.  As all of you military fams know, money is not free flowing in this lifestyle.  The fee also gives the writers the option to participate in the affiliate writer selling program - meaning I would get 50% of the profit for every book I sold.  So *IF* I chose to do it and *IF* ya'll actually bought a copy, I could gain back my share fee and put all the rest of the profits toward Duchenne research or set it aside to start saving for Andrew's future medical needs.  For all I know the profit margin is around a nickle a book - I mean hopefully we're closer to dollarS a book, but I honestly have no idea.  I just came across this last night, so it's all new to me.

So.......what do ya'll think?  It's no secret that I'd like to be published one day and that eventually this blog will be turned into some kind of book in Andrew's memory, but should I start now?  Is it too early?  Is this the right project to start with?  Would ya'll actually buy the finished book?  Spill, please.  I don't have a whole lot of time to make my decision!