I refuse to be a statistic

I saw this headline today and was slightly alarmed:

One-fourth of renters will never buy a home: survey

Uh, that's not cool. I want to eventually own a home. Pick my own paint. Stop buying furniture purely on the basis of how easy it is to move. But thankfully, the key word here is SURVEY. It doesn't say STUDY. Which means, this was a survey of 2,000 renters, and 27 percent of them never plan to buy a home, as opposed to a study saying those of us who are renting should just put away our dreams of ever owning.

I have to wonder, though, how many of these renters that were surveyed live in New York, because real estate prices here can crush your dreams real fast. With a median home price of $403,600 — and that's a home of maybe one bedroom and 700 square feet — it's just a leetle bit 'spensive to buy here.

The big secret revealed!

Over the last few months, you may have seen me refer to a big project I've been working on, specifically in my post about finding a mouse pad. Well, the time has come to let you in on the secret.

I've started my own business. It's called Red Letter Paper Company, and we exist to make cool Christian cards.

We started with a mission — cool cards, warm wishes — and a goal: doing all things for the glory of God. We've launched with two lines of cards: 1000 Words, blank cards that feature photos on the front that remind us that God is in the little things and a verse on the back, and No Vacancy, which are cool Christian Christmas cards.

To the few of you who knew about RLPCo., thank you for you support and encouragement along the way. Thanks to my husband, who has listened to all my ideas and given his honest opinion, even when I didn't want to hear it. And thanks to Kari, who without, RLPCo would never have existed. Most of those photos on the 1000 Words cards? Yeah, they're hers. But above that, and above her publishing and business knowledge that have come in exceedingly handy through this project, her support and friendship have meant the world. Kari, I can't say it enough, but thank you, thank you, thank you.

So now you know why I have blogged so infrequently in the last few months. Opening a business is a lot of work. And it'd be great if it makes money, but mostly, RLPCo is a way for me to express worship by using my talents for God, and if some other people benefit from them along the way, even better.

If you're interested in buying some cards, you can use the code ILOVERLPCO at checkout for 10% off through the month of August. And sign up for our newsletter to receive updates on new cards and special offers. Oh, and we're on Facebook and Twitter, too. :)