Enjoy some thoughtful reflections, news, and art from Jonalyn's Studio.
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It Began with a Conversation

Last weekend, my youngest son, O, and I started having this conversations about using our gifts to make money. He found a YouTube recipe with 45 million views. He mixed up a triple batch of lemonade using organic lemon juice, and the secret ingredient: lemon zest. He bottled the liquid gold in sterilized mason jars and refrigerated them over night.

He packed them into our sailing cooler. He lugged the supplies out to the front lawn and set up a table with a checkerboard tablecloth, an umbrella and his lawn chair. He got a money basket and some change. He printed my Venmo handle. He poured some sample lemonade into a pitcher and laid out cups. He cut a large square of cardboard and hand-painted a sign with leftover paint. He hand-stenciled the words.

He was so excited he couldn’t eat lunch. He opened 30 minutes early. At 12:30 he was holding his sign, his big, grey eyes full of hope.

The cars drove past.

Then, his first car stopped. He explained the deal: $5 for 16 oz, $9 for 32 oz.

No one would have known the dozens of conversations behind this spontaneous kid selling lemonade. No one knew that we had spent hours running through the scenarios and steps to bring this product into the world.

A few days earlier, when he saw how long the list really was to make a lemonade stand a reality, I talked him off the ledge of defeat. We talked about giving up or slowing down, we talked about pacing ourselves days ahead, we talked about the math to triple the recipe and why the dishwasher really does sterilize best. We talked about the importance of which words for his sign. We debated and polled family members about the best price point and how to create discounts for a double portion. We discussed the best way to wipe sugar off a counter and the most thorough way to clean lemonade off a kitchen floor.

A life principle: behind every productive moment are unseen conversations. We all need them to try anything new or creative. And this is why I’m sharing a new product for this Fall season.

Encouraging Conversations

Encouraging conversations mean I share a listening ear to guide you, wise questions to help you think deeper, pushing curiosity to discover your unique strengths and in the end deeper joy. These conversations can be about anything that comes up in your life.

• Embracing a new life stage you cannot easily accept
• Wrapping language around an experience you’ve noticed and want to change
• Intentionally rallying support for a challenge you know you shouldn’t face alone
• Facing a hurdle you want help jumping over successfully

Did you notice the common thread in all these topics? All circle around the thing that makes us most human: our vulnerability. Encouraging conversations can meet you right there. These are the conversations behind all creative explosions of growth like the Lemonade Stand with my son. These are the conversations I want to have with you.

Encouraging conversations are worth making official, planning a time and investing money to make it happen. That’s why I charge for these times together ($125 an hour), it builds accountability and value so we both show up with our best. Email me a simply, “Let’s talk" and I’ll send you instructions.

But back to my son.

After that first car stopped and he made his pitch, he was rewarded with his first sale. He came running over to me waving the $20 bill.
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Within an hour he had broken $100 and was a self-made expert on why he was so successful. He put most of the credit on his hand-painted sign, his activity with the sign, and the mason jars. The amount he earned also speaks to the generosity of the people in our town. At least three people stopped to simply encourage him with cash. So while he sold every bottle of lemonade, he made 1/3 more than anticipated.

“What are you saving for?” people asked him.

“Chef school”, he said to some, "A bakery of my own," he said to others. He knew what to say because we had talked about it beforehand.

With his earnings he put aside money to pay his debts and purchase supplies for next time, “I’m going to do this every weekend for a month.” He vowed. It's week three and $300+ in, he’s still going strong. This weekend he’s multiplying the batch times 10.

I know his sign was awesome and his cuteness sure helped, but he has more than one repeat customer every week coming back simply for the delicious lemonade.

Nevertheless, the creativity would still be stuck in dream world without those encouraging conversations.

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Interested for yourself? We can have a conversation this week. Don't put it off, your encouragement is worth it!

New Paintings

Reflecting on the power of being filled with contentment, I created a new series “Satisfaction” with bread, wine and chocolate as my subject. I am delighted to share that you are the first to see these new paintings.

I give you "Humble Gifts", "Gifts of the Rhône Valley", and "Perfect Pairing" all 11 x 15". Each priced at $2000.

Should you be interested in purchasing, I accept PayPal, personal check, Wise, or bank wire.

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Family News

Today we brought home our two new kittens, Mungo and Mushi, raised by a new family we've met. Their young daughter, A, took time to teach the new kittens how to be social, cuddly and up for adventure. M & M are the answer to some dreams that have been waiting in the wings while we went sailing. Today, they complete our little home.

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In our newest podcast episode, Dale and I reflect on "Why we Home Educate", the reasons may surprise you. Listen without an app on Spotify here or subscribe on Apple or Podbean.

Dale has launched a new line of audio options for those who want to understand the Bible in it's big picture story. This five-year project of intentional conversations about the Bible with our boys changed all our lives. It also inspired Mushi's name. Browse his new "Living Room Bible" here.

And should you be ready for an encouraging conversation together, I'd be glad to work with you!