CUT OUT THE CRAP FOR KIDS ARRIVES!

Thursday 24th May - CUT OUT THE CRAP FOR KIDS arrives in Australia!

Monday 28th May - I receive confirmation that the books have the "all clear" from customs and the transport company collect the books and take them back to the warehouse!

Tuesday 29th May - My transport company "split" my order - 1200 ready for my distributor in Melbourne to get out into book stores and 800 for me!

Wednesday 30th May - My distributor in Melbourne gets the books! (me....pacing the house thinking its unfair that from Sydney THEY get them before ME! Ok Ok....I need to work on my patience!)

Thursday 31st May - 7am we hear a truck pull up and go running......nope, it was a cement truck.....7.10 we hear another "truck" go past....nope it was a car.....then a bus....then more cars....and YES I run and JUMP EVERYTIME I hear any sort of transportation go past......I was in for a LONG day! Finally at 10.32am I hear a truck....go running and YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ITS THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I think I may have slightly scared the delivery man with me sprinting to greet him with a HUGE childish grin on my face....perhaps there was jumping and clapping involved but hey, I can't exactly recall.....my mind went blank and all I could think of was "PLEASE BE OK" (I'm unsure if I was talking about my heart or if I was talking about my books!)

Then that moment arrives...you are faced with a box of books that you CAN open....you SHOULD open....but for that breif moment panic sets in.....now I KNOW I have seen a proof copy and said go ahead with the rest, however, what if they stuffed up something since then! SO...I open the box and ***squeal*** there they are smiling back at me, a heap of beautiful, bright, colourful CUT OUT THE CRAP FOR KIDS staring back at me! I have a proud Mumma moment!

I hug my hubby, he tells me how proud he is of me (which truly means more than I could ever express in words) and I take a moment to sit on the closest thing I can find (which happens to be a skateboard!) 

and I look.....I read.....I breathe...I smile....I thank God.....I perhaps have a little tear or 2 from pure releif....I think "I did it"......I reflect on all the ideas, the cooking, the creating, the testing, the successes, the failures, the paperwork, the pressure, the sleepless nights, the editing, the decisions......and after all of this I stop and feel overwhelmed with emotional that because of MY allergies I can bring JOY to other peoples homes......that is priceless.....that is worth EVERYTHING!

After that high......the "work" begins....I wrap a mass of books, I get all the orders off to the post office, jump on Facebook a few times, answer a stack of emails, have a revolving door for beautiful and supportive friends that come to buy a copy and celebrate with me and then the rest of the books go off to my storage "warehouse" where they sit pateintly and wait for the day they go to their new home where I know they will be treasured and loved! 

Its so exciting only 24 hours later to get emails and messages on FB from people who have received their copy already and LOVE it!

I hope and pray that you love CUT OUT THE CRAP FOR KIDS as much as CUT OUT THE CRAP and even half as much as I LOVE them! I hope my recipes bring MANY happy memories to your home and that they become long term family favourites.

Take Care Of You,

Coll x