As a young girl, some people called me a tomboy, even though | turned out to like being a gil. It must
have been all those dresses my farmer’s wife mom made me wear, all hand-me-downs from my two
older sisters, of course. Living in a rural area, my siblings and | didn’t have a lot of access to
entertainment outside of school activities, so | followed my big brother all over our family farm in West
Texas. We designed forts and mazes using hay bales, played with baby pigs, rode horses to friends”
houses, and built the most elaborate tree house on the entire South Plains. These humble beginnings
led me to always expect the best quality in life at bargain prices.

Life lessons from the farm also gave me the will and determination to become a teacher, and when my
husband and | married, we blended his three older kids with my one son. Soon after, we decided to add
to our family through the adoption of a brother and sister, so those money-saving tips | had learned
from my super frugal parents became even more useful. As you can imagine, my teacher skills were of
great use for the discipline and organization needed to get our children everywhere they needed to be.
These teacher traits seem to follow me into daily life because | absolutely love to teach others useful
tips and share where | found amazing products, especially when the price doesn’t make a huge dent in
my bank account

‘That’s why my husband and | started our own website and named it www.allthethingsdu.com, and | will
be sharing these ideas with you each month. | genuinely enjoy helping others find all the best tips and
products for great style, custom designs, and delicious recipes to save you time and money while making
your life easier. It is our hope my ideas provide “all the things 4 u” to live your best life and that | can
showcase a few things we have found to be beautiful, useful, and affordable.

– Lori