How a Blog, a Baby, and a Whole Lot of Grit Turned Into a Southern Sticker Empire
I didn’t start this blog to build a brand.
I started it because life flipped upside down—and I needed a place to breathe.
Kevin and I got married on August 7.
By September 7, those two pink lines changed everything.
Then came the layoff.
Over 2,000 people lost their jobs when Barclay Capital was bought out and the work was sent overseas. Kevin was one of them. He was placed on a non-compete—told to stay home, wait it out, and then collect severance. With no work left in his field in the Sacramento area, we made a decision that still feels wild to look back on:
We packed up our lives, our hope, and our not-yet-born baby—and moved cross-country. I was five and a half months pregnant.
David was born at 37 weeks by c-section. He was frank breech, and I had developed preeclampsia. It wasn’t a traumatic birth, but it was the beginning of a season that would quietly reshape us.
Kevin was on unemployment for a long stretch. He picked up temp work off and on for the first four years of our marriage. I worked as a CNA—on opposite shifts. We passed like ships in the night, trading car keys and baby updates on the fly.
And somewhere in all of that?
I started blogging.
The blog began as David’s Mommy—a place to share family updates with loved ones far away. But then couponing became my hyperfixation, and the blog quickly followed. My stockpile? Diapers, wipes, toothbrushes, and razors. I had a binder, a system, and a rhythm that worked.
In the summer of 2024, I made a quick coupon comeback and ended up with 60+ boxes of cereal stuffed into our closet. (We’re just now running out. And yes—it’s mostly Cheerios. The fun cereal disappeared fast.)
Life picked up again, and the coupon phase quietly faded into the background for good. But don’t worry—I never stopped tracking down the best meat deals like it was an Olympic sport.
And according to my Catholic girl gang?
I’m the Queen of Etsy, Crafting, and Deals.
Honestly, I’ll take that crown.
The blog faded too. I had Patrick. I was a mom of two now, still working, still shifting priorities. Then one month—before I got pregnant with Patrick—I forgot to pay the rent. That moment snapped something into focus.
It reminded me of something I hadn’t touched in years:
My love for stationery.
I’ve loved planners since junior high, when we got those school-issued ones. I didn’t just need to organize—I needed order. So I ordered an Erin Condren planner, and suddenly, I could breathe again.
As soon as that planner landed, I wanted a system for everything. That’s when I discovered the FlyLady method—but I didn’t want to rewrite her routines every week. So I designed my own insert that broke the zones down in a way that actually worked for me.
That became the very first David’s Mommy product.
A practical tool made out of pure necessity.
At the same time, I was in RCIA. I began making rosaries and opened my first Etsy shop: Faith Based Mommy. But I was still working as a CNA, deep in motherhood, and the shop didn’t take off. I quietly closed it.
But I wasn’t done.
Because that one insert turned into an idea. That idea turned into a shop.
David’s Mommy on Etsy officially opened on July 31, 2014, following the name of the blog.
And on January 4, 2016, we rebranded to Simple Southern Mommy—
because by then, I had two boys, and there was no way I was leaving the little brother out of the name or the story.
Not because life got simpler—but because I had learned to see the beauty in the small, the strength in the survival, and the purpose in all the pivots.
Now?
- Over 73,000 sales
- Saints and sloths
- Sassy stickers and homeschool charts
- Printables with heart and function
- A blog built on lived-in truth
This blog is my front porch.
The shop is my kitchen table hustle.
And that insert? It started it all.
So whether you came for a sticker, a printable, or just needed a reminder that your story matters—welcome.
You’re part of this now.
And I’m so glad you’re here.
📝 The Insert That Started It All
I’ve brought back the FlyLady printable that launched this shop—
✨ Originally designed in Microsoft
✨ Now available as a Google Doc (converted automatically)
✨ Editable so you can make it your own
No need for Microsoft! Your download opens right in Google Docs, and all the directions you’ll need are included in the Printable Directions file.
P.S. If you haven’t read the post that really kicked all this off, check out “If You Give a Mom a Planner…” — it’s the moment everything changed. A missed rent payment, a planner order, and a mama who remembered she was made to create.
Simple Southern Mommy 