Spy Turtle

Family Background

In the beginning there were two sisters… Those two had 3 cousins and an uncle. From the birth of the uncle to the birth of the youngest of the 5 cousins was only a span of 16 years. The 6 of us together grew up more like siblings than extended family.

Over the last several years, my sister and I have said goodbye to all 4 of those “adopted” siblings. Each of them left at least one someone behind who my sister, our parents and I continue to take care of. My sister and her husband legally adopted our cousin Rody’s son after his death. Auntie April stayed in our grandmother’s house until it was sold this past winter. Two of our cousin Markie’s little girls have lived with me for the last four years, and Priscilla’s son Atticus has recently moved to FL to stay with our family here.

Character Origin

Spy Turtle is a character that originated in the imagination of the younger of the two girls who live with me. Emily received a battery-operated turtle bath/pool toy for her birthday a few years ago. As we played with that turtle in the pool at my grandmother’s house, Emily began pretending that the turtle was a spy. I encouraged her to write a story about her spy turtle someday when she was a little older, but I couldn’t wait for her, and that is the origin of this story.

Why Sell It?

The reason I’m sharing it with the world now is simple. I’ve intentionally only worked part-time since the girls came to live with me. I have always felt that they needed my time more than money. Both of my girls and Atticus deserve a safe and permanent home. In today’s world, that isn’t possible on one part-time income.

If you purchase the Spy Turtle story, you will not only become part of providing that safe, permanent home for them, but you will also be assisting me with remaining a part-time employee so that I can be full time as a “mom” for these amazing children.

… and yes, I have Emily’s permission to share the spy turtle story that I wrote for her with the world. She knows I want to buy a house where she’ll have her own room and we will FINALLY be able to have a puppy that doesn’t sleep at my sister’s house.