Miller October 2025 Monthly Update
- Michelle
- 2 hours ago
- 19 min read
This month was crazy. About two weeks were lost due to stress and fever, so we didn’t manage to get much done during that time.
The first week of November was busy because of a medical procedure for me, so it wasn’t until the second Sunday that we had any time to work on business-related things.
We’re mostly going to focus on the remaining three weeks in between.
Oh, and I’ve been consistently getting less than three hours of sleep at a time. If I’m lucky, I’ll get a one- to three-hour nap in the middle of the day.
About one or two nights a month, I might get four to five hours of sleep in one stretch. So, my mental, emotional, and physical capacity has been very limited over the past two months.
Yes, I’m working on getting help for my sleep, but it can take up to four weeks to see if a medication works or not. Then there’s usually about a week of weaning off before I can try another. And, of course, certain medical procedures interfere with those medications, so I’ve had to postpone some until after coming off them. It takes a lot of time just to see what might work for me. This is after 15 years of actively trying to get help for insomnia and PTSD, so it’s still a long-term struggle.
Let’s not even get started on John, who is still struggling with one to five nightmares every night since we met. He also only gets about one or two nights a month of decent rest. That’s nearly 2,800 nights of nightmares — the kind that make you panic, sweat, cry, or scream.
We both get our best sleep during the day when we can wake up while it’s still light out. So, our winter schedule will change drastically to adapt to our health needs.
You can imagine how exhausted we are and how much recovery time we need after everything we do. Even our “rest” days look more like: we rest for two hours, feel guilty, push ourselves to get stuff done until we collapse, rest another two hours, then feel terrible again. That’s been our life norm since, well… we were born.
2025 was supposed to be our year to focus on rest and pulling back from unnecessary commitments. Ironically, that didn’t happen as much as planned, so we’ll be carrying that goal into 2026 — learning to balance our workload based on our current health, not what we could handle 10+ years ago.
I’ll have to make this quick since there’s a lot to catch up on before the 28th, which is already coming up fast.
Quick touch upon our Artist Trading Card Display at Who Gives a SCRAP! The location has changed to be closer to the entrance of the store portion of the building. We are working on putting out more kits this month and next month so expect a wave of them in a week or two! We had left out about 35 already, but not sure how many are still there.
So much going on!! We are excited for all the kits that will be headed out this year~
Events
Art Swap
By now, we’ve already had our second swap on November 8th, so I’ll include that here too. Things went quite well at the Lewis Banning Ranch location, though attendance and participation at the Monument location were lower.
I made cards!
Just a heads-up — there will only be about three to four Art Swaps next year. PPLD didn’t have enough funding to host more, so mark your calendars so you don’t miss them!
Paper Day
I think this was the first time we didn’t have anyone sit with us to make anything! Everyone who wanted to was already running from one stop to the next and didn’t expect us to be there. About five people really wanted to join in but didn’t have the time during those 3.5 hours.
Many visitors were curious but new to the store, so they decided just to browse. We did get a ton of people excited and interested in talking to us, though! So, this time was more about informing people and catching up with familiar faces from the past few years.
We’re hoping next year to attend Paper Day instead of hosting an ATC table — so keep an eye out for which ones we’ll be hosting or attending as participants!
Art Market
Who Gives a SCRAP! hosted an Art Market at their location the first week of October for volunteers and staff. Things went great! We literally prepped everything the night before and still did amazing. We’re starting to trust ourselves more and prepare for events with less stress.
There will be another WGAS Art Market on December 6th, 2025, so mark your calendars to stop by and see the wonderful craftiness of the WGAS staff!
John’s First Workshop – Success!
October was John’s first workshop, featuring his Paper Ribcage Minis — adorable little artworks that can be made in about two hours and even come with a small box to take everything home in. People loved it and are already looking forward to the next one!
This month and next, the focus will be on Paper Trees. All materials will be provided, and participants can decorate their trees with a selection of tiny embellishments to personalize them. There are limited seats for each workshop so sign up quick!
👉 Sign up now [Here]!
You can also order either of these kits directly from us — just send us a message with how many you’d like, and John will reply with a quote.
Christian Craft Fellowship
We’ll be having our next meeting on November 15th at 21C from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Let’s craft together and talk about deeper topics in the Bible! Over the past two years, we’ve learned so much — shown through our studies, blog posts, and business life — and we hope you can see that growth.
We don’t speak “Christianese” here. We welcome people who are open and transparent about their lives and stories — people who want connection but haven’t been able to find it, or who have been hurt or betrayed by the church.
We’re against empty religious tradition and man-made church culture — something the Bible itself highlights as having strayed from its original intent. Our goal is to dig into what the church (and Christians) are actually meant to be, based on the Bible we all (Christ followers) claim to follow.
We’re not pointing fingers at any specific location or group — this is simply a widespread issue we’ve both lived and witnessed for decades. Between John and me, we’ve probably been to around 100 churches, and I’ve seen the same pattern repeat for over 25 years.
We want to rekindle genuine connection with others and build a community that strives to follow a life modeled after the Bible — one rooted in love, truth, and grace.
It’s a little funny (and sad) that when you take a step back politically, both “sides” actually want what the Bible says we should live by — but the ways they go about it often cause the opposite outcome, sometimes out of spite. Not to mention the influence of powerful people pulling strings for personal gain. But I digress.
In person, we go deeper into these topics and are working to align our lives with peace, patience, and love. After growing up emotionally neglected and only experiencing conditional love, this has been huge for us. We want to share the joy we’ve found and cultivated — a joy that’s truly possible for anyone, no matter how broken or damaged you believe yourself to be.
We’ve been there.
You’re in good company. We can walk alongside you and be the kind of support we needed when we were suicidal and struggling with strong, active suicidal tendencies.
We do not shy away from difficult topics, however keep in mind we are not a therapy group so some details will need to be reserved for your professional therapist.
Crafty Card Collective – Replaced with C.A.W. this Month
I wasn’t sure if we were going to participate in C.A.W. this month, so I don’t think I added it to the full-year schedule for our ATC events. We will be attending this event since it will be in the same event center we normally have our ATC event. So NO Crafty Card Collective ATC event this month. We will still be having the Christian Craft Fellowship one on the 22nd however.
October ATC Event, John took over with a prior ATC kit idea he made last year. He wanted to test it out as a workshop with our regular attendees for free. We got feedback and saw some clever ideas we learned from.
The last image is what it is generally supposed to look like complete. It's a multi-layered card you can customize and design. John's example was a fish in a bowl which the feedback we got was to simplify a goal direction. Great feedback that highlights the difference between our unique skills and talents versus others who are more starting out and needing the basics. We are so used to teaching ourselves and each other that we forget how many different ways we need to adapt to the unique experiences people go through when going through the same process.
More on this will be rolling out in 2026. John is still tweaking the details for this one.
CAW event is held at Rainy Day Anime on South Academy — it’s a three-day craft fair for their Customer Appreciation Event! Stop by November 28th–30th during open store hours to meet some incredibly talented artists, chat with them, and check out their unique styles and offerings.
We’ll also be cycling through some new items, as many of our other pieces are now going to ACM to be sold there!
Speaking of which…
We now have a display at the American Classical Marketplace!You can find us between Lucille Ball Lane and Judy Garland Way, in display case 410M!
We’re so excited to share our work in this new location. If you’d like to see what crafty items we offer — from kits to one-of-a-kind art pieces — stop by and check it out! With winter and the holiday season approaching, crafting and handmade gifts are going to be a must!
We’re still making art here and there, but we’re mostly focused on cleaning out and organizing our supplies. Since we’re planning to move, we’re working hard to declutter and make the move as smooth as possible.
By the middle of December and through end of January, we’ll be hunkered down to focus on this transition. Our lease is already signed, and the apartment is on hold until the current tenant’s lease ends — which lines up perfectly with the end of ours! We’ll have about a week and a half to move everything.
If you’re willing to help us move, we’d be more than happy to make you a meal — and maybe even a craft together if you’d like! Please let us know as soon as possible if you’d like to take us up on this offer so we can prepare in advance to reduce stress (ideally at least a week beforehand).
Our physical ability will be greatly affected by the cold, so even one hour of help moving boxes would be a huge blessing. Just carrying a box from the vehicle to the first room inside would be enough!
And when we say “we’ll make you a meal,” we don’t just mean pizza — unless that’s what you’d like on the day you help! Otherwise we’d love to schedule an hour or two together so John can cook a full, proper meal, and I can pull out a craft or activity you’d enjoy. Since we’ll all likely be tired from moving, we’d rather set aside time when we have the energy and mental space to focus on you and your kindness.
Just let us know what works best for you!
Recommendations
📘 Book: Running on Empty (by Jonice Webb, Ph.D.)
Oh man, this book! I’ve been researching psychology and healing for over 20 years — it’s something I think about daily. But it wasn’t until I read this book that I finally found the one that explains my life better than anything else.
Books about narcissistic or emotionally immature parents helped me understand the dynamics, but Running on Empty captures the impact of emotional neglect in a way that’s deeply personal and validating.
It’s heartbreaking that this experience is so common — but also empowering, because it sheds light on what’s been invisible for so long. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Whether you’re a parent, a friend, or someone healing yourself, this book will help you see the overlooked pain in others — and in yourself. It teaches how to recognize, approach, and support emotional needs in healthy ways.
This book is an absolute eye-opener, and I strongly encourage everyone to read it.
🎥 YouTube Videos
We’ve also discovered some great YouTube videos last month that are worth sharing! We love exploring a variety of topics, and some really stood out to us — I’ll be mentioning those briefly next.
How to Find Your Art Style FAST in 3 Easy Steps (Yeah, Really)
We’ve been loving her videos! She explains things so clearly and simply that they’ve helped us make real progress in our business over the past few weeks.
As people living with a chronic illness, and also being creative entrepreneurs, we’ve found her to be one of the best creators we’ve come across — her approach is easy to adapt and fits perfectly with our direction.
This particular video helped me sort through a decade’s worth of Pinterest pins with ease! It highlights an important distinction: there’s a difference between art you want to look at and art you want to make.
That connects to one of my core beliefs — that everyone is an artist. You just might not enjoy creating the same kind of art you love looking at. Not all art is meant to be displayed. Not all art is painting, writing, photography, video, or music.
Art is also found in how you carry yourself, how you choose to dress or speak, how you curate your space, and how you collect things that bring you joy. Art is about appreciating life and recognizing your hand in shaping it.
You might not be a professional artist, but you are still an artist.
It really comes down to how much time you invest in a craft or activity that builds your skills. You might have the talent but not have nurtured it yet — that doesn’t mean you’re not an artist; it just means you haven’t invested in that creative growth.
And since we believe we were created by a Creator — made in His image — we were created to create! To appreciate and enjoy the world around us. Even drawing a heart in the sand is an act of creativity. So dive in!
How I Learned to Finish My Art
This video has some great advice and wisdom on how to finish your art!
There’s a quote people keep mentioning in the comments that the creator didn’t actually say — but it’s still relevant and meaningful. I’m just realizing a whole new generation is showing up online without realizing that much of what we see today is recycled from over 10 years ago.
Man, do I feel old.
He has a lot of solid art advice overall, and I’d definitely recommend checking out his channel.
Why Final Self-Portraits Are Terrifying
THIS! This video was so much more interesting than I expected. The first image in the thumbnail was the story I already knew, but there were a few more that were absolutely fascinating.
It actually made me want to start creating self-portraits — even though I despise looking at myself. But the idea that each piece could tell part of my life story, beyond just showing skill level, is really powerful. It’s like leaving behind a visual journal of your inner world.
I’d love to explore more about the intersection of mental health and art — how the mind functions (or stops functioning), yet the creative urge keeps pushing until the end.
It’s fascinating to see how artists express what’s going on inside their minds through their work.
The Deepest We Have Ever Seen Into the Sun | SDO 4K
More fascinating space content! I love the visuals and details in this video — it’s beautifully explained. I would have loved to see something like this back in school.
If you have a child (or know someone) interested in space — or who should be — this is a must-watch!
This Is Not a Music Format
This is such a clever and interesting product. Really well done — though honestly, not worth the price yet. John and I suspect it’s an early-stage production build after a prototype, and they’re trying to fund ongoing development after some sunk costs.
Still, the concept is awesome! It’s the kind of project that makes John’s creative gears start turning — and honestly, with his tinkering skills, he could probably make something similar himself!
Vegan Bully Ruins “Find the Vegan”
Okay, so I have very mixed feelings about vegans:
I have a lot of compassion for those who are vegan for health or religious reasons.
I respect people who choose that lifestyle and can also respect others’ dietary choices.
I cannot stand the stereotype of the “angry vegan” — aggressive, rude, entitled, and condescending.
And WHOA — the woman in this video is exactly that type. She went completely off on this poor guy just because he didn’t fit her definition, and even turned the group against him!
Also, the idea that being vegan automatically means you’re helping the environment is… not that simple. Unless you really understand the full ecological impact, supply chains, and long-term consequences, it’s not as clear-cut as people think.
Being vegan doesn’t make you better than anyone else. Some people simply can’t live by strict dietary boundaries — and that’s okay.
If you’re vegan and can’t stand people like her, I’ll probably like you a lot more! Honestly, I’d even trust you for some good vegan recipes — I want to eat more greens, but I struggle with finding flavors and textures I actually enjoy enough to keep eating.
If you want people to eat less meat or more vegetables, encourage small, doable steps — don’t yell at them for not being perfect right away.
Why Does Britain’s Mapping Agency Have a Box of Spiders?
This was such a random but fascinating bit of weird history!
If you’re familiar with Tom Scott, this creator feels like he’s stepping into similar territory — same style of humor and curiosity, but with his own twist. Definitely worth watching!
Do People Understand the Scale of the Universe?
This video was both sad and eye-opening — mostly sad, honestly. Our education system has really dropped the ball.
The part that hit me hardest was hearing people use “astrology” and “astronomy” interchangeably. 😬
This video also ties into the next one I’ll be talking about — it points in a direction I really want to explore further. Just a fun look at how the education system is still doing and how wasteful colleges/universities are still.
I got my degree in 2015, but most of the classes covered things I had already learned before college. One of the classes even included tech information that was over ten years obsolete—and this was in 2012! My dad was appalled that they were wasting time teaching material that no longer applied to our current level of technology.
Even my sister is now seeing how pointless it can be to spend thousands of dollars per semester just to get about an hour of actual teaching—then having to study on your own for ten times that amount just to understand it. At that rate, you might as well learn online for free! There are so many great resources out there now, with better teachers.
(We got a list! Let us know what you are looking for!)
Still, I love exploring the vastness of the universe we know of, which is why that video caught my attention. It’s so much fun watching people realize just how grand this existence is—beyond what we can see.
VFX Artist Reveals Why Pluto IS a Planet!
We’ve been watching a lot of Corridor Crew lately. Not only are they incredibly skilled at making videos and digital edits, but their understanding of how materials work is incredible! The way they understand the weight of objects, how they function in reality, how light hits and refracts, how shadows work, how speed or heat impacts light, how dust should look, or how explosions should feel visually—it’s amazing how much you must understand the science behind life in order to recreate it or recognize what’s unrealistic.
Wren, the lead in this video, reminds me of a six-year-old child excited about life. (When he’s drunk, it’s funny how he acts even more like a child.) Anyway, he dives deep into the details about planets—it’s wild. He breaks down what defines a planet and how the space around floating objects affects other nearby objects.
He also touches on how we can find the edge of space, where there is just black nothingness!
Now, to blend these two videos together and get to the direction I’m heading in.
With a quick caveat: everything I do and experience, I try to understand through both a scientific perspective and how it’s addressed in the Bible.
Planets and stars have their own gravitational forces that help pull, push, or keep things in place.
Psalm 8:3–4 (NIV)
When I consider your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?
The key phrase I want to point out is “the moon and the stars, which you have set in place…” As in, deliberate. Selected. Not just thrown out there to see where they might land—but placed intentionally.
…What if these objects, the ones put in their places, were designed to create the atmosphere that holds our world in place? The different gravitational forces working together to create the balance—pulling and pushing—to support nearby objects?
Think of it like a magnetic field. You place a single magnet on a table, then another next to it. As you move it closer, the two attract and snap together. Now imagine multiple magnets surrounding one in the center, where none of the outer magnets are strong enough to pull the central one toward them. Instead, it floats in the balance of the surrounding magnetic field. Of course, those other magnets would also need others to hold them in place, and so on.
Then layer that with floating objects and moving planets.
I feel like there’s something there—but not quite enough knowledge yet to point to anything solid. Still, it’s an idea that’s been itching at my mind, and I’d love to research it more or work with someone who understands both astronomy and the Bible.
The Bible feels like a puzzle—or a riddle book—about this world and how it functions. And so far, I’ve found far more answers that align with Scripture than contradict it. Especially since many of the supposed contradictions were simply misquoted or misunderstood. Some take layers of understanding in not just one area of knowledge, but overlapping many. Everything has a connection to everything.
What’s also amazing is that when people say “The Bible speaks”… it really does. Not everyone can read a verse or chapter and understand its layers of meaning. Sometimes it takes a specific person with certain skills, experiences, interests, or access to technology and knowledge to uncover a truth that connects directly to their story.
I absolutely live for those moments when something clicks—when the light bulb goes off and excitement bubbles up from a new discovery. I’ve had so many of those moments through my life while reading the Bible and just seeing what clicks in the reality around me.
Okay, moving on. This topic may come up again if I find more information!
Also....I understand why they don't have Pluto as a 'Planet" anymore. I don't want to memorize another like 70+ objects as "Planets" if we kept Pluto. Totally agree with this now.
My Honest Opinion on Wing Chun and the IP MAN Movie
I loved the IP MAN movies and was actually practicing Wing Chun myself around that time. I can’t help but laugh at him calling out those who try to rename the style to make it seem unique. My instructors did that at my dojo—it was just a silly little change to the name that didn’t mean much, but they were so particular about it.
He really knows his stuff, and watching him makes both John and me miss training martial arts. It’s been so long. Good times.
Toxic Fathers & The Daughters They Leave Behind
This one is deeply personal. It stood out because of a recent conversation I had with my father—and the lifelong impact it had on me and my sister.
Quick TL;DR — I was sexually assaulted by my uncle starting when I was around 10 or 11 years old.
(skip to second set of double dashes if you don't want to read further. I don't go into any details but just the mention of the topic may be triggering for some)
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When I told my parents, I remember that it had already happened a few times before. But when I told them, all they did was tell him to put on clothes under his robe when he got out of the shower—and they continued letting him stay in our house afterward.
I later found old photo albums showing that he had been traveling with my parents on vacations since before I was born and for quite a while afterward. I don’t know exactly what happened, but based on what he did to me, to my sister, and to his wife in their marriage, I can’t imagine there not being something bigger that went on. Doubled with my parents neglect Even three sexual trauma specialists have confirmed that I show all the signs of someone with childhood sexual assault trauma.
I share this because:
My parents did not protect me or my sister.
My father recently mentioned—so casually—that my sister had told him something before, but he still did nothing.
He even expects my sister to come home from college when that uncle visits and stays at their place.
That lack of care—that nonchalance—is the real wound. Not being protected from someone unsafe.
I’ve insisted my sister stay with me whenever she’s in town. But I’m disgusted and appalled that my parents still don’t care about their daughters’ wellbeing.
As for my brother—I don’t know. He doesn’t talk much with me. I can’t speak of his story.
Oh—and that same uncle? He’s the one they asked to speak at my wedding.
Our cries fall on deaf ears. They don’t care about their daughters—and it shows.
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(...aaaaand we're back)
So this video really hit home for me.
Also… isn’t it a bit [insert your choice of explicit word here] that women are shamed for having “daddy issues,” when the real problem was the father who caused those issues? We need to stop this. We have to. It’s a cry for help that too many people dismiss. Don’t write it off as a cliché. See it as the plea that it is. People who seem “broken” or “dramatic” are often carrying unacknowledged pain—and they need someone to notice.
Sorry that this section is much longer than the others—it’s personal, and it explains a lot about how I approach the world. There are so many reasons why I’m terrified of being seen. It also makes sense why I often look robotic or disconnected when I’m overwhelmed. I apologize, it is still an automatic response I am learning to unravel. Thank you for your patience.
The thing is—my story isn’t even rare. It’s not uncommon at all. Every time I share it, there’s at least a 50/50 chance that someone says they relate. That’s why this needs to be addressed and changed. Awareness and access to resources are the first steps toward real healing in our society.
Well, that’s all I’ve got for now. I’ve been up since 1 a.m. and it’s now 6 a.m. I’d like to go back to sleep, but I have something at 7 a.m., then 9 a.m., and then noon. Maybe a nap after my 9 a.m. appointment?
Thank you sincerely to those who have kept up with us and read our blogs. We appreciate you just checking in on what and how we are doing.
Btw... We are planning on revamping the website for 2026!! So plan to take a look around at the changes next year!
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