Let's Eat Mud

07/13/2026

Meet some of the newest members of the Let’s Eat Mud crew! We spent the afternoon getting to know one another, talking about our company culture, safety, customer service, craftsmanship, and the vision we’re building together.

This photo doesn’t even include our entire team. Andrea, Marina, and Kathy already did onboarding with me, but they’re an important part of what we’re building too.

A few months ago it was just me. Today we’re growing into a team of talented women with different backgrounds in construction, carpentry, electrical, painting, and home repair who all share the same goal: helping homeowners while creating opportunities for women in the trades.

Thank you to Prairie Fruits Farm for letting us use the space. I’m excited for what’s ahead, and I can’t wait to introduce everyone to the amazing people behind Let’s Eat Mud

06/27/2026

Exciting news! I’ve opened another Woodworking Basics: Build a Small Patio Table workshop.

This time we’ll be hosted by the wonderful Prairie Fruits Farm & Creamery on Saturday July 11, from 1:30PM-4:30PM.

If you’ve ever wanted to learn how to build things but weren’t sure where to start, this class is for you. You’ll learn how to cut your own wood, use a drill, and leave with a table you built yourself!

Come build with me! Linking registration in the comments below👇🏽

Discover the satisfaction of building something with your own hands in this beginner-friendly woodworking workshop. You'll learn essential woodworking skills while constructing a functional and attractive patio table to take home and enjoy.

06/21/2026

Happy Father’s Day to my dad.

My parents split up when I was just two months old, and growing up I didn’t see my dad very often. In fact, I can count on one hand the number of times I saw him as a child.

Ironically, it was the bus that brought us back together.

When I started my bus conversion project, my mom called him over to help me (the bus idea took awhile to grow on her 😅). Through the countless days and nights he spent helping me build the bus, I got to know my dad not just as my father, but as a person. Since then, he’s become one of my best friends.

My dad has been a general contractor for over 30 years. He’s the person I call when I need to bounce around ideas, troubleshoot a project, talk property management, or figure out a solution to a problem I haven’t seen before. He’s my general. He’s always in my corner.

One of the greatest gifts he’s given me is the confidence to dream bigger. He doesn’t just want me to have what he has—he wants me to have more.

Let’s Eat Mud wouldn’t be what it is today without the lessons, encouragement, and support he’s given me.

Love you, Dad. Happy Father’s Day. ❤️

06/20/2026

🔨 Let’s Eat Mud is Hiring! 🔨

I’m a local handywoman + DIY teacher based in Champaign-Urbana, and I’m looking to add dependable people to join my team.

This is part-time, hands-on work — usually 3–4 hour shifts starting around 10am, 2–3 days per week. I schedule days in advance based on project load and have reasonable flexibility.

Pay is $20/hr to start, with room to grow as skills and independence increase.

You’ll be helping with:
• Demo + prep work
• Drywall repairs
• Painting
• Furniture assembly
• Home repairs and maintenance
• Jobsite cleanup
• Store runs (Menards, etc.)

You’d be a great fit if you:
• Are reliable and show up on time
• Can communicate clearly
• Are comfortable using basic power tools
• Don’t mind physical work
• Can follow direction and stay focused
• Have completed projects of your own and enjoy building, fixing, or creating things
• Have your own vehicle and valid driver’s license

To apply, send me:
• Your availability
• A project you’ve completed that you’re proud of
• Your strengths (things you do really well)
• Whether you have your own vehicle

Experience in DIY projects, painting, maintenance, woodworking, construction, theater, or home improvement is a plus.

06/13/2026

Four women. Four ladders. One very big painting project.

Yesterday our Let’s Eat Mud crew spent the day patching drywall, prepping surfaces, cutting in ceilings, and transforming a kitchen and living room.

Construction isn’t always glamorous. Sometimes it’s ladders, dust, tape, brushes, and a lot of attention to detail.

I’m grateful to work alongside women who work hard, take pride in their craft, and help homeowners tackle projects that have been on their to-do lists for years.

Repair. Build. Teach.

That’s what we’re about.

05/30/2026

I bought a cargo van this week.

Not from a dealership.
Not from an auction.
Not from someone who detailed it and marked it up.

From a private seller on Facebook Marketplace.

Within 10 minutes of seeing the listing, I was messaging the owner and setting up a test drive.

A few years ago I would have been terrified to buy a vehicle this way. Today, after taking automotive and diesel classes at Parkland and spending time working around repair shops, I know what to look for.

I brought my scan tool.
I checked for rust.
I listened for drivetrain issues.
I looked for leaks.
I paid attention to how it shifted, braked, accelerated, and handled.

Was it perfect? Nope.

It needs oxygen sensors and has some rust.

But the engine and drivetrain felt solid, and I paid a fraction of what I would have spent on a similar van sitting on a dealer lot.

One of the biggest things I’ve learned through Let’s Eat Mud is that confidence comes from knowledge.

Whether it’s repairing drywall, replacing a faucet, wiring an outlet, or buying a vehicle, the goal isn’t to know everything. The goal is to know enough to ask good questions and make informed decisions.

Skills save money.

Knowledge creates options.

And this van is about to help Let’s Eat Mud grow.

05/27/2026

Building projects. Building confidence. Building community.

One thing I’m proud of as Let’s Eat Mud grows is creating space for capable people to learn trades through real hands on work. These just happen to be women in trades.

Andrea comes from a theater carpentry background and brings precision, problem solving, and craftsmanship to the team.

Marina is blending her background in art education with drywall repair, sanding, finishing, and hands on building. She teaches naturally and isn’t afraid to learn new tools.

Jociele is my right hand on site. She’s energetic, reliable, always ready to carry tools, hold ladders, learn new skills, and she helps bridge communication by speaking multiple languages.

And honestly I can’t take all the credit. So many people gave me opportunities to learn, ask questions, fail, try again, and grow confidence in spaces I wasn’t always expected to be in.

That’s what I want Let’s Eat Mud to become.

Not just a handyman business.
Not just DIY classes.

A space where people build skills, confidence, and belief in themselves through learning how to work with their hands.

05/24/2026

Still processing this one 🥹

Yesterday Let's Eat Mud was featured on the front page of the News-Gazette business section.

What started as converting a school bus into a tiny home turned into a business built around teaching, creating, fixing things, and helping people feel more confident tackling their homes.

Thank you to everyone who has supported my workshops, hired me, shared my posts, and believed in me along the way. Growth is messy… but it’s also very fun 💛 Read the full article here: https://www.news-gazette.com/business/entrepreneurs/its-your-business-growth-is-messy-but-its-also-very-fun/article_a885812a-62e9-4526-92cd-7163b8623736.html

05/16/2026

Most days you see me covered in drywall dust, sawdust, paint, or crawling under sinks 😂

Tonight we cleaned up for a black & white banquet.

This boy is a huge part of the reason Let’s Eat Mud exists in the first place. Watching him grow reminds me every day to stay courageous, creative, and unafraid to build things differently ❤️

05/15/2026

Hey, that’s me!