My name is Julie, but I love to frustrate my mother with misspelling my name, ie. Jewels, Jewelz, or Jewelie. My dad always called me his little jewel, so I feel entitled to the spelling. I am the oldest of three girls and was always my dad's right hand helper.

I have been single for six years and loving the freedom and independence from a 25 year marriage. Although married life was not that great, my ex and I do have three wonderful children as a result. My oldest daughter Casey, my son Michael, and my youingest daughter Fallynn. Being available to care, help, and support my children when they need me is most important to me.

I have been a stay at home mom for most of my adult life. I did work occasionally when I could, but my employment never lasted very long. Casey, was born with Cerebral Palsy. Her left extremities are spastic and her tendons did not grow with the rest of her body.

Casey began having surgeries when she was four years old to lengthen the tendons, which allowed her to walk and use her left arm as an assist. She had three surgeries every year up until just after her 15th birthday. Finding childcare for her was difficult at the time, especially when she was in casts, which amounted to about 18 weeks a year.

She always fell in between the cracks of being eligible for any kind of help. Her condition was severe enough that she needed help, but not severe enough to qualify for any kind of organizational help, at least not at that time. I always seemed to be on my own in figuring out how best to help her.

I am so thankful for the Shriners and the Shrine hospital. Most of Casey's surgeries were done through the Shrine hospital and everything they did, was done without any expectation of payment. In fact, they told me that they would never accept a payment for services. We could make a donation but there was never a charge for what they do. My brother-in-law has since become a Shriner and I do what I can to help them when I can.

I have always wanted to own and run my own business, especially since Casey came along. I have worked with many different opportunities over the years trying to compensate for a lack of income when I could not work, because I needed to be available to care for my children. Although my ideas about what type of business I want has changed with the experiences and moderate successes I have had over the years.

In 1997, I took a job at a local mom and pop computer shop. Within a year I developed an obsession with wanting to put together an online business. I bought software and a domain, spent countless hours working on everything and still got nowhere.

Over the years I have tried so many different things and ways to produce money from the Internet, it is embarrassing. I have done a few surveys and sold a couple of things on EBay, but nothing that ever really amounted to anything more than a couple of dollars here and there.

Even with all the disappointments, I have never given up on my goal of creating an income on the Internet. PotPieGirl and The Bum Marketer have given me so much confidence that this is possible, that I feel the only way I can truely fail is if I give up. I believe I am so close to success, I cannot give up on me or my dreams.