LEBANON, Indiana — Under Rebecca Stanton's roof, everyone is welcome.
She lives in Lebanon with her wife, Jill, and three daughters, Katelyn, Hannah and Dylan. Rebecca and Jill have been married for nearly six years.
"All girls," Rebecca said. "Lot of feelings!"
Under Rebecca's roof, she owns and operates Ulen Candle Company. It's a homegrown small business she started in 2020.
"I would start in the basement," Rebecca said, "and end up taking over the kitchen. I'd be packing orders on the dining room table."
Rebecca now has a dedicated candle studio in the back of her home, where she specializes in candles, wax melts and room sprays.
"We also have a couple different Pride labels," Rebecca said. "This month, we chose 'love is love.'"
In between all the candles and wax melts is a book, titled "Under Our Roof" by Rebecca Stanton.
Rebecca said she never imagined becoming a children's book author.
"It's completely out of my comfort zone," Rebecca said. "If you ask anyone that knows me, I usually stick to myself."
A couple years ago, however, Rebecca said she couldn't "stick to herself," after an incident at her child's birthday party.
"When a parent said they wouldn't let their kid sleep over, I didn't know how to respond, what to do, and I just started writing," Rebecca said.
She wrote about her family. She wrote about small moments with her wife and children. She wrote about the love under her roof.
Rebecca said it started as a way to start a conversation with her own family.
"It just kind of took off online from there," Rebecca said, "but it was mainly to show the kids that we are no different under our roof. The same love that we show at our house is going to be the same anywhere else, and that's what other families should expect, too."
Rebecca self-published "Under Our Roof" in 2019 on Amazon.
Since then, Rebecca said she has helped families of all shapes and sizes talk about love under their roofs.
"There are other types of families," Rebecca said. "Some have two moms. Some have two dads. Some have a single parent. It's not just your mom and dad at home."
While "Under Our Roof" is designed to be a children's book, Rebecca said it is also a tool for parents to spark communication within families.
"Opening a book and starting that conversation is perfect," Rebecca said. "There is not much you even have to say. Just read a book. Kids will ask the questions they are concerned about. You don't have to put it in the spotlight or make it a big deal because it's not."
Rebecca and her family have donated copies of the book across the state of Indiana to spread the "love is love" message.
"I just hope that they see how much love is surrounded in that book and in our house, and that they would feel love coming from the pages," Rebecca said, "Love is love. Every family has that."