So there's this website called "The Secret is in the Sauce", and it is a group of women who are all about commenting (nice things) on other people's blogs. And they do awesome giveaways. Like the Photoshop giveaway they're doing right now. Click here to win Photoshop! WOWSA!
And if you need a new vacuum, click here to win a new Bissell vacuum! Seriously!
Enjoy -- and Happy Monday! (And now I must get back to finishing the john deere tractor costumes I promised my boys.....what was I thinking?)
Monday, October 27, 2008
Monday, October 6, 2008
Save the Ta-Ta's!
October is a special month in our family! We celebrate lots of birthday (happy wishes to my Dad on the 2nd, my brother on the 5th, and my brother-in-law on the 7th). Today, October 6th, my husband I are celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary! I couldn't ask to be married to a better man, and tomorrow I'll post something special about him, but today I'm going to talk about something different.
In the midst of all of these special days and lives that we celebrate, we also celebrate the lives of three women in my family who are survivors. When I was pregnant with my oldest child, my grandmother (mom's mom) was diagnosed with breast cancer. They caught it early, and fortunately she did not have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy. They were able to treat it with a mastectomy and prescription medication! But immediately we knew our lives had changed dramatically. Grandma is still alive and kicking!
In August of 2005, when my second child was 4 months old, my mother was diagnosed breast cancer. She was also lucky enough to have caught it very early. A mammogram truly saved her life. Because she'd fought lumps (called fibroid cysts) for years which put her at a higher risk to begin with of developing breast cancer, she and her doctor (along with the support of my dad and my siblings) decided that it was best to undergo a radical mastectomy. 5 months later, she underwent reconstructive surgery and looks better than ever. We are so lucky they caught it early. Mom required no chemo, radiation, or other form of medication. We praise the Lord everyday for her survival. But don't assume she had the easy way out -- a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery is no easy path. I saw first hand while caring for my mom that it is painful and crippling, and it takes away your independence for a while. She is now, 3 years later, starting to get back to "normal".
Less than one year later, my dad's sister, my Aunt Barb, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. This was a whopper. She had it in her breast and also in her uterus. She chose to have a partial mastectomy and underwent chemo and slight radiation (if I remember correctly). It was not an easy fight, but she, too, is still alive and fighting -- now cancer free! We found out that her grandmother (my great-grandmother) had died of breast cancer years earlier.
The family implications of breast cancer in my life are obvious. The chances of me or my sister developing breast cancer, or my daughter, are drastically higher than for other women we know. It will always be a part of our lives, and we will do what we can to find a cure, to catch it early, to make sure women know that they are in charge of their health and their bodies and they don't have to die as a result of this horrible disease! It's no longer a death sentence.
Yesterday, two of my kids walked with my mom, dad, and I in the Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure to raise money for research. This month is breast cancer awareness month. In all three of my family members, a mammogram caught their breast cancer and saved their lives. So I'm asking ALL of you to click on the title above (Save the Ta-Ta's) or here to go to The Breast Cancer Site. Every click provides sponsorship money to give mammograms to women who can't afford them. I click every day because I know how important this is in my life and the lives of other women!
And don't forget to do those self-breast exams, ladies! If you're not sure how, go to www.breastcancer.org for the correct steps!
Here's to you, Mom, Grandma Jackey, and Aunt Barb, along with countless others!
In the midst of all of these special days and lives that we celebrate, we also celebrate the lives of three women in my family who are survivors. When I was pregnant with my oldest child, my grandmother (mom's mom) was diagnosed with breast cancer. They caught it early, and fortunately she did not have to undergo radiation or chemotherapy. They were able to treat it with a mastectomy and prescription medication! But immediately we knew our lives had changed dramatically. Grandma is still alive and kicking!
In August of 2005, when my second child was 4 months old, my mother was diagnosed breast cancer. She was also lucky enough to have caught it very early. A mammogram truly saved her life. Because she'd fought lumps (called fibroid cysts) for years which put her at a higher risk to begin with of developing breast cancer, she and her doctor (along with the support of my dad and my siblings) decided that it was best to undergo a radical mastectomy. 5 months later, she underwent reconstructive surgery and looks better than ever. We are so lucky they caught it early. Mom required no chemo, radiation, or other form of medication. We praise the Lord everyday for her survival. But don't assume she had the easy way out -- a double mastectomy and reconstructive surgery is no easy path. I saw first hand while caring for my mom that it is painful and crippling, and it takes away your independence for a while. She is now, 3 years later, starting to get back to "normal".
Less than one year later, my dad's sister, my Aunt Barb, was diagnosed with Stage 4 breast cancer. This was a whopper. She had it in her breast and also in her uterus. She chose to have a partial mastectomy and underwent chemo and slight radiation (if I remember correctly). It was not an easy fight, but she, too, is still alive and fighting -- now cancer free! We found out that her grandmother (my great-grandmother) had died of breast cancer years earlier.
The family implications of breast cancer in my life are obvious. The chances of me or my sister developing breast cancer, or my daughter, are drastically higher than for other women we know. It will always be a part of our lives, and we will do what we can to find a cure, to catch it early, to make sure women know that they are in charge of their health and their bodies and they don't have to die as a result of this horrible disease! It's no longer a death sentence.
Yesterday, two of my kids walked with my mom, dad, and I in the Komen Foundation's Race for the Cure to raise money for research. This month is breast cancer awareness month. In all three of my family members, a mammogram caught their breast cancer and saved their lives. So I'm asking ALL of you to click on the title above (Save the Ta-Ta's) or here to go to The Breast Cancer Site. Every click provides sponsorship money to give mammograms to women who can't afford them. I click every day because I know how important this is in my life and the lives of other women!
And don't forget to do those self-breast exams, ladies! If you're not sure how, go to www.breastcancer.org for the correct steps!
Here's to you, Mom, Grandma Jackey, and Aunt Barb, along with countless others!
Saturday, July 26, 2008
A special invitation
My husband's grandmother is celebrating her 75th birthday tomorrow! Never before have you met such a feisty energetic woman! We are thrilled to celebrate her birthday with the entire family in Kansas in a few weeks -- it will be a great way to end the summer just before school starts!
I was asked to make the invitations for her big party, and wanted to do them in a way that honored her. Her daughter really wanted me to use a picture of her (I believe from high school) on the front of the card with the phrase "Look who's turning 75". So I pulled out my Nestabilities and went to town. Grandma Bennett's favorite colors are green and yellow, and I thought that Close to My Heart's Boom-di-Ada creative basics paper set would be perfect. When I look at this card, it reminds me of Grandma Bennett, and she loves them, so that is all that matters! (please forgive the poor picture quality -- i was having bad luck that day!)
Happy Saturday!
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
Happy Birthday, Hunter!
My baby is 2! And to top all of that off, he no longer sleeps in a crib! And he's asking to go on the big boy potty! Can someone PLEASE slow this train down? This child entered our life two years ago on July 13 on the first day of a major heat wave. To say we were surprised to find he would be joining our family would be an understatement -- his big brother (a very strong-willed and loud baby) was only 8 months old when I found I was pregnant for the 3rd time. I confess to spending a fair amount of time crying in the bathroom before I shared the surprise with my husband.
But God knew what He was doing, in His Infinite Wisdom. 8 months after the shock of my life, we welcomed into the world the most delightful, content, happily laid back child I have ever seen. My 2nd son was exactly what God knew I needed. He should have been called the Hudson Whisperer (think Horse Whisperer), because as a baby, his mere presence calmed his 17 month-old brother who rarely sat still and never did so quietly or without a fight. His smile and sweet personality soften the angriest of moods. Even now, in the midst of the terrible two's (and yes, we are going through them), he manages to be sweet and agreeable. He is still my cuddle-bug. He might be getting louder, and he's learning how to fight back (necessary for survival in our house!), and who's now driving tractors like his big brother and playing the piano next to his big sister. But at the end of the day, he's still the one who wakes up smiling and singing and patiently waiting for us to greet him for the day.
I have no idea where the last two years have gone. But I do know that I have cherished every single minute I've had with our surprise blessing. God sent Hunter to us exactly when we needed him, to remind us how to smile and laugh and love life no matter what. He brings out the best in us and his brother and sister. And I can't wait to see the tender, caring, funny man he will grow to be. But in the meantime, I think I'll just savor ever minute with my baby...my little boy.
And in true household fashion, he deserved a special cake. He asked over and over for tractor cake, so we came up with this excavator. Super simple, inspired by Family Fun Magazine, and loved by the guy that mattered -- Hunter! Anytime someone would mention his birthday or how old he is now, he'd respond with "I had a John Deere Tractor Cake"....okay, so it doesn't really say John Deere anywhere, but our boys live and breath John Deere, so if he thinks this looks like John Deere, well, I will take that as a compliment! Enjoy! (Sorry for the poor picture quality, and for the poor frosting on the cake....I'm not a professional...just doin' it for my kiddos!)
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
We're safe!
I received a number of emails today regarding the tornado (and now we have learned it was two tornadoes) that hit our area in the middle of the night on Sunday morning. Thanks for your concern! We're okay, and by God's grace there were no deaths and only 3 minor injuries as a result of the weather. The two tornadoes were literally unpredictable and the sirens in our area of town did not go off until several minutes after we'd been in the basement and the storm was already past us.
The roar of a tornado that we've now learned was within a few hundred feet of our home had us running to our children to get them into the basement. We are pretty sure that we did not get in the basement before the storm was past us, which is scary enough, but thankfully not something we have to regret because there is literally not one shingle missing off our home. And we do not have trees, otherwise we'd be cleaning up some major limbs. Our neighbors across the street were not as lucky -- there is roof damage on more homes around us than we initially thought, and our 20+ year old neighborhood will certainly not look the same without the trees that we've lost. Nearly every family in the neighborhood lost at least 1 tree. It was devastating, but could have been SO much worse.
When we lived in the country, I was always terrified that I would not have enough warning to get the kids in the basement because we ALWAYS lost power during storms. And I just knew it would happen during the night. It is so ironic that exactly what I always feared there has happened in a highly populated area, and we once again lost power and had absolutely no warning.
I've learned one thing...and maybe learned isn't the right word. This is something that I've believed for all of my life, and this storm has just confirmed my intuition. As a child, I used to ask my parents if I could sleep in the basement when severe weather was coming. Sometimes they gave in, but usually they said I didn't need to worry. Who can blame them? I said that last night to my daughter (and she has every right to be terrified). And there were times when we lived in the country that, because of our situation (our kids slept on the 2nd floor, and the master bedroom was on the main floor, and my husband was gone 100 nights a year), I would put our children to sleep in sleeping bags in the basement or in bed with me so they were close. My entire life, I have believed that you cannot count on others to warn you when a storm is coming. It's your responsibility to pay attention and be aware. There is no law that states that you must wait for a tornado warning to head for cover. We were not in a tornado warning until the tornadoes were over. I will ALWAYS follow my gut feeling in the future and not worry about what others think of my choices. My family is my responsibility, and I will never put them in harms way simply because everyone else thinks that it is silly to be aware that severe weather is on the way. We have a saying in Nebraska...."If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change." It is true true true.
Okay -- I'm off my soap box. Thank you so much for the concerned emails. We are so blessed, and just feel like God must have surrounded our home (and the homes of our family members) with a bubble of safety. Please please PLEASE pray for the members of our community whose homes are uninhabitable, and who have so much loss facing them. And with the recent rash of severe weather has come torrential rain. Flooding is a major problem in parts of our state, as well as in Iowa (where I have many family members) and other states in the Midwest. Please keep these people in your prayers.
I've been busy working on lots of projects, and hope to get them posted this week!
The roar of a tornado that we've now learned was within a few hundred feet of our home had us running to our children to get them into the basement. We are pretty sure that we did not get in the basement before the storm was past us, which is scary enough, but thankfully not something we have to regret because there is literally not one shingle missing off our home. And we do not have trees, otherwise we'd be cleaning up some major limbs. Our neighbors across the street were not as lucky -- there is roof damage on more homes around us than we initially thought, and our 20+ year old neighborhood will certainly not look the same without the trees that we've lost. Nearly every family in the neighborhood lost at least 1 tree. It was devastating, but could have been SO much worse.
When we lived in the country, I was always terrified that I would not have enough warning to get the kids in the basement because we ALWAYS lost power during storms. And I just knew it would happen during the night. It is so ironic that exactly what I always feared there has happened in a highly populated area, and we once again lost power and had absolutely no warning.
I've learned one thing...and maybe learned isn't the right word. This is something that I've believed for all of my life, and this storm has just confirmed my intuition. As a child, I used to ask my parents if I could sleep in the basement when severe weather was coming. Sometimes they gave in, but usually they said I didn't need to worry. Who can blame them? I said that last night to my daughter (and she has every right to be terrified). And there were times when we lived in the country that, because of our situation (our kids slept on the 2nd floor, and the master bedroom was on the main floor, and my husband was gone 100 nights a year), I would put our children to sleep in sleeping bags in the basement or in bed with me so they were close. My entire life, I have believed that you cannot count on others to warn you when a storm is coming. It's your responsibility to pay attention and be aware. There is no law that states that you must wait for a tornado warning to head for cover. We were not in a tornado warning until the tornadoes were over. I will ALWAYS follow my gut feeling in the future and not worry about what others think of my choices. My family is my responsibility, and I will never put them in harms way simply because everyone else thinks that it is silly to be aware that severe weather is on the way. We have a saying in Nebraska...."If you don't like the weather, wait a minute and it will change." It is true true true.
Okay -- I'm off my soap box. Thank you so much for the concerned emails. We are so blessed, and just feel like God must have surrounded our home (and the homes of our family members) with a bubble of safety. Please please PLEASE pray for the members of our community whose homes are uninhabitable, and who have so much loss facing them. And with the recent rash of severe weather has come torrential rain. Flooding is a major problem in parts of our state, as well as in Iowa (where I have many family members) and other states in the Midwest. Please keep these people in your prayers.
I've been busy working on lots of projects, and hope to get them posted this week!
I'm It!
Big shout out to Jen at Work for tagging me for this!
1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
In 1998, I was in college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I was performing with the Scarlet and Cream Singers (oh what a blast that was!), and majoring in communications. I had yet to meet my husband (although I would be lying if I said I didn't keep one eye open looking for him).
2. What 5 things are on your to-do list for today?
For Wednesday, (1) make a grocery list, (2) schedule Hunter's 2 year check-up, (3) take the kiddos to Vacation Bible School, (4) run, (5) try a new recipe
3. Snacks you enjoy?
chips and salsa, Reese's peanut butter cups, kettle corn, wheat thins and hummus, fresh cut pineapple
4. Places you have lived?
I'm boring -- I've only lived in Nebraska (but I've traveled a lot!)
5. what are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
give to those who need it
save
completely remodel my house
buy a baby grand piano
use it for RAKs
I'm tagging anyone who reads this and wants to share!
1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
In 1998, I was in college at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. I was performing with the Scarlet and Cream Singers (oh what a blast that was!), and majoring in communications. I had yet to meet my husband (although I would be lying if I said I didn't keep one eye open looking for him).
2. What 5 things are on your to-do list for today?
For Wednesday, (1) make a grocery list, (2) schedule Hunter's 2 year check-up, (3) take the kiddos to Vacation Bible School, (4) run, (5) try a new recipe
3. Snacks you enjoy?
chips and salsa, Reese's peanut butter cups, kettle corn, wheat thins and hummus, fresh cut pineapple
4. Places you have lived?
I'm boring -- I've only lived in Nebraska (but I've traveled a lot!)
5. what are 5 things you would do if you were a billionaire?
give to those who need it
save
completely remodel my house
buy a baby grand piano
use it for RAKs
I'm tagging anyone who reads this and wants to share!
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
My Princess....
It's been nearly a month since we celebrated my daughter's birthday. She's anxiously been awaiting mommy's updated blog with her cake pictures. (Remember, I'm that dorky mom who makes her kids' cakes from scratch....and usually, they look totally and completely homemade -- dork that I am, I actually kind of like that charming quality.) She wanted a "Barbie" cake and we needed to be princesses, so her little girlfriends wore tiaras that we made and painted nails, along with a few other fun things.
I still can't believe she is FIVE!!!! I don't really remember what it was like before she was in our lives -- she is our oldest, our first, and completely our guinea pig (poor girl). I know I expect so much of her, and maybe sometimes too much, but I also know she's completely capable (I mean, for goodness sakes, she was reading books at 4 and playing the piano by ear before that). She is everything I ever dreamed my daughter would be -- smart, funny, helpful (sometimes too much so, but I'll take what I can get!), kind, thoughtful, sweet....the list can go on and on. And boy does this girl love GOD! She sings it at the top of her lungs with no worries like most of the rest of the world. I envy her passion and enthusiasm and fearlessness. And, like any mother I know, I swear she has taught me more than I could ever dream of teaching her.
You are special, little one, and I'm so lucky to be your mommy! Dream big, because I know, without a doubt, that whatever you reach for, you will make yours. My prayers for you are endless -- happiness, love, faith, comfort, peace, and more than I can explain. I LOVE YOU!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)