A Tale of Two Shingles

I've never lived in a windier part of Iowa than I do now.  The gentle, soothing rains that I experienced growing up seem to be a thing of the past.  I could be wrong.  Maybe my memory is turning selective, but it truly feels like every time we get rain here it involves a thunderstorm and wind, and I mean strong wind!  

So I probably should not have been surprised to see a storm chasing vehicle leaving town just a few days ago.  If you've never spotted one on the road before, they look like a high school shop project gone awry.  Don't get me wrong, those vehicles are high-tech on the inside, but on the outside they are pretty crude and industrial looking, and I guess that is for a good reason.  If you are surrounded by tornado-like high winds you really don't care how stylin' your vehicle looks, your goal is simply to survive.  Luckily on that day there were no tornadoes in our area for them to chase so they were heading west out of town.  

In true central Iowa fashion, however, we did have some very strong winds a week ago (although thankfully not of tornado caliber).  I woke up the next morning and went to get something off the front step when I noticed a shingle laying on the sidewalk by the front door and another one in the front yard.  On further inspection, I saw they had come off the garage.   I was thankful that God had placed them where I would spot them easily.  He knows I can miss the obvious of things on most days.  

Last fall when we joined our church the first people we met were Dick and Paula.  They introduced us to our connection group and have been a tremendous blessing to us in the few short months we have known them by encouraging us and celebrating joys with us.....and it just so happens that Dick owns a roofing business.  

Isn't God awesome?

So Michael called Dick and asked him if he would have time to look at our roof and replace the shingles.  He came over the next day and checked it out.  A few days later he was back putting new shingles on.  

When he was done Michael asked him how much we owed him.  Dick's response, "Just pay it forward." Michael said, "No seriously, what do we owe you for the shingles and labor?"  Dick again repeated, "Nothing, just pay it forward."

So we put some thought into how we wanted to repay his act of kindness.  Dick, Paula, and their family pool resources and help out a struggling family or two at the holidays, so we thought donating some groceries to the local food pantry would be a good deed they would appreciate.  

We excitedly headed to Hy-Vee and did some shopping. We picked up soups, pasta, spaghetti sauce, pizza crust mixes, canned fruits and vegetables, muffin mixes, mac and cheese, hot chocolate mix, some cleaning items, etc.  I know a lot of people don't like to go grocery shopping, but we love it!  We get giddy at checking out a store we have never been in before to see what they might carry that is new to us.  

Yes, we are easily entertained. 

As if we didn't enjoy grocery shopping enough, we discovered it is even more fun when you are shopping for someone else and ended up with 5 sacks of groceries.  The next day we headed to the drop off location.    

When Dick gave us the opportunity to pay it forward not only did we get our roof fixed, we were given the chance to do something for someone else with Dick and Paula in mind.  But we also were able to help out a few families in our area. 

We have never had so much fun "paying" a home repair bill!

God bless Dick & Paula.  

Foodie Friday! - Cocoa Medallion Cake - Salt Not Optional

Our church's college ministry is called "The Salt Company."  The Salt Company has over 100 connection groups (Bible Study groups), and we were fortunate enough to host one group for their weekly study a month ago.  We loved having the girls here so I thought it would be fun to get together and bake.    

So Ceara, Ashley, Elizabeth, and Kristin came over last Saturday to spend some time visiting and baking. 

The girls wanted to make a cake, so I thought nothing sounded better than a homemade chocolate cake.

In addition, my best friend Linda was spending the weekend with us, so she was able to meet the girls and get to know them as well.  

Since we couldn't start baking without food on board, Michael picked up pizza for us and Linda got our sugar levels going with Scotcheroos.  

Then the cake making started.  Here's the recipe we used:

Cocoa Medallion Cake

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa

3/4 cup boiling water

1/4 cup margarine or butter, softened

1/4 cup shortening

2 cups sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/8 tsp salt

2 eggs

1-1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk or sour milk

1-3/4 cups unsifted all-purpose flour

Stir together cocoa and boiling water until smooth; set aside.  Cream butter or margarine, shortening, sugar, vanilla, and salt in large mixer bowl until light and fluffy.  Add eggs; beat well.  Stir baking soda into buttermilk or sour milk; add alternately with flour to creamed mixture.  Blend in cocoa mixture.

The girls thought it would be fun to make a layer cake so we (Ashley really did all of the work mixing the cake up) used 3, 8-inch cake pans.  

Ashley sprayed each one with nonstick baking spray, then cut a circle of wax paper so it lined the bottom of the pan.  Lastly she sprinkled each pan with a bit of flour and shook the pan to evenly distribute it. 

Ashley divided the batter between the three pans. 

The recipe says to pour into 2 round layer pans or 8-inch square pans.  Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes. Our cakes were done at about 25 minutes or so since we used 3 smaller pans rather than 2 larger ones, so check the cake earlier than indicated. Use a toothpick to make sure the center is done.  

We let the cakes cool in the pans for a bit.  They had pulled away from the sides of the pans, so it was  easy for Ashley to tip them out, peel off the wax paper and let them finish cooling on a cooling rack.  

While the cakes were cooling we made the frosting.  We used my favorite frosting recipe that is wonderful on anything: cakes, sugar cookies, etc.  (See the "Sugar Cookie Bars" recipe here on my blog for Linda's frosting recipe.)

Ashley has a Wilton cake decorating kit so the girls decided to make a spring-themed cake with different colored frosting.

Kristin stirred together the blue frosting.

Ceara worked really hard to get just the right shade of purple!

And Elizabeth gave Belle and Willow attention.  Actually Elizabeth also made the pink frosting.

Ashley loves to bake, so she frosted the layers and assembled the cake. 

  

Aren't the colors beautiful?  The cake looked so amazing and pretty!  Linda and I laughed that we had never had a layer cake turn out as tall and nice as Ashley's cake did.  

And Elizabeth put the final touches on the cake.  This was her first try at using the flower tip and writing on a cake.  She did awesome!  You should have seen the photos being taken of the cake!  I had my camera out and several of the girls were taking pictures with their phones!

And just because you can never have too much chocolate, after we all got our pictures.... we drizzled the top with ganache. That recipe is on my blog too.  

Doesn't this look amazing?  

But you can only admire a cake for so long, then you have to dig in. We  all sat down and had a piece of decadent chocolate cake... and before long the 6 of us ladies (and Michael) were in a chocolate coma.  I wish I had photographed some of the dazed looks this resulted in.  

These girls are such a blessing to us.  It is fun to spend time with them, find out what is going on in their busy lives with college and work, and just laugh with them.  

Salt is usually optional in a recipe, but on this day Salt was definitely the perfect ingredient!

Giving Back - December 2013

Today is the first of what will be twice monthly blog link-ups with one of my daughters-in-law, Melissa, and at times my daughter, Elizabeth (when her nursing school schedule allows).   Each month we will have a common theme or subject we will write about.  We will then include links to each other's blogs so with a simple click you can see what they wrote about that same topic.   

Our second link-up will be the last day of each month (like this post) when we will have a "giving back" theme - telling random acts of kindness we have done and/or received that month.  It's a great motivator for me to keep the good deeds going.  I find it easy to do nice things for others at the holidays when I am in the Christmas spirit -  but it is important to keep doing those random acts of kindness throughout the year.  Writing about what we have done each month will keep me accountable... and reading Melissa and Liz's blogs will also give me ideas!

I can not emphasize enough that this is not to get kudos for doing nice things.  We all get our ideas for random acts of kindness from others.  My hope is that we can keep the Christmas spirit alive throughout the year one nice gesture at a time.   Wouldn't that be something to celebrate???

Today is the first end of month blog about giving back.

So with the stage set, here we go!

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Don't you just love random acts of kindness?  The idea of doing something nice for someone else with no expectation of receiving something in return  -  just to make someone's day a little brighter - our world needs more of that!    

Nothing makes me happier than random acts of kindness, but they always involve a giver and a receiver.  So I wanted to tell you some ways Michael and I have been blessed by others recently:

*We received wonderful plates of Christmas cookies.

*We had three different friends give us totes full of books for our Little Free Library - (we seriously need to expand our book storage area)!

*One friend brought us veggies she froze from her garden - what  a treat!

*Another friend made a donation to an animal shelter in my name.

*And we have had neighbors help with clearing our sidewalk after a snow. 

We appreciated each of these so much.  It is so nice to be thought of!

On the flip side, here are some random acts of kindness we have done this month:

*As blogged about earlier in December, we sent a Christmas card to Connie  and asked family and good friends to send her a card as well.  Hopefully her mailbox was flooded with Christmas greetings!

*Our church has a cafe with coffee, hot chocolate, juice, muffins, etc. available for purchase.   Our church is large, so giving out 1,000 to 2,000 cups of coffee each Sunday would add up pretty fast.   Coffee is only $1, and I love to take it into church with me, sit, and prepare for worship.  Each Sunday when we go to church I pay for coffee for the next person in line. 

*On Christmas Eve Day my son, Tom, and daughter-in-law, Laura, went with me to shop for gifts for 4 kids who were going to be spending Christmas Day in the hospital.  The kids ranged in age from 2 months to 15 years.  With their help we picked  out presents for each,  tucked them in gift bags, and delivered them to the hospital pediatric floor.  I can't imagine spending Christmas in the hospital with a child... or as a child.  We hope the gifts made Christmas Day a little brighter for the kids and their families.   

*We went through the drive-thru at Starbuck's recently and paid for the car behind us.  

There was one other act of kindness we did this month but to tell it requires a story, so here it is.

You know Michael and I love hockey and are fortunate enough to be able to attend some of the Iowa Wild games.  

One night while on Facebook I was reading a trivia question by the Iowa Wild.  The winner would receive 4 tickets to a game.  I saw someone named Marcia had posted, "We have never been to an Iowa Wild game....  come on Santa!"  I remembered that we had tickets for the game the next Wednesday night.  It is difficult for us to make weekday games when we have to get up for work the next day. Arriving home late, getting to bed late, and getting up early for work the next morning makes for a really short night.

I asked Michael if he wanted to go to that game.  He didn't think so, so I told him I thought I knew someone who would enjoy using the tickets and told him about Marcia.

I sent Marcia a message on Facebook and told her we had tickets for the game on Wednesday and they were welcome to use them if they did not have plans.  Since we did not know each other I hoped she would see my message, but knew where she worked so we could contact her there if needed.  

The next morning we found a message from her - "Is this real????"  She left us her phone number and within a few hours we were chatting on the phone.  She was so excited!  She and her husband couldn't wait to go.  We connected so easily on the phone that we ended up chatting about things that we were going to explain and share when we met.  It was just one of those times where you feel like you have known someone for ages.  Michael and I were going to a game the next afternoon and planned to meet and give them the tickets then.

The next day when we met I was not at all surprised when Marcia got out of her car and gave me a big hug!  Sometimes after even the shortest of phone calls you just know what someone is going to be like.  Marcia said, "This is just a God thing!"  It turns out she was supposed to have worked that Wednesday night, but someone at work had asked her to trade days, so she already had Wednesday night off!

We visited with Marcia and her husband, Bruce, for a bit - and discovered we had a LOT in common and we could have easily visited much longer. Before leaving Marcia opened her checkbook - she already had  a check with my name on it ready to go.  Michael and I just shook our heads, tucked the envelope with the tickets next to the unused check, and told them we didn't want anything for the tickets. 

Before leaving Marcia gave Michael a hug too (I love huggers!)... and we told them to enjoy the game.

And they did.

We met a great couple all because of two hockey tickets.  Michael and I just marveled at how much we had in common with them, and how much we had to talk about.  We hope to get together with them for coffee or dinner sometime soon after the holidays.  

Just when you think you are doing something nice for someone else, they end up blessing you as well. 


I couldn't have said it better than Marcia, "It truly was a God thing."



Let's keep the random acts of kindness going throughout the year!  Please comment with things you have done or ways you have been blessed.


"Remember there's no such thing as a small act of kindness.  Every act creates a ripple with no logical end."  
 - Scott Adams, Creator of Dilbert Comic Strip

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Ready to read more feel-good stories?

For Melissa's blog - click here
For Liz's blog - click here

A Christmas Wish

You usually find a recipe here on Fridays, but today I'm veering off course.   With year end approaching I have been working overtime this week.  More time in the office means less time in the kitchen, which means no Foodie Friday. 

In addition to a crazy work schedule, it was 5 years ago,  on December 10, 2008, that my Mom passed away and today would have been her 82nd birthday.  I love and miss my Mom always, but especially so during this week of two important dates.

This year I didn't remember the anniversary of her death until my oldest brother mentioned it.  I had been focused on work and not paying a lot of attention to the calendar and what date it was.  Over the last few years, as this week has approached,  I felt bad about feeling melancholy around the holidays, but just couldn't help it.  This year I felt bad that time got away from me and I didn't realize what date it was. 

Having a Type A personality is not easy. 

I was trying to figure out what I was going to write about when a story came together.  

I listen to a Christian radio station during the day while I work.  This Christmas season they are encouraging people to submit needs they have, and they are asking listeners to help fulfill those needs if possible to brighten up Christmas for someone else.  I've looked at the list several times.  People have asked for help with various things:  gifts for kids or grandkids, a stove, a used freezer, help with a car repair, etc. 

I wrote a while back that it has been an expensive year for us - just one of those years. Everyone has them now and then.  We are very blessed and we know it.  We have each other, are relatively healthy, have a home we love, we are warm and well fed (when I do find my way into the kitchen), we have a wonderful family, and two spoiled bassets who think we are the best thing since sliced bread.  Since we decided to cut back on our Christmas spending this year  I have been looking at the list off and on to see if there was something small we could help with. 

And then I saw Connie's request:

Christmas cards.

I honestly did a double take.  

Christmas cards?  

I opened her bio to read more.

She receives just a few Christmas cards each year. She remembers how many cards people used to send years ago and she misses that.

Of all the things she could have wanted or requested she simply said.....

Please send me a Christmas card.

I immediately thought of my Mom and smiled.  She  LOVED sending cards!!  No matter what the occasion was she sent a card.  And if there wasn't an occasion, she sent a card anyway!  I saved cards she sent over the years and love to go back and read them and see her handwriting.  They are like a big hug from Mom.

Well, I couldn't respond to Connie's request fast enough.  

Before long I received a message from her, with her address, and a thank you.  I emailed her back and asked if I could share her address with some friends, so she would receive even more cards.  She said yes!  So I emailed our connection group at church and some friends I thought would be interested in taking part.  

What an easy thing to do for someone.

I love when a good story comes together like this.  

I'm glad God had me go back and look at the requests one more time to see if there was something small we could do to brighten the holidays for someone else. 

And I am thankful for Connie.  

Instead of feeling sorry for myself that my Mom isn't here for her birthday or Christmas,  she had me smiling and remembering what a wonderful Mom I was blessed with.  I know Mom would have loved taking part in the card sending. She would have been all over it!


I was reminded that the smallest gesture can make a difference to someone. 


And I was reminded that when you do something nice for someone, that kindness finds its way back to you sooner or later.  This time it just happened to be much sooner.

So my Christmas wish this year is simple.

My wish is that Connie's mailbox has Christmas cards spilling out of it.

If that brings her even half the joy she has brought me this week,  she too will feel blessed beyond measure.

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Kindness, like a boomerang, always returns. - Author Unknown

The Couple

Last Friday night we went to a hockey game.  We always have the same seats, but there are always a lot of different people sitting around us.  On this night a young man in his 20's sat in the row ahead of us. He was friendly,  sat there for most of the first period, talked on his phone for a bit, then left. 

We have seats above where the visiting team comes out so it is not unusual for people to come and sit there for a while to get a good view of the opposing team, then move on.  After he had been gone for a while we figured he was not coming back and Michael put his coat on that seat to give us a bit more room.

Then later the young man appeared again with a young woman his age.  She reminded me a lot of one of my nieces.  They made such a cute couple. He had thick, unruly, dark hair,  had not shaved for a couple of days so had that "rugged" look, and she had long brown hair, the cutest smile, and dimples. They were obviously enjoying being together, laughing and talking.  

I said to Michael, "Don't they make a cute couple?"

I love hockey and enjoyed the game, but couldn't help but watch these two off and on. They just seemed so happy and so nice. 

Then in the third period, I did something I would never have done 10 years ago.  I leaned forward between the two of them and said, "I just have to tell you  that you two make the cutest couple!"

They both laughed and looked at each other. I mistook that for them being embarrassed that I had told them they were cute.  I said, "I am serious!  You two are an adorable couple!."   

Then it hit me - I said, "You two are a couple, aren't you?"  The young man smiled and said, "We have a history. She had her chance!"  And they both laughed again.  I said, "Seriously?  You two are not a couple?  Well you should be!!!"  She nudged him and said, "See?"  They were very gracious about me intruding into their evening and thinking they were a couple.  So I said, "Well, if you two decide to get back together again - you will be an awesome couple."

They looked like they belonged together.  They teased each other, laughed and smiled constantly during the game, and obviously had a lot to talk about.  Whatever their history was, there was still enough there to have them spending time together and greatly enjoying each other's company.

So at the end of the game I figured: Why not?  I had come this far.  

I leaned forward once more and said, "You know, if you are at a hockey game and some strange lady from behind you leans in and tells you that you make a cute couple, maybe that is a sign.  Just something to think about!"

They smiled, laughed, and she nudged him once again.  

Bless their hearts.

I wanted to tell them that we would be in those same seats all season and to keep me updated.  But I figured I had intruded enough.

I really hope they find their way back to each other.  

Yipppeeeeeeeee Dog!

In August 2012, I left my job working for a multispecialty clinic to work for a clinic that specialized in orthopaedics.  Having worked with ortho for 19 years the bones and joints of the body were about the only thing that did not change in this transition! It was difficult learning new names, faces, a computer system, programs, and the various processes. To say it was overwhelming is an understatement!

Most of my coworkers were working from home, which was what I would go back to doing after two weeks of training on site.  My first week there my team leader was on site to walk me through things and help me learn my job.  I remember making the drive home after work each day and being absolutely drained.  My brain was on overload.  I think the second night I was in bed at 6:30.  I was just mentally exhausted trying to take in so much new information.

The second week on site I was working on my own, except for one coworker who worked in the office, Melinda.

I hesitantly went to her with questions at first.  While a long-time employee, she was in the process of learning some new things too so I didn't want to bother her, but Melinda told me to always come to her with questions and reminded me that there is no such thing as a silly question. She was so encouraging, helpful, happy, and patient!  She helped me immensely that second week and I was soon back to working from home again and getting into a routine.

Of course working from home means most of our department's communication is done by email.  I quickly learned that Melinda's joy shone through in her emails too.  Every email we received from Melinda would start out, "Helllooooooooooooo!"  You could be having the craziest day imaginable, but when one of Melinda's emails popped up you could not help but smile and laugh.

And every time there was something to celebrate Melinda emailed an enthusiastic "Yippppppeeeeeeeeeee dog!"   If she was that infectious and happy via email, you can imagine what it was like to be with her in person.

Our department gets together occasionally for a Friday night dinner or a Saturday lunch.  We live in various communities throughout central Iowa, so it is always fun when we can take time from our busy schedules to get together and catch up in person.  We had a get together shortly after I started.  Melinda had to work late due to the new duties she had, but she ordered appetizers for us ahead of time, stopped by to visit with us for a bit, then had to head home.  She loved cats and had to get home to take care of her "kids." 

Melinda was a breast cancer survivor and obviously loved life and everyone she came in contact with. She was the cheerleader of our department. I never saw Melinda with a frown on her face.  

Last fall she was diagnosed with uterine cancer.  She took time off work to have surgery and treatment and then recover.  We sent cards back and forth while she was recuperating and made plans to get together for coffee once she was  better.  

So last spring with Melinda on the mend some of my coworkers and I met her for coffee on a Saturday morning.  She had lost her hair, but not her love for life.  She was so excited to be getting back to doing the things she enjoyed, including work.

She returned to work shortly after that and of course her first email was "Hellloooooooooooooo... I'm back!"   I know there was a huge smile on the face of each department member as they opened that email.  On another morning we got this email from her: "I am cancer free!  Yipppppeeeeeeeeee dog!"  We were so happy for Melinda and were all emailing her back with "congratulations!"  and "yeahhhh!"  We loved having her back at work and hearing from her by email.  

Life was as it should be again.   Our cheerleader was back. 

Melinda had a day here and there where she didn't feel well and a few months later we received another email from Melinda,  unlike any email we had ever received from her before:  "My cancer has returned."  

If the words weren't devastating enough the tone of that email told us so much about how she was feeling.   I can remember quietly saying "oh no" and am sure my coworkers reacted in the same way when opening that email.  

Not Melinda.  

A third diagnosis?  

Though my faith is very strong, I found myself asking, "God, how much does Melinda have to go through? Why her?"  I know my coworkers voiced the same thoughts.  

Melinda decided to retire at the end of August, but several weeks before her official retirement date she was in the hospital.  Little did we know that she would not be going home again. 

When I would talk with Melinda on the phone she was always reassuring me.  "It's okay.  It's really okay.  God is everything."  She would tell me what was going on with her treatments.  I would always ask if there was anything she needed.  She always said, "just pray."    

Then in one phone call she told me her cancer was terminal.  We had feared this and had been expecting it, but hearing it made it real.   She requested no visitors.  So we did what we could:  sent her cards, called, and prayed for her. Her faith never waivered.  She had Bible verses read to her while in the hospital.   I would write some of my favorite Bible verses in the cards I sent to her. 

In my last phone call with her she said she was having pain daily. She was going to have a minor procedure the following day. She had received the maximum number of aggressive treatments she could for her cancer, but was going to have an additional one so that it might give the doctors information to treat future patients.  Again, that was Melinda.  Before hanging up  I told Melinda we loved her and she said, "I love you too." 

After two months of being in the hospital Melinda declined and was moved to hospice just a week ago.  She was kept comfortable and was in good hands as always. Some of my coworkers and other friends of Melinda's walked in the Komen Iowa Race for the Cure on Saturday as "Melinda's Katz" in her honor.  Melinda knew several weeks ago that we were going to do this so we took a group photo and put it on Facebook immediately, so the person with her at hospice knew we were there and walking for her.  I don't know if Melinda was aware of us walking that day, but I felt she was with us every step of the way.  

The next morning, on a beautiful fall day, Melinda passed away quietly and gracefully, just as she would have wanted.  

While I had only known Melinda 14 months she had a huge impact on me, as she did everyone who was blessed enough to meet her.  She reminded me so much of my Mom.  She had the same positive attitude and love for life that my Mom did.  It was impossible not to gravitate toward her. 

I know that God never gives us more than we can handle.  And maybe only someone with the unfailing faith and positive outlook that Melinda had could handle 3 cancer diagnoses and still be praising God at the end.  

I am so happy for Melinda that she is no longer in pain and is home with the God she loved so much and never stopped loving and thanking.  But it is hard to think of not seeing that smiling face again, or receiving a cheery email from her.

At times I think my faith is child like, but isn't that what God asks of us?  To have the faith of a child?  So it is easy for me to imagine that when Melinda passed away and entered Heaven God heard an exuberant, "Hellloooooooooo!" that had Him smiling immediately and thinking "Yes, she has arrived!"  

God had to look at her and proudly say,  "Well done thy good and faithful servant, well done."   

And in true Melinda form she must have given a resounding...enthusiastic "Yippppeeeeeeeeeee dog!"

Million Dollar Marathon

This week I am foregoing Foodie Friday for a great cause.  As many of you know, the Million Dollar Marathon is going on right now.  If you aren't familiar with this, it is a 4,000-mile run across America, one marathon at a time, to raise money for cancer research.  It began on June 21, in  Ocean Shores, Washington, and will end in Rehoboth, Delaware,  on July 31. It was organized by Above + Beyond Cancer.

On Tuesday evening those running that day's marathon arrived in Des Moines with the baton.  There was a free concert and a gathering of both runners and supporters.  Then on Wednesday another group took off from Des Moines to Grinnell for the next leg.

One of my managers is taking part in this and is going to be running her marathon on Sunday.  Her name is Ashley.  You can read  her story and why she is running by clicking here.  

Michael and I donated to this cause in memory of Michael's mother, Lila, who had breast cancer.   Ashley told us she put Lila's name on a ribbon she will wear in her hair when she runs on Sunday.  Just hearing that brought tears to my eyes.  She also has the names of other family members and friends of ours who have had cancer:  those who didn't survive, those who have beat it, and those who are still fighting.  

Ashley's goal is to raise $7,500.  If you are able to, would you please consider a donation?  Whatever you can do would be appreciated -  no donation is too small.  She still has a few spaces to write in names on her ribbons if you wish to donate in memory of or in honor of someone.  Just leave a comment in the comment box when you donate on her page, give her the first name and last initial, and the type of cancer that person had/has.  She will make room for as many as possible.  

Statistics show that 600,000 people will die of cancer in the next year.  That is staggering.  I know, statistics are so clinical and a number doesn't always sink in with me.  So instead think of how many people you know who have had cancer... then think of how many weren't able to win their fight, no matter how bravely they fought. 

Ashley isn't just running for those who have had cancer.  She runs for all of us.  None of us knows what our future holds.  But with people like Ashley out there doing the leg work for us, we all have a fighting chance.  

So while I am having a relaxing Sunday, Ashley will be running 26 miles through part of Illinois in the July heat,  but she won't  be running alone.  

In addition to a few other runners who will be joining her for those 26 miles, the names of those she has written on ribbons and tied in her hair will be running right along with her,  encouraging her, thanking her, and reminding  her every step of the way why she is doing this.

Compared to the fight many of our friends and family have waged against various forms of cancer and compared to Ashley's willingness to run 26 miles, a donation seems like such a small thing.  But with all of us pulling together our small gifts can become great ones.

Run Ashley, Run.

Mom, We Need A Timer!

We had our first block party of the season last week.  We love our neighbors.  It is so fun to get together and get caught up and I love seeing the kids and how they have grown over the winter.  With a bit of a rainy day and a smaller group  we decided to have it inside.  

Some of the kids here were Sam (6)  who is very serious at times and very grown up.  Jack (4) is just a riot.  He is a mini-me of his father and just cracks me up.  He has the funniest expressions.   Sam's sister Lilli (3) arrived later after dance class.  Lilli is 3 going on 16.  On a recent first trip to Jordan Creek Lilli walked in and declared in awe, "This place is BEAUUUUTIFUL!"  Lilli is going to give her parents a run for their money.

Lilli dug right into the toys when she got there (the ever famous school bus our grandkids love) and was finally pulled away to get a bite to eat.  Since the boys were here earlier and done eating they started playing with toys.  Once Lilli was done with her meal she returned to the toys and found her brother playing with the school bus she had wanted to play with.  A few of us "older" neighbors were in the living room with the kids and their parents were at the dining room table finishing their meal and visiting.  

Here's a little snippet that just tickled me:

Lilli: (hands on her leotarded hips) "Hey, I was going to play with that bus!"

Sam:  (obviously not new to this ignored his sister and played quietly)

Lilli:  " Sammmm, I was going to play with that!"

Jack:  (sensing that trouble was on the horizon) - looked up very seriously and urgently called to his mother, "Mom, we need a timer!!!"  (I wish I could type the inflection of his voice... it was hilarious.)

Lilli repeated her request and Jack again called for a timer, even more urgently.

I was laughing.  Jack was SO serious about this timer thing.  In fact he got up and went to his Mom and told her what was going on.  

I had to ask, "What is with the timer thing?"  She explained that they use one when Jack and his friend, Augie, (another neighbor) want to play with the same thing.  I discovered  a lot of our neighbors use a timer to help when it comes to sharing things.

I'm still laughing about this.  Lilli with her hands on her hips, Sam ignoring her and doing a wonderful job, and the look on Jack's face.  He was just SO serious and wanted to derail this situation ASAP.  

I love our neighborhood kids.

Girls Weekend

When we went to Duluth in the spring I saw a scrapbooking store advertised where you could go and scrap with friends for a weekend - a scrapping retreat!  I thought that sounded like fun.  Then I thought rather than travel to northern Minnesota, I'll have it at our house!!

A week ago was the first annual Girls Scrapping Weekend.  One of my bestest friends in the whole world, Linda, came for a scrapping weekend, as well as my daughter Liz.  Both arrived Friday night, well Liz actually arrived right after midnight Saturday morning.  Linda is like a second mom to my kids so it was fun to have the 3 of us together again.

Saturday we got the dining room ready and got all of our supplies out, put up another table to give us plenty of work room...and the scrapping began!

Liz started by making Green Bay Packer dog collar covers - a project she needed to finish up.  Linda worked on pages for her scrapbook, and I worked on greeting cards.  Soon Liz had switched to working on cards too. 

 

It was so much fun to sit, visit, be silly, and share ideas with one another. 

We took breaks just long enough to make a run for some scrapbooking supplies and to get a bite to eat. 

We had another friend, Angie, stop in to say hi and visit for a bit.  Nothing is better than getting friends together in one place. 

It was a relaxing, fun weekend filled with

friendship

giggles

trips down memory lane

lots of catching up

a little wine

and lots of love.

We are already planning to do it again next summer.

I can't wait!