Kickin' Cancer's Bottom

September is Childhood Cancer Awareness Month; an irony not missed on our family as we prayed for  our friend Cole this week.  Sadly, Cole's family is not the only we know that has been touched by childhood cancer.  A dear friend lost her daughter five years ago to cancer. There are way too many families that can call that their "story."

Miss A's school in honor of CCAM was collecting "coins for cancer" all week and lets just say what was once a full jar of change is now nearly empty.  On Monday, Miss A said she had to take some coins to school for Cole.  Tuesday, she wanted to bring change in honor of Brooke, and the rest of the week it was all those little boys and girls at her favorite children's hospital.

Friday afternoon as a way to celebrate the great coin drive, the entire school walked to the nearby neighborhood park.  I had wanted to go just to take a few photos, but at Miss A's urging I walked with the kids and it was so worth it.  While I might have had on flip flop sandals, carrying a huge purse and camera, it was as if my burden was nothing in comparison to the families that are walking the road of childhood cancer.

Plus, I got to hold hands with my favorite first grader and a few of her little friends.  What a perfect way to end a week that had been a hard one on my heart.  It was aweaome to see these healthy fun loving kids honoring those who for now could not walk beside them.  They were in essence walking and raising money so that in the months and years ahead none of their classmates would be laying in a hospital instead of running the sidewalk.

Of course there were complaints about how "long" and "far" the walk to the park was and how difficult it was to walk the entire way.   Miss A even said I sure hope this cures Cole's Cancer as this has been a very long and tiring walk!  To pass the time, we decided to march and sing.

• "Hut two three four, kick cancer out the door"
• "Hut two three four, no more cancer anymore"
• "Hut two three four, no cancer here no more"

Of course the funniest was from a little girl who said she couldn't keep walking, it was too hot, too far and she was so very thirsty.  "Hut two three four, I can't take this anymore!"

While September might be over now, we'll be praying that all those effected by childhood cancer will feel our prayers and love all year through.

Be Strong and Courageous

Life can be hard and it can break your heart to hear of friends going through challenges that rock their world.  On Saturday, good friends were shocked to hear that their eleven year old son had Leukemia.  While his prognosis is excellent, it will be a long road back to health and my heart breaks for the fact that in an instant their lives have forever been changed.

Yet through it all, they are pressing forward relying on their faith and have adopted a family motto for the battle ahead; Be Strong and Courageous.
In my CBS (Community Bible Study) class, we've been studying Joshua and in the first chapter alone, God commands Joshua to "be strong and courageous" three times.  When God says something that many times, He means it.  Our Bible memory verse for last week was Joshua 1:9 
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go."

This is the perfect verse for Cole's family as they walk through this storm in the months ahead. Not only are they not to be discouraged or terrified, they are to be confident that God is right there in the midst of it, at their side, feeling their fear, hearing their prayers, and bringing them comfort. 

I'm confident that the story this family will have to share on the other side of this storm will bring God great glory, it will be one of God's constant presence and peace.  He alone will see them through and He will never leave them or forsake them.

Be Strong and Courageous Cole.  I can't wait to hear how God is using this young man in the years ahead to do mighty things, just like Joshua!
I love this song by Matthew West "Strong Enough" and I think it's a great reminder to that God will give us the strength and courage to face the challenge He sets before us.  We don't have to be the strong one as Christ will be our strength when we are weak. 

We'll be praying for you everyday.

Funny Things I've Heard or Dreamed Lately!

Mr C is playing in his first JV Reserve football game tonight.  It's an away game which means he's traveling by bus to the school.  Due to scheduling, neither my husband or I are able to go.  It's dance night for M , I have a meeting to get a kindergarten Daisy troop started (praying someone will step up to be the leader), and P is traveling until this evening. 

I told C I felt bad no one would be there to cheer him on and he said it was no big deal as he doesn't think he'll see any playing time.  It's JV not freshman so it's a tougher team and rougher play.  I was feeling bad the other night about this enough so that it invaded my dreams.  I had a dream that C broke his ankle and had to go by helicopter to the hospital.  I rushed to meet him at the emergency room, but Mr C would not talk to me. He was too mad that I had missed his game.

When I told Mr. C about my dream his only question, "what was I doing when I got hurt, was it a good play?" Seriously! 

I  told him I had no idea and I was more worried about the ankle bone.  Plus, in my dream, I had to rush from the hospital to a meeting at the Jr High about a field trip to Spain.  Mr C was going to be a chaperone on the trip (his one year of Spanish had obviously paid off) and I was concerned he wasn't fluent enough.  The teacher who responded to me in French said it was OK since everyone spoke English there anyhow.  When I asked my husband why the Spanish teacher was speaking French, he said it was because she was from Switzerland.

Can you tell Mr C had been reviewing European Capitals and Spanish vocabulary before going to bed?  I love crazy dreams.

Miss M when she heard about these crazy dreams of course claimed it was unfair that C would get to go to Spain, she never went anywhere!  Lets remember it was a dream. 

Finally I must tell on Miss A and how sweet and innocent seven year old are.  I just love this age so much.  A student at Mr C's school was expelled and while we had talked in hushed tones about the reason, she obviously had picked up the "reason." She told me the other day that she hopes that C's school doesn't find out that he uses Nasonex for his allergies.  She'd hate for him to be kicked out too!

Really, I could not make this stuff up. Sadly, it looks like I've been the fodder for more and more of these crazy moments of late. Must be my fall allergies causing my brain to misfire, or the lack of sleep.  Certainly couldn't be my norm.

Nah.

Fall Crafting and Craziness is in the Air

I'm so behind in my blogging lately. I'd love to say it's because I've been on an exotic vacation or secluded away somewhere writing a book, but reality is that September gets me every year.  Without a doubt, it's the most hectic time of the year for our family.  Every event is up and running and between Open Houses at schools, athletic games, and meetings for scouts and Bible studies, we are never home.  Last week, there was one evening in which we had six events from three in the afternoon until eight thirty at night with only two drivers and three children.  We had to make a spreadsheet to figure out who went where with who!

Of course, I say every September that it's going to get better, but then again it comes around and hits me like a ton a brinks.  Add to the picture the fact that with Mr. C playing football, he's not home until six fifteen most nights and twice a week we have events starting at that exact same time.  Can you say dinner in shifts?  Last Friday night, we were finally home together for dinner at the same time so I made homemade Chicken and Dumplings courtesy of Boomama and they were "slap your momma" good as she would say!  Everyone loved them!

In addition to cleaning out closets and rearranging drawers of late, I've gotten the crafting bug and have been itching to make a few new things for myself and for gifts. I'm desperate to make a new wreath for my front door and have some great "fall" fabrics that I think will really pop.  After a trip to my favorite knitting shop, I also have some fabulous yarn to make a gift that for a special event this winter.  Yeah!

While I've yet to get very far with either of the craft items yet, it brings me great joy to know that they are standing ready for me to dig in.  I have deadlines in my mind for both so if I don't want to pull all nighters, I better get started.

Before I start feeling sorry for myself, I should say that while my calendar has been crazy busy lately I've also been able to have a few "fun dates" with my husband, my father, and friends.  P and I snuck out one day to see the movie "The Help" and loved every minute of our matinee.  My dad and I had a walk down memory lane at one of my grandfather's favorite burger joints that "fly boys" frequent and loved remembering how much he enjoyed this hole in the wall that has now become a fabulous family diner.  Just wish my grandpa could have been there to shared the fries with us.

I've also been able to grab a few fun lunch dates/coffee dates with friends and have really enjoyed some sweet fellowship and fun shopping trips.  Next week it's lunch out with my mom, maybe even a little "shopping" on the side.  Girl time is so worth it!

I'll never complain about the newness of September and the start of my mom's Bible study groups. This sweet time with other women studying God's word makes all the crazy hectic days of the month worth the chaos.

Fall Festival: Girls Have Fun While the Boys Work

Mr C's school has an annual Fall Festival complete with games, rides, and a fantastic Cake Tent filled with all type of goodies.  If you ask C why he choose to come to the school, he might admit it's because last year he won a cake in the "cake walk."  As "parents," this year we were asked to bring six "cakes" or baked goods.  I brought six pans of Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls.  They not only are delicious, but are really the only baking I know how to do.

I was thrilled to see they had the rolls marked for fifteen dollars a pan and within the first hour had already sold one pan.  While we were in the tent (for about ten minutes), two separate buyers also scored a pan once they saw the note saying it was PW's recipe.

P and Mr C were signed up to work the Enchilada booth, but they refused to allow me to photograph them dishing up the Mexican goodness.  According to P, they are going to volunteer for this booth again next year.  It's the nicest couple who run the place and the enchiladas are to die for.  I really wanted a picture to capture the moment, but I'm trying hard to let Mr C be and not embarrass him with my photos.

While it was a little chilly in the early afternoon, it was perfect for a Hay Rack Ride around the property and the girls I loved seeing the school grounds, the horse barn, meadow, and back to the football field.  I loved that the hay rack ride was without any "hay" which was perfect for our sensitive allergies.  Mr C's campus is beautiful and the view they have of the prairie from the edge of the property is remarkable.

The girls also got a chance to go on a short horseback ride.  There are a number of horses on campus and it was fun for the girls to get a chance to ride.  I'm thinking maybe later this fall we can volunteer to take some apples to the horses and see them up close at the barn.

I can see why Fall Festival is a yearly tradition for so many families.  We were there for such a short time this year do to the other "activities," but next year we'll block out the day for some fun family fall traditions.

His "Signature Look" for Fall 2011

This is not normally a fashion blog nor am I a fashionista, but for today I'm going cutting edge and debuting Mr C's fall fashion "must have."  After an exhaustive search or at least an afternoon of shopping for fall clothing, Mr C has decided on his favorite style for fall or as he calls it his "Signature Style."

His go to look this fall is the sweater vest with a bow tie. Perfect.  Not only will it fit the dress code which is a tie with a collared long sleeve shirt, it will allow him to show a little personality. Plus, as a child of the 80's myself, I must admit I swoon for the idea of having a preppy looking son.  Looks like all those hours of reading the plaid Preppy Handbook paid off!

Mr C and I had a fun afternoon of shopping on Friday as it appears that since the last time he wore long pants (it's shorts and golf shirts until October 1st), he's grown another few inches. Either that or the "laundry fairy" has been shrinking all his pants.  Good thing the mom waited until it was almost pant season before buying all the clothes for school.  Thankfully, he now has some dress pants and khakis along with two fabulous Bow Ties to wear.  We even scored a purple stripped dress shirt which according to Mr C, makes the black vest and black bow tie rockin.

Mr C's sisters would like to point out that not only does he really look swell in his "signature look," he's less likely to spill his lunch on a bow tie than a regular tie. I'm not sure I agree.  The bow tie is very close to his mouth!

Out of My Element: They Don't Speak My Language

I'm come to understand that I don't speak everyone's  language.  At least not the people I've had to talk to the last few days.  I've seen the blank stares, the shaking heads and the looks of wonder as I've asked questions or sought help in places outside my element. In many ways, they have talked a different language than me and their surroundings are not familiar. I've felt like a foreigner as I've looked around their "homes" and it's made me nervous.

Most of the time I seem to hang around people who speak my same language whose experience is similar to my own and who have "homes" that I feel very comfortable walking into and being a part of.

Not so much the people I've visited lately.

The lawn and garden worker at Lowe's looked at me as if I speaking a different language when I asked him if they carried that "thing" that makes the weed whacker actually whack the weeds.  He looked even more confused when I confessed that my lawn mower had just stopped working and that I thought it might have something to do with the oil that spewed out the week prior when I hit the oil cap on the house.  Maybe he had something to get it started again.

He looked at me as if I was talking gibberish when I asked how would I know how much oil to put in the thing and if I needed to mix it with anything or just pour away. He even tried to scare me to death (the tactic of those in charge) saying I might have blown up the engine. 

A few days later, I returned (mower works fine, thank you very much) to get the "do hickey" for the edger.  According to P, it was no longer edging and he needed a new blade. I went armed with the right words thanks to my husband, but two separate stores had nothing for me.  They recommended I go the the source, the Dewalt store, which of course is not open on the weekend.

So yesterday, I ventured to the store for all things Black and Decker and upon opening the door realized that I was in way over my head.  There were blades and knives and weaponry of all forms and all packaged in little boxes labeled with foreign words.  Thankfully, a kind soul who looked like he lived in the land came out and asked if I needed help. I handed over the old dead blade and asked him to replace it and quickly as I needed to get back home.  He chuckled and said this was the saddest, smallest, and most pathetic looking edger blade ever.  Then he went into the backroom and and came out a new one.

Then I asked him if he sold Sawzaw blades too.  It was not like I had any idea what I was asking for, but  I was just repeating the words P had given me.  We needed to replace some blades after the Eagle Scout project

Mr Tool then asked a whole bunch of questions about what I would be needing the blades for; metal, wood, cutting up people, etc. At least I think that's what he said.  I had that blank stare that happens when you have no concept what the person is talking about. So, I called my husband and asked him to translate. Minutes (maybe hours) later when I walked out of the store with blades and more blades in my hand, I called my husband back and shockingly he didn't answer. 

I left a long message about the fact that I refused to go to anymore of these places where they don't speak my language. I'd rather hang out a fabric store or a knitting shop. I get those people.  I might not understand everything they say in one of those shops, but I get them.  They get me. 

As P would later tell me it's like I speak Ebonics in the Knitting Shop.  Not quite the proper English, but close enough.