kicking ass and taking names (aka a card giveaway!!) + the rules of inheritance

"when i say be creative i don't mean you should all

go and become great painters and great poets.

i simply mean let your life be a painting, let your life be a poem."

(osho)

i was emailing with my friend emily last night about making cards, and how we both wish that we got a chance to make cards more often. (hi em!) i haven't got a chance to make as many cards lately as i would like to, i seriously need to get my card mojo back in a big way. so i decided it is time for another card giveaway, the perfect way to craft up some cards and get back in the game.

as i was thinking about it today, i knew exactly which stamp i would use on this round of giveaway cards. this one. i figured that it was a good one to focus on the week before scans. right? right. i figured that if cancer knew i had "kicking ass and taking names" on my mind  it will stay the hell away from me next week. let's all hope that i have figured this out correctly;)

so leave a comment on the blog by 5pm friday and you will be entered in the giveaway. i will use the number wizard doodad to pick the winner. you will get 5 of my handmade cards that somehow incorporate that awesome stamp. you will also get 5 envelopes that already have postage stamps on them so they will be ready for you to use right away. how cool is that? yes, very cool.

today i was talking with my friend ellie (hi ellie!) about a book that i have been totally curious about reading, the rules of inheritance by claire bidwell. i have heard awesome things about this book, and i can tell that she is pretty awesome by following her pics on instagram, reading her blog as well as all of the kind things others say about her. her parents both died from cancer when she was young, and for obvious reasons, i have thought that it might not be a good book for me to read now - or maybe ever. i felt like it might break my heart more than it already is. but after talking about it with ellie today, i decided that the brave thing to do would be to download the book and give it a try. if i can't handle it, i can't handle it. but maybe it will give me some peace, bring me some hope, or make me less fearful. i can only know that by trying. so i downloaded the book tonight, and took a couple of deep breaths while it was syncing to my kindle. i will start it tomorrow. wish me luck that it was a good decision.

chaser had a lot of therapy today and some positive points throughout the day, here are the updates from his day:
+++ "Great day here at Gillette's after the rocky road Chaser put mom and dad through last night, he had a smooth day filled with positive vibes. Chase showed his fighting spirit all day, starting with OT & PT. During these sessions he shared multiple facial expressions and continued to flex some of his swallowing muscles. In Speech therapy he filled the quiet room with lots of and moans and groans and to moms surprise, he belted out a loud sigh, that brought tears to her eyes. For a breif second, this nightmare became a familiar, happy moment. Chaser got to taste some chocolate pudding, and another lick of the blue dumdum sucker that turned his lips and mouth the same blue as it has in the past. Judging by his facial expressions, chase too may remember how good these suckers are. In another therapy session, Chaser was exposed to several different scents and spices- garic, oregano, lemon, strawberry........ Of all the scents, lemon brought the most obvious reaction- his nostrils flaired, he salivated, and he seemed to try and swallow! I am going to have to get the therapist to incorporate bacon into the mix that is sure to get him rev'd up! After therapy he went back to the radiology dept for another Chest X-ray-and to be honest, we are not sure why, but will find out tomorrow during our meeting with the doctors in the afternoon. To help aid in controlling his muscle tone, Chase was given botox injections in his calves. These will help a portion of the leg and feet muscle nerves from firing and soften his tone so we can put casts on his feet in a couple days. Mom joked about hanging out at the end of the bed incase the Dr slipped and accidentally shot some near her "crows-toes". The kids came up with Gramma Judy after school to visit, and mom and i took them home to have a night together in the house. As we were leaving, Gramma Dawn and Gramp Glenn made a surprise appearence at the hospital. Chaser is definately in good hands tonight. Chase and I will be tackling therapy together tomorrow, as mom gets a much needed day off. I am looking forward to seeing my little dudes fighting spirit, and pray i can witness a day as exciting as the one mom did today."
+++ "Good Morning, Chaser decided last night that he wanted get mom, dad and the nursing staff adrenaline going last night- we had 3 spells where his heart dropped way, way down, and we had to shake him to get him alert so that it would get back up again. It was obviously a negative reaction to one of the meds we gave him, and weither or not it was the med, or the dosage, i am hoping the Dr figures it out. Chaser has a full day of Therapy to day, and I pray he has a good one. I am off to work, and mom and Chases work starts at 9am. I hope you all have a good day."

happy wednesday peeps, we are halfway to friday.

sidenotes: (i have missed these, have you? will try to get back in the groove)
+++ i totally laughed when i read the quote on this free download for making bookmarks
+++ i am a big believer in people's stories, and that sharing them matters. will's story is one that deserves to be shared.
+++ how cute (and easy) are these button cookies? i know, so cute.
+++ if anyone is looking for a recipe for superfood candy cups, you should check out this recipe (thanks erin for sharing;))
+++ i thought this post "dear mom on the iphone, i get it" was so, so good. i don't think that i will look at moms (or other adults) on iphones when they around kids in the same way.