good thoughts needed please

i had a totally different post in mind that i was going to write tonight. but by the day's end, i learned it was no longer relevant. what is relevant is that some of my friends are waiting on biopsy results. waiting on biopsy results is never a position you want to be in as a cancer patient. so tonight i am asking you to send out some good vibes/wishes/prayers/blessings - however you send your good karma out into the universe - for some positive biopsy results.

thank you.

trust me, they appreciate it.

i know.

weekender

sunday night. seriously? seems like i was just writing my post on friday night and here i am again.

my weekend included...
sleeping in + a great dentist appointment for malena (great = malena actually allowing her teeth to be cleaned this time, which is a little december miracle peeps) + jamba juice + picking out a christmas tree + my expert ornament hanger excitedly helping with the tree decorating + putting snowflakes on our windows + listening to my "mixed cds" from my sister while driving (and yes, i will admit it - some outloud singing in the car) + time catching up with some of my favorite ladies with good food and drinks + my first taste of chocolate peppermint bark of the year (can't wait for my homemade batch i will get in two weeks from my friend chris) + christmas lights + christmas art projects + finding a new stamp that i couldn't live without + house chores (wouldn't be a weekend without those right?) + training run + the elf that will be with us until christmas filling santa in on malena on a daily basis + the start of advent calendars + spring rolls with peanut sauce + work (which is of course the least fun thing on this entire list).

hope your weekend was a good one too, good luck with the start of the new week. xo.

thankful (twenty nine and thirty)

hello weekend, it is really - really - really good to see you. finally.

on the twenty-ninth and thirtieth days of this month, i am thankful for:

+++  the work day being over. i was thankful for this on both days.
+++ hanging out with my mom-in-law for our annual holiday girls night out - very fun (thanks jo!)
+++ matador fajitas, so good
+++ getting to sleep in a little bit on a friday day off (which wasn't entirely a day off unfortunately - reference the first thing i am thankful for)
+++ taking malena to preschool which equals morning time together and extra hugs and kisses to start the day
+++ kettle chips, new york cheddar flavor - good thing i only got a small bag, because today i easily could have taken down a large bag in no time
+++ did i mention being thankful for the work days being over?
+++ jeremy my hairsylist (aka my hair angel)
+++ good scan news for a friend's beloved mom (woohoo - we really love good scan results!!!)
+++  fun comments on the blog (lisa - so glad that you checked out the christmas store, isn't the little cabin o' christmas so fun? & kristy - love that we will be making the same type of ornaments this year & nerd - duh;))

it has been a fun thirty days noting all that i have to be thankful for, thanks for coming along on the ride with me. i am going to miss sharing these daily thankful lists with you.

have a good weekend peeps. mine looks like it will include a dentist checkup for malena (which she is less than thrilled about so i am sure that will be fun for all involved) + a trip to jamba juice (which will closely follow the dentist appointment if all goes well) + holiday decorating + girls time + some work (boo!!) + sleeping in + reisling (already underway) + training runs + card making.

bring it all on.

sidenotes:
+++ ali edwards put together a great gift list for memory keepers and i am of course drooling over some of the ideas (barrett - i know you are reading this. your wife would really love gift idea #5. consider this a strong christmas hint. please and thank you.)
+++  bloom is one of my most favorite books. ever. this list gives you some great ideas for the women in your life that you could give it to. genius.
+++ i got an awesome thank you card from my friend kadeena today who used this site to design and send them. i am totally going to try it. very cool.
+++ if you want a choice of ten great options for free christmas cards designs (all you have to do is insert your picture and get them printed), you need to go becky higgins free stuff link
+++ i could relate to this post by leigh (curly girl), there are often times i too wish i could be a human blanket for friends and family
+++ send me some good mojo for being selected for the design team i submitted for - announcement comes next week.

thankful (twenty eight)

yesterday i talked about an update on a melanoma warrior who did not got good news regarding her treatment. her mom posted this update today. please send good thoughts, they need them.

on this twenty-eighth day of the month, i am thankful for:

+++ my friend christina who turns a year older today, sending her good wishes for another healthy and happy year
+++ bruce springsteen for putting on a show in portland tonight for christina's birthday;)
+++ an unexpected break at work so that i could actually have five minutes to eat lunch
+++ having a chocolate gluten free muffin dropped off on my desk. yum.
+++ diet coke when i am dragging due to lack of sleep
+++ a friend getting good news
+++ getting some awesome music from my sister (again, she rocks)
+++ having my first christmas card of the year show up in my mailbox. every year, my first card is from my friend kris - a favorite holiday tradition of mine. in addition to loving the card because it is from one of my oldest friends, i love opening it because it signals the beginning of a lot of fun mail coming in december. you know how i feel about fun mail.
+++ girls night with malena
+++ dinner at "chicken robin" and playing games in the arcade. both of us trying multiple times to win a stuffed animal in the crane game, which i know no one ever wins. but boy did we have a good time trying.

happy thursday, one more day. we've got this.

sidenote:
+++ salted caramel brownies - enough said.
+++ perfect time to be reminded of the most important gift
+++ a holiday cocktail that looks pretty tasty
+++ easy chocolate fudge , mmmmmm......

thankful (twenty seven)

the last 24 hours was an interesting mix around here.

malena woke up at 2am having nightmares that a bee was on her pillow. she could not go back to sleep upstairs because she was so afraid the bee would come back. so her and barrett slept downstairs, but they didn't really get much sleep. i apparently caught the nightmare bug because i then had nightmares non-stop (not about bees, i wish that was my problem) until i dragged (literally) myself out of bed to go to work. this morning malena was really tired and had stomach problems so i stayed home with her.

while she was resting today, i was checking out some updates on blogs that i follow. a couple of them - melanoma related - shared sad news. a patient whose story i have been following received news yesterday that her treatment is not working. the chemo isn't working, and the melanoma is inoperable. hearing news like this is really hard for me, and honestly, my first instinct is always to stop reading because it is overwhelming. but, i don't. they deserve to have their stories heard, so i will listen. it is the reality of a world with melanoma. it always rocks me to my core, but really, not much about melanoma doesn't. i hope beyond hope that i see a day when there are no more melanoma stories to be share. with each day that passes, i hope it means we are one day closer to a cure.

so on this twenty-seventh day of the month, i am thankful for:
+++ all of the support within the melanoma community and the continual thoughts and prayers that get sent out on a daily basis, some of which have been for yours truly
+++ being able to stay home with malena when she doesn't feel well
+++ more hugs and kisses from malena today than i would have had if it had been a normal work day
+++ malena feeling better by days end
+++ naps
+++ cartoons
+++ malena's patience while i had to be on a couple of calls for work
+++ barrett making it home early enough for me to get a run in before it got too dark
+++ christmas lights keeping me company on my run, i think that the fall leaves made a deal with the lights so i wouldn't get lonely without them
+++ fajitas with yellow/red/orange peppers
+++ my sister helping me out with a little photo problem i created, she rocks (duh)
+++ a surprise package of very fun mail (thanks ann) and a super funny card (thanks kadeena)
+++ fun plans already being made for 2013

hello wednesday, you signal the half way mark, i love you for that.

sidenotes:
+++ a free holiday card that you can customize
+++ free "cup of cheer" download that would be fun to use at holiday parties
+++ you know i love this i know and you can get the book and a special note from susannah for the person you are giving the book to. awesome.
+++ good reminders in this holiday guide to living and giving
+++ spaghetti with kale and sundried tomatoes
+++ i am in love with this idea by kelly rae roberts for using plates as wall decor
+++ i love holiday gift guides like this one from rachel cole
+++ pulled pork tacos? yes, please. this recipe makes my mouth water.
+++ i think that these salt dough ornaments will be a project that malena and i do in the next couple of weeks

thankful (twenty six)

on this twenty sixth day of the month, i am thankful for:

+++ a gorgeous sunset out my office window
+++ cancelled meetings which allowed me to get some things crossed off my work "to do" list
+++ leftover fruit salad for lunch
+++ another day with my mom and dad, which i am thankful for everyday, but am reminded of especially today as a friend mourns the loss of her dad
+++ being able to choose a glass of wine off an ipad at a restaurant, how cool is that?

+++  a much needed catch up session with a good friend over dinner
+++ being better at math than my friend (haha!)

+++ making it home in time for stories and cuddling with malena at bedtime
+++ mom/dad-in-law who take good care of malena every monday and spend time taking her on fun adventures including swimming, frozen yogurt, and visits to the pet store to say hello to her animal friends

happy tuesday all - hope your monday was as good as mine.

thankful (catching up) + ormolu

i hope that you you all had a great thanksgiving, i definitely did - and now i am wondering where the four days off went? how it is already sunday night? i am not sure either but i am not liking it. i would like another four days off please, with sugar on top.

on this twenty fifth day of the month, i am thankful for:
+++ spending time at my parents house with my family eating turkey sandwiches (yearly tradition), laughing, watching apple cup, eating some more, laughing, eating....
+++ seeing malena play with her cousins, the three of them playing reminds me of how much i loved playing with my cousins when i was younger. i still have a ton of fun hanging out with them. i love to watch those little girls play and sing (they put on a the concert for us in the dining room saturday night and it was awesome/hilarious/super cute).
+++ girl time with my mom shopping local on saturday and getting a start on the christmas list
+++ being able to support local artists by going to the handmade etsy event late saturday when we got back into town. so many fabulous artists, it was really inspiring. i could hear my etsy shopping following me around saying "when are you going to have a booth here?" in addition to being inspired, i got some serious shopping done. of course, you know that i found a couple of things for myself that i could not live without;) the highlight was meeting kate endle, as you know from my posts about her work before, i am a big fan. it was great to meet her in person, and barrett was able to pick up an original piece for me for a christmas present (i promised to act really surprised when i open it). i am definitely putting that event on my must-do list for next year's holiday shopping. i love supporting local artists.
+++ blue moon burgers, we worked up an appetite after all of that shopping
+++ watching malena pretend to be a fairy, and watching her "fly" as she ran around the house and jumped into the air (hence the flying part) while she ran. so fun to watch.

+++ a 3 mile run this morning, thank you weather gods for taking it easy on us this weekend. the 5k is two weeks away. yikes! more training, more training, more training.
+++ a first - building a xylophone thanks to our kiwi crate project. we had a great time, and it was a ton of fun getting to watch her play (em - you are going to looooove having these kits come every month).

+++ chocolate covered pretzels, thanks mom!
+++ leftover turkey sandwiches, so good. my favorite part of thanksgiving.
+++ getting to use the gift certificate to curly girl that you all helped me win;)

remember a week or so ago when i told you that i was planning to submit for a design team? well, i did it today and am pretty excited about it. ormolu is accepting applications for a design team starting in 2013. i have loved her products for quite a while and am always excited to see the new products she creates. i promised myself that next year i would start submitting my cards to design teams and different card forums - you know, working my way towards that etsy shop. this seemed like the right opportunity to act on that promise i made to myself. i submitted three of my cards and they will announce the winners next week. fingers (and toes) crossed peeps. too bad that part of the application isn't having people from my blog let them know how much they love my cards. if that was the case, i am sure that you would seal the deal for me like you did with the curly girl design contest;) so i will keep my fingers and toes crossed and you do the same please. i would be so, so excited if i was picked, i think that it would a good sign for my luck in 2013 and we all know i could use it heading into january and scans. here are the three cards i submitted, you would pick me if you could, right? thanks, i thought that is what you would say.

i hope that you all have a great monday and a good start to the new week. this week ends in december. really? no clue how that has happened. just realized christmas is one month from today. hmmm....i don't think that little realization just helped my stress level;)