*DEAD* LBC Freebie of the Day

Get a free Command Green Wreath Hook for your holiday decorating. (while supplies last)

LINK

Loss

I'm feeling sad today. I just heard that a friend of mine in the Junior League is having to end her five-month pregnancy next week. The baby has rare chromosomal abnormalities that mean it probably won't survive the pregnancy. I am absolutely heartbroken for her. She has been so supportive of me and helpful with lots of advice.

I have been criticized for not acting more "excited" about my own pregnancy. I am excited! But I guess part of me is scared too. I just know that there are so many things that can go wrong. I think I'm just trying to protect myself. Every week is a new milestone and I feel a little more confident that things are going to be okay. But then I hear about my friend...

I wish I knew what to say or do to help my friend. I will send flowers today and hope that it will mean something to know that I am thinking about her and her family.

*UPDATE* I just heard that my dear friend Amy's father died. Don't these things come in threes?

Elf Yourself and Scrooge Yourself

I have to admit I almost peed my pants when I saw the finished products!

Here is my husband as Scrooge:

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And here are the two of us as elves:

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You must go try it! It's just too fun!!!!

Thankful for Movies

I hope you all had a lovely Thanksgiving! We had a good one. My husband cooked the turkey and stuffing and Mom and I did the rest of the side dishes. I think it turned out quite well.

On Thanksgiving evening, we left my husband and brother-in-law to watch football and went to see BEOWULF in 3D. I enjoyed it although seeing blood splatters in 3D doesn't really say "Thanksgiving" does it? My mom got the giggles over all the nudity. I guess it is pretty silly to see Beowulf fighting Grendel in the nude. But hey, maybe that's how heroes used to do it!

Gary took me to see "Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium" yesterday and it was utterly charming. I was surprised he wanted to see it but he really enjoyed it. In fact, in his true "grumpy man" fashion, he said, "That film is too good for kids!" It is, in fact, very sweet and doesn't talk down to its audience. And I was pleasantly surprised that there wasn't some unnecessary villain thrown in for no reason. Very cute.

I started knitting a Christmas present and I am reminded about what a slow knitter I am. Maybe I shouldn't have taken on such an ambitious project. I may have to find something smaller. But at least I'm knitting again.

LBC Holiday Giving Challenge

Hello Friends.

I have decided to do something different this year for the holidays. There is an organization that I really believe in called Heifer Project International. Heifer Project provides animals and the skills to care for them to people all over the world. These individuals then go on to share the first babies from their Heifer animals with community members. The program has been proven successful and really embodies the old saying "If you teach a [person] to fish, he/she will fish for a lifetime." I am trying to raise money for Heifer Project through my two blogs this year. I would like to raise enough money to buy a llama and some chicks. If you would like to help, follow the HEIFER PROJECT link in my sidebar or follow this link.

I feel so blessed this holiday season with my home, my family, my friends and my pregnancy that I have to share the wealth.

If you donate and leave me a comment that you did, I will enter your name in a drawing for a custom prize that I will send out in January. Any amount is welcome.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season!

Thanksgiving with Hoops and Yoyo

It is becoming a tradition in my family to watch this little Hoops and Yoyo sketch. I post it here in the hope that it will make you laugh.

Don't forget to wiggle your can (of craberry sauce) this Thanksgiving!

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Hope your Thanksgiving is full of family, friends and many blessings!

A Little Piece of Colorado

My friend Gary visited from Colorado this weekend. It was so great to see him and to have the chance to show him around. He is just the sweetest guy and one of the few creative/crafty men I know. We took him to wine country for a little wine tasting and headed to the coast yesterday for his VERY FIRST view of the ocean! It was really foggy but he still got to stand on a sandy beach and watch the waves crash. I hope he and his wife Erin will come back soon for a longer visit.

My mom arrives tomorrow for Thanksgiving and my brother-in-law will follow soon after. Since I am still feeling really sick and rundown (which could be related to my anemia), I will have to let my mom do the table-decorating this year. But she's better than I am at that anyway.

I'd love to hear about your Thanksgiving plans so drop me a comment if you get a chance. There are so many blessings in my life and I love Thanksgiving because it gets me focused on those blessings.

Thank for you for reading my little blog and sharing in my life. And thanks for letting me share in your blogs as well. Blessings to you all!

LBC Freebie of the Day

Get a free sample of Arm and Hammer toothpaste.

LINK

LBC Freebie of the Day

Get a free sample of Degree Deodorant for Men. These are especially great for airline carry-on bags!

LINK

Mixed Feelings

Hi Everyone! I made it back safely from my conference. It was a very productive weekend but the travelling was hard on me. I was really sick on Friday. But Saturday I felt good and went to the conference all day and dropped by Disneyland in the evening to see the holiday decorations. I adored the Nightmare Before Christmas version of the Haunted Mansion. Just wonderful!

I wanted to take a moment and respond to Daisy's comment on my "announcement" post. We tried for five months before getting pregnant. I honestly thought it would take longer. I have watched so many of my friends struggle with infertility and miscarriages. I entered into trying for a baby from a very pragmatic place. I didn't believe it would happen right away and I even convinced myself that I would probably have problems conceiving. For no particular reason. Gary and I took a very laid-back approach. When I realized that I was pregnant, you could have knocked me over with a feather. Since then, I have been worrying about miscarriage. Now that I am at twelve weeks and have heard the heartbeat, the chances of miscarriage are low but I still worry.

I also feel a sense of guilt that the process has been relatively easy for me while so many of my friends have struggled. I think to myself, "Why did I get so lucky? What right do I have to be so blessed?" But then, I just remind myself to be thankful. There will be other issues down the line for me. For example, I will not be able to be a stay-at-home mom. I probably won't even be able to work part-time. It is expensive to live here and our excellent insurance comes through my job so I have to keep working. That is going to be a real challenge for me. But I guess I just have to have faith that things will work out.

I'll keep you posted as things progress. In the meantime, I'm counting my blessings.

LBC Freebie of the Day

Get a free Hallmark Connections Holiday Card. Choose one of seven styles.

LINK

Off to Anaheim

I have been a member of the Junior League since 2002. Which is kind of hard for me to believe. Has it really been that long? Anyway, I have been a member of three different Leagues during this time period. The first two were very large. I worked really hard to be an active presence and to meet people but it is easy to get lost in the crowd. The League I belong to now is much smaller and I just love it. It is easy to get to know people and to be an active and visible participant. I was chosen as a delegate to go to the Association of Junior Leagues International (AJLI) Organizational Development Institute this weekend. It is a chance to get some hard-core training in lots of League areas and I can't wait. I would never have had this opportunity in a larger League. One of the things I most value about the Junior League are the training opportunities. I have learned so much as a volunteer.

The conference is going to be in Anaheim. I am going with three other women. I don't know them at all and I'm a little worried that they might not be very fun to go with. Plus, we are living at 3:45am tonight!!! That is going to be really tough for a nauseous pregnant woman like me. I can't wait to get to the conference, though. It ends fairly early each day so I am scheming about how I can go to Disneyland Saturday evening. Even if it is just to walk around and go in the Haunted Mansion I would be happy. (although I have been dying to try the new FINDING NEMO ride) I'll be gone until Sunday evening so I probably won't get to post for a few days. Anyway, I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and Veterans' Day. And send me good wished for a safe journey. I'll need them!

LBC Special Announcement

Guess what I did this morning?


I heard my baby's heartbeat! Yes it's true! I'm pregnant.


It has been a tough couple of months as I have fought fatigue and morning sickness. But it's all worth it.

This is my first baby and I couldn't be more excited. My current due date is May 29 which is right around my birthday. I can hardly wait.

California Fire Relief

If you know of anyone who lost their home in the California fires, please pass on this information:

Living Spaces furnitures stores are offering a free mattress set to people who lost their homes in the recent fires.

Find the info here.

Giving Christians a Bad Name

I'm hopping mad this morning. On my way to work I heard about this and nearly lost it. I have talked before about how frustrating it is to be a liberal Christian. How infuriating it is to have your religion appropriated by people who corrupt it for their own political means. How heartbreaking it is to have such a wonderful message distorted into something that is a source of hate and divisiveness. The very idea that "Christians" are tormenting the families of our fallen military dead in order to promote an anti-gay message is incomprehensible to me. How can anyone honestly think that is acceptable behavior? I wonder what would happen if people started protesting at all funerals of people connected to Westboro Baptist Church. To the members of that church, I have one thing to say: "SHAME ON YOU!" Even if you are not one of the graveside protestors, by allowing your fellow church members to engage in such un-Christian and shameful behavior makes you complicit. The families of these fallen military servicepeople have suffered enough. Take your hate agenda somewhere else! It has no place in Christianity.