Spring? Please?

I know this winter has seemed interminable to many people, and I am one of them! Spring Break was last week and the kids and I had plenty of fun with the beautiful weather. It was perfect! Of course, this week is rainy and now today it feels cold. Not that it actually is cold, it's just nowhere near as nice as it has been. (The picture above was taken last year by one of my daughters. Love the heart in the flower. :) )

I have been sick off and on for about a month (just different viruses, respiratory crud, etc.) and now my marathon training feels like I'm starting over. I'm getting out there, though. I have to get those miles in.

My sister-in-law was laid off. She hasn't had much luck in finding another job so far, so at the end of the month, that means I'm out of a job taking care of baby J. She just rolled over for the first time yesterday! Growing so fast, just like they always do. Depending on what my sister-in-law ends up doing, I may look for a part time job. :p Ugh. Maybe I can just do some odd jobs.



Baby J, swinging at the park last week. See the two mopey girls sitting in the swings in the background, facing this way? Those are my two oldest, thrilled to be at the playground. They're just too cool, I guess. My other two were running around and climbing everything. After they were played out, we walked around and looked at the little zoo. I had promised them ice cream when we were done, but the ice cream guys at the park had disappeared by then. So, I promised cones from Dairy Queen on the drive home. Well, Krispy Kreme was on the way, too . . . We ended up with donuts and ice cream, a rare treat. One of the kids exclaimed, "Donuts and ice cream? This is the best day EVER!"


Here's your reminder to give the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society if you can. I'm almost halfway to my goal, and I could really use your help! Every little bit helps, just like stacking those miles up. The first step is the most important, just getting out there, giving what you can. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

Let me know if you have any ideas to help raise more funds. :) I'll take all the help I can get.

Gimme 5!

As you probably know, I'm running a marathon to raise money for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It's my first one, and I could use some help! So I am asking you to Gimme 5!

1. Gimme 5 minutes of your time - go to my website at http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter, and read about what I'm doing.

2. Gimme 5 bucks - just donate online: five dollars for a great cause - and if you want to donate more, fantastic!

3. Gimme 5 friends - send this to five friends and help spread the word!

4. 5 is the number of years that some blood cancer patients have to stay in remission in order to be considered cured.

5. Every 5 minutes someone new is diagnosed with a blood cancer - money for research is desperately needed - so PLEASE donate now.

Thanks so much for your help! I couldn't do this without you!

Lara
http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

p.s. The picture above is my dad, my grandma (who died of Leukemia shortly after this picture was taken), my mom, my brother, and me (the baby.)

E's birthday cake. Isn't it cute? Her birthday was January 6, but when I was looking for pictures to put in this post, I couldn't resist. I made it using a funny cake pan. That's a luncheon plate it's sitting on, so that's a lot of cupcake! It takes 1 1/2 cake mixes. We made mini cupcakes with the other 1/2 a mix.



Here are a couple other things I made in January. Bella's Mittens and Rose's Wristwarmers. They were both fun and fast. I made them for a friend and I'm happy to report that she loves them! I'm going to make another pair of the Bella's Mittens for use at our house. I expect all of us girls will use them at times.

I'm still running and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Last week was tough with a lot of sickness going around our house. It's hard to run when you get queasy, so I took it easy and got back out there yesterday, feeling good. Everyone is finally at school and work today for the first time in a week, so that's nice!

I'm thinking about having a giveaway here on my blog for people who donate and mention in the note section that they would like to be entered. What do you think? What would you like to win?

Great story at the Toy Society blog!

The Toy Society is a blog where people make toys and drop them in public places around the world to be found. The post on there today really touched my heart. It amazes me how often these toys seem to find just the right caretaker, but this one is extra special.

http://thetoysociety.blogspot.com/2009/02/found-drop-120.html
It begins . . .
"I am currently living at Ronald McDonald House Westmead whilst my 2 year old son has Chemotherapy to treat his Luekeamia. We live in Bellingen NSW and found out about Alex's cancer 3 days before Christmas. Since then there hasnt been alot to smile about."

Please click over and read the whole story if you want to feel uplifted today.

It really helped me. It's been a tough week with people in my house (including me) feeling yucky, and my marathon training has been really hard to get in, and hearing a story about a little boy who is one of the people I'm trying to help with my fundraising really made my day. If you can spare anything at all, please consider donating to The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society so we can help more children like this sweet boy. http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter

Fun at Wal Mart

So, I don't like going to Wal Mart. Hate it, in fact. Avoid it if at all possible. Yet, somehow the last two weeks, I've ended up going there about 10:30 at night on a Friday for things I had to have before I got up the next morning at 5:30. (Have I mentioned that training for a marathon makes you get up much earlier than you would ever consider doing otherwise? Well, it's done that for me anyway.)

So I'm standing in line to check out, because there's always a line at least three people deep, of course. (One reason to avoid Wal Mart.) Now, who can resist peeking at the items your fellow nighttime shopper is purchasing? I'm boring. The first time, I had a ream of paper and a giant box of envelopes (to print fund raising letters for said marathon.) The second time, I had a clock radio (helpful for getting up at 5:30 when your old one has become possessed and won't turn off) and a couple running shirts that were on clearance. What did my fellow shoppers have? The first time, it was condoms, personal hygiene wipes, and ice cream. Sounds like she's having a fun Friday night, right? The second time, it was a pregnancy test. I'm pretty sure it was a different woman, probably not having as much fun.

If I went back there tomorrow night, do you think the person behind me would be buying diapers?

Helloooooo! (hellooo, helloo)

Hi, out there in blogland! I've been a bit absent, huh?

I haven't been knitting all that much (which is odd.) I have been stitching some (which is a little odd, too.) But mostly, I've been running, watching my niece, and going to bed earlier than I used to.

Speaking of running, I'm going to be running a marathon and raising money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The following is my fundraising plea. :)



Dear family and friends,

I have lost my marbles, and I’m going to run 26.2 miles around San Diego to find them! May 31st, 2009 my sister Keri and I, along with other Team in Training members, will be running the Rock n’ Roll Marathon in San Diego, California. This will be my first marathon, a huge undertaking, and I need your support to accomplish my goals.

I’m not going to make you run with me, but you can still help. Team in Training (TNT) supports the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS) in finding a cure for blood cancers. I have a goal of raising $4,100 for LLS. I am running in honor of a 10-year-old boy named Michael. He’s battling Hodgkins Lymphoma, and I would love nothing more than for him to have many more years of picking on his younger sister, just as I have with Keri.

My father lost both of his parents to Leukemia. I never met my Grandpa Engle, and I don’t remember my Grandma Engle. She died when I was only 4 months old. Dad ran marathons in his youth; Keri and I want to make him proud and memorialize his parents.

I know times are tough, but families dealing with blood cancers have to be tough. 75% of all funds raised goes directly to research and patient services. Please make checks payable to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and e-mail me at bzzlarabzz@gmail.com for information on where to send it, or contribute online at my TNT site http://pages.teamintraining.org/ks/rnr09/lteter by March 1st. I can accept donations later than that date, but the earlier the better so I can better reach my goal! Remember your donation is 100% tax deductible, so please give generously to LLS, so we can all make it to the finish line.

Thank you for your support,


Lara

p.s. Please pass this along to anyone who you know that might want to help find a cure! Thanks, again.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year, everyone!

I know I've been a neglectful blogger. I can't promise that it's going to get any better. I just don't have a lot of patience for this dinosaur of a computer, and buying a new computer isn't very high on the list of priorities. I'm thinking about getting one of those tiny laptops, though. Maybe in the next few months.

Meanwhile, enjoy some pictures of the Christmas knitting from this year. We had a merry Christmas. Busy, as always. With a big family, that's what we expect and enjoy.


I made hats for my two nephews and my niece. As you can see the nephews (who are at the running around stage of life) wouldn't sit still for pictures, so my brother (the nephews' dad) modeled the fish hat I made for T1 (who is 3 years old) and the couch modeled the Ganomy Hat I made for T2 (who is 1 1/2.) They also shared the news that they are having a baby girl in May, so there will be a T3! :) Everyone is excited. They just bought a house and are in the process of moving in. Fun!




J was kind enough to model her hat for me. Isn't she compliant? Hee. She's such a good baby. She's even being kind enough to bop around in her bouncy seat while I write this blog post. She spends her weekdays with me, so we get to have lots of fun. She's not mobile yet, being only 2 months old, but she's strong! She's going to be a go-getter. She's already growing so fast.


My oldest daughter, E, turned 14 yesterday. It's impossible! She's a good kid, though. I have hope she will grow up to be a good, strong woman. It's hard to believe she's so close to grown. We're having four of her friends over Saturday evening for pizza, popcorn and movies, so wish me strength! Heh. I said no to the sleepover. I don't know if I'm a strong enough woman for that! lol. I remember my sleepovers at that age with that many girls and it was always a drama-fest. Fewer, no problem, but not that many at once.

Catch you next time! Don't make too many New Year's resolutions, unless they mean you have more joy in your life as a result.