Hope, Faith and Charlie

One of the books I read last month was Hope, Faith and Charlie: An inspirational journey of a child's courageous battle with cancer, his family's fight to save his life, and the blessings that happened along the way.  The author, Dierdre Carey had contacted me and sent me a complimentary copy of the book to read.  Her initial email brought tears to my eyes.  Imagine having two young sons and so much hope for your growing family and then finding out that your baby has a huge brain tumor, a very rare form of cancer.  As a mom, I know it was hard enough when my babies didn't feel good, but compared to the 21 months of chemotherapy and 11 operations Charlie had to go through, that was nothing.

I agreed to read Deirdre's book, but then once it arrived I put it off for a while.  I thought it would be hard to read, and in a way it was, because it's hard to see anyone go through what this family did.  Once I actually sat down and started reading, I had a hard time putting it down.  I fell in love with Charlie, which is pretty much the story of Charlie's life - everyone falls in love with him.  I found myself crying, as I thought I would, but not necessarily in the places I expected.  I found myself laughing out loud, cheering for Dierdre when she stood up to the nurses and doctors who needed put in their places, and marveling at the faith and love this family showed throughout the entire ordeal.

Thankfully, miracles do still happen because Charlie made it through his battle with cancer, meeting many new people and changing lives along the way, and he's now 10 years old.  With this book, Dierdre Carey hopes to renew people's faith and belief in miracles, and I think the book does just that.

You can buy the book at hopefaithandcharlie.com or on Amazon.

Camera Critters (#95)

 
I heard they did a study recently to see what cats do with their time.  They put cameras on their collars to record what they did all day.  I’m not sure I believe the results of that study, because it said that just six percent of the cats’ hours were spent sleeping.  I’m thinking the results would have been completely different if they’d studied the cats in my house.

Sure, there’s some looking out windows, interacting with one another, climbing on stuff and getting in trouble, and of course eating, but there is an awful lot of sleeping.  Seems like a lot more than 6% of their time.

Camera Critters is a fun weekend meme hosted by Misty Dawn.Visit the Camera Critters headquarters and join in.

Looking at the Sky on Friday - 43

I’m so glad there’s a meme like Looking at the Sky on Friday, because it means all the time I spend looking at the sky, and taking pictures of it, has a purpose! Click the badge for more info.

I opened the back door this morning to take a picture of the moon – even though it was below freezing out there.  Sometimes you just have to sacrifice, right?  I think I’ll survive, though and won’t have to look at insurance advertising to be sure I’m covered.

I wish I could figure out how to get the detail on the moon as well as the hazy little clouds around it, instead of just a white circle with a little haze.

Any suggestions?

If you enjoy skies as much as I do, be sure to check out Looking at the Sky on Friday.

Back to Work

Since Beth is back home, she went looking for a new job.  She was wanting to find something a little closer to home to save on time and gas money.  She put in several applications but hasn't heard from any of the places, so she went last week to fill out her paperwork so she could go back to Marshall's.  They put her to work right away that day, and she's worked practically every day since.  So it's good, she's getting a lot of hours.  She's also working a lot earlier than she has before - 7am, so she's up and out of the house by 6:30, and the kids are having to share the bathroom in the mornings again.  They haven't had to do that since first semester last year when Beth was still in school, and then they didn't have to leave the house until 7:30 or so.

Hopefully they will realize how much they missed her at Marshall's while she was gone, and she'll feel more appreciated there now that she's back.  Whatever her faults may be, she is definitely a good worker, and they're lucky to have her.  She knows how to do anything that needs done in that store and can fill in anywhere.  She may not want to work in retail forever, but she is good at what she does - and she's really good at getting people to sign up for those TJX Rewards cards.  Must be that cute smile and those brown eyes - and her math skills, too.  Not that it takes a lot of math to figure out how much a customer can save on that first purchase - 10% - but some of the cashiers can't even figure that out. 

Anyway, here's hoping the Marshall's experience is more positive than in the past, and we won't have to hear too much whining.

$50 Unlimited Plan with Boost Mobile and the Sanyo Incognito

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Boost Mobile. All opinions are 100% mine.

I know all the hype the last couple of days is about that new product some fruity company unveiled, but I don't think I'll be getting one of those any time soon.  They do look cool with all the things they can do, but it's not really something I can justify right now.  Now, this new SANYO Incognito, maybe.  I mean, after all, everyone needs a cell phone, right?  There's even a government program that offers to provide people with one for free - as if they are a necessity. But, of course, that's beside the point.

Cell phones are really nice to have, and convenient.  Add all the great features this phone has, and you've really got something.  The SANYO Incognito™ SCP6760 has a 2MP camera with VGA camcorder, a music and video player, and enhanced web browsing.  It even has a full QWERTY keyboard, making it easy to send text messages and keep up with all your social networks and web browsing.  It also includes Multi-Media messaging (Picture & Video), is Stereo Bluetooth® Capable & GPS Enabled. With the $50 Monthly Unlimited Plan from Boost Mobile, you never have to worry about going over your minutes, texts, or internet bandwidth, and there are never any roaming charges because it's nationwide.  Even better, there's no contract, and no commitment.

The phone (with all this should we really still call it a phone?) sells for $129.99 (excluding taxes) with free shipping.  And, it fits in your pocket, unlike that other thing, you know the one I mean.

Get Free Stuff

I saw this on Jenn's blog, and since she mentioned getting all kinds of free stuff, I had to check it out.  It's called Shop4Freebies, and every day they have a list of free samples and things you can sign up for.  I signed up for their daily email so I don't forget to go check to see what's available.  Jenn says she's gotten quite a few things, but I just started requesting things, so I'm still waiting.  It will be fun when the mailbox starts filling up with free stuff.

I also signed up for a site called Smile.ly because Misty invited me.  It looks like it should be fun.  They're supposed to send us things to try and then we get to share on sites like facebook and twitter.  For doing that we're supposed to earn smiles, as well as for referring our friends - so if you click my link and sign up it will make me happier, or at least give me more smiles.  I'm not exactly sure how the whole smile system is supposed to work, but it sounds rather happy, and of course there's the FREE STUFF.  I just can't resist that free stuff!

Another One Fixed

Jeffrey took his car in Monday to get the damage on the side fixed.  Again, I didn't see the damage.  Why do I not go out and look?  I don't know.  I really was going to, but I didn't think about it until after he had left on Monday.  Oh well, it's all fixed now.  He took it to the auto body shop montclair (in Delafield, actually) and they did what they do and got it looking like new.

Honestly I'm beginning to wonder if this car of Jeffrey's isn't some kind of magnet for problems.  Some lady hit him, part of a tree fell on the trunk, and now this ice chunk or whatever it was tossed at him by a school bus.  I guess I should just be thankful that nothing has been too serious - just irritating.  Luckily we haven't had any problems with the insurance, either.  You hear horror stories, but ours has been great.  Taking a car into the body shop isn't cheap, either.  I'm really thankful we only have to pay the $100 deductible.  However nice they are and quick to pay, I'm hoping we don't have to call them again for a long time.  Hopefully Jeffrey's car has it all out of its system and will stay out of trouble from now on.

Still Walking

I started walking in the mornings way back when Cory was a baby.  He's now 17, and I've been walking for almost 17 years.  (I started in the Spring before he turned 1)  That is a lot of miles!  I really never kept track of the miles, just walked about 2 miles every weekday morning, weather permitting.  I did try keeping track of my miles in the last year or so, mainly to see how long a pair of shoes lasts.  Sometimes it seems like they wear out so fast, but when I actually log the miles I find that they are doing just what they're supposed to.

Starting last April, I started faithfully logging my miles at BeeWellforLife (it was BeeWell Miles then)  Between April 1st and October 31st, every mile equaled a 15¢ donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength.  This year, instead of waiting until April to start the program, BeeWellforLife has already started donating - so every mile walking, running, or cycling and logged at BeeWellforLife means a 15¢ donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength.

For every mile you log in your account, Bumble Bee will make a $0.15 donation to the Breast Cancer Network of Strength. We once again challenge all of us to walk 1 million miles as a community. Just by doing so, Bumble Bee will donate an additional $50,000 to Breast Cancer Network of Strength for a total donation of $200,000!

In 2009, we donated $150,000. This year, let's go above and beyond to do our part so that no one has to face breast cancer alone. You can Bee The Difference. Join us.

I love that by recording something I'm already doing, I can be doing something positive for someone else, too.  So far I've logged a total of 382 miles since April 1, 2009.  277 of those miles went toward the donation to Breast Cancer Network of Strength in 2009, and so far I've got 34 miles counted in 2010.  It all adds up, and it's fun to see those miles go by.  If you're not already walking, BeeWellforLife also has plenty of tools to get you started and keep you going.  Check it out.

Good Food in Branson

This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Hiltons of Branson. All opinions are 100% mine.

This sounds like fun. The weekend of Friday, February 26th through Saturday, February 27th the Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is hosting an Italian Culinary Weekend. Friday night begins with a reception that includes antipasto and hors d’oeuvres along with great Italian wines.  Then on Saturday participants experience a hands-on cooking demonstration, and it all ends in a 5-course dinner Saturday night.  Prices start at $429 for two people, and that includes the reception, cooking school, the 5-course dinner, and a goodie bag filled with items to take home. 

Yep, sounds like fun.  The only thing is I'd have to find someone else to go with me, because I just can't see my husband doing the cooking school thing.  He's the guy who conveniently forgot how to cook anything when he married me.  Not that I'm actually complaining, because I like to cook, so it works out well.  I think Jeffrey would appreciate the food and Italian wine included in this weekend, but he'd rather get out and enjoy some of the other things Branson has to offer - like championship golf courses, for example. 

There is a lot to do in Branson, museums, live entertainment, lakes, theme parks, shopping, and more.  The Hilton Branson Convention Center Hotel is within easy driving distance to everything.  I just wonder how long we'd have to stay in order to see and do everything we'd like to see and do?  We might not make it for the Italian Culinary Weekend, but one of these days we'll have to find out, or at least give it a good shot.

Heads or Tails - Call

The theme/prompt for THIS week, January 26, is:

HEADS - "Call"

Make any kind of post using any form of the word "Call"

 

I went looking for some new ringtones for my cell phone last night.  This morning when Cory got up, I had him call me so he could hear the new ringtone I have.  When Cory calls me, this is what I hear:

Create free ringtones at Phonezoo

Cory wasn't too impressed.  He thinks I should find something else to use as my ringtone for when he calls me.  What do you think?

Heads or Tails is a fun weekly meme created and hosted by Barb (aka Skittles) – feel free to join in!