Allergies...Smallergies

Years ago, my mother was a kindergarten teacher and had a student who was severely allergic to peanuts. Other children couldn't even breathe in the same room as this child if they had just eaten a peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch, because it would throw the child into a severe allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock. Peanuts are the number one food allergy in children, and can cause severe symptoms, including death.

I am very lucky to have a healthy girl who still shows no signs of severe allergies, however, I do know a few babies who are allergic to milk, and other things. As a parent, it is easy to control their intake and exposure from home, but when you leave your child in the company of others, they don't know the risks of exposure that could threaten your child's welfare. And while your child may wear a medical ID bracelet with their allergies listed, it does no good if your child is allergic to peanut butter and the caretaker has not checked their bracelet before serving them a snack.

A friend of the family created a line of children's clothing for kids with allergies, to let others know the dangers of exposing them to certain foods or allergens. The line is called Smallergies, and they make a line of t-shirts for children that are cute, but are also in plain site to warn others of their severe allergies. My favorites are the Crab and the Peanut, but the Cow and Fish are cute too!

If your child or a friend has severe food allergies, these might be a great gift for them that is both cute and important, and it helps raise awareness for others like them. Check out their site www.smallergies.com for more information.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - October

As October approaches, Breast Cancer Awareness has become a new mission for me. Having someone close to me be affected by the disease has really put things in perspective, and shows you that early detection and awareness can really change the outcome. 

 
One in eight women will have breast cancer. That is a HUGE, shocking statistic. And recently, high profile women like NBC's Andrea Mitchell and comedienne Wanda Sykes have admitted that they have been treated for breast cancer. Unfortunately, this disease is different in every woman, and there is no definitive cause or cure. So with that, I ask of you two things:

Schedule a Mammogram: It is so important to get your first mammogram at a young age, so that you can have a baseline for every mammogram in the future. Make October the month you schedule yours.

Raise Awareness: Educate yourself on breast cancer, what to look for, what to ask your doctor. Pass the word to your mother, aunts, sisters, girlfriends, and make them do the same. And, donate to breast cancer research so that they find cures and we do not become part of the statistics. Here are some great sites to go to and pass along:

BreastCancer.org
Pink Ribbon
Susan G. Komen For the Cure
Mayo Clinic - Breast Cancer
Moffitt Cancer Center - Breast Center

Also, I am walking in the Susan G. Komen Race For the Cure 5K this Saturday in honor of those close to me who have had to battle this terrible disease. If you would like to show your support, please click here to donate.

Where, Oh Where, Has My Little Gucci Gone?

I am hosting a baby shower this afternoon at my house. I didn't get to sleep easily last night, too many things on my mind to do in the morning before the shower.

After a few hours of tumultuous sleep, at 3:30am, I wake to the sound of a car alarm going off, but it quickly stops, and I turn over and fall back asleep.

At 4:30, there is a hard pounding at our front door. Never a good sign. The officer asks if the black SUV parked on the street outside our front door is mine. My foggy head suddenly jumps back to that car alarm going off about an hour ago...

The door to the driver's side had been unlocked with a screwdriver and left open, and the lady delivering newspapers thought it looked suspicious and called the police. I knew instantly that my old iPod that my husband gave me for my birthday many years ago was gone. It had been plugged into the radio. Little do they know the battery is dead. But they can pawn it anyway.

I also noticed that some CD's that had been on the floor were also missing. I guess they didn't like my taste in music, as the ones in my driver's door were left. They didn't touch the bags of vintage clothing or the unwrapped, brand new Harry Potter DVD that was staring them in the face from the back seat. I had to wait until the forensics officer came to fingerprint until I could climb in to see if there was anything else they took.

After she fingerprinted my car (who knows when those prints would even be processed), I opened the glove compartment to find that they weren't smart enough to take my husband's Garmin. It wasn't until after the officer left, and I was back inside my house that I realized in my sleepy state what else was missing:

My vintage Gucci Briefcase.
Contents: My Life.

The Briefcase has a history.... I bought it from the estate of a well known professor of Black Women's History, and while she lived in a small rental apartment, she surrounded herself with beautiful, expensive African art, Degas sketches, and a love for furs and good purses. Somehow, when I got to the estate sale, not everything had been priced, so I got my vintage Fendi wallet and this tan Gucci briefcase for a total of $21. And because I knew the strong woman it came from, it made me feel even that more powerful when I carried it. Plus, it was nice to look at.

It was filled with folders of all my current projects, both in and outside of work. Board meeting minutes, details for an upcoming Junior League event, parties and events I am planning. Everything I have going on in my life... It may or may not contain any personal information other than my e-mail addresses... I don't really know. I am just hoping the thief is not smart enough to somehow steal my identity through what little/lot of information is there. I'm sure at this point, the contents of my life were dumped in one of the trash cans at the park a block away. And you'd better believe that when the sun comes up, I am going down there to look.

Let me be clear about something.... all of these items are MATERIAL. I am upset about them now, and will be pissed about them when I have to take my car down to the dealership at 8am to get the lock fixed- something NOT on my party planning agenda. And I will be frustrated later when I have to try to get back all the information lost in those project folders when I get organized tomorrow. In the long run, I will get a new iPod and a new work bag and get all my stuff together, and the loss of these items will pass.

But what I did lose was my sense of security. Every time I get in my car, I now have to think about someone else being in it. And the fact that they needed money so badly that they had to use a screwdriver to open my car to steal an old iPod and a Gucci bag. If they had knocked on my door and asked, I would have given them the money these two items are worth, and maybe a few bucks more for their honesty and hardship.  I also know some people get it much worse- their homes are broken into and more valuable things are taken. But in all cases, the thieves take our security.... something that doesn't have a price. THAT loss does not sit lightly with me, now nor will ever, and that is what I am most upset about.

But if you happen to see that Gucci, you know how to find me.

What's In Your Bucket?

I came across an article late last night about young Alice Pyne, a fifteen year old girl with terminal cancer who has created a blog to keep track of her "Bucket List" and get help completing her wishes before she dies. It has become an internet hit, and not only has she raised over $15,000 for cancer research, but has inspired thousands more people to become bone marrow donors to help others with cancer. She is truly inspirational for us all!

To find out more about Alice and her mission, please visit her blog Alice's Bucket List.

I think a bucket list is a healthy list of things you want to do in your life. They can be big or small, but the accomplishment of just one of them is something to be celebrated. Every once in a while, my husband and I will get to do something AMAZING that we deem bucket-list worthy, and I always try to savor each moment. Something that has been on my bucket list forever, I finally get to do next week. It involves going here:

 

So the question for this Friday... What is on your Bucket List? 

Breast Cancer Awareness Month - The PINK Party

As you may know, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and PINK is the universal color for awareness of this terrible disease. Two week ago, I hosted a ladies "PINK Party" rally brunch for our local sorority alumnae team to participate in this weekend's Race For The Cure Breast Cancer Awareness Walk/Run. We raised money for the team, and had a delicious brunch, with all PINK inspired food. Check it out!

Bagels with PINK cream cheese and Lox (Salmon)

PINK Penne Pasta (Made with Vodka Sauce) with Grilled Chicken and Shrimp

PINK Watermelon Salad (recipe found here)

A PINK Dessert Table, featuring:


PINK Cream Cheese Candies, that my mother made (recipe to follow), and Homemade PINK swirl cupcakes.

And who could forget the drinks?! We had PINK Lemonade and PINK Flamingos (vodka, triple sec, grenadine, and orange juice) to celebrate!

To decorate, I used simple pink and black felt table runners that I had made previously for a wedding shower. Since most of the food was pink, I decided to let it stand out by using my clear vintage glassware. White plates would have the same effect. I tied nameplates on each food item to let people know what they were eating, using simple ric rack in PINK and cutting out black paper circles. Just hole punch the top and use a gold or silver pen to write on the black. Top the table with some pink roses and you are set. A quick and easy party idea for any occasion!

And because it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I encourage you to visit the Susan G. Komen Foundation website here for events in your area, ways to donate, get involved, or even just how to give yourself an at home breast exam. Take a few minutes to educate yourself and get involved, to save someone's life, if not that of your own. Here's to PINK!