Think Pink!

A long time family friend was recently diagnosed with stage 2 breast cancer. The news hit hard. She is beside herself as is her family. She had a lumpectomy on Monday. They also took some lymph nodes to be tested. One came back clean of cancer the other had a cancer cell. She'll now be getting a full mastectomy and chemotherapy treatment. We are keeping her in our thoughts and prayers and thinking nothing but positive thoughts for her. There is not much else we can do other than be there for her.

Each of us needs to remember to do our monthly self breast exam. It is simple, painless and only takes a few minutes. Mark your calendar! We also need to make sure we get regular mammograms. They are a necessary evil. Check with your insurance provider to find out what their guidelines are and at what age they recommend you start getting one. Then make that appointment!

In the mean time, arm yourself with knowledge.

Susan B Koman
Here you can pretty much find everything you might want to know. You can also find links to the Race for the Cure and the Breast Cancer 3-Day Walk.

BreastCancer.org
Another website with a ton of information including a section with pictures of breast anatomy, breast cancer, breast reconstruction and more.

Both of these sites also have excellent directions on how to do a self breast exam.

Here is a pdf that you can download with an excellent chart for doing your monthly breast exam and keeping track of when you do it. Go and print it, laminate it and then hang it in the shower.

When you are not reading, you can busy yourself with these:

- A cute pair of Pink Ribbon Socks.
- The Breast Cancer mini-issue from Knitty
- An awareness ribbon chart to use for fair-isle or intartia knitting or maybe a cross-stitched piece

I will be wearing my breast cancer support charm bracelet while she is going through her treatments. Every time I see it, I'll be sure to say a little prayer.

Sockpal-2-za

I've started my "sockpaltwoza" socks.

I am making the Unst sock from Knitting on the Road. It is a nice pattern and seems to be working up rather quickly. I'll be making a pair for myself when these are done!

I actually got much further along in my sock but I had to rip and restart. I got to the instep but realized that I had been a little clever when I started the heel and the lace would no long match up. I tried to rip back to the start of the heel but I had a hard time picking my stitches back up so back to the beginning I went!

SailFest '05

Saturday was Sailfest. We don't do all the festivities but we do watch the fireworks from the beach house every year. Our friends host a huge party for the event. I think that there were close to 100 people!

Here we are on the 2nd floor deck watching the fireworks and the boats. The first picture is of my parents and Topher. The second is Edmund and me.

We had a fun weekend but it was an exhausting weekend.

Our (long) Weekend at the Beach

Some longtime family friends have a house on the beach and invited us for the weekend. My parents were also up visiting from Maryland so on Thursday, the boys and I headed off for a few days. Chris joined us for the weekend. We had such a good time. Friday we had heavy rain but we made the most of it. We read and played cards. More of the weekend guest showed us which gave the boys more kids to play with. We ended up with 30 people staying in the house (12 kids) and 2 dogs.

We went fishing. I almost caught a Scup and not a bad sized one at that. Unfortunately for me, it snapped my line and got away. My dad caught a rather nasty looking Spider Crab that we threw back. Our friend, "Grandpa Steve" caught a good sized Blue Crab that we would have liked to have kept but it waved it's claws about and quickly scuttled off the dock and back in the water. He also caught a rather interesting looking skate which we also tossed back in the water.

We spent a lot of time swimming. Ooo was that water cold! Edmund jumped off the dock a few times. He is working his way to the deeper waters. They also paddled out on the boogie boards and rode the waves back in. They got really good at timing the wake waves from the passing boats. Topher played in the sand more than he swam. He also liked spending his time up in the grassy yard playing ball. There was also a small bounce house for the kids that just called to him!

Chris took each of the boys out for a turn in the canoe. They loved that! I have a feeling they will be asking for one soon. I would have liked a turn but time got away from us. I spent a lot of time relaxing though which made for a very enjoyable weekend.

Hot, Sweet, and Sticky BBQ Wings

These are a Summertime favorite here at Our Home on the Hill. The boys can't get enough of them and Edmund especially loves when there are leftovers to eat cold the next day. I've started to make big batches of the marinade to keep on hand in a jar in the back of the refrigerator.

Hot, Sweet and Sticky BBQ Chicken Wings Recipe

For the marinade:

1/2 cup ketchup
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
4 teaspoons granulated garlic
4 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
3 teaspoons Tabasco sauce
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons chili powder
20 chicken wings
Extra-virgin olive oil

To make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together the marinade ingredients.

Rinse the chicken wings under cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
Place in a large, resealable plastic bag and pour in the marinade.
Press the air out of the bag and seal tightly. Turn the bag to distribute the marinade,
place in a bowl, and refrigerate for 4 to 6 hours, turning occasionally.

Remove the wings from the bag and discard the marinade.
Lightly brush or spray the wings with olive oil.
Grill over indirect heat until cooked through.

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Happy 4th of July!

Today was spent relaxing. We grilled, we swam, and we played games. It was a great way to spend the day!

Yesterday, however, was spent CELEBRATING!

My boys went Red White and Blue! Charles stayed natural and was the red while Edmund and Topher Kool-aid dyed their hair blue! A packet of unsweetened Kool-aid and a blob of hair conditioner makes a great colored hair gel!

We spent the day at a cook out with friends. The kids (13 of them! - 4 families) had a great time swimming and playing baseball. There was lots to eat, plenty of margaritas and a ton of laughs!

The guys shot fireworks off in the back yard while the kids watched from the deck.

That is me, Cindy and Dawn. Cindy's husband Jon played bartender for the evening and kept the blender (and us!) buzzing.

Happy 4th everyone!

Weighing in Week #3

Since it has only been a few days since my last weigh in, there is not much to report. I made it through the stressful week with out resorting to food! Yay for me!

I'm going away for part of this week which will present some challenges. The boys and I will be spending 4 days with friends and family at the beach so there will be lots of temptations. Chris will join us for the weekend and he and I are going out Friday night for a special (kid free!) celebration. More temptation.

How are you all doing? What challenges are you facing?

For this week:

Current weight: 140 lbs (no change)

Goals for the week:

-Exercise 3 times
-Make smart choices when eating away from home
-Pack healthy picnic options to bring with us instead of relying on what will be there
-Continue to drink 64 oz of water daily

Next week's check in will probably be on Monday.

Stitch Markers

Look at these lovely stitch markers that came in the mail! These were made by Stacey at Sheep in the City as part of the Bead it 2 swap. The smallest one has already been put to use on a sock. Thank you Stacey! I love them!