Whew!

We had a great weekend for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk for Arthritis! Owen performed handsomely in his duties as Junior Grand Marshal!

The day started at the World Trade Center in downtown Portland. The courtyard was beautifully decorated with these huge lighted snowflakes and there are tons of people in costumes and ugly holiday sweaters (for the ugly sweater contest, of course).

We were introduced and went up onstage and Owen spoke into the big microphone to say, "Thank you for helping to stomp out arthritis." Adorable.

But I'm getting ahead of myself...

Because the weather can be a bit, shall we say, unpredictable this time of year (i.e. two years ago we missed most of the event because of an ice storm that had us stranded until our driveway thawed), we decided to get a hotel room closer to downtown for the night before the run. Once the hotel found out that Owen was the Junior Grand Marshal, they went all Spirit of Christmas on us and upgraded our room, had a welcome sign for Owen in the lobby, gave him some awesome toys (Spiderman! dinosaurs!), and had the most insane chocolate cake waiting for us in the room.

We were stunned! There were even a few people at the hotel who were participating in the run.

So... Once we got to the run, Owen's team was honored to be the top fundraising team for 2011! Thank you so much to everyone who helped by making a donation to Owen or his team. We were astonished to raise over $6,000 for the Arthritis Foundation!

We all ran the 1k kids fun run, which just confirmed for me how woefully out of shape I am. After that, Owen got to blow the air horn to start the 5k runners. And he even got to give the medals to the top men and women finishers.

Even Santa couldn't miss the festivities so the kids got to get their picture taken with the big guy - though Bailey was infinitely more interested in the big basket of candy canes. I think she ended up with about 7 of them.

And this was what things looked like for the ride home. A thoroughly satisfying adventure.

Thanksgiving

Wishing a very Happy Thanksgiving to all the stateside folks. Well, really everyone. We can all take a moment for gratitude!

One thing we are incredibly grateful for is the amazing support shown to this little fella.

Cute shirt, huh? Sent to us from Lolly Polly Kids to celebrate Owen and his stint as Grand Marshal for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk.

We are deep into Thanksgiving preparations at our house. Pumpkin roasting for the homemade pumpkin pies, turkey defrosting, stuffing being all mixed up with onions, herbs, and celery. Good times. Our house is the gathering place for this holiday and it's great to stay home and fill the house with the delicious smells of the day.

In addition to being grateful for our family, friends, health, and home, I am so thankful that you all stop by to spend a little time in this space.

Let the celebration begin!

Gratitude

I am in constant amazement. Really.

Every. Single. Day.

Here's one of the current reasons:

A dry field trip to the farm and pumpkin patch with Miss B's preschool class. Good times! Huge difference from last year (when we did NOT wear our boots) and the fields were nothing but a big ole mud slick.

Another reason I'm feeling the love:

I recently grabbed up some sweet fabric from Ashley's destash and asked about any FMF scrap packs she might have. I'm trying to put together a small and simple quilt using some of the coveted fabric as a fundraiser for the Arthritis Foundation. She was so gracious and kind and she sent me these gorgeous pieces. I never cease to be amazed at the kindness within the sewing/quilting/crafting community.

And the crazy amazing cherry on top of everything?

I am now the grateful and awestruck owner of this amazing book.

After posting about my search for Patchwork Patterns 318, I was sent a few leads on getting a copy. None of them panned out. The book was either already sold or waaaaay out of my price range. I kept looking but must admit that my search became somewhat half-hearted.

About two months later, I got an email from Stephanie, who read my blog post and was about to list her copy on etsy. I was headed out to Camp JAM and asked if she could wait to list it until I got back from camp because if I could afford, I would take it!

Well, imagine my surprise when I returned from camp to find an email from Stephanie, telling me about her grandmother's lifelong love of sewing and how she'd had to stop when her arthritis became too painful. Stephanie wanted to give me this book. And I promptly burst into tears.

I mean, really? We hear all the time from so many places what a messed up world we live in. I'm telling you - this world is great! People are amazing! There is goodness all around.

So I sit here. Filled with gratitude for family and friends and strangers who have become special people in my life. Life is wonder-full.

And yes, I know I used the word "amazing" a lot in this post. What can I say? It is what it is.

A Snow Globe is Born

Thanks goodness for the PMQG all day sew this past weekend. I actually completed a quilt top and worked on my latest paper pieced block. A snow globe for Melinda!

Melinda is one of my new friends over in the Cocorico bee on flickr. Her theme was "Vintage Christmas". I remember collecting snow globes as a child. I just loved shaking them up and watching the sparkley snow fall down over the scene!

This block was lots of fun to work on, though in the interest of full disclosure I have to admit to spending a bit of quality time with my seam ripper. There are a couple of places that I wish I had done a little differently but overall, I think it turned out okay.

Here's a picture with a ruler in it to give you an idea of the scale. Tiny! Curved piecing still makes me very nervous, so I made the snow globe and will applique that onto the background fabric.

And that quilt top I finished? Hopefully, I can get that basted and quilted up in the next week or so. It all depends on the kids and schedules and life.

Speaking of which.... this past weekend the whole family went to the Jingle Bell Run/Walk kick-off party and it was a blast. We got to speak about our family's experience with Owen and his juvenile arthritis. And Owen even got up in front of about 350 people and told a joke. I'm so proud of him! If you'd like to help him reach his goal, just follow the link on the top right of the blog.

We interrupt our regularly scheduled blogging...

Hi everyone!

That's my awesome superhero all decked out for last year's Jingle Bell Run. And this year? He's an honoree! That means our family will provide a "face" for juvenile arthritis and help to promote the event as well as the mission of the Arthritis Foundation.

Odds are someone you know has arthritis. Despite popular misconception, arthritis can affect anybody. 300,000 children in the US have doctor diagnosed arthritis, and 3 out of every 5 people with arthritis are under the age of 65.

Researchers in the field don't talk about "if" they will find a cure; they talk about "when". By raising money, we hope to make a difference and bring us all closer to a cure.

That's why we have organized a team, Owen's Superheroes, to participate in and raise money for the Jingle Bell Run/Walk. Our goal is to raise $3,000 for arthritis research.

I'm asking for your help.

There's a link to Owen's donation page over at the top right of the blog sidebar. PLEASE feel free to repost or link to this post on your own blog so that we can all be superheroes for Owen. Tweet about it or mention it on your facebook page. Even if you can't donate, spreading the word raises awareness.

Thank you so much for taking the time to consider supporting this cause that is so important to our family! Now back to our regularly scheduled crafting.....

Stylish sandwiches

In an effort to be a little more green when it comes to lunches I've been making some stylin' sandwich wraps!

They have the kid seal of approval (especially since I let them choose some of their own exterior fabrics) and the mom seal of approval because they can be machine washed and dried.

And they're cute. Always a plus for me.

Some of them have little twill pull tabs at the opening flap but they weren't really necessary so I didn't put them on all of them.

The lining is nylon (no vinyl!). And I love that the whole thing can open up flat to make a nice little placemat/eating area.

People have been asking so I thought I'd let you know that these are available in the shop!

Super Snack Sacks!

A friend of mine, one of the mom's at Owen's preschool saw his lunch sack the other day and really REALLY wanted one. So, I kinda made a whole pile of them:

They all have a coordinating pocket on the back and some also have a pocket on the inside. These ones are all for sale in the shop. *** And don't forget that 100% of the proceeds benefit Camp JAM!***

I have found these little snack sacks to be a perfect size for carrying around everything from a granola bar and a juice box to a full-blown lunch and snacks for the kiddos. I even made one for myself because mommas need snacks too! The kids also have ones that they use for toting around a small sketch book and crayons (and all the other various things that preschoolers "need"). I'll probably whip up a few more this holiday season to use as gift bags.

Have a wonderful weekend!

My Big Debut!

Okay, it's not really all that big - but it is kind of a big deal to me. If you look right over there in my sidebar -----> you'll see that I've opened up a wee little Etsy shop! It's true!

This is the deal: 100% of the shop's proceeds are going to benefit the Arthritis Foundation's Camp JAM (Juvenile Arthritis Matters). Yep 100%. That's how much I love this camp and what it does for families like mine who have a kiddo dealing with arthritis. You can read more about our family's experience at camp here.

I don't intend to go into "production mode" and have a zillion things for sale but this is a small thing that I can do to feel like I am doing something in the face of this disease. Over 46 million people suffer from arthritis and over 300,000 of those people are children. There is not yet a cure.

A Little FYI

I don't post about this often, but my four year old son Owen has juvenile arthritis. He was diagnosed about a year ago and is doing really well. We had the opportunity this past weekend to attend Camp JAM, which is a program of the Arthritis Foundation. It is open to children and teens who have arthritis (and their families) and we had a GREAT time!

The theme this year was pirates, which is why there were parrots and pirate flags to greet us.

We had a tree outside our cabin that Owen had a fabulous time learning how to climb. Children with arthritis experience a lot of pain,stiffness, and swelling in their joints. Owen has been affected mostly in his ankles and knees. Watching him climb a tree is a joyful sight!

We had lots of fun at the playground, climbing the tire wall and trying to figure out the chain ladder.

No one really knows why some children develop arthritis. Some forms seem to be genetic, others may be caused by a virus that settles in a joint and causes the pain and swelling. Many kids are also susceptible to developing uveitis, which is like having arthritis in your eyes!

The bouncy house was awesome - I wish we had one at home that I could toss the kids into when they need to get rid of all their excess energy.

One of the really wonderful things about Camp JAM is that the whole family can attend, which gives siblings like Bailey a chance to hang out with other kids just like Owen as well as other kids just like her who have a brother or sister with arthritis. Of course, it also just gives you a great opportunity to squish your toes in the mud!

There wasn't too much sleeping going on at camp, but Owen had a great time hanging out in the top bunk of the way super cool bunk beds.

One of the highlights was a visit by the Reptile Man who brought alligators, lizards, snakes and hissing cockroaches for the kids to see. I have heard a LOT about various creepy crawlies as this has been Owen's main topic of conversation since camp. There were amazing volunteers who did a great job buddying up with the little kids so that parents could attend different panels and workshops to learn more about the best way to support our children in the challenges they face with this chronic disease.

Did I mention that the theme was pirates? There was a "skeleton head" that both kids really wanted to take home. They had fun posing with it and saying, "Shiver me timbers" before the costume parade. Seriously cute.

Campfire was a huge hit! Of course, it was 95 degrees so the campfire was really all about roasting marshmallows and making s'mores.

There are over 46 million people who have arthritis and over 300,00 of them are children. There is not yet a cure. We are grateful that Owen is doing so well and we will do all that we can to be his best advocates.

Gratitude.

My friend Susannah is an angel in disguise. When I told her last year about Owen's diagnosis of Juvenile Arthritis, she immediately offered to do a benefit concert. Yeah, she's an awesome entertainer. She can currently be seen performing here. So, she's kind and funny and generous and just generally awesome and she gathered a bunch of similarly talented and awesome people to put together the concert. It was great. Everyone was incredible and the people who came seemed to have a great time. All the artists donated their time and talent and ALL proceeds went to benefit Camp JAM, a special camp for kids and teens with arthritis and their families.

So, I wanted to thank Susannah and I made her this scarf.

It's made from a patterned burnout velvet on one side and a solid blue/gray velvet on the other with some black velvet at either end to add to the length.

Here's a better look at the beautiful pattern.
I wish you all could reach through the screen to feel how soft and yummy it is. And given the fact that we had a massive hail storm yesterday, she may get a chance to use it before next fall/winter. Thanks, Susannah - you rock my world and you will always be family to us.

In other news of gratitude...how grateful am I that no one found this at the thrift store before I did?

It's this crazy cute apron with something like a million teeny tiny pleats. It also has this adorable little pocket with tiny rick rack detailing. You know if this apron were being mass produced today that rick rack would just be printed on the white trim. But this is actual teeny tiny rick rack sewn onto the white trim and then added to the pocket.

I have no idea what I'm going to do with it besides love it and give it a good home. Maybe I'll wear it over the summer to serve frosty margaritas to our barbecue guest while I channel Donna Reed or something.

Have a great day!

After a 4 1/2 month hiatus....

I am happy to report that we are all alive and well! Seriously, I blink and months have passed. It's surreal.

Let's see...Thanksgiving was great. Yummy turkey and fixings had by all. Christmas was fabulous. The kids really seemed to "get it" this year and I was finally able to use the whole "You better behave or I'm calling Santa" thing for a few weeks. It's sad but true that Owen has a great deal more respect for Santa than for me. Owen exchanged valentines with the kiddos in his preschool class and still has his little paper heart filled with everyones little cards and notes. He loved it. And now here we are in March. We'll be setting leprechaun traps next week to see if we can catch one of the little buggers. I'm guessing they'll escape but maybe leave some chocolate gold coins so we don't feel too discouraged.

In other news... part of why it has been so long since I've had time or inclination to update here is that we've been dealing with some health issues. Owen was diagnosed with JIA - a form of juvenile arthritis. After several weeks of complaining about pain in his foot (along with swelling and a limp) we took him in and after a few referrals were sent to a pediatric rheumatologist. He immediately diagnosed JIA and Owen had his first joint injections in November. He experienced relief almost immediately and has since become a new child. He was always somewhat physically tentative but now he's a regular monkey/mountain goat. It's thrilling to watch him run and jump and play. What a joy!

He has been in for a couple of follow-up appointments and goes in again on Monday to check on his progress. Another part of JIA is going in for eye exams every three months to check for complications that can lead to blindness if not caught quickly. While Owen's eyes are fine with respect to the arthritis, we did discover that he is farsighted in one eye so he has had to get glasses. He picked them out and has been great about wearing them. I wear glasses too, so I think he thinks it's kind of cool to wear glasses just like mommy does.

Let's see, what else can I ramble on about? How about Bailey! She's awesome! She's in a little gymnastics class right now that mostly consists of running around a gym and playing on the equipment while I run around after her and do all the heavy lifting. She also did a messy art class and loved every minute of it - especially the "messy" part.

What can I say? I love my kiddos.