September Goals in Review

You may remember at the beginning of month I sat down and wrote out some of my goals for September. It's hard to believe that we've already come to the end of the month! It feels like I blinked and it was gone. This month was busy and full of excitement.

So, here is a review of how my goal setting, planning and achieving went this month. I was pleasantly surprised with the amount that I was thinking about these goals as the month progressed. I guess by making them public gives me a sense of accountability. Because, well, obviously you would all be tremendously disappointed in me if I didn't achieve them.

1. Celebrate my birthday. Well, obviously, this goal was achieved. I celebrated with a hair cut, a weekend at the lake and a lovely pineapple welcome sign!

2. Prepare for my BFF's homecoming after her year-long adventure in Scotland. You betcha! She arrived home on September 17th. I went with her mom to the airport to pick the girls up. I made millionaire shortbread to take to her and we've been having fun ever since. I've been shopping more times in the past two weeks than I had the whole time she was gone. We've gone for ice cream, out for dinner for a friend's birthday, had a campfire, watched the season premier of Grey's while eating crepes and celebrated her birthday. After two weeks back in Canada, she and her sister are getting ready to move to their new city of residence but at least she'll only be an hour away now as opposed to across the ocean.

3. Submit ethics application for my thesis. Done. The application was submitted on September 11th. I received notice on the 15th that it was reviewed and sent for expedited review and I am now just waiting to get clearance so I can start focus groups.

4. Complete a draft of the first three chapters of my thesis. Umm, done? Kind of. I definitely have a solid draft of my lit review done. It is pretty close to being a final draft. I have a draft of my methodology section done but there is only so much I can write before actually completing the research so I know I will have to make major adjustments as I go. I also have something that might appear to be a draft for an introduction although it still needs a lot of work. I'm currently working on my theoretical framework chapter which is causing me some intense grief. But, I'm chugging away.

5. Make a new soup recipe each week. So far so good! For the month of September the soup recipes I made were: pea soup, roasted red pepper soup, sweet potato soup and cream of celery soup (which there is no recipe for - on purpose). This week I made end of the garden soup but the recipe isn't posted yet. I have been enjoying my homemade soup oh so much! Our favourite was definitely the sweet potato soup. If you like creamy soups, you should really try it.

6. Save enough money in the designated savings account to cover Christmas expenses. This goal was not achieved but I kind of have a really good excuse. Or as good as an excuse can possibly be. My contract didn't start until a week later than I had anticipated so I have had one less pay check so far than I had accounted for. If you read my post about Christmas budgeting you'll know that I had designated my first two paychecks to go towards this account. Once my next paycheck comes in (next Friday) we'll be good to go.

7. Get a new hair cut. Yup. See #1.

8. Start (or I guess I should say re-start) The Love Dare. I finally got myself motivated to re-start the book somewhere in the middle of the month. I'm currently on Day 12 of 40. I have to admit, I haven't been awesome at doing it every single day but sometimes it just doesn't work out. I find I would rather make sure that I do the dare with some thought rather than just trying to get through the book. So, on a day when the dare says "Call your husband throughout the day" and we are both home because it's a Saturday, I save that dare for sometime later in the week. I also joined a Beth Moore women's bible study at my church so I have been focusing a lot of my time there. I am still hoping to get the Love Dare done in October and I am learning some great lessons from it.

9. Complete all canning/freezing/preserving with the produce from the garden. I have done quite a lot of preserving and am proud of it! We figured that I have canned somewhere between 200-250 jars this year. Our cellar is now full of bbq onion sauce, diced tomatoes, stewed tomatoes, salsa, red pepper relish, zucchini marmalade, plum butter, pickled beets and dill pickles. The freezer is full of freezer jam, peaches, blueberries, strawberries, zucchini and beans. The only thing I haven't done yet is applesauce and apple butter which will come in a few weeks once I get a hold of a big bushel of apples. This is a new part of my life this year and I am so enjoying it!

10. Decorate the house for autumn. Done! I am enjoying my fall decorations and have added a few more since the last post so I just might have to show you some more. We still need to get a few more mums and pumpkins for the patio.

All in all, it was a great month! Now on to thinking about October goals...

Not Me Monday

Not Me Monday is a blog carnival hosted by the one and only MckMama.

I have only done Not Me Monday a few times but I thought this week there were a few things that I certainly did NOT do that would be fitting to NOT share. I guess I should have titled this post "Not Us Monday".

The other day, I did not say to my fabulous dude while standing in front of the mirror in the bathroom, "Honey ... is that hairy stuff on my face really noticeable?" Nope ... not me.

On Sunday morning, I did not sleep in until 8:30 while the fabulous dude got up and finished up the remaining house cleaning that I didn't have time to get done on Saturday in time for the small group potluck that we were hosting after church. Nope ... not me.

In my defense, the fabulous dude did not sleep in quite late and then accompany his buddy to bass pro shops on Saturday and leave me alone all day to do all the cooking, baking, cleaning and preparations for the event. Nope ... not him.

He did not attempt to claim that this was not a problem since he had been planning on working on Saturday anyways and even though his work plans got canceled, I was already expecting him to be gone, and it would make no difference where he had gone to. Nope ... not him.

So, we both did not agree that it would be only fair for me to sleep in a little bit and for him to finish the remaining chores in the morning before church. Nope ... not us.

When I woke up at 8:30, I did not emerge from the bedroom only to find my fabulous dude clearing out the dishwasher wearing nothin' but his undies. Nope ... not me.

Because, you know, my husband would not swiffer the floors, clean the bathroom and clear the dishwasher in only his underwear. Nope ... not him. He would definitely get dressed before doing the chores.

I'm so glad that we didn't do those things!

Menu Plan Monday

What's been going on in Lucy's Kitchen?

Meatball Subs

Baked Eggs

White Onion Bread

Sweet Potato Soup

Ham and Perogy Casserole

Crepes

Coconut Shrimp

Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies

This week is going to be a bit of a clean up what we've got week so some of our meals may seem a little bit mish-mashed. However, there are a number of recipes I'm pretty excited about, too.

Sunday
Hosting Lifegroup Potluck
Bruschetta on Cheesy Garlic French Bread
Chicken and Rice
Sweet and Sour Pork**
Peach Raspberry Crisp (FNCCC)**

Monday
Ravioli with Mushroom Cream Sauce
Salad

Tuesday
Ham and Cheese melts on homemade English Muffins**
End of my garden soup (Soups On)**

Wednesday
Leftover Chicken and Rice (I don't know why this is underlined, I can't make it go away)

Thursday
Meatballs
Rice
Beans

Friday
Away

Saturday
Away

Breakfast
Cereal (normally we aren't big cereal eaters but we're both on some kind of cereal kick right now)
English muffins**
Pumpkin-Pie Apple Muffins**
Fruit and yogurt

Lunches
Leftovers
Soup
Sandwiches

Snacks
Apples
Peaches
Grapes

Bread
Pumpernickel** (took to my BFF's birthday with spinach dip - yummo!)
English Muffins**

**Recipes will be posted on Lucy's Kitchen

Check out I'm an Organizing Junkie for more meal planning ideas.

Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you, my person.
My best friend!

Ice cream tastes better when I'm eating it with you.

A campfire smells better when I'm sitting at it with you.

Shopping is more fun when I'm walking around the mall with you.

Grey's Anatomy is more exciting when I'm watching it with you.

Staying up way too late sucks less when I stay up late with you.

I am so glad you are home.

Happy Birthday!

Show Us Your Life - Crepes

This week at Kelly's corner the theme for Show Us Your Life is desserts. How fitting, since last night we enjoyed our very favourite dessert. Crepes make a regular appearance around here (I already posted the recipe at Lucy's Kitchen if you want to see it but I thought I'd write this post here since I'm sure most of you like to read about yummy sweets).

The recipe I posted at Lucy's Kitchen can easily be doubled, tripled or quadrupled. They can even be made ahead of time. We made crepes for about 30 people before and made them the day before, stacked them on a plate and warmed them in the oven for a few minutes before serving. They can also be frozen. Stacked and separated with waxed paper.

As you know, my BFF and her sister moved home from Scotland about a week ago, which is the reason (combined with the fact that I'm full force into yr 2 grad school) that my blog has been much-o lam-o lately.

They returned home just in time for the season premier of Grey's Anatomy.

There was just no option. Crepes would be had.

So, last night, we enjoyed a delicious batch of crepes made for us by none other than the fabulous dude himself. And by made by him, I mean he poured the batter into the pan. Apparently, when I buy, measure, mix, chop and combine the ingredients and hand a bowl of batter to him to cook, he claims to have "made" it. Ahem ... moving on.

You start by mixing all of the ingredients together in a food processor.

It works best if you have a few of these to help sustain you...

(I can't believe I posted this picture of myself!)

Then, run a spatula through the bowl to make sure that it's all smoothly combined.

Heat a 6 inch skillet or crepe pan (yes crepes appear often enough in our house to justify owning a crepe pan) lightly sprayed with cooking spray.

Remove pan from heat, and ladle batter into it, tilting the pan to spread the batter out.

Cook for 2-3 minutes until crepe begins to brown. Flip.

Cook for another minute or two. Transfer onto a plate.

Top with your favourite toppings...

And ENJOY!

My creation:

Nutella and banana inside a crepe. Topped with strawberries, chocolate sauce, freshly whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Amy's creation:

Chocolate chips, bananas and strawberries. Topped with a strawberry, whipped cream and powdered sugar.
Katie's creation:

Chocolate chips, strawberries, bananas. Topped with whipped cream, chocolate sauce and powdered sugar (and no face).
The Fabulous Dude's creation:

I have no idea because I was too busy stuffing my face to care.

Which room do you live in?

I have recently restarted working my way through The Love Dare by Stephen and Alex Kendrick. This is a devotional book that is centered around becoming a better spouse and learning to lead your heart to unconditional love. The book is a 40 day challenge that discusses a different aspect of love, presents a specific dare and provides questions to reflect on each day. A few days ago, one of the themes really struck a chord with me and has been on my heart ever since.

The theme for that day was "Love Believes the Best". The writing was focused on seeking out the positive in your spouse rather than constantly focusing on his flaws. In this chapter, the authors presented an analogy that was very meaningful to me. They discuss two rooms that are housed in our hearts: the Appreciation Room and the Depreciation Room. The appreciation room is where we store all of the positive and encouraging aspects that we love about our spouse. Alternately, we also have a depreciation room, where we harbor negativity, irritations and flaws.

While discussing these two rooms, the authors challenge us to reflect on these rooms and to think about where we spend most of our time. Do we spend the majority of our time in the Appreciation Room, building our spouses up and encouraging them to succeed? Or do we spend more time in the Depreciation Room, criticizing our spouses and bringing them down?

In the chapter, the authors suggest that the only time we should enter the Depreciation Room is to write "COVERED IN LOVE" across the walls, over top of the negative thoughts and to pray for our spouse and for our marriage. This image makes me think of Jesus - and how he has written these very words - "COVERED WITH LOVE" - over top of all of our sins and shortcomings.

I have been reflecting on this a great deal - gazing into my own heart and my own thoughts to determine which room I live in most often. Unfortunately, I know that I spend far too much time in the Depreciation Room and not enough time in the Appreciation Room. But I don't want to. I want to dwell in the Appreciation room because I know that is where Jesus lives.

Whether it be with your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends or your coworkers, what room do you live in? The Appreciation Room or the Depreciation Room? Have you written "COVERED IN LOVE" in the Depreciation Room?

A sad story about cake and a camera

I have two friends. They are twins. They turned 25 last Friday.

So, last night, a few of us went out for dinner to celebrate. Then, we came back to my place to eat cake and play the Twilight board game (which, if you are wondering, is completely lame if you are older than 13. For example, one of our questions was: Have each player secretly vote for the player that would be most likely to become a vampire. If you guess the player with the highest votes, you win the challenge).

Anyway, Amy made this yummy, beautiful cake for us to enjoy. She makes some delightful cakes, that's for sure. I took a picture of it while it was sitting on the counter and then I carried it over to the table while we graced my landlords upstairs with a beautiful rendition of happy birthday.

And the rest of the pictures from the night look like this...

Why do the pictures look like this, you ask? Well, because as I carried the cake to the table, I had my camera (lens open, ready to snap photos) on my wrist. As I set the cake down the table, I somehow managed to set my camera face down on top of it.

Yes, my friends. I whipped icing-ed my camera.

The irony of this story is that the fabulous dude is constantly making jokes about the amount of food that is caked onto my camera as a result of all the food photos I take for my cooking blog. However, completely submersing my camera lens in whipped icing is a new accomplishment for even someone such as myself.

We managed to clean it off enough to take some decently non-blurry photos but then when I turned the camera off and tried to turn it back on to show the FD when he got home, the lens wouldn't open. It was stuck shut. He got it open with some prying and now it won't close. So the lens remains open whether the camera is on or not. The icing is still visible around the outer edges of the lens so I am confident that my camera will never be the same. We've been thinking about getting a new one for a while, so perhaps our decision has been made.

But for the next little while, until we make a decision about a new purchase, please just pretend that all my photos are not blurry and bordered with icing.

Feather Your Nest

As this is the first week of autumn, some wonderful bloggers are hosting a fall festival of fun, food and friends. Today's question is posed by Hoosier Homemade: What do you do to feather your nest for fall?

If I haven't made it obvious enough already, fall is my favourite season. I love all that fall entails. I love the sights, the smells, the tastes, the colours, everything. The only thing I don't love about fall is that crazy white stuff that comes next ... but we just try not to think about that.

There are a number of things I do to get ready for fall. Many of them I have already written about so, I decided to recap my "nest feathering" in a short list.

• Decorate - I am obsessed in love with seasonal decorations. Autumn and Christmas especially. You can see most of my autumn decorations here. I just might have to write a second post about this though, since I have already picked up a few more goodies since I wrote that post. I like to decorate early in the season so that I can enjoy my decorations for a good length of time, before I put them away and bring out the Christmas stuff!
• Preserve - this year we planted a much bigger garden than we have in the past. Yesterday, I finished with my tomatoes but canning more diced and stewed tomatoes. The cellar is stocked with jars upon jars of goodness to get us through the winter. Along with canning, I also freeze a lot of produce throughout the summer and fall such as peaches, blueberries, strawberries, zucchini and peppers.
• Organize the freezer - along with the preserving, I take some time in early autumn to reorganize and take stock of the freezer to be sure that all of those older items are being used up before new stuff goes in.
  
• Clean - I tend to do my major spring cleaning in the fall. There's just something about having the patio door open with fresh air streaming in that makes me want to clean. Also, the dog sheds a LOT less starting in September. This might make you think I would clean less, but it actually makes me clean more because when her hair covers every surface of our home in the summer, I often fall victim to the "what's the point of cleaning when it will be covered in hair in 5 seconds" mentality. So, I enjoy a clean house much more in the fall when I can enjoy it for more than a day or two at a time.
  
• Light candles - autumn scents fill our home at this time of year. I go through oodles of scented candles.
  
• Bake - I love to bake treats with pumpkin, apple and other fall flavours.
• Make a schedule - autumn marks the return to school for me and so it also means getting back on track and setting a more rigid schedule for myself than in the summer months.
• Swap clothes - I keep all of my clothes out all year because I have big dresser and a closet but I do like to go through and reorganize everything so that the items I will be wearing more often are more accessible. Also, I put the FD's off season work clothes away so I will be switching them up very soon.
  
• Begin planning for Christmas - call me crazy but a big part of this season is planning for the next. I am a planner by nature and so it is necessary for me to begin budgeting, planning and shopping early so that I can avoid the seemingly unavoidable stress of the Christmas season.
• Say goodbye to my hubby - autumn is also the FD's favourite season, but for a very very different reason.
  

I think that covers most of the things I do to get ready for this most bestest season of the year. What do you do? Head over to Hoosier Homemade to tell us about it and to see what other's are up to.

Menu Plan Monday

Last week was not so good. I still managed to get some meals on the table and didn't have to make (too many) extra grocery trips, but I found myself running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to keep things organized. It all started with having a bad start to the week. If I don't take some time on Saturday or Sunday to sit down and really think about the upcoming week and all that it entails (not just food prep but life prep as well) I find myself out of balance all week. And that is exactly what happened last week. I threw a meal plan together without really thinking and it did not work. I made some half hearted plans for school and work, and it just did not go well. I need to plan!

This week, I can already tell things will go better. The meals have been carefully planned. The groceries have been purchased. The soup has been made. The bread has been baked. The daily to-do lists (complete with checklists) have been compiled. Week, I'm ready for you! So, enough with that, let's get on with it! Despite the not so organized week, I still have a few recipes to share.

What's been going on in Lucy's Kitchen?

Chicken Spaghetti

Diced and Stewed Tomatoes

Tamale Pie

Ten Minute Tomato Sauce

Millionaire Shortbread

Blueberry Zucchini MuffinsBBQ Chicken Pizza (sadly, without a photo of a pizza but with a photo of something even better)

I did make soup this week for Soups On. Unfortunately, however, it was disgusting. Alas, no recipe is posted. Please, friends, I beg of you, next time you see something like "Cream of Celery" soup show up on my menu plan, please, talk me out of it. Friends don't let friends make nasty soup. Don't worry though, I have already made this week's soup and I do believe I have redeemed myself. Let's just say if you love homemade soup, you wish you were in my kitchen right now.

Sunday
Meatball Subs**
Potato Chips

Monday
Me - Out for a friend's birthday
FD - Ham and Perogy Casserole (with mushrooms and peas)** - eat half/freeze half

Tuesday
Coconut Shrimp** (FNCCC #4)
Sweet Potato Fries**
Roasted Broccoli

Wednesday
Grilled Salmon**
Salad
Lemon Broccoli
Brown Rice
Apple Crisp**

Thursday
Crockpot Chicken Cordon Bleu
Brussel Sprouts**
Apple-y carrots

Friday
Pork Chops
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Green Beans
Salad

Saturday
Leftovers and/or sandwiches

Soups On - Sweet Potato Soup**

Bread - simple white bread**

Breakfasts
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins
Baked Eggs**

Lunches
Leftovers
Sweet Potato Soup**

Snacks
Chili Soybeans (um, where have you been all my life? I am in love with these things)
Blueberry Zucchini Muffins

As always, recipes will come on Lucy's Kitchen.

Click here for more great menu planning ideas.

Soon...

...I will be on my way here. With these. To pick her up after a whole year of separation!

An Autumn House

The chilly weather we had today made me wish I could have to all in for a cup of tea and a nice visit. But since that can't happen, let's just pretend while I show you some of the autumn decorations that are on display in our home right now.

A lot of our everyday decor is "autumn-like" because of our colour scheme, so when I bring out the seasonal decorations it all ties in really nicely and makes me just love love love it.

I heart scented candles, as well. I don't burn them as often at other times of the year, but I always have one burning in the fall. Right now, the scent of choice is granny smith apple.

We also opt for lower, dim lighting in the evenings, especially once it is time to start having fires in the fireplace! Eeek, I can hardly contain my excitement!

So, without further adieu, here is our autumn home in pictures.

Let's start with the kitchen.

At the stove, things are mostly the same except I bring out the good ol' autumn tea towels. The fabulous dude receives harsh scolding any and every time he attempts to dry a dish, wipe a hand, or clean up a spill with one of these. Doesn't he realize that they are just for show? Seriously...

On the wall opposite the stove, my rooster measuring cups are put away for a few months and the Harvest sign is displayed on the rooster shelf, above more JUST FOR SHOW tea towels. Those pictures are there all year round, but they definitely do stand out more with the other autumn decorations around. The pictures are from a calendar the FD's aunt had a few years ago and he made the frames to fit them because they are an irregular size. They both have scriptures and sayings that reflect the theme of the harvest and giving thanks to God for our bounty.

The cookbook shelf is my second favourite autumn spot. I love the wildflowers we picked on our walk in the woods and the scarecrow family that is holding harvest bounty! The wicker balls look stupid in that red basket - it will eventually hold apples, I just don't have any yet. And of course, a scented candle.

Moving into the living room, you will find my very favourite display. The fireplace. I just love it although there are a few more pieces I would like to add to it at some point. The wooden blocks that spell "Give Thanks" seem to look too small for the space in the photo, but they don't look too small in real life.

The wreath is new this year ... from my grandma for my birthday.

The rest of the house just has little bits and pieces scattered throughout.

The pumpkins my mom got me for my birthday (which will likely end up on the patio once I get to it).

A pumpkin nightlight on the dining room hutch. I scored this baby for 3.00 last year.

Wild flowers and potpourri (but not the tacky kind)...

Autumn coloured baskets...

Scarecrows everywhere! On the deacon's bench..

On the doors...

And on the couch.

I just realized that I forgot to take pictures of the centrepieces on the dining room table and living room coffee table. They are boring anyway, so you're not missing much. The dining room has a green table runner that is there all the time, with a clear glass bowl holding the same potpourri as in the wagon in the bathroom. The coffee table has a scented candle (what?) with a small wreath around it.

The only thing that hasn't had its fall makeover yet is the patio. We'll likely get to that later this week and then I will show you. Because I know you are dying to see it.

This post is linked to Kelly's Korner's Show Us Your Life - Fall Decorations Edition. Stop by to see how everyone else is decorating.

Cleaning Up ... Literally

I have a few "cleaning" questions that I want to ask you and I would greatly appreciate any advice you may have to give.

1. Do any of you have leather furniture? If so, what do you use to clean it? We bought a leather living room set shortly after we got married and then when we got our puppy, I caved into her cute-littleness and always let her snuggle on the couch with me. Now that she is not so little anymore, she still thinks the couch and love seat are her territory. She is usually pretty good at only going on it when her blanket's on there, but I often wake up in the morning to find dusty paw prints from where she had been. Right now I am using Weiman Leather Wipes. They are like wet wipes that you can just wipe the furniture with. They work great but are a wee bit pricey so I'm wondering if there's something else I can use that's either cheaper or possible to make at home.

2. Does anyone have a good dish soap and/or dishwasher soap recipe? I tried making my own dish soap a few weeks ago and it was an epic fail. The stuff did not sud up, and although it cleaned my dishes I had to use a LOT of soap to get the desired effect. Therefore, I went through an entire bottle in less than a week. Not cool.

3. I'm going to try homemade laundry detergent soon. I had fully intended to start making my own way back when I started making my own fabric softener/dryer sheets (which I am still making and using all the time, by the way), but then my mom got a new HE set and had a bunch of detergent left over from before that she couldn't use and passed on to me. I am just now coming to the end of it and am planning on making my own. I've seen a lot of posts about this and I've gathered a few different recipes but I am wondering from those of you who do use homemade laundry detergent, do you prefer liquid or powder? What's better? I've always used liquid detergent but I'm wondering if powder is better for the homemade stuff? Any tips?

4. Lastly, I'm interested in knowing if you have a daily chore list or if you like to do all your house cleaning in one go or if you just don't clean at all. I tend to do all my cleaning all at once because if I do little jobs on a day to day basis, I find that by the time I'm through the cycle, it's all dirty again. However, if I do it all in one shot it takes up a bigger chunk of time and it doesn't last long either. While it's nice to have a fully clean house, I do get frustrated when I spend a whole Saturday morning cleaning and then the house looks like a disaster zone again by Monday. The thing is this - I am a neat freak but I'm not that cleanly.

If you popped by unexpectedly (please please please don't do it because I would be embarrassed) you probably would not find piles of papers scattered throughout the house, dirty dishes piled in the sink, an unmade bed or unfolded laundry. What you would find, however, is a layer of dog hair 6 inches thick on the floor, my hubby's whiskers left over from shaving on the sink and counter and soap scum in the shower. I am not sure why it is that I can't turn a blind eye to the slightest thing out of place in my home but I can ignore a mounting mess of dirt and disustingness. If I know I have company coming later in the week, I just figure there's no point in cleaning two days before or else I will just have to do it again when they come. Clearly, my cleaning "schedule" is not working so well for me and I need to figure something else out. So what works for you?

Please tell me this is a joke...

I start TAing next week. So, this week I'm getting all my stuff prepared.

I got my class lists yesterday. I made my attendance sheets tonight.

I have 15 students in one class, 18 in the other.

In the class with 18 students, I have three Kristen's, three Kirsten's and a Kristine.

I am horrible with names to begin with.

Please tell me this is a joke.

The Weekend to End Breast Cancer

In 2007 and 2008 I participated in The Weekend to End Breast Cancer which is a 60 km walk through the streets of Toronto. The 2008 event was a particularly special year for me because I walked alongside my mother and my mother-in-law, who were both celebrating 5 years cancer free!!

This year, I decided to take a year off from the event. I didn't regret that decision until yesterday when the fabulous dude, M&L and I headed to Toronto to support the walkers at the closing ceremonies.

We got their in time to cheer on team BOOBEES as they crossed the finish line, after walking a painstaking 60 km on a fairly hot weekend. This weekend, the team was made up of 6 wonderful ladies. FD's Aunt P, Be, my mother-in-law, my sister-in-law A and Caley. They also joined up with their friends Tina and Susan who were also part of the event. You go girls! I am so proud of you!

The weekend is full of emotion and I was lucky to experience a small part of it yesterday afternoon as I cheered on the walkers as they approached the end of their journey. I was even able to cheer for a 97 year old woman who was completing the event. She was there last year, too. Amazing!

Many people walk in honour of or in memory of those they know who have had their lives affected by breast cancer. On the back of Caley's shirt, she was proudly sporting the names of my mumma and mumma-in-law.

The closing ceremonies are likely the most emotional part of the weekend for all who are involved. During the ceremony, there is a procession of walkers who are breast cancer survivors who make their way to the front. As I watched these beautiful women (and some men) make their way to the stage after walking for two days straight, I gave thanks to God for my mom and my mother-in-law and spent time praying for those whose mothers, wives, sisters, aunts and friends have lost their lives to cancer.

I was proud to wave at and blow kisses to my mother-in-law as she walked in the procession with the other participants. You can see her in the bottom left of the photo below.
I haven't made a definite decision yet but you can probably count on me being there next year raising funds and walking the 60 KMs again in support of this cause. Because cancer is hard, walking isn't.