One of my major goals for last year was to do service and/or raise money for Mamababy Haiti in honor of Elsa. One of the very first ideas that I had was to sew a bunch of blankets and stuff and sell them, donating all the proceeds to Mamababy Haiti. I named my brand "Sweet Meadowlark" as a way to honor and preserve a little girl who didn't stay long enough, but still touched the hearts of many. As time went on, I realized that I really did not have enough time or motivation to make that a reality, but I did decide on a one-time fund raiser instead. THANK YOU once again to everyone who donated money to Mamababy Haiti for Elsa's birthday. I do believe that we have now reached my goal of raising $500. Incredible. And I can tell you that the money has helped with WONDERFUL things, most namely a generator for their clinic/birth center so that they can have lights and running water at all times. This is such a blessing to the people of Haiti.
It took me a few months, but I finally mailed out the blankets to the winners of the drawing. I LOVED the way they turned out, and I hope the families who get them loved them too. I thought I would post some pictures of my sweet meadowlark blankets:
this one had super soft coordinating blue minky on the back
this one had super soft coordinating white minky on the back
These blankets went out to two little girls who I hope love and cuddle with them for years to come.
THIS is what happened today while I was mulling over how much time I spend on Facebook, and to what end?:
sorry this is the wrong way...too much effort to fix it.
But here is a better view:
Oh the HORROR!
As you can see here, our baby has grown into a very curious and poop-smeared smurf...all within a very short amount of time. I DO NOT HAVE TIME FOR FACEBOOK anymore.
So I feel the need to further clarify a little more...I will not leave Facebook all together. I am taking a break. When I feel thoroughly cleansed, I will be back. But I will have a different agenda and different expectations. See, I'm afraid I was going seeking more love and support there then people were able to give. And in the course of so doing, I was giving the very best of my time to people who just don't care that much. Or they just didn't know to care. Either way, my family cares...and they will get the best of my time from now on.
I'm also terribly afraid that I am often guilty of the very same crime I have accused others of...that of speeding by too quickly without taking the time to comment. So I am sorry.
And this blog is going to have to take the place of Facebook for a while as my outlet for status updates. So think of this as an elaborate status update. Only, the blog is for me. I write it for me, without the expectation that anyone else will read it. And if it is read by others, so be it.
And YOU, on the other hand can spend as much or little time on Facebook as you want. This is not about me passing judgement, but about me doing what I see is best for me now.
{love}
kate
1) there are some good aspects of facebook, but for the most part it is just a waste of my time.
2) I'm tired of feeling like people don't care about me because they can't even take the time to "like" my status, or respond to my message. It's just sad that we don't even email anymore. Forget a call on the telephone, that is just TOO interpersonal. I'm drowning in a flood of faces where it doesn't seem like anyone cares about me. The only care is about how cool the next status update will be. *Check me out! I'm so cool! I'm at blahblahblah with blahblahblah!* I feel like a genuinely try to respond to others posts. I care! Well, I'm sorry if I did anything to offend anyone...or if you just don't like me. I don't want my self worth to be based on nobody "liking" my status. That's just sad. So...I'm not the wittiest, the prettiest, the most social, the best cook, have the best and cutest kids, etc...and I DON'T CARE. I don't want to feel marginalized by family. I'd rather not want to know. So, I can see it's best just to get out of there.
3) anyone who really likes me and cares about what I'm up to will find a way to be a part of my life...and if you don't, GOOD RIDDANCE. I don't need your energy in my life.
My email is thewoodbetweentheworlds@gmail. com ... if you want to write me a real letter and not just show me how cool your life is. And I'll do the same for you. But if you don't reciprocate, I'll assume you don't have the time for my friendship.
I know this is rash...it's TOTALLY uncalled for. Nobody was rude to me. I'm just bored and feeling cooped up and like I need to get out of that proverbial building and live in the real world. I'll probably regret this tomorrow when I'm having social media withdrawals. But I'm going to try to stick with it.
Yes, I am just now posting for the 4th of July...haha! Someday I'll get caught up!
Sauvie Island Foot Traffic Flat Half Marathon:
I decided really early...like in November that I was going to train for this half marathon to help me loose the baby weight from two pregnancies. And my training went really well...until the last month when we suddenly decided to move and we were kind of obligated to take a trip to Utah for my sister's wedding right before the race. So...I only got to run 10 miles a couple of times about a month before the race, and I felt it. It was a tough 13.1 miles (don't discount that last .1 mile...it is hard!). I did not loose all the weight I had planned on before the race and actually I gained a few pounds from the travel and wedding. :-/ Frustration! Ah...but at least I finished the race AND I ran the whole way. And at least the weather cooperated...no rain and not too hot. But I wish I could be running the race now that I've lost all the weight I had planned on.
Left: before the race (remind me NOT to wear my race number on my stomach again...I think I knew not to do that at one point in time)
Middle: the race pace group I was trying to follow: 10 minute/mile. I did pretty good for a few miles, but by mile 8 I knew I didn't have a prayer.
Right: after the race with my finisher's medallion
Apres-race: I was exhausted and could hardly move for the rest of the day...but we wanted to share a memorable holiday with the kids, so we took a drive and ended up having a picnic at the park for dinner and watching the fireworks over the river as we camped out on our sleeping bags.
bottom left: we stopped and took a picture with Tow Mater
First of all, I want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to friends, family and strangers who have been touched by Elsa and MamaBaby Haiti and have shared love and money to this great cause! My goal was $500, and we raised $355! I'm going to throw a corny cliche at you now: reach for the stars and you'll end up with the moon! I'm very happy that we could contribute so much money to such a worthy cause. And feel free to make another donation any time you please :-) ...or now that you are an official MBH donator, you should buy some official apparel! As for me, I am going to keep donating a little every month until I reach my goal of $500.
But now for the moment everyone has been waiting for!
{I picked names out of a bowl because not everyone replied to the same blog entry,which is not a problem because it was a little confusing!}
The winner of the photography mini session with TM Custom Portraits:
Emily J.
The winners of a Sweet Meadowlark baby blanket:
Betsy B.
Kylie G.
and I decided to give one more away because I am feeling so blessed by all of you:
Kristina Z.
Please send me a message within 48 hours with your contact information to claim your prize!
Lately I'm so inspired by people who see a need in the world and get out there and do something about it. For family night last week, our family watched a movie about Harriet Tubman.
OH MAN! The tears were pricking and the pride was swelling! To even think that I belong to the same species as someone THAT amazing just made me happy.
And then there's my midwife... She sent me an email today and at the end of her email she has some favorite quotes. The one that struck me today was
"Those who say it cannot be done
should not interrupt the person doing it." -Chinese Proverb
I don't want to embarrass her, but she is a modern day Harriet Tubman. She has 9 kids, 1 grandkid {though she doesn't seem old enough}, runs a successful business which REALLY helps women--two birth centers and several midwives, attends births, started MamaBaby Haiti, is the Relief Society President, and has the courage and takes the time to lobby for her profession to state lawmakers--giving women in Oregon the right to choose what kind of birth they want to have.
Then there's Rep Holly Richardson of American Fork, Utah. I may or may not agree with her politically...that is to say, sometimes I do and sometimes I don't. But she is ONE amazing woman: midwife, political activist, mother to 24 kids--most of them adopted from around the world--many of them with varying physical and emotional disabilities, several of them having passed on from this life. And now she is a Representative for the state of Utah. She is exactly the kind of person we need in government--someone who is selfless and caring and willing to stick there neck out there for things they believe in.
I like to hope that in my own little way I can grab on to something I believe in and love, and run with it until I help as many people as humanly possible. I know I'll never be one of the Harriet Tubmans...but I can do everything I can to try.
I {heart} midwives
Midwives are some of those people who are giving and caring and sacrifice for the well being of others. Their care is patient-choice oriented, in that they will make sure the patient is educated and allows them to make the choice. They give, give an extra dose of love, caring, time and listening to each of their patients. Their clients are happier, their births have better outcomes, they are sued less, they cost less money, they more or less will let YOU as the consumer, have the birth you want (within reason and the law). Oh I love doctors too, and they also have their place in our medical system. But I believe that for low-risk, healthy mamas and babies midwives are best.
That's why on May 5, International Day of the Midwife, I went to the Oregon State Capitol for a Midwife Rally.
some of Oregon's many midwives
capitol building
The birth of my first baby was so amazing and incredibly empowering, I immediately felt a calling to become a midwife. I already had a B.S. in health and nutrition, so I started back to school the year after Joshua was born to get my nursing degree, with the thought of joining the Certified Nurse Midwife program in a few years. But during my first semester in nursing school I just wasn't feeling right about it. And so I dropped out, a decision I do not regret. Over the last 9 years I have contemplated if and when I want to go back. The world needs more midwives. I often ask myself if I have that within myself to give.
I'll leave you with this great video clip that I saw on facebook today:
There's this little charity that I've talked about before...maybe you remember Mama Baby Haiti? One of my midwives who helped out when Elsa was born traveled to Haiti in February 2010...6 months after Elsa made her brief appearance on earth, and right after the people of Haiti suffered a devastating earthquake. You can read about some of her experiences here. In short, the conditions there were so poor that women and babies were suffering for the lack of facilities and resources. Some of the babies died. My midwife learned to say "I'm sorry" in Haitian Creole to these mothers. I remember reading her blog entries with tears streaming down my face, having suffered through that heartbreak just 6 months earlier. However, many of these deaths could have been prevented (as was not the case with my sweet little Elsa) if the mothers had proper care and resources. My midwife and her colleagues started Mama Baby Haiti before they even left from this first trip...and their motto became "No more Mwen Regrét Sa". No more I am sorry. They have opened a beautiful birth center and medical clinic where volunteer health care providers catch babies and treat various maladies.
Over and over I have tried to imagine HOW I could make a difference by taking something hard that happened to me and use it to help make life better for someone else. Because if I could possibly help another mother from going through loosing a baby, then I would in a heartbeat. Well, lots of my friends up here in Portland are participating in the Portland Triathlon as a fund raiser for Mama baby Haiti, and I thought that sounded perfect! I would love to do another triathlon. However, when I discovered the date I realized that I would not be able to participate. So (and I know this is late notice) I decided that I am going to try to raise funds in conjunction with the half marathon that I am running tomorrow instead. I don't need all the money tomorrow...I'll keep it open a few weeks. But my goal is to raise $500 for Mama Baby Haiti. Can you help me with that?
If 100 of you can donate $5 via paypal, we can reach that goal!! $5!!! That's an easy way to help some of our fellow humankind. (You may donate as much as you want though!) And to sweeten the deal a little bit, I'm doing a drawing in conjunction with this fund-raiser!
I'm going to offer up a few awesome prizes:
1 ~ A mini session with TM Custom Portraits. I think that is at least a $100 value! TM is my best buddy and she takes STUNNING photos. If you don't live in Portland, now is a good time for a road trip! Or, you could make other arrangements...TM does occasionally travel to Utah to visit family and would probably be happy to arrange a time (although I can't exactly speak for her, haha!).
This is our family picture she took in 2008.
We have it printed on a gallery wrapped canvas in our living room and people always ask who took it.
We're about to get new family pictures done! I'm very excited.
2 ~ And I am giving away two beautiful, new, LARGE handmade blankets from my own personal collection {which I have dubbed "Sweet Meadowlark"}. These blankets are 1 full yard of sweetness with a modern cotton print on one side and velvety soft minky on the other side. They are the only blankets that my baby will sleep with. The retail value for these blankets is about $40 each, because of their size and quality of fabrics {but I don't sell them, I only give them away}. They are great for your baby, toddler or would make a very sweet gift.
Those prizes TOTALLY rock...and all you need to do is donate $5. Come ON!! ;-) We all are blessed with so much more than people in other lands. I PROMISE this is a GREAT charity, which can REALLY use the money. And all of the money will go straight to helping the people of Haiti, as I personally know the founders and know they are paying for a lot of stuff (rent, supplies, food, water, medicine) out of their pockets. They are mostly there to help mamas and babies, but they have also given food to starving children and medical care to anyone who needs it. It is staffed completely by volunteers.
So if you think you can help me out with raising some goodness for the Haitian people AND you want in on a fun prize you may enter the giveaway by doing the following:
1)Required to enter the giveaway, you must donate $5 or more and make a comment on this post. You do not need to tell me how much you donate, but I would appreciate it if you could either make a comment on your online donation form Mama Baby Haiti that it is in memory of ELSA MEADOWLARK, or send me a private email letting me know the amount (so I can track my goal) to katespidey@gmail.com.
2)You may receive addition optional entries by a) publicly following my blog {I want to make more new friends}, b) blogging about this fundraiser/giveaway, and/or c) facebooking/tweeting (whatever you do) about this fundraiser/giveaway.
Please show Mama Baby Haiti some love in honor of Elsa Meadowlark!
xxoo! Drawing will close on Elsa's birthday. August 16.
It is now 24 days into 2011. And it's the same old thing every year...resolutions! Sometimes I achieve them, often I don't. But it is good to have something to work toward, and I think I'm getting a better idea of what I *CAN* achieve.
So 2011! Let's have a good year!
Among some other resolutions, I'm hoping to:
1) keep my house clean and organized
2) be fit and run at least 1 half marathon this year (loose the baby belly)
3) do some fund raising for MamaBaby Haiti
More to come on this! And it's going to be EXCITING! I can't wait to get started.
You can do this with the seat. Or you can face it forward. Reclining, not reclining, footrest up or down.
OR
Take the whole seat off all together...and put your car seat on instead. Cool!
I LOVE this stroller! I plan on doing a LOT of jogging this year. Half-marathon next spring anyone? Canyonlands? Odgen? Salt Lake? I'm making myself accountable to YOU bloggerland.
Best of all...this stroller was CHEAP as far as cool strollers go. Kolcraft Countours...and I give it 5 stars! The frame without the seats actually folds up small enough to fit in the minuscule space behind the third row of seats in our Highlander. The last stroller I bought was a Phil and Teds (also a cool stroller with the second seat) and this MUCH cheaper stroller is much more durable.
Due to my early February sugar over-consumption (vacation with friends, my birthday and Valentine's Day)...a decision was made by my brain to stop eating sugar for the duration of Lent (February 17-April 4). I have now been off sugar (everything but honey and fruit) for 11 days and it is FANTASTIC. I highly recommend it. It feels so good to clean my body out and show my body who's boss again...since I can't do it by running long distances right now.
I keep going back and forth on how I feel about a new year. I thought it would be hard to move forward from this difficult year and start a new year...without the baby girl that I thought I would have. But I find myself just chomping at the bit...I'm ready! So BRING IT ON! Happy NEW YEAR!
I have one new year resolution this year:
finish what I start.
Simple. And something that I really need to work on. All over my house I have half completed projects. I have half cleaned up rooms. I have half folded laundry. I have made lunch, but not put away the stuff I used to make lunch. In the summer, I start my garden but then don't follow through with watering, weeding and fertilizing it the way it needs to be. I am not always sticking with my scripture reading goals, my exercise goals, my schedule...everything!
I have finished many things...I know that I KNOW how to finish. I just need to do it!
It's not too late, is it?...to wish everyone a happy New Year?
It's time for some major catch up...
After the great snow/ice of Christmas, we had warming and great amounts of rain. Some places even got 9 inches or more of rain. I'm sure if you've watched the news anytime in the last few weeks you heard that there was flooding in the NW. The freeway was under 5 feet of water! We were alright up on our little hilltop, but even some people in our neighborhood and ward had water in their basements. Brent was over one night bailing out some friends. It was crazy. Needless to say, residents were not advised to leave their homes. That was just about IT for me. I went berserk from being stuck inside for several weeks in a row. Anyway, here is a picture of Wilamette Falls (just outside our city) at about the peak of waterflow: It's just a bubbling cauldron of flood waters. And to think that we were just canoing at the bottom of this monster just a few weeks before!
Luckily, we were still able to get out on New Years Eve. The Mansius family had a party for several families and kids! It was a great evening for kids and adults. What can I say? Tara really is a genius! She had games for kids, games for adults and games for everyone to play together. Here is a picture of all the kids (oh, and she set her clocks forward 2 hours, so "midnight" actually happened at 10:00):
And...from the mouth of Toby:
As for New Years resolutions:
1- Live simply
2- Be positive
3- keep exercising
4- spend more quality time with my kids and with Brent
