movember

Monday starts the first day of "Movember"!

What is Movember, you may ask? The Mo, slang for moustache, and November come together each year for Movember. Movember challenges men to change their appearance and the face of men’s health by growing a moustache. The rules are simple, start Movember 1st clean-shaven and then grow a moustache for the entire month. The moustache becomes the ribbon for men’s health, the means by which awareness and funds are raised for cancers that affect men. Much like the commitment to run or walk for charity, the men of Movember commit to growing a moustache for 30 days.

Nick is the captain of the Movember team at his work.

To make a donation to the team, click HERE.

After you make a donation, leave me a comment letting me know, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win some fun prizes!

The funds raised through Movember’s US campaign benefit the Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCF) and LIVESTRONG, the Lance Armstrong Foundation. The PCF uses the money raised by Movember to fund research that is accelerating the discovery of better treatments and ultimately finding a cure for prostate cancer. One such program is the University of Michigan Comprehensive Cancer Center’s research, which has recently made a significant breakthrough. They identified 24 different kinds of prostate cancer and how aggressive each is. This should enable scientists to soon be able to answer the agonizing question facing men with prostate cancer: does their cancer need immediate treatment, and if so what is the best treatment, or can it be left alone? LIVESTRONG uses the money raised by Movember to fund important programs to support young adults and their families battling and surviving cancer. These programs include: • Fertile Hope, an initiative dedicated to providing reproductive information, support and hope to cancer patients and survivors whose medical treatments present the risk of infertility.• My Planet, an online community of peer support that allows young adults to find and communicate with other young adults whose lives have been affected by cancer.• Continuing Nursing Education program on Young Adult Cancer Survivorship. LIVESTRONG encourage nurses to know the warning signs of cancer, understand what types of cancer for which young adults may be at risk, and learn about cancer screening.The success of Movember can be directly attributed to the more than 627,000 Mo Bros and Mo Sistas who have supported our cause since 2003. Movember is sincerely grateful for their efforts and appreciates all they do. For those of you new to Movember, we challenge you to join us in changing the face of men's health.For detailed information about the Movember Foundation, financial and annual reports, men’s health, the programs being funded and the social impact Movember is having, please visit: http://us.movember.com

been there, done that, but lets go there again anyway

On Oct 11th I had surgery to remove a dermoid cyst from my right ovary. Recovery has gone well and I had my post-op doctor appointment yesterday afternoon. My doctor said I am healing up well and we discussed my infertility issues. I briefly went over our adoption from hell in Liberia, and how we're still on this seemingly never-ending waiting game for our second adoption. Nick and I really want to get our family started (duh!) and so I asked for and was given a new prescription for Clomid, an infertility medication. I have taken Clomid before. I took it for two years in fact, and had one miscarriage - unless a false positive is possible.

So that's the latest in my life as a childless mother. My doctor suggested I go to Seattle Infertility, but I personally have an issue with IVF and don't think I'd ever go that route. I'm not condemning anyone who's used that treatment, I'm just saying it's not for me. I could go into a whole other post on that, but I'll save that for another day.

Today will be day one of my Progesterone treatment (I have to use this along with the Clomid due to my PCOS and lack of menstruation). Clomid treatment will likely start within the next two weeks. Along with the medication, I have come up with an herbal concoction that I will drink as a tea. Some ingredients are Chaste Tree Berry, Red Clover Blossoms, Raspberry Leaves, Nettle and a few other herbs/barks.

I'll be posting my results... but lets not get our hopes up folks! ;)

BeadforLife

I'm having a BeadforLife Holiday Bead Party...

...and you're invited!!

When: Sat, December 4th

Open house from 12 pm - 6 pm

Where: My house in N.W. Washington

Contact me for directions!

RSVP: waiting2beamommy@yahoo.com

Come enjoy some gourmet holiday treats while browsing over 500 pieces of BeadforLife's beautiful handcrafted beaded jewelry as well as their new Shea butter products!

As a thank you gift from me, each purchase will come with a free organza gift bag - perfect for gift giving this holiday season!

chillin' with my peeps

We got two new baby chicks this past week.Bazinga the Rhode Island Red, and Penny the Buff OrpingtonThe "big girls" are now 11 weeks old and love roaming the yard.

They LOVE cauliflower

In their new favorite hiding spot, behind our shed

This one, Mary the Black Australorpe, is my favorite. She runs up to me and will eat out of my hand.

around the yard

Indeed we've had beautiful weather here.

bandaids for the heart

A couple horses on my side of the bridge

It definitely feels like fall here in western Washington. I love breathing in the clean crisp air and watching the leaves change to their new blazing colors. To me, this time of year has always held a magical feeling of change and new beginnings. I’m not too anxious for that feeling this year. I don’t imagine much will change in our lives, at least nothing of much consequence... My hens should start laying in a couple months…. I will have a reason to cozy up in a blanket with a cup of hot tea... I may teach myself to crochet again… Nick and I will celebrate our 6th wedding anniversary… but still, we will be a meager family of two for another fall and holiday season.

We are both still trying to move on from loosing Macsyn. My heart has felt so hard and cold ever since the day we found out he’d never come home. I admit, shamefully, that my relationship with God isn’t where it should be. I hold so much anger, bitterness and resentment in my heart. This is very bad. I know I need to get right with Him.

We don’t have a church we call home, though we’ve been searching for this for years. It’s been nearly 5 years since we were hurt to our cores by a church whose members we loved and cared so much for. We have since spoken with the senior pastor of that church and made amends. It’s nice to be able to drive past it and not feel total revulsion, but rather a happiness that we were able show him how we were hurt and for him to understand where we came from. When my feelings before were of anger and hurt, they are now of peace over the entire situation.

This time, though, there is no one to go to talk to about this hurt. No one except for God. And at this point I don’t know what to say, or how my heart can fully heal from this. I KNOW only in Him can I overcome this, but when it hurts so badly, you start to doubt whether or not a full recovery is possible.