Changed for Good

My friend Laurie lost her grandmother, Lila Parker, to lymphoma the month before Laurie's daughter Katie was born in 2007.Laurie with her "No-No."

This year, Laurie is fighting back by serving as a Relay For Life team captain. (All Relay For Life monies support the American Cancer Society's research and patient programs). To raise support, Laurie's team is making these inspiring (and super cute!) bracelets. They feature inspirational words (Hope, Inspire, Friends, or Family) in Relay's signature color: purple.

If this is a cause that speaks to you, you can visit Laurie's Relay page and click on "Donate" to make a donation. Then you can e-mail her directly (laurie_entrekin@hotmail.com) with your bracelet order and address. (The bracelets are $8, including shipping, and all proceeds go to Relay For Life.)

Or click here to join Laurie's Relay team: Changed for Good. Cobb County Relay For Life is being held at Miller Park in Marietta on May 8-9.

Just wanted to share Laurie's story and this opportunity. It's good for all of us to get outside of our little orbits once in a while and be a part of something bigger than ourselves. :-)

Kitchen Inspiration

Hunk and I have been talking about economical little ways that we can improve our kitchen (which would make Mama very happy) while not causing too much strain on the ol' budget. Keeping in mind that we will inevitably outgrow our home within a few years and (if the economy is behaving itself by then) move, we don't want to do anything too...radical. But I'm in the mood for a little sprucing up in the meantime.

So, I took to blogworld for some much-needed inspiration. And I got it: beadboard! Check out the beautiful little beadboard backsplash in Heather Bullard's kitchen. (Her entire site is peppered with inspiration landmines. Watch where you step or you may find yourself blown to DIY land for a year's worth of weekends!)

Here are some more photos for my inspiration files:So pretty, right? And since installation would really only require a can of paint, some caulk, and a nail gun, Hunk approves!

Another Backward Glimpse

After posting about my great grandma's recipe book discovery on Friday, I found another little treasure inside one of my old books! A small red volume called The Little Shepherd of Kingdom Come fell open (actually, to be more accurate, Bug flung it open... have I mentioned that he's turning two this month? He's practicing.)

Well, inside the book was a darling card:

On the back it says:

Pray think of me when flowers you view.
Their beauties all expressed in you.

Being a sucker for anything nostalgic or romantic, I like to imagine that this little memento was given to the book's owner by her dearest friend, as a token of her devotion. I love it. It's so... Anne and Diana!

A Sweet Treasure

We have collections of old books all over our house: on the mantle, our nightstands, even in our powder room! Hunk's grandfather's calculus book, my mom's Uncle Wiggly series from her childhood, an old family Bible, my grandparent's Reader's Digest volumes....and many more I've picked up at antique stores through the years.

One especially raggedy volume that sits beneath a picture frame on the back of the piano caught my eye the other day. Its spine has deteriorated beyond recognition, and I suddenly realized I had no idea what its contents contained. I opened it and was thrilled to discover a treasure: my great grandmother's hand-copied recipe book!

Here it is:

In its pages are recipes for many interesting little items, like Crisco Salmon Treats (I should make those for the next shower I host. ha!). I also now possess recipes for homemade catsup and four different types of pickles.

Also tucked within its pages are clippings from old magazines and newspapers, which offer such an intriguing glimpse back in time. Check it out:

Tuna squares, anyone? ...Anyone?

Love her 'do.
(And is it just me, or are several elements of this ad...suggestive??)

These next two pics were featured in an article on "modern kitchens." Check out that lovely light fixture! Actually, I think I saw that at IKEA a few weeks ago....

Since Bug LOVES to cook ("gook! gook!"), we decided to try my great grandma's recipe for "Sunshine Cake." Although I overcooked it a bit (couldn't quite figure out what "bake in a moderate oven for 30's-40's" meant), it was pretty good! Kind of like a pound cake.


Bug approves of the batter...

...and the cake!!

The Elusive Baby Handprint

About a year ago, a couple of Bug's little friends enrolled in a local childcare program, and all of a sudden, artwork started appearing on their refrigerators. Colorful shapes, funny finger paintings and indiscriminate scribbles provided magnetized proof of all the wonderful things these young ones were learning.

I started to fear that keeping my son at home with me might be putting him behind in life. Because while he could talk on a cell phone, bang a computer keyboard and fold some mean laundry, the craft projects were few and far between in Bug's world.

So, we bought some chubby crayons and alphabet magnets, and Bug went to town coloring and gluing and having a downright grand old time decorating our fridge. I felt better.

Until I noticed the handprints. Bug's little childcare-attending pals regularly carted home perfectly captured little handprints stamped onto their artwork. Try as I might, I could never, never seem to get Bug's squirmy little digits to cooperate with my plans to capture their cuteness for time and eternity. Whenever I attempted a handprint, it ended up looking like an inkblot gone wrong.

And so, alas, Bug has tragically few handprints preserved in the baby book. Until I checked out a friend's blog the other day, that is. She had the most ingenious idea for memorializing tiny fingers. It's called the copy machine. No more inky smears. No more fists full of paint. I finally have a way to preserve the preciousness! Check it out:


And please, please, please nobody tell me that copy machines cause cancer. I might just be forced to enroll Bug in preschool tomorrow.

My favorite new nailpolish!

A classic red from OPI, named... Little Red Wagon! A big thanks to Angela (www.crumbsinmybutter.com) for sharing this with me!