Candi

I met Candi through my church. I actually met her daughter first. Candi was in surgery at the time. I found out that she was recently diagnosed with stage four ovarian cancer and the prognosis wasn't good. I was told that she didn't have much family or money. And that was it. Oh and that Candi is just 37 years old.

We began taking in meals and offering whatever service we could to help. It was just Candi and her 20 year old daughter who has two little ones of her own to take care of. Having been through this before, I kept thinking "How are they going to do this? They need more help."

So I offered to do their laundry, babysit, clean their house, whatever I could do to relieve some of the burden of the day to day chores. They didn't take me up on much of the help except the laundry because they had no washer and dryer. They did accept a few meals only because I was so insistent that we bring them in. I was insistent because I know how tough cancer can be. My mom had cancer. Lots of our mom's have had cancer. It's a horrific disease.

The difference between Candi and many of the rest of us is that she has hardly anyone around her to help her. You see, Candi hasn't had the easiest life. She hasn't had the same opportunities for family and friend relationships that many of the rest of us have had. Her mom died when she was just eight, proving to be one of the hardest things she would ever go through. Candi was then out on her own at just 14. She became a mother at 17 and if you can even imagine this, she slept in her truck with her newborn daughter when they had no place to go.

Because of the abuse Candi endured in her own family, she didn't trust many people. She was afraid if she got too close she would get hurt and she didn't let many people get close. So she has lived a little bit of an introverted life, trying to protect herself and her daughter. But this wasn't the life Candi wanted. She longed for a close family. She wanted the big Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings that most of us have experienced. The shopping trips with sisters. The protective brothers. The crazy aunts and uncles. All the things about family that makes life so great.

When her daughter was about three Candi did finally meet a wonderful guy. They spent many years together and he helped her raise her daughter. Thankfully, Candi learned what it meant to be truly loved. Sadly, this relationship ended not too long ago and Candi decided to move to Boise for a fresh start. She had just graduated from cosmetology school and had several opportunities lined up to begin working in Boise. She was so excited to begin this new life and adventure.

But just before moving to Boise she felt like something wasn't right. She began feeling some pain and knew something was going on with her body. When she got to Boise she had tests done and that's when they discovered that she had stage four ovarian cancer. And that's when her world crumbled down around her. No fresh start. No new job. No money. No insurance. And worse, no family. Candi was pretty much alone in this and what could be worse than that?

Candi has reunited with her sister who lives in Utah, and talks to her brother from time to time. We only met a month ago, but I truly consider her part of our family now. Candi is a sweetheart and has the kindest spirit about her. When you meet her you just want to help her!

So now I am on a mission to find help for Candi. Amazingly, her cancer has not spread. She had a CT scan done just yesterday that showed it is still localized where it was when they did the surgery. This is amazing! She's been following a strict "cancer" diet similar to what my mom did. No sugar, lots of veggies, taking supplements.  She needs our help! She needs to raise money so that she can seek further treatment. There are some great treatments out there that are seeing great results for cancer patients. Non-chemo treatments that have been very successful. She needs about $15,000 - $20,000 to get started. I think we could do this for her! Auctions, fundraisers, etc. We've started the ball rolling at our church. I'm sending out a plea to my community. We need to help this sweet, sweet lady in need!

Helping Candi these past few weeks has reminded me of a time when I was with my own mother and brother when they were very sick. It reminds me of love and compassion and everything that is important in life. There are so many things that we get caught up in every day that just don't matter that much. Facebook, which pillows to buy for the couch, shades of eye shadow...you get my point. What matters is love. We need to take care of each other. Candi has reminded me of that and I am so thankful to her for that. She is a blessing in my life and I will forever be grateful.

If you would like to make a donation today, you can go Here. This is a Facebook donation page I have set up for her. Click on the Donate button and it will take you to a donation center where you can choose an amount. In return you will be e-mailed a delicious caramel recipe. Thank you!

The Birthdays

Lexi is three!

For Lexi's birthday we celebrated by going to Pojo's and then coming back home for ice cream and cake. The girls loved Pojo's and decided that they want to go back next year and take their friends. Wonderful! They loved the merry go round and the chance to win tickets. Lexi received some fun birthday gifts this year. A lovely 18" doll which she named Callie. She loves Callie as you can see in the picture. She also got a fun carrying case for her Lalaloopsy dolls, a cute piggy purse, a fun matching game and money from Grandma and Grandpa! How fun to be three!

At three Lexi is very conversational. She loves to say actually. She can count to 12 and tries to get to 20. She knows her colors and loves to use them to make lots of pretty pictures. She can say her ABCs all day long but recognizing them is taking a little work. I think she has a little different learning style than Lizette so we are working on that. Lexi loves her sissy and loves to do everything that she does. She follows Lizette around and acts out what she does all day long. It's so cute. Lexi is such a joy in our house. Always spirited and lively! Shy to the rest of the world but a little firecracker in our house. We love our Lexi to pieces. Happy Birthday sweetie!

Lizette is Six!

Lizette was not going to have a party this year. The plan was to celebrate both of the girls birthdays at Pojo's and then they could each have their own cake and presents. Well, we decided to invite a few of the neighbors over at the last minute just for cake and ice cream on Lizette's birthday and before we knew it, we were having an all out birthday party! They brought presents and Lizette was thrilled. Jamie and the kids came by too and so we had a house full. How fun for Lizette! This is really the way to do a party! No planning. No stress. :-) It was so nice of everyone to come and bring presents last minute like that. We really didn't expect that and told them not to, but people are just so thoughtful and nice. Lizette also received some super fun gifts. She got an 18" doll as well which she named Lizzy. Hers' has glasses and is very sophisticated. She got a bunch of Polly Pockets which she couldn't have been more happy with, a beautiful handmade scarf from her friend Lexi, much needed coloring books and crayons, a doctors set, and money from Grandma and Grandpa. Wow! It's great to be six too!

At six Lizette seems to be so grown up! She keeps saying that she doesn't feel six. I keep telling her that I don't feel 39 either. :-) Lizette is such a witty little girl. Yes, I think a quick mind and a good sense of humor definitely describe her. She is sweet too. She constantly calls Lexi "honey" when they are talking and is very motherly with her. She worries about how others are feeling. If she thinks someone is laughing at her, she will cry. Yes, she is sensitive! She loves her friends. Loves her friends. For being so shy, this girl is social. She LOVES having friends and cousins over to play. She is doing great in school. She can read and knows her numbers very well. She loves art and music but not so much PE. (Takes after me). She loves her friends at school and playing with them at recess. Yes, I think six is going to be a fun year for Lizette. She bring so much happiness into our home and we are so blessed that she is in our family. Happy birthday Lizette! We love you!

Fun Stuff!

Since my last post, lots has been happening! Of course lots has been happening. I'm in the habit of leaving weeks in between writing these days and doing these catch up posts with a smattering of this and that. I'm not sure why I have lost my blogging mojo but I guess life has gotten in the way of blogging. I guess that's better than blogging getting in the way of living, right? I have had those periods. Well, onto the post...

So, Jeff's 38th birthday was on September 26th. Yes, he is old. Poor guy. He is a year and a half younger than I am but he looks so much older. People don't have to say it, but I can tell they are thinking that he robbed the cradle. (hee hee) I don't want to get too sappy here, but I seriously think Jeff gets better looking every year.

Lizette got Jeff Bill O'Reilly's "Killing Lincoln" on audiobook. Lexi got him a new mug for work. And I got him a much needed new pair of shoes.

You know that every once in a while I have to share a good bargain. :-) Recently, I've been on a thrift store kick again. I can't remember what it was I went shopping for to begin with that got me started but I got hooked. I think it was something for the house. Anyway, I was at Saver's one day and found a Lalaloopsy doll for $2.99. $2.99! These are normally like $30.00. Then I went back the next week and found this Dora doll for $2.99. Normally like $20.00. And the girls love them. Seriously, don't you think I should join forces with that Toy Hunter show? I am really good at this. :-)

And we really do need more toys at our house. Okay, so we don't! Stop judging me!  :-)

We are excited that it's Fall at our house! I love to get out the Fall decorations and my Fall scented candles. YUM! I'm in a craft group that meets once a week and this week we made this:

I love it! It made me so excited for Fall and to make even more decorations. Next, I need to make some pillow covers for my outside pillows and add a couple of mums to my front flower bed. 

The girls are excited too. For family night the other night, Jeff helped them carve a pumpkin and they loved it. Lizette designed it and Jeff did the carving. Lexi cheered on. :-) 

I've been dying to make some homemade apple pie filling. I have no idea why, but I just have. So I bought an apple peeler and went to town this week. It was so fun. I LOVE the apple peeler and this thing is going to be great. Don't know why I haven't had one of these before, but better late than never. The girls are going to have fun with this too. Way more fun to eat curly apples than plain old cut ones! 

Lastly, a few notes about the girls. I think I am turning Lexi into a procrastinator. A while back I got into the habit of telling her that when she couldn't have something or do something today she could have it or do it tomorrow. So now when I ask her to do something she says that she will do that tomorrow. Or if she asks for something and I say no, she automatically asks if she can have it tomorrow. I have engrained into her head that there is always tomorrow! This is probably not a good mindset to have at such a young age. When they give her homework in third grade she'll be like "Yeah, I'll do that tomorrow." What have I done?!

Then, Lizette is learning some of life's lessons at school already. She came home the other day and said "Mom, why do all of the kids talk to Callie Sue more than me?" I said, "Well, Callie Sue talks to all of the kids a lot honey. They probably feel comfortable because they know that she likes them." I went on to explain how the kids might not know if she likes them or not if she doesn't talk to them and that maybe she should try saying hi more often or asking them to play at recess. She sat there for the longest time pretty quiet. And then with teary eyes she said "Mom, I am going to ask someone to play with me tomorrow. And I'm not even going to have the teacher help me. I'm going to do it all by myself." I could see the wheels turning. I was happy for her and sad for her all at once. I feel for her because I know how hard it is to be shy and how hard it is to feel left out and awkward. But I'm happy that she is wanting to make friends and excited to try to do something about it. She is so lucky to be in the school she is in. They work with her so well and have been really good to help her. So glad for that! We had this conversation after school and it struck me how lucky I was to be standing there having this conversation with her. Just having that moment to listen to her and to hear about her day meant the world to me. Love these memories with my kids! Love that she opened up to me about it. Really hope that never ends!