We shouldn't take life for granted & should be grateful for our days. Each new one a delicately, colorfully wrapped package, waiting to be torn into.

Sweet miracle of living, of life, May she always be a surprise
A scratchy tag in the t-shirt Provoking us to action and healing

May we never grow comfortable
In all she affords us

Let us hold her close and dear Letting her wash over us Compelling us to be more Reminding us that this,

What we are doing,

Is but a breath.

And though it may be short,
It is magical
And human
And hard

And good.
~mh








G'pa Chet/G'ma Dorothy residence, Ellinwood, Kan.

Sugar!

An adorable local bakery, Sugar Sisters, had the genius notion of hosting weekly on-site bingo. Our mom's group went this Monday. We played for brownies and cupcakes; Jennifer won the best prize: wedding CAKE!!
And in case you weren't already hungry, here ya go:

Now, go get a snack!

Kick-punching Cancer's Butt...part deux

Here's a photo journal of the Race for the Cure (all stats/info came from that site).
The greatest risk factors for breast cancer are being female and growing older.

Breast cancer knows no boundary, be it age, gender, socioeconomic status or geographic location.

One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. That’s one in eight within your company, school and organization!
The key to survival is early detection.
Three simple steps for early detection are regular mammograms, clinical exams and breast self-exams. And, remember, breast cancer affects more than just the patient; friends and family need support too.


I am grateful to my late Grandpa Ray, and my precious Grandma Diane, for giving me the courage to join the Komen Race. In your triumphant rise above breast cancer, you have proven the stamina of the human spirit.

My fan club:
Bootcamp Babes post-race (E actually ran with her jogger stroller!--I love these girls.):

I'm already thinking about next year's race and how much money we can raise! Thank you to everyone who donated; our team raised almost $600. Wow!

Kicking Cancer's Butt!

I was honored to be a part of the Mid-Kansas Affiliate Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Against Breast Cancer {just this morning!}. I embraced the mission, fund raising, & training aspects of this venture with no abandon; I'll be doing it again!!

More photos to come.

What will you do to help fight cancer? This race is great because there's a one mile, or you can walk/run the 5K. And it's through a purdy neighborhood in Wichita. You can be on my team next year!

Breakfast

Breakfast.

The most important meal of the day.

Even better when spent talking with a friend. We are new friends so there was lots to talk about.

Here's the bounty:

The fall bouquet is a thank you gift from my husband. Ain't he sweet?

Fix breakfast for someone you love, and soon. It'll be fun.

Gilded locket

Popcorn, red shoes

If words were pictures
I would draw popcorn and red shoes
and shampoo and dirty dishes and toys
and dry plants and cracked acorns.

If pictures were songs
I would sing in black and white,
sing them high and low,
up and down.
Whoah, oh, oh.

And if songs were thoughts
I would think of heaven
and crisp, white paper,
and re-piercing my ears.

And if dreams were real I would see,
everyday,
people happy and dancing
and saying thank you.

~mh

I float

Because sometimes, we don't need words.

Only things captured by vision and longing.


May your vision and heart's song be clear today.

When you

When you find hope, cling to it.

When you find love, fuel it.

When you find friendship, trust it.

When you find God, believe it.

When you find patience, practice it.

When you find beauty, exude it.

When you find forgiveness, accept it.

When you find light, peace, creativity, joy, and tenderness...

Share it.

~mhpardon the graininess of the above picture (taken on Shawn's cell. but I love it!)

~

We drove 5 1/2 hrs to ARKANSAS

It had been ages since I last visited Eureka Springs, Arkansas. I was in junior high and went with girlfriends; we tried on matching sparkly, black {short} dresses. I liked all the shops with their shelves of velvety hats and cheeky souvenirs. So when Davina announced she was coming to visit, I began planning a girls-only (thank you, Shawn and Company for watching Wilder) getaway, thinking Eureka Springs was a good fit. I thought surely the quaint shops and pretty terrain would woo her.

I forgot that it's Arkansas.

And there are such things as puppets for sale:
While it wasn't as "cool" as I remember, we still enjoyed trolling Eureka's uneven sidewalks and chatting up sales clerks. The Peabody House, where we stayed, was relaxing and quiet, as were our hour-long massages and lingering meals.

Life's what we make it, right?

Peabody House

Dee, I miss you very much already. Thank you so much for flying a trillion miles to see me; I want to return the favor someday.
After all, that's what friends are for.

~

Bossom buddies. Fo' real.

She flew in from Germany (her husband is in the military). We've had two blissful weeks together, catching chick-flicks, trekking to Eureka Springs, experiencing fine dining and live theater. I will be sad when it's over, for fear it will be another 2 1/2 years until we embrace again.

Davina and I met our freshman year of college, wherein we each only spent one year at that school. Reasons for our switching schools aside, we've always said the best part of freshman year was finding each other. We worked together, played together, exercised together.

Nearly a decade later, we remain close friends, while relying on hand-penned notes and Facebook chat as our saving graces. I'm crossing my fingers for Skype to work for both of us very soon.

I don't know why the Lord chose to have one of us smack-dab in the middle of the U.S. amidst wheat fields and dairy cows, the other of us to be experiencing ancient-old castles and exquisite cuisine in Europe. We profess that one day, when old, saggy, and graying, we will live close enough to one another to have chai tea on the front porch, and reminisce about our skinnier days.

We don't need glue, we don't need proximity. The thousands of miles and oceanic tides stretching between us mean nothing. What boundaries?

For us, it is a matter of keeping on going.

No matter where we are.

All that matters

In the end all that matters is that we loved really, really fiercely. ~me

Enjoy your weekend. Spread the love.

I love the blog community

...and not just because I won these cool Baggu reusable shopping bags from Joy the Baker (check out her blog; she's self-taught!).


...but because sharing my heart in a supportive environment means so stinkin' much to me I could squeeze ya. Thank you.

Love!

Only boy.

Exponent of breath, and other things.

The house is quiet and I am the only one here. Marley the Boston snores atop the couch he is not usually allowed to sleep, but I let him anyway (grace abounds). Outside, the crickets maintain their steady melody 'neath the moonlight as I munch my Starbucks pumpkin muffin. These moments to self replenish the peace and contentment I so often beseech my Maker.

Many mothers (and, lots of people, for that matter) covet alone time. In the frequent, frazzled search for something, anything, to let up, we relish even the smallest fifteen minute repose. I am overjoyed at a break. But happy that my life is full of messes and exhaustion, disorganization and early mornings.

As much as I complain, really,

I wouldn't have it any other way.

And while I should snatch the opportunity to soak in the bath while enjoying a glass of wine, I'm tempted to reach for Wilder's baby album and be absorbed in beauty. To reminisce and be elated for what I have, and for what is to be.

I am thankful for solitude--its quietness. Its thought-provoking tendencies. Thankful that it is not a mainstay in my journey, nor a doorway to loneliness.

My life is sweet and full, like a gingham-lined basket of cozily nestled pumpkin muffins.

Which I will gladly share.

LOVE is anterior to life,
Posterior to death,
Initial of creation, and
The exponent of breath. Emily Dickens