Breast Cancer Awareness and Knitting

(Photo source Google)

I always enjoy visiting other blogs sites and 2 Bags Full (you'll love her latest creation!) reminded me only this week of a very important fact:

This October is once again National Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Breast cancer is the second most common kind of cancer in women. About 1 in 8 women born today in the United States will get breast cancer at some point. 
The lifetime risk of cancer in women in the UK continues to rise just as fast (see statistics HERE).
The good news is that many women can survive breast cancer if it’s found and treated early. 

• If you are a woman age 40 to 49, talk with your doctor about when to start getting mammograms and how often to get them. 

• If you are a woman age 50 to 74, be sure to get a mammogram every 2 years. You may also choose to get them more often. 

Talk to a doctor about your risk for breast cancer, especially if a close family member of yours has had breast or ovarian cancer. Your doctor can help you decide when and how often to get mammograms. 

As the daughter of a breast cancer survivor, I take this advice seriously and awaited with some trepidation the results of last year's biopsy...my own! With the upcoming of an MRI of the suspicious breast this year, I urge every woman to take the step...
As any good boy scout will tell you, BE PREPARED is a good motto in this ongoing battle. Don't wait!

And now calling all knitters...Autumn is here and most of us find the season perfect to pick up our knitting needles!

This October The Campaign for Wool will mark the beginning of UK Wool Week 2015 by partnering with some of the world’s most prestigious tailors, menswear brands and cloth producers. 

Here is a sample of activities:
Monday 5th October 2015 saw two sheep breeds grazing ...the length of Savile Row! 

On Friday 9th October, The Campaign for Wool will be supporting ‘Woolly Hat Day’ in support of ‘The Mission to Seafarers’ charity that provides care for seafarers around the world. In the US, there is the Christmas at Sea program: be sure to check it out!

There are many activities across the UK alone so check it out (HERE) and (HERE) and don't miss related events from around the globe (HERE)!

Finally let me advocate stress (any!) has been shown to lighten up with any good hobby.
Knitting happens to be one of those for me (sketching is another) and if you are a kindred spirit, you know what I mean. Knit one, purl one...pushes that negative stress away!

Back to knitting my Royal Luxury lapblanket! 
P.S. If you are not a member of FREE PATTERNS yet, check it out (HERE)

Note to readers: Any above mention of charities, websites or blogs reflects only my own enthusiasm and was not requested!

Addendum...

Remember the post about TIME FOR REFLECTIONS' offer to give 100 Sterling Pounds to an international charitable organization? 
(see HERE)

For those of you who generously responded to Victor's call to help him give to the SALVATION ARMY, here it is:

http://timeforreflections.blogspot.com/2013/11/thank-you-from-salvation-army.html

Thanks Bloggers!
Many thanks for sharing with us Victor and God Bless!

How About It Bloggers? Tis Soon The Season After All...

Like most of us, you probably have a favourite organization you donate to throughout the year and especially during the Holidays when so many feel alone, often without any hope!

For decades our little family has shared with the Armed Forces through such as AnySoldier.com, Soldier's Angel and AFES FOR ARC,( Armed Forces Emergency Services for the Red Cross) along with sponsoring children with CHILDFUND International, knitting for the Seamen's Institute etc...

Right now we are saving our pocket change for a couple of mosquito nets...
You know how it is, there are many in need and we cannot ignore them!

Far from feeling like Miss Goodie Two Shoes (I am not sure who coined that phrase) I only wish I could do more! 

But here is something WE CAN ALL HELP WITH!! Take a wee moment to stop by this fellow's blog and read his message about placing just one (1) comment on his post and he will donate 1 Sterling Pound for each comment up to 100 Sterling Pound to the SALVATION ARMY!

Maybe this is not your preferred Charity, but there is no denying they are always there to help and it is such an easy thing to do!

Visit TIME FOR REFLECTIONS and place a comment! Victor will do the rest! 
Come on! YOU CAN DO THIS!!

http://timeforreflections.blogspot.com/2013/11/visit-this-blog-quickly.html

Thanks Folks!

And The Winner Is...

AND THE WINNER OF 'THIS IS OUR TIME' DVD IS...

~Lavender Dreamer~ 

April 14, 2013 at 6:26 PM

 

If you enjoyed it, I know I would like it too! I sure love watching good movies! Enjoy your evening, my friend!

CONGRATULATIONS!!

 Thank you Diane for entering the giveaway! I just know you will enjoy this one as much as I did! I will contact you shortly to confirm your win!

This Is Our Time, A PureFlix DVD review & GIVEAWAY

DVD Release Date: April 16, 2013

ASIN: B008ZRKIHA

Synopsis:

The movie tells the interwoven stories of Luke (T.J. Dalrymple) and Alé (Erin Bethea), who marry right after school and move to India to serve as missionaries for Embrace A Village, a ministry that cares for those afflicted with leprosy and their families; aspiring financier Catherine (Kate Cobb), who joins a prestigious financial institution determined to make an impact on corporate America; Ryder (Matthew Florida), who lands an impressive job in social media and can’t wait to use the powerful medium for a greater good; and Ethan (Shawn-Caulin Young,) seemingly the odd man out, who struggles to find his God-given-purpose and feels sidelined by God.

“What they all come to learn is that it never really was their time,” Arnold said. “It always was, always is, God’s time.”

My thoughts:

A recent resurgence of Christian themed movies have led to some powerful messages for young and old alike, this one an appropriate reminder God has a purpose for each one of us, a timely purpose!

'This Is Our Time'  will remind many of us of those free and easy college years when the whole world was ahead of us, we were going to make our mark and change everything for the better! 

As we meet our protagonists, it is evident each of them have a path ahead of them, some of those well defined, and others struggling to find a purpose in life. Ethan just happens to be one whom God chose as the 'glue' to keep the others together when hard times hits the group!

(Cast and director)

Drawn partially against the 'Embracing a Village' background in India and Leprosy, I felt the movie to give a powerful reminder of God's message: God's timing is His own, His purpose known to Him only.

I also found the excellent cast to portray the passions of the younger and the wisdom of the older generations believable. Actor and speaker Bruce Marchiano as the trusted Professor and Award Nominee Eric Roberts as the father of two of the graduates lend serious talents to this group!
Kudos to producers such as David A.R. White and writer Lisa Arnold for yet another well done story!

5 Stars!

 (Joe Clendenny and one of the village children)

Don't miss the special features showcasing Embracing a Village with its warmhearted message: 

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in...
(Matthew 25:35)

Additional information regarding the movie:

Website: http://www.christiancinema.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=4565

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ThisIsOurTimeMovie

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmjQe2onm6s

Did  you enjoyed the trailer? 
How would you like to own a copy of the movie?
Here are the GIVEAWAY details!

FLYBY PROMOTIONS has kindly offered to send a copy of this beautiful DVD to one lucky winner!

Simply place a comment on this post no later than midnight on SUNDAY 21 APRIL 2013 and your name will be added in the hat! 
Using Random.org, a winner will be chosen and his/her name will be posted on this blog, the 22nd of April 2013! Be sure to include a way to contact you of course!

Voila! It is that easy!

Giveaway open to US/Canada only, apologies due to region restrictions.

Good luck everyone!

"Disclosure of Material Connection: 
I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in hope that I would mention it on my blog from FLYBY PROMOTIONS. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

Make A Wish Foundation and a very special little girl named Catherine

I humbly admit I learn something daily from my children and today was no exception! 

From the time our daughter was 8 years old she decided to be a vegetarian refusing meat as she could not abide animal slaughtering, read every tin label for additives, compiled a list of companies allowing testing on animals (products to never be purchased again by our family), used only absolutely necesary paper items (killing trees was a no-no), and rescued every stray crossing her path...

She soon had her name on every petition for saving all sorts of animals, worthy causes to help the needy and the environment.

I credit her Welsh roots (obstination comes to mind) for her determination! She was going to make a difference and that was that!

Now in  her thirties, I have lost track of the numbers of rescues (dog, cat, rabbit, rat...), the causes she espouses and the many times she calls our attention to yet another association needing sponsorship and volunteers!

Have I mentioned how proud we are?

But this is not about her, it is about another little girl named Catherine (and according to my daughter a wonderful foundation!)

Catherine was diagnosed when she was 15 months old with Juvenile Diabetes and after a week in hospital, Mum and Dad took her home armed with syringes, insulin and test equipment.

Typical signs of low blood sugar such fatigue, thirst and mood changes are normal behaviour in toddlers and she could not communicate when she was low. Imagine testing every two hours even at nights ...Catherine soon learn to toddle over to her Dad with her finger stuck out when she would see him pick up the blood meter!

It is estimated this little girl has had 6,500 shots and 16,000 blood tests as well as several very anxious trips to the emergency room! Diabetes is a life threatening disease!

Catherine is only 6 years old and she has three wishes...

Now for those of you who are interested in learning more about the Make a Wish Foundation, please read (here) and for Catherine's three wishes, read (here)!

I will end this post by reminding readers that Diabetes is a life threatening disease and wishes can come true...

Blessings to all,

Dickens, Being Merry and 16 days to Christmas

This is the season when we feel content if not entirely happy, we are more apt to socialize and from what the media tells us, we are in a much more generous frame of mind...Aah!
To tell the truth, I thought being generous was a feeling most of us experience throughout the calendar year...hum... But then again, it is true most people will shop for hours for the "right" gift and will less likely balk at the actual price tag...And most of us will certainly reach out in our pockets for that loose change when hearing the Salvation bell ringer upon exiting a store...

Still, being generous and remembering our fellow humans (and let's not forget our animal friends!) is not something seasonal. This very special feeling we experience during the Holiday Season for the birth of Christ should be in fact felt throughout the year. No matter how busy we are, no matter the stress we experience or the financial hardship we endure, being generous should not be tantamount to climbing mountains but rather cresting hills...A smile here and there, a helping hand where needed, a kind gesture towards a stranger, just because...
This is what He meant for us... Giving of ourselves where we can and as often as we can...

Dickens wrote of unbelievable hardships, yet we feel in his stories the whole of human triumph over adversity despite the many ups and downs... I like to read Charles Dickens stories to remind myself that life is by far better for me than most!

And so each year I immerse myself in the Christmas Carols, Oliver Twist, Little Dorrit, A Tale of Two Cities, and such... Writings such as his, many written in his Broadstairs home, reflects the dark as well as the merry side of Victorian life. And as a reader I can immerse myself in the best of his work, feel all the emotions he so well described and all from the comfort of my home...A most wonderful gift!

16 Days to Christmas...I finally finished my knitting for Heavenly Angels in Need for this year, sent my parcels to Marines and National Guards overseas - AnySoldier.com and
SoldierAngels.com - and gave my husband a USPS receipt for a total of $96 (outch!) for the shipping of 9 Christmas boxes...I just hope the warm feeling of this Season will envelop him just as much as it does me!

Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!
(Charles Dickens)

Angels, NKH and hope

Angels have a special way to come into our heart and once there they never leave! In the last few days I often thought of the many little angels that touches our lives.

I count my blessings to be a part of HAIN (http://heavenlyangelsinneed.com/) and I am glad my love of knitting might helping a little the many families and angels in need.

Today I learned a new name: NKH or Non-Ketotic Hyperglycinemia. Anyone can check the site (http://www.nkh-network.org/) and find out more about this disease as I did. Doctors are hopeful.

I can only pray there is indeed hope in the near future!

The above sites mentioned have not remunerate me in any way but are certainly worth checking and I hope you will!

Children's Dreams, Faraway Places and Lina

As little children we read of faraway places. My all time favourite story was Kim by Rudyard Kipling. Kim's game as it is called to this day I believe was in fact something I excelled at when I was little.

I was so taken with the story I could close my eyes and smell the spices in the market, see the mountains in the horizon and feel the love of Kim for the old monk. My heart sped at the dangerous situations Kim found himself and thrilled at the thought of finding his "place" after being abandoned. I wanted to be a boy just like him!I would have traded my tresses if I could!

Traveling came to an earlier age for me as my father was stationed in various foreign locations. I also was blessed with a Grand Mother whom whilst she raised us loved to travel. In fact holidays were always an adventure with her. She loved to discover new places and people.

She also kept travel diaries and reading a few pages lately of a trip she took to Monaco I was again amazed at her ability to pen every details. I could "see" the Promenade des Anglais, smell the flowers and hearing the buoys in the harbour.

Faraway places have therefore always attracted me and I love to travel. And it matters not where you are in the world, children are all the same. Their smiles. their games, their soulful eyes at times will stay with you.

Our family has often spoken of the little ones in need in those faraway places and we discussed what we could do about it so this year we decided to choose one child and sponsor him/her.

It cost one dollar a day and it seems so little to do when so many need help.
We hope to make a difference and make sure this child is not hungry or lacking the sanitation needed for a healthy life.

All children should have the right to a happy childhood, a good education, medical care and such...

So our family has grown a little this past week and we welcome 9 year old Lina! Her own family is from South America and we understand her Mum and Dad albeit poor by our standards own a little house in their village and Lina goes to school.

We cannot wait to learn more about her and we are eagerly looking forward to exchange letters!

I wish I could urge anyone to help out in anyway they can. Times are difficult for many families due to Economics but if you remember how often we carelessly spend a dollar here and there for ourselves, perhaps making a difference in the life of one child might not such a hardship!

Putting a face to a child will ensure we never forget to share what we have!



The organization we chose is the following but there are many. Please remember the little ones!

https://www.childfund.org/