Join the Knit-a-Squillion Challenge

I found this blog posting via a friend on facebook...And the idea fascinated and inspired me (and I'm not even a knitter!)

So I thought I'd re-share! Mind you, I have know idea who the author of this blog (Kitty's Fiber Journey) is nor anything about her, but I liked the idea she is sharing here.

The following are portions taken from From Kitty's Fiber Journey blog posting:

Join the Knit-a-Squillion Challenge
..I invite you to join another challenge! This one is quite easy and yet has such a huge impact on the lives of children. We are all aware that the African continent is the one the hardest hit by the AIDS epidemic. What most of us ignore, myself included, is that the adults who die of AIDS leave their children behind. There are an estimated 1.9 million AIDS orphans in Sub-Saharan Africa. 500 children a day are made orphans by the combined ravages of AIDS and poverty. The majority of them are left to fend for themselves in shanty towns. Governments and charity organizations do what they can, but it is not enough.

Percentage of adults infected by AIDS in 2009.

Since 2008, the KasCare foundation has been taking donations of knit and crochet squares to make blankets that are then distributed to these poor children. The idea is ingenious. Why just a square? Because squares are quick and easy to create and they are small and light to ship. People from all over the world can contribute and for a small cost, send the squares to South Africa. Once in Africa, the squares are assembled into blankets by volunteers and even prison inmates!...


...South Africa is faced with yet another horrendous problem and this time I am not helpless. I can make a difference. I have joined the knit -a-squillion challenge. I will empty my stash and send beautiful squares to help warm these beautiful children!

Beautiful AIDs orphans in their beautiful KAS~Care Blankets

Isn't this a wonderfully cool and simple and inspiring thing to do??? So all those of you who knit or crochett, get those needles clicking!

The goal of the knit-a-squillion challenge is to collect 1-2 million squares by July 1st.

Here are the different ways you can join them:
***As I do not know anything about this organization personally, I urge you to research them personally prior to making donations to them.*** (You can click on the link above to visit their site)


- Knit or crochet an 8” (20 cm) square (instructions)


- You aren’t a needle person? Upcycle a wool sweater by felting it and cutting it into squares (instructions)

- You want to do more? Hats and sweaters are also needed! (instructions)

- Make a donation on the knit a square site.

- Encourage family, friends, neighbors and colleagues to join.

Now You're Cookin'

Right...so a friend "liked" a recipe on Pintrist and it looked yummy so I followed the trail and discovered a food blog that looks freakin' incredible!!! And so, I thought I'd share. It's called Eats Well with Others.

Here is the recipe that caught my eye:
Pasta with Creamy Avocado Sauce
Ingredients:
• 1 medium sized, ripe avocado, pitted
• 1/2 lemon, juiced plus lemon zest to garnish
• 3 cloves garlic, to taste
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt, with more added to taste
• 1/3 cup fresh basil
• 6 oz bucatini
• freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Instructions: gotta visit her blog!!!

Here is another yummy sounding one:

Chipotle-Glazed Squash Salad with Jicama, Goat Cheese, and Avocado


Ingredients:

1 recipe chipotle-glazed squash
1 jicama, peeled and chopped
Juice of one lime
4 oz goat cheese
1 avocado, sliced
baby spinach

Instructions:  Click on the link!!

Ahhhh....Emails.... (Updated)

Emails You Don't Want to Wake Up to First Thing in the Morning:


Subject Line: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy

Message: I got home Wednesday night after 19 days (and nights) in the (local) VA Hospitals. The subject line is my main problem. They refuse to give me credit for getting that condition on my own, and insist that it was inherited.

The doctors highly recommend that you get checked for this condition.

The good news is that if I behave myself I've got another 15 or 20 good years to go.

Love, Jim

------------------------------​------------------------------​------------------------------​---------------

Yeah...That would be an email received from my biological father this morning~a rather rare ocurance.

Totally thought this was going to be a forwarded message about CHDsas this is Heart Health Awareness Month and this happends to be Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week!

But no! My first thoughts:

a) thanks to all my CHD friends and contacts I actually had a vague idea of what that condition was before looking it up

b) Thanks to Jim the heads up that he was in hospital! (not)

c) thanks for another genetic condition from that side of the family to worry about!

d) glad he was ok and sense of humor was in place

After looking up the condition, I've had several of the screening tests a couple years ago but I will follow up with my GP and at least I already know a cardiologist in the area that I like thanks to my stupid "I think I just have a pill stuck in my throat but it could be a heart attack" episode 2 years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update

After speaking with Jim, I learned that he had to have a pacemaker installed.

He is on some meds but as my step-mum put it: he is strong as an ox and as soft as a grape.

:-)

And, as some patients with mild forms of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy are only diagnosed by screening echocardiograms because of their known family history, I will probably follow up with my GP to see how to go about having this done.

Happy Happy Birthday Baby!

Last Saturday the family got together to celebrate a very special 1-year-old's birthday! It was a wonderful time celebrating this amazing little boy's life!!

Beautiful Decorations & Yummy Food............

Funny Hats for Everyone...........

Yummy Cupcakes in the Making........

Cutest Cousins Holding Hands! How Sweet are They???

Happy Birthday to Dante!!!!

Time to get into that cake! Actually, while Dante loved the taste,

he seemed to want to paint with the frosting more than eat it!!!

Love this pic of Dante & his Daddy!



Time for gifts........

First up: the presents from Teagan and Auntie Tiffy and Uncle Mike

Do you see how Dante held up the shirt in front of himself?

Sizing up his new clothes!

Teagan must have had a discussion w/Dante about gifts.

She insisted he wanted an airplane. After searching & searching,

she agreed to compromise with mommy and get a helicopter

instead...he loved it!!!

We learned that Dante's Daddy wasn't the only one who loved Star Wars

as a child, so did all of his Mommy's family! Auntie Greta got Dante's passion

started with these stuffed figures:

Notice the laughter on Danielle's face when she first gets

a glimpse of Auntie Greta's gift:

Here's why: Greta only got him 3 out of the 4 figures below.

Mommy & Daddy got Dante the other one.

And, no, they didn't collaborate on these gifts!

We (Gramma & Auntie M) got Dante more clothes,

some of our favorite children's books, a mirror (what can we say,

the kid knows he's good looking!!) and...

Sunglasses!!!

Love this pic of Dante and his Mommy!

In addition to Yoda,

Dante's Mommy & Daddy got him a Frog puppet that is

nearly as big as he is!

He freaking loved it!!!

Of course, Danielle hand-painted him a growth chart that

was absolutely gorgeous!!! She is going to connect

the 3 pieces with brown ribbon. Adorable!!!

Dante is so cute: he loves to walk around with pieces of his mother's

artwork! He definitely has his parents' gifts of art and music appreciation!

I cannot believe I failed to get a picture of the gift his

Daddy is working on for him:

a handcrafted copper rainstick!

And when I say handcrafted, don't forget that

this is what his daddy does on a daily basis!

While she was unable to join us in person, Grandma Linda's gift for her

little cupcake happened to arrive just as the party guests did, so Dante

got to open her gift too. More fantastic books!

This one played "Jesus Loves Me" and, as I said,

Dante loves music, so he promptly took off

with his new treasure!

But I think his favorite part about Grandma Linda's gift

was the big picture of the two of them together that came out

of the box first. He got sooooo excited when he saw it!

It was so cute and endearing!

Danielle and James threw an awesome party for the birthday boy!

We all had wonderful time celebrating a wonderful life!

I am so blessed to be a part of this lil guy's life...to be his Auntie M

We love you Dante!!!!!!!!!



Party Like a Rock Star

A Very Happy Birthday...

A Very Happy First Birthday to my sweet darling nephew Dante!!! I love you sooooo much! You bring so much joy and love to our lives...it's indescribable! You are definitely the treasure at the end of a rainbow! Mwah!!!

Cousin Teagan, Gramma, & I made this video for you 1st thing this morning!

Look of this whole year of joy you've brought to your mommy and daddy!

And you have brought joy and love to all who have met you too! Can't wait to celebrate with you tomorrow!
Love,
Your Auntie M

A Look at Christmas...

So...as usual, I took waaaaaaaaay too many pictures at Christmas. And since I figured those who did actually look at my blog wouldn't want to scroll through a jillion pictures that might mean a lot to me, but little to them, I cleverly spent forever making them into a very simplistic video. Really simplistic. But I did add music, so be a little impressed, k?

If you are clever, you will notice the posting date on this says January 9th. That was the day I started to make the video and was going to add the music and then got distracted, so here we are 10 days later with me actually posting the video as I remembered to add the music and do so. Seeing as I've been snowed in for a week, you think I would have done so sooner. But it was only because I wanted to share some of my snow pictures that I ever realized that I had never actually put this posting up. Scatter-brain!