I was a witness.

Every once in awhile in this life, we experience a moment that we're humbled to be a part of--that we know we're witnessing something fantastically amazing happen. Friday night was one of those moments for me.

As you may or may not have known, on Friday, my childhood church decided to hold a chili supper and benefit auction for miss Brooklyn {read Brooklyn's story here}. Somehow, in the course of planning, I was put in charge of the auction portion of the night. Easy peasy. I love doing things like this. But, being in charge also meant that my obsessive worrying kicked into overdrive. Do we have enough auction items? Do we have enough big ticket auction items? Are we going to have enough people show up to bid on said auction items? As the week went on, however, those worries changed into something much different. Our attendance numbers began to grow rapidly. The word was spreading via Facebook, word-of-mouth, local radio stations and even on a Louisville based morning show. That's the moment I really started freaking out. Will we have enough chili to feed everyone? How are we going to fit 300-400 people in our church's parish hall? Where is everyone going to sit? How should we rearrange the tables? Last week was a blur of collecting donations, posting donations on Facebook for the world to see, spreading the word to make sure people would come, giving directions, making sure I was prepared. Then Friday came. Auction items flooded the tables. People flooded the building. They flooded the donation basket with money. And that was only the beginning. The chili supper alone brought over $4,100---in simple, give from your heart donations. Let me put it this way. Someone estimated that we had around 350 in attendance that night. That would be roughly $11 a person. For a single bowl of chili and a hot dog. Amazing, right? Oh, you haven't heard anything yet.
The night was filled with generosity, love and just plain selflessness. Would you like examples?
A painting I made of Kentucky brought $175--bought by a friend of mine in Eastern Kentucky who's never even MET Brooklyn.
A bracelet that was made with the Brooklyn's Believers logo was purchased by a local farmer for $300....then was promptly handed over to Brooklyn's grandma for her to cherish and wear.
A St John middle schooler won a mountain bike for good testing grades at her school. When she found out she had won, she told her mom she wanted to donate the bike to be auctioned off for Brooklyn. The bike brought $175...and then was given back to the girl for her to keep.
But all of that was nothing compared to the end of the night. The very last item for auction was a pink child's quilt that had the words "Brooklyn's Believers" embroidered on the top. The bidding ended at $500...but that wasn't enough for the people there. Bidders began yelling out their numbers and how much they would donate to raise the price of the quilt. "Bidder number 100 donates $50!" The room was silent, except for people yelling out that they would donate $25, $50, even $100 towards the quilt (I'm tearing up even writing this). In the end, the quilt brought several thousand dollars. And then was given to Erin, Brooklyn's mom.
Someone asked me earlier in the week what I was hoping the auction would bring. I told them I had no expectations because I would rather be blown away than disappointed. Well, blown away doesn't even begin to describe it. That small community chili supper and auction raised over $22,000 for Brooklyn and her parents. To say that people were generous that night is a gross understatement. People gave from their hearts. God's work was evident that night--his light shining through every single volunteer, bidder and person in attendance. It was truly a humbling thing to witness.
Here's my official thank you. Thank you to those of you that came. Thank you for bidding. Thank you for buying. Thank you for donating your items. Thank you for spreading the word. Thank you to those who came, circled the overly full parking lot and left--you still came. Thank you to those that helped me with the auction. Just thank you, thank you, thank you.
Erin and Daniel. I think Friday night was a true testament to how much this community loves you. They don't want to see you hurting or struggling. And most of all, they, without a doubt, believe in Brooklyn.

Hot Mama Mon.....err....Wednesday!

I'm a little behind.....so shoot me.  The last two nights, I've been covered in head-to-toe glitter---but more on that later.  First, a Hot MAMA update!!

Original weight:  142.5
Last week's weight:  132.8
This week's weight:

Wow.  Turrible picture.

Loss from last week:  1.4 lbs

Overall loss: 11.1 lbs

What worked:  I've cut out a ton of Cokes (actually Pepsi and Dr. Pepper) from my diet.  I've also cut wayyyyyy back on the trips to McDonalds and other various drive thrus.  There for awhile, our life was super stressful, chaotic and our pantry was pretty much empty.  I ate a drive thru meal multiple times a day....so gross.  And so unhealthy.  Instead, I've been getting up earlier so I can have breakfast at home.  I've stocked a drawer at work full of healthy(ish) snacks for when that rumbly in my tummy hits.  And I'm trying harder to make dinners more often.  Things are still stressful and Marty and I aren't always at home together at night, so it's not the easiest thing in the world to do....but I'm trying.  That's what counts, right?

Now, onto the glitter mess.  Because she's been on my mind constantly lately, no blog post would be complete without a plug for little Brooklyn  (read about Brooklyn's story here).  As most of you HOPEFULLY already know, I'm selling bracelets to help raise money for Brooklyn and her parents.  So far, I've reached 224 bracelet orders.  If we give approximately $5 from every bracelet to the family, then we've raised about $1120!  I'm so pumped about that number.  We still have plenty of bracelets to sell.  So, if you haven't bought yours already....what on earth are you waiting for??

The support for this little girl and her parents has been completely amazing so far....and she wasn't even diagnosed a month ago.  There are TONS of fundraisers going around to help raise money to cover medical expenses, travel costs, food, etc.  You can donate meals to Erin and Daniel (Brooklyn's parents) since they've hardly left her side since being admitted to Kosairs (type in Disselkamp for the last name and Brooklyn as the password).  There's a raffle for a 22 Henry rifle (I hope that's right....my gun knowledge is at a negative level) where tickets are just $5 apiece (interested? I can put you in touch with the right people).  Local restaurants are donating a percentage of their profits on specific nights to go to Brooklyn and her family.  A charity auction is in the works.  It's been a truly amazing thing to watch.  I've been humbled and in awe of the outspreading of love and concern...I can't even begin to imagine how Brooklyn's family feels!  Anyhoo!  In addition to the bracelets, I've also got another item to sell:  ornaments!  Not just any old ornament....Minnie Mouse glitter ornaments!  

A big group of us got together the past couple of nights and cranked out a ton of these little beauties.  Then we split them up and are attempting to sell them all.  I have about 30 or so ornaments in my possession.  They're $6 apiece and 100% of the money made is going directly to the family.  Buy one and put it front and center of your Christmas tree.  Then, every time you see it hanging there, it'll remind you to say a prayer for complete healing for this sweet little girl.
SO!  Who wants an ornament?!?!  (or bracelet, or raffle ticket, or tshirt.... :) )

**To keep up with Brooklyn's progress and all fundraisers or events, like Brooklyn's Believers on Facebook! 

Holy Brooklyn's Bracelets Batman!

You guys are rocking my socks off with these Bracelets 4 Brooklyn orders.  Amazing, really.  As of the time of this post, I have 120 orders.  Break it down for me fellas:  120 bracelets.  $5 from each bracelet. = SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS for Erin, Daniel and Brooklyn.  But here's the deal.  We still have A LOT more to sell.  Sarah and I ordered 200 of each charms.  If we get an order explosion (I really hope so!) and we have more bracelets wanted than that, we can always order more charms.  So order your little heart away.  Did I hear you say you want a bracelet for every person in your family?  Excellent.  :)

Because we've had so many orders, I've had quite a few questions pop up.  I thought I'd do a brand spanking new post about the bracelets and offer more information about them. 

THE BRACELETS:

image via sweet-verbena.blogspot.com

Since our charms are located in China and shipping takes just near forever for them to come over to the United States, we don't have them yet.  And we don't have pictures of completed bracelets for you to see.  But I can promise you that they're going to be really, really close to this picture.  Bracelets are $8.  $5 of each purchase will be going to Brooklyn and another $1 will go to Kosair Children's Hospital (Brooklyn's hospital).

THE CHARMS:

We have two charm options for you to choose from.  Believe (because we're Brooklyn's Believers!!) and Minnie Mouse (because Brooklyn is a huge Minnie fan....girl after my own heart).  The Believe charms ONLY COME IN THE COLOR PICTURED--BRONZE.  Minnie can be BLACK, SILVER OR BRONZE (PICTURED). 

THE COLORS:


For the "string" on your bracelet, we have MULTIPLE options to chose from.  Refer to the list below:

Pink--breast cancer               Purple--pancreatic cancer
Gray--brain cancer                Aqua--ovarian/cervical cancer
Brown--lung cancer               Orange--Leukemia
Light blue--prostate               Black--melanoma
Yellow--childhood                 Royal blue--colon
Kelly green--kidney               White--bone
Lime green--Lymphoma         Lavender--all other cancers
We also have a black cord material and brown leather material for the bracelets.

Now, just because I have the colors listed next to the cancers they represent, doesn't mean you have to choose them based on that.  If you're a UK fan and you want a royal blue color, but don't know anyone with colon cancer, go for it.  If your favorite color is kelly green, pick that one.  We're not picky.

FAQs:

1.  Our charms have been ordered, like I mentioned, from China.  We have been promised a 10 day to 2 week delivery, but you guys know how shipping is--it's never guaranteed.  Because of that, we cannot promise a bracelet for you by Christmas.  If you're buying this bracelet as a Christmas gift, shoot me an email (dpgaddie@gmail.com) and I can make you up a pretty little gift certificate or something for your recipient to let them know that they have an awesome bracelet on the way very soon.  That being said, I'm going to try my hardest to get these to you AS SOON as I get them.  That's why I'm taking pre-orders.  Anyone that has ordered a bracelet is down on a list that I keep with me.  If you've ordered a lime green believe bracelet, I have your order and your string will already be cut to size and ready for me to attach the charm when it comes in.  Pre-ordering is going to guarantee that you get your bracelet sooner.  If you wait until they come in, I may have 150 pre-orders ahead of you that's going to take priority before I can get to yours.  Moral of the story:  Pre-order peoples!!

2.  Also because our charms haven't been shipped from China, we aren't taking payments until we receive the charms in our grubby little hands.  Can you guys imagine what a headache it would be if we took all 120 of your payments and then there was an issue with the charms/shipping and we had to return ALL 120 orders back??  Shew.  So, we're going to wait.  You do have two options for payment.  We have an Etsy account set up--- http://www.etsy.com/shop/Bracelets4Brooklyn .  If you want to pay online via PayPal, please let me know whenever you order.  When your bracelet is completed, I will notify you and I will make a reserved listing for you with your specific order details and total.  I made a sample on our Etsy page so you can see what it'll look like.  The listing will say "RESERVED LISTING FOR JANE DOE."  Only click on the listing that has your name, obviously.  If you're not comfortable with paying online, we will also be accepting CASH ONLY by mail.  No checks please.  When purchasing, let me know if you want to pay cash and I will send you my address for the cash to be sent. 

3.  We can do child sized bracelets as well.  Just specify when ordering if you want this option. 

SO!  To wrap everything up......to order: send me a Facebook message, call me, text me, put a comment on this blog post, email me (dpgaddie@gmail.com), whatever is convenient for you. 
When ordering, please include the following information: 

• Which charm you would like (believe or Minnie)
• If Minnie, tell me what color (black, silver or bronze)
• What kind or color cord you want
• How many you'd like to order (50?  Great!!)
• How you plan to pay (PayPal or cash)
• Your address if you would like your bracelet to be shipped to you

I know this post was very fact-filled, but on an emotional level.....thank you.  Thank you for ordering a bracelet.  It may not be the most well-made or prettiest thing in the world.  But a big chunk of your money is going to a BABY fighting cancer.  You're showing human compassion and love for Brooklyn and her parents.  And I think that's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen. 

Hot Mess, Brooklyn and Where I've Been

**NOTE: If you're visiting this post to order a Bracelet 4 Brooklyn, scroll down to the bottom and check out the charms, bracelets and colors offered.**

I've been absent from blogging lately.  I apologize.  I needed a break recently to focus on family issues and get myself out of a pretty serious funk I was in.  But I'm back--I've missed you people!  As a result of taking a much needed break, I have a lot of making up to do here on the blog.  So buckle up and hang on! 

1.  Hot Mess Update. 

      I can't remember my last hot mess update.  Several weeks ago.  I weighed myself again yesterday to start back on my hot mama journey. 

Original weight:  142.5 lbs

Last time I blogged:  132.2

This week:

Difference from last weigh in:  +0.6 lbs.

Overall loss: 9.7 lbs.

I'm okay with this.  Keep in mind, Thanksgiving happened over this time frame.  I participated in THREE Thanksgiving dinners.  I'm okay with a 0.6 pound gain. 

 

2.  BRACELETS 4 BROOKLYN:  Have you read Brooklyn's story?  If you're my Facebook friend, I'm sure I'm driving you crazy with "Brooklyn's Believer's" posts.....and I hope I am.  That means that I'm getting the word out and you're seeing it over and over.  Maybe you're seeing it enough and will be lead to take action and donate to the family.  I've donated $20 from my last paycheck....and I hope to do more with each paycheck Marty and I receive.  In addition, my friend Sarah and I are doing a fundraiser.  We're going to make and sell bracelets with a large portion of the proceeds going to Brooklyn and her parents.  But, like every good idea I usually have, we've hit a snag.  We've found the perfect charms to make these bracelets with.....perfect, I'm telling you.....but the seller is located in China.  So?  Shipping from China over Etsy takes 2-5 WEEKS.  WEEKS people.  If we don't get charms until 5 weeks from now, Christmas is over.  People might lose interest and not be as willing to buy whenever our charms finally come in.  Luckily, I've found a seller that promises I'll get the shipment in 10 days to 2 weeks.  This doesn't make my control freak self happy, but what are you gonna do?  So, I'm going to post a little sneaky peeky here on the blog and gauge interest.  No, I don't have a picture of what your bracelet will look like, but I can give you a pretty darn good idea.  If you're interested in buying a bracelet, shoot me an email, a blog comment, a Facebook message, a text and let me or Sarah know that you want one.  Ready for a peek??

Here's the charms (you can choose one bracelet or both!):

Let me explain the charms.  The family has started a group--"Brooklyn's Believers"--to let the family know that they aren't alone and there's a large group of people out there that believe that they can make it through this difficult time.  Hence, the believe charm. 

Second, Brooklyn's Believers have their own "logo."  Brooklyn is a Minnie Mouse lover.  So, Minnie Mouse charms make perfect sense. 

The Believe charms only come in that color.  I apologize for anyone that doesn't like bronze (I'm telling you...these charms were difficult little boogers to track down).  The Minnie charms can be either bronze (pictured), silver or black. 

Finally, because we don't have any bracelets made, I can't show you what the exact bracelet will look like.  But I can tell you they're going to be reallllllllllly similiar to this:

Your bracelet can be done in a wide variety of colors.  We have all the "cancer colors":
Pink---breast cancer              Purple---pancreatic

Gray--brain                           Aqua--ovarian/cervical

Brown--lung                         Orange--Leukemia
Light blue--prostate              Black--melanoma

Yellow--childhood                Royal blue--colon

Kelly green--kidney              White--bone

Lime green--Lymphoma       Lavender--all other cancers

You may be wearing this bracelet for Brooklyn, but maybe you want a "believe" charm with a royal blue ribbon because you know someone fighting colon cancer.  Or maybe you just like the color kelly green and think it'll match a lot of your outfits...we're not picky!  Don't see a color you want here?  Message one of us and we'll make it happen.  I also have thick leather cording for a more fashionable look if you don't want a colored bracelet.  We're selling these for $8 apiece.  A large portion will go to Brooklyn and $1 of each sale will go to Kosair Children's Hospital where Brooklyn and her family are staying (also the same hospital that cared for my little sister when she was born---another story for another time). 

So, who wants a bracelet???

3.  Finally, if you're in the Etown area on Thursday, stop by Mr. Gattis.  They're donating 20% of their profits to Brooklyn.  But you HAVE to have this flyer for your meal to count towards the donation for Brooklyn.  Stop by, eat some pizza, play some Skee ball and give some money to Brooklyn. 

I'm a Believer.

I have a list.  It's a list of things that, when I get to Heaven, I'm asking God why they happened here on Earth.  Number one on the list, at the very top--highlighted, circled, in bold print--is why childhood cancer exists.  Why babies?   Why little children?  Why cancer?  Kids are supposed to be worry-free.  Their biggest problems should be which cartoon to watch and how long mom will let them stay up before bedtime.  They shouldn't be worrying about chemo treatments, scans and losing their hair.  Why kids, God?
Recently, a friend of mine announced on Facebook that her sweet little one year old, Brooklyn, went to the doctor.  While there, they found a tumor in her abdomen.  A tumor that turned out to be neuroblastoma.  Why Brooklyn, God?  When I read the news, I couldn't believe it.  After all, Brooklyn is my daughter's age.  How is it possible that she has CANCER?  I can't even begin to imagine how her parents feel.  Anger?  Shock?  Denial?  Grief?  All of the above, I'm sure.  My heart immediately went out to Erin, Brooklyn's mom.  I don't even know Erin that well.  Our paths have crossed over the years and we're friendly acquaintances, but I'm sure she wouldn't consider me a close friend.  But that doesn't matter.  She's a fellow mother.  As a mother, I know how it feels when your child is sick or in pain.  To know that your child is hurting and you can do absolutely nothing to take that pain away.  But I don't know what it's like to have a child with cancer.  No mother should ever have to know what that feels like.  Why Erin, God?  The more I thought about it, the more helpless I felt.  I prayed.  I BEGGED God to be with Erin and her husband Daniel.  To give them strength to get through this incredibly hard and long journey with their daughter.  I prayed for the doctors that would be helping to find out more about Brooklyn's cancer and what could be done to "make it go away (if only it were that easy!)."  I begged God to heal Brooklyn.  To take away the cancer and perform a miracle.  I have faith.  I know that my God is huge and that healing Brooklyn is something he can do.  But most of all, I just prayed for Brooklyn.  For a BABY that is going through something so adult, like scans and screens and treatments.  Brooklyn and her parents have been on my mind constantly since I read the news.  And even after praying, I still felt helpless.  Until one of their family members posted a link to Brooklyn's Caring Bridge website and I saw a link for donations.

Immediately, I logged on to give a donation.  Erin and Daniel are going to be off for, possibly, months while they fight this monster alongside their sweet little girl.  They're going to have lost income, hospital bills, treatment costs, doctor bills--mounting expenses for any young family.  So, along with my prayers, I gave a donation to help this family on their journey.  It wasn't much, but every little bit counts when it comes to battling cancer.  I ask that you do the same.  You may not know Brooklyn or Erin or Daniel.  Does it matter?  Here's a family....a BABY that's dealing with cancer.  An anonymous donation will pick up their spirits.  Do you all remember Lane?  The young boy who battled cancer and gained worldwide attention?  How awesome would it be if we could raise that much awareness for Brooklyn?  If we could raise that much money for Brooklyn's family?  Are you willing to make a small donation to help this family?  More than a just a monetary donation, it shows Erin, Daniel and Brooklyn that we CARE. I'm hurting for them and I hate that they're going through something like this and I donated money just so they know that they aren't alone.  So, Erin or family, if you're reading this.  I care.  I'm praying for you.  I am praying that you have the strength to get through this and come out on the other side, victorious. I'm praying every day---MULTIPLE times a day for Brooklyn and that she has the ability to beat this thing like I know she can.  Because I'm one of Brooklyn's Believers. 

If you're interested in making a donation, please visit Brooklyn's donation website at: http://www.giveforward.com/brooklynsbelievers

More than anything, spread the word. This family isn't alone. They need to know that we're here and we believe in them.