Keys for the Cure.....

As many of you have seen me post on facebook or instagram, my keys for the cure...and today I want to share my story behind them. As you all know my mom is battling Lupus, and that has become a huge part of our lives. We are beyond blessed that she remains strong and healthy, but what most of you don't see is in the morning her hands don't work too great and this makes her morning routine difficult, or the fact that my mom is extremely tired, but doesn't get the amount of rest that she needs, and the look on her face when she becomes cold, because it is literally causing her pain. 

My mom was diagnosed a few years back, and when I found out....I was devastated. Before her diagnosis my mom had a very bumpy road with her health, so bumpy, that in 2003 I almost lost her. I prayed and prayed.....I begged God to help my mom. She is the only parent I have and I couldn't do this without her. My miracle came true and my mom pulled through and is still here with me today. For the most part she is relatively healthy and her numbers continue to improve....we are beyond blessed!

However, when my mom was diagnosed I decided that I was going to take the time I was spending being sad and angry and focus that time on something positive. Since many have never heard of Lupus, I decided that I was going to spend my time educating others and fighting for a cure.

This past May my mom and I held a tricky tray and raised close to $4,000. All of the proceeds were donated to the Alliance for Lupus Research. It was a great success and I could not have asked for a better day. 

 Amazing friends and family offering their help

My mom and I wanted to further our fund raiser efforts, but wanted to do more than just ask for donations. I came up with THE KEY FOR THE CURE. My mom and I have been working very hard on making key jewelry, which we will sell, and 100% of the proceeds will be donated to the Alliance for Lupus Research.

 As many of you know, my mom is extremely creative and crafty. When I told her my idea, she was immediately on board. I figured I could maybe help with the making of them, but mostly work on the marketing end, well I have to say, that my mom and I have spent hours working on these together. To my surprise I can be pretty crafty when I want to be. We have both been involved in making them, and together we are having such a good time. It is truly a blessing to be able to work on projects together.

Each key is uniquely different, no two are the same. They range in color and design and really reflect our different tastes. My mom tends to like more vintage and old fashion pieces, where I tend to like more modern looking jewelry with motivational sayings and bright colors.

I believe our pieces will sell between $10 and $20 depending on the amount of supplies it took to create it. We are using a range of keys, and are beyond grateful to everyone who donated unused keys to our project.

We have completed about 20 pieces to date, and my goal is release them on facebook and instagram this week, and have them in our Etsy store, early next week.  Please keep in mind that each key is different from one another, and not all related to Lupus. While the awareness ribbon for lupus is purple, not every key is purple. Each key could stand for whatever cause you are passionate about, we are just donating the profits to the Alliance for Lupus Research!

I am super excited about this project and hope it will be a great success! We would just like to thank everyone for your continued love, support, and prayers! We are beyond blessed to have each and every one of you in our lives.

We are very excited that our fund raising efforts are leading the way for us to start our very own non-profit, Lupus, Lynns, & Hope. It is a lengthy process, but a super exciting one!

My mom being diagnosed with a disease that people die from each and every day, was one of the toughest challenges I have faced, but I truly think it was a blessing in disguise. I believe it has made me a better person, and brought my mom and I even closer together. We are able to raise money while spending quality time together! What more could I ask for?

I hope you all love these pieces as much as we do! It is going to be hard to part with them, because I literally love each and every one we make!

From the bottom of our hearts we THANK YOU!!!

WE WILL FIND A CURE!!!

XOXO

Lupus, Lynns, & Hope

August Foodie Penpal Experience

In July I particiapted in the July foodie penpal experience, and I LOVED it! I was so fun exchanging a box of goodies with someone you never met. I loved so stuff more than others, but the coolest part was my box was filled with stuff I had never tried before. I have never heard of Trader Joe's and most of my goodies came from there. I am seriously in love with their products!

I had so much fun with the exchange in July that I couldn't wait to sign up again in August. I signed and was immediately paired with someone who lived in Virgina. We exchanged a few emails and I was beyond excited to get my box.....I waited and wait......and it never came! :( I was very disappointed with my match. I had a lot of fun getting my box ready and sent it to her by the deadline, and even provided a tracking number. I did get an email saying she received it, and thanked me for the goodies.

Each month we are encouraged to share what was in the box we received, but since I didn't get one, I will share what I put in the one I sent!

I decided to decorate my box like I do with the care packages I send to the troops each month. I think it feels more personal and is a nice little surprise. This month I included the new dipin' products, which I was told were debuted at a local food festival this summer. I also included some macaroons, trail mix, honey sticks, 3 types of Oloves, a jar of Coutts Blueberry jam, and a my favorite cookie from my favorite bakery.

I like to include products that I find a local markets or farms. I have tons of fun hunting for products for my box! We have a local market in our town called, Mill Market, it's packed with cool little goodies that I don't see in a lot of places.

Overall when the exchange is done correctly, it's tons of fun! I decided to take Sept. off, but I am super excited for the October exchange. If you would like to check out how to get involved check it out here.

Hope you join us soon!

XOXO

Thoughts on this?!

So I saw this picture on my news feed this morning, and I literally stopped scrolling and just stared at it....like what has society come to?! In all honesty, there are some days when I wish it was just this easy. Weight is something I have struggled with my whole life. The other night I was at work and a co-woker was telling me about his sister, and referred to her as "my size". I just looked at him and said nothing. But my size? What is my size? Is that how I measured? By how wide I am, how big my boobs are, what size shoe I wear? No one asks how big your heart is, or what your goals are! Nope you are measured by how you look. Now I am sure he meant nothing by it, but it got me thinking, my size! Hmmmm what is my size?!

I think this picture speaks volumes because it is a young girl....but the truth of the matter is, yes that's what we as society are teaching these girls. We all want to look like that girl in the magazine, and I would be lying if I said I didn't want to. Of course I want to! But that's not a reality for me. I will never be a size 0 and be skin and bones. I am me, and if people can't accept that I have fat, then well I don't have room for them in my life.

This picture hits home for me. I was this girl growing up. I hated what I looked like. I still don't like to look in the mirror, I still don't believe people when they tell me I am pretty or what not. I wish I could see what others see just for one day.....what a world it would be if we could look at ourselves through someone else eyes.

Thoughts?! How do you feel when you see this picture?!