I'm a Carrier

My husband, Jim, and I just took one of the common, mail-in, genealogy DNA tests to learn more about our family backgrounds. In addition to learning I’m 25% Italian and 0.5% Native American, I learned I am a carrier of Cystic Fibrosis (CF). I always knew this was a possibility, but I had never been tested for the Cystic Fibrosis trait. Even when Jim and I decided to have a child almost 30 years ago, neither of us got tested. Why not? There is no reason. We just didn’t. I guess we knew the risk was higher than normal since my older brother, Roger, died from CF when I was a baby. Yet, still, we did not test ourselves.
When I think about things now, we were playing Russian Roulette! We knew that both parents had to carry the gene, just like my parents did. This meant the chances of me having it were even greater than the average person. We knew no one in Jim’s family had CF (at least that we knew of), so I guess we thought his chances were slim of carrying the gene. Still, why?

My parents and Roger in Japan while stationed in the Navy. 1957

No matter how sick he got, Mom said Roger was always smiling.

Roger was born with CF and started showing his symptoms at 6 months. Symptoms progressively got worse and he died from CF complications at the age of 4. In the late 50s and early 60s, very little was known about CF and most children never reached the age of 10. 

I was 4 months when Roger died and sadly don't remember him at all. All I have are photos and stories my parents have told me. Thus one of the reasons I scrapbook; to keep memories of Roger alive! 

I guess it all came down to the fact that we wanted children and would knowing one way or the other if we were both carriers make us decide to not have a family?  Simply, no. Every pregnancy has it’s risks, whether it’s a miscarriage, Down’s syndrome, etc. When it comes to having a child, sometimes the love involved far outweighs the risks. Ask any parent who has had a child with CF, or any other genetic risk-related condition, and they will most likely tell you the same thing. Love is what is important…love is what gets you through the adversities.

---contributed by Jill Worley

De-cluttering, Organizing & Making Room for Joy

Hello friends. Tara, here! We will be trying to increase our blogging pressence for our followers here at Scrapping for a Cure. As always, We will keep you up to date on Kaitlyn, Cystic Fibrosis, as well as info on our annual event. But we also hope to bring you enjoyable & informative content geared towards our crafters!

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      De-cluttering, Organizing & Making Room for Joy

When asked to do our blog post, I was inspired by my desire to get the new year started in organized style as usual! I will admit, I am not a minimalist. However, I do find it vital for my mental health to keep my space as clutter free as possible and to keep only things that I find useful and bring me joy. Life brings ebbs and flows and it is a process that has to be revisited as needed. I love the holiday season and time with family & friends. The holidays have brought so many memories as we approach 2018. I am so very thankful. Often it also brings extra stuff.

As crafters, artists, creators and magic makers, we also have our holiday "handmades" clean up and we are always looking for the most efficient way to keep our tools and supplies organized. So let's get started on the basics of de-cluttering, organizing and making room for more joy!

1. Let go of guilt & acknowledge emotional difficulty

Before you begin, acknowledge the emotions that come with holding onto or letting go of items. It can be hard because we attach emotions in some way to these items. Sometimes there's a lot of guilt attached- items given to you by loved ones or the acknowledgement of how much you spent on the item. It is a challenging process at times for all of us. Take a moment to thank each item for what it provided you. These items fulfilled some purpose when originally obtained. Acknowledging this can allow us to release any feelings of guilt. I can attest that the hardest challenges can sometimes be the most freeing for us. Keep in mind that at the very core of it all, we simplify our things to increase the quality of our lives and to make room for more joy.

2. Don't ruminate on reasons to keep the item but instead quickly assess the following:

• Does it provide great benefit/usefulness to my life on a frequent (daily/weekly) basis?
• Is there anything else I have that can do the same job plus has even more uses?                  Multi-use tools can be our friend.
• Does this item symbolize or tell a special story of my relationship with someone or a life changing experience? Will a photo & journaling about this item suffice for me?
• Does this item give me a profound feeling of love/joy/adventure when I see it?
• Do I love this project and look forward to being able to work on this project each day?
• What is the motivation behind the project? Does working on it  make my heart sing or do I feel a sense of expectation from someone else or personal guilt over "wasted" time?
• If I didn't own this item, would I buy it for myself today?
• Would this item serve a better purpose and bring me more contentment by being sold or donated?

3. Start in one designated "zone" and with one item at a time:

Gather your bags for trash and boxes for donation and designate your starting zone. I recommend a specific area of furniture and focus on zones inside of a room. Shop from your zone. Grab the stuff to keep that you would purchase again today. Sort through each item & immediately decide & place into Trash, Donate/Sell, or Keep. Clean the zone and make it feel new!

4. Pace yourself & have reasonable goals:

Most people only have time & energy for about 2-3 hours max to work on de-cluttering and organizing. This is why selecting rooms & zones can help you feel more accomplished. Be reasonable with your self expectations. Remember that this process is about opening up more room for joy & living. Also realize & acknowledge that this is a process that requires repetition. Sadly, our spaces aren't self cleaning and we have a natural tendency to re-accumulate over time. 

5. Organize & have a place for everything you keep.

Make sure you store your items in a way they may be easily accessed and easily put away.

6. Make it good enough & efficient enough for you!

Those magazines and commercials make it look so easy. Well, don't make their advertisements your goal. Instead make your home and space your own. Most of those rooms have had paid stylist that create the "image" specifically made for marketing... NOT for actual use and efficiency of a living and breathing human being. Don't set yourself up for failure by seeking perfection.

Seek Functional. Seek Real. Seek Joy.

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CHRISTMAS WITH THE SMITH FAMILY

Kaitlyn took it upon herself to choreograph a special nativity for her extended family. She selected music, reading parts and costumes. It was a very special moment of joy.

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We hope your family has been blessed this holiday season and we wish you many blessings throughout the new year! 

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***Remember that registration is in full swing for our 

Spring 2018 Scrapbook & crafting event in Memphis, TN!  

                                                        

We are filling up quickly.

Registration details can be found here

FAQ's about our event can be found here.

Want tips for prepping and organizing for the craft retreat? Our customized list can be found here.