Stories Of The Beach Life: Ch.1 Beauty & the Beach

At the Beach

  As some of you may know, Kaitlyn and I are trialing a month at the beach, in hopes to help her lung condition. We have heard about other CF children experiencing great benefits with breathing in the salty air. With this past year being so hard on her, we decided to try it ourselves. Sept-Nov are always her worst months, making it the best time to try a change in scenery.

  For most people, a month at the beach would sound like paradise. Not for Kaitlyn. When it comes to sand, it was hate at first sight. And what is more abundant down here? SAND! After a few hours of school work, and her mandatory hour (by me) at the beach, Kaitlyn is itching to jump into the pool. Her favorite part of this experiment? the pool with her scuba gear. Her least favorite part of this experiment? missing her brothers and dad. What fun is the beach and pool without her brothers here to enjoy it with her? And most of the vacationers down here do not have kids with them.

After being stuck inside for a few days due to a severe ear infection and stormy weather, Kaitlyn was excited to get back to the beach Tuesday evening. She also found out that she didn't mind the sand so much, especially while she is playing sand monster or hunting for sea shells & sand dollars. 

    I had hoped that with a month at the beach, I could really catch up on some scrapbooking. With this in mind, I printed off hundreds of pictures and packed up tons of crafting supplies. But is reality ever what we expect it to be? After 2-3 hrs of school work, 2-3 hrs of meds and breathing treatments,  2-3 hrs of running with Kaitlyn down to the beach and pools, and our trips into town to visit the library and Publix, who has time for anything else? Well, at least we make time each day for a little craft time, giving me an hour or so to make a dent in my pile of pictures! 

  I am just so proud of Kaitlyn for staying on top of her school work and keeping her spirits up. It's got to be hard stuck with her mother for a whole month and only having extra playmates on the weekends, when family comes to visit us. Once we have returned home, Kaitlyn will see her doctor to see if the ocean breeze has helped her lung function. I can't quite tell if she is doing better or not. She says her chest feels better. Though her cough isn't as bad as it was when we got down here, she is still coughing. But we still have 16 days to go to make a difference. And on the up side, her appetite has been great, which is crucial for CF kids!

Scrapping For A Cure: Support Local & our 2014 Fundraising Yard Sales

Though it is many months away until our annual 'Scrapping for a Cure' event, the committee is actively seeking for sponsors & donations, along with constantly brainstorming on how to make next year's event even better than this year. Spring 2015 will be upon us before we know it.



Two weeks ago, a beloved scrapbook store, Once upon a Scrapbook in the Huntsville area, closed it's doors for business. It is always hard to see another specialty store close it's doors. It reminded me of how hard it was for my mother to close her stores (Scrapbook Legacy)in Memphis, TN & Florence, AL, and for my favorite Dallas store to close their doors (Scrapbook Barn), and the many other stores that have closed along the way. We need to remember our local scrapbook specialty shops and visit them often....even if it is to stop in and say hello. The wonderful owners of Once Upon a Scrapbook were so generous as to donate many boxes of their product to help our 2015 event! We had so much fun sorting through our treasures and organizing them for next year's event.


Last week, we hit the road and met with business managers in the Memphis area about our upcoming event. After two long days of working on the event, Tara & I (Rachael) had the wonderful opportunity of cropping in Tara's craft room. I didn't realize how long it had been since I have had the time to scrapbook. I am constantly collecting scrapbook supplies for the pictures I take, but never seem to find the time to actually put the pages together. As Tara worked on upcoming classes she will be teaching at various crops (she is such a great teacher!!! and great ideas!!), I started on my Carnival Cruise album. Last October my husband surprised me with a cruise to Mexico for our 12th anniversary. Since we set sail, I have purchased tons of stuff to help scrapbook my cherished memories, and yet, they have just sat in my cropping bags. What better way to get your scrapbook charity juices flowing, then to crop the night away?

           

After staying up late and sleeping in, Tara & I talked about how to raise more money for SFAC.  Though money is definitely needed for the big donation to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, it is the little things that add up in the end (paper, ink, pens, bags, totes, office supplies, etc.).....not to mention the cost of putting together a huge event (deposits, food, signs, advertising, equipment, decorations, thank you cards, etc.). So, we are going to hold Fundraising Yard Sales to help cover these extra costs. This will help ensure that all participants fees/donations at our annual SFAC event will go directly to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. But we need the help of our friends, family, and community to raise items for our yard sale. We will hold two sales, one in the Memphis area (Tennessee) and one in the Shoals area (Alabama). Please visit our Facebook page to get more information on how you can help. (www.facebook.com/scrappingforacure)


-Rachael McGuire