March 23, 2010

There is going to be a QVC wedding! I am happy to announce that I will be saying “heck yes, I do!!!” to QVC on air gardening and home expert, Andy Ludwig, on September 19, 2010 on the beach in Cape May, NJ. Andy and I have known each other for over 17 years! Fate reunited us with a new beginning almost 3 years ago. Our trips to Cape May pretty much sealed the deal! We both love the beach, farming together and spending time with my children. I will be given away that day by my two sons, Ryan and Nicholas and my daughter, Stephanie, will be my maid of honor. Life is good!

 

www.stephanieshouse.org

Information on Stephanie’s House!

 

My dear friends –

 

I have often spoke of this feeling I have about our lives ~ that each of us is here, for whatever amount of time, for a reason. A mission. Perhaps to leave this earth a little better than it was when we arrived.My mission has never been questioned. What began as a seed many, many years ago is now blooming and growing into an immense dream of a project that has to be given a formal start. And this is where the love story of “Stephanie’s House” will begin. As all of you know, my daughter Stephanie, who is severely autistic, will be 21 in 4 years. It seems like an eternity, but we know how quickly time passes and if I blink and do not get moving, my daughter and many young women like her, will be without a place to spend their lives In the state of Pennsylvania, there are tens of thousands of adults, like Stephanie, who are on waiting lists to be placed in appropriate residential care facilities where they are provided a life of joy, dignity, worth and friendship. It will not be enough to bring her home in 4 years. She needs care 24/7 and with it, socialization, life skills, friendship and healthy activities. As a mother, it will also be a blessing to know she is living in a place that is safe and loving, especially after I am gone.   With this in mind, I have made it my life mission to establish what I hope to be the first of many residential facilities for women with autism. We have called our first project “Stephanie’s House,” because we are emerging as a non-profit organization whose goal it is to raise over $300,000 to buy our first home where my daughter, and 4 other young women, will reside beginning in 2013. It is a HUGE undertaking and one that will require me to reach out to the kindnesses of everyone I know.  To raise the seed money needed to establish this non-profit, we are having our first annual “Autism Shops – a day for the girls” this fall in Valley Forge. Through the generous donations of mint and new items such as handbags, shoes, jewelry, dresses, bath products, cosmetics, upscale clothing, home goods – you name it – we hope to raise $10,000. 

 I am kindly asking everyone I know for assistance.  Truly, anything would be lovely, samples, sold outs … at the risk of being forward I must ask that items be MINT. I see this as an upscale event and not a garage sale/flea market. I need for this sale to be well received so we can do it again on an annual basis. I have a long way to go and I cannot do it alone. Thank you kindly for anything you can contribute to this cause. Items can be sent to the address below or I can arrange for a pick up.  

With love and hope, mlk   

 Ryan’s Graduation Speech!!!!!

On youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gaT57RcO4XI

Good afternoon teachers, family and fellow graduates. My name is Ryan Kier. I am the senior class president and it is my pleasure to welcome all of you to the commencement for the CAT Pickering graduating class of 2009. It has been the best honor of my life so far to be chosen as your president and as my final duty, I get the honor of leaving all of you with, what I hope will be, some words to remember. And I had a bunch of great things to say all written in a nice little speech. Ready to go.   Until my mom stepped in – and we all know how that goes.  My mom shared a story with me that I had not heard before and it moved me so much that I decided this story might be something you take with you as you leave today. Because it is not filled with quotes I found on Google. Or words taken from some well known speaker.  This a true story about a promise that a young mother kept in her heart for well over 12 years. It is about NEVER giving up hope. It is about faith and believing that all things are possible even when faced with some of life’s biggest and scariest challenges.   It was 1997 and the young mother remembers sitting in the family waiting room of Children’s Hospital of

Philadelphia. Her 8 year-old son had just been carried away from her by a heart surgeon. She had watched him disappear through a doorway down a long hall. He smiled and waved the entire time. She had been in this seat many times before, but that did not make it any easier for her. There was no choice in this matter, as her young son had been born with a heart that was not only in backwards, but was also missing some parts. If he was to have a life, then he needed to have several open heart surgeries.

  On this particular day, he was having his heart opened for the second time. For several hours, his heart would be stopped and he would be kept alive on a by-pass machine. There were no guarantees this surgery would work. The gifted surgeon had to reconstruct his heart to work properly using stents and graphs and what he told the mother would be “a lot of help from up above.” She never knew if she would see her son alive again.  Hours went by and the mom remembers that on that day, on TV, she watched the funeral of Princess Diana and all she could think about for the first few of many hours of waiting was “is my son going to be spending the evening with me or with the princess and God in heaven?”  The thoughts of losing him became overwhelming and so much so that she decided at that moment that the only way to get through this was going to require her to CHANGE her thoughts.  

To think positive.  To imagine all things good.  To believe in HIS happily ever after.  And so, for the remaining few hours, she closed her eyes and she imagined him coming home.  

Carrying his balloons and toys out of the hospital. Going back to the second grade.  On to third and fourth and fifth grades. Making his way into junior high school.  Arguing with her at times.  

Driving a car.  Complaining about having to cut the grass. Slamming his bedroom door in her face. Forgetting to do his homework.  

Giving back to his community.  Being kind to others.  Sharing time with friends.  Getting his first job.  

Going on family vacations.  Going to prom.  Laughing, smiling, loving and, most of all … living life to its fullest.  Making her proud of him and making HIM proud of himself.  

These thoughts filled her with peace.  Until finally, she decided to dream big and she imagined him all the way through high school. On his graduation day. He’d be over 6 feet tall. Big blue eyes. Smiling proudly. In his cap and gown. Standing up on the stage, at the podium. Giving his final speech to his fellow graduates as the senior class president.  That day would be just the beginning of his life.  And she held tight to that dream and at this very moment, that dream is coming true for her because I am the son who made it through those surgeries. And many more. And I had NO IDEA that she imagined I would be senior class president, up on this podium, in my cap and gown, 6 feet 3 inches tall, smiling proudly, giving the final speech to my graduating class. Because her secret dream 12 years ago became my dream, too!   

Today I tell you – dare to dream. Believe in everything you do, passionately - with all of your heart, even if your heart is put together with glue and toothpicks as my doctor would say. You get one chance at this life. There are no guarantees for any of us. Trust me when I tell you this - Your life is a gift.   So get out there and Live it!    _________________________________________________________________

This was prom week at Stephanie’s school - the Devereux

Kanner

Center in

West Chester, PA.  Steph and the other 4 girls she lives were given some great dresses and I filled in all of the missing pieces including a dress, hose and shoes for one gal they could not fit properly. Even though these girls are autistic, they get this prom thing - dressing up, hair, make-up, nails … great shoes. I am not sure if it was a bigger night for me or for them! I made each of them a necklace with a large sparkly jewel and a bouquet of flowers to carry. My dear friend, Renee and I, gathered up a stash of things and arrived at the house early to doll them up. All of them were dressed, each had on a swimsuit under her dress for modesty sake. It was precious! They were like typical girls in many ways - one tugging and fussing on her skirt, one wanting her necklace wrapped in her hair, one upset because she only had flip flops to wear and no high heels. Steph does not really talk - but when I asked if she wanted to change out of the black dress they had her in to blue she screamed - stay in black! Well, OK then! They all looked so pretty in their dresses and carrying bouquets. I think the highlight of the night was when Steph disappeared and I found her, on the dance floor, holding hands and swaying to the music with the cutest young man and when he left to get some cake and Andy took over, it was equally sweet when he came back and cut in! Ah, life …

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Nicholas, my 15-year-old is not a huge fan of getting his picture taken! I am working on it! He is having a summer party in his head already, anticipating vacation! Nick is a brilliant artist. He sketches with a perfection undenied, unfortunately, he likes to sketch during class which does not sit well with his teachers! Especially since a lot of those sketches are OF the teachers. In cartoon form. Doing something ridiculous! He is loveable, sweet and emerging! Stay tuned. Nick is going to be the HUGE star in the family.

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Congratulations to my son, Ryan, the miracle man, who was the recipient of several awards this week at two senior awards ceremonies at his high school. As editor of his high school yearbook, he was named the top graphic design/art student of the year which awarded him an entire software suite of programs that he will need as he moves on to his 2 year community college program before 4 years at

Penn

State. Let him get his feet wet! He was also honored as senior class president. In addition, one local company awarded him a $500 scholarship for his academic achievements - 4.25 GPA for 4 years. All A’s and another $400. Ok, so what mom doesn’t want to brag on her children? It’s what we do. And while I am proud of Ryan for excelling way beyond anyone’s wildest dreams, I am most happy to write about it because he is such an inspiration. I am certain that not one student in his class knows of Ryan’s underlying medical issues. How fragile his life is. How many surgeries he has survived. How his heart is creatively put together to function with graphs and tubes and stents. And the cool thing is, it would not matter if, when he gives the senior class president speech, he opens up his shirt and shows the vertical scar that cuts from the top of his chest to his belly button from 2 open heart surgeries. Or the few scars that cut across his belly from bowel surgeries. The thing is, Ryan chose to be himself and to not let his disabilities stand in the way of anything OR provide a sense of entitlement because others felt sorry for him. Ryan was just RYAN.Ryan is beloved. They call him “Master Ryan” at school. He gets along well with everyone. The teachers honor and love him. He will be missed as he moves forward. He is unstoppable.This year has flown by and mamma bird now has to really let go. He will be 20 in July, facing college with courage and excitement. Learning on his own without the additional support he has received as a learning disabled student. The teachers, all 14 years of school so far, have been nothing short of wonderful. They have instilled a confidence in him that will carry him through life and he has soaked up their knowledge in volumes.Ryan is busy preparing his commencement speech - short and sweet. Kids are signing the yearbook. Thisis his last week of high school! This child was not left behind! 

The brownie story - hot out of the oven!

(Pictured above - candybar brownies made with Snickers, Milky Way, Reeses Peanut Butter Cups, Ferro Rocher, and large and mini M & Ms.)

Introducing, my beautiful, wacky, loveable children …

Ever since I was little, I have had a fascination with colored stones and seashells. I dunno - I have always found great joy in the FREE treasures of nature.  I used to spend hours sorting through tons and tons of colored stones in the driveway of my grandpa’s farm in Michigan. I glued them, one by one, to a huge piece of silver particle board that my uncle gave to me - a leftover from a kitchen wall.

So, it is no surprise that the love of stone collecting has transcended time with me. We finally made it to the beach this past Monday. Cape May, NJ is infamous for its stones, most especially what are referred to as “Cape may Diamonds,” clear, tumbled stones that cover Sunset Beach. You gotta scoop, sort and dig for them. LOVE IT! Tons of colored stones in demin, red, maroon, golds, pinks. I am in my element! I took home a huge bucket that took me all day to sort - one by one- hand picked. Got to thinking how wonderful it is that I can just sit all day on a beach doing nothing but sorting stones.

It was a beautiful day. Andy played the role of beach bum sun god whilst I stooped at water’s edge and treasure hunted in between wave crashes. Busloads of old ladies filed in and off beach and Andy bestowed a lot of his diamond finds on them. He makes friends everywhere he goes! We ate lunch at the beach grill and walked quite a bit. Made friends with an overstuffed brown gull that was more liked a trained pet than a wild bird. He adopted us early in the afternoon, sitting right next to us, eating peanut butter pretzels from our hands and shooing off all other birds.

And on the topic of stones, the test results are in and the stones are small enough to stay in my kidneys and my bloodwork is perfect.

Let’s hope the colonoscopy goes as well on Monday. No seeds, corn or grain next three days. I cannot wait!

Kitchen looks fabulous. Countertops went in yesterday and - wow! We are psyched. Andy’s old farmhouse is getting the MLK touch. So far, the beach bathroom, beach living room and country kitchen in maple with gold, red, green and orange touches.

Happy weekend.

It is a gorgeous day here! I had air conditioning on all night because the humidity was still pretty high on the sticky level at midnight. This morning, glory be, it is sunny, chilly and the air is fresh and crisp. Nice day! I am sure the garden at the farm will be a mess of twisted, tangled vines and dropped tomatos this afternoon, but the inches of rain will afford a renewal on any plant that was wilting and brown.

We are off the the Cape May beaches for the day tomorrow. Have not seen a beach all summer and I am looking forward to it.

Happy Sunday!

Updates … I am feeling MUCH better. Managed to get two back-to-back airings in yesterday afternoon on the Q with no problems. Saw the urologist yesterday and learned that I have kidney disease that can be managed. More testing. ACK!!!

We are set to get slammed  by Hanna here tomorrow so I am heading to the farm to batten down our hatches. Cabinets and island in today. Have to make sure both rain barrels are in place. We are in need of a good soaking and by golly, the weather channel says we are going to get it. I feel for the bride and groom having a catered Andy wedding tomorrow.

Take care of your kidneys, people! I may need one soon enough!

mlk

40 tips for a better life

   1. Take a 10-30 minute walk every day. And while you walk, smile, it is the ultimate anti-depressant.   2. Sit in silence for at least 10 minutes each day.

   3. Buy a DVR and tape your late night shows and get more sleep.

   4. When you wake up in the morning complete the following statement, My purpose is to __________ today.

   5. Live with the 3 E’s — Energy, Enthusiasm and Empathy.

   6. Play more games and read more books than you did in 2007.

   7. Make time for prayer.

   8. Spend time with people over the age of 70 and under the age of 6.

   9. Dream more while you are awake.

10. Eat more foods that grow on trees and plants and eat less food that is manufactured in plants.

11. Drink green tea and plenty of water. Eat blueberries, wild Alaskan salmon, broccoli, almonds & walnuts.

12. Try to make at least three people smile each day.

13. Clear clutter from your house, your car, your desk and let new and flowing energy into your life.

14. Don’t waste your precious energy on gossip, energy vampires, issues of the past, negative thoughts of things you cannot control. Instead invest your energy in the positive present moment.

15. Realize that life is a school and you are here to learn.  Problems are simply part of the curriculum that appear and fade away like algebra class but the lessons you learn will last a lifetime .

16 . Eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a college kid with a maxed out charge card.   (I wonder who put these in big letters?)

17. Smile and laugh more It will keep the energy vampires away.

18. Life isn’t fair, but it’s still good.

19. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.

20. Don’t take yourself so seriously. No one else does.

21. You don’t have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.

22. Make peace with your past so it won’t spoil the present.

23. Don’t compare your life to others’. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

24. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.

25. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: ‘In five years, will this matter?’

26. Forgive everyone for everything.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Your job won’t take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.

31. Get rid of anything that isn’t useful, beautiful or joyful.

32. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.

33 . The best is yet to come.

34. No matter how you feel , get up, dress up and show up.

35. Do the right thing!  At the right time and place.

36 . Call your family often.

37. Each night before you go to bed complete the following statements: I am thankful for __________.    Today I accomplished _________.

38. Remember that you are too blessed to be stressed.

39. Enjoy the ride. Remember this is not Disney World and you certainly don’t want a fast pass. You only have one ride through life so make the most of it and enjoy the ride.

OK, 3 days off of the antibiotic from hell and my doctor’s nurse has assured me I should be better. Shoulda. Coulda. Woulda. Not quite. And that YES, the antibiotic CAN make you THAT ill. ACK!!!

It did not help that I had about 1 hour of sleep last night, as I had to be to QVC by 3:30 a.m. for a 5 a.m. kitchen show. Could NOT sleep. I got up from a quick doze feeling remarkably GOOD - headache gone, stomach not churning … on air went well. No slurring of speech. Words flowed as should. Came home. Caught about an hour until I was awakened by a phone call from Ryan informing me that it was almost 8 a.m. and no bus showed up to get him and Nick for their first day. Thankfully, a miracle bus appeared minutes later and I did not have to quickly dress and drive the 20 minutes to get them.

Headache is back and I am fighting it with aspirin this time and coffee. I know. I know. BAD, BAD, BAD… but whatever works.

Got out of this house yesterday and went to the farm with Andy all day. We caught two squirrels in his aunt’s yard and set them free a ways out in the countryside. Seems NOTHING she tries will keep them out of her feeder. Trap set in our garden for what may be raccoon #4 today.  My big job now is seed collecting for next year. Some I am saving and some I am planting next to the mother plants for spring arrival. We are basically down to a few things now - tomatoes by the bushelfuls, a few heads of cabbage, peppers and a nice variety of pumpkins, gourds and squashes.  It was a good first year and we are already planning out next season. We got a new scarecrow for the garden and some pumpkin signs. Getting set for a huge party there in 3 weeks. Kitchen floor down yesterday, grouted today and cabinets in tomorrow. Kitchen to be completed by party time, hopefully sooner as we need to paint living room and sun-porch. Much to do with schedules busying for both of us.

No golf in 2 weeks.

Fingers crossed that bug is about over and I’ll be back in full force. Appreciating, as ever, WELLNESS.

mlk