Relay for Life

I'm sure most of you aware that my mother passed away from cancer in June of 2011. For those of you who didn't know, well, now you do.

I have been struggling to find peace with this loss and recently discovered something that I believe will help me heal. The American Cancer Society's Relay for Life.

There is a local event on June 29th, the 1 year anniversary of my mother's death. I will be there to walk for her, in honor and memory of her. I will also walk in honor of my aunt who is fighting cancer now, and for my dad who beat cancer a few years ago. I will walk for all of them, and for all of us who have lost someone near and dear to them to that awful C word.

You can help in several ways. You can visit my team page and either join the team and walk with us, or if you aren't local you can donate. Please visit the link and share it with your friends and family. http://main.acsevents.org/goto/margehughesmemorial

You can also visit Magical Expressions on Etsy and purchase one of the Relay for Life prints. All proceeds from these items will be donated to the Relay for Life - American Cancer Society fund.
Chad is a great guy who does amazing work. I am actually hosting a giveaway for a gift certificate for his shop over at Lady In Wonderland right now. Head over there and enter to win, but also visit his shop and purchase an item to help a good cause. 

Who would you walk for?

My "New Normal"

I have been in an awful mood all day. All week really, and while I thought it was b/c it was the first Christmas since my mom passed away, I realized that wasn't really it. It's b/c the 29th marks 6 months since my mom died.
"my mom died" is still such a weird thing to say. doesn't feel real. yet, after 6 months it is slowly becoming the "new normal" that everyone told me to expect.
"Nothing will ever be the same, nothing will ever be normal ever again. You'll find a new normal."
I hated those people. Yet... 6 months later and here it is.
Normal or "new normal" doesn't mean what I thought they meant. I am not happy, I am not okay, I am sure as hell not over it.

Let me tell you a little bit about my new normal.

• Crying. It has become perfectly normal to cry every single day for 6 months straight. 
• I have come to realize that what I thought was anxiety and panic attacks was really just the tip of the iceberg. Anxiety levels of about a 6 have become my "new normal"
•  It's now normal to feel like no one on the entire planet can possibly understand what has happened. 
• Fear of phone calls and the inability to reach someone by phone for fear that it means something horrible has happened is totally normal. ( I think I finally understand why my mother in law always answers the phone with "what happened??")
• Accepting that i'm totally helpless and cannot protect or save anyone or anything I love, normal. 
• People looking at me with *that* look, the "that poor girl" look has become normal. 
• People appologizing for saying the words "mom, mother, mommy" is also part of my new normal. 

This list could go on forever, and I'm not trying to worry anyone or get sympathy from anyone. I'm sure that eventually there will be another "new normal" for me. But people were right, eventually a new routine starts to develop and that's okay. It doesn't mean you don't love the person or miss them with all your heart, it means you have gotten some of their strength to help you through. You do what you have to do to survive. Grief comes in waves, some are bigger and stronger than others, but when you hit the crest of the biggest and scariest wave, you can see the miles of calm ocean behind it and know that you'll make it through.

For all of you who have lost someone close to you, I am so desperately sorry for your loss. I'd love it if you'd be willing to share a few words about them, or about your grief process in the comments or if you'd prefer, by email. No normal, new or otherwise, is doable without support.

Are you my mother?

As my loyal readers can tell you, my baby girl Jasmine has had a bit of an identity crisis since she was a puppy. People have always compared her to a deer, and well, sometimes she gets confused. Last year we sent out a Christmas card with her next to her favorite thing in the apartment. A stuffed deer that she would lay next to, cuddle with, and drag around the apartment. (being an antique collectible deer we put a stop to the dragging right away.) I added antlers to her in this photo but even without them, the likeness is undeniable.

 

This year, Jasmine is a little bit older, and I thought maybe just maybe this would be the right time to introduce her to some of her "family" members. She was very excited and super well behaved and while I didn't get any amazing photos, I did capture a couple of cute moments. 

Jasmine meeting Comet and Prancer:

Have your children ever met a real life reindeer?

The New Me!

The past 6 months have been... trying, to say the least. So much has changed and a lot of the time it has felt like things were spinning completely out of control. When I start to feel like I've lost control of my life I have a long standing habit of changing the one thing I have complete control of. My hair. Usually I just dye it, or cut it, but under the circumstances neither of those seemed like enough. SO, I chopped it all off and dyed it red.

What do you think?

Oh, and I've also started getting my nails done again. I always feel much more lady like when my nails are done.

What do you do when the world seems to be getting a little too chaotic?

Last Minute Thanksgiving Dessert Recipe

This recipe is super easy and SUPER DUPER yummy. A coworker brought these in a few weeks ago and I immediately scooped up her recipe so THANK YOU Gina for helping me discover my new favorite dessert.

INGREDIENTS

1 box (19.5 oz) fudge brownie mix

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup water

2 eggs

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1 roll (16.5 oz)  refrigerated chocolate chip cookies

 

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark pan). Spray 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. Make brownie mix as directed on box using oil, water and eggs. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 25 minutes.  

 

2. Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat butter, milk, granulated sugar, brown sugar, pecans and vanilla to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; set aside until brownies are baked.  

 

 

3. Immediately pour praline mixture evenly over partially baked brownies. Cut cookie dough crosswise into 4 equal pieces; cut each piece into 4 slices. Carefully place slices in 3 rows of 5 slices each, using last slice to fill in spaces. (Spaces between cookie dough pieces will spread during baking to cover top.) 

 

4. Bake 23 to 28 minutes longer or until cookie topping is deep golden brown. If serving as bars, cool 2 hours; cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. If serving with ice cream as dessert, cool 20 to 30 minutes; cut into 4 rows by 3 rows.

 

 

You can learn a lot about a person...

by looking at the top three highest priority items on their Amazon wish list.

These are mine.

Show me yours!

I made a very big decision a few weeks ago. I decided to follow a star and take a chance on a dream. Maybe wishes can come true like my pal Jiminy Cricket says...

For years, I have been the "Disney go to gal" for friends and family (and even their friends) who were planning a trip to Walt Disney World, or who had questions about the parks and resorts in general. My family loving refers to me as the "Disney freak in the family" and I'm a self proclaimed "Disney Junkie".

I had started my Lady In Wonderland blog as a way to make productive use of my love and knowledge of all things Disney. It has been so much fun sharing my finds, deals, and photos with everyone. I love sharing our stories and experiences at the parks and hotels. Yet, it just didn't seem to fill the space I was looking for. I don't know how to explain it, but something just felt "off" or like it was missing.

Since my mom passed away I have been thinking a LOT about things I could have done, should have done, how life is so short, and that I'm wasting my potential and about how I wish I could have done something by now that she could have been proud of job wise.

Then, in a dream it hit me. I spoke to my husband as soon as I woke up, talked to some friends, and within days I had found my calling.

I am so excited, and proud to announce that I am officially an approved Disney Vacation Planner.

I'm an independent travel consultant for MickeyVacations.com. I finished the Disney training last week and ordered my marketing materials today.

I figured the best place to share this kind of news would be with fellow Disney lovers because you'll understand just how much it means to be "official".

If you have any questions about Disney World, Disneyland, the Disney Cruise Line, or Adventures by Disney, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask. If you'd like to book a vacation, I'd be happy to help, but if you just have questions, that is fine too. I will be sharing the special offers I receive over on my Lady In Wonderland blog as well as on my website and Facebook page. I would really appreciate it if you liked the Facebook page and told your friends and family to do the same.

Thank you for all of your support! I look forward to taking this next step on my journey and I'm glad you can all come along for the ride.