Yippee! I Won!

Well, it was more of providence at work than any sort of actual talent...  OK, it was ALL providence and NO talent... BUT, I am still SUPER EXCITED that I WON!  Yesterday, I got this package in the mail... from my cookie friend, Anita, over at Sweet Hope Cookies.

You see, there are these cute critter cookie cutters that are all the rage in the cookie world right now.  When I entered Anita's contest, I really HOPED that I would win, and now, I have my very own set!!!  


The Froggie is my very favorite!   And, if you think the cutters and the critters are cute, you should see the cookies Anita made to match them!   She is AMAZING!!

The long and the short of it is, the odds were good.  And, well, my name got chosen out of the mixer!

So, why is this providentially super cool?  Because, Anita has a passion for ALS Awareness.  She lost her "handsome, loving, funny, and brilliant brother" named Randy to the disease. Anita now bakes all of her cookies to raise funds to help fight this debilitating disease.

UMDF Awareness Ribbon
HOPE.  ENERGY.  LIFE.

And, as many of you know, I have been working for the last week or so, on cookies for Mitochondrial Disease Awareness.  Well, I also learned this week that ALS and Mitochondrial Disease are linked (along with Alzheimer's Dementia, Parkinson's disease, Huntington Disease, mental retardation, deafness and blindness, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular disease and stroke, and there is increasing interest in the possibility that mitochondrial dysfunction might play a role in the etiology of autism.).  "Over 50 million people in the US suffer from these chronic degenerative disorders.  While it cannot yet be said that mitochondrial defects cause these problems, it is clear that mitochondria are involved because their function is measurably disturbed." UMDF.org

The exciting piece is...

"It is clear that research into mitochondrial disease offers hope to the millions who are afflicted with these other common conditions and diseases." UMDF.org (emphasis added)

So supporting UMDF offers HOPE to millions...  and not just the individuals personally afflicted by the diseases, but those that love them, that care for them, and that keep working for a CURE.

So, in closing I offer you this striking thought...

The last few days, I have found myself checking the mail box a couple of times a day with the HOPE that my box from Anita would arrive.  Curious K had HOPE that she would get to keep the froggie critter. (See P.S. below.)  But there are MILLIONS of people and caregivers and friends, who HOPE every minute of every day for a CURE.

If you would like to learn more about Mitochondrial Disease, please visit UMDF.org.

If you would like to read about my sweet friend Tricia, who has Mitochondrial Disease, please see my earlier post, and make sure that you take a minute to watch the amazing video that she put together.

If you would like to support the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, please consider pledging to support Team Tricia for the Energy For Life Walk-a-thon.  Any pledge of support, would be greatly appreciated.

Thank You,
Sarah

P.S. -  As as special, added bonus feature... you get a funny story, and a picture of my three beautiful daughters!  (I know, just exactly what you were HOPING for..)

So, when I got the cookie cutters, shown above in the mail from Anita, I was so excited  that I snapped a pic.  Of course the Frog was my favorite. Then, I went about my work.  When I walked by the cookie cutters about 30 minutes later, they looked like this....



It was during "quiet time" so my girls were supposed to be in bed... However, when I questioned Curious K. about it, this was the look that I got.  (Notice, the hands behind her back.)

After she backed down the hall to her bedroom, we had a pretty serious talk about taking thing that don't belong to you...

Fortunately, I am a forgiving Momma, ("because Jesus always forgives me"), and when it was all said and done, I still let her and her sisters split up the cute little critters.  (I still, however, kept the cookie cutters and my Froggie! ;^)  At least until she has learned her lesson, then, I might just give it to her... ;^)

The girls played happily with them for an hour before dinner and the older two went to bed with their critters in hand tonight. ;^)

"Thank you Mrs. Anita!"

Cookies for a Cause - Mitochondrial Disease

Every 30 minutes, a child will be born who will develop mitochondrial disease by the age of 10. 

Mitochondrial disease occurs when there is a defect in the body’s ‘powerhouses’. The mitochondria fail to produce enough energy. That results in organ systems failing. Imagine a major city with half of its power plants shut down. The same thing happens in the affected person’s body. The brain may be impaired.  They may lose vision or hearing. The heart may be weakened, and they may have eating and digestive issues. The symptoms range from mild to severe for each affected person. (UMDF.org)

Mitochondrial Disease Awareness Week is September 16-23.  Between now and then I will be sharing information about Mitochondrial Disease.  Please take a few minutes to read it... 

So far, my cookies have raised more than $100 for the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation! Thank you!

This past week, I baked cookies to raise money support the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation, but I really baked cookies to show my love for an amazing young lady, named Tricia, and her mother, Wendy.

Over the next few posts, I will be sharing her story, telling you about Mitochondrial Disease, giving you an opportunity to help, and maybe even sneaking in a give-away! ;^) Oh yeah, and talking about cookies too!

I will be featuring each of these cookies and a few fun extras over the next few weeks on my blog.

Tricia and her younger brother Andrew
 with my oldest two, Reader R and Curious K,
after a performance of the Wizard of OZ.

My friend Tricia is a freshman in high school, and she has Mitochondrial Disease.  If you don't read any of my other posts, please take a few minutes to watch this video that she made about her journey.

Tricia looks like a happy, healthy teenager.  Yet, she suffers from autonomic neuropathy, chronic nerve pain, chronic fatigue, breathing difficulties, delayed gastric emptying, GI motility issues, acid reflux, hypercalciuria, visual impairments, and kidney stones, and oh yeah, and she hasn't eaten by mouth in  years.

Please consider helping to support the United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation by sponsoring me for the upcoming "Energy for Life" Walk-a-thon.  Every gift helps.

Thank you!
Sarah

www.umdf.org

Congratulations Graduates!

This spring, I had the privilege to bake cookies for a couple of different graduation celebrations...

The first was a gift basket for a young lady who is heading to K-State this fall.

The second were party cookies for a young lady who will be headed to the University of North Carolina at Chapel-Hill and will be playing for their tennis team!

Until recently, my graduation philosophy is simple - AVOID the BLACK mortarboard at all costs!  In fact, when I made these cookies for my best friend to celebrate her time in college, I told her to just toss the all black mortarboard because the food coloring needed to saturate the royal icing makes it taste so terrible and colors your mouth for hours.

HOWEVER, since I have discovered the beauty of glaze... I now know that there is a yummy alternative.  For some reason, it only takes a drop of food coloring to blacken glaze, and as a result, it doesn't have any impact on the flavor of the icing!  ;^) So, now, the mortarboard is back into the cookie rotation!  And it looks so rich and shinny too! 

Congratulations ladies!

Cheers and Best Wishes!

Sarah