Grandpa and me, Christmas Day, 1978.
Also known as the day I came home from the hospital.

My grandpa smoked a pipe. And he was good at building things out of wood. He took me fishing at the park one time. I kind of remember going to a state fair…I think. And if we tried to sit in “his” chair, he’d sit on us.

When I think of my grandpa, those are the things that come to mind. I wish I had more memories; I wish I’d had more time to get to know him.

I’m not sure what we were doing here . . . but we were having fun!

Unfortunately, my dad’s dad died 15 years ago. Cancer was the culprit. In particular, a blood cancer, the exact kind of disease fought by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – my former employer and charity of choice.

Tomorrow I’ll join my grandma, my parents, my aunts and uncles, and my cousins in The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light the Night Walk. We’ll carry illuminated balloons, push strollers and wagons, and chat as we walk the two-mile route.

For several years now, we’ve worked together to raise money for research and patient services. And this year is no different.

Except . . . this year, I haven’t done any fundraising.

I got a message from my cousin Steve on Facebook yesterday, informing me that my former co-workers at the Society said hello – and shamed me for not raising any money to fight cancer.

Steve has raised hundreds of dollars.

I’m sure you can understand why my competitive side has started kicking in . . .

• Will you help me beat my cousin?
• Or, if you’re a more sentimental sort, honor my Grandpa?
• Or, if you’re practical yet giving, support the fight against cancer?

A donation to my Light the Night team will do all of those things and more.

Any amount donated truly does help. During the three years I worked for the Society, I learned that the five-year survival rate for someone diagnosed with leukemia is now more than 50% – it used to be just 14%. And while the survival rate for Hodgkin’s disease used to be just 40%, it’s now more than 85%!

Research – the very kind funded by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society – made these things possible.

This progress is incredible, but there’s still so much work to be done. Because while those stats are encouraging, the fact remains that every ten minutes, someone dies from a blood cancer.

Every 10 minutes.

Will you help me fund the research that will end these deadly diseases once and for all? Will you help me provide services – like support groups, financial aid and educational programs – for those fighting cancer?

(Will you help me redeem myself with my family and friends by helping me meet my fundraising goal?)

It’s super easy to donate: just visit my fundraising page and click away.

(I’m linking to Things I Love Thursday this week – because I love online fundraising!)

When I was a senior in high school, our drama department chose to put on The Wizard of Oz for our spring musical. I knew my friend Nikki would get the part of Dorothy (and yes, I was jealous), so I decided that I should be the Scarecrow.

Determined to get the part, I tracked down sheet music so I could practice at home and even came up with a few dance moves to accompany my singing. The range was high for my alto voice, but I gave it the old college try. Or, the old high school senior try.

But it wasn’t enough. When parts were assigned, I found myself playing Glinda the Good Witch.

Hey – it might have been a small part, but I got into it!

I’d like to tell you that I got over that, but as I’m writing about it a dozen years later, that may not be true. Have I told you yet about Glinda’s costume?

It was pink. And poofy. And, if I remember correctly, glittery and shiny.

And did I mention that my lovely crown was too big?

But being a part of a musical or a play is always fun. That year was especially so, as some of my best friends had parts as well and my brother was the accompanist. I was also in drama class that year, so I got to help build the set, too. We had a blast.

Despite the costumes.

Smitty was the Cowardly Lion, and as usual, she stole the show!

Today marks the 70th anniversary of this great classic. And according to Chatting at the Sky (Oh, come on! You know I get my info from blogs.), The Wizard of Oz will be played in more than 400 theaters today in honor of that anniversary. You can check here to see a list of participating theaters.

Which character from The Wizard of Oz is your favorite?

Don’t feel obligated to pick Glinda. Although . . . I could arrange for a house to drop on you. What? Glinda couldn’t do that? Okay, well, I’ll wave my glittery wand at you; you know it takes forever to get that stuff out of your hair.

I’m having a Tastefully Simple party tonight.

It’s been on the calendar for about a month. Invitations went out a couple weeks ago. And yet, I left cleaning until the very last moment possible.

I don’t know what it is about procrastination. Is it stressful? Sure. Is it unnecessary? Absolutely. Do I do it all the darned time? Um, yeah.

So today I’m wondering how you get your house company-ready in a hurry. How do you make sure your home is presentable when people are coming over soon – perhaps already in their cars?

The Top 10 Things That Must Be Done When Cleaning My House in a Hurry

1. Turn on the attic fan. (Obviously, this only works if I don’t have the heater or A/C on. But it works best when a neighbor is grilling or I’m drying a load of laundry. Don’t ask me to explain. I just know that the clean laundry smell magically makes it way into my house when we turn on the attic fan.)
2. Assuming the stars have not aligned and provided natural home fragrance, light some candles.
3. Put away things that have places – toys, dishes, dirty clothes. (Please note: I am not saying, nor would I ever say that dirty clothes don’t immediately go into hampers at my house. Nope. Not me.)
4. Pick up extra junk that’s laying around the house. Drop it into a laundry basket and stick it in the garage. Wonder why everything can’t just have a place in this tiny, storage-deficient house.
5. Get out the Clorox wipes and go to town. Clean the table, the kitchen counters, the bathroom floor, the bathroom sink, and anything else that might be sticky or dusty. Yes, this may include dining room chairs, living room side tables and door knobs.
6. Get out the lint roller and go to town. (Especially important during the winter. When people wear coats. And you want to put them on your bed. Where the cats sleep.) Wonder why I have cats.
7. Fold up blankets and arrange on couches to cover scratches. Wonder about the cats again.
8. Look around for obvious messes – Cheerios in the couch, cat hair under the couch, milk spills, cobwebs in the corners, smudges on the white trim. Deal with them.
9. Vacuum if I have time. Yes, using a Dustbuster qualifies.
10. Stop at least 10 minutes before expected arrival time. Stop sweating. Reapply deodorant and lipstick. Get a drink. Answer the door. (Wonder why some people still think it’s acceptable to arrive early?)

So, let me have it. What’s your last-minute cleaning routine? (Readers who routinely deep clean their houses and actually do have a place for everything need not apply. Thank you.)

Gotta run. There are candles to light and blankets to toss artfully arrange on the couches.

This post is linked to OhAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday, and the lovely candle photo is by FotoDawg.

After I picked Annalyn up on Friday afternoon, we drove to the library to pick up a few things I’d reserved. My stack was pretty varied: season one of Veronica Mars, two mysteries and a book about disciplining your child.

I’d like to say that the discipline book was apropos of nothing (not because I like that song, because I actually can’t stand it, but for some reason that phrase has been running through my head all weekend). But in fact, it was quite appropriate. Because as soon as I set Annalyn down on the floor, she started toddling away from me.

This may be what they meant when they said, “Oh, just wait. You don’t want her to start walking!”

Anyway. Despite the short conversation we’d had in the car about how I wanted her to behave nicely and stay with Mommy and do you understand and yes, Mommy, the little darling wouldn’t stop wandering off.

No problem. I grabbed my books and then grabbed her.

Of course, that’s when she started shrieking and hollering. In the library. Did I mention that we were in the library?

I really wanted to hold that book about discipline in front of her face as we did the Toddler Walk of Shame out the door.

The situation was defused quickly, though. And we headed home.

On Saturday afternoon, we pretty much did it all over again. In the Carter’s outlet store this time, shopping for the very child who threw a fit, yelling, “Help! Help me!” for all to hear.

Nope. I’m not kidding.

What? Did you think I’d read the discipline book before watching season one of Veronica Mars?

The rest of the weekend, I must say, was great. Annalyn was super sweet on Sunday, while Mark watched the Chiefs lose with a friend from work. Then we met up at a family barbecue, enjoyed some hot dogs while Annalyn mooched watermelon from my dad, her Papa. (We call him Grandpa every time, but she’s only agreed to call him Papa instead of Bompa. We’re working on it.)

How was your weekend?

Last Friday was The Big Day. The day I joined Weight Watchers . . . for the sixth time.

I know.

I’d like to say that this time it’s going to work, that this time will be different, that I’m tired of worrying about my weight and my health, and I’m ready to make a change.

But I’ve said that before.

So I think I’ll stick with this instead: I’m going to do my best today.

In case you don’t know how Weight Watchers works, the basic plan helps you manage your diet by giving you a set number of points you can eat each day. Your number of points is determined by age, gender, typical day’s activity and starting weight.

That means the heavier you are, the more points you get. Yay.

But back to Friday. My co-worker and I went to a meeting over our lunch break, where we signed up and weighed in. It’s a necessary evil, that scale.

The meeting was inspiring, if only because it put me back in the lose weight mindset. I get off track easily – yes, I realize this is shocking information – and I need the weekly reminder meetings provide.

I also won’t turn down the free samples of Weight Watchers snacks. And that is unfortunate, because those pizza pretzel thins were disgusting.

Not even worth the two points. Good thing I only ate one before pitching them in the trash. (I know, I know – wasting food is bad. But you know what’s worse? Eating a bag of pizza pretzel thins, thinking they’re going to get better and knowing they’re going to leave one nasty aftertaste.)

The best moment of our first meeting? When our leader, trying to prompt us, asked, “What’s a good appetizer to order at a restaurant?” That girl sitting across the room who answered, “Mozzarella sticks!” – I want to be her friend.

I suppose I should tell you how I did in my first week back on plan (or, OP, as we like to say). The bad news is that the weekend kicked my butt. I fixed my chocolate éclair dessert for my day o’ scrapping – and then finished it off myself. (NO, not all in one day. Thank you.) I didn’t even end up counting points on Saturday and Sunday.

But I did make some good decisions! I walked with my friend Brittany (and Annalyn, who likes to call Brittany “Bernie”) on Monday and Wednesday. I ordered soup and salad at On the Border and the TenderGrill Chicken Sandwich at Burger King (no mayo, even!). And when I “needed” to pig out one night after Annalyn went to bed, I ate chips and salsa (That’s a veggie! Really!) and a cheese sandwich (on whole wheat bread with low-fat cheese). Sure, I overindulged, but it only cost me 12 points.

Believe me, even if that sounds like a lot, it could have – and has been, many times – way worse.

So, I’m making progress. Wednesday was the first day that I actually stuck to my points allowance, but I’ll get better. I’m looking up every little thing, even when I think I remember the nutritional value. That’s a good thing, because even though I actually do remember most things (like I said, I’ve done this five times before), it’s good to be reminded that honey mustard is not fat-free. Or point-free.

But it is tasty . . .

Overall, my first week has gone pretty well. I’ll weigh in over lunch today, but even if I haven’t lost a pound (oh, please say I’ve lost a pound!), I know I’m back on track.

And that feels good.

My goal for this next week is to write down everything I eat; that habit really keeps me accountable and mindful of my choices.

What’s your goal for this week?