We're eating pancakes, flapstacks, mashed potatos and even twice-baked potatos...
saving our precious little cents for the things that really make sense...
like a three sisters running away...

We're Silly Little Birds
and we're going to go to the beach
Come Hell or Highwater
We Will Have Peace

Love grows.....

Kimbies hair is falling out again. Maybe this week-end Noah will take his "bro" shaver over and clean it up. He's been pimping 5 bucks here and there for years, doing "fades" in my hallway.....He's really good at it. Kimbie's thick and beautiful, and deja vued auburn hair is coming out in clumps. It's that time again.

Precious Kyle started growing her hair the minute she was told. The First Time. In June, when it was in tangled chlorined knots and her Mama measured it, it was still too short. At Christmas, with a bubble gum wad cocooned in her blonde trellis, it was still too short. She wouldn't give in. Wouldn't give up. No, she had to have 11 inches. She was donating to locks of love.

Beautiful child, God Bless you. The time has come. May our circle be unbroken.

Pray, everybody, pray

Angels are everywhere. We see them. Feel them. Hear them. Touch them.

They see us. Feel us. Hear us. Touch us.

They move mountains.
We trip over them.

They build bridges, we sometimes opt to go by boat.

They talk every language ever spoken and we go delightfully deaf.... the ringy tingy ting of vibrating ears after a Led Zepplin concert.....

Be LOUD ANGELS! Knock us down. Roll us over.

We need you.

The Gifts that Keep on Giving... Memories

Christmas Memories.... these are the best gifts of all.

The Sisterhood & some of the gifts that keep on giving :)

Soon there will be another baby girl born into the sisterhood and Baby Alana won't be the 'baby' anymore. . . it seems like only a short spell ago Baby-Belle-To-Be 's mother was a baby herself.
I remember one Christmas morning she quietly disappeared as everyone was tearing into packages. She took her little doll with her & wandered back to my bedroom. After about a minute, I wandered after her.
In the hall, I slowed my pace. I could hear her, she was singing. As I neared my room, I recognized the song...it was 'Happy Birthday To You' in a toddlers lisp.
I stuck my head around the corner and there she was, perched upon my bed, indian style. She held her little doll out before her and sang to her hearts content. The doll seemed to be dancing around. Finally the song ended & I started to enter my room.
Then I heard her... 'Happy Birthday Baby Jesus...now blow your candles out.'

Long Haired Southern Fellow with Locks Of Love

Locks of Love recently sent this hairy young man away, along with several others of us. It is not that his hair, or ours, is undesirable, they want it very much... they just want more.
Locks of Love wants a minimum of 10" of hair. This hairy & seemingly happy chap has only 7" to give.
I, Paiger, gave 10" to Locks of Love this time last year...before Kim was diagnosed with cancer & ironically enough, following her ritual of over 10 years of giving up the locks. Not long after I gave my 10 inches, this fellow decided he, too, would grow his locks for love. He's doing pretty good I'd say, wouldn't you?

Nonetheless, they just told him 'Come back in 2-3 more inches, so we don't have to shave you bald.' In the meantime, he's kind cute in apippy-long-stockings-kinda-way, huh?

So give us a couple more months & I'll be posting a pic of this fellow without the pony tails! And before you know it, we'll be posting pics of Kimbies with her own hair....

Let the radiation begin!

Her love, her spirit, her determination & faith radiate enough to lead any cancer cell into blindness.

LOTS OF LOVE KIM!

Lights, Camera! Action!

The phone rings and she's expecting it to be Mom, Me, Paige, the kids, yet another bill collector.... It's Friday, she met with her Surgeon (AKA "The Man who saved her life") on Thursday. He gave her the once up and down, commented on her well worn boots, hugged her and said "I'll see you in April". She loves him. We love him. He saved her life. And in doing so, he melded into our circle...arms out, cursing when necessary, hugging when needed.

The phone rings again, incessant ringing, she snatches it and is surprised to find it's his office. "Kim, what are you doing on Monday?" Her heart stops. Did he see something reflected in her scruffy boots, the shadow of a scare. Did he have second thoughts and the whirlwind, go here, go there, do this, do that is going to start again? Did she forget and leave her purse there or walk out without half her clothes? "Chemo brain" can leave you ditzy. "I'm not doing anything, I don't think" She forgot for a second that she has returned to work five hours a day and Monday is not a holiday. "Well, we're filming an infomercial on Monday Morning and he wants you to be in it" "Oh my God, what do I wear?" "You mean you'll do it?" "Are you kidding me? He saved my life. I'll be nervous, but I'll be there. And ummm, I guess I'll just wear, you know, jeans and my bandana and boots."

"See you Monday, Kimbies".

Love grows. And grows. And grows.

Five O'clock Shadow

It started with the first round of chemo. Those dark "liver splotches" that just popped up over night. Like old age smearing itself onto the surface of her baby bottomed skin. On the top of her hands. Splattered here and there. Tiny little kool-aid stains. Chemo stains. Over the last few weeks they have faded. Or maybe we just got used to them, and in their familiarity... they disappeared.

She's never worn her wig. Beautiful in her hippie bandana, she's never needed to. And it's HOT here in Florida! And she's hidden from the Sun, the warming, cleansing, healing Sun that she adores... except for Saturday. When she and Butch drove to the beach.... to the "place" where they fell in love, celebrated milestones and tragedies.... to the "place" where they became we... so many times. They slurpped up butter soaked scallops and guzzled ice cold beer, and Kimbies leaned just so..... into the Sun!

And then it began.
The reverse tan.
The tattle tale shadow under her bandana......

She scrubbed.
And scrubbed.

And finally....asked Butch to look. Her whole noggin was kool-aid stained. Bless his heart. He had to put his glasses on. And adjust her head just so. Examine his beautiful wife's stained crown, and somehow make her feel better.

"IT'S HAIR!"

"STOP SCRUBBING IT!"


We are feeling the healing. Thank you all!!

Happy Anniversary Sweet Kim & Dear Butch!

Happy Anniversary!!!

Locks of Love

Kimbies, year after year, grew her thick, auburn-brown hair out. Then she'd go down to the local salon & whack! 10" or more, she'd give them a pony-tail for Locks of Love
Of course, she did this long before cancer came knocking on her physical hearts' door.
Last year, I did the same for the first time.
Now, I find myself popping strange vitamins trying to grow my hair even faster, so I can do it again. (The girl at the salon said that it takes about a year[ha!] to grow the minimum required 10 inches)
My husband is growing his hair out too. (How does his seem to grow so fast?!)
This week-end we went to a party of old friends...people I've known for 25 years.
We talked about being hippies, getting older and growing long hair.
One guy said that finally working for himself, he would love to grow his hair long & with a smile, he pulled his baseball cap off to reveal his shiny bald head.
That's okay. Locks of love needs volunteers, sponsors and donations, as well. they need us to hang signs and pay for ads, promote their good cause.
Spread the word, pop your vitamins, grow your hair, contribute your time, your energy, your hair and/or your money.
Check out the pics...A little bit of hair goes a long ways with these kids
BTW, Hair Cuttery charges you not one cent to get your hair cut, when donating to the Locks of Love. Aren't these children beautiful?

October Is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Ok, so it is no secret that our Dear Kimbies doesn't really 'do' pink.
Nonetheless, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Because of that & because of Kim...me & my staff will all be wearing Pink this Friday to work. Please Join Us.

Tidbits to Know about Breat Cancer...
~About 2000 MEN will be diagnosed with breast cancer this year
~Well over 200,000 women will be diagnosed with INVASIVE breast cancer, this year
~Over 2 million women have been treated for breast cancer
~Over 40,000 women will die from this disease, this year

~Early detction is key, breast cancer can grow rapidly...perform monthly self-exams, have annual mammograms if over 40, discuss with your doctor any family history of breast cancer, changes in your breast(pain, swelling, redness or discharge), exercise, eat good, laugh often & hard & share your love, spirit & thoughts!
Please access link to the right for further information on Breast Cancer.