Easy Way to Get Your Attitutde of Gratitude

November is such a great month for reflection. It’s an ideal time to start a gratitude practice or reinforce the one we already have. I started my gratitude practice after I was diagnosed with breast cancer and can’t begin to tell you what a difference it has made in my life. The good news is, you don’t have to face adversity to begin a practice of gratitude; you can start that today. I promise you, you will be amazed at the change your life will take.

If you get into a routine and follow it daily, you should see a change in your attitude and outlook between weeks 4 and 6. I was never one for a daily writing routine so it was difficult for me in the beginning but I stuck with it and to my surprise I actually look forward to writing in my gratitude journal. Here are some easy tips to get you started:

• Select a pretty notebook size spiral journal as your gratitude journal. Pick something that will make you feel good every time you open it. I find the spiral type works best for me.

• Write in it first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening. I find doing it at the end of the day is a nice way to reflect back on the day.
• Keep your entries short and sweet, 3 to 5 works well. Be sure to use your journal for gratitude entries only and nothing else. You will enjoy reading back on the entries at the end of the month.

Sometimes we don’t start journals because we don’t know what kind of entries to post. The very essence of a gratitude practice is finding everyday ‘small’ things to be grateful for. Let me get you started by sharing a sample post from my gratitude journal:

• Enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Shawn (my son) tonight, don’t get to see him much since he moved out. It’s always nice being together.
• I’m grateful for my automatic washer and dryer, it makes doing laundry a breeze. I remember hearing stories from my grandmother how she had to do laundry.
• Modern medicine is wonderful, that Tylenol I took for my headache really did the trick.

As you can see, it won’t be very difficult to find things in your day to fill your gratitude journal. When we become thankful for the very things we take for granted, things start to come into perspective. You may not be able to get together with your son, doing laundry could take a lot longer and be much more involved and you may have to live with that headache. How’s that for perspective?

Combine this practice with giving thanks before you get out of bed each day (something short and sweet that starts the day in the right way) and you are well on your way to a more fulfilled life.

These are the basic practices that transformed my life into an attitude of gratitude; I hope they help move you in that same direction. I would love to hear about your progress and from those with tips to share from their practice.

Gratefully Yours,

Pinky's Mammogram and Reminders



Hey there BFF’s…Every October I get my mammogram. I use the pink ribbon as my reminder just like using the month of October to remind us to change the batteries in our smoke detectors. It’s something easy that we can all do for ourselves and is a huge step towards early detection. Like you, I’m not crazy about having my small breasts squished in between those horrible paddles but I always know it only last a few minutes and it is way better than the alternative. On the bright side, being pink, it’s always fun to show up at the radiology center and meet new friends.


I have a staggering fact for you…did you know that 80% of breast cancers don’t run in families? That means that most of us are at risk for it even though no one in our family had it. So, what can we do to stay on top of early detection? With all of the controversy over when to start mammograms, the prevailing opinions are still recommending that screening mammograms begin at age 40 and continue each year thereafter. What has divided some on this issue is the fact that most women who get breast cancer are menopausal so the radiation exposure from mammograms beginning at age 40 versus the number of women diagnosed before the age of 50 may not be worth the risk. Everyone has to make the decision that is right for them. Regardless where you fall on this, just be sure to actually schedule your mammogram and not wait until you get around to it ;)

But did you know that there is another way to detect changes in your breast? I believe that breast self exams done properly can be effective. I know there is controversy over the effectiveness of these exams, but I’m here to tell you that my BFF, Kathy McEvoy, found her own tumor just three weeks after her mammogram came back negative. Her tumor was located at the sternum which could not be detected by a mammogram. Be sure to check the extreme perimeters of the breast when doing your breast self exams. Share this with your friends too, she was lucky and caught it because it would never be detected on a mammogram. So if you had any doubts about self exams, think if her.

So, as you can see, there are differing views on these simple preventative measures. The way I look at it, our breasts are one of the few organs we can actually examine ourselves and if we do it on a regular basis we become intimate with them and know when any changes occur. As we saw with my BFF, her tumor would never show up on a mammogram, which could be any of us. So let’s get intimate, know your girls!

I’m having lots of fun in October….how are you wearing your pink this month?

Pink Hugs,
Pinky

My 5 Year Milestone is Finally Here!

It is with heartfelt happiness and gratitude that I share with everyone today…IT IS MY 5 YEAR MILESTONE FOR BEING BREAST CANCE FREE!!! Hold on, let me say it one more time..today is my 5 year milestone for being breast cancer free!!! I can’t begin to tell you how it feels to finally get here. No, I am not letting my guard down in any way as I know it is possible for a recurrence at anytime but statistically speaking by virtue of making it to five years, my odds just got a whole lot better. I like the way that sounds :).

So, how do I plan to celebrate this very special day that I have been waiting so long for??? The truth is I will be celebrating tomorrow on October 14. I am hosting a Celebration of Life luncheon for my friends. I have asked them to wear pink, there will be pink everywhere, we’ll play silly games and learn about breast cancer. I have asked them to join me in supporting women who need financial assistance as they undergo breast cancer treatment by donating to The Tigerlily Foundation. It’s important to me to use the occasion not only to educate others but to help the sheroes who are fighting for their lives.


As many of you know, Celebrate In Pink partyware came about as a result of my breast cancer journey. I will be very proudly using the partyware at my celebration and honor the tremendous amount of dedication it has taken me to get it this far. It is this very type of celebration that inspired me to design a collection that women could use to show how they feel and the good that they innately want to be a part of.

So, this is MY day and it will be one of the most fabulous days of my life! It is the reason why so many of my days are filled with gratitude as I don’t take any of them for granted and try to make the most of each and every one….I hope that you do too…here’s to a day of celebrating and I wish us many many more!

My Personal Celebration...Won't You Join Me?

Where Did the Pink Ribbon Come From?

Breast cancer awareness month has just begun! Throughout the month I will share various information and tidbits about breast cancer. I was always curious as to how the pink ribbon became associated with breast cancer, are you? I thought that was a great place to start so here we go:


In the early 1990s, a 68 year old woman by the name of Charlotte Haley used the same concept when her daughter, grandma and sister were all diagnosed with breast cancer. To raise awareness, she began making ribbons in the color of peach and attaching them to cards. These cards contained information about the annual budget of the National Cancer Institute and how only a small portion of this budget was being spent on cancer research and prevention. The card urged people to contact their legislators to make a change in this and to wear the ribbons to raise awareness.

In 1991, Evelyn Lauder of the Estee' Lauder Corporation and Alexandra Penney of Self Magazine were putting together a special insert piece for the October edition of Self magazine to recognize breast cancer awareness month. They heard about the peach ribbons and contacted Haley to determine if they could use them. Haley declined claiming it would make the cause commercialized, and that it would lose its grassroots appeal. However, Lauder and Penney really wanted to use the ribbon concept, so they consulted with their legal departments to see what they could do. The legal departments finally agreed they could use the ribbons as long as they changed the color. They chose pink, and the breast cancer awareness pink ribbon concept has grown from there.

So it’s been around for about 20 years and it’s amazing how fast the icon took off and now appears everywhere. I love that the color pink was chosen as I feel it really captures the essence of women. I also love how we as a sisterhood have taken this ribbon to extraordinary lengths to bring about change for women everywhere. While we still have a long way to go to eradicate this disease we have certainly made great strides to save more lives…all thanks to the little pink ribbon….We couldn't help but add a heart to our Celebrate In Pink ribbon...from our heart to yours....



Meet the Networking Angels

So it was one week ago that five great women entrepreneurs who, in most cases were connected only in cyberspace, got the opportunity to finally meet in person. A trip to Longmont, CO (see July 6 post) to visit my son and the fact that my Networking Angels happen to live in close proximity, made it all possible! Remember, many of us haven’t ever met in person. It was amazing to actually be in one place with them, hug them, look into their faces to see the spark that we all share and spend time with them.


We covered everything from writing books, selling products on QVC and HSN, profit margins, sales channels, best social media and PR strategies along with a smattering of personal chatter. At times there were multiple conversations going on; I was sitting in the middle so I got to check in on both ends, what a treat! Of course we all had paper and pens to jot down the various tips, contacts and resources we shared.

I have to also say that Martini’s in Longmont, CO was fabulous! Thank you to the Networking Angels for choosing it. The food was great and their martini’s were voted the best in Denver and they certainly lived up to that!

Thanks to Dixie for the delicious Tickled Pink pink toffee for dessert and to Liz for the handy Fobbie Holiday Gift Pack (watch for it on QVC in October). So, without further ado, here are the soon to be infamous Networking Angels:

Front row is Liz Mrofka inventor of the Fobbie, an innovative gift tag that replaces a gift bow, Dixie Daly of TickledPinkBoutique.com featuring great pink delights such as pink chocolates, candles, soaps and pet shampoos, and Barbara Kantor, inventor of Vendante's reflective pop bands that keep humans and pets safe at night.
Back row is Kerrie Weitzel, print specialist and author; and of course, me, Kathy McEvoy, inventor of pink ribbon party ware found at CelebrateInPink.com.

Not only did we make lots of networking magic but we are expecting to be included in the August issue of the Northern Colorado Business Report! Now, how’s that for magic! There's lots of way to create your own Networking Magic, let me know about your Angels :)

Fourty Five Thousand Walking Angels Hit the Streets of DC

TEAM FIVE & WON

On Saturday, we completed our fourth Komen Race for the Cure in Washington DC, it was awesome! We had a few new members on our team who were first timers , they couldn’t believe the enormous sea of dedicated and passionate walkers. The energy of the crowd is contagious and inescapable; the color of the day is definitely pink and the creativity in expressing feelings for the cause and loved ones is endless. The most moving part of the walk is seeing how loved ones honor those who lost their battle with breast cancer. There are hundreds of posters and signs bearing photos and names, placards pinned to shirts with names of those to remember, t-shirts honoring great heroes as well as the many conversations heard about these great women. We carry a team sign that honors those loved ones of ours who have either survived or lost their battle with breast cancer.


The mood is celebratory and filled with hope that one day there will be a cure. Even though there are 45+ thousand walkers you become part of a community for 3.2 miles. You meet new friends and know that you have many things in common; it is the quickest bond you will ever experience.

Checking out all of the great t-shirts is a sport in and of itself, something I look forward to every year. We saw some great ones including a truly unique one that said “Stop the War in MyRaq”, another fun one "Check Your Bumps for Lumps" while yet another sported “These are Fake, My Real Ones Tried to Kill Me”.

This was Pinky’s first walk and she had a ball. She was in awe at all of the people, the many great friends she made during the walk and loved all of the pictures that were taken of her. She can’t wait to do it again, she’s all about having fun for a cause and celebrating.

All in all, in spite of the very hot and humid weather, we are so very grateful and thankful that we got to participate in another extraordinary walk. Yes, we did as always, headed home and had a great party with great food, family and friends…of course on Celebrate In Pink party ware ;)

To look at all of the great walk day pictures, go to www.Facebook.com/CelebrateInPink, fan us while you are there :)

The Celebrate In Pink Story - The Beginnings

We are coming up on the 3rd anniversary of the Celebrate In Pink ah ha moment. This weekend, with family and friends, we will participate in our fourth National Komen Race for the Cure in Washington DC. It was this very walk in 2007 that led to the beautiful Celebrate In Pink collection of unique party ware that now exist. Since this was my first walk post treatment, I wanted to make it special. I planned a post walk luncheon celebration and wanted the party ware to resonate the spirit of the day. I thought I could find pink ribbon theme paper plates and napkins at my local party or gift shops and couldn’t. I then searched the internet and couldn’t find it there either. It was this very moment that I had my ah ha moment! I felt that women deserved a beautiful and meaning way to celebrate any occasion and at the same time help our BFFs.


Flash back to my treatment days. I saw firsthand that every one didn't have the same level of insurance that I did. Even with 'good insurance', cancer treatment takes a toll on a budget. Many women are either under or uninsured and this creates added stress to their lives at a time they couldn’t and shouldn’t have any, they have enough already to deal with. I knew I wanted to somehow help them but wasn’t sure how. Fast forward to my ah ha moment and I immediately knew that this was how I was suppose to help these heroes.

I took that as a calling and immediately started to pursue bringing the only pink ribbon party ware to women everywhere. That was June 2007; the Celebrate in Pink collection debuted in June 2009. It was a journey of love and challenge to bring them to you but one I would do again without hesitation. I strongly believe in the power of women helping women, especially through celebrating. We donate a portion of our sales to organizations who directly support women needing financial help while undergoing breast cancer treatment and we depend on angels such as yourselves to help us spread the Celebrate in Pink mission.

This weekend as we gather for our walk once again, not only is it an opportunity to Celebrate in Pink but happens to be the fifth anniversary of my diagnosis and I am feeling fabulous! Life is good and it always gets better when we can celebrate with family and friends so start celebrating today!

Feeling Fab!
Kathy

The Best Walk You Will Ever Take On Mother's Day

This Sunday, Mother’s Day, the Network of Strength will be holding their annual Mother’s Day Walk for Breast Cancer. The walk takes place across the country in most of the major cities and they always take place on Mother’s Day. For more information and to register go to http://www.networkofstrength.org/


As many of you know, I have always participated in the Komen Walk for the Cure and will do so again this year. This year’s Komen walk will be a milestone for me and my team as this is my five years from diagnosis and our team name has reflected a countdown each year. Our team name this year is “WE WON!” So, this will be a very special walk for us. I have also done other walks but have never participated in the Mother’s Day Walk and I think it is a great way to start any Mother’s Day. I plan to start this tradition next year due to the fact that my son is graduating from college that weekend and we will be in a town that won’t be holding the walk. I am looking forward to it next year though and can’t wait! If any of my readers have participated in this walk, please share your experience with us, we would love to hear all about it.

We are all affected by breast cancer in some way. Why not use Mother’s Day as day to honor the special women in our lives who have been touched by breast cancer. If there isn’t an organized walk near you, you can register for a virtual walk, why not start your Mother’s Day with a walk for our girl friends?

If a Mother's Day Walk isn't for you, I do encourage you to find a walk and participate in it, it is the greatest walk you will ever take...Kathy

What Color is Your Angel?

Since this is gratitude Wednesday, I would like to give thanks to angels who recently came into my life. Last night I had the pleasure of attending a Mary Kay unit meeting. As a guest, I was pampered with a spa treatment for my hands (highly recommend it) and given the opportunity to try out some of their new makeup products. I loved the highlighting cream; it is pure magic and is the secret to making all of us naturally look younger. I am digressing…but had a great time with these ladies. I was invited to attend to share my story and how the Celebrate In Pink line of products came about. After the meeting, so many women came over to hug me and wanted me to know that I touched their lives in a special way because of the survivor they had in their lives. Little did they know how much they gave to me with each and every hug. It didn’t stop here. Three very special pink angels, Peggy, Lea and Barbara started to brainstorm as to how they could spread the Celebrate In Pink message and products throughout Mary Kay, how awesome is that?

These are ladies who exemplify and believe that by helping others get what they need or want provides everything that you need or want. That is the way the universe works. When you get that, and join the giving circle, you get what you want. Start trying to practice it in a small way and see what happens. Looking beyond ourselves leads to a more fulfilling life filled with kindness and gratitude…start your circle today.

So on this gratitude Wednesday I would like to thank my Mary Kay Pink Angels, Peggy, Lea and Barbara for your support, kindness and help in spreading the Celebrate In Pink message, we rely on angels such as yourselves to help us with that mission…thank you!

Friends Helping Through Breast Cancer

Do you have a friend who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and don’t know how to help? Sometimes we feel awkward and helpless when one of our friends announces that she now belongs to a new club that none of the rest of her friends belongs to. Being a breast cancer survivor myself, I know how that feels. I was the first and thankfully, still only one of my friends to go through cancer. Being in the club, you speak a whole different lingo, go places you’ve never been before, meet all sorts of new people and endure things you never thought you would. All of which are off the radar with everyone else except your immediate family.

Even though your friends don’t belong to the club, they want to help I any way they can. Being the strong person that you are, you want to put on a happy face every day and be the friend that you were prior to joining the club. You don’t want this beast to be an inconvenience for anyone else except you (and maybe your hubby) so you turn down offers for help. Thankfully one of my dear friends who routinely asked to take me to treatment, I of course said I was fine, was strong enough to look me in the eye and let me know that I was denying her of quality time with me and of preventing her from doing something that she really wanted to do. I didn’t realize that by not allowing others to do for me when they so wanted to, I was being selfish and only thinking of me. Your friends who offer to help, they really do want to, they are not only doing it for you but for them too. So, let them! This was one of the most valuable life lessons I learned on my journey, graciously allow others to give of themselves, it makes them feel a part of it and gives them a feeling of joy.

Lesson for the day…when your friends offer help, please let them, you are denying them of their God given right to feel good about helping others and why not let the ‘others’ be you? Hope this helps make your journey better, it did mine…Kathy

Everday Tips to Honor Our Earth

Today we celebrate Earth Day, happy Earth Day to all! In full disclosure, I want you to know that admittedly I am not a consummate environmentalist but like many of you, I am very interested in doing my part in saving the planet. So what I hope to do in this post is share with you the easy everyday ways that we can make a difference on the environment. These changes are not drastic but if we all did them, they would have a drastic impact on the environment.


I may be showing my age but when I was growing up we were raised with frugality in mind which by default converted into conservation. The mantra at my house was “click click, do you think I own stock in the electric company”? OR “Turn the water off if something isn’t under it” OR you don’t need all of that for just that….sound familiar? If we all pretend that we have a finite amount of everything and that we have to save some so that there will be some for our children to use should be our guiding principal.

The things we have incorporated into our lives even with raising two boys are easy to do. It’s been 20 years now that we have been using cloth napkins for all of our meals. Each of us has our own design or color, the napkin is reused for the week and then is laundered. Our family loves using cloth napkins and they are much nicer than paper.

The other big change we made in our lives is drastically reducing the amount of bottled water we use. We now only use it in the rare instance where filling our stainless bottles is impossible. Think about these facts about bottled water…globally we generate over 1.5M tons of plastic water bottles and less than 5% of that is recycled. Over 38B bottles end up in US landfills every year. It takes 1.5M barrels of oil to produce the US’s bottled water and over 1B bottles are transported each week consuming oil and other resources just to deliver. Something else to consider when using bottled water is the harmful effects that plastic has on our health. Studies have proven that food items to include water that are stored in plastic, absorbs some of the plastic materials which are then consumed. These materials turn into bad estrogens in our bodies and when accumulated with the many other chemicals that also turn into estrogens in our bodies can cause cancer. There are many published studies on this that you can look up. My point with bottled water is that it’s bad for the environment and our bodies, why not start using a reusable stainless bottle now?

There are several other things we have done to reduce our carbon footprint but the ones mentioned above are very easy for anyone to start using immediately. Make it fun for your family; get the kids started off right by leading as their example. Remember, your conservation today will allow them to enjoy resources tomorrow.

Happy Earth Day, let’s make a difference! Kathy

The Healing Power of Pets

I can’t believe it took me this long to write about the love of my life, Zeppelin. He is a rescue dog and my healing buddy. When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2005 I was dog-less for the first time in my life. There was one thing I knew for sure…I couldn’t go through treatment without having the love and support of a furry friend at my side.


The search began for the perfect rescue and he found us! We adopted him when he was 5 months old and it was almost as if he knew his purpose from day 1. He always has a smile on his face, gets us involved every opportunity he has, stays close to protect and to be petted, considers himself a full fledge family member and doesn’t like being ignored. I consider Zeppelin to be one of my angels on earth. He is exactly what the doctor ordered to get me through treatment and beyond.

Zeppelin brightens every one of my days and makes a huge difference on the way I look at life. There are many lessons I have learned from him, the biggest one being living in the present and enjoying the moment we are in because in an instant it is gone. I am so very grateful that we were brought together; his healing powers truly are amazing. If you are on the fence about bringing a dog into your life, I hope this story has made a difference.

Without further ado, here is my furry companion Zeppelin, friend and angel looking very daper and catching a few zzz's, it's tough being a healer :)

                   

Kathy

Today Show MakeOver

Wow! I still can't believe it happened to me...I was chosen to receive the most fantatic makeover from the Today Show! It was part of the Ambush Makeover segment for the Hoda and Kathie Lee show. It was truely amazing and you can view it at http://bit.ly/a2hCGQ.

I can't say enough nice things about the team at Today. They made me feel very special as if I were a celebrity. I love my new hair style and color, the makeup was awesome and I love the dress. I got to keep it and it will be put into action for my niece Melissa's wedding...wish I had the makeover team primping for that too.

I will never forget how I felt in my celebrity moment. A special thanks to my sissy Peggy for being my biggest cheerleader, without her I wouldn't be there.

Now its back to reality doing my own hair and makeup but the memory lives on!

Back From The Mountains

Its been a long time since my last post, no I wasn't in the moutains all this time (but would've loved it if I were ;-)...am picking back up with the blog...on with the updates...

I was on tamoxifen for three years and decided to stop taking it. The side effects were too much for me to endure any longer. It's been a year now that I have been off it and the difference is night and day. It was the right decision for me but everyone has to do thier own research and make thier own decison.

I started my staging business and it was a huge success. My timing was perfect, I was one of the first in my area to offer this type of service and was very reasonably priced. I had so much fun doing this, I was never happier in a job. The business became overwhelming and I wanted home staging and the love for it to remain a dream, I didn't want to have any regrets.

During this same time, I decided to participate in my first breast cancer walk. Little did I know that it would change my life forever and I would get yet another dream to follow...I will say that I eased out of my staging dream to make way for a new one...stay tuned for details in the next post on my next great adventure!