On Tuesday night, I came home after being on my feet for the better part of 14 hours. I was tired. Not just physically, but also emotionally because the events of the last couple of weeks had drained me. The marrow of life had been sucked right out of me.

All I wanted to do was cry.

There was a package waiting for me that had been sent by one of my favorite readers, who also happens to be an inspirational writer. Actually, she’s an inspirational human being. I don’t know how we came to read each other’s blogs, as she’s a knitter and is exceptional at her art. As for me? I just own art. Like from Target and stuff.

Inside the package was a beautiful shawl. I pulled it from its bag and wrapped it around my shoulders. Instead of wiping away tears, I began to smile. That gorgeous shawl, which was made with love and out of pure friendship, arrived at the perfect time. It was like getting a hug from thousands of miles away.

Blogging has brought extraordinary people into my life. Outside of my church, I have never seen such generosity and downright goodness in others. Bloggers latch on to each other’s writing, each other’s causes and to each other.

Last week, my good friend Piper received devastating news when her fiance broke up with her over the phone. Piper is a strong, single-mother who loves with her whole heart and who oozes good vibes. She has a beautiful spirit, is an amazing mom and a terrific writer.

Today I, and many others, are sending her hugs from thousands of miles away. We are trying to repair her spirit to its beautiful state. She needs to know she deserves better than the bad hand that she was dealt. She needs to know we love her.

And, Piper, we do. We really love you. But, you’re totally not getting my shawl.

For more Piper love, visit the links in this Mr. Linky:

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I make ugly cakes. No, really. I once made my husband a camouflage cake and it wasn’t even on purpose. My cakes are notoriously hideous. I am including proof.

This is a cake I made for my husband. Note that after I wrote his name, I wanted to use up the rest of the icing so I made little flowers around the edges. That is my M.O., as are the flecks of cake which you can see through the icing around the candles. The mismatched candles.

This is another birthday cake I made for my husband. I crossed out his name to save him from embarrassment. As you can see, I didn’t even attempt to hide the cake I ripped up with icing (on the left side). See how I put three candles on the left and six candles on the right because it was his 36th birthday? I. Am. Brilliant.

This is quite possibly the worst cake ever created. I made this masterpiece for my son’s second birthday. See the “2” in each corner? My poor boy took one look at this cake and burst into tears. I can’t say I blame him.

Now, look at the cake.

Isn’t that awesome? I was way impressed with the colors and the design. Here’s the cake with Brutus on top.

Even cooler, right? My husband loved the look, we all loved the taste and those candy Buckeyes didn’t last much longer than a minute.

This is all that was left when we were through.

The good news? I will never make another hideous cake. The better news? You have a chance to win a Krazy Kake!

Krazy Kakes is offering one lucky winner a free cake! It can be circle, square, hexagon, or oval, can feed about 8-10 people and can be any flavor of cake and frosting. Your cake can also be covered in fondant if you want something fancy.

Just leave a comment on this post (with a valid e-mail address, please, so I can contact you if you’re the winner) before Friday, May 7, 2010 at noon EST and you will be entered to win. The winner must redeem this offer before May 7, 2011. You must live within 20 miles of Columbus, Ohio to be eligible to win.

People, if your cakes look anything remotely like mine, you should enter this drawing. Your family will thank you.

Update: Congratulations to Christina (comment #1)! You are the lucky winner! Enjoy your cake!

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The little girl from my kids’ school, who was diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor in November, died on Saturday. I was at a party for school faculty and staff when we got the news.

As we hugged, cried and toasted Ellie, my mind drifted to how I was going to break this news to my children. The two of them have suffered an abundance of loss. If only I didn’t have to tell them.

It is hard enough for an adult to deal with death, even though we know it’s coming. Even though we are fully aware that it is part of the cycle of life. It still hurts. I don’t like to hurt my kids. If only they didn’t have to know this pain.

Death makes our fragility abundantly clear and the death of a child reminds us that, as parents, we aren’t always in control. If only I could protect them forever.

My mom was babysitting on Saturday evening and as I walked in to greet my children and tell them Ellie had passed away, I wiped my eyes and took a deep breath. If only I could be strong.

As I gently broke the news, my eleven year old daughter started to cry. I pulled her close. If only they could bounce right back from this.

Then I turned to my hard-of-hearing son and said, “Did you hear me, buddy? Ellie died today.”

He looked up at me and said, “Oh. I have the hiccups.”

I found myself completely jealous. If only we were all so innocent.

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My husband’s birthday was Tuesday. One of his favorite meals is beef stroganoff made from a family recipe. It’s the same stroganoff he ate when he was growing up and since he’s creeping up on 40, I thought it best to try and make him feel like a kid again. Also, does anyone else feel that I’m aging myself by talking about stroganoff? Oh good, everyone then.

After work on Tuesday, I managed to straighten up the house, wrap presents and make dinner. My husband got off work early so he could celebrate with the kids before an evening meeting and once 6:00 pm rolled around, the whole family was hungry and the table was set for a nice, family meal.

Until my son sat down, saw my creation and said, “Ew! Throw up!”

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