Wyoming Art for the Cure & information about Susan G. Komen for the Cure (a global organization)

For several years now, I’ve donated my photography to Wyoming Art for the Cure. The event is celebrating its tenth year this year. and the silent and live auction funds go toward the Wyoming Affiliate of Susan G. Komen foundation.

A couple of years ago my mom had a breast cancer scare, but luckily it was only a scare. It was frightening to think that my mother had the C word. I couldn’t imagine life without her. She is healthy and going strong now and never needed any treatment. Yet, in 2007, over 40,000 women fought the brave fight against breast cancer, but lost their lives, according for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

I have lost several friends to breast cancer, including a friend that I called grandma Meg.

I remember going to the cancer center with Meg. She stood beside the fish aquarium and told me about breast cancer and how they were going to treat her with chemotherapy on the other side of the door that led to that doctor’s area. I was in my early teens at the time. She was a brave woman and put up a big fight and did it ever so gracefully. She was one of my grandma’s best friends and she was also like a grandma to me.

Help fight breast cancer together with Wyoming Art for the Cure this Friday, April 20th from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m.

According for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2007 202,964 women were diagnosed with breast cancer, and 40,598 women died from the disease

* 2007 is the latest statistic for USCS

The CDC site continues to say “Except for skin cancer, breast cancer is the most common cancer among American women. CDC supports breast cancer surveillance and research, and provides free or low-cost mammograms to underserved women.

CDC breast cancer screening information for Wyoming: http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dcpc_Programs/default.aspx?NPID=1&PID=68

Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a global organization. You can find out more information here: http://ww5.komen.org/aboutus/aboutus.html

This year is the 10th anniversary of the Wyoming Art for the Cure. Regional artists donate their work for the silent and live auction that will be held this Friday, April 20 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person, at the door, which includes light fare. You must have a ticket to enter the event.

Location: Little America Hotel and Convention Center, 2800 W. Lincolnway, Cheyenne, Wyoming

The proceeds from Wyoming Art for the Cure benefit the Wyoming Affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

Here is a link about how Wyoming Art for the Cure began:

http://www.komenwyoming.org/get-involved/art-for-the-cure/about.html

See the artwork that will be for sale tonight, April 20: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150669393543165.400253.292009248164&type=3

Vedauwoo in the fall framed photo taken by Karen Cotton

Here is some more information about Wyoming Art for the Cure: http://www.komenwyoming.org/get-involved/art-for-the-cure/

Here is the link to Wyoming Art for the Cure’s Facebook page: http://www.facebook.com/WyomingArtfortheCure

April 20, 2012 0

pray for our U.S. troops

April 19, 2012 0

Brazil …

After looking at my blog stats tonight I found out that I have a reader from Brazil ….very cool 🙂 I’d like to send a shout out to you 🙂 Thanks for reading …. Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 🙂

Procrastination I know ….I know… off of here I go ( for real this time)

Karen

April 17, 2012 0

my writing is stuck in the chimney, or it could be procrastination

Hey Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy readers.

Today was a long day. I updated the look of Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy and created the beginnings of a Facebook page for my magazine/blog.

I’m also working on some really cool future posts 🙂

Of course in between doing that I took care of Katie, made dinner, and had a Public Health nurse and other visitors for Katie come to my home today.

Tonight I’m staying up until 1 a.m. I’m going to work on my children’s book.

If you’re a writer then you already know that the beginning is actually the hardest part of the book to write. I’ve rewritten mine ten times now over the past few months, but I finally am happy with how it’s going.

Everyone has a first draft, whether it’s an e-mail to a friend, or a business letter, or when you’re trying to figure out exactly what you’re going to say in that blank card for someone special. Before you figure out the perfect thing to say, you write down all kinds of things. You may hit delete, or erase your pencil marks a few times, or use Wite-Out, until you choose the words that you like the best.

My book is about Santa. My goal audience is for third, fourth and fifth grade readers, possibly younger, possibly older … doesn’t every writer dream of having the same kind of audience that J.K. Rowling has had for her books?

It’s always good to set your goals really high, but sometimes that also puts a lot of pressure on you when you write. So, I’ve decided to just write my book in order to get this idea out of my head and onto paper, with the hope of getting it into the hands of readers. I’ve had an agent and a publishing house interested in my idea and writing that I’ve done so far on this book, but that’s intimidation almost, when someone’s anticipating your book.

I now have an editor guiding me along in this process, so I better get off of here and hit the keys.

Before I leave for tonight, though, I wanted to ask you all if you have ever struggled with writing.If so, how do you work past it?

Who are your favorite authors to read? What about authors from your childhood, or new children’s books that you might be reading to your kids.

Let me know on my comments area on my post.

Night,

Karen

April 17, 2012 0

A viewer from Iraq

I’m so excited!!!!!!

I was looking at my stats on my blog this evening and I had a person reading Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy who is in Iraq.

I’d like to invite this reader to e-mail me at karencottonwriter@gmail.com

If you’d like maybe I can post a story about you …or if you’re a soldier I can post a shout out to your family. I’d love to hear from you and thanks so much for reading Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 🙂

Karen

April 16, 2012 0

A bit of snow

April 15th, 2012

by Karen Cotton

When I woke up this morning there wasn’t any snow on the ground. I was bummed and relieved at the same time. We really needed the moisture, but my tulips are still alive and well.

Around 1 p.m. today I was excited because the clouds started spitting large snowflakes, my dog loved it, but nothing stuck to the ground.

The clouds were beautiful, though. I’m glad to have our spacious Wyoming skies. I don’t think I’d like it very much if I lived in a big city.

April 15, 2012 0

welcome to spring in Wyoming

By Karen Cotton

Around 11 a.m. yesterday I was pleasantly surprised by my annual visit from the cedar waxwings.

They were having a berry feast in the tree outside of my living room window. Yet, a visit from the migrating waxwings only means one thing. There’s a storm headed our way because they’re filling up their bellies to get ahead of it.

Spring in Wyoming is as unpredictable as the groundhog’s shadow on Groundhog’s Day. All of the weather stations said it was going to snow yesterday in Cheyenne, but it just rained a skiff here and there.

The moisture from rain is great, especially for the tulips in my flowerbed, the grass that’s greening up and the trees that are budding out. A hard freeze could have a much different outcome, I’m afraid, which is why I picked my prize tulip yesterday morning.

In the wee morning hours I’ve been contemplating about cutting all of my tulips and making them into a large arrangement for my table because you can’t trust the weather in Wyoming. Nah, it’s 40 degrees outside, hopefully they’re tough.

It’s 12:25 a.m. right now, my daughter is asleep in her crib and my husband is snoring in our bedroom as I write and lounge in our nursery recliner. I found all of these reliable weather media outlets on the Internet that are saying the same thing: A winter storm advisory is in effect

Weather Central: http://www.weathercentral.com/weather/us/cities/wy_cheyenne.html

The Weather Channel: http://www.weather.com/weather/today/82001:4:US

Accuweather: http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/cheyenne-wy/82001/weather-forecast/331604

http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/wyoming/weather-radar?play=true

So, we’ll see what happens when I wake up around 9 a.m., or earlier depending on the baby girl.

I’ll be posting pictures on Life is as Sweet as Cotton Candy 🙂

Thanks for reading my first post …have a blessed Sunday.

Karen

April 15, 2012 0