Hey there, YNS pals-o-mine! Long time, no see. I missed last month’s CCC due to spring break travels and my poor time management skills. I really don’t want to miss my FAVORITE post of the month of any website in the whole worldwide web (do you know how vast that is, and thus how much I love being able to have this oh-s0-fabulous forum? Of course you do, because – as evidenced by the fact that you’re reading this – you are a person of good breeding, intelligence, and impeccable taste). But sometimes life does intervene. Thus, I’ve named this CCC # 8/9 because it’s actually my 8th CCC post, but the 9th month we’ve been doing this. Next month will be the 10th, as scheduled, and we’ll pretend this little hiccup was but a bad dream.

You dig? I know you do. 🙂

Anywho! Where was I? The title of my post is “Running On Empty.” Makes you think of that Jackson Browne song, does it not? (By the way – that rumor that he beat Daryl Hannah in the early ’90s? It’s apparently just that: a nasty rumor. I’ve done the internet research. Just sayin’.) My actual reference, however, is of one most of us are all too familiar with: a complete and total lack of energy.

I gotta tell you, folks, I’m pooped. As you read this, I’m packing up for a trip to St. Paul, Minnesota. My youngest son has a major surgery scheduled for Thursday, April 19th. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it here or not, but Carter – my 7 year old – has cerebral palsy. This week, he is undergoing what’s known as a SEMLS: a single event, multi-level surgery. He is having five operations at once, with a team of surgeons devoted to each leg. Basically, his bones are twisted and he’s being taken apart from the waist down and put back together again, with a few rods and metal pieces inserted, for good measure. A year from now, those pieces will be removed, assuming that all goes as expected and his young skeleton starts growing as corrected. After the surgery, he will be in casts from the knees down for 5-6 weeks. We will be involved in intensive physical therapy to recuperate and improve for the next year or so. The hope is that Carter will walk straighter, be able to gain more strength, and use less energy as he does so, thereby increasing his stamina.

In the meantime, though, Mama is fried. I have to admit it. Both emotionally and physically, I’m at the end of my tether. The only thing keeping me going is habit and caffeine. Which brings me to the topic of my card for this post…

I used the brand new Ellie Loves Latte set, with a sentiment from the new Hot Stuff Mug set. Is it just me, or do we stampers LOVE a good coffee and/or tea set? Seriously. EVERY single stamp company in the bidness seems to have multiple stamps dedicated to the humble cup o’ joe. Of course, none of them are as cute as sweet little Ellie sipping from her domed cup, or as versatile as the all-occasion Hot Stuff Mug set, but still. They’re ubiquitous. As DeAndre Cole on Saturday Night Live might sing, “What Up With That?”

I think I might know the answer. Coffee (or tea, depending on your preference) offers not only the promise of a little pick me up, but warmth. And if you happen to be like me and in the habit of having a cup or two first thing in the morning, it also becomes a symbol of the promise of a new day. A fresh chance to get all of the things on your to-do list accomplished and to right the wrongs or half-assedness of days gone by. One more chance to be productive and be the you you’ve always intended to be. In some weird way, coffee = hope.

So, really, it’s no wonder I’m always up for another cute coffee and/or tea set. I suppose as long as I’m stamping, I always will be. Because I’m an optimist, and where there’s coffee? There’s another opportunity to get things right. Even in the most busted-up of situations – like having your 7 year old endure a series of operations that should never be necessary in the first place – there’s always a cup of coffee nearby, to soothe and stimulate your worn-out soul. I take comfort in that.

How about you? Are you a coffee or tea lover? Which and why? Leave me a comment between now and midnight EST on Tuesday the 24th, and you could be the lucky winner of a random drawing for Ellie Loves Latte, free o’ charge. Beats a poke in the eye with a sharp stick (or a SEMLS), don’t it?

And in the meantime, if you’re the praying or positive-vibe-sending type, say/send an extra one for my little guy, Carter, would you? I’d be ever so grateful.

See you next month on the 18th.

xo – Carole

What Up With That?