Karen’s Opinion

I recently ran across a contest to win a quilt. This contest has a special meaning as it is to benefit a little baby who needs a heart. Little Mia is receiving a new heart today! Please keep her and her family in your prayers. You can still try to win the quilt and if you wish, leave a donation to help this family through this time of crisis. Click on the badge and you will be taken to the website.

How many of you were late for church this morning because you forgot to change your clocks? Luckily, I remembered last night. It felt like I got an extra hour of sleep this morning. I might not be so cheerful when it gets dark early this evening. The only benefit I can think of for daylight savings time is that we have more morning light.

All you early morning joggers need to take extra care to be seen in the mornings. According to a seven-year study by researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, the risk of pedestrian fatalities (per mile walked) jumped 186 percent, before dropping 21 percent on average in December. Researchers chalked this up not just to darker roadways, but also to drivers having a difficult time adjusting to the end of daylight-saving time.

I decided to wear my glasses on a chain after finding them in the driveway at my nephew’s house this summer. I don’t like to wear them while I drive and had put them in my lap. When I got out of the car, they fell into the gravel. I didn’t even notice they were gone until I needed them. I got some of those funky chains to wear around my neck and kept track of them better.

I am embarrassed to say that I got lazy about using my security chain and yep, I lost my glasses. Luckily, I have another pair but they have the trifocal lines that drive me batty. The ones I lost were no-line trifocals.

I checked with the optical shop where I purchased my glasses and the gal told me it will cost $600 to replace my glasses. Holy cow! I am not about to spend that much money. I have Christmas shopping to do and that would put a dent or practically wipe out my shopping money.

I saw where a couple of my blogging buddies had bought eyeglasses online through Zenni Optical. They are pleased with their glasses and I am trying to order mine through Zenni. I called and got my prescription. The gal at my eye doctor’s office helped me figure out what numbers to put in the form to order at Zenni Optical. I think she understands how, in today’s economy, many of us do not have extra money to buy glasses. Thank goodness the price of gas has gone down. That helps but we still have to be careful and save money everywhere possible.

So, I tried to order my glasses through Zenni Optical. Having trifocals is presenting a stumbling block. I keep getting the message that the frames I chose are not narrow enough or wide enough for my prescription. Zenni Optical offers help sheets that guide you through the ordering process. They have a toll free number that I can call to get some help and I will be using that. Their frames are made of the same quality materials that I paid big bucks for at my doctor’s office. They have spring hinges and comfortable nose pieces just like those high priced frames. I find it amazing that they sell their products for such an economical price. No wonder my optometrist can afford to live in that big house! I cannot wait to get my new glasses from Zenni Optical. These lines are driving me batty!

I have been reading on various blogs, about cord blood banking. I basically skimmed because I never really understood it. That was until I saw a piece on the news. A couple’s child was literally saved because they had banked stem cells collected from cord blood at the time of his birth. What a fortunate thing that they had made that decision. Their child’s leukemia was treated because of the stem cells they had saved. Stem cells can treat 70 diseases, including leukemia, anemia, lymphoma, diabetes and cerebral palsy. I am not exactly sure how all this works but from what I have read, menstrual cells are processed and cryo-preserved (stored at a very low temperature) for potential cellular therapies that may emerge in the future. I think that more and more people will wish they had done this when they had their babies.

I think one of the reasons that many couples do not bank the cord blood when they have a baby is because of the cost. That is why I have been thinking about how we can help more couples afford to do this through a service called C’elle. C’elle is a revolutionary service that allows women to collect and preserve stem cells found in their menstrual fluid each month. Now, when you are trying to think of the perfect shower or Christmas gift for a couple due to have a baby, here is the perfect gift. A gift certificate for cord blood banking would help couples afford this service. To get more information on how to order a gift certificate go to www.celle.com.

So, what do you think of how Congress and the president are trying to work out a solution for our country’s financial struggles? It could be very depressing.

Instead of dwelling on the doom and gloom of our economic situation, I recommend getting outside and enjoying the beautiful fall weather. The weather man says that today could be our last day before the rain begins to fall. We need the rain but I hate to see my flowers disintegrated and the leaves ripped off the trees. Today should be the day we get on our beach cruiser bikes and enjoy the wind on our faces and the smell of crisp fall air. Cruiserstyle.com has so many bikes that you should have no problem choosing the bike that fits your needs. They even have a fold up bike for easy storage and transporting.

Don’t dwell on the sad things in life. Be proactive and enjoy the beautiful things in our world.