As August was coming to an end, our local ovarian cancer awareness group, SLOCA, was in final preparations for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month, the entire month of September. We have lots of events planned, including a transit advertising campaign, a night at the ballpark, turning the fountain at Kiener plaza teal. The annual Families ROC 5K in Forest Park is on September 25th. SLOCA has a new, easy-to-navigate website with loads of useful information for those diagnosed, for caregivers, and for those who want to learn more, donate, or volunteer. We have a new Facebook page where we can talk about our events and share photos, notify followers of upcoming events, speakers, radio interviews, etc. that might not be listed on the website. And at the end of August, we began a campaign to turn Facebook teal by replacing our profile pictures with teal ribbons.

Sadly, the very next day after I put up my teal ribbon, I found that a friend was in the midst of being diagnosed. She’s only 37. She has two young children. She’s amazingly creative. This is not the way I want attention brought to this disease. But she has an enormous number of friends who she has met through photography; who she has made an impact on over the years. These women (and men) have jumped into this fight with her, sending their support through phone calls, texts, emails, Facebook messages, Facebook postings…every way they can think of to let her know how much support she has…how big her army of prayer warriors is. They turned Facebook teal on my screen.  When I open Facebook, my list of friends is full of teal ribbons because of her. I hope that you’ll join us. Because this year, Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month once again became personal, and I want it to be the last time.

Jen started a blog, Am I Still a Girl, to communicate her thoughts and keep everyone updated.  She’s so creatively gifted at expression…including her writing. If you’d like to support Jen, please follow her blog.  There is a place under each post where you can leave comments too, which we so affectionately refer to as “blog love” but in this case, those words take on real meaning. The comments can really lift her spirits and give her strength for her fight.

When you’re out and about this month here in St. Louis, look for our bus ads. They’ll be up all month.

This is just a small peek at the line. To see the rest of the Knollwood Lane line of gifts, please visit The White Rabbit in person, or Knollwood Lane’s old website. Hopefully, I’ll have a chance to photograph more of her fun things soon!

This week, our Mondays for Moms post is featuring an awesome young boy who, at seven years old, is already out there taking action to do something about what he sees happening in the world. Maybe he can be inspiring to your children.

We’ve heard that lots of the oil in the gulf is being eaten up by bacteria, but that doesn’t mean the problem is over. There’s still a lot of work to be done, and many have had their livelihoods severely damaged by the disaster. We can’t let our concerns fade while they’re still in need of support.

So meet Dylan.  (This is an old photo of Dylan from a family portrait session.)

Dylan’s traveling down to the gulf area and will do some interviews to find out what’s going on and what still needs to be done. So far, he has lined up interviews with the Audubon Zoo/Aquarium, business owners,  and is hoping to speak with the Mayor as well. With his determination, I bet he gets that interview!

How can you help encourage Dylan, support his efforts, and foster this volunteer spirit in your child? I have a few ideas to get you started:

Follow Dylan. You can get on the computer with your children and visit Dylan’s website, OneStartsMany.com, and encourage your kids to follow his video blogs there, his twitter account, and join his Facebook fan page. You can also buy a “One Starts Many” wristband he’s selling to raise funds for his trip. They can be purchased by emailing onestartsmany@gmail.com, and Dylan will send you an invoice by PayPal. Wristbands are only $3 each, plus $1 for shipping and handling, or a 4 pack for $10.

Follow WITkids. WITkids.org (WIT stands for “whatever it takes”), an organization that supports kids who make the world a better place has recognized Dylan by naming him WitKids July Kid of the Month! They’ve also been helping him with contacts in New Orleans, and Dylan will now be doing special reports from the Gulf, as a correspondent for WITKids! I think that’s incredible!

Spread the word. Share his links, tweet him on twitter, and talk with other moms about Dylan. Maybe they’re looking for a way to get their kids involved in something like this. There’s a video on the home page of the WitKids site that’s very inspiring.

The Good Pie. I heard there was a place in St. Louis that had pizza similar to that served at the best pizzeria in the whole country. You won’t guess where. New York? No. Phoenix! Yes, Phoenix has the best pizza in the entire United States, and I’ve eaten at this place, and I can see why it won the title. It’s a place called Pizzeria Bianco, and thanks to Oprah, you have to wait a long time to get in. But don’t worry, you don’t have to fly to the desert or wait hours to get a table, because the rumor I heard was right… The Good Pie on Olive Street near SLU, is just as good. Not only am I in love with their Naples-style thin, bubbly, chewy-yet-crispy pizza crust…which, I might add, I’ve been craving for years (see the photo on the link to Pizzeria Bianco and you’ll get the picture)…but the toppings are unique and utterly gourmet.  My favorite there is the Mast’nicola, with a mouth-watering combination of pancetta, pecorino, and sage. I know…sage on pizza? YES. Trust me. The Good Pie is good pie.

Pi. Funny, whenever I mention the first place, people always say, “you mean Pi?” No, but I like their pizza too. Completely different, but variety is what makes eating so good. And their name…perfect for a place selling circular food. They have 3 locations, in University City, Kirkwood and the Central West End, and will be opening one way out there in Chesterfield too. They boast that they’re “provel-free” …thank goodness! No liquid cheese for me. You can get both deep dish or thin pizzas there, but my favorite is the deep dish Mission, which has pork sausage, red onion, anchovies, and hot red pepper flakes. Don’t like anchovies? Check out their menu and find your favorite.

Dewey’s. Well, it’s not locally-owned, but they opened one in Webster Groves, so even if I’m not supporting a local independent, at least I’m supporting the tax base in my own town…which I can’t say when I eat at those other two.  There might be one in your neighborhood. I also love their pizza! They have lots of fantastic combinations on their menu, but my favorite isn’t even on the menu. It’s one I made up. (They let you do that there!) I start with a white pizza (olive oil glaze) and then I add prosciutto, pine nuts, whole roasted garlic, pesto, kalamata olives, and roasted red peppers. It’s delicious, and I got compliments from the manager for my “recipe.” :)

Yes, you can get pizza delivered any ol’ day, but for a fun summer night out with the family, check out one of these places and teach your kids’ taste buds some new tricks. It’s part of their education…to prevent them from becoming finicky grown-ups. If you absolutely can’t deal with that, save this for a date night.

I won’t go into details, but it involves canvases and discount prints. Why the secrecy? Because on Thanksgiving, this sale is open only to users of my new iPhone app, iLauri. On Saturday, I’ll post it here if any availability remains.

So let me introduce my new iPhone app! It’s called iLauri, and it’s available in the app store for free! If you love to look at photography, you can see a photo-of-the-day displayed on your iPhone, whenever you want.  One tap keeps you informed of any events or iPhone-only specials. So go now to the app store in iTunes, and download iLauri!  Did I mention it’s free? Once you have it, tap on “specials” for details on the Black Friday sale.

In the meantime, Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

So here’s the contest: email your favorite recipe from Mom, to me at info@lauribakerphotography.com. I’ll post them here (hint: the shorter the better!) On Thursday, voting will begin and the winner will receive a $50 gift certificate to THE WHITE RABBIT, an adorable shop on Manchester full of unique gifts.  Vintage items and new, home decor, furniture, jewelry, and even a baby department.  I fell in love with vases that look like old mercury glass, an incredible twig rabbit, and their supersoft baby blankets. Everywhere you look, there’s a creative display and great finds. The owners, mother and daughter Angie and Lindsay, really have an eye for design. This next weekend, they’re having a MOTHER’S DAY SALE. On Saturday I’ll be in the store, giving away $100 print credits to everyone making a store purchase of at least $50.  Join us!

You don’t need to go anywhere questionable on the web to get struck. The infection happened while opening an account at Gigasize.com to send large files to a client, and I don’t know if their site is to blame or not, but I have since found out that it wouldn’t have happened if my Java was updated.   Protect your computer and your wallet…keep Java updated!

~posted from the Webster Groves Library since I have no computer, and I couldn’t write a post on my iphone! :(