Just Because...

Part of the reason that I haven't been posting much lately is because I have just been enjoying the summer months with my little ones. We still try to incorporate good deeds into our everyday lives, but we don't always manage to capture them on film. Anyway, recently, I decided to have a party for my kids, for no reason at all. It may seem kind of silly, but I spent most of my life thinking that I wouldn't get to have kids, and I used to daydream about doing things like this. Plus, I'm hoping that by making my house a fun place to be when they're little that it will translate into them wanting to be around and share more when they're older (probably wishful thinking, but it's worth a shot).

The theme for the party came from Bakerella. I saw these cute little panda cupcakes and immediately thought of having a Kung-Fu Panda party (coincidentally, it's also one of my kids' favorite movies). The concept of the cupcakes was pretty simple. However, one of our guests can't have gluten, so I ended up using a gluten free cupcake mix, which tasted good but was a completely different consistency from other cupcakes. I struggled and struggled to get the chocolate chips to stick in the cupcakes, but the spongy cake kept rejecting them. I, somewhat unsuccessfully made two, but it just didn't seem to be worth the effort. So, eventually, I gave up and just threw some chocolate chips and sprinkles around the tops of the cupcakes and had a beer (Definitely made the right decision).

These were the take home bags for our guests. They weren't anything too exciting. They just had movie candy and some popcorn in them, but the kids LOVED them.

I didn't take a lot of pictures, because I was enjoying the company of the other moms, but the real question is did the kids enjoy themselves? Well...

I think my daughter's face says it all! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves, and I think the moms appreciated the opportunity to let their kids play. We already have plans for two more "just because" parties.

Thanks for the Smile

On a recent family trip to Prescott, AZ, I saw this sticker on a city park bench. While I generally don't condone defacing public property, it did make me smile. So, thank you to whoever put it there.

Just A Friendly Reminder...

As I'm getting ready for my next blood donation appointment today, I thought it was a good time to remind everyone to donate. A small amount of your time can save several lives. So, find some time in your schedule and go to your local United Blood Services or Red Cross.

Restore faith in humanity

Please click here for a refreshing does of humanity.  It shows such a lovely spectrum.  One individual helping another, protecting animals, atoning for previous mistakes, business/corporations realizing they serve people, connections across cultures/faith.  Simply inspiring!!  Even though I do not do mitzvahs every day, is exciting to realize across the globe we all make an impact. 
Thanks for reading. 

Share My Hair

This one is kind of a repeat, as my fellow mitzvah mate also recently donated her hair.  But it takes me 2+ years to get a braid to donate, so I am going to post anyway.  And I doubled my doantion by soliciting an across the country relative to donate too (first timer!!).  A part of me hopes that since we have similar hair, it might end up in the same wig...
On another note, the nice woman whocut my hair steadfastly refused to accept payment (even a tip) for cutting and styling my hair.  She said that if I wanted to give money, I needed to give it to the  food bank acoss the way (which I will be doing).  She was willing to take some coupone from the book I mentioned previously (and another stylist got in on that action too, she was going to pass them on to a customer of hers.  I like the ripple effect). 

Small Gestures

There are few things that eat away at me more than the feeling of helplessness.  Recently, when a friend of mine told me that her husband had to be rushed to the hospital to have a pacemaker put in, I really wanted to do something to help.  Of course, I couldn't really do anything to help out directly, so I offered to go over and take their dog out.  It wasn't much, but it was all I could think to do, and she was quite appreciative that she wouldn't have to keep going back and forth to the hospital to let the dog out.  Anyway, when I got there, I noticed that the curtains she wanted hung up in her bedroom were still sitting in the hall, and the microwave that they bought a year ago was still sitting on the kitchen floor.  So, I recruited my husband and when we came back later to let the dog out again, we put up the curtains and installed the microwave.  They are an older couple, and even though it's difficult for them to do some things, they are rarely willing to ask for help, for fear of putting anybody out.  It took a couple of hours and a couple of trips to the hardware store, but in the end, it was a great gift to my friend and her husband.  They were SO grateful for the work we did, you would have thought we gave them a million dollars.

 

My hubby working hard

The finished product (I forgot to get a picture of the curtains).

The Next Generation

My eldest child's preschool had a Scholastic order recently.  I had eagerly been awaiting the somewhat large order I placed.  As I picked up beautiful child, she said to me "mama, I really liked the books you got for me" and the teacher let me know that my lovely child happily shared her books with the whole class.  When I pointed this out to her, she got a big smile on her face, and said "I like to share with my friends"  It does a mama proud!!