tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-41830945661645669192009-11-01T04:45:06.349-08:00Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.comBlogger143125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-38565417837796906812009-07-26T16:33:00.000-07:002009-07-26T17:03:23.056-07:00

I'm baaaaaack! (As if I am foolish enough to think that anyone ever checks in here anymore!) At this point, I'm little more than a washed-up-has-been blogger! And, I'm perfectly fine with that!I set out on this crazy giving journey on January 1st, 2009. I've had my share of challenges along the way, but at the end of the day, I'm still into this 'giving' thing; even if writing about it has

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-69948300236025766012009-05-26T18:02:00.000-07:002009-05-26T18:21:46.894-07:00

I realize I'm way behind in my posting. Last night I actually considered deleting this blog entirely. Not because I don’t care about it, I DO! And not because I’m not giving, I AM. But falling behind in the posting has me stressed out!Finding the time to write a thoughtful post hasn't been easy, (obviously). Sure, there were moments that I could’ve made it a priority, but honestly, I couldn’

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-73051178727455891172009-05-16T19:39:00.001-07:002009-05-19T21:01:34.716-07:00

Anyone who knows hubby personally knows that he would prefer that people not 'waste' money on him for his birthday, or Christmas, or whatever. He's one of those people who are content with what they have and would gladly give what little they've got to someone else. It's one of the many things I love about him. When the kids were small he'd rather forgo a gift if it meant that we'd have enough

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-21883706633607655892009-05-16T19:38:00.001-07:002009-05-19T20:23:02.699-07:00

I can't even recall the number of times I've looked at the bottles of 'Ethos' water sold at Starbucks. I don't think I ever really paid much attention to it, assuming it was more expensive than necessary, (like many other things at Starbucks!). This morning however, I took the time to take notice, as Emma and I waited for our iced coffees. When our barrista came back with our order I asked if

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-25790251019512764342009-05-14T20:37:00.001-07:002009-05-17T20:40:38.812-07:00

I was on Facebook earlier today and noticed a friend of mine seeking support for the walk for Paws 4 A Cure. I'm always quick to sponsor friends who walk for cancer, autism, MS, or other human causes, but this was the first request I've seen for a walk to benefit dogs. (Love it!)The Paws 4 a Cure mission is to provide financial assistance and awareness for canine cancer; helping the dogs in need

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-87499309539713217982009-05-13T20:17:00.000-07:002009-05-17T20:31:00.763-07:00

I'm beginning to see a trend here! Funny, it's completely unintentional, but it seems as though my giving opportunities in recent days have been pet-related. I'm perfectly fine with that! I came across Petfinder.com while websurfing today.The Petfinder.com Foundation is an effective way to show your compassion for homeless animals. By keeping our expenses low, we are able to distribute a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-85317036501506340772009-05-12T20:24:00.001-07:002009-05-17T21:24:31.176-07:00

As an animal lover, I was pretty excited when I came across Care2's website; here's what it's all about...FIRST AND FOREMOST: The race is 100% free to you!What you need to do: Click on the "Click to Help" button located at http://pets.care2.com up to once per day. Each click generates a donation, paid by Care2, to The Humane Society of the United States' (HSUS) Rural Area Veterinary Services

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-44466990417804906942009-05-11T20:18:00.001-07:002009-05-14T20:35:36.973-07:00

Hubby's work organized a clothing drive to benefit Veteran's Village of San Diego. I love it when companies not only support charitable causes like this, but promote it and make it easy for employees to contribute. We picked up a few packages of socks to donate. Hubby put them in the donation bin in the lobby of his building.From the Veterans Village Website:The Veterans Village of San Diego (

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-60997429976339779462009-05-10T18:27:00.001-07:002009-05-14T20:02:13.121-07:00

Walking into church this morning, I noticed that every chair had a single river rock on it. Being the silly girl I am, I strategically scoped out a seat with 'the prettiest' river rock. They were all pretty, but I wanted one that was perfectly shaped without blemishes. I didn't want to be obvious in my hunt for the perfect rock, so I sized them up quickly and picked my seat. Hubby sat to my

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-37699351203379271882009-05-09T20:15:00.001-07:002009-05-14T19:37:06.048-07:00

I received this card in the mail yesterday. What an easy way to give and help fight hunger. I loaded one of my old Trader Joe's bags with all sorts of canned and non-perishable foods and put it out on the front porch. I have to admit though, I felt a little bad for our mailman knowing that today he'll not only have to carry and deliver the mail, but he'll have to lug bags of food donations back

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-64222702189961300262009-05-08T19:06:00.000-07:002009-05-14T19:32:30.577-07:00

Once again, I've fallen prey to another elementary school fundraiser! Even though I'm trying to watch what I eat, I couldn't help but support my friend's son who was selling all sorts of goodies for the Hancock PTA. I was pretty tempted to buy some yummy cookies, or even the 'stuffed pretzels' but was able to control myself (a little) and ordered some plain old Otis Spunkmeyer pretzels. I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-57953567104369576102009-05-07T20:25:00.000-07:002009-05-07T20:51:54.760-07:00

Several weeks ago (maybe months?) I noticed that the Teflon on my pots and pans was starting to peel; a sure sign that I needed new cookware. Not wanting to spend the money, I tried to deny it. But a part of me I wondered if we might be ingesting tiny amounts of the non-stick coating every time I cooked. That can't be good!I checked out cookware sets online, ack! Who can afford $200+ for a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-1936632549784538562009-05-06T20:55:00.001-07:002009-05-07T20:25:08.836-07:00

One of my favorite places to enjoy a yummy lunch with hubby is Panera. We don't eat there very often since it's usually crowded, takes too long, and has a few too many calories to enjoy it more often than every once in a while. Hubby knows how much I love it though, and sent me an email about a Panera fundraiser his company was doing to benefit the USO. For just ten dollars you could get a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-76556093472643059982009-05-06T20:32:00.001-07:002009-05-07T20:09:57.378-07:00

Today I received a 'prize selection form' from the 2009 Walk for MS. I was pleased to learn that nearly $1.3 million was raised through the walk. I read through the list of prizes based on the amount of money raised. Then I noticed a small logo for "Mission First" with a check box and an invitation for MS Walk supporters to become a member of the Mission First club by donating prizes back to

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-61887450930945110722009-05-04T19:45:00.001-07:002009-05-07T19:53:31.603-07:00

Every once in a while I google 'the giving tree' to see if my blog ever comes up on the first few pages. It never does, but that's ok. Honestly, I don't know why I even care, but for whatever reason, I check it anyway.This time however, instead of just clicking on 'next' in a futile search for my own blog, I decided to click on some of the other links. I came across The Giving Tree. According

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-10429479896139562462009-05-03T20:15:00.001-07:002009-05-05T20:54:14.219-07:00

Once a month our church celebrates The Lord's Supper. Growing up Catholic, we had Communion every Sunday as part of weekly Mass. Sometimes I miss that we don't have it every week, but I've grown to appreciate it (and respect it) that much more over the years. On the same Sunday that we have Communion, there is an opportunity to donate to the Benevolence Fund. We usually drop a few dollars in

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-2149092611389968652009-05-02T16:40:00.001-07:002009-05-05T20:29:23.533-07:00

Grocery shopping this morning, the staff at my local Von's was setting up a "jail" (it was really just one of those carts they use in the meat department with the shelves removed). The idea was for customers to make donations to Easter Seals, to bail out one of the clerks. They had fliers at each register and a list for customers to sign with the amount of 'bail' they gave to free the Von's

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-18076501328176189402009-05-01T19:22:00.001-07:002009-05-05T20:18:40.936-07:00

Doing a little web surfing earlier today, I came across Camp Erin. It's a special camp for kids who are dealing with the loss of a loved one. I spent some time reading about the camp and learned that it is offered absolutely free of charge. From the website:Camp Erin is a bereavement camp designed for children ages 6-17 who have experienced the death of a parent, friend or loved one. It is a

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-90112966072450282772009-04-30T21:09:00.001-07:002009-05-01T19:16:10.196-07:00

Please click the image above to read article.Today I read the article above as I was poking through our local newspaper, 'The Poway News Chieftain'.I don't know why, but I almost always read the Seniors' column written by Bard Lindeman.I won't be classified as a 'senior' for a a couple dozen more years, but some of the stuff he writes, (while clearly geared for seniors), offers wisdom that spans

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-43203688066525873802009-04-29T19:48:00.001-07:002009-05-01T18:37:48.646-07:00

Awe, isn't that the cutest thing? It looks like a baby toy, but it's not! It's a puppy comfort toy! We bought it when Lacie was a just a puppy to comfort her when we brought her home. Believe it or not, there's a little buckwheat beanbag inside the velcro-closed belly, that can be microwaved to provide warmth for the puppy. Emma came across it earlier this week when she was cleaning her room.

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-64324352081532776432009-04-28T20:45:00.001-07:002009-05-01T17:58:25.413-07:00

I hate junk email (aka SPAM) every bit as much as I hate snail-mail junk mail. It piles up in my inbox, just as it does on the piano, until I finally get so sick of it that I'm forced to either delete it or throw it out!As I was going through my emails today, I came across one from Toys R Us, promoting yet another 'too good to be true sale' offer. Typically I delete these emails without even

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-55163215994896790052009-04-27T20:18:00.001-07:002009-04-28T20:43:36.683-07:00

A friend of mine at work invited me to participate in the 9th annual San Diego Walk For Hope on May 9th. Walk for Hope is national breast cancer walk series that raises millions of dollars in support of breast cancer research, treatment and education programs at City of Hope.Walk for Hope is about action. It is a statement from our community that no one will ever fight this disease alone. Our

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-24069608053794263542009-04-26T19:48:00.001-07:002009-04-28T20:23:19.689-07:00

Today at church our pastor spoke about passion; specifically 'Passion for Justice'. He explained how he 'googled' the word passion, and found a definition on wikipedia that says, "Passion is an intense emotion, compelling feeling, enthusiasm, or desire for something." He challenged us personally to consider the things we are passionate about.As I contemplated that, I recalled a segment I had

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-60574577280463013232009-04-25T22:03:00.000-07:002009-04-27T19:47:07.834-07:00

Today my daughter, some of her friends, and I joined several thousand other San Diegans, in 'The Rescue'; to raise awareness of Joseph Kony's child soldiers and the need to stop the war in Northern Uganda. I wrote about Invisible Children on Day 106, click here to read more.I cherish my Saturdays, so giving one up was not easy. But, as I've learned more about Invisible Children I knew it would

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4183094566164566919.post-50624990050550540322009-04-24T19:35:00.000-07:002009-04-24T19:58:25.419-07:00

A few days ago, I received a letter in the mail from my niece asking family and friends to support her as she participates in the annual 24-hour Relay for Life held at the community college where she's studying to become a nurse.I was happy to get her letter, knowing that the more people who get involved, the better chance there is to find a cure for cancer. I gladly mailed her a check today. I

Michellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11599048382234757313shelliede@gmail.com0