Giving from the heart

Through Megan at SortaCrunchy, I heard a story that broke my heart.

Gabriella Vega has a rare heart disease called Restrictive Cardiomyopathy and was awaiting a transplant, when she had a stroke. She's now undergoing physical and speech therapy to recover. And she's 4 years old.

Meanwhile, her family is staying at Phoenix Children's Hospital Ronald MacDonald House, and, as you can imagine, expenses - for their stay, as well as for Gabriella's medical treatment - are mounting.

Being the compassionate soul she is, Megan decided to do something to help, and you can join in too!

She organized a raffle to raise money for the Vega family. Purchase a ticket (or two or ten) for a chance to win a fabulous prize (maybe an adorable Frog Organic Kids T-Shirt) and you are helping out this family who is going through a situation I can't even imagine.


The raffle goes today through Thursday evening (10/15). So spread the word and buy your ticket(s) soon! And pray for Gabriella and her family.


UPDATE: I realized I forgot to link directly to the raffle, which (as it turns out) is just as well, because there has been a change of plans. The way the donating was setup is not working out due to some PayPal lameness. So. To give to the Vega family, email sortacrunchy at gmail dot com. Megan will give you information on how you can do that.

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Photo 1 by vonKinder. Photo 2 from Bold Avenue shop.

Putting the Poe back in Poetry!

When I mentioned on Twitter that I was trying to choose a PerPoTues style for October, Jen from Bookworm on a Mission suggested "something halloweeny" and heartily approved the idea for a Poe-inspired theme.

In general, I'm not much into scary or Halloweeny stuff. But, for some reason, I can really appreciate Edgar Allen Poe. Even the creepy stuff. Maybe it's because it's not about being scary just for the sake of scary. Maybe you have your own theories. But, since I want to start blogging more frequently, I'm going to (attempt to) stop spending insane amounts of time dwelling on unimportant details.

So. Moving on.

The theme for this month's PerPoTues (which is this coming Tuesday - already!) is Edgar Allen Poe. Kinda like that one time it was Dr. Seuss. Only not.

Some ways to Poe-ize your poem:

• Get gothic.
• Talk about your life - with an unexpected twist. (Were you horrified to find the glasses you'd searched the house for were on your head all along?)
• Parody one of Poe's poems.
• Use the refrain "nevermore."

Be creative, have fun, and check out the Poe Wiki for inspiration!

And, yes, you did hear that right about me posting more frequently. In fact, please come back Monday - there's something going on besides PerPoTues next week I'd really like to tell you about then.

Playing with dough

It's almost too late for me to tell you this...today is National Play Doh Day!


For a moment, let's forget the impossibility of removing it from the carpet and focus on the good times. Because I don't think it's (ever) too late to celebrate the fun that is little fingers squishing colorful dough, rolling snakes, making "food" and inviting you to eat some, and then smashing it flat and starting over again.

It doesn't have to be the brand-name kind, either. You can make your own. (If you're brave, check out Julie Finn's Play Dough Eight Ways, the first of which is Sawdust Dough!) Or you can get an alternative like Miss Brittany's Organic Preschool Fun Dough.


The main thing is providing an outlet for children to exercise their imaginations, work on their motor skills, enjoy just being kids - and maybe you can play along too!


P.S. You can get 20% off the aforementioned Miss Brittany's with promo code NPD09. And, no, they aren't paying me to say that. They just sent me an email, and I thought I'd pass the info on, in case you were interested.

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Photos:
1) By Diane S Murphy
2) Courtesy Miss Brittany's Organic Preschool Fun Dough
3) By Yogi

Birthday blessings

The Hubs did a fabulous job of helping me celebrate my birthday this weekend! Thanks to everyone who joined in or just sent happy wishes from far away!

I feel very loved and very blessed. And, even though I did make a wish before I blew out the candles, really, what else do I need?

(Photo by Hubs)

Perfectly Poetical: Ode

Can you believe it's already time for September's Perfectly Poetical Tuesday?!! Yep. Let it sink in for a moment.

Ok, here we go!

• Today's PerPoTues style: Ode
• Up next: Poe (yes, as in Edgar Allen - more explanation to follow)
  
• Next PerPoTues: October 13
  
• Want an email reminder? Just let me know!
  

Write a rhyming tribute and include a link to this post, and then stop back by to link up, comment and visit everyone's odes.

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[My "Ode to The Way Things Were"]

This is an ode to the good old days
An ode to commemorate the way
Things were back then. Back when things were good,
And there was plenty - back in the day.

Good times sometimes seem so far away
So what I would like to know is how
To get things back the way they were
Before they were the way that things are now.

And yet I wonder, in years to come
Will we be wanting to know the way
To change the things that happen then, to
Get them back the way things are - today?

Rain, inspiration and an upcoming ode

You may have guessed by now that I love the rain. Rainy days inspire me. This morning we've had a delightful downpour with the temperature dipping far below the triple digits we've been seeing. Watching the hubs taking care of the plants out on the balcony made me think my Perfectly Poetical Tuesday ode might be to the rain or to gardens or maybe to him.

What inspires you? This Tuesday share a tribute to someone/something - it can be funny or serious, short or long - then stop by and link up! Can't wait to see what you come up with!

On the menu: the stuff of life

The highs. The lows. And today...the food. Strange roller coaster that we're on here, huh? Or maybe it's just the stuff of life. Isn't all of that - the celebration, the mourning, the ever-looming question of "what's for dinner?" - just the kind of thing our days are made of?

I kind of think so.

And with all the stuff that's been going on in my life of late, my meal planning has been haphazard at best. Then Sunday I found myself scrawling a menu on the back of a grocery list, and I thought of you.

So, in case you've been on the edge of your seat wondering what's for dinner at our house, here you go...



And, here's the translation....

• S - pizza
  
• M - pork chops, mashed potatoes, spinach, corn
• T - eggs and chorizo with Mexican grey squash (Hubs is on his own for this one - I'm in Flagstaff tonight)
• W - bean burritos with more squash
• Th - chicken and rice with peas
• F - TBD

Wishing you the best through your little (and big) stuff of life this week!

P.S. Even though I'm a day late, do check out the menus posted on the Chive Talkin' Menu Plan Blog Roll.