Meals on Two Wheels

Meals-on-Wheels is a great program, delivering much-needed meals for homebound individuals in local communities across the nation. One particular program caught my eye, Meals on Two Wheels, part of the Meals on Wheels and More (MOWAM) program of Austin, Texas. Volunteer cylists can provide the important service of delivering food to homebound individuals, while getting a workout and minimizing their carbon footprint. How cool is that?! If I lived in Austin, I would definitely check this out. You can read a complete article about this program in the December issue of Bicycling magazine, and read more about Austin's MOWAM/MOTW program at this link http://www.mealsonwheelsandmore.org/volunteer/bike

Thankful

A few days late, but still thankful for so many things - a great family, a roof over my head, lots of food in the pantry, good health, and much more. Yesterday, while Tyler and I were moving several thousand pounds of wood from the old CKD warehouse to the new warehouse, I also realized how thankful I am for a husband and partner who is not afraid to work really, really hard. This guy is amazing!!

Here's a truckload of cabinet trim that Tyler and I loaded on Saturday.

Fabulous New Crayons

This is a really nice green-friendly tutorial on how to turn yucky old crayons into delightful new ones. http://mycraftevolution.blogspot.com/2008/11/crayon-tutorial.html

Pledge Handmade

As we head into the season of buying and giving, I hope you will strongly consider buying handmade gifts. Handmade purchases are generally better for the environment, provide better gifts, and celebrate the creativity of people across the world. You can read more about "why buy handmade" and take the Handmade Pledge, which states, "I pledge to buy handmade this holiday season, and request that others do the same for me."

To help you get started in your handmade purchases, check out all the great sales on Etsy for Black Friday - Cyber Monday

Etsy :: ButtonBoutique ::Tic Tac Toe to Go Magnetic Button Travel Game

Tic Tac Toe to Go Magnetic Button Travel Game

This is so cute and what a great stocking stuffer! Lots of other great stocking stuffers too.

www.buttonboutique.etsy.com

A Giveaway A Day!: Bags By Tracy GIVEAWAY!

A Giveaway A Day!: Bags By Tracy GIVEAWAY!

I love this bag! Especially the owl print and the multi-colored Sparrow print.

I'm the featured Give-Away of the Day

http://agiveawayaday.blogspot.com/2008/11/upcycled-chalkboard-giveaway.html
Visit and post a comment to enter and win a really cool upcycled chalkboard.

The Encyclopedia of Immaturity

Klutz - The Encyclopedia of Immaturity

This looks like fun - adding it to the possible gift list for my oldest - I can already hear her laughing as she reads it. The website has some videos that most 8-11 year olds can appreciate.

If you go to their website you can sign up for their mailing list and get a 25% discount on a purchase. https://klutz.emktg.info/email/insider/registration.page

Life in a Small Mountain Town

According to my daughters, "It's a peaceful day for ducks".

Modish: The November November Giveaway!! (part two!)

Modish: The November November Giveaway!! (part two!)
Enter by Wednesday, December 3. It would be so fun to win this!

Handmade Gifts

Last year, with input from parents, my daughters' school decided to have a gift-making workshop instead of bringing in a commercial vendor to host a "Santa's Gift Shop". No one really liked the Santa shop because the prices were high and the items sold were poorly made and manufactured in China. Yes, I know it's the thought that counts, but many kids were sad and frustrated because they felt the need to buy gifts but didn't have the money to please everyone. So a group of moms approached the Principal about allowing students the opportunity to make presents. The first annual gift-making workshop was a success - for a minimal charge of $5.00, children had the opportunity to make and bring home several nice gifts: fleece scarf, bookmark, magnetic frame, candle-holder, and soup mix. Everyone, even the parent volunteers, enjoyed the day and the kids were excited to have so many gifts to give to friends and family.

I just got back from a planning meeting for this year's event (Dec. 10), and it is going to be even better. The kids will have the chance to make and give mini notebooks with a cover, spiced tea mix, glass bead necklaces, stencil t-shirts, paper chains, gift bags and tags, and tie tacks and decorative pins. I am lucky to be friends with such creative people and to have my kids attend a school where this type of activity is valued.

Here's a picture of the circles that a friend has been punching out for the last few weeks in anticipation of making the tie-tacks and pins. Look for more pictures on December 10.

Tie one on

These are so cute and not very expensive. I might ask Santa to put these in my daughters' Christmas stockings.

http://www.kooshis.com/

Click

I need a new camera since our "daily use" camera was stolen out of our car. I found this handy guide through the NYTimes. It is an interactive gadget-guide for cameras, camcorders, smart phones, and TVs led by the NYT's personal technology columnist, David Pogue. You can check it out here: http://nytimes.com/interactive/2008/11/18/technology/personaltechspecial/20081118-pogue-o-matic.html?th&emc=th

Tricky

Here's Della at 7:05, exactly 5 minutes after eating her breakfast, trying to fool me into thinking I did not actually feed her.

Chocolate Anyone!

I discovered today that our dog Della has an eating disorder. I went out today to clean up the dog yard. It's been awhile. It's really dry where we live so the poop kind of just petrifies, so I don't feel so bad that I don't get out very often to clean up even though I should.

Today I found all kinds of suprises - wrappers from the following: Nestle chocolate chips, Godiva chocolate-covered cashews, Ghiradelli cocoa powder, M&M mini baking pieces, white chocolate bark for candy making, a chewy chocolate chip granola bar, gluten-free chocolate chip cookie mix, and Sunspire chocolate-peanut candies. This dog has good taste and a sweet-tooth. I thought chocolate was poisonous for dogs, but apparently not.

What amazes me is her understanding to hide all the evidence. She's figured out that if she leaves wrappers and boxes in the living room, she is quickly scolded. But since we are too lame to clean her yard regularly, no problem. One smart pup.

I guess I'll be closing the pantry door from now on.