Random Acts of Kindness Continues

There has been so much tragedy in the news lately. My heart continues to break for those in Newtown, CT. But, there is still good in the world. There is still hope... There is still a light shining...  

My thirty day challenge to Be Kind, Be Generous, and Be Thankful ended on November 30. I'm still volunteering when I can, donating what is possible, and saying "thank you" and smiling more often - the random acts of kindness never truly ends.

The RAK challenge continues and has made its way to the Midwest.

Mrs. Stevenson, friend and high school classmate of mine, has been keeping up with the Monologues. The RAK challenge sparked an idea. Mrs. Stevenson is a fourth grade teacher in west central Iowa and she implemented the RAK idea in her classroom.

Thirty-three fourth graders participated in their own Random Acts of Kindness. They called it 12 Days of RAK.

image courtesy realmomsguide.sheknows.com

Mrs. Stevenson kept me up-to-date with the happenings of her students as they completed their own challenge . The students had to preform their acts of kindness outside of the school and had to come up with the RAKs all on their own. The students thought in terms of creativity, doing for others, acts had to be done by the student themselves, and it had to make the student feel good.

I simply LOVE what the kids came up with all on their own:
- "I've helped Mom a lot with dishes."
- "I helped my brother with his homework."
- One student would place treats on people's doors, knock, and then run away (this particular student must have been in cahoots with St. Nicholas)!
- A student brought his bus driver a cinnamon roll one morning (lucky bus driver - yumm-o!).
- Another student brought hot chocolate to her priest, who stands outside the school each morning to welcome the students; this particular student also wrote a thank you to their custodian.
- Many students have taken toys and clothing to Goodwill and the Salvation Army.

image courtesy missio.org.uk

Mrs. Stevenson went on to tell me that the students kept track of the RAKs they did and then held discussions. During the discussion of the RAKs one student said "...This doesn't even feel like something we HAVE to do anymore, it just feels like part of our day." How awesome is that?!

As the 12 days was wrapping up Mrs. Stevenson told her class they only had two more days of RAK... They all moaned and groaned. They didn't want the RAK assignment to end!

To each and every one of Mrs. Stevenson's students,
Though I've never met you, you are all an inspiration! Keep up the amazing work. Even the simplest act of kindness can make someone's day a little bit brighter. Your assignment may be over but your RAKs don't have to end! Remember... Be Kind, Be Generous, and Be Thankful! 

image courtesy freebiefriday.guildcraftinc.com 

To Mrs. Stevenson, and all educators, thank you so much for all you do! 

Reflection: Random Acts of Kindness

November has come and gone and I'm a bit sad my Random Acts of Kindness has come to an end.  

In the past month I've learned a lot about myself, as well as others:

• Giving doesn't necessarily mean spending money; I was able to donate with my time and talents, not just my checkbook.
• It's amazing what people can do when they come together for the common good and well-being of others. 
• Helping out is sometimes as easy as a few clicks of a computer mouse, and can take just a few quick minutes.
• A simple "thank you" can leave an impact bigger than ever imagined.

Of the RAKs I preformed a few really stand out:

• Preparing over 100 Thanksgiving dinners for families in our community - that day it really struck me how fortunate my family is.
• Our mailman was so appreciative of something so simple as scotcharoos and thank you. 
• I wrote thank you notes to a few high school coaches of mine, and I received a note back regarding the thank you... it made me cry. **My husband was the beneficiary of one of your notes, and you brought tears to his eyes. You have no idea how much your thoughtfulness meant to him. He has been taxiing our kids to different events for the last four years because my job has kept me away from home more than I like. Consequently, he has not had time to coach. Your note inspired him to check into coaching openings in our district again since our oldest can now drive.

I will continue to challenge myself to Be Kind, Be Generous, and Be Thankful whenever I possibly can. As my little man grows up I want him to know how truly fortunate and blessed we are. I want Marcus to see what a little good, a lot of kind, and a heart full of thanks can do in this world.

Here is a list of organizations I utilized in my 30 day RAK challenge. Click on the provided links to learn more about each, and what you can do to help:

American Red Cross
Click for Your Charity
Cinderella Project
Color Run 
Donate Life
Donate My Dress
Free Rice
Goodwill
One Warm Coat
Operation Shoebox
Ripple
Salvation Army
The Hunger Site
Toys for Tots


May I encourage you to Be Kind, Be Generous, and Be Thankful, especially with the holiday season upon us.

Though the month is over my journey hasn't concluded. In fact, it's just begun...

To see what each day of November brought me click on the links below:
RAK - Week 1
RAK - Week 2
RAK - Week 3
RAK - Week 4
RAK - Week 5

Ornament Show and Tell & RAK Roundup

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas... At least IN our house. Outside it's still 65 and rainy, and that does not feel like Christmas. But, walk in my front door and it's cozy, and warm, and cherry and merry. Ahhhh, I love it.

With that said, my friend Sarah over at Our Journey is hosting an Ornament Show and Tell and I couldn't pass this up.

Ornaments are a big deal in my family. It is tradition to receive a new ornament every year at Christmas. When I go home to my parents I love gazing at their tree, spotting all the ornaments I collected before venturing off on my own. Each ornament holds a special meaning: graduation, a sports accomplishment, an ornament to mark a trip we'd taken... I've taken that tradition and implemented it in my own little family. I get little goosebumps as I look at the ornaments I've received that now adorn my tree in my home. There are so many favorites of mine, it was hard impossible to narrow down a single favorite.

I love this ornament. We received it from my mother in law, and it's a beautiful reminder of what The Season is really about.

Family is priority, and here a few of my favorite ornaments from our family.

Upper left: The cake topper from our wedding cake. 

Upper right: Marcus' first Christmas (I hope to have one with his photo in it soon).

Lower left: To commemorate our first Christmas as a married couple.

Lower right: To celebrate the anticipated arrival of our little monkey.

Home sweet home. We miss the Midwest something fierce. These ornaments help bring a little bit of home to our house during the holidays.

Upper left: An actual light bulb from the famous Plaza Lighting in Kansas City.

Upper center: If I click my heels three times... "There's no place like home. There's no place like home. There's no place like home."

Upper right: Though our favorite football team isn't doing very well this season we still love them.

Lower left: We love our Royals!

Lower center: A tag describing the Plaza Light bulb, and year the bulb was received.

Lower right: Another Plaza Light.

Some of our travels...

Upper left: Lake Tahoe (2011).

Center left: USS Arizona Memorial, Oahu, Hawaii (2012).

Lower left: Hawaii, Hawaii (2012).

Upper right: St. Thomas USVI (2010, our honeymoon!).

Center right: Cabo San Lucas (2008).

Lower right: Vegas, baby (2010)!

Representing our teams. Go State!

And, every tree needs a "husband section."

These are not necessarily my favorite ornaments, but they do reflect the good humor and fun that my husband displays on a daily basis.

The Christmas Story leg is front and center on our tree. We had quite the discussion about the placement of that one...

The Family Guy ornaments are a few of the first ornaments I ever gave Scott. Even though they aren't so pretty they hold a little bit of sentiment for both of us.

Lastly, I'll leave you with this... No tree of mine is complete without a butterfly.

What are some of your favorite ornaments? 
Please leave me a comment if you have your own Show and Tell, I want to see them! If you aren't a blogger you can still join in the fun - just post a few pics of your favorite ornaments of Facebook and let me know, I'd love to see what is hanging on your tree. Don't forget to swing by Our Journey, check out Sarah's ornaments and share yours with her, too!

*****

Be Kind. Be Generous. Be Thankful.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Roundup

Friday, November 23
I crashed a wedding! Ok, I didn't really crash a wedding. But, I did crash a wedding registry. I went to an online registry, typed in a few random letters, and a few names popped up. Some random couple is one registry item richer.
I can't even begin to explain how giddy I was when I did this! :)

Saturday, November 24
We were super busy Saturday, but I took a minute to register as a guaranteed organ, tissue and eye donor. If you haven't done so, and would like to, it was super easy and took me less than two minutes to complete the form. Click here to become an organ donor today.

Sunday, November 25
It's never easy for me to donate blood. I have the world's worst veins. But, I signed up to give to the Red Cross. I filled out the required paperwork, had the awful iron test (where the end of your finger is pricked - terrible, right?!), and waited my turn. When my number was up and I was all prepped to go. The nurse checked my left arm, then my right arm, and shook her head. There was no way she was even going to try and tackle sticking me with a needle. I begged to try the top of my hands, even the top of my feet. But, to no avail. I left feeling a bit defeated. If your veins are better suited for giving blood please check this site to find a blood drive near you.

Monday, November 26
I noticed I had several coats and jackets in my closet that hadn't been worn in quite some time. Those coats made their way to a coat drive that was held in a nearby community. There may be a coat drive in your community, visit One Warm Coat to find a place to donate your gently used coats.







Because I wasn't able to give blood on the 25th I felt I needed to do a double RAK. I purchased a fresh meal for a homeless man who can often be found at a bus stop I pass frequently. Something as simple as a sandwich, fresh fruit, and chocolate bar seemed to make his evening.

Tuesday, November 27
While doing a little Christmas shopping for my monkey it really struck me how fortunate we are. My little man will have plenty under the Christmas tree. Unfortunately, Santa may not find his way to all the little munchkins out there. To make sure Santa is able to find a few more kiddos this year I made a donation to Toys for Tots as I was checking out with my big guy's gifts.

Wednesday, November 28
In high school I remember how exciting it was to go prom dress shopping with my mom. It was such a mother/daughter bonding moment that I looked forward to each year. After a bit of research I found there  are organizations in the LA area that collect gently worn formal dresses. I rummaged through my closet and found some formal dresses that I will no longer wear or need and I sent them to the Cinderella Project with hopes that another girl will have her moment and feel just like a princess. To find a dress drive near you click here.

Thursday, November 29
Things got busy around the house, and before I knew it the day had slipped away (the Holiday season is officially upon us)! I took a few minutes online to find several ways to give back.
~With a few simple clicks, and just a few minutes of my time to watch a few advertisements, I was able to provide almost three weeks worth of clean water to those in poverty - and it didn't cost me a dime. Click For Your Charity will allow you to do the same.
~To keep the ball rolling I went to The Hunger Site where one simple click provided food for the hungry world wide, and also helped with relief efforts that are still ongoing due to Hurricane Sandy.
~Because I couldn't stop there I made my way over to Ripple where with three simple clicks I was able to provide access to clean water, help a village to feed itself, and gave two days of access to education. Ripple has also pair with Google as a search engine. Every time I use Ripple for an online search a donation is made.

Friday, November 30
I wanted to do something for the men and women who serve our country, but there is a budget that needed to be adhered to. With a bit of searching I found Operation Shoebox; currently our servicemen and servicewomen are in need of travel-size hygiene products. Easy enough! I rounded up some products and sent them to those good men and women who are keeping us safe. Some of those who will receive the products are away from their families this Holiday season so that we may be with those dear to us. For that I am forever grateful and thankful.

8 Months Old! & RAK Roundup

Look who is 8 months old today!

Stats
Height (unofficial): 29.5ish inches
Weight (official): 24 pounds

What I've learned in the past month...

~ Going from army crawl to traditional crawl happened in about 2.5 seconds. Child proofing the house happened overnight.
~ The monkey is now standing, with assistance from couches, tables, etc. It seems walking is in the very near future. Yikes!
~ Keeping the little man to sit still (especially for the photos you see above) is a near impossibility. If my big guy is awake he is non-stop movement.
~ Little man seems to have a picky palate. Lunch and dinner are often the most stressful times of day for Mommy. The only thing Marcus eats consistently are bananas, cantaloupe, and honey dew.
~ Besides the aforementioned fruits, the Chunky Monkey seems to have a sweet tooth. He will eat whipped cream like it is going out of style.
~ The dog and cat are often some of the most entertaining items in the house.
~ A walk outside can still cure any bad mood.
~ Some days Mommy wonders what the point of toys are... Mommy's phone and the TV remote are often favored items by the big guy.
~ Teething isn't something Marcus does well. The five teeth that have poked through have been less than fun to deal with.
~ Babbling, screeching, giggling and "talking" happen all the time. Often, Marcus' ramblings happen at the most inappropriate moments, like when it's dead silent in church.
~ It's hilarious to hear Marcus when he thinks something is funny, his little giggle/screech kind of resembles that of an actual monkey. :)
~ This mommy is still trying to wrap her head around the fact that her baby is already 8 months old. Every day brings new smiles, surprises and joy... More than I had ever dreamed possible.

Someone is not impressed with Drake's photo bomb. 

*****

Be Kind. Be Generous. Be Thankful.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Roundup

Friday, November 16
While loading my car after a grocery shopping trip I noticed several rogue shopping carts in the parking lot. Many of the carts were taking up perfectly good parking stalls. I rounded up all the stray carts I saw and brought them to the cart return. Yay for more open parking stalls!

Saturday, November 17
While we lived in LA we spent many a Saturdays volunteering at a food kitchen. Now that we're out of the city and have the little monkey it isn't as easy as it used to be to volunteer. Our food kitchen hosted their annual Thanksgiving dinner and we contributed mashed potatoes, enough to feed at least 25 people.

Sunday, November 18
Our neighborhood is full of dogs. Sometimes pet owners don't always pick up after their dogs. I went around our neighborhood and picked up after those that had left little "land mines." There is nothing worse than getting home after walking the dog to find out you've stepped in something worse than a mud puddle.

Monday, November 19
Those red kettles are out in front of grocery stores, and volunteers are ringing the bells to encourage donations. I dug a bit deeper into my pockets than I usually do and dropped in my donation.

Tuesday, November 20
Our church distributes Thanksgiving meals to families in our community who might otherwise not be able to have a dinner. We assembled just over 100 meals, complete with whole turkeys, fresh fruits and veggies, and all the fixin's to make Thanksgiving complete.






Wednesday, November 21
I needed my coffee fix, and a Starbucks was calling my name. We don't have drive through coffee joints like back home, so instead of paying for a car behind me in a drive through line I purchased a gift card for the amount that would cover a drink, turned around and gave it to the woman behind me. With her two little girls watching I wished her and her family a Happy Thanksgiving. As I left I could hear the little girls asking, "Why did she do that mommy?" And the woman replied, "She was being nice." Made my heart smile.

Thursday, November 22
We were supposed to run a Turkey Day 5k. The little monkey passed his terrible cold to me, so I stayed in bed while Scott ran. It was still good to know that my entry fee went to help a woman in our community who is recovering from cancer, the proceeds from the run will help to pay her medical bills.
We also hosted a Thanksgiving meal for our friends who weren't able to spend the holiday with their families. In all, there were 17 people feasting in my kitchen. What a sight! We are so blessed.


Just had to share a photo of this little guy. He was the recipient of a RAK last week. How cute is he?!

Confectioners "Crack" & RAK Roundup

The original name of this was "Christmas Crack," that just wasn't going to fly with me. It's not Christmas, and I'm not ready for Christmas. Why would you only want to eat this at Christmas? What about all the other holidays?! Shoot, give me any reason to make this and I probably will. Let's not save it just for the winter holidays.

When you make this have a list of people you want to hand this stuff out to. It's good. Real good. Like, lives up to its name, good. Like, Scott offered to take a bunch to work (this is monumental, people!). If you don't give this away you'll find you're sneaking bites here and there. Then you'll realize you have a real problem when you're tip-toeing into the kitchen when you should be fast asleep, picking little pieces, hoping no one will notice anything is missing in the morning. Not that I'm speaking from experience...

When you get to the ingredients don't go bolting in the other direction. You can easily cut this recipe in half, or, as I mentioned, hand it out to friends and family.

Confectioners "Crack"

1 12 oz box of Rice Chex cereal
1 12 oz box of Golden Grahams cereal
1 7 oz bag of shredded coconut
1 4 oz bag of slivered almonds
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) of butter
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups corn syrup

Combine Rice Chex and Golden Grahams, coconut and almonds in the largest mixing bowl you have.
Stir to combine.
In a large sauce pan, add sugar, corn syrup, and butter. Cook on high heat.
Stir continuously until sugar, corn syrup and butter come to a boil. Using a candy thermometer it should hit about 234 degrees.
Pour over cereal mixture, stir until all is well coated.
Pour mixture out onto 2 large baking sheets to cool.
Stir around occasionally to prevent large clumps from forming.
Store in air tight container until ready to serve.

This would be perfect for large gatherings, holidays, birthday treats, days that end in "y"...

Enjoy!

Source: Simple Fare, Fairly Simple

*****

Be Kind. Be Generous. Be Thankful.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Roundup

Friday, November 9

I'm a huge Cyclone fan. Huge. And, though I'm from the state of Iowa, I just cannot cheer for ISU's arch rival, the Iowa Hawkeyes. But, I  put all rivalry aside. With the help from my talented mom and her amazing sewing skills I had an adorable a little Hawkeye jacket made up for my friend's kiddo. This is monumental for me. At one point I made my mom promise to never make a baby jacket with the Hawk's logo... I wasn't able to share this last Friday, as I hadn't made it to the post office by the time I posted, and I didn't want any slipped surprises.

Saturday, November 10
While snagging lunch at Subway I purchased a gift card. I was a little bummed we were the only customers in the restaurant, but the Subway employee agreed to give the gift card to the next customers.

Sunday, November 11
With pockets full of change I placed the appropriate amounts into vending machines, and the machines that dole out little trinkets kids love. A few lucky people are going to have their goodies courtesy of a RAK.

Monday, November 12
My RAK came to me... I was doing a little shopping when a random woman approached me and asked if I could help her return some items she had purchased. The woman spoke in broken english and didn't have a photo I.D. (according to the story policies, a photo I.D. was needed for returns). I gladly tried to return her items so the woman could receive store credit. Unfortunately, there was a hang up with some store policies and the items being returned, so the poor woman was unable to return her purchase. Because the return didn't happen as planned I felt I shouldn't stop there. Later, while leaving the grocery store I saw a man who was stuffing his vehicle with several bags. I offered to take his cart to the cart return. The man seemed a bit surprised, but genuinely thankful to have the small chore taken off his hands.

Tuesday, November 13
Marcus had a doctors appointment (p.s. we hate shots). While in the waiting room I left a coloring book, some crayons, and a couple of activity boards for other kiddos to enjoy.

Wednesday, November 14
The 14th was World Diabetes Awareness Day. A while back I contacted the International Diabetes Federation and obtained pins. As part of the Federation's push to promote awareness they urged people to "pin personalities." I "pinned" people I knew who live with diabetes, or whose family members live with diabetes. If you would like to learn more about diabetes, or the International Diabetes Federation please click here.

Thursday, November 15
We have one of the greatest mail carriers. He is so sweet, and always seems to be in a good mood, he even doesn't mind our crazy dog barking his head off when the mail man comes to the door. To thank him for all of the aforementioned I made him a batch of scotcharoos.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies & RAK Roundup

Christmas displays are already out in many of the big box stores. Christmas music can be heard on some radio stations. Just excuse me while I continue to enjoy my pumpkin and apple recipes... IT'S STILL FALL! We still have about two weeks before Thanksgiving. Let's pump the brakes. Enjoy Fall before rushing into the hustle and bustle of the holiday season!

Now that I've stepped off my soap box, I introduce to you this little gem, Pumpkin Whoopie Pies.

I asked my neighbors if they enjoyed whoopie pies. They looked at me as if I was growing a third arm. They had never heard of whoopie pies. WHAT?! Life is not complete without having a least one whoopie pie. That settled it, I had to make these.  If not for me, for my neighbors... *ahem*

Pumpkin Cookie

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp ground ginger (I'm not the worlds biggest ginger lover, so I used 1/2 Tbsp)
1 Tbsp ground cloves
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups pumpkin puree, chilled
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350.
Line two baking sheets with parchment paper or nonstick baking mat; set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, and cloves; set aside.
In another large bowl, whisk together brown sugar and oil until well combined.
Add pumpkin puree to brown sugar mix, and whisk until combined.
Add eggs and vanilla and whisk until well combined.
Sprinkle flour mixture over pumpkin mixture and whisk until fully incorporated.

Using a small ice cream scoop with a release mechanism, drop heaping tablespoons of dough onto prepared baking sheets, about 1 inch apart.
Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are just starting to crack on top and a toothpick inserted into the center of each cookie comes out clean, about 15 minutes.
Let cool completely on baking sheet.

Pumpkin Cream Cheese Filling

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature
8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
4 Tbsp heavy cream
2 pounds powdered sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt

In a large bowl, beat together butter and cream cheese until smooth and fluffy.
Add pumpkin puree, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt, and beat just until combined.
Slowly add powdered sugar, a cup at a time and beat to combine.
Once the mixture starts to get very stiff and hard to beat, add the heavy cream and beat well.
Slowly add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat for 4-5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
Spread mixture on to the cooled pumpkin cookies. I put the frosting in a zip lock, snipped one end, and filled the cookies that way. If you have piping bag that works, too!
Sandwich cookies together, pressing slightly to spread the filling to the edges.
Store refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve.

Yields 15-20 sandwiches

I thoroughly enjoyed these, as did my neighbors. My neighbor is a pumpkin pie lover, and she said these reminded her of that, so score for me!

My next go around with these I'll add more cream cheese filling to the cookies. I had so much cream cheese left over, I didn't want all that goodness go to waste. What to do, what to do. Cinnamon graham cracker + slather of pumpkin cream cheese = WIN!

In lieu of pumpkin pie bring these to your Turkey Day celebration and watch as they are gobbled up.

Enjoy!

Source: Lemon Sugar

*****

Be Kind. Be Generous. Be Thankful.
Random Acts of Kindness (RAK) Roundup

Saturday, November 3
I had a blast participating in the Color Run, in San Diego. Proceeds from the event benefited Big Brothers and Big Sisters. What better way to help a charity/organization than going out, getting a good run in, and getting splashed with color along the way?!

Sunday, November 4
Things were pretty busy around our place, but a few minutes on freerice.com, and I was able to donate 2,000 grains of rice to the World Food Programme. To earn rice simply answer trivia questions correctly and 10 grains of rice is donated per correct answer. Easy peasy!

Monday, November 5
There were a few dollar bills that had been hiding in my wallet for who knows how long; long enough for me not to miss or need them. I stuffed solo bills into envelopes and attached the envelopes to random items in the dollar bin at Target. Some unsuspecting person/persons is going to have their dollar indulgence pre-paid.




Tuesday, November 6
There were a few coaches in high school that left big impacts on my life. I took a minute to write each of them a thank you for leaving such great impressions.

Wednesday, November 7
It didn't take long to discover how expensive little ones are on the budget. Going through a stack of coupons I noticed I had a good number of "checks" from certain formula manufactures. I knew I wasn't going to use the "checks," and I didn't want them to go to waste. Surely someone could use them. While running errands at different stores that carry formula I attached the coupons to the formula containers. Hopefully someones grocery bill is a little lighter.

Thursday, November 8
There have been a few times I've been out and about with the little man and realized I didn't have baby wipes. Never, ever a good situation. And, toting a little one can be exhausting. So, I put together a mini care package complete with: an unopened travel package of baby wipes, a bottle of water, a granola bar, a few bite sized candy bars, and a little note explaining the contents. The package was left in the nursing room in a store dedicated to all things baby.



Friday, November 9
I want to share so badly with you today's RAK, but I can't. I will explain next Friday. Stay tuned. :)