B.O.B.I.'s Business of Bliss & Inspiration

Design Gives Back: Miracle Makeover: Charlie's Room

 
This week for please join us in celebrating life' miracles with Guideposts Magazine's MAGNIFICENT MIRACLE PARTY: August 12-18 with Kelee Katillac and Charlie Grady!

Charlie doesn't let cancer get the best of him. Watch as Guideposts "Inspired Home" expert Kelee Katillac gives him and his family room makeovers that will change their lives!

"Liam Grady, age 8, is Charlie's brother and roommate. Liam is a hoot. Just a total hoot. He is profound, kind, and funny. The challenge with the makeover for Charlie -- who is suffering from brain tumors -- was to make the room about each of their personalities, goals and dreams. All in a 14' x 14' space. The result is a miracle! You will need to be here for the video reveal starting this Friday August 12 to watch it and be inspired. Maybe even laugh and cry -- the good tears -- just a little." -- Kelee Katillac

Design Gives Back™ provides rooms for hope, health and happiness for those in-need. Since 1992, we have facilitated life-changing workshops, community  programs and inspirational makeovers. 

Please join in for another MIRACLE MAKEOVER August 12-18th

Here is how you can help kids like Charlie and someone new to also receive a Miracle Makeover by participating in the Miracle Makeover Blog Party this coming week:

The host for the Miracle Makeover August 12-18 Blog Event is: Design Gives Back™  where the reveal video will be playing. Anytime someone leaves a comment we will donate $1 to Friends of Kids with Cancer or another makeover recipient.

 1 Comment from you = A $1 Donation From Us For Another Miracle Makeover or for Kids w/Cancer

Then share the Miracle Makeover Blog Party with your blog readers, friends, company or organization simply by:

1. Posting or embeding the YouTube video and/or a link to the website OR the video on your blog, company intranet or Facebook. ANYWHERE someone might be inspired!
2. Please ask them to leave comments -- the comments help us raise funds for the charities. DESIGN GIVES BACK provides the money, you provide only comments or posts.
3. The Charlie Grady Miracle Makeover is currently in Guideposts: America's #1 Inspirational Magazine -- 8,000,000 readers. Go to: http://www.guideposts.org/inspirational-stories/room-makeover-brings-hope-sick-boy
4. There will be four other Miracle Makeover bloghosts (three with linky parties) that you can link to as well-- with your post. The comments left at these help earn donations too!
5. Our goal is 5,000 comments or the equivalent across the web.  Together we can do it! We did last year for Colette's Miracle Makeover.
6. If you write a post and let us know via email we will donate an additional $5.00 in your name to our charities!

Last year we raised over $2,000.0 and it felt great being part of such a wonderful blog party, so I was very happy to learn via Kelee Katillac's email that she was hosting another event this year.  Won't you please take the time learn about this wonderful event and please be sure to hop on over to leave a comment be sure to let Kelee know that Roberta sentcha!

Fondly, Roberta

The Aftermath of a Natural Disaster...

Please note that if you are viewing this via email that may need to open this post to watch the following video:

Yep that's what many of us in the United States might think of these living conditions.

That is...that only after a natural disaster...such as Katrina, or the recent string of tornadoes...would we ever find such unbelievable living conditions.

As you may know, this week I am following all of the Compassion Bloggers as they witness and write about the ministry of Compassion International to children living in the Philippines.

GiveBack: Love Shack Giving

A few weeks ago I watched Oprah talking to the winner of her 2008 television show, Oprah's Big Give, Stephen Paletta.  As the final winner, Stephen was awarded $1,000,000 (yep one million ;) to give back to the causes that he wanted to support.  What he learned along the way was that alot of people also had causes and communities of their own that they wanted Stephen to help support.  So Stephan founded the organization GiveBack:

GiveBack was conceived and built around the idea of empowering people to start their own foundation and then giving them more money to give back to the causes they care most about. GiveBack was launched in 2010 with the help of star athletes and Mission Skincare co-founders Serena Williams and Steve Nash, who wanted to be a model for doing good on and off the field of play. GiveBack was built to make everyone a big giver.

In 2010, Stephen launched the Give Back Foundation, a 501(c)3 public charity created to help people give back. The Give Back Foundation (EIN 26-2449481) was established to allow any person to join GiveBack and set up their personal foundation account. The funds that accumulate in that account are part of the Give Back Foundation. Each member has the ability to direct the funds from their account to any charity in good standing with the United States Internal Revenue Service. Together, all of the members’ accounts are gathered under one Give Back Foundation account awaiting the direction of each member. The members can give their money away whenever they choose, either as a single donation or as part of a group of people coming together to support a cause. 100% of the money that is directed to a charity is sent to the charity. The Give Back Foundation doesn't charge you or the charity anything for the transaction. Any money that a member adds directly into their GiveBack account is immediately tax deductible to the full extent allowed. Any additional money that may be added, either by our corporate sponsors or other individuals, is not deductible by the member. At year end the Give Back Foundation will issue every member a consolidated giving statement that may be used as an IRS tax receipt.  (Images and foundation information from here.)

This is the Story of a Man Named Sid...

Anytime I leave the house, I try to remember to grab a Bag of Hope to take with me...just in case I see a homeless person.  Just in case...is kind of a running joke between DH and me because he knows that the minute I get in the car and leave the neighborhood I'm going to take a right at the stop light...when my errands are actually to the left ;)  BUT to the right is the WalMart shopping center near our neighborhood and that's where I look every time for the homeless.

I take the first entrance INTO the shopping center so that I can take the next entrance OUT...here is where I have to STOP before making the left turn...and this is what I usually see!

Unsponsored Children are Wearing Smiles...

Update: Studio DaySpring Christmas Card Drive

Remember when I outed myself for being such a lame sponsor in this post?  Well I haven't improved much since that post and I could list a dozen excuses as to why I haven't done a better job...BUT I won't bother you all with that today!  NOPE...because this post is not about me...it's about the children in Ecuador!

It was such a thrill to read (in)courage's post about all the amazing cards that were made for the unsponsored children for Compassion International kids in Ecuador.  Brianne Mullins who is on the DaySpring/Compassion team gives her first hand account of delivering these cards in person in Ecuador:

Sponsored children receive letters from their sponsors. Unsponsored children do not.

Andrea, one of the Compassion workers and our translator, told me that the only time there is a true distinction between a child who is unsponsored and a child who is sponsored is when letters are handed out. It’s a little bit like the unsponsored children are wearing scarlet letters.

This Christmas things are different. We came to Ecuador to hand deliver the Christmas cards you created for the unsponsored children.

To date your Christmas Cards have been delivered to the Embajadores de Dios Student Center and the Nuevo Amanecer Student Center! Some of the facilitators at other centers have already gone to the Compassion Ecuador office to pick up cards for their centers as well!

So I was even more thrilled when I saw these two pictures posted of the children holding up their cards and MY CARD was in both of the photos...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

WOW...talk about receiving confirmation and/or recognition!  This just made my day I'll tell you.  There are a lot of things that we all do to help others and we do not expect anything in return...however...I'm not going to lie about this...it feels darn good when you can see that something as small as a card, with a meaningful message, can matter so much. 

Brianne shares even more about her experience in delivering these cards and she also includes a video of one of the children reading their cards...so precious!  Studio DaySpring for all your Cards, Notes, Invitations and Stationery...it's a good thing! 

Special thanks also go to Compassion International for making this Christmas Card Drive happen.  There is still time to make a difference for others this holiday season by giving a Gift of Compassion that will help change the life of a child in poverty.

Help a Child

Give a gift that will help make a difference...

Gifts of Compassion:  Christmas is here again.

Homes and offices are being decorated. Parties are being planned. Family get-togethers are being decided. And the malls are getting crazier than ever. Looking at the hard-to-navigate parking lots, long lines, and highly stressed customer service staff is enough to make even the most seasoned shopper sweat.

But it doesn’t have to be this way - and we can help.

A Gift of Compassion is the perfect gift alternative for your friends, family, co-workers and clients. No crowds, no lines, no stress - just a gift that will help make a difference in the life of a child living in one of the poorest communities of the world. Your gift will help provide clean drinking water, medical treatment, disaster relief, food supplies and much, much more for Compassion - assisted children and their families. Meet real needs and bring real joy with a Gift of Compassion.

 Mosquito Net

Mosquitoes carry malaria, which kills nearly one million people every year. This gift can help give children and their families a mosquito-free sleep with an insecticide-treated bed net and prevention education.

Funds raised from this item will be used to provide: mosquito nets & malaria prevention activities in Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania and Togo. Should excess funds be raised, we will meet other urgent needs as they arise.

 

 

 Soccer Ball

Children around the world spend countless hours honing their soccer skills with homemade balls on bare dirt pitches, dreaming of making it big in the beautiful game. This gift can help give children the chance to have fun, develop skills and learn teamwork by providing resources like soccer balls and sports camps.

Funds raised from this item will be used to provide: soccer balls and soccer programs in El Salvador. Should excess funds be raised, we will meet other urgent needs as they arise.

 

Chicken

A chicken means more than food for a family—it means a source of income, manure for the vegetable garden and a supply of eggs. This gift can help put food in families’ pantries and money in their pockets as families receive support and education to help them raise and care for their new chickens.

Funds raised from this item will be used to provide: chickens & other livestock in El Salvador. Should excess funds be raised, we will meet other urgent needs as they arise.

 

THERE IS SO MUCH MORE TO GIVE...so please check out the entire Gifts of Compassion Catalog and make a difference today! Share this catalog with your friends, family and co-workers and combine your efforts if need be.  Get your kids involved in the reason for the season!  Giving makes everyone feel better about any situation they may find themselves in...especially during the stressful holidays.  Compassion has made this process as stress free as possible for you to give what you can today!

All photos and catalog print provided by Compassion.

All's I Want for Christmas...

Is a Christmas Card! 

First thing this morning I read this post on (in)courage...and it struck me right where it counts!

After reading Lisa-Jo's confession...I felt like she outed me as well...

"For those of you who don’t know, I’m a recovering “Lame Sponsor” with Compassion International. I have a checkered past when it comes to keeping up regular correspondence with the two boys we sponsor."

especially after following her link and reading her full "Lame Sponsor" post on her blog, The Gypsy Mama...ouch!  I'm so busted!!! 

Currently we sponsor two children through Compassion International in Kenya, Africa.  Derrick Oduor who is a sweet 8 year old little boy and Linet Atieno who is a young woman now at the age of 19 and in the Leadership program.  Last year I was so good about writing on a monthly basis and sending pictures and small trinkets that would fit in the envelopes and then all of a sudden I just STOPPED!   Live happens I know and we had alot of stressful things going on and my heart was aching and I just couldn't write without transferring that heartache in my letters and who was I kidding...my issues WERE and ARE nothing compared to what these two face just trying to literally survive!

Mama Got a New Pair of Shoes...

Blog Action Day 2010: Why Water?

Right now, almost a billion people on the planet don’t have access to clean, safe drinking water. That’s one in eight of us.

Unsafe water and lack of basic sanitation cause 80% of diseases and kill more people every year than all forms of violence, including war. Children are especially vulnerable, as their bodies aren't strong enough to fight diarrhea, dysentery and other illnesses. The UN predicts that one tenth of the global disease burden can be prevented simply by improving water supply and sanitation.

But, water moves beyond just a human rights issue. It’s an environmental issue, an animal welfare issue, a sustainability issue. Water is a global issue, deserving a global conversation.

So for BLOG ACTION DAY 2010 I'm supporting with:  TOMS + charity: water team up again!

ACTION kivu: Handmade by Alissa Sewing Workshop Fundraiser

Handmade by Alissa

This is a fundraiser for Action Kivu, an organization in eastern Congo that runs a sewing workshop for victims of the conflict there. The conflict in Congo has taken the lives of over 5.4 million people since 1998. Rape is used as a weapon of war, with estimates putting the number of rapes in the hundreds of thousands.

Needless to say, this specific organization, with its link to sewing and women, really strikes a personal chord in me and I suspect, with many of you as well.  Our online sewing community is so blessed to be able to pursue our love of sewing as a hobby, career, or just for fun, but for these women, learning to sew is life changing and gives them hope for their futures.

The Action Kivu sewing workshop of course costs money to run and they need supplies – sewing machines and more.  I am launching this fundraiser to raise the money for their supplies (and Action Kivu’s other activities should we raise over $7500) and I hope that you’ll join me by giving what you can.  All donations are tax deductible.

Compassioniate Request: For the life of Achile!

UPDATE: Healing The Brokenhearted: Achile Update, Shaun Groves, July 2, 2010

God Answered Our Prayers...Achile after his surgery, recovering in the hospital ;)

For all the details, hop on over to Shaun's post and see more glorious photos of this sweet, now smiling boy, Achile.  God Bless everyone for your prayers and support!

WABI SABI Saturday: Day in the Life of a Kenya Sponsored Child

Remember this--very little is needed to make a joyful life.

   It is all in your way of thinking.

 

 --Marcus Aurelius

Irene

receives health screenings, attends skill classes and is able to eat healthy meals. That was not always the case before her mother registered her with

Compassion.

Irene's family used to share a shelter with the livestock. Their situation was desperate and a dowry for their daughter seemed to be the only answer...continue reading about Irene and her family here...

Remember this--all the things that we take for granted in our daily lives...things like,

CLEAN...running water,

 lights,

 refrigerators,

fans, air conditioning (ha!),

 toilets...that FLUSH, 

homes with doors and windows,

shoes and clothing,

automobiles (even public transportation), 

grocery stores,

I could go on an on (but I won't :)

Remember this--we already have so much in our lives to be joyful about...

and...yet...it would take so little to bring so much joy to another child waiting for sponsorship!

 

Save Children

Little Dresses for Africa

Today I was so taken while reading  Kristen's blog post about a new project that she is coordinating for this great cause...

Little Dresses for Africa: which is a non-profit, Christian based organization which provides relief to the children of Africa.  Simple dresses are made out of pillow cases and distributed through the orphanages in Central Africa to plant in the hearts of little girls that they are worthy!

Be Hope To Her 2010 Highlights

In April, 1500 people on 23 college campuses and in 3 city centers registered for Nuru's Be Hope To Her (BH2O+)experiential event. Participants walked a mile in the shoes of women and girls living in extreme poverty. The event raised awareness about the need for clean water access and funds for Nuru's work to end extreme poverty in Kuria, Kenya.

"BH2O+ is a powerful event because it enables passionate volunteers to contribute a direct and positive impact on Nuru’s holistic empowerment of rural communities to achieve self-sufficiency. Truly, the result of BH2O+ is greater than the sum of its parts."

-Kim Do,BH2O+ Event Director

WABI SABI Saturday: Comforting the Homeless

 
After posting about Shaun Grove's recent post about the flood's in Nashville, I felt inspired to put together a few of my own "hygiene kits" to pass out to the homeless that I see here in my own home town.  Only, I prefer to call them "comfort kits" because I have included a few things to make them a little more comfortable...if at all possible for their current state of living.

The WellSpring Christian Church in Spring Hill, TN collects the following items for their kits:
toothpaste, toothbrushes, shampoo, men’s and women’s deodorant, disposable razors, washcloths, hand sanitizer and gallon ziploc bags to put everything in. 

Floods in Nashville: Helping Those In Real Need...The Homeless

 

For anyone watching (or listening to) the news this past week, you have probably heard about the dense stream of storms, with their heavy rainfall, that have caused terrible flooding for the city of Nashville, Tennessee.

WABI SABI Saturday

This past Saturday our HOA sponsored a community-wide Yard Sale and we decided to take advantage of it and clean-out our extra storage unit and to donate the proceeds to NURU International...this particular event particularly...BH2o

 

I was so excited to be part of this program and I ordred the t-shirt and kanga so that I could wear it and say... "I Am Nuru"...

So I spent the entire week getting ready...first I started cleaning out my storage by deciding what to keep and what had to go...and I posted about some of those things that I wanted to keep here.

I made up signs with foam board, computer generated, word art and modge podge...

 

...then I made up some flyers with great directions to our Love Shack...

...then I placed these flyers inside cardboard tubes that I attached to the signs that I hung onto metal mailbox flag posts.  I also posted this flyer on Craig's List and my Facebook wall!

On Thursday, and Friday, I put on my new BH2o t-shirt and went around and handed out flyers as I completed some errands.  People like...the teller at my local bank; the cashiers at the grocery store and at Barnes & Noble; the sales clerk at Kohl's; and, also to a few sales reps at some of the nearby apartment complexes.  BYW...I also learned that NO ONE has community bulletin boards anymore where you can post flyers...like WalMart/Food Lion/Target...what is up with that?

By Friday evening I had all my items cleaned up and ready for the sale...all the prices clearly marked with the great "Garage Sale" stickers that I had found at Wally World...

Friday night we made sure that we got to bed early...so that we could get up Saturday morning before the Yard Sale began at 8:00am...to set up our stuff and to strategically place the signs out in the neighborhood so that everyone could find us!

Saturday morning by 7:30am...MISSION ACCOMPLISHED...here is a photo of our Love Shack with everything all ready for the crowd to commence upon us...COME AND GET IT !!!

So here DH and I sat...hour upon hour...and NO ONE was stopping for our Yard Sale...talk about discouraging...I wanted to cry!  DH actually got in the car and drove out to the front of the neighborhood to see if there was anyone around...and he came back to report that...the front of the neighborhood was mobbed :{   OUCH...I guess that they just didn't want to 1.) either bother to try to drive around and find us, or 2.) they ran out of money in the front of the neighborhood!

By 11:30am we had a total of THREE people visit our Yard Sale...they were all actually our neighbors who were going somewhere and stopped to see what we were selling...and we made ONLY ONE SALE...that is it!  AND can you guess from this photo what it was?  It was that green Hidden Valley Ranch shaker  for FIFTY CENTS...

I was so bummed by then that I started picking up our stuff and we had it all loaded back inside of our storage facility by 12:07pm!  Then I came home and took a nap...which I sure was because I was tired fom all the running around I had done getting ready for the BIG event...but mainly it was because I was depressed.  I wanted to get rid of our stuff...for sure...but that was not really an issue because I'll just take it to a consignment store and donate the rest to our local Good Will.  The reality was that I was so sad because I had wanted to raise awareness and money for NURU International and BH2o.

I was ALSO trying NOT to take this personally...but I was failing miserably.  SO by Sunday, I decided that I wasn't going to try to FIX my mood and to just feel my feelings...ya know...lick my wounds and let myself get better in due time.  My way of doing this is to DO NOTHING...that is...not get dressed, not make my bed, not blog, and SIMPLY not do ANYTHING that I don't feel like doing!  I treated myself like I do when we go away on vacation and it's raining and you are stuck in the hotel room so you stay in bed and watch LAM TV, eat junk food, read romance novels and magazines, and take naps...yeah!  MY kind of vacation...a true escape from what ever ails you :D

SO during this PURGE...I happened upon this WONDERFUL article in my Woman's Day magazine:

Wabi Sabi: Making Peace with Imperfection and OMG...it hit me...GET OVER IT!  Hell...I am the QUEEN of  "BETTER DONE THAN PERFECT"...

After all...it is not the END OF THE WORLD...as I've been know to tell others...THIS TOO SHALL PASS!  This article was exactly what I needed to remind myself of what really mattered...

1.) that...I needed to clean out this storage unit and deal with my STUFF...and this impending Yard Sale event did just that...CHECK that off the list...and...

2.) that...DH already said that we'd give what we could afford to this charity...which is a minimum of $100.00 because that is what we are paying a month for the dumb storage unit...CHECK that off the list...and...

3.) that, I found a new philosphy in Wabi Sabi to continue on this journey that we have been on...in downsizing and simplifying our lives...CHECK that off as a double bonus to this entire experience :D

So from here on out...I'm making posts on Saturday's dedicated to finding and, more importantly, celebrating the wonderful imperfections in our lives...stay tuned for more WABI SABI SATURDAYS!

BH2H0+ Using a Kanga

So excited that my t-shirt and kanga came in time for me to wear them at my yard-sale this weekend!

 

Even more excited that NURU has posted a video to show how to use the kanga...

Using a Kanga from BH2O+ on Vimeo.

Do not think I will be using it on my head while trying to yard sale, but at least I will know how to use it in case anyone asks me about it...pretty cool...and love the color of my kanga...ORANGE...it just  makes me smile :D

BH20...What Happens at the Walk?

Last week while reading catalystspace's blogposts I learned about this wonderful, upcoming event:

BH20+ 2010 from Nuru International on Vimeo.

For those of you who are curious about  What Happens at the Walk?  you can check this out...

How Nuru Works from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Last year Nuru International hosted its first nationwide Be Hope To Her event to raise awareness and empathy for the daily routine of millions of women and girls in the developing world.  There were 11 colleges campuses that participated and that raised over $36,000.00 that changed thousands of peoples lives.  This year there are over 24 colleges participating and three city-wide events in Southern California, Seattle and Pittsburgh.  {Hey Kids...Are You Reading This?...love you ;}

Since I cannot be in Pittsburgh with my son to participate in this wonderful, Be Hope To Her event, then I'm motivated to do something here...no matter how small it may be.  The Pittsburgh event is scheduled for Saturday, April 17th...which just so happens to be the same day of our Community Sponsored Spring Yard-sale!  So I have decided that I am going to donate all of our personal yard sale proceeds to this very worthy cause.  Cool beans or what :D  I'm not trying to be a saint here either...we just have too much stuff here at the Love Shack...and I've already given away, to my friends and family, all that they needed or wanted.  So...in lieu of us spending more money every month on storing all this STUFF...we had already decided to participate in the community yard sale...so this makes me...really motivated to MOVE MY MESS! 

So please, will you help us out by stopping by, if you are in the area, and help us and help them...just leave a comment with your contact information if you would like to find our more about the yard sale.

AND...if One Man's Junk is NOT your Treasure...then you can always go to Nuru International to find out about other ways to participate or to donate to their many other worthy programs.  Thank You!

Nuru Year In Review from Nuru International on Vimeo.

Free Rice...Play and Feed a Hungry Person!

Anyone who knows me...knows that...I'm no a big game player, especially those I see on social networks, but this Free Rice game is just great!  Not just because you are getting smarter as you play...BUT because EVERYONE wins when they play this game...WARNING this game is highly addictive...be sure to set your personal settings so that you can keep a cumulative total of all the Free Rice that you GIVE...

Try it you will like it ;} 

BooHoo...BooBoo Jars...

This BooBoo Jar is over 15 years old...almost an antique...like me :}

Anyhow...now it is a family keepsake for us because it was the first one that I made, and it was for my youngest son, Tim.  At the time he was 8  and he was always "hurting" himself and wanting band-aides on EVERYTHING.  (He had a thing about seeing blood...that's another story, for another day :D

So when I saw this idea in a tole-painting magazine and just knew I had to make one.  The BooBoo Bear was so cute and I liked that you were recycling old jars...I was green before it was cool...I save everything :D

The original instructions called for glass jars, I can only guess it was because it was easier to paint on top of the glass.  So, this being my first BooBoo Jar, was from a recycled mayo jar.  But I preferred using plastic jars so that you didn't have to worry about the glass breaking while your kids were freaking out over their BooBoo's...right Tim?  

 

 

 

See how you write on the lid here...

BooHoo BooBoo BooHoo BooBoo BooHoo

 

 

 

 

Soon all the other mothers in the neighborhood saw my BooBoo Jar, and then they all wanted one for their kids.  Well we could only eat so much peanut butter...yes even my DH...and it takes a lot of work to get those darn labels off...ix-nay on the glue manufacturers of Peanut Butter!

So I made a deal with all the neighborhood mums...that if they brought their own jars, then I'd teaching them how to paint their own BooBoo Jars.  They could make as many as the jars they could recycle...one for their diaper bags, one for their cars or even as mini first-aide kits for their kids teachers.

They were such a big hit with all the kids...sometimes they would "discover" Boo-Boo's just so they could get the jar out and get a new band-aide...especially if they had cartoon characters on them!  Good thing we have Dollar stores now...because it could get expensive.

 

 

Isn't the little first-aide kit adorable...

Now this jar sits in my kitchen and to this day everyone in my family, when they have a cut or scrape, they all go to the pantry and find the BooBoo Jar.  This one has always been large enough to hold multiple size bandages, first-aide cream, anti-bacterial ointment, iodine swabs and cotton balls.

AND every time I reach for it, it brings back memories of my youngest and I smile to myself because there were times when he looked like this BooBoo Bear with all the bandages he put on...sweet memories ;}

You just have to say the word band-aide and this is what I think of!

 

Yesterday when I was reading Kristen's blog, We Are THAT Family, she posted some "Letter Writing Tips" for Compassion Sponsors.  AND one of the items that she mentioned that we could fit into our envelopes when we mail our letters was...band-aides...so NOW YOU KNOW what inspired this post...lol   Doesn't take but one word to get me going...band-aides...and there is no stopping me...I'm like the energizer bunny...only worse...because I start picking up more inspiration as I roll along...more like a dust bunny I'd say!

So I have stored away a few plastic jars, all of different sizes, that I'm gong to pull out and start making these BooBoo Jarsonce again...ONLY this time I'm going to "auction" them off for charity.  This is mainly because I'm not sure about the copy-write on the BooBoo Bear image and I certainly do not want to infringe on anyone's license.  SO as soon as I have a dozen,or so, of these jars completed, I'm going to open up the "auction" to all my blog readers...hopefully within the next couple of weeks.  The prices will start at $13.00 and go up to $19.00 a piece depending on the size of the finished jar.  They will all be filled so that they are ready to throw in your car, your diaper bag, your kitchen drawer or to present as a gift (shipping will be extra).  ALL the funds raised will be donated to Compassion International and the many giving opportunities that they offer.  Details will be included in the future blog post when the jars are completed and ready for auction.  In the meantime, please tell all your friends and family about this and be sure to become a follower of this blog so that you do not miss the auction...can't hardly wait :D

Build a Bridge Today...

Last week we received Derrick's sponsorship package in the mail from Compassion and it was so great to receive a large photo of him and to read more about his life with his Mother.

 It is a brief look and I cannot wait to hear more from Derrick directly.  Originally, when I first signed up to sponsor Derrick, I wrote him an email message that Compassion will translate and forward for me.  But I could hardly wait to get my sponsor package to learn more about Derrick so that I could write a more personal message, as well as, send him some photos of us.

Boy...let me tell you...it was very hard for me to CONTAIN (no pun intended...lol ;) myself when writing to Derrick...I'm such a talker anyways and when it comes to typing a letter...just like in my blog posts...WHOA GIRL...I had to keep reminding myself that he is only a seven year old little boy!  So I kept hitting the "delete" key and edited my letter to "keep it simple sweetie"...after all "tomorrow is another day"...and I can write again! 

 

Frequently Asked Questions About Compassion...

Okay, for all of you out there wondering about this wonderful organization, Compassion International, who are asking WHY and HOW they are sending people to KENYA?  So, Shaun Groves, a Compassion Trip Leader does a splendid job of answering many of these questions in his blog post here: Frequently Asked Questions About Compassion International.  Go THERE now and get all of your questions answered so that you can feel good about the dollars you are giving, and then, go HERE and make a difference TODAY!  If you cannot sponsor a child today but you still want to help, Compassion International has many programs that you can help by making a donation in whatever dollar amount you can afford or are comfortable with making today :D 

Sponsor a Child

No Whining Allowed!

It has been a tough week for us here at the Philbrick household...let's just say that tough "financial" road we have been on has come to a "dead end".  BUT every single time I felt like "whinning" about it...I'd slap myself silly...NOT...actually I'd remember all the images that I have been viewing all week long that the Compassion Bloggers have shared during their amazing trip to Kenya...

 Compassion Bloggers

There are no words that I can use to express the depth of the emotions that these blog posts and their photos convey...NONE!  So I'm not going to even try...you can see for yourself...

 

Proud Sponsors: Derrick Oduor

Sponsor a Child

Today we chose a child to sponsor...not an easy task because there are so many children and they all need our help.  So I went with my heart and when I say Derick's photo...there was a connection that I just cannot explain.  Then when I read his profile and saw that he had been on the list for some time...waiting for a sponsor...I just "felt" that he was the first boy that we would sponsor.  Meet...

Derrick Oduor

Born Sept. 4, 2002, Age 7

Male, Kenya, Africa

Program: Musembe Child Development Center

Personal and Family Information:
Derrick makes his home with his mother. Caring for animals and running errands are his household duties. His mother is sometimes employed as a farmer. There are 2 children in the family.

Playing ball games and running are Derrick's favorite activities. In primary school his performance is average and he also regularly attends church activities.

Your love and support will help Derrick to receive the assistance he needs to develop his potential. Please pray for him.

 

We signed up to be his sponsor and wrote him a quick note today and now we will wait for our "sponsor packet" to come (in about 2 days) but in the meantime I'm reading everything they have on site for "Connecting With Your Child" and then I downloaded Compassion's Stationery for writing a letter and sending our photos to Derrick.   This is so exciting and we will continue to share with you as our sponsorship and relationship with him progresses.

 

Someday, real soon, we hope to continue to sponsor more children!  So in the meantime I want to start selling more crafts in my etsy shop to raise more funds dedicated to sponsorships...now that is something to be motivated and inspired about to get creative :D

About "Compassion" and this BLOG

Compassion Bloggers

Today while reading my current blog posts in my Google Reader, I was reading this lovely, inspiring post by Ree, The Pioneer Woman about her fellow blogger friend whom she affectionately calls, P.R. aka "Pastor Ryan" (he is a Pastor...and a really great guy :}  

OMG...I just do not have words for how these posts moved me and before the morning was over I had a headache and puffy bags under my eyes from all the tears.  But my tears were not just from sadness...I was moved so much by the stories of all the bloggers who are in Kenya right now and by all the photos that they have taken during this trip.  I continued to read about this wonderful organization and was moved to do more than read and leave comments on these blogs...

 

Bloggers from Left to Right:

 

1. Brad Ruggles, 2. Kent Shaffer, 3. Kristen Welch, 4. LV Hanson and 5. Ryan Detzel

Almost two years ago when I first started blogging, I opened a premium account with Typepad because I always had the intention of writing more than one blog.  Also, when I had my blog banner designed for my original blog con-tain-it, Solutions for Storing in Style,(update: Now Love Shack Baby) I had the designer create a second blog banner for B.O.B.I.'s, Business of Bliss & Inspiration, (update, now Love Shack Giving) because I knew that I wanted a blog that would be "inspirational" in some way...deeper than my organizational and interior design ideas on my original blog.  I also didn't want to start a blog just for the sake of writing another blog...I needed to find my passion for this blog!

Enter: Compassion and Compassion Bloggers

Sponsor a Child

Sponsoring children in need is breaking the cycle of poverty  

Compassion International exists as a Christian child advocacy ministry that releases children from spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enables them to become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults.

Founded by the Rev. Everett Swanson in 1952, Compassion began providing Korean War orphans with food, shelter, education and health care, as well as Christian training.

Today, Compassion helps more than 1 million children in 25 countries.

A passion for children