I've spent the past two days cleaning branches, twigs and a whole lot of leaves out of yard, garden beds and gutters.
By the time Irene made her way up the coast to Rhode Island, she was down graded to a tropical storm baring winds of 45 to 50 mph with gusts of 60 mph. That is a typical Northeastern winter storm for us....no big deal. Also, passing to our left, her outer bands were no real threat.
Amazing though, we (our house -- our town -- the Aquidneck Island) were, for the first time in over 20 years, without power for well over 24 hours. We have been through many hurricanes. Two of which were a direct hit with winds gusting over 100 mph, trees down, beaches shifted across 4 lane streets and flooding. Yet, in each of those storms, we lost our electricity for only 6 hours. Odd it is...
That being said, I am thankful that we weren't hit with much worse like that of, Virginia, North Carolina and Vermont. My heart and sincere prayers go out to all who were not as fortunate as we were.
On September 11, 2011 the Southeastern Colorado affiliate of Susan G. Komen for the Cure will be holding their "Race for the Cure" event in Colorado Springs, Colorado. This race includes a 5K Run, a 5K Walk and a 1K Family Walk. Both run and walks will be held at the Garden of the Gods Park and Rock Ledge Ranch. If you are interested, you can regester and find answers HERE.
For those who would rather sit this one out, better yet pull up the covers and sleep right through it, there is a Sleep-in for the Cure on the day of the run / walk.
There will also be a Pooches in Pink on Saturday, the day before the race. You can read all about that HERE.
I should think about now, you are probably wondering why I (residing in Rhode Island) have posted about an event taking place in Colorado. Well, Colorado Springs is not only where my daughter and her fiancé live, it is also where my husband and I hope to retire. And lest that not be enough of a reason, Race for the Cure is a fun way to raise money and awareness to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure and the fight against breast cancer.
With 122 local affiliate offices across the country, and more than $1 billion invested in finding the cure and educating people world wide, Susan G. Komen for the Cure is a world leader in the fight against breast cancer. You can read more about Susan G. Komen and the cause HERE.
Finally: My Mary Kay consultant, Heather, has registered to walk in the 5K and is collecting donations. If you would care to contribute to the cause by sponsoring Heather with a donation you can do so HERE.
Also: Heather has pledged all profits she makes, from all sales of Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara, from now until September 11, 2011. To purchase an Ultimate Mascara, click HERE or click on the mascara above. Heather will donate her entire profit from the sale.
This is a fabulous offer....
With your purchase you will be helping Heather reach her goal, supporting the fight against breast cancer and rewarding yourself with one of the best selling mascaras out there.
Today I am joining the many bloggers who have come together to celebrate the Miracle Makeover for Charlie Grady and his brother Liam and sister Katie, and to raise money for the next Miracle Makeover recipient.
As an ambassador for kids with Neurofibromatosis Type1, Charlie is battling his own tumors with chemotherapy and all that it entails. Charlie also leads a toy drive during the holidays, hoping to bring a little light, laughter and hope to other cancer patients at the St. Louis Children's Hospital.
Neurofibromatosis is a group of specific genetic disorders that cause tumors to grow along various types of nerves. Additionally, it can affect the development of non-nervous tissues such as bones and skin. Neurofibromatosis causes tumors to grow anywhere on or in the body.
Isn't it about time someone brought a little light, laughter and hope to Charlie?
Well, with donations acquired from last years fund drive, Kelee Katillac and the Design Gives Back team and the many sponsors, 3 fantastic bed room makeovers were a dream come true for Charlie, and his brother and sister.
You can view the reveal video of Charlie's Makeover at Design Gives Back
But First!
Donations of $1.00 will be made for every comment left here and at the host blogs.
That is, through the week of August 12 - 19, if you leave a comment here on my blog, on this post, I will make a donation of $1.00 to Miracle Makeover. I am commited to donating $1.00 for every comment left to this post.
In addition, if you go to the host blogs below and leave a comment there, anytime from August 12 to August 18, Design Gives Back will donate $1.00 to Miracle Makeover.
I am happy to report that Miracle Makeover raised well beyond the needed 5000 comments for this fund drive.....and I will be sending in our contribution of $37.00 raised here on Robin's Blue Nest. Thank you to all who stopped by and left a comment.
Dairy Queen is donating $1 or more from everyBlizzard Treat sold at participating locations on Miracle Treat Day, August 11, 2011. You can help sick and injured children (at your local Children's Miracle Network Hospital) when you purchase a Blizzard treat.
In the past 27 years, Dairy Queen has raised over $86 million for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals.
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped and reserved
1 large egg
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, malted-milk powder, baking powder, and salt.
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer (set on medium speed), beat butter and cream cheese until creamy. Mix in sugar and vanilla seeds. Add egg and vanilla extract, and combine. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture and mix to combine.
Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip. Pipe 2 1/2-inch strips (spacing them about 1 inch apart) onto parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Bake 11 to 15 minutes or intil golden brown, rotating sheets halfway through. Transfer cookies to a wire rack and cool completely. These cookies may be stored (in an airtight container) for up to 1 week.
This is a 14k. gold Victorian key fob. It features two dragons with tails intertwined. It sells for $595.00
Temptation
by Sir Adolphe W. Bouguereau
Painter, Sir Adolphe William Bouguereau (November 30, 1825 – August 19, 1905), of La Rochelle, France was influenced by the standards of the French Académie des Beaux-Arts; he was an academic painter. A traditionalist of Neoclassicism and Romanticism, his subjects tended to be of the female body.
This painting, Temptation (1880), is an oil on canvas. It is part of a collection housed with the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; funded by The Putnam Dana McMillan Fund and the M. Knoedler Fund.
"The title, although ambiguous, suggests a biblical interpretation of the shiny apple that woman holds in her hand. It thus refers to the apple of knowledge and the innocence of the child on the right. The outdoor setting suggests the landscape of Bouguereau’s native La Rochelle, a coastal town in northern France. It has also been described as an Arcadian background, based upon the seventeenth century idyllic representations of the original Peloponnesian pastoral country of shepherds." - MIA
Catalogs; they just keep on coming. You may have signed up or requested one here and one there, but you never expected that to lead to so many.
Have you bought something or opened an account with a store? Well, doing so will generate catalogs from that store. Unless you have requested not to be placed on their mailing list (out to other such stores), you could soon find yourself overwhelmed with catalogs.....catalogs from businesses you may have never heard of.
Sometimes we don't mind receiving catalogs from stores we have never heard of. Sometimes, especially during the holidays, it can be quite useful to receive those catalogs. Maybe you have access to only a few good shops nearby but they don't have what you are looking for. Those new catalogs sent from across the states can, at times, be very helpful. But be careful; for when you buy out of that catalog, from that store, they in turn may put your name (and address) on their list.....a list that may be sold to other merchants. Before you know it, your mailbox is bulging with catalogs..
Let's not forget the internet. One of the best things about the internet is shopping. There is so much out there to choose from...no need to settle. With the great search engines of today, you can make a search (for whatever it may be) and up pops a wide selection of retailers selling at, sometimes, very competitive prices. It is not unusual to be searching for one thing only to find something else you would rather have. You just didn't know that you wanted it (maybe not knowing it existed) until you saw it on line. Again, be warned; should you buy anything on line, your name and address will most likely be sold to other retailers....and that means more catalogs.
As I see it, you have one of two choices in how you will handle the incoming waves of catalogs.
You can shred them. It is wise to always shred the outside cover and the inside order form with your name and address printed on it (to divert identity theft) before tossing them in the trash. Also, once shredded, a catalog can be recycled into your garden compost, used as stuffing in pet toys, used as a packing material in shipping boxes, used as a base paper pulp in paper mache and turned into cheap fire starters and logs.
Go to Catalog Choice and put a stop to all the catalogs you DO NOT want to receive. Recycling your catalogs is great, but it doesn't address the issue of excessive catalogs in your mailbox. It won't reduce the number of catalogs you are receiving. A matter of fact, each new catalog that you receive has a potential of multiplying in additional catalogs. With Catalog Choice, you are back in control. It is fast, easy and free. Using their simple fill in and drop-down menu form, you can control (merchant by merchant) what catalogs you will be receiving.
Wednesday is my day to randomly choose a word from the Merriam Webster dictionary and post it to my blog.
So as I flip through the pages of Merriam Webster's Dictionary, my eyes comes to rest on the word.....
Tachinid
tach·i·nid \ˈta-kə-nəd, -ˌnid\ noun [NL Tachinidae, from Tachina, genus of flies, from Greek tachinos fleet, from tachys swift] First Known Use: 1888 : any of a family (Tachinidae) of bristly usually grayish or black dipteran flies whose parasitic larvae are often used in the biological control of insect pests.
