Starting the new year off on the right foot (Wordless Wed)

Walk for Life

Saturday, October 1

Columbia, SC

It's hard to see because the light wasn't cooperating, but the mass

of people walking up the hill ahead of me was nothing short of impressive.

Etsy for Ava

One of the things I love most about the online community is the way it facilitates people from all over to come together for a common cause, such as

http://tinyurl.com/etsyforava

When my friends Amy and Kati heard about Ava Hunter, a little girl battling brain cancer, they decided to call upon all their Etsy friends to raise money for Ava and her family. It was an easy decision to participate: the only thing better than making something you love is making something you love for the benefit of others. Sadly, as Etsyians all over the South mobilized, Ava passed away. In Amy's words (she said it better than I ever could):

In honor of Ava’s life and her family’s faith, we are continuing on with the Etsy for Ava fundraiser. Several Etsy shops responded to the idea and have also listed items in their shops to benefit the Ava Hunter Fund that’s already been established. Proceeds from the sale of these items will go directly to helping Ava’s family with whatever financial needs they may have.

Click the link below to be directed straight to the search results on Etsy that include all items in the 

Etsy for Ava Fundraiser

Also, help us spread the word! Feel free to use the “Etsy for Ava” artwork as your Facebook profile page, or post it to your blog. Email it to everyone you know. An easy way to get people directly to the search results is to use this address–http://tinyurl.com/etsyforava. That’ll take people directly to the items listed as part of the fundraiser (and it won’t take up your entire Facebook/Twitter status). 

Thanks for caring enough to help bless this family as they walk through something no one should ever have to. Thanks for continuing to pray for them.

Sweet Ava

And, thank you to the following shops who have listed items:

Autumn & Everything After

Birds Eye View

Bubblegum Kisses

Gongy & Squish

Happy Lappy

Lisa D Jewelry

L.Tipping Paintings

Moon Lily Designs

Mrs. Jones’ Soapbox

Second Glantz Crafts

Snow Jeweler

Snugglebug Collection

Two Florida Girls

(And, it’s not too late to add your shop to the list. Want to participate? Click and comment on this blog post and we’ll get you all the detailed information about the fundraiser.)

If you've ever thought about buying something on Etsy, now you have a great reason to do so.

Let's talk about books, baby, let's talk about kids reading...

...let's talk about all the good things, all the great things that may be. Let's talk about books. Let's talk about books. (I wasn't kidding when I said I could write new lyrics to any song.)

Do you remember what your favorite book was as a child? Sadly, a lot of children can't tell you what their favorite book is because they have no access to books.

I have seen first hand how accessibility to books has a positive impact on a child's literacy, but as a reading intervention teacher, I unfortunately saw the reverse more often. First Book is an organization dedicated to providing new books to children in need. Right now, through May 28, BlogHer and BookRenter will donate one book via First Book just for telling them which book has had the greatest impact on your life. And if you blog about the campaign, like I've just done, they'll add a second book to their donation. Click here for details, and help a child in need receive a book that might change his or her life forever.

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Speaking of reading, Hubby and I got into a heated discussion about my reading habits the other day. He thinks that because I was an English major, I should always have my nose in a book. I tried to explain to him that like everything I do, I have to be in the mood to read. If I'm not into it, I'll read the same sentence over and over again. The same is true of all my hobbies. Just because I go weeks - or more realistically these days, months - without scrapbooking doesn't mean I don't like it anymore. It doesn't mean that it's not a priority; it just means that it's lower on the priority list than other activities at that given time. It's no secret that my writing has taken over most of my free hours. That's been my choice and one that has made me really happy. And while I do think it's important for writers to read, I also think sometimes writers need to be alone with their own voice at certain points in the process. The last couple of weeks, I've enjoyed being in a bubble with my characters and no other voice but my own. So though there have been many times in my life where I would read just to read, these days, I pretty much read because I'm compelled to lose myself in a particular story. (For instance, if you don't hear from me for a few days, it's because I'm devouring the new Sookie book that I've been waiting months to read.)

While Hubby and I ultimately agreed to disagree about the need to read every night before bed, the discussion did get me thinking about the books I've been compelled to read lately. Going through the list in my head, I came to two conclusions:

1. I need to read more books that are written for adults. 
2. I need to read more books that are written for adults that don't have vampires in them.

When I stumbled upon Booking Mama's 2010 EW Summer Books Challenge, I thought it might be just the thing I need to get me back on the adult, non-vampire bookmobile.

The challenge runs from May 1 through Labor Day. I've decided to be a Guppy, mainly because I don't know what a polliwog is. To be a Guppy, I have to read 4-6 books from the list. Here are my picks:

This Body of Death by Elizabeth George
I haven't read a good, non-vampire mystery in a long while. This one's London setting was an immediate draw.

Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok
Simply put, I love reading about other cultures.

Slow Love: How I Lost My Job, Put on My Pajamas, and Found Happiness by Dominique Browning
This sounds like it might be in the same vein as Jen Lancaster's Bitter is the New Black and Julie Powell's Julie and Julia.

The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer
Okay, this one breaks the rules. It's young adult AND it's about vampires. But it's on the list, so it's fair game.

I'm looking forward to reading a few books that I'm not embarrassed to pick up in public (oh yeah, I totally hid the cover of Twilight when I read it on a plane), and I know Hubby will be happy not to hear me swooning about vampires as he's trying to go to sleep.

Your turn to share! Is your nose always in a book like Hubby? Or do you read when the fancy strikes, like me? Which books are you looking forward to reading this summer?

Wishes for a happy weekend

Boy, has it been a week! Thank goodness it's almost over. My mental/creative batteries are in serious need of recharging, so I've honestly got nothing today. In lieu of humoring me here, I hope you'll take a moment to get to know my more serious side and visit 24/Savvy to learn about one of my favorite causes.

Hope you all have a great weekend. See you back here for Set It Sunday!

Thank you!

A huge thank you to everyone for both your financial and emotional support as I (and Hubby) geared up for today's Memory Walk.

We doubled our original goal and quadrupled the amount from the first time we walked, raising $823 this year. WOW.

To say we're pleased is an understatement, but we're not stopping there. It's our hope that we can grow our team next year and raise even more money. We'd also like to encourage you to take a moment and let Congress know that you support increased research funding of Alzheimer's programs. Again, thank you.

Another thank you is in order for helping me to reach a bloggy milestone: 100 posts and 25 followers. What started out as just "something to try" has turned out to be a passion, and that's largely thanks to all the friendships I've made in the blogosphere. So as a surprise thank you, I'd like to reward the first commenter on today's post with a little goodie. ☺ (And speaking of goodies: Jenny & Kristen- your blogoversary gifts are on their way; Teena- please email your address to me.)

Oh, and one more thing... GO GATORS!

A helping hand

So many of you were generous in your efforts to help me raise money for the Memory Walk (we reached our goal with three weeks to spare--rock on! or maybe I should say walk on?) that I wanted to return the favor.

MonicaMcNeill's family is sponsoring a virtual food drive to benefit the North Texas Food Bank. The story behind her efforts is truly inspirational. I feel better knowing that the future is in the hands of children like hers.

Cathy Zielske has started a Scrapbookers for Clean Water campaign (but you, of course, don't need to be a scrapbooker to donate). I love that she's using her celebrity within the blogosphere for such a great cause.

So if you have a few bucks to spare this week, please head on over to their sites and help them out.

Kudos, ladies, and best of luck with your efforts!