For the Babes

IT'S MONDAY!!!!

I'm not really sure why I'm yelling, but I can tell you why I'm excited!

There's nothing really special about today, except for the fact that I'm blogging to tell you that, once again, I'm asking you for money.

Yes, that's exciting.

I guess you're wanting to know why I'm asking for money, right? No, it's not to support my shopping habit, that's pretty much under control. Kinda. Anywhoodles, I'm asking for money for the babies. What babies, you ask? These babies.

Y'all, I love March of Dimes. It's such an amazing foundation, and I love working with them. This is the third year in a row that I'm participating in the March for Babies walk, and raising money to benefit March of Dimes. M wasn't premature, but she did have to stay a few days in the NICU, and it broke my heart to see the tiny babies that were there for weeks and months at a time. So, as soon as I heard about March of Dimes March for Babies, I signed up as quickly as I could.

Now, this is the part where you come in. I've started a team, Southern Bloggers for Babies, along with my March for Babies buddy, B, and we're going to be walking at the Austin event in May.

(Thanks, Mandy, for making the purty picture!)

Now, there are a couple of options on how you can help! Obviously, you can make a donation, or you can just pass the word around! Word of mouth is the best advertisement, right? So, tweet about it, post it to facebook, send smoke signals, just help us get the word out that we're raising money for the babies! Also, if you're within driving distance to Austin, we'd love to have you join the team!!

I know that if all of you can either make a donation, or just pass it along, we can reach our goal!



dropping love bombs

you can also check me out over here today!

first off, i need to apologize for this post being late. i normally get my drop a love bomb post up first thing thursday morning, but yesterday was hectic! my niece is here visiting (i've *definitely* got a post coming up about that!), i had to get baby butterbean to the doctor for an impromptu visit, then there was a root canal directly after lunch for me, and to top it all off, the three valium i took before the dentist appointment didn't kick in until afterward, so i spent most of the rest of the afternoon drooling in my grandmother's living room floor. needless to say, i was in no condition to write a post! but, it's not to late to get those love bombs dropped, so here's this week's mission!

normally we drop a love bomb on just one person, but this week we're shaking things up a bit. we're dropping a love bomb on the *entire chicago fire department*!!

Chris Wheatley, one of their firefighters, died in the line of duty on august 9th.

this mission is going to work out to be two-fold:

1) to encourage, support and comfort the chicago fire department as they've lost a brother in duty.

2) to thank the chicago fire department for serving their community so faithfully.

y'all know that i'm also involved with the organization itstartswithus and their mission this week is to help out a service worker. well every once and awhile, they team up to help drop a love bomb, so this week we're joining them!

it seems like every week the mission hits me personally in some way, and this week's mission is no different. my husband was a firefighter for eight years. i have witnessed first hand the brotherhood that exsists in these departments. these guys (and girls!) are family, and when one dies in the line of duty, it's just like losing a very close family member.

i fully believe that firemen are unsung heroes. they risk their lives daily and normally don't get a single thanks. and most of the time the pay is a joke, but they still do the work, mainly because they love it.

but now is our time to give them something back. every single member of the department is hurting after losing their brother. let's step up and make sure they know how much we appreciate what they do, and bring them the comfort they need.

let's drop a love bomb y'all!

you can leave a comment on the chicago fire department's blog here:
http://cfdblaze.com/2010/08/cffu-local-2-tom-ryan/

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPhone]

dropping love bombs

hey folks, it's that time again, time to drop a love bomb on someone!

what's that? you still haven't joined the drop a love bomb team?? why not? ok, ok, now's your chance to do it. i'll wait, you run over and join, and then come back here and i'll tell you about today's mission.
...............
::whistles and taps foot along with imaginary hold music::


alright, welcome back! now, on to today's "bombee." today we're dropping a love bomb on katie. she was suggested by one of our own team members, amy. here's her story:
katie has already lost her brother and brother-in-law, and has just found out that her father likely has pancreatic cancer, and it's serious. he's recently had a procedure, and they should have the test results back by wednesday. and, in amy's words, katie is beyond devastated. 
she's very close to her father, and talks a little bit about who he is to her on her blog:

"I do not know what I would do without my Dad.  What he adds to my life is not replaceable. He is always the voice of reason, the giver of wise advice and the preventer of near disasters.  Really.  For a lot of people, he is their rock."

i'm very close to my dad, and i cannot even begin to imagine what it would be like if he were seriously ill, and to lose my brother would completely break me.

katie has been through so much, and she really needs to know that someone is there for her. like i've said before, words are just that, words, but they can help tremendously, even from complete strangers.

so join us in bringing some love to katie. she really needs it.

you can comment on her blog here:

 http://katiebeecreative.com/?p=2571

let's drop a love bomb on katie!

these are the other bloggers who are teaming up with drop a love bomb. go check them out!

PhilanthropyInk.com, MrsMuffins.com, BelleChantelle.blogspot.com, LoveChelseaLauren.blogspot.com, PaigeBaker.blogspot.com, TheBeesKneesBaby.blogspot.com, PostWithTheMost.blogspot.com, Collection-Of-Things.com,

InspiredMess.com, StarbucksBreak.com, Talk2TheTrees.blogspot.com, UnfoldingYourPathToJoy.wordpress.com, AmySoto.blogspot.com, DoGoodMore.wordpress.com and BuckOwensGuitar.blogspot.com

btw, there's a little box over there --> that has a place for your name and email where you can sign up to join the drop a love bomb team. and, don't forget to sign up for my giveaway!

Dropping Love Bombs

remember when i told y'all about drop a love bomb?

well, some other bloggers and i have teamed up with lauren from drop a love bomb to kind of further spread the word about the project. here's the way it works: every thursday we get a new "assignment," basically, what that means is there's someone who needs love, encouragement, cheering up, etc., and we "drop a love bomb" in the form of a comment on their blog. today's assignment is one that i can definitely relate to.

bria is a 22 year old who has been struggling with severe clinical depression and anxiety. she checked herself into the hospital back in june looking to get help. she was put on medication, and for awhile, things were starting to look up. but, in her words, she eventually relapsed, and is now suicidal.

i have been in her shoes before, and it breaks my heart to see someone who thinks they have nothing left to live for.

i know that words are just words, but even words from a stranger can help tremendously.

in the words of lauren, "written encouragement and love have such incredible power in times like these."

i'm hoping that all of my followers will join us in trying to bring some light back into bria's life. i know that it helped me to hear kind words when i was in her position, and i'm hoping that she'll feel the love that we're sending her way.

let's drop a love bomb on bria!

you can comment on her blog here:
http://devilishdelish.com/2010/08/08/this-life-is-a-struggle-and-i-am-ready-to-give-up/


pee ess - you can also find me guest posting over here today!

hijacked!!

so, everyone knows from this post that i'm all about getting involved and helping and influencing others.

what? you didn't know that? well, i do.

i've always felt like i wasn't doing enough with my life (i still do!) so i try to get involved in as many ways as possible (this is my excuse for having so many animals!) and i want to set a good example for baby butterbean and teach her to make a difference in the world.

anyway, i love the idea behind it starts with us, and now, they've decided to go even bigger. they've hijacked something.

i know, badass, right!?

you may or may not have heard about fast company's the influence project, (it doesn't really matter now that it's been taken over). it's basically a "let's see who's the best at doing good" sort of thing. a popularity contest, if you will.

well, apparently, that doesn't sit well with some folks (me included!). what's the point in making it a contest?? why can't we all work together to change the world and help others?? instead of doing good to win some sort of title, why can't we do good just for the sake of doing it? no rewards, no congratulations, no big to-dos, just the gratification of knowing that you did something. so, it starts with us took it over.

as soon as i heard about this "hijacking," i knew i wanted in! and, i figured since you guys are so amazing, that y'all might want in too! here's the deal: this is the link to where you can get all of the information. it's all going down next week, but you definitely wanna get in now! click the link, sign up (it's not a big process, just enter your name and email) and then you'll get directions in your inbox to what's happening next.

this is big y'all and i'm *really* excited to be a part of this. i know that if we all work together, we can make a big difference!