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As the images of people flocking to refugee camps, of pleading eyes and emaciated bodies, and of anguished mothers weeping over their dead children haunt me, I feel extremely guilty about having plenty of food to eat. With every bite of food I take, I am ashamed of not helping those who are starving. Today’s newspaper carries additional news, “Hundreds of thousands of Somali children could die in East Africa’s famine unless more help arrives.” HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS is a heart-breaking and unfathomable number, but one person starving to death is already one too many. It’s easy to remove ourselves from this news, because Africa is so far away and because we do not witness the daily struggles and tragedies of these people. But we must find a way to help them, because they desperately need our help.

Find 20 minutes in your day to watch this TED video featuring Josette Sheeran, the head of the UN’s World Food Program. Learn about the issues surrounding world hunger and the concepts to alleviate it. She challenges the people of the world to “draw a line in the sand and say no more.” If you don’t have 20 minutes to spare, you can see the faces of hunger and learn more about the famine in East Africa by reading this article in the Atlantic.

What can I do or anyone else do to help? Plenty! It doesn’t take much if everyone helps. According to Caryl Stern, the president of the U.S. Fund for UNICEF, “Just $10 can feed a child for 10 days.” That’s all – just 10 dollars! For many people 10 dollars is not a make or break amount of money, so here’s my idea: what if everyone gave up some form of daily, weekly, or monthly personal indulgence to help end world hunger? I call it Give Up to Give Help! What are you willing to give up to feed someone who is starving? If you gave up one luxury on a daily, weekly, or even monthly basis and donated the money you would have normally spent, think of how many people you could feed. To put it in further perspective, this is what your money could buy, according to the UNICEF site:

$10 can provide 321 sachets of Multiple Micronutrient Powder containing essential vitamins to give a powerful boost to infant survival and development.

$40 can provide a practical and easy to transport scale used to monitor children’s weight.

$80 can provide 1000 sachets of Oral Rehydration Salts to help children combat dehydration.

Here’s a list of things to Give Up to Give Help that I made to jump start everyone into action. Again, the frequency of giving up something in order to donate is up to you:

1. Starbuck’s or any other routine gourmet coffee treat
2. Manicure or pedicure
3. Car wash
4. Dry cleaning and laundry services
5. Dining out – fast food or fine dining
6. Buying new clothes or accessories – instead of buying a new item, donate the cost of that item.
7. Going to a movie
8. Recycling bottles and cans – start a fund to help the hungry by putting the money you get back from recycling into it
9. Admission to entertainment venues – sports, concerts, lectures, etc.
10. Massages
11. Tanning salon appointments
12. Cut back your Netflix subscription or the number of DVDs you rent
13. Waxing – eyebrows or bikini!
14. Instead of an impulsive purchase at the grocery counter (think magazines, candy, or gum), donate the money!
15. Buying a new toy for your child or pet
16. Bouquet of flowers
17. One cocktail or glass of wine
18. One bottle of wine
19. Stretch out your hair appointments by one week and donate the savings
20. Greeting cards – it’s the sentiment that counts, so make your own. The cost of two greeting cards could feed a child for over a week!

These items are luxuries for most of us, but considering food is a luxury for others, I think we can collectively help by sacrificing something! If you have any great ideas for my Give Up to Give Help list, please let me know!

Finally, here are two links to donate directly to the African Famine efforts:
UNICEF
Doctors Without Borders

What will you give up to help?

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Reminding myself that “sharing and encouraging joy in life” is the intent of this blog, I quickly scanned the entries for today’s post. At first glance, perhaps a few did not reflect my goal, but after careful consideration, I decided I was over-thinking the issue. How could thinking about others, sharing with others, or helping others not create joy?

#1 – TED
Since I’m an idea person, I enjoy watching TED videos. TED is a nonprofit devoted to spreading ideas. For no cost, people around the world can watch humorous or thought-provoking lectures.

TED is owned by the Sapling Foundation whose goal  . . . is to foster the spread of great ideas. It aims to provide a platform for the world’s smartest thinkers, greatest visionaries and most-inspiring teachers, so that millions of people can gain a better understanding of the biggest issues faced by the world, and a desire to help create a better future. Core to this goal is a belief that there is no greater force for changing the world than a powerful idea. Consider:

* An idea can be created out of nothing except an inspired imagination.
* An idea weighs nothing.
* It can be transferred across the world at the speed of light for virtually zero cost.
* And yet an idea, when received by a prepared mind, can have extraordinary impact.
* It can reshape that mind’s view of the world.
* It can dramatically alter the behavior of the mind’s owner.
* It can cause the mind to pass on the idea to others.

Here’s a brief three minute video to wet your TED whistle – Jok Church presents A Circle of Caring.

#2 – 13,138 Dice
What do 13,138 dice have in common with artist and designer Tobias Wong? Sadly, that is the number of days he lived. In memory of his friend, artist Frederick McSwain constructed a portrait of Wong using this exact number of dice. It’s a special tribute to a friend and an incredible art installation.

#3 – Kitchen Substitutes
I received a call this morning from one of my neighbors asking to borrow some milk. Because I didn’t have any, we started brainstorming about what she could substitute in her recipe. It’s hard to be a spontaneous cook these days unless you have a full refrigerator and a well-stocked pantry. This list of Common Ingredient Substitutions offers help by providing alternatives. Check out what’s listed as substitutes for milk and read that the substitutes for ricotta cheese are silken tofu or cottage cheese!

#4 – Where in the World?
Do you like puzzles, photographs, geography, and geology? Then this site is for you! Take a look at these photographs and guess where in the world these areas are located. Bits of information are provided as clues and the answers are at the bottom of the page. Good luck!

#5 – Which Way Are You Going?
“Never look back unless you are planning to go that way.”
Henry David Thoreau

Wherever you go this weekend, have a wonderful time!

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From afar their sheer beauty captivates, but up close flowers demand admiration. Flowers bring me joy. I’m drawn to them wherever I go and I can never walk past one without appreciating its loveliness. Is it the eye-catching color that begs me to stop? Is it the geometric perfection that makes me pause for closer inspection? Is it the velvety-softness of the petals that my hands want to touch? Or does the essence of its perfume send signals to me? It’s all of the above and more. I’m rarely without my camera, for I never want to miss an opportunity to capture beauty!

#1 – Houseplants to the Rescue
Plants are not only beautiful and decorative, but they can also improve the air in your home. Thanks to NASA research, here is a list of common household plants that remove pollutants and harmful gases from rooms inside your home or office space. Click on the link to read full descriptions of the plants and their care.

A. Areca Palm

B. Lady Palm

C. Bamboo Palm

D. Rubber Plant

E. Dracena

F. Philodendron

G. Dwarf Date Palm

H. Ficus Alii

I. Boston Fern

J. Peace Lily

#2 – Willy Wonka
For the love of Everlasting Gobstoppers – this year marks the 40th anniversary of the original Willy Wonka movie! Watching this movie and singing Umpa Lumpa songs with my kids always made for a fun evening. Thought I’d do well on this Willy Wonka Trivia Quiz, but not so! Either I didn’t drink enough Fizzy Lifting Drink or it’s been way too long since I sat down with the kids to watch the movie!

#3 – Treasures from the National Archives
View treasures from the National Archives, which include Victorian fashions, the Magna Carta, and documents from the Titanic, and maybe learn something you didn’t know before.

#4 – Workout Repetitions
Here’s something I didn’t know before and just read about in the most recent issue of Nutrition Action Health Letter: “To build strength, you have to use enough – but not too much – weight. Rule of thumb: if you can do at least 8, but no more than 12, repetitions, you’re using the right weight. Up to 13? It’s time to switch to a heavier weight.”

#5 – Let Go
“When I let go of what I am, I become what I might be.”
~Lao Tzu

Stop to smell the flowers this weekend!

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Forrest Gump’s mama always said, “Life is like a box of chocolates,” but the older I become, the more this mom views life as a series of never-ending staircases, much like those drawn by M.C. Escher. At particular phases in life, we climb metaphoric stairs and reach the top, only to find that another level exists and another staircase awaits. We learn the rules of the game during each ascent, but discover the game changes at every level.

Parenting is a good example of my analogy: you start with a sweet, little baby, but no sooner do you get a grip on exhausting infant-ways, then your baby walks, talks, and throws tantrums. Mastering potty-training raises cheers and exultations, but creates a degree of independence, which allows your child to leave the safe haven of your arms to go to school. After years of navigating through playground dramas and class projects, you warily enter the hormonally-charged world of adolescence. By the time you regain some balance after the “driving” years, your child moves on to college applications. And before you can decipher the FAFSA form, your child graduates from college and finds a job.

Recently, my youngest child and her friends reached a new level by graduating from college. With high hopes they look to the future with new sets of goals and new sets of stairs to climb. For some of them, their staircases are straight forward – graduate school. For others, the staircases are long and narrow – medical school. But for many of them, their staircases rise, twist, and turn – the path of uncertainty. In the past, a college degree usually led to a job. Not so anymore. For those looking for jobs, the ascent is made more difficult by an extraordinarily bad job market.

For example, a recent ad my daughter looked at quickly excited her, but ultimately discouraged her. It read:

Looking for an energetic, detail-oriented person. Check!
Must be organized and able to multi-task. Check!
Must be a self-starter and be willing to work long hours. Check!
Must be proficient in Word, Excel, and Power Point. Check!
Must have the ability to work quickly under tight deadlines. Check!
Must have a 4-year college degree. Check!
Must have nonprofit experience. Check!
Must have at least five years of work experience. No!

With so many bright, intelligent, and experienced competitors for so few positions, employers have a gourmet assortment to choose from. If all employers hire experienced workers, who will give the inexperienced the experience they need? I will never forget the dentist who hired an energetic, young dental hygienist fresh out of school. I am eternally grateful to him for believing in me enough to take a chance on me. Hopefully, there are other employers out there who can remember what it was like to get their first job and their first vote of confidence, and who are willing to consider vitality and eagerness over experience. My daughter, her friends, and other recent college graduates will need patience and this kind of help to get to the next level. Landing that first job, of course, puts them at the bottom all over again!

“After climbing a great hill, one only finds that there are many more hills to climb.”
Nelson Mandela

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One of the most wonderful things about summer is the variety and availability of delectable summer produce. Every year at this time, I utter superlatives by the bushel and go on sensory overload. Peeling the skin off of a juicy, tree-ripened peach or taking an indescribable bite of a summer tomato topped with freshly-picked basil, just makes me happy. Could life get any better?

#1 – Crafting an Exceptional Life
The Positive Thoughts site had a post titled, “How Do You Craft an Exceptional Life?” With a list of 57 suggestions, there are several that are worth reiterating:

Get serious about gratitude.
Know the 5 highest priorities of your life.
Savor life’s simplest pleasures.
Create unforgettable moments with those you love.
Forgive those who’ve wronged you.
Give no energy to critics.
Remember that leadership is about influence and impact, not title and accolades.
Be authentic.
Never miss a moment to celebrate another.
Speak less. Listen more.
Be the best person you know.
Make your life matter.

#2 – Extraordinary Uses for Everyday Items
Can’t find the end of a roll of plastic wrap? Use a piece of tape to find and pull up the edge. I learned that little tip from an article called, Extraordinary Uses for 16 Ordinary Household Items. Discover uses for toothpaste, nail polish, hair dryers, cornstarch, coffee filters and more!

#3 – Incredible World
We live in an incredible world. Here’s a collection of twenty-seven photographs of our world that only photographers from National Geographic could capture!

#4 – Obechi
Can you win it, not in a minute, but in 5 minutes? That’s the challenge of Obechi, a computer game. The game involves capturing a set amount of moving dots in a set amount of rings. Unfortunately, you must sit through a brief ad before you play, but use that time to loosen up your fingers and focus your brain!

#5 – Enough Is Enough
“He who knows that enough is enough will always have enough.”
Lao Tzu

Have an extraordinary weekend!

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Life is meant to be shared. This phrase sounds clichéd, but what would life be like if we could not share our highs and lows with others? “Sharing and encouraging joy in life” is the tagline for What About This? and is the intent behind every post written. Sharing ideas and thoughts that are helpful, inspiring, creative, entertaining, and sometimes thought-provoking has always been the goal of this blog. All of this sharing comes from a middle child, who always carefully guarded her possessions (that’s another story), but who now knows that life wouldn’t have meaning if she didn’t share.

#1 – All For Good
Looking for volunteer opportunities? Check out opportunities at All for Good by clicking on “search opportunities,” specifying what type of volunteer work you’d like to do (animals, seniors, hunger, etc.) and then typing in your location. A list of opportunities will come up within the region specified. According to it’s site, “All for Good’s mission is to facilitate volunteerism and community service. To meet that goal, we have developed a custom volunteer opportunity oriented search engine that is powered by the largest database of volunteer opportunities on the Internet.”

I’ve added All for Good to my Google home page, so I can see what volunteer opportunities are available to me on a daily basis.

#2 – Which Is Worse?
Fast food is not known for being healthy, but some fast food menu items are worse than others. Go through the short “Battle of the Fast Food Breakfasts” slide show to see how well you can recognize unhealthy food!

#3 – Reuse It!
Tired of throwing away lipstick tubes that still have lipstick in the bottom portion? Do you use a lip brush to get out every last bit? Have you found your perfect color is actually a combination of two lipsticks? My neighbor introduced me to a product called LipStix ReMix that conveniently solves these issues. By scraping out the bottom of two “used up” tubes and “cannibalizing” a partial tube of a “too bright” color, I created a whole new tube of lipstick using the kit. Not only did I save money by using lipstick that would normally be thrown away, I also created a fabulous new color by blending two shades. Plus, I even reused one of the original plastic cases to hold my newly created lipstick!

#4 – Conceptual Photographs
Unlike pretty photographs, conceptual photographs make you lean in for a closer look and, more often than not, make you think. Check out this collection called 30 Amazing Conceptual Photographs.

#5  – Joy Is An Inside Job
“We’ve put happiness outside of ourselves; we’ve put it into our job, into our bank account, our relationships. You’ve become so preoccupied with the search for happiness that you’ve actually forgotten that you’re already happy. Searching mode makes happiness external: It’s an outward-directed activity. Following your joy is an internal one.”
Robert Holden

Find and spread joy this weekend!

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Hot air hit my face as I opened the door and stepped outside. “It’s going to be a hot one,” I mumbled to myself as I turned to look at the thermometer hanging on the stucco wall. Yep, 84 degrees and it was only 10:30 in the morning. “Time to go back inside and make a big pitcher of iced tea!”

A while back I posted a recipe for Boston Iced Tea. Today’s recipe is another fruit-flavored tea that’s thirst quenching and super easy to make. Make sure you double the recipe, though, because it’s a good one to have on hand during the hot days of summer!

Mango Iced Tea
Recipe courtesy of Bobby Flay

Ingredients:
1-1/2 quarts cold water
6 high quality black tea bags
2 cups mango nectar
Sugar
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
Thinly sliced mango

Directions:
Bring water to a boil, turn off heat and add tea bags and steep until tea is dark, about 5 minutes. Remove bags, add mango nectar and add sugar, to taste. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Place in pitcher and add mint leaves. Pour over ice and garnish with mango slices.

Serves 4.

Linnell’s Notes:
1. I use 2 of Lipton’s family-sized ice tea bags.

2. I’ve made this using mango juice and mango nectar. The results are slightly better using the nectar – a tiny bit more sweet and a more pronounced mango flavor.

3. One tablespoon of sugar is all I add to the tea and nectar solution, but I don’t like my iced tea too sweet.

4. Let the flavored tea cool before refrigerating and definitely serve it chilled.

5. Omit the mint only if you absolutely hate mint! The mint leaves lend a wonderful, cooling, fresh taste to the tea.

6. Instead of garnishing with thin slices of mango, I added frozen mango chunks that I’d purchased in a large bag at Costco.

7. The fruit flavors in this recipe and the Boston Iced Tea recipe can be easily adapted – just substitute different flavors of nectar for this recipe or frozen concentrate for the Boston Iced Tea recipe.

Enjoy and stay cool!

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Out came the pool floats! On went the ceiling fans! Out came the iced tea! On went the garden sprinklers! The summer solstice roared this week with a triple digit heat wave. Summer is finally here, but I would have preferred a little 85 to 90 degree warm-up first!

#1 – Ransom Notes
If you think you’ve seen it all, you probably haven’t! Here’s a site where you can create a message in ransom-note-style (letters cut from miscellaneous pieces of paper). Go to Ransom note generator, type in the words, and click “create.” That’s how I made the message above – “I have a heart with room for joy.”

#2 – People That Come Into Your Life
Sometimes people come into your life and you know right away that they were meant to be there, to serve some sort of purpose, teach you a lesson, or to help you figure out who you are or who you want to become. You never know who these people may be (possibly your roommate, neighbour, co-worker, longest friend, lover, or even a complete stranger) but when you lock eyes with them, you know at that very moment that they will affect your life in some profound way.

This is the opening paragraph from a piece of writing I found on the internet. This feeling of “I know we were supposed to meet” has happened to me and, perhaps, to some of you, too. Click here to read the entire inspiring piece.

#3 – Food Journal
I am in a self-imposed M.O.G. (mother-of-the-groom) boot camp now. I have a year to get in shape for the wedding and I’ll need every bit of it, plus any other help I can get! I found this free and easy to download food journal at The Project Girl. Besides the weekly format, I also like that it includes snack and water entries. I made a little packet of the sheets for me and the F.O.G. – let the food journaling begin!

#4 – Dating Your Food
I’m not suggesting you go out on a date with your food, but rather I’m offering a method for keeping track of food purchase dates and dates indicating when items were opened. For example, do you know how long the bottle of cocktail sauce has been sitting in your refrigerator? How long has the jar of instant espresso, which you bought to make a chocolate glaze, been sitting in the pantry? As someone who likes to cook, I have a pantry and a refrigerator filled with items I use only occasionally. Since expiration dates or sell by dates don’t really apply to all products once they’ve been opened, I keep track of their freshness by marking them with a little code I devised:

1. Using a permanent marker, all items that are recipe necessities, but used only occasionally, such as jam, condiments, nuts, specialty items, pasta, baking items, ethnic foods, etc. get marked with a “P” (for purchased) and the date when they are put away for storage.

2. When items are removed from storage and are opened, they get marked with an “O” (for opened) and the date they are opened.

Following this code makes cleaning my pantry and refrigerator faster and easier, and probably more safe, since there is no second guessing to the freshness of products!

#5 – Change Gives Us Branches
“Continuity gives us roots; change gives us branches, letting us stretch and grow and reach new heights.”
—Pauline R. Kezer

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Ever heard of wabi-sabi? No, it’s not the green horseradish paste on sushi platters. That’s wasabi. Wabi-sabi is a Japanese aesthetic that considers imperfection to be perfect or, to put it another way, it’s the perfection of the imperfect. In a previous post, I wrote how this philosophy helps me deal with my tendency towards perfectionism. So bolstered with thoughts of wabi-sabi, I participated in a silversmithing workshop last Saturday. After a long day’s worth of small successes and frustrating failures, I completed my first project. Go ahead and look at it closely and you’ll find it’s a perfectly imperfect ring!

#1 – Bits of Wisdom
These twenty-two interesting photos with bits of wisdom printed on them by photographer and graphic designer Julian Bialowas are definitely worth reading through.

#2 – PocketCPR
Does the thought of performing CPR on someone in need intimidate you? Here’s a video that presents a new product that you might want to have. Turn on an FDA-cleared PocketCPR and it will coach you step-by-step through the process. It is suggested on the website that users should also have training in CPR. At $149.00 the device may seem pricey, but what’s the price of someone’s life?

#3 – Paint Calculator
If your plans to spruce up your home this summer include painting, you’ll want to check out this Paint Calculator on the Home Goes Strong site. I also learned while visiting the site that “One gallon of paint covers approximately 400 square feet.” File that bit of information in your memory bank!

#4 – Trip Wow
Make a free computer slide show with tripadvisor’s TRIPWOW! program. Start by selecting a theme and then upload your photos through Facebook, Picasa, Flickr, TravelPod, or your computer. Add names and comments and then either upload your own music or select from TRIPWOW’s music or let TRIPWOW select music for you. Making a slide show couldn’t be easier! Before you begin, though, make sure you understand the site’s privacy policy and its terms of use.

#5 – Your Story
If you want your life to be a magnificent story, then begin by realizing that you are the author and everyday you have the opportunity to write a new page.
Mark Houlahan

Have a great weekend!!

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As soon as the words came out of my mouth, I knew I’d said something stupid. As dusk approached, I peered out my kitchen window, scouting for pesky gray squirrels. While recalling the most recent antics of the rodent circus in my backyard, I spied the movement of a bushy tail, which was attached to a critter nibbling on fallen bird seed. Leaning over the sink for a better view, I asked out loud, “Is that a black squirrel?” Immediately, I realized that the “black squirrel” I was staring at was really a skunk! “What? A BLACK squirrel?” my husband said as he looked out the window and saw the object of my attention. He laughed at me. After the skunk trotted away, I sat down at my computer and “Googled” black squirrels. To my amazement and relief, I found that such an animal does exist. Feeling somewhat vindicated, I smiled at my husband, until he laughingly pointed out, “Yeah, but black squirrels don’t have white stripes down their backs!”

#1 – Project Linus
Here’s a volunteer opportunity that can be done in the comfort of your own home. A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post called “Blankets of Love.”  Upon their college graduations, I gave handmade blankets to each of my children. I wanted them to remember the warmth of my love wherever they went in life. Project Linus collects and donates “new, handmade, washable blankets to be given as gifts to seriously ill and traumatized children, ages 0-18.” In the last sixteen years Project Linus has donated over three million blankets to children in need. If you like to crochet, knit, sew, or have the time to tie knots in “no sew” fleece blankets, consider donating your time and materials to this cause and give away your own blankets of love.

#2 – Amazing Views From Airplanes
I love finding amazing photographs and sharing them. Here’s a series of aerial photos from around the world that is worthy of your attention!

#3 – Pinterest
Would you like to have a bulletin board that doesn’t take up a lot of space and can be shared with others? Pinterest is a site that “lets you organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. People use pinboards to plan their weddings, decorate their homes, and organize their favorite recipes.” It’s a compact way to gather and display ideas. I enjoyed browsing through different pinboards, discovering interesting uses for pinboards, and seeing the creative ideas people have collected on theirs.

#4 – 29 Ways to Stay Creative
From Life on Michigan Avenue comes an interesting piece called, 29 Ways to Stay Creative.  Although it is aimed at creativity, a lot of what it says can apply to other aspects of life. Does any one particular line speak to you? Mine was number 25.

#5 – There’s Room Enough
“There’s room for everybody on the planet to be creative and conscious if you are your own person. If you’re trying to be like somebody else, then there is isn’t.”
Tori Amos

Have a great weekend everyone!

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