"don't you know about the bird? well everybody knows that the bird is the word..." queenie and i talk everyday. she tells me about her friend "bird" which leads to a facebook friendship. bird and queenie dub me cardinal, because cardinals are the north carolina state bird. fortunately for me, they are, also, the state bird of ohio and 5 other states. i can safely live in north carolina, ohio, west virginia, virginia, kentucky, indiana, and illinois without changing my nickname. FLASH FORWARD december i go running out of the house to run an errand. i hear a strange noise and assume the gardeners are working on the grounds of our apartment complex. i step off the porch and SPLAT!! bird doo on my neck!! ewwwwwwww!!!! i quickly realize i am dead center in a humongous flock of birds. i run to my car and watch in amazement as this flock swarms a berry tree and, then, in complete unison, flies on to the next...inevitably dropping doo on the next person to mistakenly walk thru them. FLASH FORWARD december 14, 2012 thru january 5, 2013 the audubon society sponsors a yearly christmas bird count. during these 3 weeks, tens of thousands of volunteers will brave rain, wind, and snow to go out and attempt to get a count of bird populations in their area. this information will be collected to help guide conservation efforts and assess the health of bird populations. click here if you would like to get involved...
i've told this story before: like i have done countless other trips to philly, i have breakfast at a diner before heading to the airport. i give a hot cup of coffee, a donut, and 5 bucks to the homeless lady bundled in blankets beside the building. i'm paying it forward. FLASH FORWARD december 14, 2012 i am sitting in my living room...eating lunch...watching the local news. they begin talking about a school shooting. any school shooting is horrible, but this one. this one is different. far more devastating. i spend the rest of my day in tears as more and more news becomes available. 26 people are dead. 6 adults. 20 beautiful first graders. my heart is shattered. FLASH FORWARD december 15, 2012 as more information becomes available, facebook becomes a political soapbox for people...some screaming for gun control...others opposed to it...some people opening a debate about god in schools...i immediately close my computer. do these people have the right to discuss this? of course they do. but i have the right not to read it. this is not a time to argue politics...it's a time to grieve and pay respect to those who lost their lives. FLASH FORWARD december 18, 2012 the debates have subsided...people seem to understand it can wait a few days. now a new movement has begun. people on facebook and twitter are screaming "PAY IT FORWARD!!!!"...i'm proud of all my friends for pushing this movement. some of them are truly committed to it. the only thing that saddens me: why would it take a senseless act of violence to wake people up? shouldn't we ALWAYS be paying forward? need some ideas for paying forward? my first thought is: it should come from the heart...and it doesn't necessarily have to cost money...but here are some simple ideas:
over~tip your waiter/bartender/delivery driver
pay for a random person's dinner (in the drive~thru: the car behind you; in a restaurant: pick a random table)
leave a gift card on someone's windshield (grocery store, target, coffeehouse)
take a cup of coffee to your doorman or security guard at your office
give that homeless person your spare change WITHOUT questioning what (s)he might spend it on
give your time to a homeless shelter
go visit people in a nursing home
donate toys to toys for tots or your local children's hospital
bake cookies for your teachers, policemen, first responders
leave a brief note and money in a book in the bookstore or library
scrape all the windows in the parking lot before you go to work
buy a homeless person a blanket
give a stranger flowers
give a stranger candy (i suggest nothing with peanuts...you never know who might be allergic!)
let the person behind you in line go ahead of you, even if they have a HUGE cart full
pick an angel off the angel tree: get them everything on the list plus something fun
send a care package to a soldier...
leave quarters in all the gum ball machines at the store
take dog biscuits and cat treats to your local animal shelter
buy a weeks worth of groceries and give them to a needy family (you can find a family in need thru a local church or soup kitchen)
these are just a few simple ideas...i would love to hear any ideas you have...:)
^a check list if you want to participate in 26 acts of kindness or you could just do something everyday^
i apologize in advance: this IS gonna bring tears to your eyes
"let's deck the halls with holly...sing sweet silent night...fill a sheet with angel hair and pretty, pretty lights" 3 great friends go get pedicures. while they are waiting for their piggies to dry, they decide that they should have a christmas party. it should be fancy...NO!...better than fancy!...it should be fancy schmancy! "maybe it could be a progressive dinner?" ABSOLUTELY!! it SHOULD be a progressive dinner. that settles it...progressive dinner...one month from today! FLASH FORWARD december 15, 2012 all the plans are set. appetizers and cocktails at cardinal and bk's! dinner at bridgey and danno's! dessert and after~dinner drinks at lance and alissa's!! the menu, you ask? here is just a sampling of some amazing recipes:
SILENT NIGHT MARTINI 1 shot pineapple juice 1 shot malibu rum 1/2 shot blue curacao 1/2 shot white creme de cocoa dash or 2 of whipping cream shake all ingredients over ice and pour into a sugar~rimmed martini glass...enjoy!! BACON~WRAPPED TATOR TOTS 1 package ore ida tator tots 1 lb thin sliced bacon 1 jar sliced jalapenos 1 lb finely shredded cheddar cheese slice bacon in half. wrap 1 piece of bacon around 1 tator tot and 1 jalapeno...secure with a toothpick. deep~fry until bacon is cooked thru (about 5 minutes). place on oven~safe dish and cover with shredded cheese. bake in 350 degree oven until cheese melts...yum!!! CHICKEN TACOS 1 rotisserie chicken 1 can diced chiles 1 bag sharp cheddar cheese 1 can cream of chicken soup 1 small tub sour cream mix ingredients together in crock pot and cook until heated thru. serve with salsa, sour cream, lettuce, cheese, guacamole...anything you want...delicious!! PEANUT BUTTER CHEESECAKE MINIS crust: 1 1/2 c graham cracker crumbs 4 tbs sugar 1/4 c (1/2 stick) butter, melted 12 bite~size peanut butter cups filling: 2~8 oz packages cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup all~purpose flour 1 tsp pure vanilla extract 2 eggs preheat oven to 350. line muffin tin with cupcake liners. mix all crust ingredients (except peanut butter cups) in a bowl and press into cupcake liners. press peanut butter cup into each crust. whip cream cheese until fluffy. add sugar, flour, and vanilla until well blended. add eggs, one at a time, until blended thru. spoon over crusts and bake until set, about 20 minutes. cool completely before serving. OMG!! CRANBERRY CHAMPAGNE 1 bottle of your favorite champagne fresh, or frozen, whole cranberries cranberry juice place a few cranberries in each champagne flute...fill with champagne. add a splash of cranberry juice...serve...cheers!!!
