Fresh Daily Bread

Fragile as a Bird

2012-01-23T10:14:00.003-05:00

Some of you will remember that I am a hospice volunteer. It became official last November. Since then, all my patients have died, save one, who, while I'm assigned to her, I've never met her. Fact is, she has a network of loved family members and the only folks she needs from hospice are the "true professionals". As a volunteer, I can only assist a trained pro, clean a house, or run errands. Or

Our Daily Black

2012-01-18T09:39:00.001-05:00

Our Daily Black

Musical Magic

2012-01-17T08:18:00.001-05:00

Early Sunday morning, the thermometer read 6 degrees (F) when I woke up. It was not a day to go out but we had a commitment. We had signed up to spend the morning in a soup kitchen in town that serves a weekly meal. It's in an old Episcopal church that the Minis swear is the local incarnation of Hogwarts, at least as Universal Studios imagined it. It's a beautiful old building with arched

Friday Frustration: I got nothin'

2011-12-16T13:52:00.001-05:00

It would appear that my thought to share a gripe a week with my readers was ill-thought out. Either that or for as crabby as I was last week, the pendulum has swung the other way this week. I am in such an unbelievably good mood. I saw a darling cartoon this morning that captures my mood perfectly. I am dancing with Charlie Brown and Snoopy. On a hunch last night, I got to thinking about a

CSI Santa

2011-12-09T13:15:00.001-05:00

This is the time of year when the Santa skeptics are abound. It only takes a whisper on the bus from another child or a bold announcement in the lunch line to plant the seeds of doubt in the shining eyes of your innocent one. We've done some pretty wild things to keep the belief in Santa alive. Santa wrapping paper was hidden away and only used for Santa's gifts. We nibbled cookies and drank

Friday Frustration: with all due respect

2011-12-09T09:42:00.001-05:00

I wanted to call today's post Friday Pet Peeve, but I'm a bit obsessed with alliteration. I considered Friday Flame, but figured that may conjure the wrong image. I intend to make this a regular feature on this blog in an attempt to jumpstart some creativity. So without further ado, today's pet peeve. Prefacing a statement of disagreement using the phrase with all due respect is one of my

A Novice Guide to Train Wrecks

2011-12-05T11:51:00.000-05:00

Or rubbernecking or however we choose to define those moments when the momentum of a vehicle carrying someone to a destination careens out of control. We adopt the vernacular of "train wreck" as a code word for "I'm gonna stare". I admit, when folks do things I don't expect? I stare. I am riveted. And even when they've indoctrinated me into their unexpected behavior? I still watch, curious if

Gratitude Sans Attitude

2011-11-30T08:45:00.001-05:00

One of my favorite and most inspirational bloggers in the Whole Entire World (that is called sucking up, mah friend), put together a gratitude post and as always, she humbles me. Citing things that we take for granted so often really gave me a chance to reflect and practice some gratitude. As I bare my most honest self here, sometimes I forget to simply give thanks. Oh sure, I profess it, I

Gift Card for Groceries, Anything...

2011-11-22T09:33:00.001-05:00

That is what the tag read. I trembled as I picked it from the tree. You see, every year, around this time, my church does a Twig Tree. A Charlie Brown-esque tree, filled with nothing but tags from folks around the community who could use a little extra. When all the tags are taken, we replace the twig tree with a Christmas tree. As a Sunday School project, I had my students go and select one

Running for Pleasure

2011-11-18T05:40:00.001-05:00

the following is a sponsored post One of my favorite things about a vacation is the opportunity to work out or run without interruption. Some of my best runs actually have taken place while on vacation. There is something liberating about knowing that you're not on a schedule, you don't have to drive anyone anywhere, or get someone else out the door. I only know that when I'm on a vacation, I do

The Art of Enhancing Ourselves

2011-10-31T05:52:00.001-04:00

As the nation prepares to celebrate Halloween tonight, kids across the nation will be painting make-up on their faces to become someone else and masquerade their appearance. I'm prepared to see a range from cute to creepy faces tonight, depending on the make-up. Wearing make-up is truly an art. Like a child's first scribbles with crayon, early make-up use tends to be less than artistic, and

The Value of Teachers

2011-10-19T16:19:00.002-04:00

In Ohio, as Issue 2 becomes more and more heated, as well as a local school levy trying to pass, a lot of criticism is directed to the teachers. Many folks are suggesting we to find out how much our teachers are paid at the Buckeye Institute site. Their income is public knowledge. I wonder how we would feel if our incomes were posted on a public site for the world to gawk? However, I admit, I'm

Save Our Schools

2011-08-02T18:28:00.002-04:00

Our Daily Green: Summer Vacation Green

2011-06-23T10:30:00.000-04:00

Our Daily Green: Summer Vacation GreenWhat will you be doing this summer? Do you have any good vacations planned? Want a few tips to a more ecofriendly vacation along with a chance to win some great trips? Check my other blog, Our Daily Green for details! Happy Summer!

The Track won the Battle... but

2011-06-12T04:54:00.009-04:00

I won the war. My sleep patterns are messed up and it isn't surprising that I woke at 3 AM wide eyed. Yesterday I finished the ironman walk for our local Relay for Life fundraiser for the American Cancer Society. The ironman category is for the relay participants who walk the entire 24 hours of the relay, with only a 10 minute break each hour. I've participated in several Relays in the past,

a stone's throw

2011-05-16T10:02:00.001-04:00

Not too far from where I live is an inner-city elementary school that I visit once a week. The school district is in academic emergency with a graduation rate of 58% for the 2009-2010 school year. The neighborhood around the school is best described as modern urban blight and decay. About half the houses are boarded up; the others have overgrown yards and rubbish strewn about. The sidewalks are

The First Official Mean Mom Contest

2011-05-04T08:52:00.001-04:00

Dear Friends, Readers, and fellow Mothers: First, I must declare that Procrastination Rocks! I had intended to post this two weeks before Mother's Day, when life intruded. However, since I also believe that mothers are entitled to way more than one day, I am declaring May MOTHER'S MONTH. Yes, you read that right. I am allowed to do that because, oh yeah, I own this space and I can do whatever I

Tweet Me Right Green

2011-04-07T09:03:00.000-04:00

Read about a fascinating online conversation I had with the fabulous humanitarian and children's musician, Raffi and find out what he's doing with himself these days. Tweet Me Right Green

Launch at Medium Speed

2011-04-06T10:20:00.002-04:00

I just finished teaching a five week long course in Community Building to a fabulous group of second graders. I work as a volunteer for Junior Achievement. Junior Achievement programs help prepare young people for the real world by showing them how to generate wealth and effectively manage it, how to create jobs which make their communities more robust, and how to apply entrepreneurial

Scholarship Searches

2011-03-16T07:35:00.004-04:00

Having a child in high school means the inevitable fear over how to pay for it. Year after year, many scholarships go unclaimed simply because parents and students do not know how to find them or access them. FastWeb is a subsidiary of Monster.com and is the source for invaluable college information, from scholarship money, to financial aid calculators, to grants, to internships. Additionally,

The Informationist

2011-02-28T07:26:00.001-05:00

Last week, I shared a story about my friendship with the author of the novel, The Informationist, release date March 8, 2011. Rights to the thriller by Taylor Stevens have already been sold around the world, and it looks like it could be an international best seller. As indicated in my post, her personal story is as interesting as the novel she has written. Vogue Magazine thought so as well

Friends in Soon to be High Places

2011-02-23T14:00:00.000-05:00

Most of my Facebook friends have been following my frequent posts about a friend of mine who has been offered a three book deal with Crown publishers, a subsidiary of Random House. Her debut novel, THE INFORMATIONIST, will be released March 8th. My friend’s name is Taylor Stevens, and I’m going to tell you that “I knew her when”. But before I tell you that, I want to tell you the story of a

Stopping the Leaks

2011-02-12T09:57:00.001-05:00

One sad reality in today’s world is that only about 70% of high school students will actually graduate. That statistic is closer to 55% at inner city schools, in crime ridden areas with high poverty levels. Yesterday, I was afforded the opportunity to volunteer as a last minute substitute for 3 hours at an elementary school in such a district. I mustered as much enthusiasm as possible and

Five Hours

2011-01-30T21:32:00.013-05:00

I spent my morning at a soup kitchen today. It was a service project on a checklist of things we do as part of a group I belong to. We do the soup kitchen as a group. We arrive, cook the food, serve it, bus the tables and clean up. Pretty simple, I've done my share of fundraising dinners, family celebrations, and other assorted open houses where I cook, serve, and clean up after. This is right up

Standing Together

2011-01-11T11:14:00.000-05:00

I really didn't intend to write about this as I'm of the opinion that giving something distasteful any mention, even if bad, is to give it undeserved attention. However, my fingers have taken over my resolve and are forcing me to type something about the tragedy in Arizona over the weekend. Blame the fingers, they have a mind of their own. I realize the gunman acted alone (and no I will not name

Fresh Daily Bread

Fragile as a Bird

Our Daily Black

Musical Magic

Friday Frustration: I got nothin'

CSI Santa

Friday Frustration: with all due respect

A Novice Guide to Train Wrecks

Gratitude Sans Attitude

*Gift Card for Groceries, *Anything...

Running for Pleasure

The Art of Enhancing Ourselves

The Value of Teachers

Save Our Schools

Our Daily Green: Summer Vacation Green

The Track won the Battle... but

a stone's throw

The First Official Mean Mom Contest

Tweet Me Right Green

Launch at Medium Speed

Scholarship Searches

The Informationist

Friends in Soon to be High Places

Stopping the Leaks

Five Hours

Standing Together

Gift Card for Groceries, Anything...