Ideas on a Silver Platter

I know, it's been over a week since the last SmileFest post (go here and here if you missed the last posts), but I have been working on something of my own and it kept me from the computer. I was also out of town hanging out with my mom after she had surgery. Okay so Krista is dishing these ideas on a silver platter, not sure how to help in the community?! Well here ya go...

SmileFest is fully supported by donations that are generated through
bake sales, fundraising events such as cleaning the Pit and football stadium, silent auctions and donations from individuals throughout the community.

There are numerous opportunities for individuals, companies and/or organizations to get involved with SmileFest and help support kids in New Mexico born with a cleft and their families.

Here are 4 ways YOU can help...

Family at SmileFest

•  Bake for upcoming bake sales 
• Make/donate something for a upcoming silent auction please visit our website www.smilefestnm.com and check out our calendar for upcoming events. 
•  If you are unsure of what to do but are moved to help and need some guidance please feel free to email me at smilefest2011@gmail.com. 
• If you are able to make a donation to SmileFest please send a check payable to : New Mexico Medical Foundation (please memo check - cleft palate fund - SmileFest) and send to : New Mexico Medical Foundation C/O NMMS Cleft Palate Education Fund ATTN: Sally Blackstad316 Osuna NE, Suite 501Albuquerque, NM 87107

Krista's son Cody

As you can see six years and five cleft surgeries later my families journey is one 

marked by much love, unexpected joy, unforeseen obstacles and victory in everyday 

challenges. I can only hope that my son Cody’s smile and our families journey has 

inspired you with not only the desire to support SmileFest but to also live each day to it’s 

fullest and to plant seeds of love, joy, hope and smiles wherever your road travels!

SmileFest at Balloon Fiesta Park 2012

Thank you for this opportunity to share my story. 

Chatting with one of the Doctors at SmileFest after he got out of the dunk tank :)

Please do something! Plan right now the way that you will help SmileFest. Follow up reading this post with some kind of action, whether that's writing on a sticky note to have a family meeting to plan how your family will help or setting up a reminder in your phone, SOMETHING! Don't just assume that the other people who read this will be doing something, if we all assume that then nothing will happen.

Magic Show

Summer is upon us and what a great way to spend time with your kids, baking, learning how to make something that can be donated and sold at auction. Starting a coin jar just for SmileFest. Teaching them to work by helping clean the PIT etc. Or next time your paying bills send a little money to SmileFest.

Be inspired, but don't let that feeling fade follow it up with action! 

All our love, 

DeAnn & Krista

Totally Not Over Rated!

I have been the recipient of a lot of kindness lately in large part due to my hitting the big 3-0  (my SIL Keri threw me a fantabulous birthday party and we all had a blast and somehow a few of us ended up covered in redi-whip, no idea how that happened!!) Also because of putting myself out there to get to know someone new. These kind acts have been very refreshing and make me want to do better at finding meaningful ways to serve others.

I received a very sweet birthday note from a friend (and a whole lot of other awesomeness) and in the note they talked about and listed "10 random acts of kindness they did in honor of my day." Umm how cool is that?! I will keep this note forever and share it with my grand-kids and when I am having a hard day I will pull it out as a way to pick myself up.

It got me thinking about how some blog posts have been done by people who do a day of service on their birthdays and I really, really love that idea (and idea you can find on my Pinterest board on service ideas) this is kinda the opposite of that and I love covering all sides of things. I realize this isn't something everyone would appreciate, but for others it's the icing on the cake. Don't have money to spend on someone? Have people that tell you not to get them something for their b-day? Have no idea what to get someone? Here ya go! Dedicate random acts of kindness in honor of their day "their day" could be way more then just a birthday.

I got this after I invited someone new over for breakfast to get to know them, you know who you are both of you ladies :)

A thank you note may seem like a simple thing, but is it really? Anyone who has received a heartfelt thank you card probably resolved to do better at writing and sending thank you cards themselves. I have been thinking since my birthday I need to send thank you cards for all the kind things that were done for me on my b-day and this is what has gotten me to finally do it! I did a post a while back about making a Thank You Card Station and it's still set up on my desk and it's convenience make it easy to write and send them. Who doesn't love getting an unexpected card in the mail?! Take a minute to hand write a sincere card, home-made or not in my opinion a card in the hand is better then any electronic card, or e-mail, or text etc don't you think?

I needed to write this tonight I have felt lousy off and on the past two weeks I think my immune system is trying really hard to keep me from getting sick, but I'm not totally winning. Anyhoo this lifted my spirits and I hope it does yours.

All my love, truly.


p.s. don't forget I updated the "What Is The SIP Project" page take a look, you may have missed some big changes. Oh...and it wouldn't hurt my feelings if you shared it :)

Abandonment is a good thing

School has started...I know, this post is a little late but this is something that is fun and doestn' take much time. In fact it would be fun to have some of these supplies in the van at all times. This would be fun to do between errands, on a walk, on a trip to the park really just anytime you have a few minutes. A great way to keep kids entertained, teach them something good and can be done just about anywhere.

Week - 9 art abondonment...and bubble and seed packet abandonment.

I love this idea because when someone finds one of these it will take them out of the monotiny of life at least for a little bit anyway.

Supplies
Frames (from dollar store)
Quotes printed on scrapbook paper
Sticky notes -
 to write a message on and put on the frame you leave somewhere. I wrote something like " This is an act of art abandonment and is for you, hope it brings a smile to your face, enjoy!" Something like that.
Art Abandonment is a group on Face Book, they make art and then leave it for others to find, flippin awesome right!? I joined the group and the quotes are my version of leaving art.
And just to be clear I put the frame in the middle of the flowers on top of a dead spot.

Seed packets - the printable was made by Lindsey of Hello Hydrangea a while back for a guest post she did for me and they worked great. I used normal white printing paper and heavier scrap book paper and I liked the white paper best. I taped them together and bought clothes pins at the dollar store too. I bought some native wildflower seeds at a local nursery.

Bubbles- make a simple lablel
 

Me and my SIL Keri headed to Nob Hill in Albuquerque I think most big towns have a Nob Hill type of neighboorhood. In Tulsa there was a place pretty much identical to it, it was kinda dejavu everytime I went there. It's the hip and trendy part of town. We also wanted to go somewhere with high foot traffic.

I was putting seeds in the seed packets as we were going, I should have had it all together before I got there. Would have been much easier. Also it would have been good for us to talk to the kids about spreading them out more. They wanted to put them out in same spots.

Free printables!!! Click print to download.

I can't make things bigger for some reason and it's driving me mad, sorry for the small pics!

Now for some a lot of photos of our excursion...

Hope you enjoyed the post! Thanks for stopping by and always know I love to hear from you!

This is the last post for The SIP summer camp. Did you all get tired of all The SIP summer camp posts? I didn't post about much else this summer becasue they are so much work to get done from doing the project to posting on the blog.

I realized the other day I hadn't asked but was secretly hoping that one of my friends would say "hey I want to get involved with The SIP project" This is a lot of work and I have so many ideas and things I want to do, like post more then once a week for instance. I realized however that instead of waiting for someone to ask if they can help I shoud throw it out there to all my friends or anyone who reads this...Do you want to get involved or know someone who would? If you want to know what "involved" means e-mail me and we can chat about it. paynelessphoto@gmail.com