The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 10. Classroom Library.

I wrote about getting together a classroom library for Mr. Hays and his SuperStars here.

Well, this morning, a picture showed up in my inbox.

What a way to start my morning.  I truly almost started crying, realizing that sending out the call for help resulted in such bounty and encouragement for Joe and the SuperStars.  I do small things for the people around me but not things that I think make a huget impact.  To see the results was such an encouragement to me, also.  I CAN make a difference in someone’s life.  YOU can make a difference in someone’s life.

Thank you to everyone who contributed money, giftcards and money.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 9. Official Announcement.

Well, finally, I can announce something that happened several weeks ago but I didn’t want to talk about it until I had it in my hands.  Now I have it:

Remember that I entered my friend Joe in a contest to win a $100 OfficeMax giftcard? He, and his SuperStars, WON!  In fact, he won four times, picked by four different bloggers.  Unfortunately, I was only able to accept one card.  When contacted, Mr. Hays commented, “AWESOME”.  He will be using the card for copy paper, laminating, transparencies….and that’s probably the $100 right there.   I put it in the mail today.  I am SO HAPPY to be able to give this card to him.  Thanks to Extraordinary Mommy for awarding the OfficeMax card to Joe. 

When I first put out the word asking for support and help for Joe, I got several nice offers.  Several weeks ago, a schoolteacher friend of mine shipped 118 pounds of books for his classroom library.  She used to teach older elementary grades but now teaches kindergarten and the books had been sitting in her closet for quite a while.  I had some financial contributions and was able to send Joe $140 in OfficeMax cards.  When I sent the $100 card today, I also included a $40 card from another generous family.  Late this afternoon I got a commitment of another contribution that will put the total financial support at over $300.  Not bad for a gal who just started her little blog in June.  Thank you so much to all who are helping Joe and the SuperStars have a successful school year.

I also picked up books at Half-Price Books, dollar stores, eBay, Borders bargain tables.   It was so fun to pick out the books since I absolutely LOVE books and love to read, and I was excited to know that the books are going to a classroom where they will be used and (hopefully) loved.  I ended up sending six small boxes of books, supplies, flashcards, dominoes and other math games. 

 I included some SuperStar goodies but I’ll wait until tomorrow to reveal more. Giving.  It’s a good thing!!

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 8.

1 Peter 4:7

Everything in the world is about to be wrapped up, so take nothing for granted. Stay wide-awake in prayer. Most of all, love each other as if your life depended on it. Love makes up for practically anything. Be quick to give a meal to the hungry, a bed to the homeless—cheerfully. Be generous with the different things God gave you, passing them around so all get in on it: if words, let it be God’s words; if help, let it be God’s hearty help. That way, God’s bright presence will be evident in everything through Jesus, and he’ll get all the credit as the One mighty in everything—encores to the end of time. Oh, yes!

Click her to read about The 30-Day Giving Challenge.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 7. Honoring Our Veterans.

Veterans Day is fast approaching.  You know how I know?  All the Veterans Day sales.

Seriously though, if you check the calendar, you will find it on Wednesday, November 11.  My dad was a vet of the Korean War.  He never talked much about it, but I do have some precious pictures of him which give me a glimpse of his time far away from home. 

There are several freebies available for veterans to thank them for their service.  In no way can they be totally repaid, but I hope the men and women who served feel appreciated and honored by taking advantage of these free offers.  Be sure to read the fine print to make sure you know all the details like date, time, proof of service, etc.  Some of these offers may also be available for active duty members of the service.  Be sure to ask!

Applebees is offering a free meal on Wednesday, November 11. 

McCormick and Schmicks is offering a free meal on Sunday, November 8. Space is limited and reservations are required.

The National Park Service  will once again waive all entry fees to every national park, forest and monument across the U.S.

Golden Corral hosts
Military Appreciation Monday
Free “Thank You” Dinner
Monday, Nov. 16, 2009,
5 p.m. to 9 p.m.

Outback Steakhouse will show appreciation to our Country’s veterans and active duty military*, with a free Bloomin’ Onion and beverage of choice (one non-alcoholic drink or one draft Anheuser Busch beer except where prohibited by law) on Veterans Day. When:  Wednesday, November 11, 2009.

Here is an extensive list of freebies and discounts in conjunction with Veterans Day.  Please share this information with those veterans in your life, and be sure to say thank you.

In Honor of My Dad

 

 

All writing property of LoneStarLifer 2009.

I Love Me Some Whataburger.

I LOVE hamburgers. Always have. When I was young and on a trip with my folks, I was sometimes allowed to have what I wanted for breakfast.  Ham. Burger. When I moved from home and was on my own, I once ate hamburgers for two weeks straight. Just cause I could. One of my first real jobs was at McDonald’s. I was taking college summer school classes, so I worked at night until closing. My McDonald’s was a test site for the ice cream. Our claim to fame: 5% more butterfat in our ice cream than Dairy Queen. Those were the days!  Each night, my job was to clean the ice cream out of the line, then clean the machine.  I ate most of the ice cream that came out of the line….put some in a large cup, then layered hot caramel, filled the rest of the cup and topped with hot fudge.  Didn’t gain an ounce.  Those REALLY were the days!

Anyway, when I get to choose from where our hamburgers come, my choice is always Whataburger. They have just the right mixture of condiments and toppings so that the burger is juicy but not TOO messy, the hamburger patty is the right thickness (for me) and the finished product is a fest for my eyes and tummy. And when they run the A-1 cheddar burger promotion, get out of my way. I have friends who grew up in Texas, but sadly do not reside in the Lone Star State these days.  When they cross the Texas border for a visit, Whataburger is first on their list.

Well, Whataburger is having two giveaways in the near future.  The first giveaway is Tuesday, November 10th.  Here’s their description of what’s going on:

11/10/09 – Orange Night Out
It never ceases to amaze us how many dedicated fans there are of Whataburger. Well, here’s a great chance for you to prove yourself as part of that crowd. On Tuesday, November 10th from 5-8 pm, we invite you to get decked out in orange from head to toe for an Orange Night Out. So dress up, dine in, show us how much orange spirit you have and get a Free Whataburger®.

I wonder how I’m going to get Big J in an orange jumpsuit……

Second giveaway is called The 12 Days of Whataburger.  Hmmmm.  Kinda sounds like that binge I went on. Here’s what’s going on for this giveaway:

12/1/09 – 12 Days of Whataburger
The holidays are all about giving and so is Whataburger. So, we are happy to share “The Twelve Days of Whataburger” with you—a special promotion starting December 1st, where every other day until December 23rd, we’ll email you a coupon for a Free Food item. In order to receive these free offers once they start on December 1st, along with other future promotions, please click here to sign up.

So, head on over to the Whataburger site and sign up for your Twelve Days of Whataburger emails.  A little gift for yourself while you are gifting everyone else.  And those of you who aren’t near a Whatabuger.  I’m sorry.

And no, I was not paid or rewarded for this post.  Whataburger doesn’t know who I am and doesn’t know I wrote this love note to them.

All writing and photos (unless noted) property of LoneStarLifer 2009.
Photos courtesy of Whataburger website.

 

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 6. Early Christmas.

Got this tweet earlier this morning:

ExtraordMommy Parents of a little guy w/cancer are hoping for extra holiday cards to celebrate an early xmas. http://ow.ly/zJqA Please RT.

I’ve gotten lots of emails about sending cards, gifts, money to sick children and most are hoaxes or contain very outdated information, so I was skeptical (sorry, Danielle).  I went to the link in her tweet and found that a radio station in Michigan is actually asking for Christmas cards to be sent to a 5 year old boy named Noah who is in hospice care.  His family is having an early Christmas (caringpages requires registration).  His family has a caringpages site set up for him and you can read the heartbreaking entries from his mom describing his pain and her hurts from seeing him suffer.

I will be sending a card to Noah and asking Little J to create a card or drawing to include with my card.  I will also be sending a note to his mom Diana and his father Scott.  I can. not. imagine. what they are experiencing.  Cards can be sent to:

Noah Biorkman
c/o 99.5 WYCD
2201 Woodward Heights Blvd.
Ferndale, MI  48220-1511 

I saw on Noah’s caringpages site that you can donate to The Children’s Hospital of Michigan Foundation, the hospital that has cared for Noah.

I feel very inadequate to say more about this.  I hope you can hear my heart.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge.

All writing property of LoneStarLifer 2009.

 

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 5.

Whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord,
and he will repay him for his deed.

—Proverbs 19:17

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 4.

Big J likes to watch NBC Nightly News, so by default I watch it, too.  Lots of things going on in the world that hurt when you hear them.  At the end of each Friday’s newscast, Brian Williams has a segment called “Making a Difference”.   Good is the focus of this segment; good people, good works, good coming from bad or sad.  Most segments are about normal, everyday people who saw a need, listened to their hearts, and went to work to answer the need.

Last Friday Brian Williams was in Afghanistan and did a story on an orphange that takes care of approximately 150 children.  Viewers were so touched by the story that by the time Brian did a follow-up story on Monday, 130 of the children had sponsors and a great deal of money was donated to the orphanage.  I haven’t heard a new update but I am guessing that after people saw the Monday update, the remaining children now have a sponsor.

Here is the Friday report.

Here is the Monday report.

Now THAT is must-see TV!

P.S. There is a blog dedicated to the ties that Brian Williams wears.  An English teacher writes the blog.  If I remember correctly, she started it as a writing demonstration for her students, and she has continued it for several years.  If you read it often, you will start noticing his tie each evening. 

At least I do.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge.

30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 3.

No one has ever become poor by giving.

~ Anne Frank

The 30-Day Giving Challenge.

The 30-Day Giving Challenge. Day 2.

When seeds of kindness are sown prayerfully
in the garden plot of our lives,
we may be sure that there will be a bountiful harvest
of blessings for both us and others.

~ W. Phillip Keller

The 30-Day Giving Challenge.