Share the Warmth Drive Surprise!

God obviously knows I have a big mouth. I have the BEST story about my annual "Share the Warmth" drive this year! I kicked off my annual coat drive a few weeks ago where I collect coats, hats, gloves, and scarves for local families and shelters in need where we live locally. I have been doing this drive for over 10 years now and I've always loved doing it. Last year I had a great response from our community and we collected 13 bags of winter gear for our local shelter.

This year, I opened it up earlier to include friends & family and I had a HUGE response from them. I was sent coats, hats, gloves, and scarves from literally around the nation - states included Ohio, Iowa, Virginia, Illinois, California, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Colorado, and I am positive I am missing a few more states in there! I seriously have the BEST tribe EVER!

I wasn't sure the response I'd get from my local town but last year I had a pretty good response so I posted it in the paper (the weekly column I write) for a few weeks and posted it all over our community FB page several times so I was hoping for a good turn out.

Yesterday was the official collection day and Colin, Sammy and I went to our local community location to wait for people to show up. There were 3 people that stopped to donate items. I was VERY grateful for the 3 ladies that collected items and took the time to meet me and donate, but honestly, I was a little bummed out because I was surprised there weren't more drop-offs. Honestly, I was disappointed. I had written 3 columns in the paper about it and I figured our town was more charitable than that so I left feeling a little deflated. I told Colin "How am I going to write a column in the paper showing the results of the drive when I hardly had any response from my local community". I thought about it and I told him I wasn't going to put it in the paper bc it was honestly embarrassing for the town.

A few of my friends had donated money towards the drive so I went shopping to buy some coats. I went to Meijer and a few other local stores thinking I would get some good deals but I left every store empty handed bc coats seem outragiously expensive this year. At Meijer, I could not find a winter jacket under $70! WHAT!? Could this be why people were hanging onto their coats this year?!

So, deflated once again, I drove home with nothing thinking I would head out again the next day to shop. I was passing our local Dollar General and whipped in there at the last minute thinking "Well, what could it hurt to stop in here and see if maybe they have anything".

Wouldn't you know, I found some great prices on winter coats there! I grabbed several until I reached the $130 in donation money that I had been given and went to the register. Here is where the story takes a turn. :)

The cashier told me that on Saturdays they have a special coupon where if you spend so much money you get $5 -$10 off your order. I had no idea and I had no coupons either. My cashier, Jennifer, said she had a few coupons so she split up my order so that I could use a few coupons, bringing my order down and saving me a ton of money. Plus, BONUS - the coats I grabbed were all on sale!

The line started backing up and there were SEVERAL people at this point waiting in line behind me and I turned around to apologize to everyone and told them it was for charity. All of a sudden, people started whipping out coupons and throwing coupons at me! Then, the money started flying! People were tossing money at me (I felt a little like a stripper for a hot second) :).

Because of the coupons, the coats all being on sale, the EXTRA coupons people in the store were giving me AND the extra money people were donating, I went back through the line 6 different times shopping and grabbing more coats, scarves, sweatshirts, vests, and hats! I collected more this year than I did last year and the back of my SUV is completely full. I literally started crying bc I was so overwhelmed by the generosity of the cashier and the people in my community!

I told Colin that God probably said, "Oh you want something to write about?! No problem Brenda. Here is something you can write about" (He knows I have a big mouth). :)

The power of God never ceases to amaze me. He brought me through one of the worst times in my life losing my Max and I didn't just get through that time - I GREW through that time. He provided for me and my family as He always does. Then, He showed His mighty hand at work with this "Share the Warmth" drive and it will not only help to keep others warm that truly need the help, but it sure warmed my heart to see my community step up in a different way than I thought they would. God showed me that I should always have faith and that He always comes through and just because things don't work out one way, they can still work out!

I know this was long and if you are still reading this, I thank you for taking the time. To say my drive was a success this year would be an understatement. It was not only a success in helping others but it GREW me, too! <3 

xoxoxo,

Brenda

Flower Power!

There is Power in that Flower!

July was hot hot hot (picture Michael Scott here playing the Jamaican steel drum and if you know what I am talking about I want to be friends with you). 

I know some of you may want to slap me for saying this but I am getting ready and excited for fall! It’s just around the corner and this is the last summer month before school starts again so let’s all embrace it and remember that Christmas is only 20 Fridays away (now you really want to slap me don’t you?).

I have always loved fresh picked flowers from around our yard in the summer time. From lilacs and peonies in the early spring to lilies and lavender in the summer…. I love it all. Towards the end of summer sweet sunflowers are in bloom and my black-eyed susans and daisies are so vibrant and alive that I swear I can hear them talking to me when I walk by! I will grab a pair of scissors and a mason jar and walk around our property filling it up to add some color and beauty indoors. I try to always have fresh flowers in our house at all times (even in the winter when I have to buy them) because I feel like it’s hard to have a bad day when there are beautiful flowers around.

 My friend Natalie and I would take walks all the time when we lived next door to each other back in Ypsilanti and I remember her son, Mason, would always ride his bike ahead of us and come racing back to give his mom a dandelion. It was one of the sweetest gestures ever, to see this big brown eyed 3 year old go off and pick a weed because he thought it was beautiful and he’d race in excitement to his mommy so he could put a smile on her face by offering her this freshly picked ray of sunshine. It always melted my heart and I remember Natalie would never toss it away. She always held onto it to show Mason that his kindness mattered to her.

Before the blooms of summer fade away it’s the perfect time to snip snip snip and give away some sunshine in a jar. Grab your scissors and a mason jar and take a walk around your yard and snip some beautiful stems to give away to someone. This is an easy and free way to spread some cheer to others and it’s a great way to involve your kiddos. Let’s pay it forward with bouquets of hope to others in our community and our lives. It's cheap. It's easy and it's a great way to spread kindness.... something our broken world needs so much right now. 

xoxoxo,

Brenda

Pay It Forward - Leaf Project

We are officially heading into fall now! You know what that means! Trips to Dexter Bakery, pumpkin patches, and fall camping! For us, fall camping is our favorite! We love taking hikes on trails with fallen leaves crunching under our feet and we love cozying up around a bonfire wrapped in a blanket and drinking hot cocoa as we tell stories of our childhood and have laughing fits about dumb stuff we’ve done throughout the years. 

Of course, because I am crazy, our house is already decorated for the fall. I started decorating weeks ago and my friends were freaking out telling me it was still summer. I can’t help it! I love the fall! Bring on the hot cider!

I was trying to think of a great fall pay it forward project and I have one for all my teacher friends out there! I try to be careful with giving teachers’ pay it forward projects because, let’s be honest, they are already under paid and over worked and have a huge responsibility with molding young minds and nurturing kiddos. But, I know that teachers love to invest in kids and this project is an easy way for them to show love to their kiddos this fall and you can even involve the kids in your class! This is a great project for elementary school teachers and aids as well as for Girl Scout or Boy Scout troop leaders, too!

Here is what you do:

Make a leaf stencil 

Have your kids use it to cut out paper leaves (make your leaf stencil at least the size of an adult hand). You can use colored paper (fall colors) or you can use plain white paper and have your students use water colors to paint their leaves or they can use crayons to decorate them. 

Make sure to have your students write their names on the back of their leaf. 

Then, teachers or troop leaders can write a positive message to each student on their leaf and then hang their leaves around the room, on your classroom door, or tape them to their desk!

Your students will be surprised with an encouraging message personally written to them by you! 

It’s an easy way to get your students involved and it’s a great way to pay it forward to your students or class this fall!

 Hope you have fun with this fun fall pay it forward project!!!!

xoxoxo,

Brenda

Give a Book - Take a Book!

We are heading into week 2 of the new year and I have another Pay It Forward Project to share with you! 

I have to admit, and some of you may be really disappointed when you hear this, but, I am not an avid reader. I know! I know! I read to gain knowledge. I read to learn something new and to grow myself. I will read articles, newspapers, columns, research articles, devotional books, spiritual growth literature and I read the bible every morning to start my day, but, for me to actually take the time to sit down with a good book and read it for pleasure is like building a snowman in the summer. 

It simply doesn’t happen.

I use to read for pleasure all the time, but as I got older and more involved in other passions, reading for pleasure went by the way side and now, when I do try to sit down to read a book, I find myself day dreaming and thinking about the laundry that needs folded, the dishwasher that needs emptied, and all the other things I could be doing. 

So, I don’t pick up a book all that often, and this year, I have decided I would like to try to change that! After all, I am writing a book so what kind of hypocrite am I if I don’t read much!

This past month, my friend Katherine Hull, who owns Hull’s Produce Stand with her husband, John Hull, gave me a wonderful stack of books to read and I have to say, I was so excited when she gave them to me! All of the books she gave me had something to do with my passion of outreach and giving back to others and I felt so special that she had thought of me and took the time to pay it forward! 

So, as you may have guessed, that is what this week’s pay it forward project is all about!

Take a look at your stack of books at home and find the one that you have read a hundred times (or if you are me, just once) and slap a sticky note on the front that says “A free gift for you. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did”. 

The next time you are in town, leave the book somewhere for someone else to find! What a sweet and lovely surprise for someone! 

I am ready to dive into these books from Katherine and I will certainly pay them forward once I am done! 

If you find a book around town this coming week, shoot me a comment and let me know and let’s pay it forward through words and books this week, one page and one book at a time.  

xoxo,

Brenda

New Year's Resolutions - Let's Get Organized!

New Year means New Year’s Resolutions and another year older for me! I am excited to ring in another birthday with you all as we start another year together as we welcome the year 2019! Can you believe I just said 2019? Who remembers 12/31/1999 when we were all holding our breath and freaking out, wondering what would happen to the banks and computers and worried the world would implode at the strike of midnight. But alas! Everything was just fine and we are now 19 years older and holding it all together.  Sort of.

It’s a new year which, for some, means New Year’s Resolutions. 

Do you have a New Year’s Resolution this year? 

For anyone wondering…. I do! I have a few actually. I am going to work on getting healthier (which is the polite way of saying I need to start exercising and I need to quit eating past 7pm). I have a few other goals this year like working on the book I am writing, I want to try my hand at a little painting (not boring painting like on walls but artistic painting on canvas and cards), and I would like to work on ideas to serve others and pay it forward in our community.

New Year’s Resolutions are sometimes hard to stick with. For a lot of us (yes, me included), New Year’s Resolutions start out strong January 1^st and then by January 17^th, everything goes to pot and we end up either forgetting them or wondering why we chose that specific resolution to begin with. 

I didn’t want that to happen to you, or me, so I thought of a pay it forward idea that is easy and practical and will keep us going strong all year long. Are you ready to go with me on this journey? 

Let’s do it.

This New Year’s Resolution will be an easy one for you to stick with this year. 

Each month, donate one item (or one bag of items) to charity. 

Now, if a light bulb just went off in your head, you are a winner! 

This pay it forward idea doesn’t just help others, but it helps you, too! 

We all love the feeling of getting rid of clutter and organizing ourselves, our lives and our closets, and this pay it forward project will help others throughout the year and it will help get you organized, too!

Now, here’s a little tip to help you keep this resolution on track. 

Don’t start with a big project! 

Don’t start by clearing out your basement that is fuller than your stomach after Thanksgiving dinner. Do not start out in your garage because the sight of mouse poop will make you quit right away. And whatever you do, don’t start in your linen closet. There are expired medicines and stuff hiding in there that will stop you dead in your tracks. 

Start easy. Something like your coat closet or dresser will be a good start. Tackle those small jobs first, fill up a bag, and donate it to charity this month and you will be well on your way to paying it forward and keeping your resolution. 

I am so glad you are joining me this year! 

I have some closets to organize and some items to donate to let’s stay strong and stay on track together! Happy paying it forward friends and Happy New Year!  

xoxo,

Brenda