sarah's blog

I have been thinking about Christmas and starting early to pace myself for awhile now. I’ve tried it in the past with some success but I need to turn it up a notch this year, for two obvious reasons.

So when I read a post today on a blog I frequent I knew it was a sign to switch into high gear. I tend to agree with the author, it’s the gift buying, second guessing purchases and wrapping that slow me down and drag on until the last minute. I love the decorating so that is always done in a day, babies or no babies. Even last year with two month old twins still eating every three hours I didn’t neglect my holiday decor. It would take a lot more than that to keep those two green tubs on a storage room shelf through December.

So knowing what I know about gift giving stress, here’s my plan of attack. I’ve always wanted to try buying everything online and I think this may be the year to do it. Not that I can’t take the twins out for some shopping but a) they are too young to enjoy the holiday spirit and b) it is stressful to be bound by the clock, nap times, the hunger/impatience/ants-in-the-pants of two one year olds.

So I’m going to try it. I’ve made my list of people to shop for and some preliminary ideas. I’ve even purchased a gift for my nephews already. I predict I still run into the problem of indecision (is it just me or are there certain people in our lives who are SO easy to think of a gift for that they are actually the hardest ones for which to settle on just one thing??) and I’ll have to do my research to stay away from expensive shipping/stores that don’t ship to Canada, but I think it can be done.

First stop, Etsy. I’m a fan of small businesses and one-of-a-kind gifts and I think that’s the place I want to start.

As for me and my Christmas wish list… that’s another whole post which I am itching to write and will hopefully do so this afternoon. That makes me sound greedy but in truth it actually leads into a bit of bigger discussion I’ve wanted to have with you. Or this blog. Or myself if I’m the only one here.

Just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to those of you who gave to my birthday charity:water campaign. We raised $131 which will provide clean drinking water for 6 people.

Because the money was collected during September there is a good chance our contributions will go to the Bayaka people of the Central African Republic, with a goal of eventually providing clean drinking water for every member of that displaced people group.

I love doing campaigns for charity:water and I don’t plan to stop. In fact, maybe when the twins are born they can help me and we’ll do a family campaign. I would love for them to grow up with an awareness of the needs of others and that they would hold their money in open hands as a resource to care for people in need.

I think that’s a good thing to model to kids. So thanks for modeling generosity to me, again.

I made The Pioneer Woman‘s chocolate chip cookie sweet rolls the other day. So sweet, so yummy, so so bad.

Tips for making them from my experience: warm and soften the cream cheese in the icing before blending it with the other ingredients so it doesn’t get lumpy, listen to the recipe when it says to let the buns cool a bit before pouring on the icing and don’t be afraid to let them get good and brown on top. I hate overcooking anything so I took mine out just a bit too early.

The dough process was different than any I’d made before but was totally worth it, and I plan to try making her other sweet rolls too.

Charity:water is doing it again this year, their forth annual September Campaign, a tradition since their founder first gave up his birthday four years ago. This year they are doing a live well drill at 4:30pm EST, the first of their committed efforts for the Bayaka people of the Central African Republic.

I’m still raising money for my birthday, I’ve got 23 days left and we’ve raised $131 of my $280 goal. I’d love to see our goal reached, but in the mean time, check out this video about the well that will be drilled in a matter of hours, and the people whose lives it will change.

charity: water 2010 September Campaign: Clean Water for the Bayaka from charity: water on Vimeo.

If you’d like to donate to something like this, you can give through my birthday campaign here. 100% of our donations will go towards a well, very likely drilled for the Bayaka people of C.A.R.

Watch the live drill at 4:30pm EST

I was going to write three. But it seems life has picked up where it left off before I took an Olympic timeout, and has even sped up a bit maybe.

I’m not saying I have a super busy life, I don’t, it’s just that things are moving along and new stuff is happening and I can’t be two weeks behind on blog posting or I’ll never catch up.

All that being said, let’s do one last post about my Olympic experience and move on. If I posted about more I’d just end up rehashing everything you already read elsewhere and blabbing on about identity and national pride and the like.

However, for a really beautiful description of an Olympic experience, by a self-described non-sports fan (my friend Claire) this is a must-read. Reading her short post made me live it all over again. Go there just to see the picture if nothing else.

As for what else I have left to say about the Olympics, it’s really about the extracurriculars. (more…)

There is just so much I would love to post about when it comes to the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympic Games, if I hadn’t been so busy soaking up every minute of it I might have been smart about it and posted throughout the two weeks.

But I didn’t.

I let it all collect in my brain and now I have to sort it out and decide what’s worth telling, how to even describe it and make sure it’s not just a rehash of what you already read on ctvolympics.ca. Or nbc.com if you’re in the States. (more…)

I only have one more day to reach the goal I set before Christmas, of raising $500 for clean water in developing countries. It’s not much in comparison with the $80,000-something someone recently raised. But it’s big to me, and to each person who gave.

It’s big to the 25 people who by this time next year will take a drink of water that will nourish their bodies and not make them sick.

If you’ve got 20 bucks, or 10 or 50, put it towards changing life for the people of the Central African Republic, and many other communities who have been through so much.

Donate to my campaign here and watch my favorite new video from charity: water. So good.

charity: water promo featuring “Time Bomb” by Beck from charity: water on Vimeo.

While we awaited the completion of The Office episode we were downloading, um, acquiring from our peers last night, John shared this blog with me. I know my posts have become more about other people’s lives than my own but just indulge me one more time and I promise to go back to writing more often.

I thought of my dear friend Claire who is an amazing cake maker when I saw this blog. Then I thought of a cake experience of my own that I want to submit to the site. My co-workers remember that fateful Team Building Day when our logo lost all its dignity on a background of chocolate icing. If any of you took a picture I think I’ve found the place for it.

Enjoy a good laugh with me, courtesy of Cake Wrecks, “when professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong”.

Thank you, digg.com, for introducing me to a new source of entertainment. passiveaggressivenotes.com has me laughing out loud at my laptop as we speak. You must see this for yourself.

The site is self-described as a blog of “painfully polite and hilariously hostile writings from shared spaces the world over”.

Just to get you started, check this out…

Or this hilariously awkward use of Facebook to be passive aggressive.

And finally, you really have to feel bad for this Graham guy…

Go to the site, there are so many more where these came from.

Thanks to digg.com for showing me these amazing pictures. His name is Kevin Richardson and he makes friends with lions, hyenas and the like.

Yes, those are two kings of the jungle getting their tummies scratched (right). I grabbed one of the images but you have to go to The Daily Telegraph to see the rest, they’re pretty crazy. I especially like the one where a hyena is lounging in his lap, belly up, like a house cat. Are you kidding me?

Now I know another thing I want to do in heaven: have pet lions.