day 129 : save a snowman {and that time i was really mad at a stranger}

happy monday, everybody!

can you believe its the last weekend of november?! then its december. and then 2014! i cant believe how fast the second half of the year flew by!

this weekend, i received a custom order for a winter hat {did you know that i knit?}, so i made a quick run to the yarn store. usually, i purchase my yarn at a small local shop, but that didn't work out this time.

anyways, we went to jo anns and it was PACKED!

as we were getting ready to checkout, i watched a woman {there with her husband & two kids} get her purse strap caught on an ornament display. one of the ornaments fell and shattered on the ground. the entire family watched it happen. the lady actually walked over & KICKED the broken pieces under the display and told her children that it wasn't her problem & she shouldn't have to pay for it. and then they all walked away!

you guys, i was SO mad! {i know ; obviously there are 'real' issues in the world that i should be using my energy on...} i was just so frustrated with this woman! she made an effort to hide the mess. her purse getting stuck was an accident ; but the consequence was that there were sharp pieces all over the floor. the cherry on top when the fact that she actually told her children that she wont pay for it or clean it up {i was standing a few feet away with my mouth hanging open, watching the entire thing} the whole incident was such an awful example that she set for her kids.

i feel like, a year ago, i probably would have confronted her. i would have tried to be calm ; but probably would have felt angry & gotten defensive. 

instead, i got down on my hands and knees & picked up all the broken pieces. i took it to the checkout counter & explained that a woman broke it & left it on the floor.

i think blake got annoyed with me because i was SO frustrated with this lady. i brought it up a few times throughout the night. it wasn't about breaking an ornament. it was an accident. those things happen. you put a million items in a store and then add thousands of customers {during the holidays, when people are sometimes grumpy & in a hurry} ; accidents will happen.

my issue was her gross attitude. this sense of privilege & entitlement. she broke something that someone made by hand {the fact that it was probably a young girl in china that received *pennies* for her work is another issue...}. she looked her children in the eyes & told them that she wouldn't pay for it, when i am assuming she has taught her kids that 'if you break it, you buy it.'

throughout this project, i have tried to have more empathy for strangers. i have tried to go out of my way to make the planet better with small acts. but, i am human. i have morals & values and can say that i was seriously offended by how flippant that stranger was when she broke something that didn't belong to her. so, while i feel like i completed a good deed by picking up the pieces on the floor, my thoughts & judgement of her were not very kind. 

tell us : 

has anything like this ever happened to you? i would love to hear your story // reaction // opinion!

day 128 : kindness carousel {week 4}

friday!
i have been keeping up with my daily good deeds ; but i am not always at the top of my game re: recording them!
yesterday, my best friend from middle school {who i havent seen in 15 years} was in town & we got to hang out. it was so great & i love that we were able to just jump in & catch up!

tonight, i am going to a cookie exchange party with some friends! i have 3 different types of cookies i am bringing ; should be awesome ;) {its never a bad time when people bring dozens of cookies to the same place!}

there are only 6 december boxes left, if you are interested! also, we are now in FIFTH place for the KIND Snacks contest {not good!}. pretty pretty please, run over & use up all 4 of your votes for us. PLEASE?!

lets share some awesome links!
{kindness carousel is a weekly round-up of some of the best, most inspiring news of the week!}

1) in honor of national adoption month, carla shared her daughters story {so beautiful!}

2) speaking of adoption, farm sanctuary has an adopt-a-turkey program! you can adopt {the cost} of a rescued turkey to guarantee they live a good life! even if you dont plan on adopting a turkey, the website is cute & there a lots of pictures {and stories} of the turkeys that are looking for new friends!

3) this is a great little article from the NYT about giving more & getting less for the holiday season!

4) janell did a review of her november be nice box {look at her dog!!}

5) do you live in the twin cities? kevin love {plays for the timberwolves} is hosting a winter coat drive! if you donate a coat, you get a free ticket to a basketball game!

6) im not sure why i cant pull any of the photos from the article, but PLEASE READ THIS! a father captures his son with autism through *incredible* photos. 

7) you know how much i love dogs ; 20 reasons why you need dogs in your life!

8) danielle did a really great post about how she celebrated world kindness day {all week long!}

9) do you know help ink? they are one of my favorite companies! they sell art prints. for each $5 you spend, $1 is donated. right now, they are offering 4 art prints for $15 each with ALL the money going to haiyan relief!

10) kate was kind enough to do a post about the be nice box!

dont forget to vote!!

day 127 : celebrate my grandmas 85th birthday

wednesday!

i have the day off today & to-do list is almost 2 pages long! i plan on putting horse blinders on & just knocking things out one-by-one!

today is my grandmas birthday! she is 85!!!

shes super creative ; i am assuming all of us in the family that have the 'creative, artist-y vibes' come from her!

she draws, paints and wood carves ; she is so crazy-talented!

a few weeks ago, she hand-drew 20 greeting cards for me to include in some of the future Be Nice Boxes. her work is awesome! she also walks 3 miles a day, every day! 

no doubt that keeping your body & mind sharp is the key to aging well.

anyways, since i cant be in iowa to celebrate with her, i sent her this card & will be calling her this afternoon.

she {my moms mom} & my grandpa {my dads dad} are my only two grandparents left ; and they both mean so much to me! 

a super-easy good deed for YOU today : call or write a parent // grandparent!

see you tomorrow ;)

day 126 : cupcakes for turtle

monday! 

did you have a great weekend?

for someone who is working from home ; i am finding myself with a pretty packed schedule! i am enjoying the flexibility ; but also am really learning about balancing & creating my own structure..

this afternoon i have my first lunch event with a 'professional woman's group.' i am hoping to really make some great connections and also find a few awesome business ladies that i can look up to and learn from!

this weekends good deed? 

i ate cupcakes!

we have a super cute {not vegan!} bakery a few blocks from our house & they have done a couple fundraisers lately. they did one in the summer for a dog named franco. he was in really, really bad shape & they created a 'franco' cupcake {it had his picture on it} & donated a portion of each treat sold to his medical fund. they ended up donating $9,000! {so awesome!}

this saturday ; they did it again. this time, the cupcakes were to help support a super-cute wiener-dog named turtle. he was a puppy mill dog that had been mistreated so badly & SO over-medicated that he had become resistant to antibiotics. he was rescued from the mill, developed pneumonia & required tons of medical care. he is still on the road to recovery & his medical bills are over $11,000!! to help offset the cost, sweet retreat donated half of all proceeds from the 'turtle cupcake' and $1 from all other cupcakes to his fund. 

daphne was a rescue dog & she need some medical care when she was found {she was trapped in a harness & her entire body had grown around it}. she need surgery & i know what a huge cost that is to rescue groups. without groups like this, so many {most?} of these dogs would die. they wouldnt find homes and they would never get a second chance. {makes me all sad & teary just thinking about it}

if you live in the twin cities, sweet retreat is awesome! they are a small, local business. on both occasions, they have chosen to donate a huge amount of their profits to charity. i really appreciate that in an owner and in a business! 

ps : dont forget to vote here and sign-ups for the december Be Nice Box are still open! 

{also, we are only 15 votes away from 2nd place and about 80 votes from 1st. i know it sounds like a lot ; but each person can vote once and then earn three 'bonus' votes. if 30 folks each get 4 votes in ; we would be in 1st place. voting ends at the end of the month & this money would open so many doors for us!} 

day 125 : kindness carousel {week 3}

happy friday!
this morning, i had an appointment with my insurance guy. after talking about my lack of retirement funds {and my nearing 30th birthday} ; we came up with a plan for me to move around some money & make some investments! i turn 30 in *exactly* a month ; and one of my goals is to really focus on saving for my future. i have a couple savings accounts & other than my car, i am totally debt free ; but most of my time has been spent paying off debt, instead of saving for the future. SO, i have a plan. and a goal!
do you have a retirement fund? do you play the stock market? i would love your tips & insights!

lets talk about good vibes on the internet this week :
kindness carousel is a weekly round-up taking some of the best, most heartwarming stories from around the internet!
week 1 // week 2  

1) animal lover? this artist took photos of elderly animals to capture their dignity & beauty. seriously, SO beautiful!

2) i am SUCH a huge advocate for biking ; i think biking makes us all better! bringing bikes to more remote places in the world makes all the difference. watch this video!

3) aundra has her own kindness project ; a year of chestertown nice. last week, she hosted a free zumba class!

4) world kindness day was on wednesday ; but heathers list of things to do can be referenced all year round!

5) kelly {who runs 'orlando nice' ; another kindness blog!} honored veterans in her community this week by sending thank you notes! {this would be such a great 'good deed' to practice with young kids, especially for the holiday season!}

6) BAWLING! 6 super-heartwarming videos of dogs welcoming their soldier-humans home! 

7) rachel has committed to donating ALL proceeds in her shop to the philippines! the photos of the devastation is heart-breaking! any way you can help offer relief would be welcome!

8) do you live in the twin cities? are you free december 5 from 6-7pm? i plan on being here ; come join me! i cant imagine how emotional this will be!

BONUS : i am still in 3rd place for the KIND Projects award. if you havent voted yet, please do! if you HAVE voted, please share with a few friends!

DOUBLE BONUS : there are less than 15 december Be Nice Boxes left! if you would like a box, please go here! boxes will ship on the 26th! we have been receiving a lot of orders for holiday gifts! the box makes a great gift for the person who has everything OR the person that would rather give than receive.

day 124 : GIVE TO THE MAX DAY!

its give to the max day today in minnesota! 

they have done a few surveys and studies and it turns out that when it comes to charitable giving, minnesotans are some of the most generous in the country! 

it really doesnt surprise me ; people here are pretty nice {as long as they arent driving. kindness on the interstate leaves something to be desired...}

anyways, today is the day! 

there is a really great website & pretty much EVERY group & organization in the state has a donation page up.

every year, blake and i sit down and pick 10 groups to support & then we give $10 to each. $10 might not seem like a lot, but we feel that giving small amounts to a large number of groups helps create a ripple of change.

because give to the max is such a big deal here {in 12 hours, people have donated OVER $9 MILLION dollars! and crashed the website!}, many groups have matching grants available! so, when you give $10, it is doubled // matched ; thats pretty awesome! 

if you live in minnesota {and even if you dont} ; head over and check out the website. there is a great search feature, so you can type in something you care about {kids, environment, dogs, ect} and you will find a TON of different options!

bonus : the site is up all year round, so if you are looking to donate stuffed animals or want to volunteer packing meals ; head over and find a group that fits your needs! 

day 123 : veterans day, world kindness day & the good deeds that could have been..

hey everybody!

look for another post to read after you finish this one {two posts today!}

but first : can you PLEASE vote for the Be Nice Box!?

we are still in 3rd place to win a $10,000 project grant from KIND Snacks!

vote here.

second : sign-ups for the december box opened up earlier this week! there will be about 50 boxes total & right now, there are only 20 left!

the december boxes would be a great holiday gift for someone in your life that would rather give, than receive!

also, i just secured a super-rad partnership & there will be TWO gifts in this months box. i am SO very excited to share a really incredible artist with all of you!

sign up here!

good deeds {or lack thereof!}

monday was veterans day and yesterday was world kindness day.

{i would love to hear your good deeds in the comments!}

on monday, i decided to purchase a few bouquets of tulips and bring them to the veterans hospital here in town. i wanted to send thank you cards, but didnt get them written in time. i called the VA first to make sure it was okay to bring by the flowers. 

DENIED!

the woman i spoke to said that in place of coming on veterans day, they would rather have me volunteer long-term. 

{just a note : i dont have an issue with that. i am not complaining about the VA or their policies!}

attempt #2 :

i recently started training for a new part-time job. i cant talk about it online & so far, i dont know if it is a good fit for me ; BUT, i had an all-day training yesterday.

before work, i drove to whole foods & picked up a whole, vegan apple pie. 

after work, i drove to our neighborhood fire station & decided to drop it off. i really appreciate them & all the work they do. also, with the holidays coming up, it always seems like there are scary house & christmas tree fires. its a dangerous job. i checked their hours to make sure they would be there.

DENIED!

i get there, their hours said they were open, but the lights were off and the door was locked! 

so, i took back my apple pie & its sitting in my fridge. i dont have a specific plan yet, but i will get there.

my point? 

sometimes we have really good intentions and they dont always work out.

one time, a woman let her dog poop in our yard, so i offered her a poop bag. instead, she cursed at me and walked away {without taking the poop or the bag..}

another time, i asked a man to stop texting and driving & he gave me the finger and sped off..

i think that days like world kindness day are awesome. they remind us to take a moment to reach out & share goodness. but, dont wait for specific days! dont wait for thanksgiving to say you are thankful for something. dont wait for a partners birthday to tell them you love them! dont wait for teacher appreciate day to tell your kids' teachers you appreciate them!

put 'be kind' on your to-do list & keep it there. reference it every day and make an effort {no matter how busy or broke you are} to be nice! every single day! 

day 122 : ask for a favor! {also known as : please help!}

hey everybody!

can i ask for some help?

KIND Snacks is hosting a project grant contest and the Be Nice Box is in the running!

currently, there are 77 organizations & we are in 3rd place!

voting started on sunday and ends at the end of the month.

the prize?

a $10,000 project award!

$10,000!

we could make SUCH a difference with that much money!

we will hire two part-time staff! we will be able to work with larger retail stores and sell our boxes to more folks. we will be able to make different 'limited edition' boxes {i have a few awesome ideas!}. that money would allow us to expand and create lines for kids, teachers and families! and most importantly, more money equals a larger audience. more boxes sold means that our $1 from each box will go a lot further! i have also been working on sponsorships from larger companies that would enable us to double {even triple} the monthly donations we make!

i am telling you ; this is a huge deal!

voting is pretty simple and doesnt take much time!

head over here. you are only able to vote once, BUT you get three 'bonus' entries when you share on facebook, twitter and email!

when you vote, please share & bring your total to 4.

every single vote counts!

thanks so much, everybody!

it takes a village to make the world brighter!

day 121 : kindness carousel {week 2}

FRIDAY!
lets end the week with a bunch of rad {and heart-warming links!}

1) did you follow the new york marathon last weekend? this article about the first man with down syndrome to finish is great!

2) firstbook recently tweeted this :

61% of low-income families have no age appropriate books at home.
— First Book (@FirstBook) November 8, 2013

this holiday season, when you purchase a book for a child in your life, pick up a second one to donate.
every single child deserves books!

3) my friend kelly is hosting a 'holiday give & get swap' ; its a great way to send a sweet kindness package & make a new friend. bonus : everybody that signs up has a chance to win a subscription to the be nice box!

4) speaking of gift swaps : sign ups for the christmas city swap are open! this is such an awesome idea! you get paired up with a stranger and send them a gift // care package using ONLY things from your city! i love it! one thing i have learned about people from minnesota ; we love our state! it will be easy to come up with a package full of cool 'minneapolis' things!

5) this woman spent THOUSANDS of dollars on her dream wedding. with weeks to go before the big day, her fiance called the wedding off. her response? she donated the hall, the limo and the food to a non-profit, so their residents could hold a halloween ball!

6) fan of classical music? here is a video of a handel flash mob at the grocery store {i LOVE flash mobs!}

7) i want to give a shout out to a few awesome bloggers that wrote about the be nice box this week! kelly, heather, deanna, julie, lindsay

8) and finally, amanda & kiri {both be nice box subscribers!} posted a few photos of their good deeds this week! they are both super inspiring!!

*also, dont forget that monday is veterans day! is there is a vet hospital nearby? a nursing home? call & see if they will give you the name of a vet & send them a thank you card!

day 120 : give a book, take a book

good morning, everybody!

yesterday, sign-ups went live for the folks on the waiting list for the be nice box & i am so very thankful for the response! my little dream is growing ; so fun to share it with so many people.

also, if you arent on the waiting list ; sign ups will go live on MONDAY!

todays good deed?

checking out little free libraries in my neighborhood!

i have written about them before ; but they are one of my very favorite ways to spread kindness.

in our neighborhood alone, i would guess we have at least 25 little free libraries. every day when i am walking daph, we pass at least 5-7 of them.

i recently finished this book and thought i would share it with someone else.

{ps : do you see that their entire library is painted like a peacock?!}

 

at the end of our walk, we found this kitschy library. {the sides are covered in chalkboard paint and there is a little ledge with chalk ; so cute!}{also, the inside of this one is covered in paint splatter. there is a lot going on here...}

i picked up this book to take home and read. diablo cody is best known for writing the movie juno. but before she moved to hollywood, she spent time here in minneapolis. this book is her memoir.
{also, the title is candy girl. i was unintentionally covering the title}

have you ever used a little free library? are they in your town // city? you can check out a map of all the libraries in the country {i think there are over 10,000!}

day 119 : support local & purchase gifts that support others

this weekend, i had a craft show, selling my knit cowls and hats. 

i havent been knitting much & my focus has been shifting lately. i have a lot of pieces i have created over time & was hoping to sell a bunch of them. 

{the show went really well & i actually did sell a quite a few!}

at each show, i like to walk around, meet other artists & support them.

throughout the year, i always purchase items & store them so i am never short when i need 'the perfect gift.'

i am a huge fan of local, handmade soap. i give them as gifts all the time & we have about 15 bars in the closet, waiting to be used.

i am convinced that once you start to use homemade soap made with REAL ingredients, you will never go back to the 'value pack' junk sold in stores.

i purchased 4 bars of hand cut soap, made with local honey. they all smell awesome! i will give three away & keep the pumpkin spice bar for the bathroom.

{if you want to purchase from myla, her shop is here}

{bonus : i told her about the be nice box & i have a few ideas on how we can work together!!}

have you started holiday shopping yet? 

do you have gifts that are always your 'go-to?'

day 118 : the kindness carousel {week 1}

happy friday, everybody!
todays good deed? 
i am going to share a few heartwarming // super rad stories with you.
on my other blog {which i havent been on in weeks...}, i do a weekly round-up of cool things {recipes, products, stories, ect}
i decided to bring it over here & call it the 'kindness carousel.'
the goal : each week, i will share awesome 'nice-ness' from real people from around the country.
sound good?
here we go!

1) have you seen this video? {i think ive watched it 6 times!} he is driving through rush hour traffic in LA & blasting 'build me up buttercup' ; encouraging folks to sing along. the guy in the truck gets me every time!

2) this guy in california runs a bakery & gives recovering addicts and ex-convicts a second chance! right now, he has 80 employees ; think of all the families he has helped! i also love when folks break down stereotypes like this!!

3) this is an older story ; but this disney security guard asks a little princess for her autograph!

4) this little boy {jack} is a huge nebraska huskers fan. he was diagnosed with brain cancer & the team let him come to a training game. they also let him take the field {bawling!}
{update : a couple weeks ago on the news, they said that jack is now cancer free!}

5) and have you seen this? a photographer put random people together & took their pictures. the photos are beautiful!

6) and did you see that twitter & starbucks teamed up? you can now send someone a $5 starbucks e-gift card through twitter. its a fun little 'thinking of you' gift!

any other awesome links to share?
put them in the comments so we can all enjoy them!