day 133 : cat food, kites & cheesecake ; oh my!

hi everybody!
thanks SO much for all your comments, texts & emails yesterday. i went to the doctor yesterday {she was so kind when i started *bawling* on the table..} and was referred to a specialist for more tests. after crying to the receptionist on the phone {seriously, so emotional}, she moved my appointment to today. i leave in a little bit & all my fingers are crossed, hoping for good news.

anyways, todays good deed involves donations & free cheesecake!
each year, tami {who runs muddy paws cheesecake} has a cheesecake sampling party! there is live music, awesome local vendors, TONS of free cheesecake samples {everything from beer to mint to *the best* vegan key lime!}
the only way to get in?
you have to bring in a new toy OR a bag of pet food to be donated.

this year, the toys are going to STEP Emergency and Perspectives Family Resource and the pet food is headed to Pet Project.
its such a great cause & we have been going since we moved here!

a few weeks ago, i received a klout perk from hills science diet. they sent me a bag of cat food & two bags of treats. i have no idea why i got cat food, but i am always happy to donate something to a good home. plus, this is my contribution to cat-society ;) 

we are donating a pack of wiki-sticks {these are SO awesome!} and they are made in the US! we also have a brand new kite {still in the package with the price tags on} that i purchased at a garage sale this summer.

blake & i have worked with kids for half our lives & a lot of toys bum us out. the lights, the spinning, the fact that they were put together by young kids in china... stuffed animals, books & toys like blocks, legos & other 'small motor' items are always good gifts!

if you live in minneapolis, the event is TODAY from 430-9pm! here is the FB event!
i am also super excited for all the great local vendors that will be there. everything from hot sauce to energy bars to candles ; people here are so creative!

tell us : have you ever been to anything like this before {bring a donation, eat something awesome?}
and ps : just so its noted, klout & hills science diet did not sponsor this post or ask me to post about them//their product. they provided me with free cat food and i am choosing to donate it to this event.

see you tomorrow!

day 132 : {a vague post on fear, biopsies & doctors appointments}

happy tuesday, everybody!
i know that i run two blogs & am all over the internet ; but for the most part, i am a pretty private person.
when {deep} things happen, i really dont share them outside of my mom & blake. the internet makes me nervous when it comes to spilling deep stuff. i know that people post pictures of their kids, birth stories, ect ; but for me, i like to keep a distance between 'screen life' & 'real life.'
people understand that, right?

i have debated about posting this ; i have gone back & forth {and back and forth}
by the time you read this, i will be at the doctor getting some {scary} tests done.

one of my 'good deeds' for this project was to 'schedule a check-up // doctors appointment.' i consider myself to be in pretty decent health. i dont eat meat or dairy, i work out {complete races // rides}, i dont use chemicals in my life {clothes, body or home} & i am generally pretty active. i have lost two grandparents to cancer & have three family members {myself included} who have had scary 'you have abnormal cells & could develop cancer' conversations with doctors. so, while i work hard to take care of myself, i know that no one is immune from getting sick.

last week, i found a lump {i dont want to share any more than that ; because hello, this is the internet!} & i am pretty scared about it. it might be nothing. it might be something. as soon as i found it, i got on the horn to get in for a check-up.
that check-up is today.

as you are reading this, i dont know any more than you do.
any good vibes you want to send my way would be greatly appreciated. 

a lot of times, we think of 'good deeds' as only being big things that we do for others, but the truth is, simply taking a minute to focus on our own health is also an incredibly kind {and necessary!} thing!

see you tomorrow!

day 131 : shop on black friday {yes, really}

i am not much of a shopper.
let me rephrase that : i dont like shopping.
the crowds. the grumpiness. the overconsumption. the idea that we pay young women in far-away countries *pennies* to create items that we dont even value.
{i digress...}
i avoid shopping at big box stores throughout the year {i havent been in a best buy, kohls or walmart for years & i only go to target a few times a year, if i can help it} ; so i definitely dont seek out sales the day after thanksgiving..

i DO, however, LOVE supporting local. we are really lucky to have some incredible small businesses here in minneapolis. we got up around 8am on friday to support a few of our favorites.
we have a local pet store a mile away & they had a great deal happening.

for each person that walked through the door from 7-9am, they donated one pound of animal food to a local food shelf. if you brought your pet, they donated another two pounds. daph cant handle places like that, so we showed her picture to one of the employees & she donated two pounds for daphne, too!
{seriously, you cannot get this experience at a huge box store!}
bonus : they had free donuts!
we purchased a toy, 4 bags of treats & 3 bags of dog food.

also on friday, we supported a small non-profit & two other local shops.
tell me : did you work? did you shop?

today is the last day to purchase a gift subscription & receive free boxes for yourself! 

day 130 : kindness carousel {week 5}

happy sunday! 

new month = new goals! 

one of my goals is to be better about documenting my good deeds. i was doing great when i first started this blog, but since i launched the be nice box, {sadly} i havent been updating as frequently.

that changes today! {also known as : please hold me to it ;)}

i am a few days behind, but here are a few of my favorite gems from around the internet :

1) this man has hosted thanksgiving for strangers for 28 years in a row! 

2) last week in minneapolis, a dog fighting ring was discovered in minneapolis. i think they found // rescued 18 dogs. {i hate stories like this} last year, a larger operation was discovered in memphis, tn & here is a short video update on the dogs.

3) heather put together a really awesome post {like always} of ways to support bloggers while completing your holiday shopping! 

4) want to make a new friend this season? emily is hosting her 2nd annual ornament exchange. you can sign up here.

5) hannah & jesse write a great blog ; i adore how rich their lives are & how they intentionally they live well below their means.

6) because everybody loves puppies! here is a {ridiculous} 3 minute video ALL about puppies learning to howl.

7) aundra always does such awesome things on her good deeds blog! my recent fave? she supported a school band by purchasing a box of veggies for the food shelf. when i was little, our fundraisers were wrapping paper & candy bars. i love seeing this charitable shift!  

8) i am loving this new shirt from sevenly! each week, they have new clothes that support new charities. $7 from each piece sold goes to support a great cause! 

9) are you still looking for some great holiday gifts? now through tomorrow night, we have a great deal over on the website! you purchase a gift subscription & we give YOU free boxes for yourself!

{ps : if you already have a sub, your bonus boxes will just be added on}

finally, while we didnt win the $10,000 grant from KIND Snacks, we DID win a $1,000 business award from the awesome people at Mutual of Omaha! because of that, i will be on the local news NEXT WEEK! {more on that as it gets closer!}!

what cool things did you read this week? share with us!

view other kindness carousel posts : 

week 1 // week 2 // week 3 // week 4

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 ;)