Connections

Tonight, I decided to make home-made hot chocolate. I had two mug-fulls, so now I'm wired.


I was cleaning up my "FAVORITES" file and thought I'd share some of the websites with you.

My beautiful friend, Lisa and her husband Dallas have started two fantastic blogs.
Even if you don't read anything that Lisa writes, you have to visit in order to check out every one of her photos. They are fantastic. She is so gifted!
Dallas is an awesome cook...his passion is anything food-related. He offers some delicious recipes (and Lisa has pictures on his site too!).

http://www.modsquadfam.blogspot.com/
http://www.diariesofamodman.com/

My cousin Geri has decided to follow her passion and head off to tattoo school (yes, there is such a thing). She is blogging about her experience at http://www.pandorasink.com/

Last year, my friend Anita and I went to an estate sale where we met Pam. The three of us acted like we had known each other for years. Pam filled us in on her life and followed through with one of her goals of starting Chesapeake Conservation Nurseries. You can get more info about the organization at http://www.bayplants.org/.

My cousin, Meghan, self-published a book called Perimeter Red! How awesome! For anyone out there who has dreamed of publishing a book, check out http://www.lulu.com/. Oh, and while you're there, I think you can buy Meghan's book:)

For years, I've wanted to own a farm...and one day I will. Check out http://www.farmland.org/. You can request a free No Farms, No Food bumper sticker! Go organic! Eat local!

Recently, I read a book by Dr. Howard Zinn. He is an historian and social activist. He is, in a word, awesome! I thought I knew about American history, but he presents facts that no one was willing to teach you in high school...or even college. You will have a new understanding about the role of our government, war, labor movements, your rights under the Constitution, and social justice. http://www.howardzinn.org/.

For those of you who aren't aware, I chose to start attending Quaker (The Religious Society of Friends or just Friends) meetings a couple of years ago. You can read about Quakers and the work they do at http://www.quaker.org/, http://www.afsc.org/, and http://www.quakerinfo.org/. No matter what religion you currently practice, Friends welcome anyone to their meetings. I attend an unprogrammed meeting, which means there isn't a preacher/priest/rabbi...we minister to each other.
And yeah! to the Obama's who chose to send their children to a Quaker value-based school!

I know there are so many diseases, issues, and causes out there that it's difficult to keep up. However, there is one disease that I learned quite a bit about over the last few years and that it is often times overshadowed by cancer and heart disease, and that is Parkinson's disease. To learn more about the disease and how you can help, visit the National Parkinson Foundation at http://www.parkinson.org/.

Forget ebay! If you want to buy a great gift for someone - including your wonderful self - check out http://www.etsy.com/.

When I lived in the DC area many, many moons ago, I volunteered at the Vegetarian Resource Group. They have vegan/vegetarian recipes, as well as facts about vegetarianism that can be found on their website, http://www.vrg.org/.

I've been a card-carrying PETA member since 1994. While some might disagree with their tactics, there is no denying that they have brought the suffering and mistreatment of animals to the attention of the world. http://www.peta.org/.

I'm a believer in finding your four-legged friends at local animal shelters. When you are looking for a particular breed, you can search online for rescue groups that cater to that specific breed. If you live in Colorado and are looking for a new family member, check out http://www.coloradogreyhoundadoption.org/. I fell in love with these dogs about 15 years ago and can't wait to have the space to care for one...or more.

All parents out there should have a PTA card in your wallet! It's easy to join your local PTA and - aside from the joy of making a difference - you get discounts! If you think that all the PTA does is fund raise, please check out their site for more information. The primary goal of the PTA is to advocate - through legislation - for children. What a great cause! http://www.pta.org/.