And moved to...
Small Wonder Blog
See ya there!
Thursday, March 25, 2010
Wednesday, March 24, 2010
5 In 5
1. Does anyone know what a Bale Shredder is? I do now!
2. Website down. Email not working. I do not find this to be a stress reducing situation.
3. If you sent me an email in the last 48 hours, I didn't get it.
4. The stupid cloud surrounding my house is making it difficult to be motivated. Not to mention #2.
5. Maybe I should just go shopping.
(not such a meaty post today...)
2. Website down. Email not working. I do not find this to be a stress reducing situation.
3. If you sent me an email in the last 48 hours, I didn't get it.
4. The stupid cloud surrounding my house is making it difficult to be motivated. Not to mention #2.
5. Maybe I should just go shopping.
(not such a meaty post today...)
Monday, March 22, 2010
Silent Auctions and Art Sales
I am not a gambler. I just don't find it fun, and I can never push the thought out of my head "The house always wins." But there is something about silent auctions that sucks me in. Maybe it's the stuff...not the actual items but the shopping aspect of it. You're not just risking your money, if you "win" you actually get something in return. Yay!
On Friday afternoon, we innocently took our two eldest children to their "Student Led Conferences" at their school. Each of them took a turn explaining their work and demonstrating their skills in their classroom. All of which ended with excited pleas, "Let's go to the Art Sale!" In the gymnasium, a Silent Auction and Art Sale. Here's the hook on this one. All of the art was created by the children. I don't know about you, but when asked "Can we buy my art?" I found it impossible to say "No sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are not interested in having any more of your art in our house." We bought everything they made.
Van Gogh?
We arrived in the gym shortly before the Silent Auction bidding was ending, and we bid on 3 items. A movie package, with 2 kids movies (Ratatouille and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), a box of Smartpop, a game and a box of chocolate bars. (It was not the kids who wanted this one.) A car detailing package. (You can guess who wanted this one.) And 4 tickets to any Storybook Theatre performance. We "won" all three. (Remember Joey "winning" the boat on Friends?) Now, all I have to do is pay for them.
On Saturday, we attended a fundraising Gala. Well, I attended. Paul worked all night, playing video on projection screens and shooting video of the speeches etc.
Anyway, the Providence committee do an AMAZING job of planning this event. It is always tons of fun, there are loads of ways to contribute and they raise lots of money. Silent auction, bucket draws, raffle tickets, door prizes. Table sponsorship, live auction, buy-a-brick for the new school. I chose to buy sunglasses ($40 for 2 pairs), have some flowers painted on my arm ($20), and enter to win 5 bottles of wine ($5). I bid on a couple of silent auction items, but did not "win" them. They always invent some sort of game or competition that requires everyone at each table to contribute even more cash on the spot.
It is an impressive evening, for entertainment and fundraising. Oh, and the on-screen video looked fantastic!
On Friday afternoon, we innocently took our two eldest children to their "Student Led Conferences" at their school. Each of them took a turn explaining their work and demonstrating their skills in their classroom. All of which ended with excited pleas, "Let's go to the Art Sale!" In the gymnasium, a Silent Auction and Art Sale. Here's the hook on this one. All of the art was created by the children. I don't know about you, but when asked "Can we buy my art?" I found it impossible to say "No sweetie. Mommy and Daddy are not interested in having any more of your art in our house." We bought everything they made.
Picasso?
Van Gogh?
We arrived in the gym shortly before the Silent Auction bidding was ending, and we bid on 3 items. A movie package, with 2 kids movies (Ratatouille and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs), a box of Smartpop, a game and a box of chocolate bars. (It was not the kids who wanted this one.) A car detailing package. (You can guess who wanted this one.) And 4 tickets to any Storybook Theatre performance. We "won" all three. (Remember Joey "winning" the boat on Friends?) Now, all I have to do is pay for them.
On Saturday, we attended a fundraising Gala. Well, I attended. Paul worked all night, playing video on projection screens and shooting video of the speeches etc.
Anyway, the Providence committee do an AMAZING job of planning this event. It is always tons of fun, there are loads of ways to contribute and they raise lots of money. Silent auction, bucket draws, raffle tickets, door prizes. Table sponsorship, live auction, buy-a-brick for the new school. I chose to buy sunglasses ($40 for 2 pairs), have some flowers painted on my arm ($20), and enter to win 5 bottles of wine ($5). I bid on a couple of silent auction items, but did not "win" them. They always invent some sort of game or competition that requires everyone at each table to contribute even more cash on the spot.
Our table.
My red sunglasses.
My arm.
It is an impressive evening, for entertainment and fundraising. Oh, and the on-screen video looked fantastic!
Monday, March 15, 2010
5 In 5-Providence
Here's a little update from the Small Wonder front.
1. This week I am frantically trying to get some display video done for a fundraising dinner this Saturday. I am frantic this week because 101 things went wrong last week, which caused delays. Same old story. Yawn...
2. Here is the event...A Little Blues...Advance HD has produced their event display video for the past few years. Last time I attended the event I was barely pregnant, pretending to drink wine and trying not to feel sick. I think it will be more fun this year.
3. I love any and all organizations that provide learning opportunities for children. All children. Because all children deserve the right to learn and grow to their full potential.
4. I have been watching this movie...Lightening in a Bottle...which is all about the evolution of the blues, and it is really cool. I wouldn't have called myself a blues fan, but I really dig it.
5. I have 2 extra tickets to this event if anyone is interested, send me an email.
Friday, March 12, 2010
The Eyes Have It!
I mentioned the other day how I had my eyes checked, because I was having trouble seeing some things. And, it turns out, one eye is near sighted and the other one is far sighted. Now, I have my glasses, which my husband helped me pick out, thank goodness. I thought it was going to be really fun to pick glasses, like buying a new necklace or shoes. But, it was more like buying a new bathing suit. The selection didn't seem like enough, and the ones I LOVED required a second mortgage on our house. Then, I went through the ridiculous process of trying to match those in a less expensive brand. Sigh. Ended up with these. Not horrible.
Now, the challenge for me is to figure out how and when to use them. Because of the far sighted eye, I can't wear them all the time, which I would actually prefer if only to simplify the process. I don't need them to drive, but I am supposed to wear them to read and use the computer. When I need them most is for things like reading labels in grocery stores and the back of movies at Blockbuster. So, I need to carry them with me all the time.
The most interesting part of all this (to me, at least) is that last week, we took The Little One to Children's Hospital to have his eyes checked. They told us that he may never learn to use both eyes together, and this would primarily effect his depth perception. I was pretty upset about that. He went through surgery, we've obsessed over the health of his eyes, and his eyes may not work together anyway? This seemed like a pretty big deal to me. A few days ago, my eye doctor told me that because of the difference in vision, my eyes are not working together. Huh!?! Except for not being able to read small print, I don't notice it. Not such a big deal after all.
Now, the challenge for me is to figure out how and when to use them. Because of the far sighted eye, I can't wear them all the time, which I would actually prefer if only to simplify the process. I don't need them to drive, but I am supposed to wear them to read and use the computer. When I need them most is for things like reading labels in grocery stores and the back of movies at Blockbuster. So, I need to carry them with me all the time.
The most interesting part of all this (to me, at least) is that last week, we took The Little One to Children's Hospital to have his eyes checked. They told us that he may never learn to use both eyes together, and this would primarily effect his depth perception. I was pretty upset about that. He went through surgery, we've obsessed over the health of his eyes, and his eyes may not work together anyway? This seemed like a pretty big deal to me. A few days ago, my eye doctor told me that because of the difference in vision, my eyes are not working together. Huh!?! Except for not being able to read small print, I don't notice it. Not such a big deal after all.
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Argentina Anyone?
I just finished this video for a client, who is, believe it or not, another amazing Mom who is starting a business. And once again, I am inspired by her ingenuity and in awe of her creativity.
Not only am I ready to plan a trip to Argentina, I am hoping to be invited to one of her events. Food, wine and dancing. What's not to love!?!
Not only am I ready to plan a trip to Argentina, I am hoping to be invited to one of her events. Food, wine and dancing. What's not to love!?!
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