The beginning acts- #26acts

Remember I mentioned that I had committed to doing 26 acts of kindness?  Here's the post about it. Well I had only done one act until recently. I wanted the acts to really mean something and bring joy to the recipient so I've been taking my time and really thinking about it.

Here are acts 1-5:

1. Bought items and a cake for a birthday party for a child living in a homeless shelter.

2. Gave the guy selling newspapers outside of Dunkin Donuts a gift card. It was snowing that Sunday morning and he was clearly freezing. I thought a warm drink would do the trick but since I didn't know if he was a coffee drinker I gave him a gift card.  As I walked out, I handed him the gift card and I just said, " Coffee's on me".

3. I was driving down a street in Melrose when I saw an older woman taking groceries out of her car. She left her trunk open and headed into the house. She walked unsteadily on her snowy walk. I stopped my car behind hers and grabbed the remaining bags of groceries and closed the trunk. I carried the groceries up her front steps and put them on the top step. She was surprised to see them when she came out of the house. She thought I was a neighbor and when I said, "No, I was just driving by". She smiled and said, "Thank you dear."

4. I was doing some sales calls and I stopped for lunch at the Blue Moon Grill in Wakefield. An older woman came in and sat at a corner table by herself. The waitress brought her a menu and she ordered a salad. I decided I was going to pay for her lunch. I was almost finished and ready to pay for my meal. I overheard the woman ask the waitress if she could change her mind. I waited while she made her selection of chicken cacciatore.  The waitress gave me my check and I asked her to add the woman's meal to my bill.  She said, "Really?" She was stunned. I said, "Yes." The waitress asked if I knew the woman. I said, "No". She said, "That is wicked nice of you". I had the waitress tell the woman her check was paid after I left the restaurant. I would have loved to see her reaction but I didn't want to make a big deal of it.

5. I heard about an organization called Granite State Dog Recovery.  They are comprised of a group of volunteers who help people find their lost dogs. They do really good work and they have helped reunite a lot of dogs with their families. There is a dog who is missing in my hometown and they have been helping coordinate the search. Anyway, last week the organization had a really bad week. They had to report that one of the missing dogs was hit by a train and another one died from injuries from a fight with a neighbor's dogs. Then they found out that a woman had urinated on a feeding station they had set up for one of the lost dogs. She destroyed a blanket and the dog's food. And then someone stole one of the have a heart traps. The trap was for a large dog and it was a bolted to the ground.  Someone actually used bolt cutters to steal the trap! So, I donated enough money to purchase a new large dog trap and actually six people donated traps that day.  So something good came from all the bad.

I have to say it really does make you feel good to do something nice for perfect strangers. Most of the recipients are shocked by acts of kindness. That's kind of sad, don't you think?

I have not set a deadline for completion of the 26 acts. I think I will just contribute if and when there is a need.

A new find-Camp to Castle Consignment

It's a rare day when I don't have anything scheduled but today was that kind of day. It was snowing but the weather wasn't too bad so I ventured out to Reading.

First, breakfast at Aroma Cafe with my sister.  Then on to Camp to Castle Consignment, a fairly new store on Route 28 in Reading, Massachusetts.

Furnishings and home decor from a variety of eras were on display. This little green stove caught my eye immediately. So cute!

I wish I had room for it in my kitchen! I have a spot for it but I would have to move my antique black chest elsewhere in my condo.  The chest is good for storage too and the stove? Well not so much.

These hatboxes were adorable. I did take a second look at them but they did not go home with me.

If I had been looking for a table I would have liked this one. I am drawn to the half moon shape.

I am always on the lookout for a good tea/coffee set.  This one was a beauty!

I have a growing collection of vintage suitcases. So this one went home with me.  I love to use them as extra storage since I have a lack of closet space at home.

The previous photos I took with my phone's camera. This one I took once I got the suitcase home. It is a vintage leather Samsonite and the inside was in very nice condition.

I also collect vintage rhinestone pins. Sometimes I wear them or I use them as package toppers or napkin rings.  I might also make them into magnets. The top one is actually a belt buckle.

I also bought this set of 4 pins. I must confess I really only wanted the key pins but they were sold as a set. The candle pin is cute too.

Camp to Castle Consignment was doing a brisk business today. A young woman bought a table and a rug and a couple bought some items too. So happy to see this small business thriving in a tough economy. The owner, Lauren, told me they get new merchandise in every day so I definitely see another visit in my future.

Catching Up

Well, we're all dug out from the major storm of about 10 days ago.  This is the front walk to the condominium building where I live. My neighbors were out fairly early trying to keep ahead of the storm.

One of the boys was standing at the end of the walk on a snowbank and he was almost level with my living room window!

I could barely make out the figure of my next door neighbor who was snowblowing his driveway.

They were making pretty good progress. The snow was heavy and wet. Sometimes it is light and fluffy but not this storm.

 

That's my car off in the distance.  I did not think I would ever get it out with all that snow. It looked like a daunting task.

The drifts had to be 3-4 feet. The plow guy did not show and so my upstairs neighbor, my sister and I dug my car out and then shoveled in front of my neighbors garage so she could get her car out.

 

The boys had done the back steps.

 

 

I shot this photo from the steps.

 

 

Percy loves to watch people doing manual labor. At least, he was safe and warm during the storm.

 

The final tally- we think between 22 and 26.5 inches. There were conflicting reports. I do know it was the fifth worst snowstorm in Boston history.

 

At least, I did not lose electricity during the storm. Friday night the winds were howling and the lights were flickering. I was stressing thinking at any moment I would lose lights and the heat so I went to bed. It was still snowing in the morning and since there was a driving ban nobody was going anywhere.

 

We hired another plow guy and he finished what we didn't. It was about 5:00PM on Sunday . I was mobile once again and Nemo was one for the history books. Good riddance!

 

 

 

Who can resist these Valentines?

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!  I stayed home with my 3 Valentines tonight.  We just lazed around and watched a little TV.  Here's Oscar looking dreamy as ever!

Percy was wondering if there was going to be chocolate involved tonight. And this was his face when he found out there wasn't.

And here's Molly. She is always looking for affection. That's her paw in motion at the bottom of the photo.  If you are near her and you don't pat her, you'll get whacked by her paw. She's a leftie like me!

I hope everyone had a wildly romantic day!

I am ready for the storm

I am ready for the storm. Got my heavy blizzard boots. Cell phones and computer fully charged. Bottled water at the ready. Batteries of every size and candles ans matches set to go. I bought soup, fruit, bread, and chocolate. I'll turn the heat up a little higher just in case I lose the electricity later on.

Latest prediction 16-24 inches, 30 in some areas and historically high snow drifts of 5 feet. Hurricane force winds.  Me and my kitties are hunkering down and will ride out the storm at home.

Yes, I am ready for the storm. To all my friends in the Northeast, stay safe! And thanks to my sister for turning me on to this song. I love it! Watch and listen to the video, you'll love it too!

A Chocolate Tea in Harvard Square

An invitation for a Chocolate Tea with friends?  Harvard Square? A warm, cozy eatery on a brutally cold day?  Yes, please!

So today I went to Harvard Square with my friend Kim to enjoy a chocolate tea. The location? Upstairs on the Square. We met our friend Jill there.

I liked the colors on the outside of the building. Purple is a favorite color of mine.

This was the scene when we entered the restaurant. How fun! I loved all the colors, the checkboard floor, and funky lights.

Zebra fabric on the benches, pink tables, a couple of fantastic fireplaces. What a feast for the eyes and the tummy!

These ladies were here for lunch, not afternoon tea.  Can you see the cool fireplace in the background and a balcony to the right? What an architectural wonder!

The tea was part of Harvard Square's Chocolate Festival.  Some of the businesses in Harvard Square were giving away free samples today. We did not go for the samples since we were going to the tea.

Isn't the zebra logo cute? The Winter Events include dinners as well. I might just have to make a return visit!

While Kim and Jill conversed, I got a better look at the place through my lens. It looks like lots of women were relaxing with their friends.

This mobile was interesting. Looked liked a collection of art works. And upon closer inspection....

it was a mobile made from children's drawings and handwritten notes. Too cute!

There were some very interesting light fixtures. Do these lightbulbs have wings? Yes, they do, they are angel lightbulbs.

Another interesting light. Bottles tied together and illuminated within. Fantastic!

That is one fabulous mirror! And yes, that is yours truly catching her reflection in this shot.

And it's teatime! Our tray was filled with so many delights! Gruyere cheese tarts, blue cheese crackers, a chocolate chip scone. Then egg salad, ham salad, chicken salad, and salmon tea sandwiches.  The lower tier was for desserts. Chocolate eclairs, chocolate cupcakes, fudge, date bread and chocolate dipped strawberries. All of it so delicious!

Did I say chocolate dipped strawberries? Yes! One of my personal favorites. I make 'em at home sometimes. I think it is a healthy snack if I have some strawberries with my dark chocolate.

The tea flowed freely. Jill and I shared a pot of earl grey. Make that two pots, we got a refill. And Kim went with English breakfast tea.

Here's a view from the upstairs. A better shot of the amazing fireplace. It would have been nice to sit in front of that fire.  Upstairs on the Square was a 10 minute walk from where we parked so we were chilled. Kim works at Harvard so we parked for free! Quite the coup. Parking in Cambridge and especially Harvard Square can be a challenge.

There's another room in the back that we haven't even explored! Let's see what's back there.

I do love that floor and the pinks in this room. A very festive vibe in this room.

It's adorable isn't it? And look at the zebras on the wall. They are too cute!

A closer look at the crowd. Young Harvard students no doubt!  Since Upstairs on the Square is within walking distance of Harvard University I would imagine this is a student hangout.

Tea was over and we walked down Winthrop Street. The light on the building ahead was fantastic! It was still freezing, well more than freezing. The high temperature was 22 degrees and the low was 10 but that was without the wind chill!

This is the other side of Upstairs on the Square. Another restaurant is downstairs.

We had a little snow this morning but most of it is gone now. Still pretty though.

And at 4:41 PM, the sun was starting to set on this bitter cold day. Light traffic, some runners out for a jog ( yikes!) and me standing there taking it all in through my lens. It was a great day!

Act One of #26 acts

I joined Ann Curry's 26 acts last month. If you haven't heard of it, Ann Curry of NBC News asked her viewers to do 26 acts of kindness in memory of the 20 children and 6 teachers killed in the Sandy Hook Elementary School tragedy in Newtown, Connecticut.

I've been thinking about it and trying to decide how I can best honor those 26 lives. I've been following #26acts on Twitter and getting ideas from other participants. I thought I should do something to benefit children and I wanted it to be a New England organization.  I'll share the other things I do as I do them but this post is just about act one.

The photo above is of a birthday box or a birthday IN a box. I have created a birthday party in a box for a homeless child. I am donating this box with the Hello Kitty theme, of course, to Birthday Wishes. Birthday Wishes is a Massachusetts organization that brings birthday parties to children living in homeless shelters. They bring parties to nearly 100 shelters in the state.

The donor wraps a box in birthday paper and fills it with everything needed for a party. You can pick the gender/age and theme or chooses to donate based on gender and theme. I decided to do a party for a 5 year old girl and I chose to go with Hello Kitty paper goods. I went to Target and got 3 gifts for "my" little girl. I got her some Moonlight Fairies (so cute, they glow in the dark), a bracelet making set ( you can make and decorate little bracelets) and a sticker book with tons of stickers and reusable pages. I also bought her a little Hello Kitty purse filled with more stickers and a card game for her party. I know a 5 year old me would want these gifts and this theme.

With the box you must include party hats, decorations, tablecloth, plates, cups, napkins, balloons, candles, and juice boxes.  If the shelter has kitchen facilities, you donate a cake mix and can of frosting. Some of the children live in hotels and in this case the donor buys a gift card so a cake can be bought from the grocery store.

Today I dropped the box off at the church where Birthday Wishes has an office.  I donated the party box to a safe shelter and this means I could not hand deliver to the actual facility. Courtney who communicated with me via email to arrange everything, accepted my donation and asked me if I wanted to see the operation.  Of course I did.

There were shelves of toys, paper goods, empty wrapped boxes, and cake mixes.  I thought they really didn't need my help but Courtney told me they can be wiped out of everything at any time. In fact, she had an emergency call for 20 boxes for tomorrow. She said sometimes they receive a call from a case worker who has a client in an emergency shelter.  An emergency shelter client is someone who has fled their home because of a safety/domestic violence issue. Sometimes the case worker finds out that the child's birthday was the day before. How sad, I can't imagine it.

Courtney told me that they have a group of women that meet at the church at night and they wrap the boxes with birthday paper. It's a big help for the staff when the box is already wrapped.

I am going to ask my company to get involved, just think of how many more birthday parties we could do! If not, that's ok because I will definitely do this on my own or with a few friends and coworkers who are already interested. You get such a high from knowing you did something special for someone, even if it is a stranger. Don't you think? I think the 20 children and 6 teachers I am honoring with this act would love the idea of giving a homeless child a birthday party.

I can't wait to do the remaining 25 acts of kindness. It's going to be as good for me as for the recipients!

So here's the link again to Birthday Wishes, there's lots of volunteer opportunities if you are interested. Be sure to watch the video entitled Joy.