The Winner (and Thanksgiving Dinner)

I am so sorry in the delay of letting you know who won my "Random Acts of Kindness" giveaway! I didn't forget about it, but rather, haven't been near my computer much in the past 48 hours or so. This was my first completely unassisted turkey, so I was a little nutty. I think I had to call my parents 3 or 4 times for instruction. Alas, I'm happy to report that the bird was completely cooked, and it was nice and moist (thanks to the brine, I am sure!).

So, on Wednesday evening, I paid a visit to Random.org, which is a great tool to use if you have a giveaway on your blog. I went to the comments for the contest post, and removed all the comments that didn't say "done". You guys did a great job, I'm so happy that so many people participated, and some of you, repeatedly. Anyway, at 5:42 p.m. (Mountain Time), I entered in the parameters, and number 5 was the number generated, which means Jenn is my winner! Congratulations, Jenn! Please go to my profile and send me an email with your mailing address, and I will get your package off in the mail to you. I will edit this post later today to show you the loot that Jenn will be receiving, but I'm in my jammies at the moment and I'm going to stay right here in my recliner! You may know Jenn from my sidebar - - she has a blog about her life and her experiences with new motherhood that I enjoy reading. She also happens to be my cousin, or more accurately, my second cousin (her mother is my cousin, Susie). I have many wonderful cousins, but growing up, I was particularly fond of my Boothbay cousins. My brother and I loved to play with Margaret and Janet - - we were all very close in age - - and I just loved it when Alan would come to our house for a visit. I was particularly infatuated with Susie and Cheryl, though. Their weddings were the first weddings I remember attending, and when they each started having children, I was obsessed with babysitting. Not quite old enough to do so, but I wanted to so badly! Imagine my thrill, a few years later, when Susie had me come down to her house to spend the night and watch Jenn, Kristi, and Trent for her. It remains one of my earliest and best babysitting memories.

I would love to ask those of you who participated, to share your random acts with me, if you feel comfortable doing so. I will keep them anonymous in the post - - just sort of a bullet-point list of the little things that can make another person's day - - I figure we can all use some inspiration! So, if you'd like to share, just go to my profile and send me an email with a brief description of your experience(s). I'll be sharing some of mine, too.

We had a lovely day here yesterday! Today, I will begin sorting through the leftovers and coming up with a plan of attack. I see some turkey pot pie in our future. Okay, I see a lot of turkey dishes in our future. We were lucky to have Steve's parents, Rex and Kasey, and our nephew Banzer here for the day, and we had a great time. Steve's folks have been here for the past three months, but will be heading back to Maine this morning.

Thanks again for participating in my challenge!

A Challenge

Photo: www.power-of-giving.com

A Random Act of Kindness is defined here as "the good deeds one does because their heart moves them, not because society or Miss Manners expects them. These are acts based purely on giving and sharing. When someone practices random acts of kindness, they are doing so with a clean heart, a skip in their step, a “warm fuzzy,” if you will, and they have no thoughts of retribution, recognition or duty." I bring this up because I have been doing a lot of thinking lately about how closed-off society in general has become from one another, and it is pretty sad. There are probably a multitude of reasons that people would give as to why they don't smile and greet people they meet on the street, stop for people in crosswalks (oh wait...that's a law, isn't it??), practice common courtesy on the roads, give each other the benefit of the doubt, and so on. The fact of the matter is, none of us are perfect, but it sure would be nice if we could all try a little bit harder to be pleasant, wouldn't it?

A Random Act of Kindness can be something as simple as holding a door for someone when you would have otherwise let it shut behind you, to surprising someone with an unexpected gift. From feeding a random parking meter that is about to expire, to cooking a meal for a friend in need. From looking the grocery checker in the eye and sincerely telling him/her to have a good evening, to paying for the person behind you in line at the coffee shop. The possibilities are endless, really.

Now, for the challenge. After you finish reading this post, go about your business as you regularly would, but really think about your interactions with those around you. Make an effort to make some one's day. You'd be surprised at what a difference a very small act of kindness could make in another person's life. For each Random Act you perform, come back to this post and simply post the word, "Done" in the comments. You may do this as many times as you can between now and next Wednesday, November 25th at 5:00 p.m. (mountain time). The more entries you have, the better your chances at winning.

The Rules: Your random act may be anything that has a positive effect on another person. It does not need to be elaborate. However, take this opportunity to be creative. Really think about how you interact with those around you. Your random acts can be directed at friends or strangers. Try to do both. The most important rule: You may not tell anyone at all about your acts. Not your spouse, not your friends...not a soul. You must perform your acts without any expectation of being thanked or recognized (thus, the simple "done" in the comments section). Out of all the entries, a person will be chosen at random after comments are closed on the 25th. That person will then receive a lovely package in the mail, full of treats. This will be my thank-you to you for participating in my little experiment. Have fun!

Farm Fresh Eggs

See these little lovelies? Today, I was the lucky recipient of one dozen farm-fresh eggs from my sister-in-law Kasey's hard-working "girls". See the blue-green ones? Those are my favorite. Call me weird, but I've gone to my fridge more than a couple of times just to look at them. Now, I must decide what to make with these wonderful eggs. It seems like it ought to be something special...maybe a quiche?

Halloween Recap

We had a wonderfully awesome Halloween...so much fun! The festivities kicked off on Friday, when I had the pleasure of helping out at Camden's school party. The kids paraded up and down the hallway in their costumes - - so happy that I was able to see that.

On Saturday night, Rex, Kasey, Banzer, Rod, and Candy came to our home for a little Halloween party before we headed out for trick-or-treating. Kasey and I sure had fun preparing ghoulish appetizers and treats for everyone. I'm already looking forward to next Halloween!