this should be good

I have a few random things I need to use up, so I was thinking about trying to concoct some kind of soup.  Then I remembered that several people have told me how much they love the ingredient function on allrecipes.com.  I clicked over, plugged in the ingredients I have, and it gave me the results.  Choice number one?  Homemade dog food.  We evidently have a great meal ahead of us.

world water day final update

This article shares all the details of a successful World Water Day campaign.  The Prem Rawat Foundation even surprised everyone by matching the entire $11,390 that was raised by midnight, though they had only committed to match $10,000.  People are still donating to the fund, so the total raised is currently $12,305, bringing the combined total to $23,695.  I'm so excited and so thankful.

we did it!

A hearty thank you to those who helped make World Water Day an amazing 24 hours! Our combined contributions will help train more well mechanics throughout India, providing clean water, jobs, and dignity to many. With the generous match from the Prem Rawat Foundation, we raised $22,125!

I'm thankful for the team at The Adventure Project who provided a simple way for us to be part of something much bigger than ourselves. I'm also thankful for all who made a small sacrifice to accomplish a huge goal. 

true story

Our kids seldom make special food requests.  They like just about everything.  They definitely don't whine for food because they know it won't work.  This morning, however, was an exception.

Joshua [in a slightly whiney, pleading voice]:  Can we have some of this with our fried eggs?
Mommy:  I guess so.
Joshua:  Yes!

Followed by many exclamations of excitement from all 3 children.

The cause of the joy?  The last of Aunt Katie's fresh homemade sauerkraut that had been buried in the fridge.

I resisted the urge to laugh at them because I don't want them to know how weird they are.

I'll have an update on yesterday's fundraising campaign later today.  Right now I'm headed out the door.

don't miss this

I must start by apologizing to those of you who thought I was pregnant based on my previous post title. I evidently created quite a stir. I'm quite amused by the situation, but that's not what I'm blogging about today. 

Many of you know that I'm super enthusiastic about opportunities to impact the world.  I get especially excited when I find simple ways to make a huge impact.  Today I want to share with you one of those opportunities.

Today is World Water Day!  I'm passionate about the world water crisis because it's a tragedy that doesn't have to be.  The statistics are staggering.

1 in 8 people throughout the world has no access to clean water.  
4,000 children die each day as a result.
1/3 of the wells built in the last 20 year are broken.

I'm totally in favor of digging new wells.  In fact, we make a monthly donation toward well digging in Liberia, a place that we're particularly in love with because of our 3 kids.  But what about all those broken wells?

Meet  Ram Rati.  She's not your typical Indian woman.  She's a handpump mechanic with WaterAid India.  She and her team are doing something about all the broken wells there.  In just 2 years, they've already repaired 300 handpumps, turning water back on for 30,000 people in India.  She's a superhero where you wouldn't expect to find one.

 Watch her story, and you'll see what I mean.


The Adventure Project - World Water Day 2011 from The Adventure Project on Vimeo.

Isn't that exciting?  Now do you want to join me for an adventure?

Today I'm joining 100+ bloggers for an exciting day of fundraising that has the potential to bring clean water to 3,600 new people in India over the next year. What makes it even more exciting is that it's a sustainable program that creates jobs and preserves dignity.

My job is to inspire 10 readers to give $20 toward the cause today.

I know money is tight for many of us. I know there are plenty of good causes asking for your donation. But I also know that most of us can quickly spend $20 without blinking an eye, and I'm willing to give up one of those $20 purchases to be part of a truly epic campaign like this. What about you?

If all 100+ bloggers reach the goal, we'll raise $10,000 in one day. And if that happens, the Prem Rawat Foundation has promised to match our total, doubling our impact!

Imagine that... sacrificing $20 so $20,000 could change the lives of people in India. Very cool. I hope you'll join me!  You can donate here.  I'll update you on our progress and on the results of the project. 

If you want to learn more about The Adventure Project's work in India, you can check out the project on their website.  It's innovative, and it's effective.  I love it!  I can't wait to learn about the impact of today's campaign.

don't pass out

I don't want to freak anyone out too badly, so I thought I'd give fair warning: I'm going to put up a real blog post tomorrow. I know it's shocking. I know you thought I'd never blog again. It's been hard for me to focus on blogging this year with so incredibly much going on, but I have a really good reason for tomorrow's post. It's something I'm super excited about, so I'm going to make time to share it with you. I hope you'll check in and be excited with me. It's super cool. I promise.

Just don't get so excited that you don't sleep tonight. I've had a few nights without much sleep the last few days, and I don't recommend it.