Day 6 - April 30: Art gift

I bought a few original drawings from an artist a few years ago.  One of them I had a feeling I would give to someone that would enjoy it in the future.

Today was the day I gave that original drawing a great home.  It was my last meeting with a client. Since my business is changing directions, I would no longer be providing the same services.  I wanted to give her something special as a closing gift after working together for about 4 years.

It was a drawing from Boulder, CO artist, Nyla Witmore. Nyla loves to travel, and she uses these drawings to sketch ideas for her landscape paintings.  She decided to sell these drawings after receiving great feedback.  They are absolutely charming!  This particular drawing was of a moment of Champs, Elysees in Paris, France.  My client also enjoys traveling and has wonderful memories of France.  I thought it was the best home for this drawing!

As I write, I am listening to Sky Cries Mary's This Timeless Turning.  I like the ethereal sound of this group. I was introduced to this band by my long-term boyfriend in college.  I realize that although the relationship didn't last forever, there were gifts, like discovering new music, that did. 

The other gift from this relationship, my cat of 18 years.  If it wasn't for him wanting a cat, I may have never come to love cats as much as I love dogs. 



I have already decided on my gift for tomorrow.   I have something in mind for someone from my past...stay tuned!

Happy gifting and Terrific Tuesday to all!

Day 5 - April 29: Stamps for Longhopes Donkey Shelter

Yes, I like donkeys!  I have been donating off and on to the Longhopes Donkey Shelter in Bennett, CO for a few years now.  I noticed as a part of their wishlist that they are in need of stamps.  I decided to go the extra mile and use a donkey picture of my two favorite daughter and mother donkey friends, Roma and Savvy, and create a special stamp for them at Zazzle.com.  I also bought them a sheet of regular stamps.  So, all in all, 40 stamps for them to use!

As I write this, I am listening to Paul McCartney's Driving Rain.  This is one of his sleeper albums, but it has some really great tracks on it.

For a workout today, I am going on a hike. The 75 degree weather with tons of sunshine is continuing so I have to take advantage of it.  Later I will add some weights.





Happy giving to you, and Marvelous Monday to all!

Day 4 of 29 Gifts: Tree Memorial plus Louis Armstrong

Last week my aunt passed away, and I have been meaning to send a memorial gift to my uncle.  Today I went to the Arbor Day Foundation site and purchased a memorial tree gift for him in honor of my aunt.  They will plant 10 trees, in her name, in a national forest in Florida.  These trees gifts are not only a great memorial gift, but the trees will give  to future generations too.

Today I am listening to a Louis Armstrong CD of Great Original Performances of 1923-1931.  Such a fun era of music. Jazz was simple back then, easy melodies with a little bit of improvisation.  I am a big Louis Armstrong fan.  He was such a personality and contributed greatly to the jazz art form.  What is special about this CD, besides the music, is it was purchased in New Orleans during a work trip, a Louisiana Red Hot Records compilation by Robert Parker!

For a workout today, we went on a tandem bike ride for 30 minutes and a little later I will do some strength training.  It is such a lovely day, I had to get out to enjoy!

Happy giving and have a great rest of your Sunday!

Day 3 29 Gifts, a little Stewart Copland, plus workouts

Day 3 of the 29 gifts, and this morning, a giving opportunity fell into my lap.  I am not a morning person, but today I decided to get up and make a full breakfast for my sweety.  He had a mushroom/spinach/cheddar cheese omelet, half an orange and half a waffle, with coffee.  Of course I enjoyed this breakfast with him!

The coffee is a favorite of mine, Organic Love Buzz by Equal Exchange.  Yum!


The reason I wanted to make breakfast for him is the fact that he gets up early, feeds the cats and makes coffee for us every morning.  Since it was Saturday, he could sleep in a bit and then sit back and relax.  I am thankful for what he does every morning for me and the cats and was glad I had an easy opportunity to thank him.


I also found out this morning that the gift I gave for the Twtr Symphony did not take since they didn't make their goal.  So, I will recycle this particular gift to another musician friend that is fundraising this month, pianist Pierre-Arnaud Dablemont.  He is doing a new Beethoven Sonata project that is very interesting.  You will get to see some of the behind the scenes work and it will result in not one, but two versions to show the choices a pianist can make for performing repertoire.  He also dives into the history of the pieces so his choices are very well thought out and explained.

If you want to give to his campaign, there is only a few days left.  Click here! 
 

While writing this, I am listen to a very different CD, Stewart Copland's The Equalizer & Other Cliff Hangers.  I have been a huge Police fan since the 80's and have discovered that Stewart Copland has composed quite a bit since then.  This CD is from 1988 so it has a bunch of synthesizers, and 80's feel to it.  I don't think it is his best work, but it is enjoyable new music.





I might as well post my workouts like I used to here as well.  Today I did 30 minutes of hiking up and down my steep driveway. It's almost a 13 degree grade at the top.  After that, I did some upper body sculpting using Jillian's No More Trouble Zones and Amy Dixon's Give Me 10 More.  Early in the day was time for gardening.  Overall, a very satisfying day.

I am attempting to get in shape to do a 14 footer by the end of the season. 



Happy giving to you, and enjoy this wonderful weekend!

Day 2 of 29 Gifts

This morning I decided to give to my friend Laura who is doing the MS Walk in May.  She is attempting to raise $1,000 and is on her way at $730 raised.  If you want to give, click here! 

I can't believe how many autoimmune diseases there are that still need to be cured.  There has to be a way, and I hope they find it soon.

Today as I write, I am listening to another gift CD, the WFMT Party Mix.  My mom likes to donate to WFMT and send the special gifts along to me as a gift.  It's always about great music and it is for a good cause, so I like the gift combo she is doing.

This CD is very lively with a variety of music.  Arrangements galore from Handel to Bernstein to the Beatles. I am grateful for fantastic music.

Now my thoughts are on my next gift.  I am finding that many of my friends are having fundraisers right now, yet I need to pace myself on money gifts.  I am at the moment on a time off segment in my life so it would be best to find other gift ideas.


I have noticed that if you are open to giving that many opportunities will suddenly appear.  Maybe this is what is happening.  Can you imagine if we were all open to giving when and where we can?  I believe all of us would be in a better place.

Not that I want to get all feisty today, however, the greed in our world is harming more than it is helping. Also, the lack of awareness, or the choice to ignore the realities is making it more difficult to move in a positive direction.

I will wrap this day up by saying once again that we have the power to become aware and find out about the companies we choose to purchase from. When a CEO chooses to make 1700 times their regular employee, there is a problem.  Sure, it is their choice, and I hope they will choose to be more fair in the future.  In the meantime, we can choose not to purchase from a company that chooses greed over making their employees' wages and healthcare benefits more realistic for living conditions.

We can also learn about the politicians and figure out whether or not they really have the public's interest at heart or their own wallets. 

It is a matter of choosing to take a little time to find out the facts.  This is where the process of democracy has broken down.  We have to care again to do this!

Whatever you choose, have a good day, and I will back for gift 3 tomorrow. 

29 Gifts, Twtr Symphony, and the music that goes with all of this....

I have been taking some time off from my business in order to recharge my batteries.  I have been reading, listening to lectures, watching movies, and generally playing a great deal of brainless games on my iPad.  I came across a book called 29 Gifts - How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life by Cami Walker.

At first I wasn't sure if this was the right book for me to be reading right now.  I am after all a perpetual, natural giver.  Sometimes I give too much away and I end up depleting myself, which is why I am in time off mode to regain my energy.

The one rule of the giving is to not give out of obligation or a need to receive.  The giving should be free and open without any expectations.  In this way, you will not feel like you are depleting yourself.

I realize that in business, giving freebies away is a business building tactic, but if you are not careful, it will feel like an obligation.  I'm thinking that perhaps trying this new way of giving may actually give me the positive energy that I need to rebuild myself and my faith in giving again.

So, today I am announcing that I will sign up for this project and give with an open heart and mind.  Let's see if my giving will help put back the positive lilt in my step!

Day 1 - April 25, 2013

Today, I decided to give to the

TwtrSymphony: Believe in the Power of Music

New Music for a New Audience in a New Way

I know some of the musicians of this project, and I have been impressed by what they have been able to accomplish already.  This is a group of musicians that have come together via Twitter and have composed/recorded new music and then have placed this music online for a new audience.  It has been a long time since we have seen innovation like this in the classical music industry, and I am excited to see what else they will be able to do once they are financial backed.  

Right now their campaign is set for $20,000, and they need as many backers as they can find.  If you believe in the power of music and new ways to create and perform music, please consider donating as well! They only have 3 days left! 

I have decided that during this campaign, I will write an entry for each day of giving, so you can follow what happens during this process right here on this blog.  During my entries, I will listen to a new CD of music.  Today I am listening to Side by Side with Itzhak Perlman and Oscar Peterson, two of my favorite musicians of all time!  It was a birthday present that I'm finally getting around to listening to, and it is absolutely wonderful!  It makes me very happy.  

Tune in tomorrow for my next gift.  I am not sure what I have in mind, but we shall see.