10/5 BlogHer

Please add updates@feedmyinbox.com to your address book to make sure you receive these messages in the future. BlogHer Shop for a Cure October 4, 2009 at 10:25 pm October is Breast Cancer Awareness month; there are lots of ways that you can help find a cure for breast cancer, and lots of cool products that you can buy to support breast cancer research. Maternity active wear line Fit2BMom has created a special "Go Pink!" kit that includes a round-neck maternity tee in "primrose pink," a headband, and a cool bag, for $52.00. 15% of sales through October 31 go to the National Breast Cancer Research Foundation. How about giving your own breasts a lift to keep other women's breast's healthy? During October, Shapeez will donate 15% of proceeds from the sale of all Unbelievabras sold online. The Shapeez bra combines a bra and camisole for all-in-one shaping and tummy control; Shapeez bras retail for $75 - $85. Want something simpler? Ann Taylor loft has partnered with jewelry designer Lisa Salzer to create this stunning -- and totally wearable -- bracelet. $5 of the purchase price of each bracelet goes to the Breast Cancer Research Fund -- and since the retail price of the bracelet is only $24.50, this is an easy way to make a difference. And look great doing it. How else can you help? Make a donation directly to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. Want to do more than write a check? Sign up for your local Race for the Cure. If running -- or walking -- 5K isn't your gig, you can register to sleep in for the cure. Check your local race registration web site for more information. And finally -- and most importantly -- make an appointment to have a mammogram, or talk to your doctor about when you should start. Because t-shirts and bracelets are great, but not having cancer is better. Looking for more ways to shop for a cure? Big City Beauty has suggestions; so does Sweet Nothings. And Bargain Hunting Moms remind us that October is the month to pick up a pink mixer -- all for a good cause! Life on Purpose Network: Connect - Video - Donate October 4, 2009 at 10:22 pm Beverley Claire Pomeroy is mother of an eight-year old daughter named Sophia who was born with a disease so rare there has yet to be name for it.   Every organ and system in her body is compromised, her life is very limited, and she struggles are very real for her and her family.   Her daughter has lived beyond what everyone had expected and continues to give her family lots of joy.   Beverley has taken her passion for social change and her desire to find purpose in the tragedy her family faced to find a way help others. While Beverley has been an advocate and fundraiser a charity called Canuck Place Children's Hospice which provides support for children with life-threatening illnesses and their families, she founded an organization PincGiving which provides resources, advice, video production and connections for nonprofits to raise money for their work.    Moving beyond helping one organization, she hopes to create an army of people who can help nonprofits.  She has recently launched the "Life on Purpose Network," an online media distribution platform with donation capability or what she calls "Cause Driven Videos."   The idea is video, donate, and connect.   On her blog, The Backyard Philanthropist, Beverley offered some principles success online social fundraising: Highly personalize / donor controlled Treat donors as serious program partners Give donors VIP pass into organization's work Maintain a disciplined narrative arc with 'complete' story lines. Plan a high ration of cultivation to appeals. versus appeals to cultivation. Provide multiple opportunities for two way communication Give donors things they value to encourage word of mouth Use video Develop 'quasi-directed' giving program Beth Kanter, BlogHer CE for Nonprofits, writes Beth's Blog . Pets? No, Thanks. October 4, 2009 at 8:26 pm Some of my friends have animals, and they love them. They post pictures of their dogs and cats on their blogs, and on Facebook, and Twitter. And, you know, I think that's great. I certainly don't dislike animals. It's just that I have no desire to own one myself. I'm perfectly fine with busting the myth of the single cat lady. (I'm not going to call it "crazy cat lady," because, you know, whatever. The majority of single female cat-owners I know are perfectly rational and lovely.) I've dated men who had dogs, so if a guy has a pet it isn't an automatic disqualifier -- I mean, he's the one who would have to take care of it. For my part, I'm more than happy to rub your pet's head (as long as I can wash my hands afterward), and coo about how cute it is, and maybe even put some thought into how very social it can be to have a dog. (I mean, how easy is it to strike up a conversation with someone when they're walking around with a dog? I see it happen all the time.) I like animals, I just don't love animals. If I loved an animal, I guess I wouldn't mind having to deal with a cat's litter box, or getting up early in the morning (or in the snow, or rain) to take a dog outside, or vacuuming up their fur. It's not like I've never had a pet. I know how it is to live with one -- in fact, there have been pets in almost all of the locations I've lived in since I was a kid. We had a variety of animals when I was growing up. A dog, or a cat, or both. There were also hamsters, and a bird. However, I haven't lived with a pet for over three years, since I moved to northern Virginia in October 2006. I lived by myself first, and for the past two years I've had a roommate. My roommate is actually a huge animal lover, and I'm sure she'd have a cat if she could -- but she happens to be extremely allergic to anything with fur. Although I'm sorry that someone who loves animals as much as she does can't have one, I have to admit I'm glad that I don't to worry about her bringing an animal home. I've mentioned that I'm thinking about finding a new place to live, and if I decide to get a new roommate instead of living by myself, yes, I would use the presence of a pet as a roommate-disqualifier. I don't mind pets in somebody else's house, but given a choice I'd rather not have one in my house. Additional downsides to having a pet that I've noticed and internalized: Vet bills - I'm always hearing about someone who had to spend hundreds (or even thousands) of dollars on a sick pet. General maintenance - lugging around big bags of dog food or cat litter. Inconvenience - having to come home to take a dog outside when you'd rather do something else (or having to pay someone to come in and take them for a walk in the middle of the day). Having to plan around them - dealing with boarding them when you go on vacation, or having to get someone else to watch them. I've found there are certain things that are nice to have sometimes, but they're more trouble than they're worth the other times. This is how I feel about pets. While it might seem like a pleasant distraction to have a cat curled by my side, or for a dog to look at me with that quizzical, head-tipped gaze, the fact is I know myself, and I know that I would be annoyed and possibly resentful most of the time if I were the sole caretaker for an animal. Does anybody else feel this way? Related Reading: Dolittler is a veterinarian and doesn't understand people who don't like pets. She compiled a list of some of the issues "that hold people back when it comes to animal-keeping," but none of the issues she lists are reasons that I've given. For instance, I don't think pets are dirty ... "Pets are dirty and spread disease": This POV is common but does not apply to the kind of pet keeping you and I are familiar with. Still, if someone was raised by a filthy aunt who kept cats in deplorable conditions you can understand why they might forever be traumatized by the concept of cat pee. Furthermore, it's this sentiment that keeps pets out of doors among many who hold it dear. JanaARIES said that she didn't grow up with many pets and didn't used to like them...but then she got her terrier. When I brought that little fur ball home and into my life, she did what pets do. She wrapped me so many times around her paw in about 5 seconds and showed me just how much love you can get from a pet and how much love and respect they deserve. FibraArtysta posted "an open letter to pets" on her blog (she didn't write but, but found it funny). An excerpt: If you don't want their hair on your clothes, stay off the furniture. That's why they call it 'fur'-niture. (Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.) For Vegetable Gardeners, It's Time to Get Creative with Green Tomatoes October 4, 2009 at 6:44 pm Vegetable Garden season is winding down in most parts of the U.S., and gardeners everywhere are looking for ways to extend the harvest. One way to keep the garden goodness going is by making the most of whatever vegetables are left on the plants when the weather turns cold. Since tomatoes are such a beloved garden crop, many gardeners rescue all their green tomatoes that would otherwise freeze and bring them in the house. The question then becomes, what to do with all those green tomatoes? For tomatoes that are close to full-size which just haven't ripened yet, you can actually wrap them in newspaper and they will ripen in a short time, although the flavor isn't really a match for summer vine-ripened tomato taste. I've done this many years when I had a big surplus of tomatoes, but other years I've had fun getting creative with the green un-ripe tomatoes, which do have a good flavor, slightly tart and firmer than ripe tomatoes. And with recent evidence that eating green tomatoes can help reduce cholesterol, it's time to explore some recipes using green tomatoes. Photo of Fried Green Tomatoes with Mozarella from Life's Ambrosia Of course Fried Green Tomatoes are the most famous use of green tomatoes, and if you've tasted them you know how they became famous long before there was a movie of that name. The traditional recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes involves dipping slices of green tomato in egg, then flour or cornmeal, and frying them until the coating is crispy and the tomatoes are cooked. Traditional fried green tomatoes are definitely tasty, but the Fried Green Tomatoes with Mozarella from Life's Ambrosia are taking it up a notch by inserting a layer of mozzarella between the tomatoes, kind of like a fried green tomato sandwich! Life's Ambrosia also has a recipe for Fried Green Tomatoes with Bacon Ranch Dip that looks like another winner. At Christie's Corner, after she picks all her tomatoes for the season she makes Fried Green Tomato Parmesan, a variation of Eggplant Parmesan using green tomatoes to sub for the eggplant. Photo of Oven Fried Green Tomatoes from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen If you like the idea of crispy green tomatoes, but don't want the mess or calories of frying, the Oven Fried Green Tomatoes from Fat Free Vegan Kitchen might be just the thing. This recipe uses cornmeal, quinoa flour, and flax seed for a healthy option for this traditional dish. Photo of Curried Green Tomatoes from The Perfect Pantry There are definitely other ways to enjoy green tomatoes, and at Whistlestop Cafe Cooking, Sandi is making Grilled Green Tomatoes with Goat Cheese, which sounds like a perfect season-spanning recipe. Another recipe I thought sounded intriguing was the Curried Green Tomatoes from The Perfect Pantry, which would be perfect to serve over rice. I also loved the sound of Spicy Green Tomato Soup from The Joy of Soup. Photo of Deep Dish Green Tomato Pie from A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen If it's cool enough to use the oven and there are still green tomatoes on the vine, the Green Tomato Gratin from [No Recipes] sounds heavenly. And just one more recipe to leave you drooling and wishing you had some green tomatoes to use up, and I think Deep Dish Green Tomato Pie from A Yankee in a Southern Kitchen is a stunning way to use green tomatoes. Kalyn Denny also blogs at Kalyn's Kitchen, where she's focused on creating low-glycemic recipes using fresh ingredients. Kalyn vows some year she's going to make fried green tomatoes, but most often when she has a surplus of green tomatoes she'll make something like Salsa Verde with Green Tomatoes, Avocado and Cilantro.   This email was sent to carrizolaziale@gmail.com.  Create Your Account Don't want to receive this feed any longer? Unsubscribe here.

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