This has been a busy week and I have to say, I’m glad it’s over!
I worked every day this week, even managed to run out and get myself a new computer tower for work, in between shifts. I had a lot of stress with the job and then, on top of that, my husband scheduled the exterior of our house to be painted this week, while he was out of town on business! Then we spent all of yesterday at a softball tournament in 98 degree weather.
Now, I know full well that our house desperately needed a paint job, but I work from home, on the phone, and need quiet while I’m working. I can’t be answering the door, my cell phone, or watching out for the dog while I’m working. So, the painters showed up Wednesday morning, fortunately while I was on a 15 minute break, and I got them and my dog squared away for the day. I gave the painters full access and put the dog in her crate, tucked away in my bedroom for the day. The paint job only wound up taking 3 days, amazingly, because it was a huge job. They had a crew of 5 though and it went pretty quickly.
Here are a couple of photos, before and after, of the side of the house (they had all ready repaired the loose siding). You can really see the bad spots underneath the windows and under the scaffolding. Today it looks so fresh & clean!
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of Making Change . All opinions are 100% mine.
June 1, 2010 is International Children’s Day and is being celebrated by Bilaal Rajan, a wise young man who at the age of 4, set out to raise funds for earthquake victims in Gujarat, India. He has also raised money to combat global poverty, funds to help Haiti after the 2004 hurricane, and has helped to donate thousands of dollars to UNICEF. This year, Bilaal plans to take part in the Barefoot Challenge, an initiative he began in order to “live life without shoes”.
At the age of just 13, Bilaal Rajan is asking everyone to join him in making change now by simply taking off your shoes and go barefoot. It doesn’t matter if you’re at work, school or home, just go barefoot! How easy is that!
The goal of The Barefoot Challenge is to raise awareness of those who are not so fortunate to have shoes or other items that many of us consider common place. Children around the world go without all types of things from shoes to clothing to food and they need our help. Personally, I love the slogan on the Making Change website, “Go Bare Feet With Bilaal And Make Change – One Step At A Time”.
Remember, Tuesday, June 1, leave your shoes in the closet!
We are having the exterior of our home painted, finally! We’ve been debating colors and eventually chose what we thought was a very close match to what was all ready on the house. Our painter came out with samples of our 2 top color choices and painted on square of each of the two colors. First thing we noticed was how much better they both looked than the old paint! (the samples are on our garage door). We opted for the bottom color which is called Navajo White. The painting began this morning and I can’t wait to see the end results. It will be a few days before they are finished.
This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of NMEDA. All opinions are 100% mine.
For 5 years I worked as a paraprofessional in an elementary school where my job was to assist 5th and 6th grade students who were either mentally or physically impaired. I will always remember working with one very special young lady who was confined to an electric wheelchair due to a bone disease she’s had from birth. She always stood out to me, not because of her disability, but because of desire to be “normal”, or just like all the other kids. She was succeeding too, and was a joy to be around.
I imagine her today being in high school and one of the most exciting events of any teenager is learning to drive. I’m honestly not sure for her if driving a vehicle herself is possible, but there is a non-profit trade association called NMEDA that promotes safe driving and equipment for disabled people. NMEDA dealers sell handicap vans and vehicle modifications for disabled people which includes vehicle modifications for disabled passengers as well as disabled drivers.
It’s not something you ever really think about, but have you ever considered how a disabled adult gets into and out of a vehicle? I visited the NMEDA website and was amazed at the modifications they are able to make including driver’s seats that pivot, extend out of the vehicle and then lower so the driver can slide from the driver’s seat directly to their wheelchair. It’s pretty incredible technology if you ask me. I think I’d be hesitant to buy anything promoting itself as a handicap van off the internet, or without knowing it is from a NMEDA authorized dealer. NMEDA really seems to know what it’s doing. Besides dealers, NMEDA also has Quality Assurance Program (QAP) which is the only nationally recognized accreditation program for the Adaptive Mobility Equipment Industry. QAP is based on the principle that in order to satisfy customers consistently, companies must have a systematic and documented approach to quality.
I think it’s so important for every person to feel independent and driving, as just about any adult with a driver’s license can tell you, is a sure fire way to gain independence! I hope my young friend can someday take advantage, I know she would be thrilled. I’m sending her parents the link so they can locate a dealer nearby. If you know anyone in need of mobility, you should send them the link as well. Do you know if there are any dealers near you?
One of the best parts of sewing is all of the fun notions available to help make our designs stand out. My sister has been having fun lately playing with ric-rac and ribbon while making summer dresses. I love all of it and imagine cute little bags to match!
