Happy early Mother’s Day, Mom! Here’s a story we know and love that tells everyone out there what an awesome Mom you are!

When I (Lyssa) was around three years old, my mom would teach Sunday school, and drop me off in the nursery. She would skip breakfast most of the time. She says that all the ladies in the nursery loved me, They all loved Lyssa in the nursery. In the nursery they would give all the kids those goldfish crackers, and I just loved those.  When Mom came to pick me up for church, all the ladies would coo over me (who wouldn’t?!) and then send me to church with a to-go cup of goldfish.

Mom would be so hungry from skipping breakfast that she would beg goldfish off of me: “Lyssie, can I have just one goldfish, pleeeease?”  I would dutifully dole me out ONE of those itty bitty crackers.  It was kind of a game though, kinda funny.

At church, I was a good kid, just sitting in the pew and playing with the pipe cleaners and eating my goldfish.

When it came time for the children’s sermon, I would skip down the aisle to the front to sit with the pastor.  I was easily the youngest kid, but tall, so you couldn’t really tell.  One time we were in the way back of the church, like two or three rows from the back, because we were so late. I skipped off down the whole length of the aisle to Dr. Fancher and sat with about ten other kids in children’s sermon.

In the middle of the sermon, as my mom tells it, a thought moved across my face, and you could just see me thinking, right before I stood up, looked towards the back of the church, right toward where my mom was sitting, right at her …

“MAMA, DON’T EAT MY CRACKERS!!!!!!”

The whole church turns to look where I’m looking, laughing, as I sit down, happy I’ve saved my crackers. Dr. Fancher pauses while the congregation laughs, then continues.

After the sermon, I bounced back down the aisle to my mom and to my crackers, settled in next to her, and went back to playing with my pipe cleaners as she pulled me to her and said, “you goose,” affectionately.

My mom is confident.  My mom didn’t get embarrassed when her daughter effectively called her a hungry, cracker-stealing thug.  My mom, when I asked her about this story, talked about how amazing it was that I was so comfortable with myself and with our church.  How neat it was that I believed that people loved me so much that no one would mind me yelling in the middle of church for my mom not to eat my crackers.  She talked about how much the nursery ladies just loved on me, how I am lovable.

My mom is the epitome of love and affection.

Mom, hide your eyes, I’m going to mail you one of these:

This is mine, styled with some old wooden prayer beads. It’s like the new-school, benefiting others version of a BFF charm! It’s from Macy’s Heart of Haiti, a “Trade, Not Aid” initiative launched by artist and social entrepreneur, Willa Shalit, The Clinton Bush Haiti Fund and Macy’s. Already, Heart of Haiti has led to employment of 750 artists in Haiti, providing financial benefits for an estimated 8,500 people in the country.

Each item is a one-of-a-kind design and handmade by a Haitian master artisan from raw materials such as recycled oil drums, wrought iron, papier-mâché and stone. The collection features more than 40 home decor items including quilts, metalwork, ceramics, jewelry and paintings and is made almost entirely from recycled and sustainable items such as old cement bags, cardboard, oil drums and local gommier wood.

Thank you to Macy’s Heart of Haiti for sponsoring my participation in this “Share Your Heart” promotion. I was selected for this sponsorship by the Clever Girls Collective. All opinions expressed here are my own.

Heart of Haiti products are available online at Macy’s.com.

By George, SoLa, Solid Gold, Moss, Guero’s, Fabi + Rosi, Hotel San Jose Lounge, Amelia’s Retro – Vogue & Relics, Alamo Drafthouse and so many more!  The 5% Day will take place on Saturday, April 21^st this year – the Saturday of Earth Day weekend. The campaign will benefit HCC, Texas Land Conservancy, Clean Water Fund, Friends of Barton Springs Pool, Sierra Club, and Tree Folks.

Here’s an Earth Week event list:

Tuesday, April 17th – Visit Amy’s Ice Creams and Phil’s Ice House on Burnet Road or South Lamar Boulevard! Say “Earth Day” when you order and up to 20% of the day’s sales will benefit “Give 5% to Mother Earth!” Click here to view the event on meetup.com

Wednesday, April 18th – Whole Foods Market will be hosting a Community Giving Day at both locations! Five percent of sales will benefit the “Give 5% to Mother Earth” campaign. Also, grab some friends and join us on the patio at the Downtown location on Wednesday evening for live music by Austin icon, Alejandro Escovedo! Click here to view the event on meetup.com

Thursday, April 19th – Head on down to Shady Grove for a Hippie Chick and great live music by Hudson Moore at Unplugged at the Grove! Five percent of food sales on Thursday benefit the campaign partners! Click here to view the event on meetup.com

Saturday, April 21st – Eat, shop, play, and more at participating businesses all over Austin including Half Price Books, Solid Gold, Royal Blue Grocery, Jo’s Hot Coffee, Zocalo Cafe, Doc’s Backyard, The Rattle Inn, and many more to support “Give 5% to Mother Earth!”

Join CB&TL for complimentary beverages and enjoy some precious art from very strong and talented children.

Monday, February 13: Austin Pets Alive

• Doggie biscuits will be sold at local coffee shops, cafes and restaurants such as Progress Coffee and Jo’s for $2 with proceeds going directly towards a new Austin Pets Alive Mobile Adoption Center.

• Multiple adoption centers will be set up in the Second Street district from 10a to 2p for people to come out, meet the animals and ask any question they might have around animal adoption.

• At noon the community is invited to come out for a group dog walk, walking our furry friends around the downtown area, helping raise visibility for Austin Pets Alive.

Valentine’s Day, Tuesday, February 14: The Trail Foundation

Wednesday, February 15: Overton Elementary School

Thursday, February 16: AIDS Services of Austin

Friday, February 17: Center61 Happy Hour

Today and tomorrow, you can shop these beautiful designs marked 50-70% off, OR hit up the $5 and $10 bins.  Their current collection features products made by their partners in India and East Africa. You could get sweet wooden bangles or a cool charm necklace …

I love that a local company is creating opportunities for women and sharing beautiful jewelry, journals, and bath products! Go check out the shop!

Tickets are $35 and $50 at frontgatetickets.com. The event will help raise funds for GiM’s growing music education program in the Boys and Girls Clubs of Austin. Grounded in Music’s students are taught a variety of  skills in musicianship, which range from writing lyrics, playing instruments, and exploring other areas  of the music industry. Statistics show that students  who are involved in music programs early in life perform better academically in the areas of math and  reading. The data also shows that students score higher on the SATs in the areas of math and verbal,  regardless of their socio-economic background.

“Grounded in Music has a very simple mission: to leverage the power of music to transform young lives by creating self-confidence, opportunity and hope. These kids are learning that they can do anything they set their mind to and developing the confidence to push themselves to achieve things they never thought they could,” said Joe Stallone, Grounded in Music’s Founder.

“Some of the  kids in the program have a hard shell to crack,” remarks Michael Longoria, Grounded in Music’s  Program Director. “But as we mentor, teach, and share with them, the music dissolves that shell.”

Support is super simple: for a minimum donation of $1 at any of the seven Austin cafes, you receive a Coffee Bean / Wonders & Worries Wristband.  The proceeds from your donation go directly to Wonders & Worries.  In exchange, your wristband entitles you to 10% off all prepared beverages for the entire month of February. 

Since the inception of the Wristband program, CB&TL has sold 18,900 wristbands and donated over $32,500 to local non-profits.  Awesome!

Guilt-Free: Changing the Present

changingthepresent.org: ”Browse our causes to find gifts that make a difference, or search for your favorite nonprofit to make a donation”

Awesome things like adopting a sea otter, donating a kickball, or microchipping pets can be donated in a friend’s name, with a personalized greeting card mailed to them.

Designer-Savvy: Community Collection

communitycollection.com: ”We partner designer brands with the world’s top charitable causes and for every item sold we donate 20% to an affiliated cause.”

Hot-hot-hot designers like Elizabeth & James, Genetic Denim, Current/Elliot, Tibi, and more offer the ability to get the goods you love and give back via a trustworthy vehicle that is meaningful, measurable, and transparent.

Plain & Simple: Blu Democracy

bludem.com: save water + give water = save lives

Clothing line that saves water through its manufacturing process, gives water with every purchase, and is generally awesome.

Smarty-Pants: Out of Print Clothing

outofprintclothing.com: Donates a book to a community in need for every shirt purchased.

The shirt catalogue is like a list of classics I need to read or re-read.

Bedazzled: Joan Hornig

joanhornig.com: 100% of the profit goes to a charity you choose at checkout.

She has her own collection of earthy, architectural metal designs as well as charity-specific collaborations with other designers.

For Anyone: Pure Citizen

I already wrote about it here, but Pure Citizen is your charitable flash-sale site that not only provides eco-friendly and ethical goods on sale, but allows you to donate the sale difference to various charities. Check it frequently for new deals on accessories, cosmetics, jewelry, handbags and totes, blankets, and clothes.

Ripples of Hope for Children is a nonprofit organization created to break the cycle of child abuse and juvenile delinquency by bridging the gaps for children and youth involved in the foster-care and juvenile-justice systems. Ripples of Hope for Children provides the support structure necessary to strengthen the families of these children by connecting them to critical community services and opportunities.

Specifically, the pint coupons will likely be used in SYNC Court (kids aging out of the foster care system and trying to prepare for life on their own) or for COPE Court (kids with severe mental health issues who are given a chance to stay out of juvenile probation and have their charges dropped if they and their families work the program).  These could be kids on the autism spectrum, kids with low IQ due to parental drug use, kids who have experienced so much trauma that they’ve just shut down and are socially unresponsive … it’s heartbreaking to see how many mental health issues are created for teens especially with histories of abuse and neglect.

Executive Director Gena Vanosslear says, “A lot of time, the kids with mental health disabilities are the victims of bullying and gangs because they don’t understand the ramifications of their actions, so they’re led into doing something that gets them in trouble, then find themselves on the verge of a juvenile justice system they really don’t need to be in.  COPE Court is a preventative court to provide the family with some resources (psychological assessments, counseling, mentoring, parent coach) to help deal with the challenges so their kids don’t go into the juvenile system.”

Kids are the future. Kids need help, support, and love. Ripples of Hope for Children does that. Ben & Jerry’s has committed to many causes (Hubby Hubby, anyone?), and I think their commitment to impacting individuals and small and large groups is absolutely phenomenal. I am so lucky to be involved with such great groups of people!

1. My amazing, supportive, happy family
2. PLPs of both sexes in Aspen, Austin, Arizona, D.C., Cali, and all around the world.
3. Denali’s 5th birthday and her new off-leash walking skills
4. All four of my grandparents are still alive
5. Texas
6. Being raised in Texas (You Know You’re a Texan When …)
7. Hymeadow
8. Pumpkin
9. My adventure to Aspen
10. Knowing what Love Is and loving it
11. Learning to ski and snowboard
    

    Yep, those are still dumpster poles

12. Blake Lively, for constant style inspiration and a huge girl crush
13. The colors teal and orange together
14. Wool socks
15. Airplanes, for visits to and from friends
16. Washington D.C., for being a wonderful home to my fb gf and my second fall home
17. My many friends who have found true love
18. Pickup basketball
19. Hot tubs
20. My new skis, which are long, fat, and badass
21. Pigeon pose, for eliminating IT band pain
22. Glitter nail polish pens
23. Confidence and grace, gifted to me by my parents and their raising of me
24. Press trips
25. My blog and her loyal followers, who read even when I don’t write about Austin
26. Football
27. Rekindled romance with reading
28. Learning how to curl my hair with a straightener (again)
29. Lady Antebellum, Miranda Lambert, Kate, Voegle, and Taylor Swift
30. Wine
31. My new travelin’ buddy, the iPad2
32. Gossip Girl, Hawaii Five-O, Hart of Dixie, 90210, Covert Affairs, Ringer, and Pan Am
33. Deep Hip & Leg Stretch yoga class
34. My life experiences
35. Lowered blood sugar
36. My new mittens, which are teal and warm
37. Pinterest
38. Pinterest
39. Pinterest
40. Handwritten notes and cards
41. Hot pink temporary hair dye
42. The Pitkin County Library and its incredible inter-library loan system
43. My hand-me-down down jacket (again … seriously, I would die without it)
44. The ocean
45. The internets
46. Adobe Creative Suite, I’m still holding on to the pirated version from my first-ever job (shhh don’t tell)
47. Kale
48. Newfound photography obsessionand friends who happen to have closeted photography interests
    

    Polar bear!

49. Twitter
50. The blow dryers with the nozzle attachments at Aspen Club
51. Ashley Turner
52. Bubble baths (with non-toxic bubbles, obvi)
53. Free Pints of Ben & Jerry’s
54. Free Pints of Ben & Jerry’s for Ripples of Hope for Children (more details coming soon)
55. US Weekly
56. Change … as in life, not coins
57. Drake
58. My mobile storage unit (aka yellow land rover)
59. Blogs and the bloggers who write them
60. Aspen Extreme friends who force me to do things I never thought I would do
61. Theme parties
62. Jhorts
63. Denali’s reflective collar so I can find her in the snow
64. Bubbly water
65. CrossFit
66. The Blind Side, it never gets old
67. The knowledge that you can hard-boil eggs in a toaster oven
68. ViX bikinis
69. A spiritual, open-minded family
70. Sunshine + Vitamin D + warmth
71. Cold-brewed coffee
72. Love … luv … lurve … loooove … I love all love
73. That the proliferation of infographics and cute pinterest sayings makes me think at the end of this post that I should have probably made it a graphic in Illustrator, and made it pretty. Instead of a list. Then people might have pinned it. PIN ALL THE THINGS!!