Day 212: Left Change at a Park

When I was a kid, finding a coin on the ground was like finding a hidden treasure...Oh the simple things in life!! So today, I decided to leave some change at a park in hopes that a child would find their own hidden treasure :)

Day 211: Helped a Friend Create Custom Artwork

I'm definitely not a professional, but I love creating prints and artwork in Photoshop! I was so excited when a friend asked me to help her create a custom piece of artwork for a gift. I can't wait to see the final product :)

Day 210: Met the New Neighbors

One thing about a nice evening in a neighborhood is that people are outside walking, doing lawn work, or even cooking dinner on the grill. I was working on the flower beds again this evening and noticed that our new neighbors where outside enjoying the evening. I thought this would be a great time to say hi and introduce myself! Take some time to introduce yourself to someone new this week :)

Day 209: Completed Surveys for Charity on GoodSurveys

Whew! Today was labor intensive and tiring! After work, my husband and I spent the evening creating new flower beds in our yard, which means lots of digging, shoveling, and moving dirt. But, I made sure to find a few minutes to spread a little goodwill by completing surveys on GoodSurveys. Just sign up and pick the charity of your choice to start earning donations every time you complete a survey! Find out more at goodsearch.com/goodsurveys :)

Day 208: Sorted and Shredded Important Documents

This pile of paper is a collection of junk mail, old college documents, home business documents, and shreddables from friends that didn't have a shredder. I've neglected this pile for a long time, which has become quite an eyesore in our office--especially to my husband. So today, I decided to tackle this pile for recycling or shredding :)

Day 207: Purchased a Gift From Someone's Baby Registry

My dear friend is having her baby shower today! I thought it would be fun to purchase a gift from a random baby registry in celebration. Babies R Us  offers the perfect system for sending gifts randomly as the registrant's address is on file (and kept anonymous), so all you need to do is select the item you wish to send and add to cart! The gift I selected will be sent to the family of Baby Black, due in August...congratulations on your new arrival :)

Day 206: Transcribed Genealogical Records

Ancestory.com's World Archives Project allows you to help people connect with their past. Digital  records are transcribed into searchable record indexes making historical information available at the click of a button! Today, I helped key US Military Registers. Download the free software at http://community.ancestry.com/awap :)

Day 205: Left Cheerful Messages at a Baby Store

I stopped by a local baby store today to pick up a few items for a friend's baby shower this weekend. I often hear that the first few months of being a new mom or dad can be trying, so I decided to leave cheerful messages for new parents to find :)

 

Day 204: Left a Gift for Someone

One of the clerks at work is very helpful and provides great customer service to our patients. Today, I left a small gift and words of thanks for her to find. I hope she knows her hard work is appreciated :) 

Day 203: Helped a Friend Pass Out Party Invitations

My friend is hosting a party and needed some help delivering invitations, so today I helped pass them out! I can't wait for the party in a few weeks :)

Day 202: Left a Book in Our Neighborhood Park

Reading is one of my favorite past times, so I decided to leave a favorite childhood book of mine for someone to find! We have a cute little gazebo in our neighborhood, which I thought would be the perfect location to leave the book. I hope this book sparks the imagination of a young mind :)

Day 201: Supported Join My Village

Join My Village helps to fund education, health, and economic programs for women and girls in India and Malawi. By supporting Join My Village through liking, sharing, or visiting pages, General Mills and Merck donate funds to these programs. Today, I watched videos, shared projects on social media, and joined the mailing list! Check out Join My Village at joinmyvillage.com :)

Day 200: Handed Out Kind Bars at a 5K

My day started off great at the happiest 5K!  To make the experience even happier, I decided to purchase some Kind Bars to hand out before the race started :)

Day 199: Bought Someone Flowers

Flowers have a funny way of bringing a smile to your face! There's something about their beauty that can lift your spirit. So today, I decided to buy someone flowers just because :)

Day 198: Left a Treat for Our Waitress

Today my pal Tera helped me with this act of kindness! At dinner tonight we left a gift box filled with peanut butter M&M packages for our waitress. She made us smile today, so we decided to return the favor :)

Day 197: Practiced Patience

The lovely chair pictured above has caused me much difficulty over the past 2 months. In May, I ordered furniture from a patio collection and unfortunately, I still haven't received all the pieces. I've had pieces go missing in transit and wrong items delivered. And despite multiple phone calls with the company, the difficulties seemed to mount. But throughout this process, I vowed to stay patient. Today, I had another conversation with the company that lasted over 45 minutes and included a few call transfers. But I reminded myself to be patient and kept saying to myself "today we will resolve this issue." By the end of the call I was transferred to a pleasant woman who knew just how to help me out. I am certain my patience allowed me to connect with the right person. I love this quote by Benjamin Franklin..."He that can have patience can have what he will." Patience is not easy. It's a skill that requires practice, but is definitely worth the wait :)

Day 196: Completed a Survey for a Research Study

This act took me back to my college days! Today I completed a vocabulary survey for a research study on literacy. The more research we do, the more knowledge we have :)

Day 195: Cooked Meals for the Week

Time is so precious and I never seem to have enough of it! My husband needed to work late tonight, so I decided to make the best of my evening and cooked meals for the rest of the week. Cooking meals tonight, will free up my evenings later this week to spend more quality time with my husband :)

Day 194: Left Cash at an Office Supply Store

I was picking up some supplies at an office store today and noticed all the back to school displays were out. I decided to leave some cash in a binder for someone to find :)

Day 193: Helped Friends Pack for a Move

Our good friends just sold their home and will be moving to a temporary location. Today my husband and I helped them pack for their move. Our friends have helped us with moves in the past, so it was nice to have the opportunity to repay the favor :)

Day 192: Made a "Family Movie Night" Gift for a Neighbor

My two favorite things on a Friday night are a delicious bowl of popcorn and a great movie! Although recently, we've been watching the series Breaking Bad... it's so good!  I wanted to share the fun this Friday and left popcorn and a Redbox gift card on a neighbor's porch! I hope they are able to make wonderful memories during Family Movie Night :)

Day 191: Earned Free Kibble for Pets in Need

As a dog lover, I'm shocked that I never heard of the website Free Kibble before now! Free Kibble was founded in 2008 by 11 year old Mimi. By simply answering a trivia question, you can earn 10 pieces of kibble for dogs and cats in need. To date, over 12 million meals have been served! Start earning kibble at freekibble.com and make sure to sign up for an email reminder so you'll never miss a trivia question :)

Day 190: Let Someone Ahead of Me in Line

I made a run to the store today and there were quite a few people in line, so it was going to be a wait! I noticed the person behind me only had a few items, so I let her go ahead of me. It probably didn't save her a lot of time, but a few extra minutes of your day can make all the difference :)

Day 189: Dropped Off Important Paperwork for a Friend

An out-of-town friend needed an important document dropped off today. To save her the 90 minute drive to town, I offered to drop off the paperwork for her! I was so glad I had availability to help her out today :)

Day 188: Placed Quarters in the Candy Dispensers at the Grocery Store

While on my way home from work today, I stopped by the grocery store to pick up a few items. As I passed by the wall of candy dispensers at the entrance, I remembered how fun it was to use my quarter to pick out the most delicious piece of candy when I was a kid! I decided to leave a quarter in each dispenser to hopefully brighten a child's day :)

Day 187: Promoted an Up-and-Coming Band

A friend of our family is a talented musician and moved to New York a few years ago to follow his dreams. He joined forces with other talented musicians to create the band On the Sun. They are currently raising funds to record their first album and travel on tour! Today, I flooded my social media accounts to help spread the word! Check them out at onthesunmusic.com :)

Day 186: Completed Yard Work for My Husband

My husband and I have a good system in place for completing chores...my husband does the outside chores and I do the inside chores. But today, I decided to do some extra chores and helped my husband complete the yard work. I trimmed the bushes and pulled weeds in the flower bed, while he mowed the grass. Yard work is never fun, but totally worth it when you can spend a few extra hours with your husband :)

Day 185: Passed Out Flags for Independence Day

Happy 4th! Today I passed out flags in celebration of Independence Day! Nothing says summer like cookouts and fireworks. Wishing a safe and festive holiday to all :)

Day 184: Dropped Off Doggie Treats at the Vet

Mr. Mack had a vet appointment today and I thought it would be fun to bring a box of doggie treats to drop off. Mack really dislikes going to the vet and I'm sure many other dogs feel the same way, but hopefully having a little treat can make the experience easier for them :)

Day 183: Handed Out "Happiness Mix" CDs

I love how music can get you singing and dancing! Hearing my favorite song never fails to put a smile on my face and today I wanted to spread smiles through some of my most loved tunes. I created a "Happiness Mix" with some of my favorite pick-me-up songs to hand out today. My mix includes: Happy by Pharrell Williams, Best Day of My Life by American Authors, Firework by Katy Perry, and Good Life by OneRepublic :)

Day 182: Smiled at Everyone I Encountered

 

Today marks my halfway point and I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by so far. I thought the perfect act of kindness to celebrate this milestone was to smile at everyone I encountered today! And what a joyous day it was! It's amazing how a smile can change your whole outlook. I am so thankful for the support and friendship I have received while on this journey...thank you, thank you, thank you!! And don't forget that you are never fully dressed without a smile :)