Love. Beauty. Fellowship. Joy. Peace.

There is, unfortunately, quite a lot of anger, hurt, intolerance, and hate in the world related to all kinds of things, many of them stemming from opinions and beliefs not shared.

But there is also Love. Beauty. Fellowship. Joy. Peace.

Destruction is not solved by Destruction.  Anger is not resolved by Anger.  Hate is not overcome by Hate.  It’s easy to focus on the negative, and to respond in kind.  Have you ever noticed that the easy way is often not the best way?  My desire is that we can all learn to go in the other direction a little more often every day when we are looking for ways to solve our problems or deal with our differences.

As suggested by Maria, who was inspired by Karen (read here and here), I am sharing certain photos of mine today.  When I look at these photos*, they make me feel those things I listed in the title of this post.

Love. Beauty. Fellowship. Joy. Peace.

*this is a dynamic arrangement – each time you refresh, different photos will load

I am also sharing my photos on Twitter (my account = @SarcasticMomLC) with the hashtag #loveburnsbrighter – in the manner that Maria described in her post.  You can do the same, if you like.  You can also join the Love Burns Brighter flickr group and add your photos there. Please do read both Karen’s and Maria’s posts (linked above) to understand fully.

Love.

It is not always our immediate response.  Here’s to choosing it.

I’m talking to YOU. And you. And you. You too. I see you looking.

If you’re reading this, I’m asking for your help on behalf of Kevin from Always Home and Uncool, his family, and all other families affected by Juvenile Myositis.

You’ve probably never heard of it, but for some families, Juvenile Myositis, an autoimmune disorder in children, is front and center.  This is not happy fun times, you dig?  You can find out more in Kevin’s latest post.  No little ones should go through something like this.  No families should.

Pepsi is giving away a 250K grant and you can vote (see below) to send that money to Cure JM to fund research to help make Juvenile Myositis a memory.

Today is the LAST day to vote, and this proposal has to be in the top 2 to win the grant money.

They’ve *just* slipped to number 3.

More votes are needed.

Luckily, you can help EASILY. And you can vote 3 times, in 3 different ways, right now.

Please vote 3 TIMES today, before midnight EST:

1. Send a text vote: Text 100850 to PEPSI at 73774 (standard text messaging rates apply)
2. Use the Facebook app: http://bit.ly/CureJMonFB
3. Vote directly from the Pepsi website site at http://www.refresheverything.com/makejmamemory

And please share this with anyone you can. Pass it on.

This is easy. It will take so little of your time, yet make such a difference.

Thank you.

BEWB FEST ’10

It’s the most wonderful time of the year – no, not Christmas…

it’s time for BEWB FEST!

We get to enjoy nature’s bountiful chest selection… and raise money to fight breast cancer in the process. A big thanks to @shutterblog for putting a bug in my brain last year about donating ad revenue for good. *ALL* my BH Ad Revenue for July is going to go to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®. This will become an annual tradition for the month that Bewb Fest runs.

Bring page loads to this site this month if you want to drive that number up. And please consider donating directly to Susan G. Komen – many people only think about this in October, but we need to give cancer the finger all year long.

Remember to see the scoop on prizes and check out BF10 Sponsors, button up, and then make your vote count here (below) for your favorite BEWBs/MEWBs of your fellow internet denizens.

Without further ado, I present the BEWBS and then the MEWBs…

Thanks so much to the following BEWB Contestants:

@TalinaN of Harvest of Daily Life
Agentninety9 of Worn Off Novelties
Amber of A Drifting Mind
Angelia of Mommy Needs Meds
Angie of A Whole Lot of Nothing
Beej of The Bean
Bryn of The Unbearable Bearableness
Califmom of Califmom
Chantel of Chantelligence
Chantelle (photo mommy) of photo mommy
Carol / @Cheeky_Geek
Casey of moosh in indy.
Dawn of Kaiser Mommy
Dawn / @pgoodness of Pgoodness
Denise of Musician’s Widow
Diane Bramos / @pilateschik
Elissa of Punk Rock Parents
Habbala of Habbala
Janet Isserlis of there might be cake
Jen of Tropical Fruit
Jenny of Miss Grace’s Disgrace
Karianna of The Karianna Spectrum
Lady Red
Lauren / @laurencarlton of Mommy is Rock ‘n Roll
Lcool
Lyssa / @sixesandseven of Catastrophically Lyssa
Maria Myrback of Boobcast
Malia of Just Malia
Mandi Bone / @princessmama of Mandibone’s Blog
Maria Melee of Mommy Melee
Megan of Kitsch in the Kitchen
Meg @sleepynewmommy of Sleepy New Mommy
MommyNamedApril of April’s Little Family
Mr. Goodwrench’s Lady
Padme
Piper of Piper of Love
SadieCass of Redefining Perfect
Terra of Raising Zoeyjane
Texan Mama of Who Put Me In Charge Of These People???
Tina of Send Chocolate Now
Usedtobeme of Why are you Stalking Me?
Veronica of Veronica Foale
Vicky of Secret Mom Thoughts
Vixen of Vixen’s Den

(list in alphabetical order – does NOT match the order of BEWB photos)

Voting Poll follows these BEWBalicious photos… You can pick up to THREE Pair of BEWBS each time, and you can vote as often as you like* through July 21st.  Come back often, and tell your friends!

Thanks so much to the following MEWB Contestants:

Adam Avitable of Avitable
bender69
CoderBlues
Josh of Raging Dad
Tim of The Inflatable Soapbox

(list is in alphabetical order – does NOT match the order of MEWB photos)

Voting Poll follows the MEWBtastic Chestiness… Pick your favorite MEWBS and you can vote as often as you like* through July 21st.  Come back often, and tell your friends!

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Don’t forget to display a button to support BEWB Fest ’10 and help increase the amount to be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®.

Please share via your blog, email, Twitter, Facebook and yelling madly on street corners.  If you have a bus, consider shrinkwrapping it with the URL of this post.  No, really.  Come on. Please?

Bottom line:  The more traffic you drive to the site this month, the higher the amount I can donate.

Please note that this now annual Bewb Fest developed independently and with no prior knowledge of Boobiethon, and is not meant to copy, diminish, or devalue the work that is being done there.

*I have placed no restriction on the number of times you can vote. There is a blurb on the Polldaddy website that mentions that you may get a message indicating you are blocked for a time period >> “This is because we have received too many votes from your I.P. address. You will be unblocked again in about 4 hours.” No verbage on how many is too many. So just roll with it, and please don’t complain to me if you hit the wall.

Bewb Fest ’10 – Call for Submissions!

It’s that time of year, my friends.  Oh, yes.

I’m calling the bewbs out to play.

We’re going to use our chests to fight breast cancer, my friends.
(see below for details.)

It’s time for BEWB Fest 10!

Bewb Fest ’10 is waiting in the wings, just around the corner, and that means you need to dress up those tatas in their best ‘ready for my close-up’ threads and send me a photo.

Confused?  Visit the Bewbs Page on my website and scroll down to the links about Bewb Fest.  There you can ogle all the fantastic photos read up on the history of Bewb Fest.

Last year, a separate MEWBs Category was added and this tradition will continue.  What are MEWBS? Man Boobs, Pecs, Male Chest… get the idea?  As long as I get at least 3 entries for MEWBs, we’ll have this category again.

All sizes and types of BEWBs/MEWBs are welcome and appreciated here.

That means don’t you dare say yours aren’t good/large/whatever enough.

Yes. They. Are.

So get out your camera and photograph your dirty pillows, ladies. Shine up that lens and snap a good one of your pec area, dudes.

And then send those suckas to me via bewbfest@gmail.com

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_____________________

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Rules for Photo Submission:

1. BEWBs need to be tastefully covered in some way. This ain’t no nipple show, ladies. Sorry.

2. Yes, it is okay to send a breastfeeding photo, if you still fall within all the other rules. Bewbs are hawt AND functional, and there needn’t be a separation in those instances.

3. MEWBs can be covered or uncovered. Yes, we are all about double standards here at BEWB Fest. Deal with it or #suckit.

4. Please send me only ONE photo of your BEWBs/MEWBs. I know you are a gifted photographer, and your chestal area looks awesome from many angles. Choose your favorite and send me that one.

5. Please make sure your photograph is no larger than 550px wide, and no smaller than 300px wide. Please, good quality.

6. No text anywhere on the photo, please!

7. I’m sure your face is what dreams are made of. Let us dream. NO CONTESTANT FACES IN PHOTOS!

8. Your email to bewbfest@gmail.com should include: your photo, your preferred name/screen identity, your blog name and URL (if you have one)

9. No submissions accepted after July 10, 2010. Don’t put it off until the last minute!

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_____________________

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Prizes!

Oh, and are you wondering what the winners of this year’s Bewb/Mewb Fest will be receiving as a prize for their hard work willingness to let us have a gander? You’re probably dying to know.  Well…

Lingerie.com, Bare Necessities, and Eden Fantasys are sponsoring Bewb Fest ’10 – click over to the Sponsors/Prizes Page to find out the awesome details!

And because bewbies are not only fun to look at, but also attached to women we’d all like to save (so that we can look at their bewbies some more because everyone deserves a chance to live as long as they possibly can), all Blogher ad revenue for the month of July will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure®, “the world’s largest grassroots network of breast cancer survivors and activists.” It doesn’t have to be October for us to make donations, so if you can spare some dollah-dollahs, it’s a good cause to support in June or July, too. Please consider donating.

***

_____________________

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I will take photo submissions through July 10, 2010. Voting will open on July 12, 2010 and run through July 21st.  The winners will be announced on July 22nd, 2010.

Now go go go, photograph those bewbies/mewbies!

And remember to tell your friends.

Still have questions?  Email me at bewbfest@gmail.com

Support a fabulous woman; win some cool shiz.

During the time that I’ve been blogging and utilizing social media networking sites, I’ve virtually met quite a lot of people.  Many of them have impacted me in some profound way without even realizing it.  I’ve been hurt a few times, moved to laughter as well as tears, and been inspired and humbled.

I’ve made some wicked good friends. I’ve been reminded of how many amazing people exist out there, if only you look… kind, caring, generous people.  The sort of folks you love to see in the world.

If you’ve ever seen Piper, you’ll know that she shines like the sun and you can’t miss her.

And then you can’t stop yourself from doing a double-take and a triple-take.  And when you get to know her, you realize that her beauty starts from the inside and radiates outward.  She’s one of those people.

She’s had some rough freaking times lately.  Heartache of serious proportions.  A car on fire and ruined.  Hey, Universe? GIVE HER A BREAK, ALREADY.

A group of her friends online want to help her.  She needs funds for a new car, and to pick herself up and move on with her two sweet boys.  So a giveaway of sorts has been thrown together by several of us and Adam was awesome enough to get it organized and posted on his site.

Basically, you donate $10 to the pot to help Piper back to her feet, and you get a chance at winning a prize. The Grand Prize is an 8GB Ipod Touch, but there are several others.

I donated handmade paper as one of the items:

You can head over to Adam’s Post to see the specifics and the rest of the items you could win.  Please make your $10 donation and stay tuned! (And if you’d like to donate an item, he has instructions on how to do so there, as well.)

Help us get the word out by sharing this giveaway on Twitter, Facebook, and wherever else you can.

Let’s pick her up, guys.  Let’s each be one more of those people we love to see in the world.

Hodgepodge of things to share…

First and foremost, there is a wonderful update by Peter Mayhew about Anissa – she is going home!  That totally made me cry big, fat tears of joy.  Please read the update and pass along the good news in any way you can – on your website, Twitter, Facebook, shouting from rooftops, etc.  We need to spread this – ANISSA IS GOING HOME!

The tweet announcing she’s left the hospital is here. RT that sucker!

Additionally, we need to do everything we can to  help them now, again.  The copays for her outpatient care are $100 a day.  Anything we can donate to The Mayhews right now will be of great help to them.  You can click here to access their Paypal donation page, or click the image below.

*****

Of much less importance, I have another two posts syndicated at Blogher: Falling Happens, But Jumping Takes Courage and The Not Good Enough Mother.  You may or may not have read them here, but if you have a chance, I’d love for you to check them out and leave me a comment over there.

*****

I’m also excited to share that I’ve started a new job as Nashville City Guide Editor at The Savvy Source. They are still looking for Editors for other City Guides (you’d provide regular info on preschool-age child-friendly activities in your town) for the following places: Berkeley, Charleston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Halifax, Honolulu, Houston, Indy, KC, Louisville, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, Northern New Jersey, OKC, Pitt, St. Louis, Toronto, Vancouver. If you’re interested, Tweet @whithonea or email him

*****

I’m also contributing to Room 704 in its new, monthly format. (Officially, I’m Visual Editor/Cartoonist, but I’m submitting posts, as well.)  Check out the February issue!

Whew.  This really cramps my sitting-on-my-ass-doing-nothing style.

What have you been up to?

Love & Help for Anissa

*For updates on Anissa, you can visit her CaringBridge Page.

~~~~~~~~~~

I was going to tell you about how great it is to have my laptop back and tell you a little about what I went through to get it fixed, but being on Twitter more again today led me to learn some awful news about a wonderful lady who is a friend and fellow blogger.

Anissa, of Free Anissa and Aiming Low, had a stroke this afternoon.

(This is her second. You can read about her first one in 2005 here.)

Often when you hear bad news about someone, the first thing you think of is that last time you talked to them or saw them in person.  In October, Anissa, Mishelle, and I spoke at a seminar and we got to share laughs and drinks together the night before.  It was a fabulous time because of the amazing company.

photo credit: Mishelle Lane, © all rights reserved

Anissa is such a fireball and, at the same time, just the most lovable sweetheart you’ve ever met.

This post, at Aiming Low, tells how you can help her and her family – especially if you are in the Atlanta area.  Please visit Aiming Low for this post as well as new updates on her condition and how you can continue to help.

(If that page won’t load for you, it may be getting hit with a lot of traffic, and you can go here for the information it holds, as well.)

If you have a chance, send Anissa love on Twitter – (her handle is @AnissaMayhew) When you tweet, you can use the #hashtag #prayersforanissa so that your messages join together with those of many others thinking about and supporting her and her family.

You can also show your support by changing your Twitter Avatar to a photo of you and Anissa together, if you have one.  If you don’t, you can still show support with your Twitter Avatar by adding a Twibbon to it.  There are currently two available:

For updates on her condition and to leave her and her family supportive messages on the guestbook, please visit Anissa’s CaringBridge Page.

You can also send her messages on or her Facebook page if you’re a friend of hers there.  And by all means, pray, if that is your way.  Remember, if you are in Atlanta, you may be able to help her family in a more practical way (see link above).

We are all used to seeing Anissa’s smiling face online and being entertained by her quick wit, her fabulous humor… and her magnificent rack. (She was First Runner Up in Bewb Fest 09, remember?)

Tonight, many of us are shedding tears and wringing our hands in worry.  She is being showered with love, lifted in prayer, and thought of all across the world.  There is hope, boundless.  There are jokes and stories being told in her honor.  We wait for updates and continue to push our strength out to her and her loved ones.

Anissa, there’s tons of love for you from all of your friends, all over.  We are sending you everything we can, and we won’t give up!  We all know you’d do the same for any of us.

Now get your ass out of that hospital and back here where you’re supposed to be making us laugh, woman.

We love you.

Reusable totes are awesome. When you don’t suck, and actually bring them.

The second Monday of the month sometimes (when I pull my head out of my ass) means I’ll post a piece about the things that John and I do to help lift a little burden off of Mother Earth’s shoulders. It’s this thing I started doing after I was completely disgusted on a walk almost 2 years ago (wow, it’s been that long?). I was appalled at how much trash people just throw on the ground, basically.

Back then, I realized I was pretty disgusted with a lot of things I was (or wasn’t) doing, too. No, not the Asian Porn fetish or even the Kitten Juggling. That stuff is fun! I’m talking about the stuff that’s not so good for the environment (like the Aqua Net huffing problem I had).

So we started changing little things in our life for the better, to help the earth, its inhabitants, and ourselves. And I started a project – PSBN – and began posting about those things here, to share with and inspire you. (So consider yourself shared with. And inspired.) It was a whole Happy Happy Love Love Green Living Be Awesome To The Earth I Believe That Children Are The Future Teach Them Well And Let Them Lead The Way kind of thing.

Did you see what I did there? Ahhh, yeah. You liked it, didn’t you?

Anyway.

I’ve gotten really lazy about putting up these posts. I have to be honest with you – I know that some of you have been supportive about them and enjoyed them, but they generally don’t seem to draw must interest and like anyone, that kind of makes it harder for me to work up the energy to make an effort and put them together. That assholishness apathy on my part as well as being lazy as hell just not creating as much time for posts anymore overall means I’ve skipped several of these “second Mondays” without publishing anything for PSBN.

I know. I’m a shitbrain.

This, by the way, happens to be something I abhor about myself – I get really into something, but then I get lazy and I don’t maintain my momentum. I forget, or I find other things to amuse me, and I lag off. (Hahaha, you thought I was going to say jack off. Yes you did. Liar. Ok, I thought I was going to say it.)

This *might* be why Dana called me a lazy douche last year, and why I’ve run with that whole “I’m a Lazy Douche!” gag for this whole time. Because it’s really the truth! (I still haven’t answered all those questions, Dana. You were so right! Isn’t that awesome?)

LAZY DOUCHE, FTW.

And that really actually segues well into today’s PSBN topic, which is Reusable Totes for shopping.

I loved the shit out of the idea of reusable totes. In fact, I took that idea and I bought it a nice steak dinner. I bought it many, many glasses of fine wine. I told it how sexy hot it was and then? I took it home with me, full of unclean intentions. I rubbed that freaking reusable totes idea up against my trembling body until… uh. Um. *clears throat* I think I’m getting carried away. What were we talking about again?

Oh. Yeah. I was in love with the idea of using some bags over and over again.

Don’t Waste – Reuse, beeshes.

So.  I totally freaking bought them and started using them every time I got groceries.

And IT.WAS.AWESOME.

I was totally single-handedly saving the world.

SUPER HEROIN IN THE HOUSE, BEESHES.

Wait. Wait. That makes it sound like I was shooting some kind of incredibly refined drugs into my veins in my domicile. And while that might be true, it wasn’t what I was trying to say.

But basically,

I AM AWESOME. You can say thank you any time. (For saving Earth, and all. You’re welcome.)

So yeah to recap: I was using the bags and it was awesome (like shooting up drugs).

But then I would forget them at home.

And (like shooting drugs) it started happening more and more. (It’s either premature aging, excessive alcohol consumption, or all those times I’ve slammed my head into the wall.)

(On purpose.)

So yeah. I would forget them constantly… and I would berate myself.

Me in the parking lot of the grocery store:

“You stupid, stupid bitch! You forgot the fucking bags AGAIN!”

“Well you could just drive home and get them before you shop.”

(Yes, I talk back to myself. DON’T ACT LIKE YOU DON’T. Also, if you don’t… just, you know, pretend like you do and lets move on so I can protect the fragile shell of my imagined sanity.)

“DRIVE HOME AND GET THEM? ARE YOU A MORON?”

“Uh. Uh. No?”

“Well, see… CLEARLY YOU ARE. If we drive home and get them we’ll be POLLUTING MORE and, also? WASTING GAS. Do you even have two brain cells left to rub up against one other? I swear I hate that I’m you.” *spits in own face*

(That is a talent of amazing proportions. I can sense your jealousy.)

“But, but…” *sobbing*

“You make me SICK. Pathetic. Why don’t you just grab a broom handle and stick it up Mother Earth’s ass and call it a day, okay?”

*continued sobbing*

“I am going to strangle you with the plastic grocery bags when we get home.”

It’s really embarrassing, by the way, to have this kind of argument with yourself in a public place. I mean, usually this kind of thing happens only at home…

“You stupid whore, did you forget to take meat out to thaw for dinner AGAIN!??? Come here so I can SLAP YOU WITH THE HAND OF RIGHTEOUS FURY.”

…and at least there’s no one to gasp or scurry away blatantly. And no parents telling their kids, “Honey, don’t look, just keep walking. Hurry. She might hurt us.”

I guess what I’m saying is that employing the use of those Reusable Grocery Totes is REALLY REALLY AWESOME and can help us SAVE OUR PLANET if we actually remember to bring them with us to the store.

And what I’m asking, no, *begging* you to tell me is, What the hell do you awesome people who use them every time do to REMEMBER TO ACTUALLY BRING THOSE SHITS WITH YOU?

Please help me. Please.

Omg, I was going to end the post there, but then I just totally had an idea for making them into underwear so you’d always have one with you. No, wait. That would be gross, wouldn’t it?

Darn.

Oh, and while you’re sitting there trying to figure out exactly how to make me start taking meds, please link up any posts you’ve written recently that discuss “green” topics. Thanks!