Friday, March 5, 2010

Fundraising for Active:Water Campaign!

My husband is going to guest-post for those of you who know our family personally! He is currently trying to raise awareness and fundraising for Active:Water by running the Flying Pig Mini-Marathon in May. Here is his letter he is sending out.

Hello, I was wondering if you would be willing to help sponsor me for a race that is coming up in May. I have already paid and registered for the race, so this will definitely happen. A group of about 20 people from First Church of Christ (Burlington, KY) will be running the Cincinnati “Flying Pig” Mini-Marathon on May 2nd, 2010 (that's 13.1 miles!!!). We are running as a team sponsored by Active:Water, so we will be wearing shirts displaying their logo. Their mission is to raise funding and awareness for access to clean drinking water in under-developed countries. First Church chose to work with Active:Water because they have a good-standing campaign for this goal/issue. Our particular funding will go towards funding clean drinking water in Mapalo, Zambia. 3

I am invested in this cause too! In case you are wondering about my commitment to this effort: I have already registered for the Cincinnati Half Marathon ($60.00) and registered as part of the ActiveWater team through First Church of Christ ($10.00). So I am not asking you to do anything I haven't already done! If you would be willing to make a donation (any amount would be appreciated – even $1) please check out my webpage by going to the following link: (you can pay online, or send me a check and I will mail it with others on your behalf, ALL DONATIONS WILL BE DISPLAYED ONLINE, SO YOU CAN VERIFY THAT THIS MONEY GOES TO THE RIGHT PLACE!).

Online: http://www.active.com/donate/activewaterupick/lrhill

By Check:Please make checks payable to Active:Water ...and mail to me! Please make sure to include MY NAME on the MEMO LINE of the check when making this donation!
If you have any questions please let me know!

Thanks, Louis

P.S. Active:Water has already applied for 501-C-3 NON-PROFIT status this year. The review period is approximately 6 months, so they are a "Pending" Non-Profit. At this point donations are not tax-deductible. However, once they are approved all donations (including retroactive) will be tax-deductible. The Active:Water agency only partners with other Non-Profits, they have a very small staff, and a good track record. They are anticipating approval in 2010.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Nighttime Stinkies

I thought I would share a trick I just discovered with nighttime cloth diapering. Now, forgive me if everyone who uses cloth already knows this, but I was very proud of myself when it worked for me. :-)

When Alaina was still breastfeeding, I had no problems with nighttime diapers and stink problems. She has always been great at sleeping through the night, and her diapers never really had a stink problem. Then came weening...

When she weened completely, the ammonia smell became very strong. When I dump the dirties into the wash, I have to hold my breath, or my nose burns. Nice, huh? Nighttime is the worst. When morning comes, and I open the door to her room, the smell hits me like a ton of bricks. I have tried all different types of diapers, and nothing helped.

I don't have leak problems at all during the night. But I tried adding an insert to her diaper, and it really changed the strength of the smell! I added a simple microfiber insert to the diaper, and the smell no longer is unbearable. I think it helps her sleep longer too.

Yay for sleep!

Monday, March 1, 2010

Monday's Munchies-Cake Edition!

In the spirit of birthdays, I thought I would post the recipe that I used to make my birthday cake this year. It is called Tropical Sunset Cake. It is really easy to make, yet it tastes like a little slice of Heaven. I got this recipe from an old coworker who beat me in a dessert contest at one of our work retreats, and rightly so, as this cake can beat my pumpkin cheesecake any day of the week!

Tropical Sunset Cake

Pillsbury Yellow Cake Mix
Small can Mandarin Oranges (include juice)
3 eggs (beaten)
1/2 cup oil

Mix all of this and bake in a tube pan or 2-3 layers in a 350 Deg. oven for 30-35 minutes.

Cool. Do not make icing until cake is cool.

Icing:
12 ounces of Cool Whip
Lg. pkg of Vanilla instant pudding
20 oz. can of crushed pineapple in Heavy Syrup (a must)

Mix all of this including juice.

Ice cake and refrigerate.

Enjoy!