Why the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge is pure genius

If you haven't heard of the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, or just the ice bucket challenge in general, it's basically where you get a bucket of ice water and dump it on your head.

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There is some confusion as to whether you should donate to the ALS Association within 24hrs or do the challenge, or do the challenge within 24hrs or donate. In any case, you get to nominate three other people to do it after you.

The ALS Association is a charity set up for supporting people with ALS and funding research into the condition (better known in Australia as Motor Neurome Disease, or less tactfully "What Stephen Hawking Has"). It has raised millions for them over the past few weeks.

So why has it become so popular?

- It's not hard or hurtful. The challenge is daunting enough to make the average person think twice, and cause some discomfort, but generally it's not going to hurt you (unless you stuff it up - and yes there are some people who have harmed themselves by being silly!).

- It's humiliating, and we all like to see people humiliated on the internet!

- The celeb factor. Everyone loves to see a celebrity get behind a great cause, but watching them dump cold water of themselves seems to send people into paroxyms of delight.

Negatives - most celeb Ice Bucket videos I've seen don't even mention the ALS Association or their donation. It wasn't until I saw Kochie do it on Sunrise yesterday that I realised it was a charity drive! However, the hashtag #ALSIceBucketChallenge is gaining traction and should make the average social media viewer realise the whole thing is being done for a reason.

Charlie Sheen just poured money on himself, which works.

And lastly, it's a massive waste of water when there are many, many people in our world who lack decent access to it.

However, I still think it's a great idea for fundraising and whoever thought of it deserves a raise. My faves so far are Russell Crowe and Hugh Jackman.








What do you think of the Ice Bucket Challenge?

Why I Don't Put Money in Your Charity Tin

This morning it was the Guide Dogs. AND THE GUIDE DOG PUPPIES WERE THERE JUST SITTING AND BEING SO CUTE AND OBEDIENT. People were throwing money.

On Fridays, it’s always the Salvos – both at my local train station and where I get off.

Other times it’s World Vision, Unicef, Doctors Without Borders. Amnesty. RSPCA. WWF. The Starlight Foundation, Red Cross or a local radio station hospital appeal.

On ANZAC Day and Remembrance Day it’s the treat of Defense Force guys in uniform (woot woot!).

And then there’s the special charity days. Bandana Day. Daffodil Day. Pajama Day. Pink Ribbon Day. White Ribbon Day. Teal Ribbon Day. Red Nose Day. World’s Greatest Shave. Cupcake Day (personal favourite because it involves food).

And so we come to the fundraising MONTHS. Febfast. Dry July. Octsober. Movember...

Online, on TV and on the radio, other charities are jostling for my attention via ads and social media. There are wonderful, worthy causes to support such as Buy A Bale to help our struggling farmers (which I really, really which I could give to!).

I’m not saying these charities and fundraising activities are bad or annoying things. They are not. They are great things.

My problem is I can’t give money to them all. I often don’t have money to buy myself a Coke, let alone throw a few bucks in the tin.

And so I don’t give money to any of them. I’m sorry. I intend to give when I have some to spare, but for now, I will continue to suppress my irritation at always, every single day, having someone with their hand out to me, asking for a donation. Because where else are they going to get it, if not from the public?

Do you give to charities? Do you give when asked or prefer to do it privately?

Casa de Surely Declutter

Today I was inspired by A Beach Cottage's Declutter Mission and decided to attack my kitchen. I've been really irked lately with all the knick-knacks and general clutter taking up room in my house and so I decided to actually do something about it.

Having read possibly hundreds of blogs about de-cluttering, I knew it was important to do it systematically, and one things at a time. So I got my helper (Other Half, grumbling but present) and we did the cupboards clockwise from the left, working our way around.

Boy, was it a bigger job than I thought! Ended up not even touching the pantry because I just couldn't face it after doing one cupboard and the drawers! I cleaned as I went. How do the inside of cupboard doors get so much crud on them?

My helper disappeared about halfway through but returned later to help me lift out the heavy stacks of crockery. The neighbour dropped by near the end, so I chatted to her whilst doing the last cupboard. Tried to offload a stack of old plastic containers and crap onto her, but she only took the old pie-maker. I told her it's all going to the charity shop tomorrow unless she changes her mind!

Before: This is the bakeware and platters cupboard. Yes that's a crockpot crammed in there.

The Tupperware cupboard. Nightmare.

The "miscellaneous" drawer.

Look! I finally did something that I saw on Pinterest!

Interesting find: a pair of stoneware containers. Absolutely no marks, both pristine condition. The square one could be a butter dish but is slightly too large. 

Lovely Anchor Hosking casserole dish.

Depression glass? Unsure. Nice amber candy dish though.

Jackpot - Pyrex! A lot of this stuff I didn't even know I had because we inherited the house contents from C's parents when they moved out. I've never delved the depths of some of these cupboards despite living here for four years.

This is about half the Tupperware cupboard when I pulled it all out. The other half is on the kitchen bench. C saw it and promptly declared the mess "effing ridiculous".

I'm calling this the Find of the Day: A Wedgewood "Pennine" sugar bowl. Just lovely.

And the finished product - the now-neat Tupperware cupboard. Let's see how long it stays that way, shall we? (Four plastic bags filled with non-Tupperware containers we never use. Ones with lids will be going to Lifeline tomorrow).

The bakeware and platters cupboard. Sorry for the poor quality, just took with my phone, no natural light!

The "miscellaneous" drawer. Now with containers for things.

Also going to charity: A George Foreman grill, no less than 3 quiche dishes and a stack of microwave cookware that I never use. SO CLEANSING.

So today was productive, but exhausting. Join in the fun yourself or search the #bcdeclutter hashtag on Twitter or Instagram to see other's efforts!

My Christmas Crisis

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Christmas is really doing my head in this year. I have been thinking about it since October but not actually done anything, besides some in-my-head gift ideas. For some reason, this year I’m becoming fixated on the presents.

I want to give everybody the best, most perfect, amazing presents ever. I want them to grin hugely when they open them and really appreciate the time and thought I’ve put into each one. We've got a tight budget but am determined to do the best I can with it.

... And then I read a wonderful blog about appreciating what you have (at Seven Cherubs). Got a fantastically inspiring email about buying local, supporting the local economy, not clogging yours and others' homes with plastic crap you don’t need, appliances you never use and DVDs you never watch. About not contributing the wealth of rapidly industrializing countries where labour is cheap (and sometimes exploitative) and manufacturing is environmentally harmful when your local hairdresser or lawn mowing business is struggling to make a dollar. Or seeing wonderful crafty ideas on Pinterest, and thinking about how homemade is so much better than a box of Ferrero Rochers I bought at the supermarket because I didn’t know what to give.

I’m also really interested in charitable giving, however am wary of giving people the gift of a goat for Xmas (see Oxfam Unwrapped) in case they don’t “get” what the gift really is about (and don’t have actually any "THING" to keep for themselves). Seems like kind of a mean gift, if you think about it that way. I KNOW that’s not the point, but am still not completely a fan of giving charity gifts of this kind unless I know the person is a big supporter of that particular organization, or of charity generally.

At least I am blessed in that I have a circle of family and friends who really don’t place a lot of value on material possessions, or monetary worth (so different from some I know). I know my parents won’t mind what they get from us and my partner C assures me his parents won’t either. I’m going to suggest a no-presents-this-year deal with my brother and his partner, as we both are struggling with mortgages. For my friends, I’m undecided – perhaps they would like to agree to a no-gifts-year this year too?

So I’m busy in my mind trying to reconcile all this mess in my head, and yet STILL trying to think of the perfect, most amazing gifts that a) are Australian-made, b) won’t end up as expensive clutter and c) are friendly to our planet.

And don’t even get me started on Christmas cards. (There's a minefield that's possibly best navigated by me just not sending any).

So now after all my resolutions to give ethical, suitable gifts this year, the original post I was going to write today about what I want for Christmas looks pretty damn selfish. So I’m not going to post it, and be grateful for what people decide to give me on The Big Day.

Do you have a gift-giving ethos this year? What is it?

Scrapbooking Day

This weekend I went to another scrapbooking event with Creative Memories. Regular readers will know that my mother and I have been customers of Creative Memories for some years now, and we always try to attend their big workshop “Extravaganza” events which are held about 4 times a year. We also go on scrapbook camp once a year to enjoy two full days of uninterrupted scrapping bliss!

One of my pages - I am up to scrapping the January floods

This event was aimed at raising funds for the Make-a-Wish foundation. Creative Memories releases exclusive product every year that contributes money from every sale to the foundation. The consultants also frequently come up with ideas to put more in the donation tin. This year we had an auction – each consultant donated their old, no-longer-offered products and everyone had the chance to bid. It was great – everyone was very competitive, especially for the exclusive products that were customer gifts and never offered for general sale! We raised a couple of hundred bucks that way. Also the consultants were donating 20c for every completed scrapped page on the day. I’d estimate over 60 people were there so I think some of them may have shelled out quite a bit, especially when some were completing 15+ pages!

Love the colours in these layouts.

As usual at these events, we were fed and watered well. Subway was the caterer for the day and I wolfed down my sandwiches. Scrapping makes me hungry! Fueled by frequent cups of tea and inspired by the day’s workshops (how to use the new border tool and page layout ideas), I managed to scrap my way through 9 pages of my “everyday” album. Not up to my usual standard but I found myself taking it easy, talking and eating a lot! I also spent quite a bit of time looking at the example albums of the consultants and admiring the new product (the new “Reflections” set is just so gorgeous, wish I wasn’t so broke!)

The other very cool thing was spending time with my mother. She’s getting progressively more deaf and now can only really hear clearly on her right-hand side. In between her tinnitus and Meniere’s it is very difficult for her in a large hall with lots of conversation going on, but all her friends know to speak up when they are talking to her. Her scrapbook albums are just amazing and I always love watching her put them together.

I had a great day just spending time with people who love scrapbooking as much as I do. The next event isn’t until January so looks like I’m going to have to find some time to do some more scrapping in my own time, or my album will never get done!

Some inspiration

What do you do with your photos?