Operation Smile and CampusBookRentals.com

Recently I was contacted by CampusBookRentals.com and wanted to write this post to tell you more about their company and their affiliation with a good cause.  I have been compensated for this post by Campus Book Rentals, but the opinions are 100% mine.  

Come on, you've heard of Operation Smile, right!?  Please tell me you know of them.  Operation Smile is an international charity that has made its mission to offer free cleft palate and cleft lip surgeries to young children all over the world.  It is sad, but in some countries children are just hidden away if they are born with a cleft lip or palate because of the facial deformity.  But it is not just an aesthetic problem.  These children have difficulty communicating and eating, which is vital.   Ear and dental problems are also likely.

A staggering stat from Operation Smile's website:

Nearly every 3 minutes a child somewhere in the world is born with a cleft lip or cleft palate. 1 in 10 children born with a cleft condition will die before they reach their first birthday.

Staggering.  But if they can't eat.  They can't live.  

Operation Smile has performed over 160,000 surgeries in over 60 countries through the help of volunteering medical professionals and generous citizens and organizations.  Today, they are also working to build self-sufficient centers in several different countries.  

So why am I talking about Operation Smile?  Well, Campus Book Rentals, a genius and generous company has pledged to fund 1,000 surgeries for Operation Smile!  A portion of each book rental, will go toward this goal.  Isn't that something!  

Benefits of renting books from Campus Book Rentals are:

• save 40-90% off of bookstore prices
• free shipping both ways
• highlighting is allowed in the textbooks
• flexible renting periods
• they donate to Operation Smile with each textbook rented!

Wouldn't it have been GREAT to rent textbooks in college instead of buying them?  Campus Book Rentals would have been so awesome!  That's why I'm telling you about it.  You will want to remember this one day...for you or your kids or somebody who wants to save money on college textbooks!

But is it really that simple?........YES!

With Campus Book Rentals, you just order the books you want to rent and then return them in the prepaid envelope when you are done.  Easy-peasy.  They rent on whatever semester/quarter/term you need, too.  If you need it longer, just use your manners and call them.  They market themselves as very lenient and understanding.  See here for one example of the possible cost savings.

I wanted to share what I know about Campus Book Rentals- a company that can help you save money while going to school also supports Operation Smile to transform lives!  This is something to feel good about!

Want to help Operation Smile?  Here are a bunch of sewing and no-sew items that you can make and donate to Operation Smile.  Here are other ways to give.

What I Did About Nicks in Wood Trim Around Our House

You are going to think that this is a product plug, but I can assure you, it is not.  I was not asked to, no did I receive any sort of compensation for writing this post.  Just sharing a "duh, why didn't I know this sooner" moment with you!

I know that one day in the next year or so we will have to move.  It's the military's way.  In the past, I have always had a good idea of when we would be moving.  Then we knew approximately when we should put the house up for sale.  This time, however, I really don't know!  Which drives us crazy at times because we are big planners.  Huge planners!  I do know whenever it is, it will be a lot of work to get this house in shape to sell.  I know some things that have helped in the past to make our house(s) look their best.  One thing we did that had a big impact was clean the wood cabinets in our kitchen.  A product like these is good for cleaning wood cabinets.

source

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So I decided to get a jump start on our current house and thought I'd start with the kitchen cabinets.  (I mean why not- that's what huge planners do, right?)  In the past, I used Murphy's Oil Soap and it worked great!  Our 15yr-old kitchen looked brand new!   I didn't see it at the store (it was probably there)  so I picked up some Pledge Revitalizing Oil.  It has an orange scent that I can tolerate.  Well, after I wiped down cabinets, I thought I would take it to some areas that are really beaten up...the kids room!  Just to see what might happen.

Check out these before and afters!

We seriously thought we would have to replace this window sill...guess not!  Whew!  A little Pledge oil did the trick!

I can't believe it's the same wood!  I love you Pledge oil!

I really had no idea that a product like this was capable of results like this!  And that is why I am sharing this info with you.  (Plus I got nothing else to yap about today- ha!)  I just thought this stuff was only good for cleaning my cabinets.  Well, it just saved us a lot of money because we were planning  to sand and restain all the wood.  OK, we would have paid someone to do it (like chumps) so we wouldn't screw it up.  You probably already knew about this stuff, huh? (You're like "duh, Kate!")

Well... that crosses "Repair Wood Trim" off our list!  

Friday {5}:: Awe-inspiring Places I Have Been

I started a new Pinterest board a few weeks ago.  It is called Awesome Places I've Been.  I like to spend my Fridays sharing fun or random bits of info.  Today, it's a bit about me that you otherwise wouldn't learn via me talking about crafts and stuff.

I don't know...it's a way that we might find some commonalities between us!

Various Sources on my Pinterest board.  Click photo to go to board.

Here are {5} (international) places I have been that have made lasting impressions.
For me, this list is more about the "experience" I had from visiting each place that you just cannot get from a picture or staying at a nice resort.

1.  Tahiti
I truly felt like I was on the edge of the earth.  Incredible beauty and an island lifestyle that I found most intriguing.  Heaven on earth!

2.  Thailand
Bangkok was wow.  Chaing Mai was mystical.  But I think what was the best part of the trip was when my friend and I brought food to the monks on the first dawn we were in the country.

3.  Boracay, Philippines
I was young and adventurous.  I traveled with a backpack and no reservations.  It took two planes, a filthy 2-hr van ride, and a outrigger boat ride to get to the island.  There we walked up the beach and chose a hotel that luxuriously offered a/c and running water and we paid extra for hot water.  No phones.  No TV.  It was like $35 a night or something crazy! My friends and I were there for simple relaxation but we left with memories that we can't forget.  Leaving out so many incredible details here...We met a family at a neighboring island.  It was life changing.  It was moving.  Special.  Eventful.  Their children sang to us.  We ate mangoes that were freshly whacked down (with a machete) from their tree in front of their house.  And we were lucky they shared an afternoon of their life with us outsiders.

4.  South Korea
I spent a year here.  It was all an awesome adventure- the food, the smells, the language, the customs!  But what stands out the most is a trip to the DMZ in South Korea (De-Militarized Zone is also the border with North Korea).

5.  The Great Wall of China
Still amazes me that people built that.  With their hands.

Do you have any places you have been that made you FEEL something?  Made you realize how lucky your life is or how small we really are?  Any awesome experiences you have burned into memory?  You know I would LOVE to hear about it!

Party Favors: A Crafty Treat Bag

I thought I would do one last post about Stella's 5th birthday.  'Cuz these little party favors were pretty neat!

Each partygoer got a treat bag that had a pack of fruit chews, some M&M cookies and a blank canvas & bag of craft supplies.

I bought the 4x4 canvases from Michael's in a 9-pack with my 40% coupon (twice!  I needed two packs).  That made each canvas about $1.33 each.  Then the craft supplies, well, it was part Wal-Mart craft aisle and part Kate's de-stash!  

There were sequins, beads, feathers, papers, ribbons, gems, buttons, felt, and a glue stick.

I printed a little note for each bag.

I thought this party favor was quite representative of Stella, my crafter.  And then by giving the kids the canvases, I thought they might have a chance of staying out of the garbage can at least a little longer than the typical party favor.  

Linking Up Here:

Somewhat Simple ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ A Creative Princess ~ Momnivore’s Dilemma ~ Yesterday on Tuesday ~ Saved by Love Creations ~ Shabby Creek Cottage ~ The 36^th Avenue ~ A Glimpse Inside ~ Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Someday Crafts

And Then, There Was the Party..

As if that sad attempt at a rose cake wasn't enough!!

WE had to have a party.  This was really our first big party that we have thrown for any of our kids.  By that I mean, inviting the classmates- typically we celebrate birthdays with us and our "immediate friends".  We don't have family parties because we don't have family here.  Just friends.  And some good ones at that!  They are our "immediate friends"!

But I had to make these and mail them out in time...

Then I had to figure out what to serve.  We opted for donuts instead of cake.  Stella is a donut girl anyway! 

I also made Jello popcorn.  It is becoming a birthday tradition around our house!  I like it because I can make it the colors of the party.

The bunting is the same paper bunting I made for our house.  Just paper sewn to a ribbon.

I had to come up with a "special" donut on the spot.  This is the best I could do.

Milks to drink.  

Favor bags with a couple goodies and a small bag of the popcorn to say "thanks for coming"!

And I used the circle garland (from my last post) as table decorations.  I just laid it down the center of the tables, the way a table runner would go.  It was cute.  I was surprised how much it brightened an otherwise dull and generic room.  I really wasn't sure what to expect either.  Truthfully, I just brought a bunch of stuff and hoped it was going to work.  And well, it did!  It probably took me 5 times longer than the party even lasted to make everything...but I don't care!  It's my kid!

Linking here:

Ginger Snap Crafts ~ Blue Cricket Designs ~ Sew Much Ado ~ Someday Crafts ~ Yesterday On Tuesday ~ Thrifty Decorating ~ A Creative Princess ~ Momnivore's Dilemma ~ Somewhat Simple