The Bluebird Patch

"The best  gifts  come from the  heart , not the store."  This past Sunday, I received a handmade haunted House, as a token of appreciation for helping Georgia SPCA during their Howl-O-Ween event. This haunted house was made by one of the volunteers and  I'm in love with it. Everything that comes from the heart, better yet, anything that is handmade is 100 times more valuable to me. I truly appreciate all the hard work and attention to detail that was put into this house. From the witch hanging from the ceiling, the furry trick-or-treaters, the cemetery on the front, the skeletons dancing on the back and the witch flying above the house, this is one gift I will truly cherished and never forget.  Halloween is also about giving back. Some people give candy, some use this time to raise awareness, some volunteer, and a very special few use this time to express their creativity. I have been lucky enough to experience it all. I'm a...

"There is no fundamental difference between man and animals in their mental faculties. Like man, they manifestly feel pleasure and pain, happiness, and misery. Sympathy for the animals is one of the noblest virtues with which man is endowed" Charles Darwin (1809 - 1882) Naturalist and Author of "The Origin of Species by means of Natural Selection " I'm bringing home so many happy memories that will not be forgotten from this past howl-o-ween. Everywhere I looked, all I could see was kindness. It was truly inspiring to see how many volunteers were able to work together, collectively, as a u nified entity to support the shelter.  The pet parade  generated a large audience and was kindly supported by local community members and business such as The Fernbank Museum , The Cupcake People , DJ Audiocake ,  Excel Gymnastics and Cheer ,  Jumptastic , BodyPlex, 97.1FM The River, George Aubrey Photography and so many more.  ...

Redefine ‘treat’ this Halloween Video game maker teams with ADA for Stop Zombie Mouth campaign Just in time for Halloween I received a box from the American Dental Association (ADA) with a limited  Stop  Zombie   Mouth   Halloween kit, which include PopCap Game, a cool Zombie Mouth poster and 50 packs of Plants vs.  Zombies  trading cards (250 cards total) with redemption codes for free Plants vs.  Zombies  game downloads. The cards are inspired by the game’s “fundead” characters as well as a new set of characters called the “Putrid Posse” developed just for this campaign. ADA and PopCap Games are redefining what a Halloween “treat” can be… by giving FUN instead of candy. We’re giving away Plants vs. Zombies™ download games as a sugar-free alternative, and you can join in the fun.  Ask if your local dentist has the limited-edition, collectible Plants vs. Zombies trading cards with the ...

The statistics speak for themselves.  Georgia's high school graduation rate has fallen to 67.4 percent based on a new federally mandated calculation.  Nearly a third of all Georgia students fail to finish high school in four years.  During the 2010–11 school year, Georgia had 162 charter schools in operation serving 56 districts. Many of Georgia’s charter schools and charter school students were recognized for excellence in the  2010–2011 school year Ivy Preparatory Academy, a school that was  rejected this year by the Gwinnett County Board of Education and was later approved for a two-year state charter, met or exceed, the  state standards on the 2011 Criterion-Referenced Competency Test. Black students at Ivy Prep outscored their counterparts in local traditional schools 93 percent to 79 percent. For Hispanic students, it was 88 percent to 80 percent. For Asian students, it was 97 percent to 81 percent. Earlier this year,...

1. Green Halloween: Halloween Costume Swap at Gwinnett Environmental Heritage Center. As part of a Green Halloween, GEHC will be hosting a costume donation and swap. During the month of October, drop off old costumes, masks, and accessories in the GEHC lobby. The costume swap event will kick off on October 13 th , from 1-4pm, and continue each Saturday, from 10am-4pm, until Halloween. Come donate, swap, or grab a new-to-you costume for your green ghouls! *Green Halloween is a non-profit, grassroots community initiative to create healthier and more Earth-friendly holidays, starting with Halloween. www.greenhalloween.org 2. Historic Halloween:  Capturing the Spirit of Oakland: 2012 Halloween Tours  Venture through Oakland Cemetery with caution as you listen to stories of historical Atlantan figures ... along with tales of murder and mayhem. There will also be music and fortune telling. $10-$20. 5:30 p.m. Fri.-Sun., Oct. 26-28. Oakland ...

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Havertys Furniture . All opinions are 100% mine. When we moved to Georgia we left everything behind, and when I say everything I mean EVERYTHING. The only material possessions I had where a few of my clothes in a battered suitcase. I still remember the feeling of entering into an empty apartment and the deafening silence echoin g in every corner. It was a scary feeling. Happiness starts at home and building a new “nest” became my number one priority. Decorating a new space from scratch can be an overwhelming feeling but thankfully our friends at Havertys understand the importance of building a warm and inviting home – not just a house. Havertys: Discover Something You has the furniture, tools and expertise to help you find your style and create the room of your dreams. If you are a pinterest fan I recommend you to look at these Havertys boards http://pinterest.com/havertys/ to find your bright inspiration. Is no secret I...

Toys"R"Us Engages Social Media Community, Encouraging Fans and Followers to Join Company in Giving Back.  This holiday season, Toys"R"Us is encouraging its customers to find ways to Give Back in their local communities, whether they choose to pay the balance of someone else's layaway order, make a monetary donation to Toys for Tots, or find other ways to bring joy to others. During the 2011 holiday season, a nationwide phenomenon began when individuals started paying off the remaining balance on in-store layaway orders for someone in their community, including at Toys"R"Uslocations across the country. Taking inspiration from these stories, the company has pledged to pay it forward by Giving Back each time a generous benefactor visits one of its stores and pays off the balance of the layaway order for someone in their community. For each layaway balance paid off as an act of kindness, the company will donate $200 worth of toys – the appro...

Make A Difference Day is the nation's largest day of volunteering, and is an annual event that takes place on the fourth Saturday of October. This year, it falls on October 27, 2012. 11Alive joins the Make a Difference Day movement with 11 events through the city. With our partner, Hands on Atlanta, we encourage you to JOIN US at one of the 11 highlighted events listed below OR do your own community project and tell us what you did.   For more than 20 years, USA WEEKEND Magazine has mobilized millions of people across the U.S. for this National Day of Doing Good. Together with its hundreds of carrier newspapers, longstanding partner Points of Light and Newman's Own, it rallies millions in a single day to help change the communities they live in.  Homelessness HomeStretch 89 Grove Way Roswell, GA 30075 9:00 a.m-1:00 p.m. http://www.homestretch.org HomeStretch gives homeless parents and their children a safe and comfor...

I have been watching a lot of videos and interviews online from self-proclaimed "happiness experts" and of the things that struck me the most is how the meaning of the word "happiness" has been used incorrectly over and over again.  It really worries me to hear so many silly tips on how to "obtain" happiness. I swear if I hear one more silly happiness tip I'll personally send an army of bluebirds to poop on your head! ;)  Maybe I'm wrong, but proclaiming that you will be happier by organizing your closet, acquiring a perfume collection, jumping up and down or having a memorandum box is as effective as being hungry and taping food all over your body to satisfy your craving. The problem about all the "happiness tip" out there is the attribution all these "happiness experts" are giving them. Is not what they are saying but what they are suggesting. I understand and acknowledge the principle that h appiness, howev...

In this video Katy Perry and Jodi DiPiazza sing "Firework" at the Beacon Theater in New York. "Night of Too Many Stars: America Comes Together for Autism Programs" is hosted by Jon Stewart and raises money for autism programs, schools, and services all over the country. Please join Katy Perry in raising money for autism educational initiatives that help kids like DiPiazza, tune into Night of Too Many Stars benefit, which airs this Sunday, Oct. 21, at 8 p.m. on Comedy Central.

Please join us at Georgia SPCA on October 28th for a Pet Parade, Costume Contest and more!               The Pet Parade is at 2:30pm, there will be two Costume Contests, one for just pets, one for owners and pets who dress up together. Each Contest will have three prizes: Best Overall, Scariest, Most Original   (one award per entry, awards given at 3:30pm, must be present to win)  Contest judges:  English Nick -   97.1 The River   on-air personality                        Liza Cardona -   11alive.com   and   theBluebirdPatch.com                        Dr. Mavis McCormick-Rantze, DVM -   Lanier Animal Hospital Don't miss the rest of the fun! DJ -   Audiocake DALMATIAN Bounce House* (thank you   Jumptastic ) In...

Join in the National Food Day Festivities with Launch of Organic Wine & Food Fair on Wednesday, October 24, 2012 Grape Crush Productions Unites Atlanta’s Finest “Green” Companies for a Delicious Evening of Sips, Snacks, Shopping and More at Trees Atlanta   “ If you can’t pronounce it, don’t eat it”  ~Common sense  Organic food is the fastest growing sector of the American food marketplace. Forty percent of Americans said organic food will be a bigger part of their diet within one year and 63 percent buy organic foods and beverages at least sometimes, according to a recent Roper survey. This fall, Grape Crush Productions is bringing together Atlanta’s finest in organic and eco-friendly companies for the launch of the Organic Wine & Food Fair on National Food Day.   Organic foods are foods that are produced using methods that do not involve modern synthetic inputs such as synthetic pesticides and chemica...

When it comes to puppet shows there is no one who can do it better than the Center For Puppetry Arts. The Ghastly Dreadfuls - The Last Ghast -  is one of the best adult puppets shows of all time and is one of Atlanta's best kept secrets. The "Dreadfuls" have become a cult favorite in Atlanta and is one of those shows that you must see at least once in your lifetime. The show is of a mixture between Beettlejuice, the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Alfred Hitchcock presents. The Ghastly Dreadfuls are fun, dark, and a little naughty.  The stories contain  spooky songs and devilish dances and some  elements of horror, comedy, suspense, and the supernatural.

I am so grateful for all the opportunities the Bluebird Patch have given to my family. We have been able to meet amazing people, connect with extraordinary organizations and visit places we have never been before.  Last week, we were invited by Medieval Times to enjoy a  four-course dinner and tournament at their Atlanta castle.  Their new show is full of    live jousting, sword fights, horsemanship and falconry. In addition, the choreography,  battle scenes, costumes,  horse dressage elements,  musical score are different from their previous show. As we walked the inside premises, we couldn't help but noticed all the pink "Fight for the Cause" signs. As a person who lost a mother, and both grandparents to cancer, I am always moved when organizations like Medieval Times offer their support to breast cancer awareness. 

Batdorf & Bronson Coffee Roasters h ome to extraordinary single origin and blended coffees and the legendary Dancing Goats Blend is hosting  an amazing evening with musicians of the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra , sipping the finest coffee in the city all while supporting the Atlanta Community Food Bank.  It'll be a concert to remember and you can purchase your tickets online! Admission is $20 and all proceeds benefit the Atlanta Community Food Bank. Date:  Sunday, October 21, 2012 Time: 6:30 PM - 9:30 PM Address: 1530 Carroll Drive, NW Ste 100 Atlanta, GA 30318

Bert's Big Adventure is still looking for families from the Atlanta,  Nashville, Tennessee , and  Indianapolis, Indiana  areas to take on the 2013 Bert's Big Adventure trip to  Walt Disney World ! If you know a deserving family, YOU can nominate them! Help make a wish come true!  Bert’s Big Adventure is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides a magical, all-expenses-paid, five-day journey to Walt Disney World® for children with chronic and terminal illnesses and their families. Bert’s Big Adventure qualifications include the following: The child you are nominating is between the ages of 5 and 12 years old, or will be at the time of the trip (February 2013). The child you are nominating has never been to Walt Disney World. The child you are nominating has been diagnosed with a chronic or terminal illness, or is physically challenged. Without the help of Bert’s Big Adventure, your family does not have the financial means available to a...

The Pink Glove Dance is an  online nationwide competition to find the best Pink Glove Dance video. Hospitals, nursing homes, schools and anyone in the U.S. and Canada who wants to organize a group of people, can produce and submit their own Pink Glove Dance video. The top three winners will receive donations in their name to a breast cancer charity of their choice, such as the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The charity is subject to Medline’s review to ensure it falls within our compliance guidelines. The amounts of the donations are $10,000 for 1st place, $5,000 for 2nd place and $2,000 for 3rd place. Our friends at the Gwinnett Medical Center submitted their own version and need our help getting votes. On the "Pink Glove Dance" website they posted: "A few weeks ago we heard about this contest and wanted to try our best to enter and have this contest reflect our highest ambitions to show how badly we wanted to earn a rewards for a charitable organization. ...

After finishing one of the most successful talk shows in daytime television, the motherhood bug has bitten Oprah Winfrey. After a visit to Africa with Nelson Mandela, Oprah invested all her time and energy in creating one of the most successful girls-only school the world have ever seen. The Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy is a girls-only boarding school in Johannesburg, South Africa that provides educational and leadership opportunities for academically gifted girls from impoverished backgrounds in South Africa. “ I realized that the only way to create long-term improvement and empowerment, and literally change the trajectory of somebody’s life, is through education,” shared Winfrey in a recent interview with Forbes Magazine. Education is in fact gate to freedom, but what Winfrey never expected was it will become her gate to motherhood. ' Mom Oprah' is always on call for her African graduates.  "I am in a really, really, good space. Being able to step...

Atlanta History Center and the Margaret Mitchell House will be hosting a lecture with bestselling author and happiness expert Gretchen Rubin. Her latest book Happier at Home: Kiss More, Jump More, Abandon a Project, Read Samuel Johnson, and My Other Experiments in the Practice of Everyday Life   takes a closer look at how to improve areas that usually mean the most — bonding with family, creating a comfortable living space and utilizing time management. Admission for all lectures is $5 for members, $10 for nonmembers, and FREE to AHC Insiders unless otherwise noted. Reservations are required for all lectures. Please call 404.814.4150 or reserve your tickets online . All lecture ticket purchases are non-refundable.  For more info please visit:  http://www.margaretmitchellhouse.com/cms/Lectures+/489.html