Friday, February 27, 2009

T.G.I.F.F.A.F.

I'm not sure about each of you but this week has been exhausting here in HLA Land.
  • On Monday we rolled out "Gift of 218" and raised over $500 which led to us taking on our first "Gift" which is set to be delivered this weekend!
  • Tuesday we learned about the RAK box and started the new cycle of postcards rolling in to Claudia's mailbox. (look in the announcements section to learn who won the first $25 gift cards!)
  • Wednesday we "Whacked" the blog/website with the help of Von Oech and Seth Godin.
  • Thursday we had a Patchwork Fashion Show and developed a LONG list of patchworthy activities (stay tuned for April when we implement many of these ideas).
But today, ahhh today is Friday and here on highlowaha.com Fridays are synonymous with YOU taking the reigns of the blog. You see every Friday here at HLA we celebrate Free For All Friday which means that you do the work. Each Friday we ask the readers of HLA to post with creative dilemmas that the community can comment on. Sometimes we pose a dilemma in advance while other Fridays we just let the community go with the energy. In the past we have "free for all'ed" a 100 Days shirt for reader Shannon C's kindergarten aged son, what to do with a giant mirror that Cheryl had in her house, and ideas for Cassie P's 80s birthday bash for her Mom. You get the picture...this can go anywhere.

So today, I get to sit back, exhale and get ready for the weekend while you "Free For All" the work for me. Since this week is Orientation week we'll throw a few concepts out there for the "Free For Alling" to center around. We've got two tasks today:

#1: What information have we NOT presented this week that you think is important for newcomers to know? If you are a newcomer what information has confused you? (For instance yesterday Lindsay wanted to know what Taste of USA was because it was being discussed but we had never talked about WHAT it was.)

#2: Many of you have requested access to some blog posts from the previous year. While we won't be bringing all of the back to the blog we would like to bring the top 10 from 2008 and post them to the website for reference. So...what posts do you wish you still had access to? Give us your Top 10.

Announcements

  • RAK Box Postcards: Congratulations to Cassie P. whose postcard arrived in Claudia's box yesterday. Cassie and her friend Samantha Pate both win $25 Target gift cards. Don't forget that you still have two ways to win. Yesterday Claudia received 7 postcards (Cassie's was the first one out of the mailbox) she'll give a $25 gift card to the 18th postcard she receives AND pull a random card out of the RAK box on the 6th so if you haven't yet done it, send your postcard to Claudia Beeny, 4012 Harvestwood Ct., Grapevine, TX 76051.
  • Recipe Book: Thanks to Tera's generosity with her time we are pulling together the first highlowaha cookbook, but we need your help. Please send Tera all of your fabulous creative recipes for inclusion. The deadline to submit is March 18 so we have time to roll out for Mother's Day. Send them to Tera Johnson 2590 N. Moreland, Apt E22, Shaker Heights, OH, 44120 or email it to Tera at tmichalski05@jcu.edu.
  • Gift of 218: We haven't wasted any time thanks to the overwhelming response from our readers not only do we have the funds to grant a gift but we also have the perfect family nominated. We sent the information out regarding the gift recipient via the facebook group yesterday so please respond to that message today so we can be sure that our first Gift of 218 is truly spectacular.
Signing off until Tomorrow!

58 comments:

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting for today! I need help with costumes! Purim is in a week and we all dress up. Last year we won the best family contest dressed as Snow White, the 7 dwarfs and Prince Charming. (I had 7 kids then 8 now.)

I was thinking we could go as Hamentaschen, triangular Purim cookies. I was going to take brown paper and cut huge triangles. Then I need help with the 3d filling... Here's a pic: http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2007/03/02/apricot-peach-blackberry-hamantaschen/

Any other ideas welcome!

Anonymous said...

I've been waiting for today! I need help with costumes! Purim is in a week and we all dress up. Last year we won the best family contest dressed as Snow White, the 7 dwarfs and Prince Charming. (I had 7 kids then 8 now.)

I was thinking we could go as Hamentaschen, triangular Purim cookies. I was going to take brown paper and cut huge triangles. Then I need help with the 3d filling... Here's a pic: http://www.bakingandbooks.com/2007/03/02/apricot-peach-blackberry-hamantaschen/

Any other ideas welcome!

Chaotic Kristi said...

will try for more later... exhausting day @ work and am dragging myself there now..
speaking of work.. I think this week of HLA was WORK WELL DONE!!!! I am so excited by the changes!

Anonymous said...

YAY, I am glad I was able to win a gc for samantha!!! THANKS!

JULIE, dont be a lurker! I miss you in the mornings!

BUT just for everyone's info, I will be MIA the next week, as I will be on spring break. So do not worry when I do not post every day! hehe I am going to miss my daily dose of HLA. Coming back and catching back up will be hard! But I will be ok! ;-D

Anonymous said...

FYI...my email address is
tmichalski05@jcu.edu...not what's on the blog post.

I'll be back after work to post more!

Kat said...

A family of cookies would be so cute! Could you just paint the filling on? I can't really think of anything else your family could dress up as. Well, I did think it would be funny if each of you dressed up as one of the ten commandments, but maybe that's a little dorky!

Anonymous said...

sent my postcard out yesterday... I realized that I really like mailing out postcards.

maureen said...

Good morning everyone in HLA land! I wanted to know if being there is a 2 yr patch was there a 1 yr patch? I did not send my patchwork denim picture in because I want to sew either a vest or a sash (like Girl Scouts) out of denim and have been so busy. I will email a pict to you guys when I do.

Sent out my postcard 2 days ago.

Also thanks for my Fish Food! I hope everyone is getting great ideas.... and believe it or not I actually did FOLLOW my instructions LOL!

Kristen I am sending you that stuff we talked about. I am putting together a package of info for you! Hope all is well!

Have a great day everyone!

Katie said...

I think everyone should know the meaning behind highlowaha. Every night at dinner, Claudia reflects on the day with her family as they each share their high (best thing from the day), low (worst thing from the day), and aha (something learned that day).

She has also used it in other capacities when working with students on college campuses. For example, as a student in her Freshman Focus class 4 years ago, she used it with us every week to have us reflect on our college experience. I, to this day, still send mine to her every Sunday!

Cheryl Houston said...

OMG! That mirror is still sitting in my living room unfinished!! But it has changed.

Robin, I will think on the costume items... are you set on going as the cookies or are you looking for more ideas?

I'm having a hectic morning so I will come back.

Anonymous said...

I'm open to new ideas as well. I just have a reputation to protect as the incumbent. :-)

10 commandments was a good idea too!

Any more?

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

In the spirit of Orientation Week... other things people need to know in order to feel in the "Highlowaha know."

There are a lot of connections between readers...

Tera and Treye are married.

Tera and Melanie were both interns in my office while working at Bellarmine. It is also how they came to know Heather and Katie.. and Cassie (and others).

Maureen and I (Claudia) know each other from childhood.

Julie and Kristen are sisters. Tera and Julie went to camp together as kids.

AZ Lori and I went to college together in Arizona.

Lindsay and Katie are cousins.

Fun announcement: The first official Bees Knees patch was mailed to a reader TODAY!

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Robin...

First on the filliings... I looked at the site (delicious). I am thinking you could gather and then hot glue material to your brown paper (or brown card board boxes cut up) to look like the fillings. Maybe you could find scraps of deep purple (raspberry), red (strawberry), gold (apricot) on sale at Joann's fabric.

The recipe all indicated that chocolate and nuts could serve as filling. What about using actual chopped nuts on one or chocolate chips.

Other things that might give the 3D look - foam, felt, tissue paper.

Other things that come in ten.
I might argue you and your family are a PERFECT 10!
10 commandments was a good suggestion.
Fingers and toes
10 little indians
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1... a countdown. Blast off.

I'll keep thinking. Whatever you do, do you promise to forward us a picture. I think our readers would love to see the outcome.

Anonymous said...

Here is a pic of us at Purim, you can click on it to enlarge it:

http://doyounotknow.typepad.com/dont_you_know_what_causes/2007/03/purim_2007.html

Peggy said...

Not to be left out-
I'm not related to anybody here, nope! Didn't go to camp or college with Claudia... but my connection...
A neighbor on my block told me about this blog... her husband went to graduate school with Claudia's husband. And this same neighbor also knows Struble Suds... so, I guess there is a college connection, but not directly related to me! I think Denise is just a lurker, she is a busy photographer and yoga instructor. :0)

Plus, creative people enable me to follow them! That's why I'm here

Anonymous said...

Touching off Maureen's comment about "Fish Food"...I think it is important to know that we are involved in a year long support campaign for everyone's 2009 goals...each of us is paired with a reader who we support with fun notes/gifts/whatever might inspire them to stick to their goal.

Robin...I'll think on the 10 costume idea...

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

I still have high hopes, Peggy, that next time we make it to Struble Suds you will join us.

Good Point about Struble Suds. If you are a newcomer you should know we have established a relationship with Struble Suds, a local, underground (literally) bar in Illinois. The bar is owned by Matt and Cristine Struble.

MAtt went to grad school with my husband and Cristine is the saint-of-a-wife who allowed him to build a full-blown bar in his basement. Struble Suds is most hoping whenever the Green Bay Packers are playing.

Also... Struble Suds were co-hosts of our Super Bowl Snack Throw Down (a battle of football snacks).

Claudia @ Highlowaha said...

Oooohhhhh... someone else needs to help explain to newcomers... (1) why Ray wears purple boots and (2) what Colorstrology is.

Anonymous said...

Robin,
the package of cookies is a fun idea.

Here are a few more:
-Wizard of Oz characters
-Charlie and the oompa loompas
and my favorite which you may need to save if you are planning on having another child...bowling pins! There are 10 of them so perfect and you could save it if you are having another at some point and the tiniest can be the bowling ball.

I'll keep thinking though.

Katie said...

It's also important to know that we have a facebook group called 'highlowaha' and that Ray Wattson has a facebook profile!

Ray is like our little mascot for highlowaha, but you'll learn lots about him later...just to peak your curiosity!

Cheryl Houston said...

Yes. Thanks Katie. Everything you wanted to know about Ray will come tomorrow. Just a tease.

Colorstrology is a zodiac that uses color instead of numbers and stars. The date of your birth is related to a color that you should surround yourself.

Anonymous said...

So I thought I posted this morning as "anonymous" since my computer is apparently sick and I have no idea how to cure it...

further, I have no idea what it was that I had said...all I know now is that the 51 degree weather we had this morning has given way to 21 degrees and snow, and on that note, I'm off to bed to dream of warm weather and running bare foot in fresh cut grass!!!

-Kristen Giger (Julie's sister...she seems to be MIA...where are you...you haven't run off to mexico yet, have you??)

oh wait...CKB...can you surprise me with your fav Ray pic?

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