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Breast Cancer Research & My Other Ideas for Charitable Giving!

Hi, everybody! This came in from a great friend of mine, Karen, who just got over a bout with Breast Cancer. It's a horrifying Disease, and it has or will affect all our lives. We absolutely have to do something about this, and Research is the Key.

We just found out that two people in our family do not have Cancer -- both their Biopsies were clear -- Thank God! What a huuuge relief, but the scare is awful and we really need to eradicate this dreadful disease.

I am lucky enough to have more and more visitors to my little site per day, and we're growing daily, Thank Goodness(!), so I think we could really make a significant difference, all the little 'Builder-friendly folk'! Tell a Friend about This Site

I just found this fantastic Resource for Women's Health -- www.susanlovemd.org . I found it through Rosie O'Donnell's Blog Site, www.rosie.com, also a great site!

Get a Wristband -- reminderband.com -- This is a new Company I'm doing business with, and they have all sorts of cool wristbands -- pop in to see what they have for Big Brother 6... I know fer sures they have Tour de France (Lance Armstrong) and Napolean Dynamite Wristbands... and you can customize them with your favorite Player or your School... or your own name -- you get the picture!

Do you have your Pink Wristband for Breast Cancer Awareness and Research? It's a fantastic way to raise money and awareness at the same time. We've got our Pink Wristbands, and we got the Yellow for Cancer Awareness & Research (the Lance Armstrong Livestrong Bracelets), and the White Wristbands for the End Poverty Movement, which I feel very strongly about.

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<Shop iRobot Now! > I love these Roombas -- who doesn't want one of these? They'd make a great gift for your Mom, Grandmother, Daughter, Wife.... (okay, that last one is me, but I deserve one, don't I?? ha,ha,ha!) And a portion of the Sale goes to Breast Cancer Research, so now it's even better!

I got this in my e-mail a while ago -- I hope this is available in Canada, too, since I'm sure we're all eating a ton of chocolate ... we need the treats because it's soooo cold for so very long!! Anyway, if you're out buying Treats, pick up some of the new Pink and White M & M's, and support a Great Cause!
Hi, Ailsa! You probably know about this, but just in case... Who would've guessed
one could indulge in chocolate and fight breast cancer at the same time!!
Karen


Please do this. It is do easy and can help so much. Thanks

New M&M colors

Pass this on to all of your friends. There are many women out there
who have breast cancer. Lets do all we can to support this cause.
New Pink &White M&M's

The makers of M&M candies has teamed up with the Susan G. Komen
Breast Cancer Foundation to raise funds through the sale of their new
"pink &white " M&M candies.
For each 8-ounce bag of the special candies sold, the makers of M&M
(Masterfoods) will donate 50 cents to the foundation. The next time
you want a treat, please pick up a bag (now sold in stores
nationwide) - you will be donating to a great cause and satisfying
your sweet tooth.

Please pass on to all your family and friends. -- Thank you.

<125x125_BCRF_05>

<234x60 Think Pink ><Think Pink - Breast Cancer Awareness >

<728x90 Think Pink >
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What is ClubMom?
ClubMom rewards and celebrates Moms for what they do everyday. ClubMom is open to ALL Moms, and is absolutely free. More than 3 million Moms have joined, and thousands more are joining daily.

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(ClubMom is a great Support Site for Women. Check it out when you have a minute!)

Hello Ailsa,
I see you have already been contacted by an employee of USPS, but I was searching for information and came across your site so I needed to email you. :)

Recently we (clerks for USPS) have been receiving a LOT of requests for the new Breast Cancer Stamp. They describe the stamp as 4 women and at a cost of $8.00 a sheet instead of the current $9.00 a sheet.

It is wonderful that the word is getting out EVERYWHERE! However, there is a sad side to this. The USPS originally released the Breast Cancer stamp on July 29th 1998 for $9.00 a sheet, there never was a sheet for $8.00 (at least not that I know of). Now people who would have originally bought the current stamp are deciding not to for they are holding out for the "New Stamp for less".

I am afraid that this information may reduce the sale of the Breast cancer stamp that has to date (10/1/2004) raised over $37 Million dollars for breast cancer research. (Full information on the stamp can be found on the USPS web site at http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productDetail.jsp?OID=1555262 including picture, price and where the money goes. If you have problems with that link, go to www.usps.com click on "buy stamps & shop" and select social awareness from the "stamps by subject" sub menu on the left hand side.)

Now, I don't want you to think that I am blaming the reduce in recent purchases on your wonderful website (even though it would be pretty wild if your website was able to spread this information so far to make this large impact {smiles}), but I do have one request of you....

PLEASE, PLEASE update the information on your website to show the correct price and picture (I would be more than happy to help you with the picture part if you would like). Also, it would be great if you could let me know your resource for this information... We need to make sure that everyone has the correct price and picture to prevent more people from "waiting for the new stamp" instead of purchasing the current one.

I will continue to research this and use all my resources (I have already gone through the past six months of Postal Bulletins that are issued biweekly to all USPS offices) to see if there is actually a new stamp at a lower price coming out. Yet I don't see how this would be possible due to the fact that the current stamp has been such a success and is getting $0.08 per a stamp. Also, all of my contacts through USPS (boss, supervisor, senior employees, etc.) have not heard of this new stamp.

I find it strange that I am the only one of all these people who has decided to really look into this so I can make sure EVERYONE has the correct information (if that is even possible). I guess I am seeing the start of something that can have a major impact on funding for a VERY important research.

Sorry for the rambling. I do ask again that you update your website and I would be very pleased if you could let me know where you got your information so I can contact them as well.

Thank you so much,

Dawn R.
USPS Clerk

Hi, Dawn! Thanks for the Info -- I want to make sure we have accurate information, too! I'll follow your Link and replace the picture with whatever the new stamp looks like, so people will readily recognize it. Thanks, again, for sending me the Update! Hope you make millions of Dollars so we can find a cure! Hey, maybe the U.S. Postal Service can have some influence on the Canadian and British Postal Systems so they can implement these Stamps, too. We should be doing this World-wide, so if any of My Wonderful Readers are from another Country, maybe you can contact the 'Powers that Be' to get this Stamp in your Own Country, too!

You can follow this Link directly, and then you can buy these Stamps on-line, which is an easy way to get them.

http://shop.usps.com/cgi-bin/vsbv/postal_store_non_ssl/display_products/productDetail.jsp?OID=1555262

Take Care, Ailsa

Please take a moment to Copy & Paste this into your e-mail and post it along to as many of your American Friends as you can. We can't get these Stamps in Canada, but we SHOULD establish an Internet Site, or someone can let me know if it already exists, where we could give over the Internet.



Breast Cancer Stamp

All right WOMEN/MEN, Lets do this !!!!!! :-) We need those of you who are
great at forwarding on information with your e-mail network. Please read and
pass this on. It would be wonderful if 2004 were the year a cure for breast
cancer was found!!!! This is one e-mail you should be glad to pass on. The
notion that we could raise $35 million by buying a book of stamps is powerful!
As
you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently released its new "Fund the
Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer research. The stamp was designed by
Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand
against this disease that affects so many of our Mothers, Sisters and Friends.


This book of stamps is only $9.00. It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and
means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $35,000,000
for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What
a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery this week. What a
statement it would make that we care. I would urge you to do two things
TODAY:

1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps.

2. E-mail your friends to do the same. We all know women and their families
whose lives are turned upside-down by breast cancer. It takes so little to do
so much in this drive. I think we can all afford the 60 cents. Please help &
pass it on.

< >

Hey, look what I got, today! The Word is getting out there!! WooHoo! Thanks, Everybody!!

Hi Ailsa,
I work for the USPS and customers have recently begun requesting info on the new breast cancer stamp. None of us knew anything about a new stamp so one of the customers brought us info from her computer. It was from your website (which is very interesting I must add!). I thought I would let you know some facts about our semi-postal breast cancer stamp. Our semi-postal breast cancer stamp (portion above cost of postage given to cancer research) was issued in 1998 and has raised over $34.5 million dollars for cancer research. The sheet of 20 stamps costs $9.00 with $1.60 (.08 of each stamp) going to cancer research. I have attached a picture of the stamp.

Employees from our post office have walked in the local "Making Strides Against Breast Cancer " for the last six years and next year a group of us plan to do a three day walk (20 miles per day) in support of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. I am very pleased that the USPS offered this stamp to help fund the fight against breast cancer.

Thanks for including information on the breast cancer stamp in your website. It truly would be wonderful if 2003 were the year a cure was found!

Julie R.
USPS
Kalamazoo MI 49001

Isn't that great?? The U.S. Postal Service found us! Yippee! Now we just need to tel a few million more people, who can all run out and buy some Stamps, and we're all set!! Thanks, again, you guys! You're Great!! Ailsa

You know what? Julie sent me a great picture of the New Breast Cancer Stamp, but I'm having the worst time trying to figure out how to get it from my e-mail to my site! Remember, I'm new to this computer-land thing, so it sometimes takes me a long time to figure stuff out!! I'll get it on as soon as I can figure it out!

********

There's a gorgeous Breast Cancer Awareness Bouquet that comes with a Little Pin -- very nice for yourself or someone you love!! (And it's all about Love, isn't it??)

<Logo with Roses>

<FTD.COM - Send Love, Send Flowers!>

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www.eFundraising.com....For all your fundraising needs!>

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Custom Wholesale Buffwear -- Maybe we could get a whole lot of Pink and White Buffs to Support Breast Cancer Research... and maybe a varitey of other colors to support the research of the other types of Cancer... Don't forget to check www.cancer.org for Information on Donating and General Info, too... And Sharon Osbourne has all sorts of great Links and Info on her website!

Cancer Treatments http://www.cancerhelper.com/ Cancer information including treatment options, symptoms and more.

Hello!! These are little excerpts from my Daily Update Page before and after I went for my First Mammogram!

<Shop iRobot Now! >

Saturday, November 22nd. Hi, Honey! Did you get to sleep in, today? Hope so! Well, I went for my very first Mammogram, yesterday, and I'm so glad that I did. If you have to go in but have been putting it off (or know someone who does...), go ahead and make it a priority. I had a lovely Nurse-Technician, Maha, who made the whole procedure much easier. She put me completely at ease, explained how the X-Ray Machine worked (good information!), and was just remarkably kind. Thanks, Maha!

The whole thing only took about five minutes, and each X-Ray lasts for about 2 seconds -- that's the teensiest amount of time for a Test that can Save Your Life! They had a Video playing in the Dressing Room, so I watched that while I was waiting for my turn, and they had a website at the end of the video, so check out www.breastcancerinfo.com if you have any questions that you'd like answered about Breast Cancer Awareness -- they have a great method for Self-Detection, which, despite the crazy news item last year where they said Self-Exams weren't important (!)... can you imagine that?? Please, when information comes out that flies in the face of common sense, follow your gut instinct and forget the stories.

Man, it is absolutely freezing outside -- beautiful, but freezing! It went to -30 Degrees Celsius (ludicrously cold, if you're not familiar with Celsius!). This weather ususally starts in January or February, but here we are in November with 30 Below!! Ugh! We're all waiting for a Chinook to roll through -- they are the wonderful warm winds that blow in over the Mountains. I'll take a picture of the Cloud Structure for a Chinook, since it looks pretty cool!

Dwight has been working away on the Bar all week. I went out to the garage to help him cut the Top Piece of wood before we tile the Countertop. The Bar looks fantastic! Can't wait for my computer to 'get better' so I can get the brand new pictures for you!

Tip of the Day: This is a 'lumber-cuttin' Tip!! When you are the one who 'catches' the lumber when it goes through the Table Saw (the great big Saw), just level the wood (don't really move it up or down, unless the person feeding the wood through the saw tells you to...) but you can pull the smaller piece that is on the right hand side (the throw away piece...) outwards. This helps the lumber to move easily past the Saw Blade. I just learned that last summer, and now I think about it whenever I'm holding the lumber! Oh, yeah. And don't bother 'catching' the wood until it's about 6" from the fast-moving Belt -- that could result in a terrible injury, and no project is worth that...no matter what the person feeding the wood through the saw says ... just ignore them, and do like me! ha,ha,ha! So here's my new Safety Tip: Better Safe than Married! ha,ha! No, no. Just kidding! But Dwight can find a new helper if he thinks I won't worry about safety just to make him slightly happier!! (You gotta be extra kind to the 'Free Labor'!!) (Actually, I just had to kick Dwight out of my Office -- I like to be alone when I'm writing -- especially about him! ha,ha,ha!)

Aidan is running after Dwight, asking, "What's an Amp-Probe?" Yep, just your typical Saturday Morning banter between a father and his son! ha,ha! (An Amp-Probe' is a device for checking Electricity. I had to listen for the answer, too!! ha,ha!) Dwight is working away on the Bar, today, and Aidan just said to him, "Oh, Daddy. You're so helpful." He's very dead-pan about the whole thing -- hilarious! I can hear and see them through my Office, which is on the far side across from them.

Okay, let me go grab you some new pics!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

Well, there's where all the work happens! ha,ha! Thank God it's such a beautiful Office, since I spend sooooo much time in it!! In the Third Picture, just past Dr. Phil (!), you can see the Bare Bones of the Bar. That's when it was still at the Framing Stage. Now it's almost finished, so it'll be fun to show you the 'Finished Project'! Maybe you'd like to come over for a wee Drink -- make good use of the Bar!! ha,ha!

** **

Thanks for swingin' in! See you tomorrow!!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

********

Well, well, well ... Guess what's back?? That's right -- The Stock Market! We pulled our money out of the Market to Build This House, since this is our Big Investment, right now, but when we sell the house, we'll be ready to get back into the Stock Market. Over the years, Dwight has done very well with Banking Stock, so if you believe in your own Bank, go ahead and Buy some of their Stock. You Bank there -- and you know tons of other people who Bank there... really, it's just numbers math... Generallly, it boils down to 'How much do we need this Product or Service', and how long will it stay around ... many of them will be around for our Lifetime (I'm thinking Oil & Gas...), so those are usually a fairly Safe Bet, so-to-speak!

I would have a look at the 'Tried & True' Big Stocks, Pharmaceuticals, Anything Produce-related, the Internet (yep, I think it's on the upswing...), anything Energy-related -- especially 'New Energy' (Wind and Hydrogen Based...), and then the old 'Buy What You Like' Theory... If there's a Product that you always Buy, or a Place where you always Shop, see if they have a Stock and Buy it. You don't have to have a massive amount of money to get into the Market, either, but you should use 'expendable funds' -- money that you can essentially 'play with'...not your Grocery or Rent Money!! ha,ha! Of course, if you're still Renting, it's probably wise to Buy a Home of Your Own before you Invest in the Stock Market. Everything is 'siutational' though -- sometimes Renting is the only functional option, so in that case, go ahead and Invest! Good Luck!!

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********

Friday, November 21st. Hey, Baby! What up, Dawg?? ha,ha!Well, did you see Survivor, last night? My Boy Rupert had to go -- he was too big, too strong, and frankly, toward the end, just a tad too crazy...! Have you noticed that as soon as people on Survivor indicate that they are'The Puppet Master', all hell breaks loose and they're voted out? Ah, that crazy rush of Power! ha,ha!

I though Darrah and her barely detectable personality would have gone, last night, if Rupert had one the Immunity... hey, do you know someone like Darrah (or what we know of her from her limited time on camera -- Thank Goodness, or the Show would put you to sleep...). It's a shame to think that a person could get through life without any response to it. Maybe I think that because I don't 'get' people who don't have a reaction to anything -- they're just too dull for me to bother with. I love people who are 'story tellers', because they not only have a response, they put their own personal twist to it!!

I have to qucikly 'post' little bits and peices of my Daily Updates before my computer freezes up on me again -- soooo annoyink!! Hopefully, I'll be able to solve the problem, then get back to normal... thanks for bearing with me!

So I started putting the Christmas Tree up, yesterday -- man, that is a long process, especially when you're doing a million other things at the same time. I put the Base and the Top Section on (that's right -- it's a fakie!!), came down to my Office to do some more work on my computer, and when I went back upstairs, Aidan had taken over and put an interesting variety of branches on the Tree. And One Lone Ornament! Hilarious! He's soooo cute! Aidan loves Christmas.And we found the 'little Tree' - it's one of the Pre-lit 3' Trees, so Aidan put that up in his Bedroom, since Cara has a full-blown Christmas Tree up in HER Bedroom!! Now their rooms match, and that's so very important!!

I'm going in for my very first Mammogram, this afternoon. I turned 40 last March, and I just found out recently that the new thing is to start doing Annual Mammograms at 40. Who knew? I thought it would start at 45, but I'm very pleased that the Medical Community has changed the Age Requirement. I'm actually a little anxious about it, but I'll tell you how it went, tomorrow. Now, if you haven't been in for a Mammogram (and you is A chick...!! And just for the Record, it's often very entertaining for me to just 'talk wrong' every now and then... it's important to know the difference, though, or else we're just a big ol' pile of morons... ha,ha,ha!), go see your Doctor and get yourself in for a Check-up, if you happen to be in the Age Range (40 Plus...). Some States start at 35 -- and if, God Forbid, you ever felt a lump of any kind, get in immediately. Not all lumps are the same, so better to find out early -- at least it'll put your mind at ease.

Tip of the Day: Okay, this is a 'Breast Check Tip', and I think both Men and Women can benefit from this, possibly in more ways than one, but that would have to be consensual, and I barely know you...anyhooo, it involves my favorite Hand Cream, Lubriderm. If you've already had chilren, you might already do this, and it's quite a bit like the 'Soap in the Shower' method of doing a Breast Check. The Tip is to take a fair bit of Lubriderm Cream (or your own favorite cream!) and use that to moisturize and check at the same time, your Breasts. No kidding. It could save your life, so at the risk of everyone being a little uncomfortable (or not!! ha,ha!), it's worth sharing that! Don't forget that men can get Breast Cancer, too, so they should not be left out of all the fun!

Oh, and remember to eat lots and lots of Broccoli, Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts -- luckily, three of my favorite Veggies!!

Okay, let me go get you some pics!

And now for your 'Daily Pics Fix'!!

These are the Trees across the Street -- gorgeous, ain't they??

You know what? I love all these pictures in a Group like this -- looks like something I would put on a Wall!!

** **

** **

The picture in the middle is from the South end of our Property looking back toward the House. When you enlarge the picture, you'll be able to see the Sunroom at the end of the House before the Sunroom Deck was built. It was a really Frosty Morning, and I was out taking Tia for a wee walk (in the days before 'The 100' Rope'!), and the Light was amazing, so I ran backinto the house to grab my Camera and took this great shot. Man, I loooove my Video Camera! It's a JVC, in case you're wondering -- it takes Video and Still Shots -- perfect for me!

Thanks for coming by for a wee visit! See you tomorrow!

Later, Baby! Ailsa!!

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Take The Free Motivation Test at iVillage.com and find out what matters most to you!above="">

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Customized Buffwear -- you can have Your Logo put on a Buff -- Add $10. to the Price you sell them for, and you've got a fabulous Fundraiser! Drop me a line for more info!

My Other Ideas for Charitable Giving!

I have always felt that any Charity would benefit greatly if they would set up a Site where you could give SMALL Amounts of money. That's the Key. When Groups ask for a $50.00 or $100.00 Donation, very few people actually give, but make the amount between $1.00 and $10.00, the rate of giving soars.

Now, we have Lotteries for everything under the sun -- how about a Lottery for ALL of North America (and further ashore, if that's possible) where people could purchase a ticket for $20.00 and the Prizes would be Two -- One Week Vacations For Life to anywhere you wanted to go. I'm sure there would be plenty of support from Airlines and Hotel Owners, and a tremendous amount of money could be raised for Cancer Research.

Okay, so who's got the 'Pull' to make this happen?? Come on...I know I gots some really, really smart Readers! Let's start working on this, shall we??

Hey, might as well put my other Charity Idea forward, since it's sort of along the same lines -- for a long time, now, I've been trying to find someone who could help get this through...

Let's say that we all had the OPTION of adding ONE DOLLAR to one of our monthly bills that's not already insane -- I'm thinking a Long Distance Bill, or something equally reasonable in price.

There are a lot of caring people out there, and a huuuge amount of money could be raised for all sorts of groups in need of funds. A Committee could be set up to 'divvy out the money' (divide it out, for the 'Non-Scottish!) to distribute it fairly.

What do you think? Drop me a line and we'll see if we can't instigate some fantastic change!

Love, Ailsa

If you're not sure how to 'Copy & Paste', just put your Cursor (yes, that little line-thingee!)at the End of the message.

Left Click on your Mouse (Hold it down) and drag the Mouse up to the top of the message.

Right Click on your Mouse. Click COPY.

Go to your e-mail account and click in the 'letter box', where you write yo' letters!

Right Click on your Mouse. Click PASTE.

TaaDaa! You did it! Copy & Paste changes my life, and now it can help thousands! Yippee

Now, I think a picture of the Stamp was supposed to come up, but it didn't, so I'll see if I can get it for you, then I'll add that in, too. Thanks for helping, my wonderfully kind (not to mention brilliant and incredibly good-looking!) Readers!
Breast Cancer Stamp


All right WOMEN/MEN, Lets do this !!!!!! :-) We need those of you who are
great at forwarding on information with your e-mail network. Please read and
pass this on. It would be wonderful if 2004 were the year a cure for breast
cancer was found!!!! This is one e-mail you should be glad to pass on. The
notion that we could raise $35 million by buying a book of stamps is powerful!
As
you may be aware, the US Postal Service recently released its new "Fund the
Cure" stamp to help fund breast cancer research. The stamp was designed by
Ethel Kessler of Bethesda, Maryland. It is important that we take a stand
against this disease that affects so many of our Mothers, Sisters and Friends.
Instead of the normal 37 cents for a stamp, this one costs 40 cents. The
additional 3 cents will go to breast cancer research. A "normal" book costs
$7.40.
This one is only $9.00. It takes a few minutes in line at the Post Office and
means so much. If all stamps are sold, it will raise an additional $35,000,000
for this vital research. Just as important as the money is our support. What
a statement it would make if the stamp outsold the lottery this week. What a
statement it would make that we care. I would urge you to do two things
TODAY:

1. Go out and purchase some of these stamps.

2. E-mail your friends to do the same. We all know women and their families
whose lives are turned upside-down by breast cancer. It takes so little to do
so much in this drive. I think we can all afford the 60 cents. Please help &
pass it on.

<Breast Cancer Awareness >

< >

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