friday five: some weekend suggestions

Just like Stefanie Says, I'm giving you a Friday Five. Here are five ideas of things to do this weekend:

1. DONATE. Go to Shannon's Tales from the Fairy Blogmother and find out how you can help her brother Dave raise $10,000 as he bikes 100 miles for Africycle, a grassroots organization dedicated to improving the lives of those in Malawi.

As Shannon explains, there are 5 ways you can help:

• Go directly to the Ride for Africycle website and make a donation.
• Donate $5 using the donate link on Shannon's right sidebar and get a chance to win a Dell Ditty mp3 player.
  
• Donate $3 and score yourself a handmade beaded bracelet (50% goes to Africycle).
  
• Visit Shannon's Cafepress shop and purchase a shirt to show your support ($5 from each shirt goes to Africycle).
• Know Shannon in real life? Just hand her some cash.

2. READ. Here are some of my favorite blog posts this week:

• Destiny, At Home in Piemonte
• Phone Calls and F*llatio, (PG-rated but for the last line, which is classic) The Daily Rant
  
• conversations with a hitchhiker, Poppy Fields
• Something Very Beautiful, cease cows, life is short!
• Passionate Mondays, The Passionate Palate

And a news story that has me scratching my head: Lost at Sea: A Ghost Ship Story. What the heck happened there?!

3. GO OUTSIDE AND TAKE SOME PHOTOS. I know that's what Wanderlust Scarlett is going to be doing, and I encourage you all to do the same...and then share them with us please! No matter where you live there are beautiful sights to be seen and appreciated--especially for those of us who may never make it there. We love the ordinary *and* extraordinary around here, so get snapping!

4. TRY A NEW RECIPE. Perhaps you've seen The Foodie BlogRoll on my sidebar, but if you haven't explored it completely--or haven't looked at it lately--there are new food blogs added all the time. Some other new favorites of mine are Cook (almost) Anything...at Least Once and Rasa Malaysia. Get some inspiration and then enjoy the results. Yum.

5. WARM THE GLOBE (in a good way)...THROUGH FRIENDSHIP. Jeni of Down River Drivel sent me this a little while ago, and I think it's a great idea. This is really a blogger activity started by the lovely Vic Grace of Cariboo Ponderer, and it's great for those of us who love linky love.

To participate, just copy and paste the list below (adding your blog to the bottom) and then spread the love by posting it on your blog. Then your blog readers can copy and paste and so forth.

This is also great for finding new blogs to read, so even if you're not a blogger, you can still warm up the blogosphere by visiting and commenting the blogs in the list.

Here they are--and remember, everyone is invited to participate.

Cariboo Ponderer

Me, my life, my garden
Author blog
A little piece of me
The BiPolar Diaries
Turning the Pages of Life
A Blue State of Mind
A Day in the Life of Sasha Stinerova
Whitterer on Autism
Pastorette Ponderings
Skittles Place
It's About Time
Creatif
Meloncutter's Musings
10 Years Running Blind
Rather Than Working
Are We There Yet?
Overthehill Boomer Chick
Whee! All The Way Home
Mother's Home
A Place I Call Home
Time With Shelby
Any Apples
BoggyWoggy's Cache
Erika Jean
My Dogs Keep Me Sane
Rambling Shan
Random Autumness
The Turtle Parade
Dottie's Place
The Wonderful World of Nothing Worthwhile
OzLady’s Ramblings
Tinkerbell
Chicken's Life
Echos of Grace
Tales From a Former Michigander
KSHIPPYCHIC
Meeyauw
A Purple Shade of Black
Dare to Get Organized
And Miles to go Before We Sleep
Beth & Cory's Mom
The Middling Monettes
Twist & Skewer
A Day In The Life of Elle
Tea Time Ramblings
Bubba’s Sis
Akelamalu
Buzzqueen
Josie
Leslie
Lynne's Little Corner of the World
A Southern Girl's Guide to Almost Anything
Welcome to My World of Dreams
Charming & Delightful
Down River Drivel

Bleeding Espresso

Buon weekend a tutti!