Out of the Darkness

Blogging, as you may know, is a fun way to meet new people, especially when they comment;-) (hint, hint)

At any rate, Rainy Day met Justine Dell through the Grammar Police segment of her blog and Justine, and a friend of hers (and writer) Sarah Fine are working on a project, Out of the Darkness Walk. Rainy Day has lost friends and family (of choice) to suicide, and supports this project. She asked Justine to write for this week's blog, and so we are posting one day early so even more of you, Gentle Readers, can have an opportunity to help make a difference by joining in a walk and or bidding on one of the great items and or donate.

Justine, Rainy Day now turns her blog over to you while she scoots back to the kitchen to get ready for the 6th Annual Jam Session. Thank you, Justine, for taking over this week's blog, and for helping out in such a wonderful cause.

Put them together, Gentle Readers, and welcome Auther, Ms Justine Dell!!!

Hello Gentle Readers and Peeps everywhere! And you, Rainy Day, go have fun in the kitchen. We'll get along just fine.

Over 34,000 people die each year in the U.S. alone from suicide. 

Worldwide there are more deaths due to suicide than to accidents, homicide and war combined. 

This year, Sarah Fine and Justine Dell have teamed up... 

for the Out of The Darkness Walk. 

It's a cause that raises money for Suicide Prevention. 

It's important.

This week we bring you THREE opportunities to win awesome stuff AND help out a great cause. 

The first is our EPIC giveaway. 

For this, all you have to do is follow the Rafflecopter instructions below to enter. 

That's it. It's free. 

For every 250 entries we receive, Sarah Fine will donate $100 to the cause. 

She will donate up to $500...IF we get 1250 entries. 

SO ENTER. 

And spread the word.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The second opportunity is this:

Sarah and Justine's Dynamite Donation Giveaway. 

For this you gain entries by donating. Every $1 you donate equals one entry to win one of two awesome prize packs. Use the easy entry on the Rafflecopter below, donate via our Out of the Darkness page HERE, email the receipt to dell(dot)justine(at)gmail(dot)com and we will manually enter your entries based on your donation. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The third opportunity is the auction taking place this Saturday, Oct. 6th at 11 am on Justine's Blog. There is something for writers and readers. You could bid on agent critiques, YA and Adult book packs and an awesome pack for writers. Mark your calendar for THIS SATURDAY and tell your friends. More details on the prizes can be found HERE. 

Help us and the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention and enter one (or ALL) of these opportunities this week.

Make a difference.

~JD 

Did you know...

 

...there was an article in the news the other day stating researchers have determined that people who smile lower their heart rate?

Rainy Day did not know that, but she did know that if you wear a smile, whether you mean it or not, you can't think angry thoughts while that smile is plastered on your face!

Doesn't that make it worth the time and possible trouble to wear a smile? (Besides, it makes people wonder what you've been up to.)

 

Rainy Day used to commute 50 miles to work, and 51 miles home. Yes, she went home a different route, and it was one mile longer. She tried to smile the whole trip. Made the stop and crawl of much of the drive a tad more bearable. She also kept a jar of smiles (bubble stuff) in her car, and when she was trapped in the traffic, at a full stop, she frequently rolled down her window and blew bubbles. She could see the faces of the drivers behind her go from angry to smiling as the bubbles made their way in whatever errant breezes wafted over the locked grid.

These days, Rainy D's commute is measured in steps – from her bedroom to her kitchen (and coffee pot!) to her office – or her quilting room. She seldom goes forth during 'rush hour', which is next to nonexistent where she now lives, and no longer has the jar of smiles in her car;-)

Warm Memories

But she does have quilts! Remember last week's post (Rainy Day does, but only because she reread it;-) and the photo of the quilt on the Big Beast of a quilting machine? Well, here is that quilt – finished. All 63 of the blocks got their own quilting – she used four patterns and repeated so they formed a pattern. There is going to be a real learning curve on this machine, and Rainy Day is going to have to do lots of practice. And she's not at all sure that practice will make perfect, either! But she will have fun. And wear a smile;-)

 

closeup of some of the quilting

This quilt was made entirely with scraps of other quilts except for the red sashing and the yellow border, those were in Rainy Day's stash. Oh, all right, she may have bought the flannel backing for this quilt, but to be honest, she can't remember. That, too, may have been in her stash. (She tends to by fabric she likes and may need later when it's on sale.)

Uniting for a Cause - Suicide Prevention!
Rainy Day has donated a copy of My Adventures as Brother Rat for the Bloggers Unite for a Cause. The Click HERE below isn't linked, so instead CLICK HERE for more information.

 Thanks, Justine Dell, for doing this!