Love Is.....

An Aunt Dot who leaves a comment on the KFC Pink Buckets for the Cure campaign every single day -- realizing that every comment is $1 closer to a CURE.

Love is not random people I don't even know who leave rude comments about cancer and carcinogens and how there are more KFC's in lower income areas and all manner of negativity.

When I signed on to do this program, I did so in the same manner I approach anything related to breast cancer. With the realization that one of the individual dollars I help raise could very well be the one dollar needed to find a CURE. I'm not going to get breast cancer any more from eating one chicken leg than you are from spending a bunch of time spewing negative comments on my blog.

In fact, research is showing more and more that people who have a positive outlook on life are less likely to get cancer. It has something to do with acids and bases and all sorts of scientific brouhaha that I don't even begin to understand. But the short story is that when you have a negative outlook on life, it actually causes a chemical change in your body that makes it more conducive to cancer.

So.... Please take your comments elsewhere. We don't need that kind of a chemical change around here.

For those of you who are Positively Pissed Off at Cancer, please feel free to leave a comment on my Bucket Blog. We're still pretty far short of the $1000 BlogHer will donate.

http://princessdlyn.blogspot.com/2010/04/bucketfuls-of-blessings.html?commentPage=2

If you would prefer to bypass the whole bucket thing, you can donate directly to the 3-Day at www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiara.

Stuff Like This....

Makes Steam Come Out My Ears!


http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100422/us_nm/us_wellpoint_cancer

Simply Pink: Quilts for the Cure

Okay....

The Quilt Calendar is FINISHED! (Okay. Almost finished. It's at the printer's. But the DESIGN is finished!!!)

And would make an AWESOME Mother's Day Gift!!!!!

So if you're one of those people who has to see it before you can buy it, please shoot me an email to: dlynbiggs (at) yahoo (dot) com. I have the quilt Calendar saved in a low-res Adobe file, but I have no idea how to put that on my blog. So... we'll just have to do it this way.

If you DON'T have to see it before you buy it, and can take me at my word that it's absolutely incredible -- beyond my wildest dreams -- you can order yours online to the right. Cookbooks and Calendars are $20 each or a set for $35. You can pay by clicking the DONATE button for PayPal -- be sure to tell us exactly what you're ordering. If you'd prefer to pay by check, click on the order form and send that in.

Seriously, Arthur and Tony did a fantastic job and the calendar looks fantastic!!

T-Shirts for Sale!

Hello, World!

We have a few Team Tiara shirts left over from our recent order and wanted to offer them to you!

The designs are below, but those are the "old" prices.

The Village, Invicible and Inspiration shirts are $10 even.

The Princess shirts are $12 even.

Shipping is $5.00 on 1-2 shirts; $7 on more than that.

If you want to order, please shoot me an email with the style / size you want, and I'll let you know if it's still available. If it is, I'll give you payment details at that point. My email is dlyn (at) teamtiara.net

As of Tuesday, we have available:

Invincible, Youth Small -- 1
Invincible, Large Fitted Adult -- 4
Inspired, Large Fitted Adult -- 1
Princess:
Youth Small - 1
Youth Medium -- 3
Small Fitted Adult -- 1
Medium Fitted Adult -- 4


Just let me know what you need!!!

And don't forget to leave a comment at www.princessdlyn.blogspot.com

You've Gotta See This....

The little lady with the Pink Boxing Gloves just makes this video!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=egOpwNeW2jc

Update to last post....

Just logged on to PW to check out her latest post -- and get some Charlie Love, and look what I found!

The Princess' Guide: This is What I Know....

Wow.

As pretty much anyone on the planet knows, I've spent the last week campaigning for comments on my KFC / Komen blog post. You know, the one over on my Bucket Blog.

When this all started, I thought, "Cool." We need to get 1000 comments across the program, so that BlogHer will donate $1000 to Komen. No sweat.

Ya'll all know I can't do math. I've never had any qualms about being upfront about that. But even though I can't do math, I know that I have:

About 700 Facebook Friends
About 70 Team Tiara Friends
About 600 Names on my "Don't forget to check your Chi-Chi's" Email List
About 58,000 Fans of the Facebook group for the Breast Cancer 3-Day
An estimate of 50,000 walkers and crew members with access to the 3-Day message boards

And a very big mouth.

So while I can't do math, I'm pretty sure that even with overlap that comes to more than 1,000 people who could make comments on this thing.

But no, as of right now I'm at 139 comments on my post. And the entire program? Nowhere near.

I do have to say, in a week where I really didn't have time to spend campaigning, and I really thought I wouldn't have to, I've spent more time on this than pretty much anything else.

Really.

I've written post after post in hopes that the 3-Day would link to me on Facebook -- which would practically guarantee a few comments. No such luck.

After a being a long-time lurker for FOREVER on some of my favorite blogs, I've left comments -- always with a link. Maybe one or two comments came as a result -- but not 1,000.

I've pretty much hovered over the Pioneer Woman's blog -- hoping to land in the first 10 comments, making a witty comment along with my link. Um... No. But I've gained 10 pounds just looking at the pictures of food she posts. And I'm head over heels in love with Charlie.

And I took a huge leap of faith and contacted Susan over at Toddler Planet. (If you don't know who Susan is, you have my permission to ditch my blog right now and go read hers.) Susan is amazing. She rocks. And I think she's going to help.

But all this really isn't my point. I know, you're wishing I'd just land the plane.

You see, this has really been a learning experience for me. It's been a great parallel to what the 3-Day is like for many of you.

You sign up, thinking "$2300. No sweat." I've got all these friends, all these co-workers, I can raise that $2300 in no time flat.

And you launch your fundraising.

And the grand take-off that you were expecting just doesn't happen. You get a few donations, maybe a couple big, maybe a couple small.... but that first $500 is just trickling in.

So you contact a few more people. One or two donations. That's it.

And you send 50 emails. That nets you $25.

Does this sound familiar??

Here's the deal.... You can let it get you down any more than I'm letting this comment thing get me down.

If people want to donate, they will. If they don't, some will tell you "no." Others will just leave you hanging. What those people don't realize is that you almost appreciate the "no's" as much as you do the "yes's." That it's the ones who leave you in limbo-land that are making your hair turn grayer by the minute.

But you can't quit any more than I can quit. You've got to keep plugging away at it.

What if that next email only generates $50 in donations? That's $50 more than before. That's $50 that will save a life.

Don't give up. You can do it. I know you can. No matter what the economy is like, there are plenty of people out there willing to help find a cure.

Now get on over there and leave a comment.

It Figures...

I'm Just Sayin'.

Princess Guide: It's Like One Big Cheering Station

Whether it's an "official" cheering station in front of a Wal-Mart, or a bunch of kids lined up in front of a school, you can't beat the inspiration you get while walking on the 3-Day.

I'd walk the world over for a cheering station. Seriously. If you're down or hurting or just feeling slow, all it takes is knowing that a cheering station is up ahead. Immediately you get the lift you need to make it through.

Just imagine a ticker-tape parade. For you. The kids with signs and Moms with bowls of Tootsie Rolls. The Grammas with "Survivor" shirts on. The women with peach fuzz all over their heads telling you Thank You for walking when they can't.

If you haven't signed up yet for the 3-Day, and have been looking for a reason, this should be enough. It won't just make your day. It will make your life. And you know what??? Registration is $25 off through April 23 with the discount code "GOTEAM."

So how do you register??? Just go to www.the3day.org/goto/teamtiara and click on Join Team. It's so easy to get registered. I promise.

Participating in the KFC / Komen Pink Buckets for the Cure campaign this week has been almost as cool as a cheering station. Comment after comment about how I rock. Wow.

If you haven't left a comment about how cool I am, you should boogie on over to my Bucket Blog. For every comment made, BlogHer will donate $1 to Komen -- up to $1000 for the entire campaign. How can we pass up this opportunity???

Princess Guide: If the Fundraiser Fits....

I have to tell ya'll. A few people have asked me for advice on how to "run" a large team. That's kind of a joke -- they run me!!! Seriously, though, a lot of it is trial and error. It's a trial to work with me because I make LOTS of errors!

More than anything else, I enjoy coming up with fun sayings that have to do with Boobies. My latest? Have a Snack! Save your Rack!

So now that I've shared all the humor I can muster up this morning, I do have some cool tips from that golf tournament seminar. And this stuff? This stuff applies whatever fundraiser you're doing. I think it's pure genius.

Warning: Do not do a tourney (insert: large fundraiser) by yourself! It's way too much work for 1-2 people, and you will not be as successful without a big committee. The bigger your committee, the better your fundraiser. More volunteers bring more contacts/ relationships, more ideas/ creativity, more fun.

This is so right. As a leader, I've had to adjust to having people who are ready and willing to share the workload -- but boy, has it made my life easier! We are doing a HUGE Gala in October, and I have pretty much handed it all off to three Team Tiara superstars.

The result? They are rocking and rolling. I have been maxed out with Yearbook and the Quilts for the Cure calendar. There is No Way I would have done much on the Gala to this point. But our committee? They're Da Bomb. They've already nailed down a fantastic location, and are securing auction items left and right.

One note: The wrong volunteers can be more trouble than they're worth.

It's a sad fact, but it's true.... The wrong volunteers can be a total drain on your fundraiser. So choose carefully....

When you're building that committee, you want to make sure you've got the right size. With 20-30 people in a room, nothing gets decided. There's even a name for that -- Death by Committee. It's Trouble with a capital "T."

Having 6-12 people on a committee is a perfect size for any large fundraiser, golf tournament or not. With that number of people, you're pretty well going to have enough creativity, talent and drive to get the job done.

It's important that your committee members realize everyone must do something. This is no opportunity for someone that just wants the glory of being on the committee. Oftentimes, 20% of the people do 80% of the work. You can do a few things to help your committee's productivity.

1. You can train them properly. Take the time to train them to do what you need them to do. Take a corporate attitude. (Remember, we're treating this like a business.) Have a training meeting where you teach them to sell sponsorships and get golfers to sign up. Put examples out there of fundraising letters they can write. Just because it's easy for you, doesn't mean it's second nature for your committee. (Note to D'Lyn: Practice what you preach!!!)

2. You can put their responsibilities in writing. Everyone knows that volunteers are all geeked up when they first start a project, but by the end of the planning period, you're lucky to get an hour a week of help. If you put their job description and responsibilites in writing, and have them sign and date it, that will give them an extra measure of accountability. They'll work harder when they sign an agreement at the very first committee meeting.

No matter what your fundraiser is, you want to make sure the people on your committee have key contacts -- valuable relationships. Ideally, you'd have people on your committee who had media contacts, others who knew local celebrities and others who could bring in sponsorship dollars in a particular industry.

I've got a lot more to share, but I've got some shopping to do. Before I go, I've gotta tell you... Hop on over to my Bucket Blog and leave a comment. We've got a great opportunity to raise $1000 easy bucks for breast cancer, and help KFC make the Largest Donation Ever to Komen, but we're about 930 comments short. Help spread the word!!!

As a Mom, I think this is pretty cool.....

If you can't tell, that's Abs at bat, Biggsy pitching and Kait at 3rd. How cool is that???

The Princess' Guide: I've Got a Little Story for Ya....

Like my Ol' Buddy, Paul Harvey, would have said, you're about to know "The Rest of the Story..."

When I got this idea to do a calendar of pink quilts as one of Team Tiara's major fundraisers, I knew we needed every quilter I know to help. And I knew we were going to need a few quilters I'd never met, or it would never work.

I'd been lurking around on Dana's blog over at The Old Red Barn for quite a while. Last year she did this phenomenal quilt-along that solved all sorts of problems for me -- not the least of which was stitching binding on a quilt. Something I had NEVER been able to do properly.

Not having the first clue how to reach her, I left Dana a comment on her blog. And when she got back to me, with this heart bigger than Dallas, she had a plan that went way beyond my wildest expectations. She would ask her quilt-along friends to help.

And she did.

And they did.

And the result? They made enough blocks for SIX quilts. One of those quilts has made its way to a Survivor in their quilt-along. The other five made their way to me.

I'm worse than Jake -- I know the sound of the mail lady's truck -- and I'm at the door as soon as I hear it. And those quilts? They just kept coming. With stories of survival and loss. Stories of mothers and daughters and friends. Stories that make you jump for joy. And stories that break your heart.

I know we quilters are kind of a rare find. It's not a task or a talent that just everyone chooses. It's a hobby that takes skill and patience and TIME. And that is part of what blows me away. It's the TIME that these people gave to this cause. Time when they could have been doing anything else. Like sitting on the couch eating bon-bons. But this is what they chose to do. Wow.

As the quilts arrived, so did another idea. How cool would it be to continue this story of strangers reaching across the miles? How cool would it be to keep this ball rolling in that giant blogosphere that even Al Gore couldn't have imagined when he invented the Internet?

So I sent the quilts on a little adventure. They went to visit The Cotton Wife -- another blogger whose work I've drooled over these past months. Jennifer lives in Virginia on a cotton /peanut farm, raising four kids and doing some of the most beautiful photography I've seen in a long time. This girl has a gift. I knew she could work magic with "The Girls." So they made a little side trip to Virginia, and this is the result:

Have you EVER seen anything so beautiful?

Can't you just see one of these beautiful quilts in your home? You know, they'll all be up for auction in October -- and all of the proceeds will go to Komen's Breast Cancer 3-Day.

If you're itching to help find a cure in the meantime, please head over to my Bucket Blog and leave a comment. BlogHer will donate $1 for each comment (up to $1000 for the campaign) to Komen. But KFC is the one that's really raising Bucketfuls for Boobies. You can find all the details over there!!!

Buy a Bucket. Save the Cans.

I've got a new best friend.

Colonel Sanders.

We've been spending a lot of time together the last week.

You see, growing up on the farm, I learned a whole lot. I learned that if you put a monkey in a red dress, you've still got a monkey. I learned exactly what it means to have a long row to hoe. And I learned that there's more than one way to skin a cat.

You know me. You know if there is a way in the world we can find a cure for breast cancer, I'm going to do everything I can to make that happen.

A couple of weeks ago, BlogHer asked me (YES, ME!) to be a part of the KFC campaign for their new Buckets for the Cure program.

Hot Dog!

Of course I jumped at the chance! KFC is working to make the Largest Donation Ever to Susan G. Komen for the Cure. You can find out all about it on my other blog.

So run, don't walk, on over there and check it out!!!

And while you're there, leave me some Comment Love!!! BlogHer will donate $1 to Komen for every comment left on my post!!!

Godspeed, Dixie Carter

I spent my growing-up years training to be Julia Sugarbaker.

Dixie, you will be missed.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qz_ZpoYBzaw


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVl4bmGcn3c

The Princess' Guide: Gotta Love Those Bon-Bons....

Bet you've been wondering where I've been.

Yep. You're right.

Sittin' on the couch eating Bon-Bons and watching Days of Our Lives.

I wish.

The fact of the matter is, it's hair on fire and something's catching around here.

I traded in my Bon-Bons for Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and Days of Our Lives for the Elementary School Yearbook.

And that's not all....

Last week I went to a REALLY great class on how to pull off a Fundraiser Golf Tournament. The number one rule? Everyone on the committee must play golf.

I'm out.

That being said, the class was unbelievably informative. I took 20 pages of notes (TWENTY!) and much of it carries forth no matter what you're doing.

So here's the scoop... I'm going to share some of my golf notes with you, but I'm going to have to do it in installments. So you'll have to check back from time to time. But seriously, the Yearbook is due to the printer BY MONDAY, and it's not going to do itself.

So... Here goes....

The #1, most important question you have to ask yourself, before you can even think about what to wear to the tournament....

Is a Golf Tournament right for you?? Just so you know.... The average tournament takes six months to plan and nets, on average, $5000. That means if you're looking to plan a tournament for October, you needed to start yesterday.

To guarantee success, you must have two things... You must know golfers, and you must have a committee. This is far too much work for 1-2 people -- even if they're fueled by Reese's Peanut Butter Eggs and Starbucks Chai Lattes.

Step #1 (And this works no matter what you're doing...)

Treat it like a business. Have a business plan, objectives, roles and goals. If you have no idea what that means or how to do it, this is where you take a second to Praise God for letting you put your honey through his MBA back in 2001. Even if it meant two years of looking at a God-awful sea of burnt orange.

Big Note to D'Lyn: Narrow down those goals. You'll get frustrated if you try to accomplish too many goals. (Seriously, it was like Biggsy had called ahead and told this guy what to say.)

You also need to make sure you keep your costs down -- or there won't be any money left over for your charity (in my case, the Breast Cancer 3-Day.)

Five reasons why you might want to host a golf tournament:
1. Fundraising -- Would you believe 90% of golf tournaments are for fundraising?
2. Entertainment -- The idea is to show people a good time, and hopefully bring in funds down the road.
3. Network -- Churches, Chamber events, etc.
4. Exposure -- Have a unique slant that will get you some media coverage.
5. Serious competition -- You can do this as a real competition and still raise money for your charity.

Another thing to think about? Just how much money do you want to raise? You've really got to have a serious business plan, figure out how much you want to raise, and then figure out how you're going to do that.

Something you do want to do... If you're doing this for a specific cause, like breast cancer research, you want to make sure everyone knows where the money is headed. Communication is the key -- through brochures, flyers, your website, emails, your Uncle Fred.....




Dude.... The mosquito truck just drove by. I knew you'd want to know that.

Seriously though, Yearbook is calling. I'll post more later. I promise.

Note: If you're new to the 3-Day and are wondering how to get started on fundraising, you should read a few of my back blog posts. Pretty much anything with Princess in the title. It could make your life a whole lot easier!!!

Check it Out!!!

My friend Jennifer blogged about "The Girls" today. You should pay her visit over at The Cotton Wife. She's got some quilter's eye candy over there for you!

Three Guesses Where I Spent My Saturday....

Order your Quilt Calendars and Cookbooks now. $20 each, or a set for $35. Just click on the "Donate" button to your right, and tell us what you're ordering!

Calendars and Cookbooks Still Available!

Don't miss out!!!

Team Tiara will be accepting orders for our Cookbooks and Calendars until the cows come home! Now that we have the orders in for our first printing, we're working on Printing #2!!! Don't miss out on your opportunity to get my Pumpkin Muffin recipe -- as well as about 374 other incredible recipes.

And out quilt calendar? What can I say??? How could you not want this picture hanging on your wall???




It's so easy... You can click on the form above and mail it in -- or use the PayPal button in the right sidebar. Cookbooks and Calendars are $20 each, or a set for $35. Shipping included.

How cool is that???

Mmmmm... Pizza!

Be part of finding a cure for breast cancer

while enjoying a wonderful family dinner

by joining Team Tiara

on Tuesday Evening, April 6th at

EJ’s Neighborhood Pizzeria

12312 Barker Cypress Rd #1000

(next door to Randall’s)

Cypress, TX 77429

P: (281) 373-1500

15% of the evening’s sales from 5 pm - 8 pm will be donated to Team Tiara