Charity
Sesnon Fire
October/14/2008 02:59 PM
Sesnon Fire
by Nicole Hanratty
Anyone who grows up in the Los Angeles area, knows that Halloween and fire season seem to go hand in hand. This October is no different with the Sesnon Fire raging in southern California.
As a child, I can remember trick or treating with friends who had to evacuate their homes and pulling together make-shift costumes for them out of odds and ends around the house. Our parents were always tense and exchanging nervous whispers while we ran with enthusiasm up to each new door holding out our pillow cases asking for candy not really understanding at all the magnitude of the situation that was occurring.
Needless to say, now I not only get it...I get it on overdrive. Read More...
by Nicole Hanratty
Sesnon Fire»Anyone who grows up in the Los Angeles area, knows that Halloween and fire season seem to go hand in hand. This October is no different with the Sesnon Fire raging in southern California.
As a child, I can remember trick or treating with friends who had to evacuate their homes and pulling together make-shift costumes for them out of odds and ends around the house. Our parents were always tense and exchanging nervous whispers while we ran with enthusiasm up to each new door holding out our pillow cases asking for candy not really understanding at all the magnitude of the situation that was occurring.
Needless to say, now I not only get it...I get it on overdrive. Read More...
Summertime Fun
June/20/2008 01:30 PM
by Nicole Hanratty
How many days, hours or minutes were your kids released from school and let out into the wild before you hammered them down with “The Lecture?” You know the one... “If this is how you’re going to act then I’m signing you up for ____(insert torturous activity, e.g. summer school, macrame, volunteer work)___ and shipping you off to ____(insert undesirable location, e.g. Great Grandma’s house, sleep away camp in Yuma, Arizona)___.
I like to keep a scratch count of how many times during the summer I actually reiterate that lecture. When my scratch count begins to resemble a never-ending picket fence on a long drive in the country, I usually decide it is time for one. I strap on my seatbelt and don’t look back... Read More...
Idol Gives Back Bake Sale
May/21/2008 12:54 PM
by Nicole Hanratty
Today’s school fundraiser is a bake sale for Idol Gives Back. It is a great cause and I am more than happy to tie on my apron and put my over-priced kitchen appliances to work! When I put on my Baker Extraordinaire Chef’s Hat there is no limit to what I can create but the number one request was for home made cupcakes. Read More...
Charity Function Mayhem
May/05/2008 09:18 PM
by Nicole Hanratty
What could be more fun at a charity function than observing the “haves” put it all on the line for the “have-nots”? It’s certainly amusing to watch how the grown-ups behave when they get a night out to play...
What might you notice? Here’s my top ten checklist that hits the mark every time: Read More...
Charity, Earth Week and Klean Kanteens
April/24/2008 08:51 PM
by Nicole Hanratty
What do Charities, Earth Week and Klean Kanteens have in common? I believe they all just might carry a bigger message that everyone should hear...
Last Friday night was a very elegant fundraising affair for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. (Next time, someone please remind me to bring Kleenex!) The event raises money to support the hospital and brings in guest speakers, (children who have been there and benefited from this amazing facility), to break your heart and soften any stronghold you might have on your wallet. The illnesses children face seem absolutely overwhelming and unsolvable. Read More...
Spring DVD Cleaning
April/09/2008 08:03 PM
Spring DVD Cleaningby Nicole Hanratty
“My mother made me do it!” I can hear my child years from now relaying the whole incident in the therapist’s office...
Couched Child: “It was spring, 2008. My life was great and I really was so appreciative of everything my parents did for me. I always said thank you and I never asked for things in excess. I had to be, like, the dream child. So this one day, after I had done all of my chores; cleaned my room, made my bed, took out the trash, walked the dog, did the dishes and swept the floor in the kitchen, I thought I would approach my mom in a sweet loving way with a request for a new DVD. There was this movie that I wanted that I was dying to have! I had wanted it my whole life and I really thought that if I caught my mother on a good day she would say yes!” Read More...
