What {Pantone} Color Are You?

Colorstrology will match your birthday with a
Pantone color and a fun personality profile.

Mine is a warm cocoa color called Aragon
(oooh - LOTR flash!): Pantone 17-1532.
I'm a "sharp witted communicator."
How right on is that!?!

The web site also has an e-card feature to
send your friends a colorful note on their
birthday or whenever.

What's your color?

Make a difference on Earth Day and everyday (and a freebie!)

Earth Day is celebrated annually on 22 April but that doesn't mean it's the only day we should focus on the protection of our environment. Here are five simple actions you can take at work and at home throughout the year.

You’ve got the power. Turn off your computer monitor, lights, and other electronic equipment when you’re not using them. Make sure that you turn on any energy-saving features.

Take part in a ride of passage. Instead of driving, start or join a carpool, or walk, bike or use mass transportation instead. By leaving your car at home twice a week, you could cut greenhouse gas emissions by more than 1,500 pounds (680 kilograms) per year.

I’ll drink to that. Recycle beverage containers such as paper cups, aluminum cans, and plastic soda bottles. Instead of paper or foam cups, use a reusable mug, glass, or water bottle.

Think before you ink. Print as a necessity, not as a convenience. If you must print a document or an e-mail, use two-sided (duplex) printing to save paper. Check your printer's manual or help files to learn how to print on both sides.

Lend a hand. Participate in an Earth Day event at work or in your community. Find one near you here.

Got kids? Get them involved, too. Here's a web site with information and activites geared to kids of all ages. It's never too early to teach our kids about the environment.

Remember, YOU can make a difference and not just on Earth Day — but on every day of every year. Visit the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) web site for more information.

Challenge: Make a scrapbook page or two to show what you and your family are doing to protect Mother Earth. To get you started, here's a yummy freebie to use on your Earth Day layouts or greeting cards. Click on the image to download it.

Happy Tartan Day! [and a freebie!]

Are you wearing your tartan? I am!

In the United States and Canada, Tartan Day is held on 6 April, the anniversary of the date on which the Declaration of Arbroath was created in 1320. The city of New York celebrates with a Tartan Week.

Today is the 11th anniversary of the official proclamation of 6 April as National Tartan Day. It's really an International holiday as it's celebrated in Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and, of course, Scotland. To learn more about it, click here.

To help you celebrate the day, and because it's so close to Easter this year, here's a free Saltire egg for you! (By the way...the quote on the preview is from the Declaration of Arbroath.) Click on the image below to download it.



Send your friends to this blog so they can get their own copy.

Slainte! {Gaelic for Cheers!}

Good Karma Friday: Fisher Houses

The US Army has a program similar to Ronald McDonald House called Fisher House. They are comfortable, temporary homes filled with warm, caring people who help families endure the stresses associated with a loved one's serious medical condition. Family members of an active duty or retired service member who is being treated at the nearby military hospital pay only $10.00* per night to stay in a Fisher House. In some locations, outpatients may also stay in the house. The typical stay is about 10 days but guest can stay as long as necessary...even up to a year if their military loved one needs extensive treatment.

Fisher House™ Foundation and the Fisher House™ program depends on public donations to continue its important work; the Army provides no financial support. The funding for the operations and maintenance of Army Fisher Houses comes primarily from two sources: the small service charge ($10 per family-night) and your charitable contributions.

Here's your Good Karma Friday opportunities...

Donate Money!

Donated money is used to improve facilities, provide amenities for the guests, celebrate holidays, and enhance the range of services provided.

• You can make a donation to benefit all the Army Fisher Houses by sending a check to the program's main office. Click here for the address.

• You can make a donation to a specific house through the Combined Federal Campaign (CFC).

• You can send a check directly to a specific Fisher House.
  Note: Donations made to a specific Army Fisher House are spent on that house.
  

Donate Frequent Flier Miles!

The nonprofit Fisher House Foundation administers the "Hero Miles" program for the Department of Defense. Through this program, frequent flyer members of designated airlines can donate their miles to the Fisher House Foundation who provides free airline tickets to military men and women and their families who are undergoing treatment at a military or VA medical center as a result of their service in Iraq or Afghanistan.

Donate Time!

Fisher Houses depend on volunteers like you! All volunteering is done at the local level, and not through the Fisher House Foundation in Rockville, MD. Contact the manager of a Fisher House near you either by telephone or e-mail. The manager will let you know what they need help with.