Thursday, November 27, 2008

Live Barefoot, Give Barefoot!


Books For Africa

Barefoot Books is delighted to partner with non-profit Books For Africa, dedicated to bringing books to needy children in schools across Africa. The books we have selected to send all have African themes, and will make a huge difference in the lives of children across the African continent.

For a few dollars, you can put a Barefoot Book in the hands of an African child. We hope you will be a part of this wonderful partnership.

About the Organization
The mission of Books For Africa is to end the book famine in Africa. Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped more than 20 million books to 42 African countries and put books int0 the hands of those who need them the most: children who are hungry to read, hungry to learn, hungry to explore the world in ways that only books make possible.

Watch the Books For Africa Video!

Read more on our 'Live Barefoot' Blog

Books For Africa


"One penny donated to Books For Africa gives a child access to a book. Where else can you do so much with so little?”
-Tom Warth, Founder of Books For Africa

We are delighted today to introduce you to our new partners at Books For Africa! Since 1988, Books For Africa has shipped more than 20 million books to once-empty library shelves, to classrooms in rural schools, and into the hands of children across the African continent.

With Barefoot's focus on spreading literacy, art and cultural understanding to the children of our world, we wanted to do what we could to supplement the amazing work of Books For Africa. To launch our partnership, we've donated a carton of our books that are now en route to Liberia. What's better, we've developed an easy but effective way for you to help too! For our friends in the United States, we've created a collection of books that you can donate to Books For Africa for just a few dollars per book. By adding any of the books on this page to your order, you are covering the cost of shipping a beautiful, culturally-relevant book straight to Africa and into the hands of a child who may have never held a book before.

While we cannot offer the same capability to our friends in the United Kingdom and Europe, we encourage those of you across the pond to make monetary donations, no matter how small, to Books For Africa to help offset the hefty cost of shipping their parcels of books to the African continent. Wherever you're located, we hope you'll join us in supporting this wonderful cause!

We'll be posting more on this amazing organization and details about our partnership in the coming months. For now, here are some beautiful photos provided by Books For Africa, along with quotes from their supporters and people who have benefited from their work. For more background, be sure to check out this inspiring video about the mission of Books For Africa.



“Books For Africa is a simple idea, but its impact is transformative. For us, I have said before, literacy is quite simply the bridge from misery to hope. Literacy provides the keys to learning and empowers the individuals to expand their choices and opportunities for the future. In doing so, it is a crucial bulwark against poverty and a necessary foundation for sustainable development. For everyone everywhere, literacy is, along with education in general, a basic human right. Over the last two decades, Books For Africa has made tremendous progress helping to extend this right in Africa.”
-Kofi Annan, former U.N. Secretary-General


“I think that Books For Africa is about giving opportunity to children in Africa. An opportunity to read a book. An opportunity to improve themselves. An opportunity to become literate. And an opportunity to help their societies prevent problems (such as hunger, unemployment, disease) before they occur through education and economic development. Books are the doorway to imagination for a child and I’m happy that we are able to provide so many millions of doorways every year to so many children in so many African countries!”
-Patrick Plonski, Executive Director of Books for Africa


“I cannot express in words our gratitude for the books you sent to us and the difference they have made for our students and community. I walk into the library now and see the number of students reading your books. I thank God for you. You have made friends in Africa for life.”
-Dr. Morgan Chawawa, Director of Academic Studies at BA ISAGO University College in Botswana


“We are very pleased for the special gifts that you gave to our school. It is with great pleasure to hand this letter of thanks to you. Each and everyone at my school is willing to work very hard to read and learn from library books.”
-Motseoa Monyatsuoa, Lesotho


“I would like to thank you so much for the great gift you sent us. Believe me, with all the books you offered us, I can now carry on my research and this is all thanks to your generosity. God bless you.”
-Teguia Cherif, Algeria

Thursday, November 20, 2008

Pumpkin Hat


Here is my latest creation. This cute pumpkin hat is a gift for a great fellow blogger with a baby on the way. I used a simple double crochet stitch and super soft merino yarn from Malabrigo. To allow the yarn and shape to be the focus of this cute hat, a simple stitch is the best way to go.












Wednesday, November 12, 2008

Old Red Barn Co. Quilt Giveaway

Ok, I think I am rather crafty, but Dana at the Old Red Barn Co. kicks my butt!!!
Check out these amazing quilts that she is giving away on her blog.


Old Red Barn Co. is one of my favorite blogs. Dana has a great selection of streaming music that I just dig. I love to read about all the amazing quilts being created, Dana's family, and her life.
Thank you Dana for sharing with the rest of us!!!

Friday, November 7, 2008

CHANGE WE CAN BELIEVE IN



On Monday night, at the Obama rally in Manassas, Virginia, I stood by the press railing watching the most poignant scene I'd witnessed during the whole campaign. There were two small children, both on their father's backs. At the beginning, they were about 10 feet from each other, staring anxiously at the stage. One was black, the other white. The little white kid had an Obama sign, the little black kid didn't. They took stock of each other. Soon, the little white kid leaned all the way over to try and give his sign to his new friend. The fathers, noticing, moved closer to each other. And the kids held the sign together. I had forgotten my camera, and was begging others to take pictures. April Winchell, however, succeeded:

kidsrally1.jpg


Get your Yoga On Special Offer Barefoot Books

Living Barefoot Free Yoga Planet Button 125x125 U.S.

Get our brand new Yoga Planet free with a $50 order from Barefoot Books.

"Yoga Planet is a great way to get kids (and adults) moving, laughing and most importantly thinking about the world around them" —Tobey and Jennifer Maguire

Here is my son pretending to be a tree.

Theo learned this pose from My Daddy is Pretzel. The picture below is from the book and shows how to do the pose. It is a fantastic introduction to yoga!




Living Barefoot Free Yoga Planet Banner 468x60 U.S.

Thursday, November 6, 2008

Kasiisi Prodject

“One day these Ugandan children, like our own, will need to make important decisions about their world. Access to the best kind of books will help them make the right ones.”
Elizabeth Ross, Director of The Kasiisi Project

One of the joys of "Living Barefoot" is seeing the books we produce positively affecting the lives of children around the world. Nothing is quite as inspiring as meeting like-minded organizations who are putting our core values into action, and few stories fit this example so brilliantly as the work of The Kasiisi Project.

The Kasiisi Project is a Boston-based non-profit organization whose focus is funding classroom buildings and scholarships, encouraging literacy, and working to give rural schoolchildren in western Uganda a chance for a successful future. Barefoot’s own Sales & Marketing Director, Melisa Schulman, recently learned of this wonderful organization and their growing cultural exchange with Weston Public Schools in Massachusetts. After hearing that many of the books donated to Ugandan children from the west are so culturally irrelevant as to prove useless, Melisa thought, “Barefoot can help!”
Read the full post @
http://www.barefoot-books.com/us/site/community/index.php?automodule=blog&blogid=2&showentry=22

We tip our hats to the Kasiisi Project, both for their inspirational work and the opportunity for us to see our own work brightening the lives of children all the way across the world. To learn how you can help, visit their web site at www.kasiisiproject.org.

Living Barefoot Free Yoga Planet Banner 468x60 U.S.

Wednesday, November 5, 2008

Proud To Be An American




For the first time in my adult life I am proud to be an American! Last night was probably one of the five most memorable events in my life. It is right up their with my first date with my husband, our wedding, and the birth of my two children. Why, you ask? Because I watched the dawning of a new age, the first step of the country I love becoming a country to truly be proud of!

Last night I sat on my couch with my mom and two cuties watching on my laptop MSNBC (we are going without tv) the election coverage. My husband was at work watching the coverage with his co-workers. Theo my 7 year old son who has been doing his part to campaign for Obama for the last year was dancing around singing "Yes We Can." (You should hear some of the park conversations he has had about the state of the country. That boy is too funny sometimes.) Well, here we are at the point of no return the states are being called....no way Pennsylvania, could it be real. Obama/Biden won Pennsylvania!!! Until that point I hadn't realized how worried I really was, that horrible knot in my stomach finally loosened. Once we won Pennsylvania I knew we Won!


Obama campaigned with a message of change and hope and that is exactly what I feel. As a country we are poised for change and I am so hopeful for the coming years. We as citizens, as people, as friends, and as families have an obligation to make change happen, to strive for greatness and reach our goals of environmental stability, equality, the economy, healthcare for all, and peace. I say to you, "Yes We Can!"

As overjoyed I am with the victory in the presidential election, I am embarrassed and sadden that in this day and age that Ballot Measure California Proposition 8: Ban on Gay Marriage won. This is the first time in our history as a Country that we have taken away a right. We have come so far and yet it is not far enough. So to take a quote from our President Elect's running mate and our Vice President Elect Joe Biden, "When you get knocked down, Get up!" Proposition 8 has knock us down and as a State I say "Get Up!" We need to fight for the rights of everyone to have the ability to marry.

Thank you to all of those who voted and worked on so hard to make this happen for all of us. I thank you for the promise of hope for myself, my family and most of all for my children. President Elect Obama and Vice President Elect Biden I am here and ready for change I promise to be one of the many proud Americans to work hard and do my part as a citizen for these United States. Just Ask! :)