Throughout my research for our Change The World features, I have come across many wonderful, delightful and inspirational people. Eileen Dalton is nothing short of all of those things. After our conversation, I was immediately compelled to head over to her website and find my local blood donation site. Within minutes, I had an appointment. (See proof below!)

Let’s get logical for a second. Everyone has blood, that is a given. Millions of people need a stranger’s blood to get better or even survive. Since we all have a little to spare, it would seem that there would be a surplus, right? Well, that couldn’t be further from the truth! The truth is that only 5% of eligible donors actually donate blood. Each whole blood donation can help as many as three people and it couldn’t be easier to donate. It costs absolutely no money and only takes less than an hour of your time. You can even do it  every 56 days! Statistics show that as many as 25% of us will need blood at some point in our lives. So, why not invest in your local blood bank? Are you scared of needles? Don’t think you have the time? Don’t know if you are eligible? What are you waiting for? Get the answers here.

Eileen Dalton is a cancer survivor. After radiation, chemo & surgery, she found herself in need of blood. Thankfully, there was a stranger out there who took time out of their schedule to donate.

When her sons were looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift, all Eileen wanted was for them to do the same thing that random stranger did. Donate blood. In honor of that gift, Give Blood For Your Mother was started. In the past, Eileen had been a donor on many occasions, but once she was diagnosed with cancer, she was unable to do so. She misses being a part of the “healthy world” and wishes that she could still give blood, but since she can’t she hopes to spread the word about Blood Donations and the lack of suitable donors. The goal of GBFYM is to promote donations, raise awareness and help as many people as we possibly can. In the long term, Eileen hopes to pair with companies, agencies and groups to spread the word to an even larger audience. Word of Mouth is the key to GBFYM’s success and growth.

The Non-Profit that asks for your blood, not for your money.

“Doing good is an important part of life. It is all about the power of a simple idea.” As I spoke with Eileen, I was immediately  drawn to her personality and excitement. It is hard to meet someone like her and not be inspired. She motivated me to personally set an appointment to give blood and then send a few emails out to friends and family to inspire them to do the same. It is really easy to get people together when there is a free, easy, and helpful way to give back, especially when there are cookies and juice involved!

So, what do you have to lose? Besides a pint of blood, that is.

If you want to get involved, head on over to Give Blood For Your Mother‘s website, find a local donation center, set an appointment and don’t forget to head back to the website to let them know you donated. You can even send pictures of who you are donating for! It would be great to do this in honor of you mom, a lost family member, a friend’s mom, your dad… or even for yourself! It is EASY, FREE and super HELPFUL. There are no excuses! If you can’t donate, you can help by spreading the word. Send people to this post, to the GBFYM website, or even their Facebook page! Become a fan and announce it on you wall. You will feel much better when you do.

A huge *THANK YOU* goes out to Eileen for taking the time out of her busy schedule to speak with me. I am so glad that I have the opportunity to get the word out about such an important cause.

PS> Here is the proof that I didn’t chicken out! My mom can’t give blood right now, but she did tag along for moral support and to be my professional photographer. If I can do it, you can too! Please notice the  many inches that I got chopped off of my hair this morning, too! Which will be discussed next week’s Change The World feature!

These are definitely in my must try list!

Triple Orange Margarita – Via Glam.com

1-1/2 ounce ultra-premium tequila
3/4 ounce Imported GranGala Triple Orange Liqueur
1 ounce freshly squeezed orange juice
1/2 ounce freshly squeezed lime juice
1/4 ounce agave nectar (a natural sweetner; you can sub simple syrup to taste)
1 lime wheel
1 orange peel
Pour the tequila, orange liqueur, juices, and nectar into an ice-filled shaker. Add the orange peel, shake vigoriously, and strain into a chilled ice-filled glass or chilled margarita glass to serve it “up.” Garnish with a lime wheel and the orange peel.

Sangria Margarita - Via Drinks Mixer

White Peach Margarita – Via Martha Stewart Serves 8

1 pound (about 3) ripe peaches, bottoms scored, plus 2 more peaches, for garnish

3 tablespoons (2 1/2 ounces) orange liqueur, such as Cointreau

2 tablespoons sugar

1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

3/4 cup (6 ounces) silver tequila

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 cups bottled peach nectar

8 mint sprigs, for garnish

Prepare an ice-water bath. Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Add 1 pound peaches, and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to ice-water bath to cool. Remove peaches from water.

Peel and halve peaches, and remove pits. Slice peaches into wedges, and transfer to a medium bowl. Toss with orange liqueur, sugar, and salt. Cover, and set in a warm spot until peaches give off juice, about 20 minutes.

Puree peach mixture in a blender or a food processor until completely smooth. Immediately stir in tequila and lemon juice. (Peach puree with tequila can be refrigerated, covered, for up to 4 hours.) Transfer to a pitcher, and stir in peach nectar.

Fill each of 8 tall glasses with ice, and garnish each with a mint sprig. Cut the remaining 2 peaches into 8 thick wedges, cut a small slit into inside curve of each wedge, and place one wedge on rim of each glass. Divide margarita among glasses.

You have to head over here to get the awesome recipe!

Two of my favorite things, in one tiny little package, in honor of Cinco de Mayo!

(Source)

Margarita Cupcakes

Ingredients:
2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp instant milk powder
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 c. sugar
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 c. margarita mix (or any basic sweet and sour mixer)
5 egg whites, at room temperature

4 oz. light cream cheese, room temperature
6 Tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tsp vanilla extract
pinch salt
2 c. powdered sugar

Directions:
-Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare 2 cupcake pans.
-In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, instant milk, baking powder and salt and set aside.
-In bowl of electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high until light (about 3 mins).
-Beat in the vanilla extract, then margarita mix.
-Reduce the speed to low and beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined.
-In a large bowl, using an electric mixer fitted with clean, dry beaters and set on high speed, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
-Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the beaten whites into the batter just until incorporated.
-Divide the batter between the cupcake molds.
-Bake about 20-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
-Meanwhile, in bowl of stand mixer combine cream cheese, butter, lime juice, and zest, vanilla extract and beat on high until light and fluffy.
-Slowly add in salt and sugar mixing until combined thoroughly.
-Place bowl in fridge until cupcakes are cooled and ready to frost.
-Once cupcakes have cooled completely, remove icing from fridge, frost, and decorate to your liking.

Makes about 24 cupcakes

Dinner Parties are usually a fun time for everyone involved, but sometimes you get a guest who just doesn’t want to open up, relax and enjoy the festivities. Here are a few of The Bliss Blog’s favorite ways to spice up a dinner party.

• Know Your Place. A Seat At The Table creates the perfect little Posh Placecards  to get everyone chatting. With notes like “If you were granted three wishes, what would your wishes be?”, these little conversation sparkers are bound to get everyone’s motor running. These could easily be a DIY project, too!

• Hidden Messages. This is a fun one! Before your guests arrive, place a piece of paper with a funny message under their plates. Just before dinner is served, ask your guests to read their message to themselves and casually work their message into the conversation. These messages could be anything! Think outside-the-box with messages like “I am a space cowboy!” or “Did you know that Mary really did have a little lamb?”. Your guests will think it is riot to guess what everyone’s messages really said! You can even turn it into a race, where the last person to use their message loses!
• Things. The board game called “Things” is one of my own personal favorites, but beware! This game can go in many different directions. If you have friends whose minds are always in the gutter, this is bound to get a little racy. Which, to me, is half the fun! The goal is to guess who answered what to topics like “Things that make you sick” or “Things that don’t smell good”. If you have kids at the table, this is easily a family friendly game, too.

Now, if I could just get everyone to dress like this when they come to dinner…

This week’s Real Wedding was submitted by Hollie Marie Photography, based out of Farmington Hills, MI. I am absolutely in love with Rebecca’s wedding day style! The birdcage veil, the flower and THAT DRESS! Everything works together perfectly. Enough of my gushing, on to the details and a few words from Hollie.

The couple:  Jay and Rebecca Brodie

Location:  Outdoor shots taken in Mill Race Village and surrounding downtown Northville, Plymouth Manor in downtown Plymouth for ceremony and reception.

Their wedding day was wonderful, starting with preparation shots at their home in Northville.  Even Rebecca and Jay’s two dogs were involved.  The highlight of the day for me was being able to take the couple to the exact spot where Jay proposed.  We took advantage of the awesome downtown area of Northville where the proposal happened. Just being in that spot brought out expressions on them both that I never could have reached without being there. Their wedding was truly a joy, I was always having fun with their easy going attitudes, even while posing a group of 30+ relatives!  From the personal vows spoken, to taking pictures the Northville fire station, to the last dance of the night Jay and Rebecca had a picturesque wedding!

My little labor of love, Bliss Accessories, has a bunch of brand new items and new pictures! Please support Bliss efforts and visit the Etsy page when you have a minute. I hope you like them! I’d love to hear your thoughts. Thanks so much!

The Final Round is here! Our judges have narrowed all three photo categories down to the top ten of each category. I have revised the timing a bit to make sure that every section gets a solid amount of time for voting. Make sure you follow the directions below exactly, to ensure proper submission of votes. Only one vote per person! No cheating!

Voting for the Homegrown Michigan Category will end at 7PM on Friday February 19th. I will be giving each category a full 5 days of voting. So, make sure to check back on Monday the 22nd for The Engaged category, Monday the 1st for The Around The World category and then the final results will be announced on March 8th, 2010! Best of luck to all of our participants and congratulations on making it this far! There were over 400 submissions this year!

There are so many ways to create a very unique atmosphere, starting with the decor. Pairing up eclectic pieces is always the quickest route, but you can also group similar items at the center if a table. Below are some of my favorite Anthropolgie Home pieces, that can easily be used for a wedding or event and leave everything looking fabulous.

Photos (Left to Right): Analiese Taper Holder $24, Tea Party Candelabra $398, Analiese Taper Holder $24, Night Lights $58, Checkmate $28, Cigarette Pants – - – Many of these come in sets, so be sure to check out each item.

Shoes are my favorite way to accessorize any ensemble. Whether you like pumps or flats, peep toes or t-straps, your girls will love the idea of a cute shoe to set everything off on the right foot. And what pairs with adorable shoes more than an equally adorable handbag? Anthropologie is an excellent resource for all things girly.

Photos (Left to Right): Stacked Smoke $388, Midnight Sky $395, No Place Like Home Flats $138, Evergreen $418, Bette Wedges $98, Sewing Notions $178

Photos (left to Right): Dazzling Display $98, Sarana Clutch $178, Iced Rosettes $298, Speck and a Smidge $46, Great and Small $28, Roses Underwater $98