Friendship Bracelet GIVEAWAY!!!

Don't you just LOVE winning things?? 

Well, today you have the opportunity to jump in on a great giveaway from the Compeer Buffalo blog. Jewelry anyone?? 

We are giving away this bracelet design created in our Compeer Shared Profits Artisans (SPA) group!  Winning is easy- see the giveaway entry rules below. 

Giveaway bracelet!

The bracelet being given away this week was made by me, but many other designs made by the members of our Shared Profits Artisans group are available for purchase as well. Call Compeer at 716-883-3331 for more details!
                (ask for Jennifer)

WHAT IS A “SPA” GROUP?

Compeer’s SPA group is made up of Compeer friends and volunteers interested in being a part of a cooperative craft-producing environment.  Group members engage in open and supportive social interaction while working toward completing a production goal.  Whether making jewelry, sewing therapeutic eye pillows, or sharing artistic or creative writing skills, individuals engage in the group production of a completed product. Through their work, members develop skills transferrable to support success in the community, as well as develop a social sense of belonging and camaraderie with their peers. All donations received in return for our bracelets are put toward purchasing supplies for future groups-- we are self-sustaining! 

IS THIS THERAPEUTIC?

The simple answer is YES. It has been long understood in the fields of psychology, occupational therapy, art therapy, and neurology that group work benefits both the physical and mental health of participants. Compeer matches are based on the fact that friendship and social interaction is healing in and of itself. Our SPA groups blend these theories in an effort to bring motivation, validation, social support and a sense of purpose to the lives of its members in a sustainable way.

GIVEAWAY ENTRY RULES: 

Winning is easy!

Step 1: "Like" Compeer of Greater Buffalo on Facebook.  Compeer of Greater Buffalo, Inc.Non-Profit Organization521 like this

Step 2: Follow this blog using the 'join this site' button in the upper right column. It's important you join, so that we can contact you if you are our winner! 

Step 3: Leave a comment on this post about one of your favorite friendship moments! Could be something nice a friend did for you or a special day shared with a friend-- get creative!! (be sure you don't post anonymously-- you must use your google friend account, or I won't be able to contact you if you win!)

A winner will be picked at random from the comments section next week Thursday, February 2nd. You will be notified by email if you are the lucky winner!!  (Unfortunately, we can only ship to the US and Canada, so international readers can't participate in this giveaway....my apologies to our world-readers!)

Good Luck Friends!!!

-Jennifer

UPDATE: WE HAVE A WINNER!!!!

The names of those who entered were placed into RANDOM.ORG, which (randomly!) selected our winner............

The winner is..........Stephanie!!!  

Congratulations, and thanks to all those who entered! 

Can you SMELL it?

No, not that lingering, mysterious stank that won't leave the back seat of my car......it's AUTUMN!!!

I know, I know.....I'm early. For goodness sake, we have plenty of summer left.....there's still Wing Fest this weekend, outdoor picnics to attend, evening walks to sweat through.....

But I know you smelled it--- last week, when it cooled down.....Autumn made a guest appearance, and I CAN'T WAIT for the full-time debut!!!
I was chatting with co-worker Krystina yesterday, and we couldn't help but scroll through our fall-time faves......hot apple cider, oversized sweaters, pumpkins on porches, school buses and kids with backpacks, crunching leaves underfoot....... runny noses too, but let's stay positive.

I love fall. I lurrrrve it!!! It's less sweaty, more cuddly, and just plain smells good.
But all this day dreaming about the change of season has me thinking.

What in the world happened to summer of 2010?? For reals. Where did it go?

And has any one else noticed that as you get older, time seems to go more quickly......??
So my mind moves from the excitement of fall to the lament of a lost summer in t-minus 3...2....1....

Let's face it-- life has gotten, well,  fast for many of us- we get caught up in the rush of work, family, housekeeping, schedule juggling......
For others of us, it's an opposite struggle-- we can feel left out of the rush, watching friends, neighbors and family members rushing about, too busy to remember that we need them- we need to connect.  We're here.

Looking back at summer, I know it was full of activity- my kids keep me running from one thing to the next, and once you throw in work, and a home to care for, I can forget stopping to think much less finding time to have a lazy afternoon with my grandfather--- who I know would love my visit. (insert lump in my throat here.)

So, you thought this post was about autumn- did you?  :)  Well, we have time for that, friends.....if we make time. I want to smell autumn, feel it in the air, and most of all I want to share it with those I love. And for me that means slowing down a bit. For some of you it means reaching out to those you care about who might be moving too fast and reminding them that you want time with them....

I will not throw out wordy advice about your scheduling habits-- trust me, it's all I can do to work on my own. What I will say is that we can gain a lot by stepping back and making an assessment of what's working.....and what isn't.
For those of us who find life to feel somewhat like being swept up in rushing flood waters-- it may be time to remove some activities from our schedules.....
Maybe for others, it's more of an issue of not scheduling enough....time with friends, time to exercise, time to learn something new. It's just as frustrating to watch the flood waters rush past while you stand helplessly on the shore as it is to be caught up in them.....

It's a balance, and like most things in life, it's different for everyone-- but let's work on this one....
When you smell autumn creeping in....smell it. Think of your friends here-- and of this post, and make the changes you want for your best fall season.

(and gosh darn it- have a little hot cider!!)  (sniffle.)

-Jen Zeitler
Compeer Staff and Volunteer