If you have been following along on Instagram and Facebook, then you saw the little sneak peeks that I posted last weekend of the fun and crazy DIY project I have been working on. This was my first time painting furniture and working with power tools so bear with me and come along for the ride of my DIY painted tribal bookcase project!

I have been on the hunt for a while now for a really nice bookcase, but I just couldn't find one that had the details I wanted. I was looking for more than just your standard bookcase. 

That's when, at about the six local thrift store location we went to, my husband spotted this little gem. I was in love, look at how cute she is with the little scroll detail at the top and bottom and the shelf bar across the top. 

So the next thing to do after finally finding the perfect bookcase was to gather up some supplies.

• Behr Paint in Spirited Green, Purple Paradise, and Charm
• 3M Pro Grade Sand Paper #80 (Coarse)
• ScotchBlue™ Painter's Tape

I decided on the mint color after seeing this gorgeous night stand from Making Home Base, isn't she gorgeous! 

I was sent the ScotchBlue™ Painter's Tape from a PR company along with a few inspiration photos of fun Spring DIY projects and fell in love with this idea from Dream Green DIY, but more on that later though first we have to talk about sanding!

Luckily my husband was already equipped with a Black & Decker® power sander, he's a pretty handy guy to have around and he's all mine ladies! 

Wow, sanding is not fun, but my husband insisted that the nasty stain on the bookcase needed it before we moved on to painting. There is paint out there you can use to skip this step called chalk paint, which I have seen a lot of DIY bloggers use. However, I didn't see any at our local Home Depot so sanding was a must. Also, after sanding make sure to wipe down your furniture with a wet and dry cloth before painting. 

So, remember the charming details that I loved about my bookcase? Well I kept looking at her and wasn't so sure about a few things after others suggested that the scroll was a little dated looking. I needed to see what it actually looked like with a few items on the shelves and after toying with a few looks I finally settled on keeping the scroll but removing the shelf bar. When we removed the bar there were holes in the top shelf for the dowels, so that's when my handy husband grabbed wood putty to fill in the holes before sanding over them. 

THEN IT WAS FINALLY TIME TO PAINT!!! 

Look how pretty! I just love this color, what about you? Is mint a color you would use in your home or on furniture? 

One thing I learned from Monica and Jess of East Coast Creative blog that I took to heart was to not be afraid to try and not to be afraid to fail. There are so many awesome bookcases out there with gorgeous painted shelves, but the color palette I chose just wasn't working together. 

Note: We had already started to paint over the "Charm" purple paint when I realized I should take a photo of the fail!

So after cleaning her up and giving her two to three coats of the Spirited Green paint and letting her dry over night, it was time to figure out what design I wanted to create with the ScotchBlue™ painter's tape. 

After staring at the tribal background on my cell phone for a good minute or two this cool idea popped in my head of what to create.

But first I had to head back to Home Depot to pick up a few other colors, I really love these little sample jars! The two other colors I used along with the Purple Paradise were Bali Bliss and Jackfruit (such fun names!). 

The ScotchBlue™ painter's tape was pretty wide, so to get the triangle design look I wanted I had to cut each piece of tape in half (split down the middle). This was not a quick task, and at first I taped one triangle design, painted it, then laid out the tape for the next one. That's when a light bulb went on in my head and I realized I should tape out each design then paint them all at once! 

As you can see I didn't like the light purple on the inside of the shelves, but the darker purple (Purple Paradise) was a great color to add to the bottom feet. Although for some reason in this photo it looks like a different tint ( in Pic Monkey it wasn't this color but when I uploaded it to blogger it changed!). 

I'm so happy with the way she turned out; the mint, the pop of purple at the bottom, and the tribal design on the side, it's just a fun piece. Well, what do you guys think? 

I hope my DIY painted tribal bookcase inspires you to have fun with color, use power tools for the first time, and try something you have always wanted to do before. Don't be afraid to fail! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great weekend!

PS, I'm linking up at The 36th Avenue for Desiree's Best DIY Projects and Recipes Party!

Five Things: A Few of My Favorite Female Writers

When I heard the news yesterday that author and poet Maya Angelou passed away it made me think of high school and college, and of all the great female writers who influenced my career path. Not too long ago it was still difficult for women to publish books or screenplays, become news anchors on TV (which is what I thought I originally wanted to do!), or work as newspaper or magazine reporters or editors. I studied Journalism in college and took many English lit classes where I was introduced to many of these women who made a mark for themselves and paved the way for the rest of us. As I continue my journey in writing, I continue to be inspired by strong, independent women in the field (If you didn't know already, I work for two awesome women bloggers!). So here is my tribute to Angelou and to a few other female writers who inspire me. 

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

1. Maya Angelou was so much more than a writer and a poet; she was an activist, a college professor, a director, actress, and was even nominated for a Pulitzer Prize. She inspired the world with her words and one poem of Angelou's that always stuck with me is "Phenomenal Woman". Because no matter our size, our shape, our color, no matter what, we are all Phenomenal Women. Thank you for leaving your imprint on this world, may you rest in peace. 

2. Toni Morrison's book "Beloved" scared the crap out of me! It's very dark and twisted, but sadly there is truth behind the story of what the main characters went through in the real lives of slaves. The imagery that Morrison's words formed in my mind frightened me. The first time I was introduced to the book I was in high school. My English teacher read it to us and played a few scenes from the film that was inspired by the novel. The second time I was in college and actually read the book myself and realized why we probably weren't allowed to read it ourselves while in high school! From a teenager to a young adult, and now a grown woman, Morrison's book has stayed with me and always will. If you haven't read Beloved, I highly suggest you put it on your Summer reading list, it won Morrison a Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and The Nobel Prize in Literature. 

3. You may not recognize her face, but you probably know her name and one or more of her books. The novel that author S.E. Hinton wrote that sits high on my book list is "The Outsiders", which she wrote while she was still in high school in 1967. That's a pretty amazing accomplishment to achieve at 17 years old, which is probably the age I was when I first read and fell in love with her book! Did you know that Hinton played a nurse in the film adaptation of "The Outsiders"? I bet she was pretty excited to play alongside Patrick Swayze, Emilio Estevez, and the rest of the cast! In 1988 she was the first to receive the Margaret Edwards Award, which is given by the American Library Association for authors' outstanding work in young adult literature. 

4. For many of us Elizabeth Gilbert didn't hit the map until we heard about her novel, "Eat, Pray, Love" in 2006, but her first book, "Pilgrims", was actually published almost ten years earlier in 1997. For me, Gilbert's "Eat, Pray, Love" and "Committed: A Love Story" are books that I will always cherish because my husband and I read them together. Yes, they are great reads, but when you can connect a book with a person you love, it makes the book and author even more special and memorable. "Eat, Pray, Love" was published around the time we started dating and "Committed" was released just before we said 'I Do'. So as we were following Gilbert's journey to find herself and find love again, we were on a journey together building our own love story! (AWW...haha!) Right now I'm on a Nicholas Sparks kick but I have her new book, "The Signature of All Things" on my 'books to read' list!

5.  I was a junior in college in 2004 when Emily Giffin's book "Something Borrowed" was published and wasn't really thinking about wedding bells at the time! The title didn't register with me until I heard about the film adaptation years later in 2011. By then Giffin had released four more novels; "Something Blue", "Baby Proof", "Love the One You're With", and "Heart of the Matter". In 2012 I finally got around to picking up my first Giffin book and was immediately hooked! I pre-ordered "Where We Belong"  that Summer and it was on my door step just in time to take to the beach! Her latest release, "The One & Only", just hit bookstores last week. I can't wait to pick up a copy. I was going to pre-order it, but I'm currently reading Sparks' newest novel, "The Longest Ride" and still have Gilbert's newest on my list to purchase, but then again when you're an avid reader your list just keeps getting longer! 

So this was probably a little too wordy, but it is what it is! This list is only short to go along with my link up party, but it does by no means reflect the list of female writers who inspire me. 

There you have it, now it's your turn to link up with us! 

DIY Painted Vintage Owl Lamp

I shared this little vintage owl lamp on my Facebook and Instagram pages a few weeks ago and asked you guys what I should do with him... "To Spray or not to Spray Paint?"....

On Instagram everyone said to spray; some suggested that a white or gold would look good and Monica from East Coast Creative said spray then glaze him! However, on Facebook the ruling went a bit differently; three said to leave as is, while two said to SPRAY, SPRAY, SPRAY! 

Can you believe we actually left him in this condition for a few years?! 

Well after thinking about it a little while longer and consulting my aunt Eileen, who was his first owner, I decided that spray painting him wasn't the way to go. We didn't want an allover color, nor did we want to lose his awesome features. So instead we decided to use Testors Acrylic modeling paint...

I'm not sure how long my husband has been keeping these around for, but before we met he used to paint model trucks as a hobby and these little bottles have been sitting in the garage just waiting to be used again. 

The paint colors we used were a glossy black, yellow, gold, and a ghost grey that Mike (my husband!) mixed with the black to get a darker grey tone for the face and stomach of the owl. 

As you can see he was very excited to help me with this DIY project, hmm maybe for Father's Day I should stop at Michaels Stores to buy him a model truck or car he can paint!

 In the top right photo you'll notice that at first we kept the black spots on Mr. Owl's belly, but I really wasn't loving the look. 

We went back and forth about the spots, he loved them and I didn't. So I figured we could paint his stomach completely grey and if we wanted to add the spots back on we could! Well, I won that round...the black spots stayed away!  

I really love his transformation and I'm so happy that we decided to hand paint his makeover instead of just spraying one overall color on him. What I love even more is that my husband and I did this together and I can't wait for more DIY projects to tackle with him. 

So, what do you guys think? Would you have spray painted him allover, or do you like what we did? The eyes were the most difficult to hand-paint, we wanted them to be exact but it can be tough to get the shape and size to match up perfectly. The final look of his eyes are probably the tenth pair we gave him!

Remember my owl bookends that I spray painted...

Well, they definitely need an overall color makeover, but I'm not sure that I'm digging the white any more. I wonder how a turquoise or navy blue would look?! 

What are some DIY paint projects you have been up to lately? 

Thanks for stopping by today, have a safe and Happy Memorial Day weekend, don't forget to remember and honor our troops. 

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Five Things: Sunday Nights on TV

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

Shall we get the party started...

Sundays have become one of my favorite nights to watch TV and now that season finales are starting, I just don't know what I'm going to do with all this free time! PS, if you watch any of these shows, you may not want to continue reading if you aren't caught up to date on them. #SpoilerAlert 

1. ABC's Once Upon a Time is a show our entire family loves to watch, sometimes we tune in together but now that everyone has a different schedule we don't always get to do so. I'm actually going to miss the Wicked Witch, played by Rebecca Mader. She did an outstanding job as the witch and looked great in green! Mader has been seen in shows like Covert Affairs, Lost, and even had a roll in The Devil Wears Prada. Although the Wicked Witch is now gone, I'm excited to see how the writers will fit in Frozen's Elsa. I wasn't shocked to see her at the end of the season finale since I saw hints of it on Facebook, but my step-daughters sure were surprised! Once Upon a Time may be a little dark for younger kids, but if you have pre-teens who love Frozen, you may want to tune in this Fall when the show returns. 

2. I can't believe it's the final season of AMC's Mad Men, it feels like it's getting cut short. I love this era; the fashion, the music, the cars! I'm glad Don is getting his foot back in the door at the agency, but I'm not sure that I ever loved him and Megan together. What do you think, will the long distance take a hit on their relationship? I would love to see Peggy with someone, maybe she'll end up with Stan, then again she is a strong female character who is pushing her way into a man's world...so the heck with it, she doesn't need a boyfriend! I still can't get over how Michael reacted to the new computer in the office, I wonder if a real life incident inspired that scene...wouldn't that be crazy?! How do you think the show will end? 

3. Well, if you haven't heard about this awesome show called Knock It Off on the Live Well Network, and the two amazing DIY, room makeover genius hosts, then you are missing out on budget friendly home decor inspiration! Monica and Jess's show inspires viewers to start doing many of their home improvements themselves. If you want a new look but can't afford it, just give your items a little paint and a little love and you have yourself a whole new room! From dining rooms and kitchens, to bedrooms and home offices, they do it all. Whether your style is modern chic or country rustic, they have ideas for everyone. There is a new episode this Sunday at 7 pm EST, and if you want to catch up on episodes you've missed, you can watch them all online! 

4. OH EM GEE!!! Do you watch ABC's Revenge?! This season started out a bit slow for me, but wow did the writers make up for it in the last few episodes. Spoiler Alert...look away! I was heart broken for Emily when they killed off Aiden, they seemed to be connecting again and getting closer.  However, now that he is definitely out of the picture, it will give her and Jack a chance at love...because that's really what we all want, right?! 

5. If you don't have HBO, then you need to get it or buy the Game of Thrones DVDs to catch up, this show is pretty crazy! There are so many great characters, but Daenerys Targaryen, played by Emilia Clarke, is one of my favorites. She is so fierce; no one better stand in her way! Plus, she's pretty gorgeous too and that doesn't hurt! I'm pretty sure by the end of the season she will take over the throne, well I think she should any way! Either her or the Stark kids. It's been a bloody battle between realms and everyone wants to be king, I can't wait to see how the end of the season plays out. 

So there you have it, my round up of five TV shows I love to watch on Sunday nights, and that's not even half of the list of shows I watch in total...it's a bit of a bad habit I have! Do you watch any of these shows, what are some of your favorites? 

*Update: I some how forgot about my other Sunday favorite show on AMC... The Walking Dead! But, then it wouldn't be Five Things...it would have been six! Any Walker fans out there?! The season finale was in March, so that could be another reason it escaped my mind. 

OK, now it's your turn to tell us what Five Things are on your mind this week and join our link up party....

Mom's Baked Ziti

Last week I mentioned that I made Baked Ziti for my husband's birthday, and well today I'm going to share my mom's recipe with you! Okay, so technically it's not my mom's recipe, I was hoping she would tell me that it was my grandma's and that it had been passed down to her. However, she revealed to me that it came from Redbook magazine some 30 years ago! It may not have come from my grandma, but I still thought it was pretty cool that the recipe she uses is as old if not older than I am! Yes, the recipe has been in the family this long and I am only now making it for the very first time, but it won't be the last....

I need to start thinking more like a blogger and take photos during the recipe process and take photos with my camera and not my phone! 

Ingredients: 

1 lb Ziti Noodles (I used Ronzoni brand)

1 lb bag of Shredded Mozzarella, plus 8 oz bag for the top of your casserole 

1 tub of Ricotta Cheese (I used an entire 15 oz container)

2 eggs 

1 small onion

1 1/4 lbs of Ground Meat (or ground turkey)

2 Jars of Pasta Sauce ( I used two 24 oz jars of Classico brand Roasted Garlic flavor)

Butter for sauteing the onion

Directions: 

1. Pre-heat your oven to 375°. 

2. Start your pot of water for your pasta. While you wait for the water to boil, saute your onion in a sauce pan with butter. Add your ground meat and cook until it browns. 

3. Add your ziti noodles to the boiling water and cook till just before they are al dente, you don't want them to cook all the way since you will be placing them into the oven later on. 

4. In a bowl, beat the two eggs with the ricotta cheese and 1 lb bag of shredded mozzarella. (I was a little uncertain about this but mom said, "Yes, Diana this is how you make it!")

5. Once your meat browns, drain the pan and add the pasta sauce. Put it back on the stove to simmer for a few minutes. 

6. Drain your noodles, if they are done before your ground meat add a little bit of olive oil to the pot to keep them from sticking together. 

7. Add the meat and sauce as well as the cheese mixture to your pot of drained Ziti noodles. Mix well then pour into a large casserole dish, we used a 13 x 9 Hefty EZ foil pan. Top off your casserole with the 8 oz bag of shredded mozzarella. 

8. Bake for 20 mins, cover the pan with foil, then bake for 20 more mins. 

9. Serve and Enjoy!

Is baked ziti a dish you love to make? Do you have a similar recipe or do you make one that is quite different? Growing up I loved mom's baked ziti and I couldn't be happier to make "her" recipe for my own family to enjoy. My husband said it was the best baked ziti he's ever had, and he wasn't just saying that because I'm his wife! 

Thanks for stopping by, have a great day! 

Memorial Day

Summer is almost here, can you believe it! Memorial Day is this weekend and it's kind of the unofficial start to Summer; families go to the beach, swimming pools open up for business, and the grills are fired up and ready for cooking. 

But we must not forget what Memorial Day is really about, those who protect and serve our country. So, this weekend while you're enjoying your corn on the cob and ice cream, take a moment to remember our troops, the fallen and those still fighting. 

If you are still looking for decor and recipe ideas for Memorial Day, I'm guest posting over on East Coast Creative today with a fun red, white, and blue round up post. Check it out here. 

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Ps, I just spotted this awesome Americana Star Wreath on Pinterest and had to share since I didn't see it when I put together my round up for EC2blog...

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Pretty cool, right! I am so making this and if I don't get it done for this weekend, definitely for 4th of July!

Thanks for stopping by today, have a great day!

Five Things: Birthday Celebrations, Recipes, and Being Brave!

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

1. Today is my husband's birthday, woo hoo! Happy Birthday to the most thoughtful, sweetest man I know. He is not just my husband, but also my best friend. We share everything with each other, honesty is what really builds a relationship, well that and unconditional love of course! Plus, he is so darn hardworking and cares about his family with all his heart. There isn't anything he wouldn't give to help someone out. Love, I hope you have the best birthday ever. XOXO

2. For my guy's birthday I wanted to make him a special dinner so I asked him what he would like and he said either baked ziti or lasagna. I had never made either of those before, but I knew I could turn to my mom for her baked ziti recipe. Well, since he had the night off, I made her awesome baked ziti recipe for him last night, and he said it was the best he ever had! Believe me, he isn't just saying that because he has to! Recipe coming soon...

3. Yummy birthday cake! Okay, so it's from a box and not actually from scratch, but I made it and he loved it...that's all that matters! My step-daughters helped me put it together, since they are baking pros and made my delicious birthday cake in March I knew it was a wise decision to utilize them as my baking assistants! We were so happy with how his cake turned out, we used lemon cake mix from Betty Crocker and Pillsbury key lime frosting, it was so good! 

4. So what does being brave have to do with birthday celebrations and recipes, you ask?! Well, I didn't write a post about it, not that I can recall, but Brave has been my word for this year. I was a little nervous about making the cake and the baked ziti for my husband, but I put my brave face on and got right into it! Also, if you'll notice...I am no longer dot blogspot... I am dot com!! I finally figured out how to put my GoDaddy domain into my blogspot account! I am pushing forward and finally getting my little blog out there...let's do this! 

5.  A good drink recipe is a must when you're celebrating, right? I have this awesome mason jar drink dispenser and I've been searching for a tasty sangria recipe to make in it, well this one from East Coast Creative looks pretty good... I can't wait to try it this weekend! If you are celebrating Memorial Day with a BBQ it would make a great addition to your menu!

So, there you have it...my five things for the week, now be sure to stop by my co-host Little Miss Mama's blog to see what's going on in her world and link up with us, we would love to read all about the five things that are on your mind right now!

Mother's Day: Race for the Cure

Has Mother's Day come and gone already? I feel like it was just yesterday that I signed up and registered to walk in the Mother's Day Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure Philadelphia, and now it's already over. 

I have to say, this year I was more excited for the walk because I was wearing my Atutudes tutu, okay so I was excited and a little nervous! I'm 6 ft tall and already stand out in the crowd, so I didn't want to bring any unwanted attention to myself and have people laughing at this giant woman in a tutu, yep I worry about things like this! My sister was wearing a little tutu she bought on Amazon, so that helped calm my nerves a bit. 

 When you get close to Center City near the walk you have to park a few blocks away because of the streets that are blocked off for the event. It's an amazing experience right from the moment you get out of your car; there is a sea of pink surrounding you and walking with you down the streets of Philly towards the Art Museum...it's an incredible event I recommend all to experience at least once.

 When we got out of the car and started walking towards the event we received compliments from others who were walking in the 5K telling us how fabulous we looked! That right there is one of the reasons I love this event, we're all in this together supporting the survivors, the loved ones who loss someone, and those still fighting. All my nerves went out the window as soon as I heard that compliment, I felt like I was in this event with the crowd and no longer standing out as a giant woman wearing a tutu! 

Oh and the good vibes didn't stop there! I was standing by the information center waiting for my sister to get back from the registration tent and my mom to get back from finding the food tent and was asked to take a photo for a group of women. I handed the phone back to one of the ladies after taking their picture and she said, "Thank you, you are so adorable!", well if that didn't make my day...who knew I could look adorable! 

Plus, both CBS local meteorologist Kathy Orr and CBS local medical reporter Stephanie Stahl loved my tutu as well and couldn't get over how cute it was....

The Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is more than a 5k walk and run, it's a community standing together to find a cure, to fight for each other, and stand tall against cancer. 

So thankful to celebrate Mother's Day with my mom and sister while raising awareness.

How amazing are these two ladies, so much inspiration in this photo! I hope to keep up the tradition of participating in this walk with my sister when we're their age! 

Every year I will walk and raise money in honor of my good friend Cindy, we love you and miss you dearly. Thank you to everyone who helped me raise $123.00, next year I hope to reach my goal of $250 or even more! PS, there is still time to donate!

Thanks for stopping by today, I hope you all enjoyed a beautiful Mother's Day! 

Five Things: Dedicated to #RedBalloonsforRyan & #BringBackOurGirls

1. Five Things link up is posted every Thursday at Midnight EST. Share any five things that are on your mind right now. Whether it's something you are obsessing with on Pinterest, a new and exciting event going on in your life, or even sharing five of your favorite books; it's totally up to you. 

2. Please put the Five Things button on the post you're sharing for the link up; sharing is caring, the more players involved the more fun we'll have.

3. Please follow both your hosts Diana from The World Around Her and Tairalyn from Little Miss Mama via Facebook {here and here} and/or Twitter {here and here}. As it’s not mandatory it is greatly appreciated. 

4. If you tweet about your post or Instagram it, feel free to tag me or Tairalyn and use the hashtag, #FiveThingsParty

5. Check out the other bloggers who have linked up, show them some love and comment on at least one other bloggers link-up post.

1.  As a parent, I just can't imagine what Ryan's family is going through. How terrible that day must have been for them. One minute he is playing and laughing and the next minute he is up in Heaven. It gives me chills and breaks my heart. But, I know this little boy's memory will live on forever, the efforts of the blogger and social media community has been pretty amazing to watch this week. In just two days the Go Fund Me page Keli Francis put together, has raised $40,000 plus and their goal was only $25,000! 

2. I re-posted this collage on Instagram of a few shops that are donating proceeds to Ryan's parents Jacqui and Dan. The shops are Loved by Hannah and Eli, Lisa Leonard Designs, Kate and Linny, Geo Fox Apparel, Little Wanderers , Antlers and Bows, Heart Yourself Jewelry, and Keilyn Rose Couture . Plus I just learned that there is also an auction of Six $1,000 gift baskets going on today on Instagram at CupcakeMag. Follow along with hashtag #RedBalloonsforRyan

3. One person can make a difference on Social Media and we can spread the word so fast that even celebrities will share. I clicked on #RedBalloonsforRyan and saw that actress Sophia Bush had shared this photo and the link to the Go Fund Me for Ryan's family. If we can do this for Ryan's family, imagine what we can do for the world. 

4. Speaking of the world, why did it take so long for the news of the terrifying kidnapping of 300 girls in Nigeria to reach The United States? Thanks to one woman's (Ramaa Mosley) efforts, everyone is now talking about #BringBackOurGirls. 

5. Shout it out and get these girls home, shout it out and stand up for women every where. Did you know that these Nigerian girls were kidnapped because they were learning? The terrorists kidnapped them right from their school and they believe that Western education is a sin. They want women to be their slaves instead of getting an education. It's sad and horrifying to know that in 2014 things like this are still going on. 

Social Media can be used for good things, so use that hashtag wisely and help share the stories of others who don't have a voice. 

Thanks for stopping by, we would love for you to link up with us and share the five things that are on your mind this week.