About five years ago, Ruth Williams was reading a magazine while waiting to see her hairdresser, and she came across an article about a woman rescuing children from sex trafficking in Cambodia.she saw a photo of a 5-year-old girl she couldn’t forget.“Her face just haunted me, and I couldn’t get her from my mind,” Williams, a mother of six who runs Puddle Ducks Day Care, said.Williams wrote a letter to Somaly Mam, who runs a series of centers in Cambodia for girls who have escaped slavery. she never expected a reply, but her letter sparked a friendship with Mam and a special relationship with Srey Mach, the 5-year-old in the article, who is now 10.“I asked (Mam) what I could do to help, and she let me start sending things for this little girl,” Williams said. “really, it’s just befriending.”now Williams is looking for other women who want to befriend girls in Cambodia.In 1996, Mam started an organization called AFESIP — the acronym, in French, means “acting for women in distressing situations” — that runs six centers for rescued children in Cambodia.the centers provide care, rehabilitation, education, job training and help reintegrating victims into their communities. one of those six centers, the Kampong Cham Center, houses 54 of the youngest girls, ranging in age from 5-16 years old. the girl Williams befriended lives there, and Williams is hoping to find women who will take on similar roles for the rest of the center’s residents.“They’ve all been either orphaned or sold or kidnapped,” Williams said. “Somaly Mam does her best to find their families in cases where she can, but usually if they’ve been sold, they can’t go back (home).”she remembers sending Srey Mach a pair of pink pajamas. she wore them for a week straight.“I realized how important it was just to love one little girl. I couldn’t change the lives of everyone, but we could do this for one little girl,” she said. “I’m asking any ladies that want to share part of their love with a little girl and have a personal relationship with them.”Initially, she worked with her church and the community to gather hygiene supplies, clothing and toys for the residents of the Kampong Cham center, but postal rates have tripled, and sending large packages isn’t feasible. By connecting individuals with girls, she’s hoping to continue supporting them without incurring huge costs.“There’s no money involved. I’m just trying to find women who would be willing to befriend one little girl, send her a small package,” she said. “It costs about $8 to send a small outfit or a toy or something to Cambodia. or maybe a postcard with pictures of Wyoming.”She’s found about 40 volunteers so far. many of the women who are participating do so together with their families, but Williams stressed that she wants women in particular to be the main donors because of the experiences the girls have had with men.“Eventually, it would be great if they could have male figures in their lives, but I want to stick to women right now,” she said.most of the girls at the Kampong Cham center don’t speak English, so they probably wouldn’t be able to write back. Williams said the relationship would be one-sided, and she’s asking for volunteers willing to make a long-term commitment.“the girls, more than anything — more than clothes or food — they crave a mother. I know we can’t be mothers, but we can be mother figures to them,” Williams said.Somaly Mam was born in poverty in Cambodia and sold into slavery as a girl. she grew up working in a brothel before escaping and starting a new life. In addition to starting AFESIP to help victims, she started the Somaly Mam Foundation in 2007 to raise money to fight human trafficking.“Don’t be scared. Stand up and help to fight,” Mam said in a video about her work. “love costs nothing.”the trafficking industry generates up to $12 billion a year and is the fastest-growing illegal industry in the world. An estimated 2 million to 4 million victims will be sold into slavery in the next year.Williams will travel to Cambodia Sept. 7 with a television crew from Los Angeles that is filming a documentary. the crew heard about Williams from Mam during a recent benefit. Williams said she’s cramming her luggage full of gifts for the girls at the Kampong Cham center along with photographs of the women who will befriend them.Williams and the crew, Orange County TV, will have a bodyguard with them during their weeklong stay. Mam also receives 24-hour protection, and the centers have been raided in the past.Williams stressed that victims of sex trafficking are indeed victims, and many of them are children.“Srey Mach was 5 years old. she didn’t have a choice, and they’re tortured to the breaking point. It’s a horrific thing,” she said.anyone who wants to join the effort can e-mail Williams at ruthjaneshirley@hotmail.com. They’ll receive information about the program before they have to make a commitment. Williams said she’s also willing to talk to women’s groups around Laramie about the program.“Somaly Mam’s big thing is to show these girls that they are not nothing. they have been abused and degraded to the point they don’t think anything of themselves. they think they’re worthless. I think this can really help. just one at a time,” she said.For more information about the Somaly Mam Foundation, go to somaly.org.For more information about AFESIP, go to afesip.org.

Love costs nothing

As is known to all, every limited edition is restricted to a specified number of copies. it is often associated with prints, such as books, but seen with other items as well.

For the world's watch industry, some limited edition watches are often launched for celebrating some special days. The anniversary day is a typical example. many renowned watch companies always launch their limited editions to mark their progress and success. so the limited edition always has the unique charm of perfect and the definitely high quality as well as the value for collectors.

In honor of the 50th Birthday of Disneyland, Disney presented this one-day release of a special limited edition watch and matching signed Lithograph. it was special that the edition size was limited to Watches and Lithographs only sold on one-day (that was on may 5th, 2005), the first day of the celebration. The back of the watch is gold and silver, and in the gold section of the watch is Mickey's white glove with artist brush in hand that is written “Disney”. it is a nice gift for you to present your friend who is the Disney fan. Of course, that limited edition is more valuable than other Disney editions for only sold on one-day and limited in numbers. that present can of course demonstrate the sincerity and loyalty to your friend.

In 2010, the world-famous timepiece maker Saint Honore has released a completely new limited series of exclusive watches on the occasion of its 125th anniversary. these marvelous limited creations were inspired and produced by two principle ideas: to revisit and reshow some classical aspects of their brands, and at the same time to convey the true spirit and mark their improvement and progress with the past years. This limited edition includes three men's watches and three women's watches, issued in a limited edition of 125 pieces in the world.

With the limited number and exquisite design, the limited edition watch is not only a time-telling watch or somewhat jewel, but also a unique gift for you to show your love and friendship.

The Meaning of Limited Edition Watch

It is actually not wrong to go for the deals which take care of this need. Mobile industry is flooded with mobile phones and due to the growing need of this device there are more and more network providers who come up with some deal or the other to attract users. Mobile phones with free gifts deals does not only give benefit of certain gifts but also contributes in buying the handset of users choice.the need to remain in the mobile market for capturing a big share makes various mobile companies and service providers to take out mobile phone deals that fulfils their needs. if people got best technology with best deals then it proves to be the best for them.People these days look for mobile phones which have functions that can help them in multitasking. With various mobile phone deals users look for the deal which gives them the satisfaction of concerned deal and free gifts. this is like an advantage for people who wants a gadget full of applications. Mobile phone with free gifts give them the chance of winning free laptops, ipods, LCD TV and other valuable items. All these electronic items have become necessary in life so to attract customers various manufacturers and service operators tie up and together search for more customers to take the lead in mobile phone market. Leading brands of mobile companies try to equip the handsets with not only the basic features but latest technology fitted in a more desirable devices like touchscreen, Wi-Fi and camera and many more features. These days there are several options to choose from to select the best deal. the two types of deals are contract deals and pay as you go deals which have their own benefits. Contract deals require signing a contract for a period of time which varies from 6 to 24 months. These deals are considered to be the best as it lets one enjoy the deal without worrying about the bills as one has to pay monthly bills. this schemes also include mobile phone with free gifts. While pay as you go deals gives a chance to be aware of the amount being spent as it demands advance payment without any contract.Online portals are the best options to search for the various deals in the market. the major network providers are Orange, O2, Vodafone, T mobile and Virgin. Websites not only gives an opportunity to compare existing deals in the market but also gives a chance to select the deal which suits the requirement. These deals may offer mobile phone brands like Nokia, Samsung, HTC, Sony Ericsson. There is also a chance of grabbing expensive mobile phones with free laptops

http://www.officialwire.com/main.php?action=posted_news”>OfficialWire: Interesting Mobile Phones With Free Gifts

Does it seem like it gets harder every year to think of birthday gifts? Whether its for a special someone or your best friend, its inevitable that at some point, youll hit the limit in your gift-giving idea bank. Gift giving is all about understanding what the recipient likes, needs, or wants. it isnt simple, but it is possible to figure out if you just start with the basics. first, listen up! People drop unintentional (most of the time) clues about whats missing in their lives or what they are really passionate about. you dont have to outright request a gift wish list, but asking about whats going on in their lives, what they think of the new iPad, were they want to go on vacation, etc. might all lead to a little nugget of information that you can use. Making it personal is always best, but there are some ideas that transcend individuality and are applicable to a range of people. here are some interesting ones to get you started:

1. Scotch or Wine Tasting Event.

Make sure they at least like to drink. If thats a check, then make sure they kind of like to learn. Tasting events are a great way to give something that says I thought youd love this, I know youre adventurous, and Im more creative than you think. you can find tasting options all over NYC at venues ranging from restaurants to liquor stores to independent companies that just focus on running these things.

2. Chocolate-Covered Strawberries.

There are too many boutique, world-class chocolate shops in NYC to leave this option out. A box of chocolate-covered strawberries is elegant, thoughtful, and delicious without being too overboard. give this to someone that appreciates the finer things in life and knows that it takes to find them. its also a great alternative (or addition) to showing up at an apartment party with the standard bottle of wine.

3. Tickets to a Sporting Event.

Baseball, tennis, bull-fightingtheres a range of options for the sports enthusiast that just never get old. No matter how many times a Mets fan has seen them lose (sorry), going to games is always an event to look forward to. Research when the next big match-up is happening and spring for amazing tickets that puts them so close to the action, theyll wonder how you scored such a great gift.

4. iPhone / iPad Accessories.

They always say technology can be so impersonal. So customize it up by getting creative covers, cute patterns, or power plugs that make life easier (like the car charger that they keep putting off buying). Everyone now is obsessed with their personal gadgets, so you might as well find a way to make it more fun.

5. Cooking Class.

With all the interesting cooking class options popping up all over the city, you dont need to be even mildly skilled to enjoy making your own meal. this is a great gift for someone that wants to learn but is afraid to start. Classes focus on teaching, but make it an interactive and light experience focused on building confidence in the kitchen. its a fun option for both men and women who love to eat and be entertained.

Unique Birthday Gifts

The part of our rehearsal dinner that I enjoyed the most had to be giving gifts to our bridal party.  I love coming up with creative gifts for people and we had put a lot of thought into what we were giving all of our nearest and dearest.

First up, the girls!  I put together gift bags for them with things they could use on the day of the wedding, but I wanted to make sure they were useful after the wedding as well.I wrapped each little package up in the extra totes we had made for our OOT bags.  each one included some stationary, flip flops, and two little things I had designed and made especially for them.
A pearl necklace and bracelet to wear on the wedding day.And a little clutch to hold their essentials.
Thankfully I had thought ahead and made the clutches and jewelry months in advance, or there was no way I would’ve been able to finish them all in time!  The girls seemed to love their gifts and I’ve even seen a few of them use them on other occasions as well.
Next up, the boys.  Guys are hard to buy for.  my husband didn’t want to get them anything personalized, no swiss army knives, etc. because they’ve all been in so many weddings and already received these as gifts.  so we opted for something that was a little bit of an inside joke to all of them.Photo by Deborah Cull Photography
Chucks and matching green socks!  As I’ve mentioned, these guys have all been in a lot of weddings.  each of which have required them to wear those awful rented dress shoes to match their tuxes.  and by the end of the night at every single one of those weddings, all they do is complain about how much their feet hurt.  so we decided what better way to make them happy than to remove the one thing they always hate most about weddings?  (Yes, they still wore dress shoes to the ceremony.  but they took them off immediately after and I never heard a single complaint about their feet hurting!)
So after gifting our best guys and girls, we had two more very important gifts to give.  our parents helped so much and were so supportive of us during all of our planning, we couldn’t help but get them something too.
For my in-laws, who are very into landscaping, we bought a new tree for them to plant in their yard.
For my parents, who are in the process of opening a tavern & grill with a political theme to it (it opens this month!), a huge one-of-a-kind caricature of JFK, painted by my talented cousin.We were so glad to give our family and friends a little something special to show them how much we appreciated their help and support!  it was a great way to wrap up our rehearsal dinner.
Next we were off for a little fun with friends, the night was still young and we weren’t ready for it to end just yet!
Previously in this series:a small town wedding: the beginning.

a small town bride.: a small town wedding: giving gifts.

Care Gifts: Birthday Gift For Father

It is not easy to come up with an idea of a birthday gift for your dad. you have given him so many different things through the years – sweaters, perfumes, gift cards, and you think you can’t surprise him with anything. Well, think again!

There is a way to surprise your dad for his birthday and show him that you care about him. Not to mention that you will be giving him a gift that everybody will be talking about long after the birthday is over.

The unusual gift that I am talking about, is custom bowling ball. yes, even if your dad is not an avid bowler, giving him a custom bowling ball will make him happy. Here is why:

Your father will get something that no one of his friends has. That will make him brag about it, and, of course, talk about the person that gave it to him – you.

From my experience, people who receive that kind of present tend to keep it in a prominent place in their home. That way whoever visits them would be told the story about this gift.

I should mention that customizing a bowling ball is easy. it took me fifteen minutes to make the ball look the way I wanted, and I am by no means a computer geek.

For your custom bowling ball you can upload a picture of your dad and add a short message to the back of the ball saying “Happy Birthday, Dad!” for instance.

If you don’t think that you can manage that, then you can pick an image from the library of the only website that allows you to customize bowling balls, and make it unique by adding a message to the back of the ball.

Birthday Gifts For Dad That Show Him That You Care

Great active, entertaining and fun gift ideas for fun loving people…

Fun-loving people have a sense of energy and spontaneity which means they will (hopefully) be charmed and delighted by a range of presents – whatever your budget. So if you are looking for gift ideas for fun-loving people, there are plenty of options to choose from.

Loving Gift Ideas For Him

If your fun-loving man gets his kicks from high adrenaline experiences, bring a smile to his face with a chance to enjoy the speed and thrill of driving a racing car. Perhaps he’d prefer the heart-stopping excitement of a bungee jump? Or for those who prefer to be out in the natural environment, white water rafting could be a memorable and heart-pumping experience.

More sedentary fun-loving males don’t need to miss out. Why not offer the lucky chap the chance to invite seven friends to comedy night for an evening of laughter and companionship? This gift comes with a CD of live stand up comedy from top name performers to get them in the party mood.

If you want to give him something to unwrap, how about a t-shirt with a funny message on it like “I didn’t do it”? Or you could really splash out on him by treating him to a fun electric scooter.

Loving Gift Ideas For Her

Your fun-loving lady may also enjoy the thrills and spills of a rally driving experience, bungee cord or white water raft. Or how about a professional makeover and photo shoot: an overnight pampering experience. A fantastic experience gift for a fun loving female would be to make her own pop song recorded in a professional studio..

Gorgeous gifts are readily available for the girl who just wants to have fun. How about a Blow Monkey nail varnish dryer (at the touch of a button this cheeky monkey will blow gently onto her newly varnished nails while she relaxes before the party)? Or if you can push the boat out she would definitely appreciate (as well as enjoy) an adventure weekend were she will be able to let loose that fun loving personality for a whole two days.

If that doesn’t give you enough gift Ideas for fun-loving people, here’s just one more. Make a movement near Roly the Laughing Dog and he will roll around the floor laughing like a loon – guaranteed silliness that is truly infectious.

fun loving gift ideas

I am 23 and I have become more conciouse about aging. I have clear skin my only problem would be my dark circles but since I am pregnant I know that has a lot to do with them. I drink plenty of water and I try to eat as healthy as possible I also do my best to to get some kind of excercise. I love makeup although I’ve come to realize I like the natural look more. So I got a $40 gift card to Macy’s and I would like to use it in skincare products like a moisturizer with spf, sunblock, cleanser or what ever. like I said I like the natural look and I just want to enhance what I already have. If you could reccomend me some great products I would really appreciate it. also if you could reccomend what great things I could do/use to help delay the aging process and to keep radiant skin. I would eventually like to invest in a eye cream but since many eye creams have retinal and I am pregnant I’d rather stay away from them right now.
Here are the available stores in my local Macy’s
Lancome
Estee Lauder
Shiseido
Clinique
Chanel
Origins
Perscriptives
Benefit

BTW I am 23 and I have noticed that when I try some products they seem to enhance the appearence of pores and fine lines that I didnt even notice before. I am currently using Dear John by Benefit at night since it doesnt have SPF and I like how its a nice heavy cream on my dry skin. also I dont know if its because of my pregnancy but it seems I now have some fine lines under my eyes and crows feet ( (when I smile of course) but I would like to minimize them.
Also your reccomendations dont have to be dept store brands they could be natural skin care routines or drug store brands.

My current routine.
mornings: wash face with aveeno baby wash
ddf spf 30 moisturizer
mascara

night:
wash face with baby wash
dear john moisturizer

olay toner but it made my skin flaky and the all day moisturizing cream from olay irriated and dried my skin.

Thank you.

A good skin care routine:

If you don’t already have them, you will need to buy a cleanser, toner, moisturizer, exfoliant, cotton wool pads & a face mask. Unless you have full blown acne, products such as clean & clear, Oxy or Clearasil aren’t recommended – these products are way too harsh and strip the skin, leaving it very dry and uncomfortable. instead use natural, gently cleansing products which will remove excess oil and promote healthy, clear skin. however, never use a very rich moisturiser on oily skin! and don’t use face-cleansing wipes every day in place of a cleanse-tone-moisturize routine.

Cleanse, tone and moisturize twice a day – once in the morning before you put on makeup, and once at night before you go to bed.

Cleansing – first, wash your hands so you won’t be transferring bacteria to your face. Splash your skin with warm water. Apply the cleanser, and leave it for a minute or so to allow it to dissolve dirt and makeup. then remove, either with damp cotton pads or by splashing with warm water, gently wiping until ALL the cleanser is removed. never leave any cleanser on your face, as this encourages spots and imperfections. Dry your face gently with a clean towel.

Tone. Apply a small amount of toner to a cotton wool pad and wipe over your face. this will make sure all the cleanser is removed.

Moisturize – when the toner is dried, apply a small blob of moisturizer, gently massaging into your face.

If you haven’t applied enough moisturizer and your skin still feels a little tight, then apply a bit more. If you apply too much & it feels too oily, then gently blot with some tissue.

Exfoliate – this only needs to be done twice a week. I usually remove makeup first, then gently massage the exfoliator in for half a minute, rinse, tone & moisturize.

Face Mask – use a nice, natural face mask with Kaolin once or twice a week.always make sure your skin is squeaky clean before applying the mask. Shower or have a hot bath whilst the mask is on to make it more effective.

Answer mine?

Need a good moisturizer/skin care routine?

We live in an age where everything is happening so fast that we actually don’t know what is really happening anymore, we just go a head and do what we must. Supersonic jets and high speed trains, skyscraping towers to outer-space conquering shuttles and satellites, we really don’t know what our limit is anymore, we just move ahead, hand in hand with modern science. but the speed of going forward is so great that sometimes we are unintentionally left behind, mentally if not physically.

Everything moves with high velocities all writings seem to be done in cryptic ways, and everyone seems to know what they are to do and how to do them but I’m not very sure if they know the why. everything is planned and arranged for you. everything is fixed. but there come times when we would like to slow down, or stop for a while, or even move towards a different direction, backwards, nostalgically.

I think that such moments are important and even necessary. We need the time to take a deep breath, or maybe hang around a little longer. it also serves us as an occasion to be with ourselves, and to be a little kind to ourselves.

A few weeks ago I went through my old trunk that I haven’t opened for quite some time. The first thing that came out from it was a book of poems by Robert Browning. it brought a smile on me face. I remembered my school days when Browning, not Ashbery or Ammons, was my favorite poet. I saw myself reading ‘My Last Duchess’ in the class. and then an old harmonica that I used to play came out. then a teddy bear. but this bear had something around its neck. It’s a silver necklace, the one given to me by my grandmother. I had forgotten about it together with how she had loved me during her days on earth. this one brought some tears in my eyes. I immediately removed it from the bear’s neck and tried it on. it looked a little small for me but it was all right. I could wear it. it was like a message from my long gone grandma saying, “I love you”. It’s amazing what those gifts of love can do. they can even win over time.

Gifts of Love