Tuesday Tidbits No. 28

Happy Tuesday Tidbits Day, everyone!  I hope you all were able to celebrate a beautiful Easter holiday with your friends and family.  Don’t you notice that everyone is smiling more these days with the warmer weather and sunshine?  Gotta love it!

I hope to keep you smiling with today’s post because we’re visiting some more delicious Spring recipes from my talented blogger friends as well as some very uplifting stories from around the world.

First up is my good friend, Bobbi from Bam’s Kitchen.  You all know her by now because I’ve featured many of her recipes over the last year and I’m one of her biggest fans.

 Shrimp Boats with Pickled Relish | Bam’s Kitchen

Bobbi describes these as gentle on the waistline and full of flavour – my kind of meal!  One of the reasons I love Bobbi’s recipes is because she teaches us how to pack the most taste into every bite and this special treat is a great example.  Every week Bobbi surprises me with her creativity.  Visit her blog for more healthy deliciousness!

Asian Shrimp Stir-Fry | Natural Chow

  This beautiful dish is from another good friend, Margaret of Natural Chow.   Margaret uses produce from her garden and sesame oil to create the fresh flavours.  I could eat this for dinner every night!  So perfect for Spring.  I didn’t realize until I was actually putting this post together that I had chosen two shrimp dishes to feature.  I obviously just can’t get enough of it!

Margaret not only has recipes on her blog but DIY, crafts, and tutorials.  Check it out here.

This next item truly warmed my heart. Huffington Post has published a letter from a passenger to a pilot last week after the tragic Germanwings plane crash in the French Alps.  I’m sure she made an amazing difference in his day and helped many pilots and frequent fliers who are dealing with the stressful aftermath.

The note reads:

In light of the very recent tragedy in the French Alps and the loss of those poor 150 people, I feel the need to reach out to you and extend a compassionate hand.  At the end of the day, we are all humans just trying to live this rollercoaster of a life we have been handed. I understand an event so horrific as this one affects those with your responsibility more than others, and maybe sometimes a kind word, random but heartfelt, can make a difference. I’m hoping to create a ripple effect and spread some compassion and understanding.

Thank you for taking me home. Thank you for doing so safely. Thank you for allowing me to live the life I do in Spain and split my time with my family in England too. You make the excitement I feel now to see my family possible. I hope you get to see your families soon. I’ve had a wonderful flight and hope you have too.

You’re making a massive difference and you’re the reason I can smile tonight.

Take care and spread love,

kindest regards,

Bethanie.

The pilot said that airline regulations prevented him from giving details of the airline or the flight involved so the woman will remain anonymous, which I’m sure is what she would want.  A few moments and kind words can truly make a difference in others’ lives.  This letter went viral and lifted spirits world-wide.

H/T Mashable

At the bottom of the HuffPost article is a slideshow on all the reasons why Gratitude is healthy for you.  Take a peek – great to know! 

This story is a little kooky, fun and makes me smile.  According to The Good News Network, “This Acrobat couple Rhiann Woodyard and Cheetah Platt are on a marital mission to tie the knot in 12 different countries over the course of 83 days. With 21 ceremonies under their belt already, the cost of this international nuptial tour has been less than $10,000.”

You can follow their journey as they tweet and Instagram their weddings around the world.  And yes, she wears the same wedding dress every time.  It’s certainly a memorable start to their life together!  Read more about their story here.

This next lady is my hero.  Lauren Thierry is a former CNN anchor who has designed a clothing line for teens with autism that eliminates buttons, zippers,  and tags.  It even has a GPS sewn into the garment in case the child gets lost or wanders off.  These clothes will help any child whose fine motor skills are still developing and I just love it that they are so versatile and can give the child that all important independence.  Take a peek at this short video.  Awesome!

And here’s a story from Newser that made me pump my fist in the air and yell ‘YES!’

(Newser) – Some young basketball players in Wisconsin are getting national attention for a class act. During a game in Kenosha, the players from Lincoln Middle School realized that some kids in the stands were making fun of one of their cheerleaders—a girl with Down syndrome named Desiree Andrews, reports TMJ4. Three of them, Miles Rodriguez, Scooter Terrien, and Chase Vazquez, walked off the court, into the stands, and got the insults to stop.

“A couple of us went over there and were like, ‘Can you guys just stop, that’s not right,'” says Miles. Word of the kind gesture has spread on social media, and the Kenosha City Council will give the youths a citizenship honor next week. Desiree’s dad, Cliff Andrews, tells the Kenosha News that his daughter, an 8th-grader, wanted to be a cheerleader after watching Glee. “Those boys, I tried to talk to them in person, but I couldn’t keep the tears back.” (For the first time ever, Fashion Week featured a model with Down syndrome this year.) 

And I’m going to do it again to you – sorry, but you’ll need some tissue for this one!  Duncan Keith from the Chicago Blackhawks is one very special dude!  Have a wonderful day, everyone and don’t forget to smile 🙂