Wednesday 17 August 2011

Random Bakes of Kindness

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I hope to create a ripple across the blogosphere. #RBOKindness  -  To be part of it takes no extra effort.. and trust me .. it’s good for the soul  -  if you are already baking then it cost’s nothing other than just a few more ingredients and it brings real people and their stories into the mix.

Blogging seems so me myself and I recently.  It’s so easy to focus on nothing but the food and my own life and I  really wanted to add a human element to baking.  Sometimes it’s not about the food as such .. it’s more about the person eating the food and how it makes them feel.

A coupe of weeks ago I made double the amount of cookies. The extra batch I popped into a tin and took with me to my local car wash.  The chap who has been cleaning my car for the past 4 years works all day no matter what the weather.  I have watched him clean my car in the freezing cold and the baking hot.  He always smiles and asks after the children and I ask after his.  He is a kind and hard working chap who always goes the extra to do the job right no matter how much my children have trashed my car!

So as he finished cleaning my car I paid him and then gave him my tin of extra cookies.  These are for you I told him.  They are because you always do a great job no matter what and take the time to chat with me every time I bring my car here.  He beamed, and beamed and beamed the biggest smile.

It made my day.

This is the challenge. Take part  I am sure there must be someone in your life who deserves a spontaneous thank you, a kind word and some recognition for just being a marvelous person. I know it's a bit random .. but that is what makes it out of the usual and for me that makes it special.  The unexpected just means more.

It's no trouble to bake extra .. so the next time you are baking make two and then all you need to do is decide who to give your random bake to,  blog about the bake, the person who you gave the bake to and  write up why you choose them, with a link to this post and add this logo to your  site.. and I shall do another too.

I shall write up all the random bakes of kindness in a post on Thursday the 8th of September .. just add your comment below and let me know you want to take part.

It will be fun.
x

77 comments:

  1. Count me it. It sounds like a wonderful idea. I have started my list already. I always bake as a gift if I am visiting or just take cakes in to work.

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  2. Oh this is like throwing a stone into he pond of life and the ripples are happening.. ..

    I't so exciting I can;t wait to read who the bakes will be going to ... there are going to be some lovely surprises .. !

    xx

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  3. Of course I am in! Already baking a peanut butter pie on Friday for a lovely girl who was kind enough to run my market stall for me, along with her own bread stall! Love baking for people!

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  4. What a great idea Vanessa. Well done! Count me in. I shall write it all up. Silvana de soissons

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  5. Me too! what a wonderful, kind-hearted idea. I know exactly who to bake for- thank you for the inspiration!

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  6. I'm in! I know what to bake, just deciding who is most deserving... May have to do several bakes!

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  7. yes, great idea, i have a special friend in mind, will decide what to bake. Will have to be chocolate. Will blog when my mission is complete x

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  8. This is a great idea, I love it - the Blondies always go down well so it looks like I'll be making some of those pretty soon...now just have to decide who to give them too!
    x

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  9. I love the thought. I often do this especially with my banana bread. I have some ripe bananas so I will be making some this weekend.

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  10. genius idea... i'm right there with you xx

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  11. What a lovely idea. Most certainly in!

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  12. Thanks for the twitter. Count me in - already tend to do this. For the guys at work & for friends & family. Kitchen this week has been like a minefield. lol xx

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  13. Hi Vanessa...a great idea to get people spreading cake & kindness...two things we can never have enough of in my opinion! I already do this quite a lot but will try and think of a new deserving recipient & post about it. Hope the hens are settling in well...as well as the rest of the family, of course! x

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  14. I am in! This is a lovely idea, Vanessa. I will report back and blog about it! Charlotte x

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  15. Such a lovely idea, I shall be backing a whole stack of cookies and cakes, for Winstones Ice Creams 86th birthday, to thank all of the customers that have supported my family for almost a century :-)

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  16. Great idea! Count me in :-)

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  17. Such a lovely idea, I couldn't possibly not join in.

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  18. Brilliant. Sounds like something I'd like to do. x

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  19. Love the Idea. Count me in. I blog in portuguese but I will write a special post in english.

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  20. Lovely idea - I'm in or at least I will try. I did some random bakes of kindness once which was so rewarding as it bought so many smiles. Here's the link to the post I did about it - http://choclogblog.blogspot.com/2009/10/national-chocolate-week.html

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  21. I love this, will the local police take my cakes I wonder.

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  22. That sounds like a really nice idea. I'm in and off to research what you can mail where :)

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  23. What a nice idea, I'm in.

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  24. What a great idea - I've started running an idea called 'One Good Deed a Day' over on my blog and this is perfect for that

    Now who should I bake for?

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  25. Replied to your DM lovely lady - what an idea! I'd be honoured to join in. - Angharad

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  26. Oh I am quite overwhelmed but more excited than anything !

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  27. Baked a spare loaf just last night for delivery to Alfie at NCGM this morning. Is a regular occurance at VB. Roaming Bread Angel gives out spare loaves if there are any (occupational hazard). WIll do more...

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  28. I'm in too! just strated making jam, chutney's and oils for my neighbours and family and an extra batch of cupcakes etc would be fab.

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  29. Vanessa, sounds like a lovely idea, I'm in!

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  30. I baked some extra cookies last night. A lovely idea!

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  31. I'm going to do this and give my cookies to the nurses looking after my mum in the dementia unit. Angels. Every single one of them.

    The 'ripples' are indeed happening. Well done for thinking of this.

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  32. I'm definitely in Vanessa; I'm sorry not to have replied to your Twitter message but bnb has been keeping me busy. I already know who I'm baking for as without her I would never have coped these past few months with work/guests/renovations etc.

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  33. I'm taking part :o) What a genius idea! I always bake extra and give it away, I just have to remember to blog about it now LOL I'm also giving away some of my brownies on my blog, one pack to the entrant and one to a friend they have nominated. Spread the baking joy everyone!

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  34. What a lovely idea Vanessa - I'd be delighted to participate.

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  35. Gorgeous idea, count me in too!

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  36. made egg white cake for sister, bara birth cake for dad. cake for guys at work next.. let you know what that is soon. Di xx lol

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  37. I love this idea :D I found your blog on Dom's "Belleau Kitchen" blog, and am glad I did; I'll be taking part in this! I love your wee car wash man; he sounds wonderful :')

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  38. What a lovely idea! Count me in :-)

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  39. Hope to see you at the foodie show at Holdenby. We shall be over there on the Monday.

    Blondies for the guys at work - they adore homemade cakes being bought into them. They are always making requests .... but this was is a surprise.

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  40. Do count me in. I love this idea.

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  41. What a fabulous link, will be a pleasure. Count me in :)

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  42. Great that I have until the 8th! As I have just the thing, but cannot publish until the 6th!

    Is this going to become a monthly event?

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  43. Count me in!
    I'm going to do mine & blog about it on Tuesday.

    Hope puppy is settling in well.
    xxx

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  44. My RBO Kindness was the agave nectar cookies featured on my blog, I gave some of my goodies to my lovely elderly neighbour "Jenny" , we often swap recipes and chat about food. Great initative :-)

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  45. love this concept Vanessa, about to do recipe development so thinking of who to give extras too, kids cupcake workshop tomorrow, will make extra, get them to decorate one each and take to our local old folks home or whatever the PC term is.

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  46. Is it too late to join in? If not, count me, please.

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  47. Still good to join in .. a week left !!

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  48. My Random Bakes of Kindness was To a Friend who organised a day to celibrate ioo years of Macmillian Nurses. She had a tea party at a local attraction so I gave her 4 chocolate fudge cakes and 4 sticky toffee cakes with caramel icing. Now working on my next RBK

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  49. Wonderful idea! So heartwarming to share anything baked or made by hand. And so generous of you to think of this idea! I'm signing up right now. Thanks for including me.

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  50. I've just posted my bake of kindness. It's not what I had planned to do so it's a bit low key. The bake I made for my planned random bake of kindness was a bit of a disaster, so that fell through. A lovely thought Venessa. Thank you.

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  51. Here's my R.B.O.K. http://abovediamonds.blogspot.com/2011/09/random-bake-of-kindness_03.html

    Thanks for the inspiration!
    xxx

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  52. Vanessa -

    Here's my offering: http://brownievillegirl.blogspot.com/2011/09/random-bakes-of-kindness.html

    Wonderful idea - Thank you so much.

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  53. A fabulous idea and I am IN too!
    Karen

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  54. love this came over from brownieville girls blog :-)

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  55. I have baked and donated my first RBOK! Here is the link!

    http://lavenderandlovage.blogspot.com/2011/09/old-biscuit-tin-random-bakes-of.html

    Karen

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  56. Hi there! I absolutely love this idea and almost always give my baking away, anyway (otherwise I'd eat it all myself! ;)). Would love to take part. Is it just a one time event or will it be ongoing?

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  57. Here's my random bake of kindness - Thank you Vanessa :-) http://cookiescakesbakes.blogspot.com/2011/09/random-bakes-of-kindness-melting.html

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  58. I'm a bit late (nothing new there!) but here is my random act too. Please don't worry about adding this to the round up, the random act should also be selfless after all but I'd love it if you could see the wonderful person my bake went to ;0)
    http://thechocolatepot.blogspot.com/2011/09/cowkies-random-bake-of-kindness.html

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  59. Hi there!

    Here's my post for a Random Bake ...
    http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7000684849043929603#editor/target=post;postID=3745954278887911735

    This was fun and so worth it to see the expression on the face of the girl I surprised ... thanks for a great idea!

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  60. What a lovely idea. I know it's past the 8th Sept, but I figured that kindness didn't really have a "use by date" and I've only just discovered this post, so I'm going to do it later today. Now to decide what to make that I want to share half of....

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  61. Thankful for Randomness of Kindness moments in my life! looking forward to hearing more :)

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  62. I would love to take part in this. Is it still going on?

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  63. I have so enjoyed participating in Random Bakes of Kindness we are just kind of keeping it going whenever my girls and I see an opportunity.

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  64. I know I'm pretty late on this but here is my random bake of kindness!

    http://hungryhinny.wordpress.com/2011/10/08/turtle-shortbread-biscuits/

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  65. I've just written my post for this months Random Bakes of Kindness. Still love the concept! http://sarahskitchendiary1.blogspot.com/2011/10/random-bakes-of-kindness-3-cake-and.html?m=0

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  66. MY 2nd random bake of kindness has been posted here!
    http://lavenderandlovage.blogspot.com/2011/10/shabby-chic-in-blue-random-bakes-of.html
    Love Karen. XX

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  67. It wasn't actually a bake of kindness, I made apple butter, and took a few extra jars in for a friend at work.

    I also made a batch of cookies especially for my students.

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  68. What a lovely idea! I've baked before to give as gifts for christmas, birthdays, and thank yous. But "Random Bakes of Kindness" is a fantastic idea. Now to find my first victim......

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  69. Hi just thought I would continue this lovely idea on and on - I recently took my Tangy Lemon Cake to a friend as a Random Bake of Kindness.

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  70. Continuing the theme here is the link to my fourth Random Bake Of Kindness for the fantastic doctors and nurses who cared for my Nan http://sarahskitchendiary1.blogspot.com/2011/11/random-bakes-of-kindness-4-thank-you-to.html

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  71. This is so good not only because I guess those cookies should be delicious but also because it can be a perfect gift for an special person.

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If you are reading my blog I must warn you that I am not impartial. I want to influence you. I want to make you stop for just a moment and consider the effect of a lifetime of seemingly insignificant decisions and how making small delicious choices can change the world.

I believe that we can change the world one bite at a time.

It's a delicious revolution.