The official Dancing Deer Baking Company Blog

Each week, we honor a Deer in the Spotlight- someone who embodies our values. Leo Babauta (@zen_habits on Twitter) is this week’s Deer in the Spotlight. Leo is a celebrated top-25 blogger who dedicates his time to others, offering them tips on how to focus their priorities and be more efficient at what they do.

We recently interviewed Leo and have shared his perspective below:
DD:  When did you first determine that living a minimalist lifestyle helped you focus your priorities?
LB: It’s been a gradual realization and learning process, but I’ve been fascinated with simplifying for over a decade. As I’ve simplified
slowly, I’ve gotten better at it, and at each stage I learn the things necessary to move me to the next stage. Priorities are at the heart of it, and as you simplify, stripping things down to the essential, you must consider and decide what is essential.
DD: In one of your blog posts, you mention defeating burnout. Did you ever burn out? Was a cluttered lifestyle the cause?
LB: I’ve burned out a number of times, and each time, I decided to change my life and usually my job. Overwork and trying to take on too much was usually the cause. Simplifying my life was usually the solution, as was finding a new challenge that excited me, and better aligned with my priorities.

DD: What could you say to a person who has many things cluttering their time?
LB: If you aren’t able to achieve the things you want to achieve, do the things that you think are important, and have the life you want, then I’d say simplifying your life is the answer. Start by figuring out the 4-5 things that are most important to you (your short list), then make a list of everything in your life that takes up time, that is a time commitment, and eliminate things on this list that aren’t on the short list. Slowly, and over time.

DD: What is your favorite activity to do with your family time?

LB: Reading and talking with my kids. Physical things, like playing soccer or shooting Nerf darts at each other, are also loads of fun.

We encourage you to visit Leo’s blog for more valuable guidance from Leo, the Deer in the Spotlight.

Each week we feature tweets, short updates on twitter of 140 characters or less, which exemplify Dancing Deer core values. These are the tweets we proudly share with our community, retweet to our followers and provide on our blogger. Each one of them offers a gift of insight we hope you’ll enjoy. And if you do, we encourage you to follow their author on Twitter.

Passion for Food:
•    @kjrainford: How great is Jamie Oliver’s enthusiasm? If only everyone had his passion for food!

Supporting the Community:
•    @Human_Solutions: @JeanRgr we are so thrilled about this Wish Book. Thank you, Oregonian, for supporting the community this way!

Passion for Nature:
•    @Luckynumbr22: One random fact about me that my family knows well: I love nature. It’s so beautiful… Trees, flowers, sunsets, sunrises, etc.

Did you come across a tweet that exemplifies a core deer value? Tell us in the comments section below and we’ll feature it on our Weekly Tweets blog post!

At Dancing Deer, we know there are people in our community that personify core values near and dear to our heart. Each week, we ask you to Nominate a Deer that we can highlight for the week for outstanding service to the community.
This week, Julie Balls nominated Dana Moritz for being “a good friend and inspiration.”
Here is more of what Julie said about Dana:
“Dana is a remarkable person.  She is energetic, supportive and inspiring.  As a Beach body Coach she inspires people to be conscience of their bodies and what they put in them.  She has a blog and is always sharing with us good, healthy recipes to try and products that are good for us, and good for our earth.

She is nearing the end of a 16-week period of nursing her husband after a terrible motorcycle accident.  She has rarely left his side, thru her love and support he has been able to maintain his spirits and improve his recovery process.  Not to say there weren’t some difficult days, but her positive attitude got them thru them.”
Dana, thank you for being an inspiration to Julie this week. Your dedication to helping other people makes us what to be better at what we do here at Dancing Deer. We hope you both have an amazing week, because you have brought joy to ours!

If you know of a deer making in a difference in their community, nominate them here.

At Dancing Deer we celebrate gift giving.

And we want to know from you what makes the perfect gift.

Tell us by leaving a comment below.

We will select two winners.

Each winner will receive our famous Molasses Clove Cookies and our Holiday Shortbread Cookie Tin.

Molasses Clove Cookies	Holiday Shortbread Cookie Tin

We will select the winner on December 1st, 2009. 

Follow Dancing Deer on Twitter and Facebook for more prizes and great gift ideas. Visit DancingDeer.com for more unique holiday gifts ideas like these:

 

Holiday Chewy Cookie Sampler	Gingerbread Folk Cookie Tin

For another chance to win, retweet this link and include “@DancingDeer” in your retweet.

We’ll select one retweeting winner .

 

Snack time is one of the highlights of childhood. And as you can see from the baby pandas featured in this video, snack time is often a relaxing break in the day.

Snack time is also one of the traditions that extend from childhood to adulthood. Do you celebrate snack time or have you forget about tradition?

We would like to invite you to celebrate snack time once again with us.  At Dancing Deer we believe in snacking. Surrounding ourselves with yummy brownies, cakes and cookies it¹s impossible not to.
Did you know you can see thousands of people talking about snacking right now? It¹s easy to find on Twitter. Simply go to search.twitter.com and type, ³#snacktime.² We just did. Here are our most recent discoveries:

@nongravity: since i never really buy snacks, sometimes i end up snacking on ingredients for snacks #chocolatechips #snacktime
@anacitab: ...for some reason that gourmet cat food commercial made me hungry…#snacktime!...
@j_jamal: All of a sudden I have a craving for an elephant ear. #random #snacktime

Just as these comments suggest, there¹s no perfect time for snack time or one way to snack. But when it occurs, may we suggest Dancing Deer¹s two-tier holiday cake tower. The bite-size shortbread cookies are in 8 flavors and sizes.
What¹s your favorite way to snack? Let us know with a comment below.

 

At Dancing Deer, we follow a few core values that guide us in our work and personal lives, and we’d like to recognize folks who share these values. We call them Deers.

* Deers support the ,community, giving of their time and talent for the benefit of others.
* Deers care for the environment, choosing paths with positive environmental impact.
* Above all, Deers love what they do. They are passionate and generous in their work and personal lives.

If that sounds like someone you know, we invite you to fill out the nomination form here .

This week, Maureen McNamara nominated Eric Pegnam for the Dancing Deer Honorary Deer of the Week. Here’s why:

“I am nominating Eric Pegnam, senior clinician at The Walker Home & School because of his passion and tireless commitment to working with children who have complex mental illnesses, behavioral and emotional disabilities. Eric’s intelligence, commitment, and passion for helping children with significant mental healthcare helps to improve the quality of these children’s lives and the teachers and families who also try to support these children.

Personally, Eric has been the central quarterback for my son’s, therapeutic needs for the past 8 years. Without Eric, my son would have been left in the dark and lived a life in a residential institution. Because of Eric’s commitment to my son, my son and our family are never left in the dark.

Eric is the best hero any child or family could have!”

This was a great example of a Honorary Deer of the Week. Eric Pegnam, thank you for doing what you do. As you can see, you are appreciated for being such a caring person in your community!

For more information about The Walker Home & School please go to their website or you can become a fan on Facebook .

Last week we celebrated the idea of giving back. This week we are proud to honor someone who is. Meet our honorary deer Beth Kanter.

Beth Kanter is a trainer, coach and consultant to non-profits seeking to use social media tools.

Beth helps those who give back, give back more efficiently. Beth also runs a respected blog where she shares insights that have helped her assist non-profits more effectively.

We spoke with her recently about gift giving: 

DD: Gift giving takes on a different value in your family. Your choice to donate to the Sharing Foundation for your 23rd wedding anniversary. Do you remember a specific time when the gift-receiving paradigm changed for you?

Beth: I think it was when we adopted our children and the opportunity to get involved with the Sharing Foundation and the growing feeling that “stuff” is not fulfilling.

DD: What is your favorite way to encourage a friend?

Beth: Send cookies.    Be supportive.  Talk to them.  Introduce them to other people or resources.
Beth, we are encouraged by you – you set the example for the Deers! Thanks for all you do. And make sure to connect with Beth on Twitter

When you have the good fortune to belong to an outstanding community, you also have the ability to give back to make the community even stronger. At Dancing Deer, our community made us who we are today.

And our Deers on Facebook and Twitter are committed to giving back, as well.  We would like to introduce you to one honorary deer, Fran Simon, VP of Product Marketing for Network for Good

Network for Good, (@Network4Good on Twitter) is an independent nonprofit organization that helps other nonprofits raise money and reach supporters online. They are currently participating in America¹s Giving Challenge ,­ a 30-day national competition that encourages people to leverage their personal networks to help win cash awards that will total $170,000 on behalf of their favorite nonprofit.

In an interview with Dancing Deer, Fran shared her vision:
“We’re very proud to be an integral partner in America¹s Giving Challenge. During these difficult economic times, it is incredible to be a part of the effort that has raised nearly $1M in small donations over the course of only 3 weeks. The success of the program is a testament to the average American¹s generous spirit. Network for Good is proud to facilitate this kindness that has such a dramatic impact on the work of so many worthy organizations.”

Dancing Deer encourages this generous spirit and those who give back to community. We give back through the Sweet Home Project - where 35 percent of the retail price of our cakes and cookies goes to scholarship funds for homeless and at-risk mothers. 

Each week we feature tweets, short updates on twitter of 140 characters or less, which exemplify Dancing Deer core values. These are the tweets we proudly share with our community, retweet to our followers and provide on our blogger. Each one of them offers a gift of insight we hope you’ll enjoy. And if you do, we encourage you to follow their author on Twitter.

The theme for this week is The Gift of Giving Back. We’ve been listening to what some of you are saying about giving back. We agree with you- that loving others, caring and giving back is a calling that we all share. Here is what you’ve said:

 

Did you come across a tweet that exemplifies a core Deer Value? Tell us and we’ll feature it in our weekly tweets.

“The human race has only one really effective weapon - laughter.” – Mark Twain

How did this video get nearly 100 million views on You Tube?

It’s because there is something charismatic about this kiddo that makes everyone smile. When we watched it, we smiled from ear to ear. When someone enjoys themselves deeply, their joy is contagious.

How do you gift laughter? You bring funny into the presence of someone else. You tell a joke about yourself. You intentionally quote a movie that takes your company back a few years. You live thoughtfully. You allow someone to escape dire events and become fully enveloped in joy.

What does it look like to intentionally seek laughter? Watch your favorite comedy. Start writing about things you did in high school. Ask your friends about their favorite comedian. Spend more time with the most ridiculous person you’ve ever met. Teach a toddler to say funny phrases.

Here are three tweets from honorary deers this week celebrating laughter:

@DaveJaworski Thankful for great friends and laughter.

@TormentedOne Laughter is the brush that sweeps away the cobwebs of the heart.

@HeidiRichards “The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.” E E. Cummings

Laughter is contagious.

Who can you give the gift of laughter to? Each year, Dancing Deer gives the Gift of Laughter through a Gingerbread House tour to the Boston area family homeless shelters. We hope to bring awareness within the community while spreading laughter and cheer along the way.

See the official Dancing Deer Gingerbeard House kit

Whoops. You forgot the birthday of someone special. How are you going to make amends with a belated birthday gift that also asks for forgiveness?

Life123 had a few ideas on how to make up for sending a belated birthday gift:

1. Add a personal touch: Personalize your birthday gift with names, initials, a heartfelt message or an inside joke.


2. The apology addition gift: This is an extra birthday gift that you get to go along with the gift you were going to get the birthday boy or girl anyway.


3. Creative messages: Add a creative message to the birthday gift.


4. Clumsy but Cute: Write a poem or song to the gift receiver saying "I'm sorry your that birthday gift is late, but I still think they that you are great."


5. Traditional: Send a birthday gift of cookies, flowers, balloons, or candy with a belated birthday card.


6. Make-Up Outing: Offer a special outing as a make-up birthday gift.


It's never too late to send the perfect birthday gift.

Check out our special birthday gifts at DancingDeer.com

Read the original article from Life123.com

Just a quick reminder that the business gift giving season is nearly upon us.

Business Gifting Do's:

1. Make a plan - a business gift is an investment of time and money, so make it count


2. Send different gifts - don't send the same gifts every year


3. Learn what interests your clients


4. Consider that the gift is a representation of your company

Business Gifting Don'ts:

1. Don't go with the popular - be unique and interesting


2. Don't overlook cultural differences


3. Don't forget the assistants

Our business gift clients have enjoyed these best-selling business gifts at DancingDeer.com


Special thanks to blogerrific.co.za for the entry "Corporate Gift: Do's and Dont's of Client Gifting"

At DancingDeer.com, we celebrate the art of gift giving. We have been providing gift giving solutions online for over 10 years. We were fortunate enough to come across a blog entry by C.Marie Signatures with a tongue-in-cheek look at gift giving etiquette called "The Art of Gift Giving: A 10 Step Program". She asserts (and we agree) that gift giving is an art form and we should embrace the elements of our own personality in the gift.

Some of our customers' most popular gifts include the Brownie & Cookie Medley, the Chewy Cookie Sampler, and the Brownie Sampler.

The Art of Gift Giving: A 10 Step Program

1. Give a gift because you want to, not because you are obligated to do so: When you think of gift giving as a necessity, it automatically becomes an undesirable chore. Remind yourself that giving gifts is optional. Nothing requires you to do so.


2. Take notes: Unless you were blessed with an incredible memory, keep notes throughout the year on appropriate gift giving for people.


3. Celebrate the little things: Gift giving isn't merely for standard occasions (birthdays, weddings, holidays); celebrate events that would otherwise go unnoticed. Share a friend's excitement over a new car by mixing her a CD with songs for the road. Congratulate a client on a promotion with a bottle of champagne. Such small gestures can have an enormous impact on a relationship, showing that you take notice of things that are important to other people with no expectation of reciprocity.


4. Express yourself, your recipient, and your relationship: Remember, this is your one shot at gift giving to this person, on this date, for this occasion, so make it count.


5. Give something they would never buy themselves: There is nothing more satisfying than receiving a gift of pure luxury, excess, and indulgence.


6. Keep the audience in mind: While you want a gift to be personal, think of the circumstances in which the gift will be given.


7. Present your gift well: Like anything in life, presentation can make or break your gift. Everything about gift giving, from the gift to the filler to the wrapping has significant impact on how your gift is perceived, so take the extra effort to make your gift look as beautiful as the sentiment that it represents.


8. Include a handwritten note: Gift giving is not complete without a handwritten note attached.


9. Send your gifts on time: No matter how amazing your gift is, if it is received months after the fact, it tends to lose its purpose. By planning ahead, you can avoid this last minute gift giving rush.


10. Look for inspiration everywhere: Gift giving is a form of art that is constantly being refined, and as you master these basic skills, refine your art by scouring the world for unique ways to make your gifts even more personal. Keep it in the back of your mind when searching through magazines, traveling, or wandering through a favorite store.