Thursday, December 24, 2015

Merry Christmas to all

Every year I share the following letter that I sent to the local newspaper in 1997. It's my favorite Christmas memory; a memory that means so much to me and reminds me every year to be grateful and count my many blessings. (I don't live in the same area now and I'm a "little" older too. LOL) I will never forget that Christmas. It was truly the best Christmas ever. Please enjoy.


The Key Peninsula/Gig Harbor area has been home to me and my family for 34 of my 43 years. During those years, I have donated clothing, household items, and food to local food banks as much as I can throughout the year, never expecting, of course, that I would one day be in need myself.

Several years ago, my daughters and I fell on hard times and the holidays seemed bleak. By Thanksgiving, I still had not found employment. The girls had just entered high school, and though they had never asked much for Christmas even in good times, I felt despair in knowing I would not be able to give them much of anything that year. We did our best while I continued looking for work, but finally had to seek help from a local food bank to make ends meet. A short while later, we received a call from the food bank telling us a local family wished to “adopt” us for Christmas. About that same time, my job search finally paid off and my first day of work was to be December 20. That day, we woke to several inches of snow on the ground and no power. I had no way to get to my new job and no number to call them. We were not the only ones snowed in, however. The food bank was unable to deliver Christmas to many adopted families. Though the families and the adoptees generally remain anonymous to each other, our “family” decided that if it meant the difference between our having or not having a Christmas, they would make the delivery personally. Not only did our family bring gifts in abundance, they also delivered a van full of groceries, including laundry and cleaning supplies, and everything imaginable for Christmas dinner. As if that wasn’t enough, this wonderful man drove me to my new job and later called to find out what time I finished so he could drive me back home!

This true story of the spirit of Christmas always brings tears to my eyes. We never heard from our adoptive family again. We understand they left the area some time ago, but their gift of love and generosity will never be forgotten. That Christmas, which looked so dismal, remains one of our most cherished and treasured holiday memories.

***
Merry Christmas. May you be as blessed as I am!
Isaiah 58:7a ...Share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless into your house.


Monday, December 21, 2015

Melonheadz Friends, Christmas challenge!

Are you ready for the big day?! Well, I guess it's too bad if you aren't at this point, right?! LOL!!!

For my challenge project, I made these adorable little gift tags. These sweet images can be found on the Christmas Stuff and Christmas Bobbleheads digi sets in the Melonheadz Etsy store. There are so many cute things in this set, it's a must-have add-on for any of the Christmas sets you may already have. Then, come over to the Melonheadz Friends blog and join us for this super fun challenge!


To/From stamp and tag die by My Creative Time.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, CRAFTY FRIENDS!!!!!!
Wishing you and yours a happy, happy holiday season and a very merry Christmas. :)

Monday, December 07, 2015

Melonheadz Friends, Winter Holiday Challenge

Happy first Monday of December. Seriously, can you even believe how close we are to Christmas....and the end of 2015!!?? Crazy! But let's get to the new challenge, okay.

This week's challenge is Winter Holiday. I used the Christmas Stuff and Christmas Bobbleheads image sets. They are just too cute.



This little elf holds a hammer, but I replaced his with a candy cane! :) The stack of gifts is a stamp by My Favorite Things from the Santa's Elves set, and the sentiment is a stamp by Technique Tuesday.

Other products used:
My Creative Time Rectangle Frames, and Stitched Ovals dies
Tim Holtz Crazy Things candy cane
My Favorite Things, Santa's Elves stamps (stack of presents)
Foam tape, glossy accents, Wink of Stella glitter pen