The Wall O' Cards has commenced!

Our first Christmas cards of the season arrived today from one of my favorite college pals, Marya and her husband Joe, and Uncle Moses from Shalom Disability Ministries! I was so excited to start our annual wall o' cards!

Gift bows!

One of my favorite things about gift-giving is actually wrapping the gift. I'm not sure why, but I enjoy it.

I came across a great idea for making your own gift bows here. This is a fun way to spice up your gifts this season (or throughout the year)! The other thing I like about this is that my cat will not pounce on said paper bows. She will literally devour store-bought ribbon and bows. She can sniff out that stuff from a mile away, and has on multiple occasions ripped through bags to access it.

So go, and bring tidings of great joy to your friends and family, topped with a homemade bow!

Snow!

Houston's earliest snow:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34274883/ns/weather/

Cecelia and Leyla

This is a message I received the other night on my phone.



Translation:

CC:
(gibberish)
"Auntie Charlotte"
(shrieking gibberish)

David:
"Ok, Leyla's turn"

Leyla:
"Hi"
"Hi. I love you!"
"Uh-oh"

David:
"Hello?"

Leyla:
"Hello?"

Re: Operation Christmas Child

See if this doesn't inspire you further:

Operation Christmas Child

One of the many things I love to do every year is pack up a shoebox for a ministry of Samaritan's Purse : Operation Christmas Child. Every Christmas, Samaritan's Purse ships thousands of boxes to children across the globe who otherwise would not have anything for Christmas.

This year, Nate helped me pack up a box. We chose to give to a boy aged 10-14. Check out the goodies!

This is a really fun thing to do and in the end you can be confident that you will make one child's Christmas brighter. Hurry! You can still make a box through Nov 23.

Samaritan's Purse also offers a gift catalog for the Christmas Season where you can purchase items such as a goat, mosquito nets, or contribute to needs such as education and medical aid for those in need. What a great way to make a charitable donation this Christmas!

Milk Maid Caramel Candy Corn

Nate and I hit the clearance Halloween candy aisle on November first and stumbled across Brach's Milk Maid Caramel Candy Corn. I admit, I am not a candy corn person (or a candy person in general). I can manage to eat about two, and then I'm on to something else. But oh man, these things are good. Perhaps it's partially due to my love of hard, chewy caramel. It reminds me of Caramel Krispie Treats, which I'll have to make very soon.