Well, it looks like I have the flu, so I am home sick today. Tomorrow doesn't look much better either, I need all the rest I can get so I can be well enough to go to a much need crop on Friday night. I am, however, trying to pull it together to get to a Ladies Night Out event at the Portrait Bug tomorrow.


I'd like to thank my super talented friend, Janis, who made me this wonderful Christmas decoration and gave it to me at our holiday party this past Friday. Janis, I love our work, and this is absolutely beautiful. Thank you!





I also received a gift from our famed organizer, Cheryl, who apparently knows me better than I know myself. For some reason, whenever I meet up with Cheryl, whether it be on crop night or otherwise, my cell phone dies. So Cheryl was able to find something that I actually need, a Zap Recharge-It-All. This awesome little gadget fits in my pocketbook and can recharge my phone without being plugged in (assuming that I remember to recharge the charger). Thanks Cheryl, you may truly be a lifesaver some day.

So I've started off this Season of Giving on the receiving end, which is fabulous, but I would also like to be on the giving end. Operation Santa is in full swing here in NYC. It is a program run by the US Post Office where you can pick up letters that were written to Santa by children from low income families and send them the items that were on their wish list to Santa. For me, it is a great way to give back during the holidays. We get so caught up in buying the latest and the greatest for our children (remember the Tickle Me Elmo craziness), and we think nothing of forking over $60 or more for a single video game, but these kids are frequently asking for warm clothes and new shoes- and not only for themselves - but often for their sibling and even their parents as well. I always find myself wanting to take home all of the letters, but even I know my limitations. The hardest part of this for me is deciding which letters I am giving back (the post office gives you a bunch of letters to read at a table, you choose the ones you want to keep, and then you give the rest back). I always feel like I am deciding which child is more "worthy," and it breaks my heart that I can't buy presents for all of them. It is a truly worthy cause, because if Christmas is not about the children . . .

other way to give back this season is The Sunshine Album Project. The idea behind this project is to make mini scrapbooks/albums for a sick children that are the hospital. The albums are are supposed to help the kids, and their families, record this time in their lives. The requirements for the albums are as follows (taken from Deb's blog:

• Albums should be no smaller than 4x4" and no larger than 8x8"
• Albums should be simple, durable, and made of quality materials - they should be made strong enough to last
• Albums should be appealing and positive
• They should be made so that it is easy to add pictures and journaling
• All embellishments should be glued/affixed down so that they are not a choking risk