Holiday Mail for Heroes

Both Lucy of LuLu's Petals and Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy have posted about this, and I'm sure there are many others, and I hope you'll join us! When you are doing your Christmas cards this year, take one card (at least) and send it to this address:

Holiday Mail for Heroes
P.O. Box 5456
Capitol Heights, MD. 20791-5456

Your card will be distributed by the American Red Cross to service members, veterans, and their families in the United States and around the world. Guidelines are here. Cards should be postmarked by December 10.

Please do not include any inserts, phone numbers, email addresses, or other "personal" information in your card, but don't forget to sign it. The Red Cross suggests using a generic greeting such as "Dear Service Member."


(Side note: Cards should not be mailed or delivered directly to Walter Reed Army Medical Center. Walter Reed is not accepting mail addressed to "A Recovering American Soldier.)

Let's help the Red Cross meet their goal of 1 million cards and make the holidays brighter for our U.S. service personnel.

Hand and Foot Canasta Game

Hand and Foot Canasta is perfect for 4 players although more can play as long as you have an even number of players. The game includes 4 decks of cards for 4 times the fun. The cards have been created with point values pictured on them for easy play and learning.

The instructions are a bit confusing, but once you get going, everything falls into place.

Priced at less than ten dollars, Hand and Foot Canasta is the perfect gift and holiday stocking stuffer. It’s a great twist on the classic Canasta game!

Go here to win this game from Family Review Network!

Check out my giveaways, too!
Cookbook
Refresh'n Dryer Towel

There's No Place Like Home Tag

I was tagged for this meme by Queen Size Funny Bone - I love her!

The following is a little TAG that allows your Bloggy neighbors to get to know a little information about the town or city you live in. State the name and then Post 10 facts or observations about the town you call home. Then tag 4 people.

Home is Humble, Texas, a suburb of Houston, although I moved to another suburb on the other side of Houston 3 1/2 years ago. Humble will always be home! In fact, I wrote a Thursday Thirteen about my home town a long time ago.

1. The "H" is silent. It is pronounced Umble.

2. Humble is named for Englishman Pleasant S. Humble, a San Jacinto River ferry operator whose family settled there before the (US) Civil War.

3. George Bush Intercontinental Airport is five minutes away. I'm used to planes going over, so when 09/11 happened, it was eerily quiet in the sky.

4. Located on the Texas and New Orleans Railroad, later the Houston, East, and West Texas Railway.

5. The First United Methodist Church of Humble was established in 1886. (Click on the link for an inside look at the historic chapel.) This is where both my sister and I were baptized, confirmed, and married.

6. Humble became a pioneer oil “boom town” in 1904 when oil was discovered in an area known as Moonshine Hill (figure that one out). In 1905, Humble had the largest producing oilfield in Texas.

7. Ross Sterling (later, a governor of Texas) founded the Humble Oil and Refining Company in 1911.

8. Humble Oil became known as Exxon over two decades ago.

9. In 1912, during a drill, what was supposed to be oil turned out to be a free-flowing artesian well which later provided water to the bath houses and private homes. It is still flowing today and is located across the street and half a block from the Church.

10. Humble was a small, rural, cowboy town when I was little. You could get an ice cream for a nickel at the Rexall before you went to dancing lessons across the street. A few stores down was a one screened movie theater called teh Jewel. Quarter movies! I saw the Poseidon Adventure, Soilent Green, James Bond, the Shaggy Dog, and Herbie the Lovebug there.

Now Humble is just like any other suburb. Thanks for tagging me, Tammy!

I tag

My Kids are My World

And We'll All Float On

Cafe at the End of the Universive

and Up the Hill Backwards

Can I Make A Difference?

Yes, I can! The holidays are fast approaching, and there is such anticipation, including all the blog giveaways (cookbook, Refresh'n Dryer Towel, and the awesome giveaways at 5 Minutes for Mom, to name a few), I thought it would be a good time to reflect on ways that we can make a difference in someone's life. Even if it's only a small difference, I know there are things we can do that matter.1. Volunteer your time at a soup kitchen. Most major cities have "soup kitchens" where homeless men and women and their families are served a hot meal, maybe their only hot meal for that day. I'm proud that my husband volunteers at Loaves and Fishes once a month. If he could get the time off work, I think he would do it more often. His employer doesn't pay him for it or reimburse him any expenses. He does it because he wants to. Maybe your city has a soup kitchen, food bank, or clothing dispursement cetner that could use some extrea volunteers during the holiday season. It's also a great experience for teenagers about "giving back" to the community.

2. Speaking of clothing dispursement.... You know those clothes you've recently cleaned out of the closets in hopes of getting new ones for Christmas? Instead of saving them for a garage sale, how about donating some to a local community organization or church who can give them to someone in need. Here in Texas, we still have thousands of Hurricane Ike victims who were displaced, and they are still in need of clothing and household items.

3. And speaking of the food bank... How about "Dropping in for Dinner?" Kroger stores have pre-made bags that can be purchased, dropped in their collection can, and sent to restock the food bank. You could always drive a bag of groceries over there yourself.

4. Smile at someone. Yep. This one's simple. That can make a big difference in someone's day, and perhaps in their life, depending on the events going on in their lives that we don't know about. A stranger smiles at me and it feels good. I'm validated as a human being.

5. Let someone go before you in line. We are all in a hurry! The woman in line with the two children is in a hurry. The man in line buying a single rose is in a hurry. The older gentleman in line may be in a hurry to get back to his wife. Why not let someone go before you? It'll make their day!

6. Carry some bottled water in your car. The next time you see someone on the street corner, possibly selling roses or newspapers, possibly homeless and in need, hand them a water to enjoy. You've just made a difference in that person's life.

7. Samaritan's Purse is an organization that sponsors Operation Christmas Child. OCC brings joy and hope to children in desperate situations around the world through gift-filled shoe boxes and the Good News of God’s love. People of all ages can be involved in this simple, hands-on missions project. National Collection Week is November 17-24.

8. Mentor a child, a niece, a nephew, a child in your neighborhood. This takes little time and creates a lasting impression. How do you mentor? You show you care. Ask about the child's grades. Ask if they need help with homework. Offer an ear to listen to them. Read with them. Easy and free, and it makes a world of difference!

9. Many churches sponsor Angel Tree Prison Fellowship programs, and this is one in which I have personal experience with, and I can attest to the fact that it changes lives. We "adopted" children whose fathers and/or mothers were in prison, and we not only took gifts to them (gifts donated by members of our church), but we also ministered to them so they could become aware of the love of God and know that someone else cared about them. If you visit the site, you can see there are many ways to become involved, regardless of how much time or money you have to donate.

10. Our church sponsors a global mission in Malawi, Africa; one in Budapest, Hungary; and one in Uganda, Africa. Prayers are a great way to support these global missions, and if your finances allow, they are run by charitable donations. Many churches sponsor global missions, so if this area touches your heart, check with your congregation. My heart is touch by the mission in Malawi because that is where a member of our congregation set up a clean, sterile, birthing clinic many years ago.

11. Invite someone lonely to a meal. Most of us have extra food at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Would it hurt to invite a non-family member to dine with us? Someone who's spouse recently passed, a college student who can't go home for the holidays, anyone who has no where to go to enjoy the celebrations of the season.

12. We can all make a difference, big or small! Want to know the biggest way you can make a difference? Teach your children well. They are the most important resource we have. So I will leave you with a song.

Christmas Giveaways

I shouldn't tell you about this because I really want to win some of these prizes (besides, you may already know, and you may see the new button in my sidebar) - but... 5 Minutes for Mom is having a week of Christmas Giveaways that started today and continue through November 25th! One of the prizes is an Epson Artisan 800 All-in-One Printer, and I would sooo love to win that! I could print my scrapbooking photos right here at home, quickly, in high definition, as well as all of the documents the kids and I need for school and work. Plus, it's wireless!

There are going to be tons of giveaways, so it's a good time to visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

Plus, I've added a giveaway to my Refreshn' Dryer Towel review. If you haven't commented yet, go visit my post and enter to win!