Helping those in need

As the temperatures begin to dip here, my heart is sinking along with them because I'm seeing more homeless people than ever in my community. Yes, we have homeless shelters, but they intentionally make the homeless move from one town to the next so they don't stay in one place for very long and they're only open for the overnight. If you have spare blankets, winter clothes or even small soaps from hotels, please keep them in your car to hand out to people in need. This winter is going to be hard for so many people.

I barked at my husband last night because he complained we were out of sour cream and he wanted some on his quesadilla. I told him to be grateful he has food when so many people are struggling.

I'm not saying you have to give from your pocket. Get creative and give from your heart. Everyone has something to share or donate. Look deep within yourself and you'll find many ways you can enrich the lives of others.

Just another manic Monday....

Okay, so "manic" would indicate crazy energy and I'm definitely lacking that. LOL I'm still in my funk that's been hanging with me for a few weeks, but I've been trying to push through it. I made something for the simple reason because I wanted to. Do you know how long it's been since I've done that? I honestly can't remember the last time I did that. That's sad. I made a handful of centerpieces using gifts from nature: scented pinecones, leaves, gourds and pods. They were so simple, but they looked beautiful and made my heart sing. I used to have a floral designing business and the daily grind took all the joy away. It was great to feel good about it again and absolutely no pressure. My dogs were a little confused as to why their Mommy was in the backyard with a flashlight at 3AM picking up treasures.

I gave one of my neighbors some leftovers from our "Doggie Halloween" party. She ran inside and came back with a book for me, "The Power of Giving: How Giving Back Enriches Us All" by Azim Jamal and Harvey McKinnon. As she handed it to me she started to cry and explained why she was giving it to me, which in turn had me in tears. I haven't had time to read all year, but it seems like a special book and I'm going to try to make a little time to read it a chapter at a time. I'm a big believer in giving back. You don't have to have a lot of money or tons of spare time to be a giving person. If more people realized that, the world would be a better place.

I have to do one more art drop off/pick up with a gallery in town today and then I'm done with that for a few weeks.

Have a great week, everyone!

'Tis the season of giving

Last year my husband and I baked 120 dozen cookies in a period of 36 hours. We donated them to families that have a loved one in hospice care and to our local homeless shelter. The families each received two dozen cookies packed in new cookie tins, wrapped in cellophane and a bow with lots of ribbon and a card. We brought trays of cookies to the homeless shelter. We received the most amazing thank you note from the shelter coordinator. To know that our cookies were the only touch of holidays some individuals and families received broke my heart. This year I'm anticipating a greater need for more cookies due to the poor economy, so I've started a "cookie giving jar". 20% of all of my Etsy sales through December 15th, excluding my Catahoula pocket mirror will go towards buying baking supplies, tins, trays and cellophane to make the holidays a little happier for those needing some cheer. 100% of my sales of my Catahoula pocket mirror will be donated to Catahoula United Rescue Society. Thank you for your support!