I don't know if I can manage my usual lazy Saturday today, because THIS Saturday is only THREE DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS!!!! OMD, I'm so excited! Today Momma and Cinderella and me are packing up all the prezzies in the car and going to Grandma & Grandpa's house. Santa Paws will find us there Monday night, 'cause he's super smart and everything.
Fortunately, some of my LBR furiends have the snuggling down a little better, so I'll let you try to relax with them while I go check the window again. I know I heard sleigh bells this time!
LBR alum Apple Jacks
Barkley and LBR foster Audrey
LBR foster Carly with Guenther and Chief
LBR alum Diego with LBR fosters Whoppers and Dots
LBR foster Gummi Bear and Puppy Man
LBR foster Tilly and LBR alum Bijoux
LBR fosters Tilly and Teddy
Yoji and LBR foster Stanley
PeeS: Congrrats to everyone for surviving the end of the world! BOL!
As I watched The Today Show this morning, tears streamed down my face during the "Getting to the Heart of Christmas" segment. Annually, The Today Show teams up with Walmart to bestow a surprise Christmas gift to several communities across the country. This morning's story really hit a nerve because it was focused on the an elementary school in Queens, NY P.S.-114. At 9:30am a moment of silence was held for the victims of the Newton shooting and it was inevitable that my thoughts drifted to the 26 lives lost just a week ago.
But the story of P.S. 114 is a joyous one. P.S. 114 is located in Rockaway, Queens a community totally descimmated by Hurricane Sandy. Houses are gone and lives are lost in the community and the school was flooded by 10 feet of water virtually destroying everything in it's wake. After being out of school for three weeks, the children returned. It was totally heartbreaking to hear a little Maisie say "I just want my regular life." Music was an integral part of the school and all of the instruments were lost. But the children still are able to sing and during a rendition of a Today Show intro they were surprised by a Walmart truck, 35 associates, and Nick Cannon. The children were given new instruments for the school and all of them received an iPod and new headphones.
The children's faces reflected their joy and happiness. A semblance of normality has returned to their lives. In addition to the instruments, the gym has been filled with new equipment and the art room has new art supplies. In all, over $100,000 worth of supplies were provided to P.S. 114. I was given the opportunity to speak with Seacaucus Walmart store manager Joe Schmidt about the event.
Located in New Jersey, most of the associates at this Walmart were effected by Hurricane Sandy Mr. Schmidt told me that after visiting Rockaway, it was clear that they had to take helping the community and P.S. 114. For 3 weeks prior to the unveiling this week, supplies were sent and stored in Secaucus. The day before, 35 associates volunteered to go to P.S. 114, assemble all of the items and return the following day for the presentation to the kids. Mr. Schmidt said "it is part of our culture, we give back. After Hurricane Sandy we also helped many of our associates directly impacted by the storm."
It was indeed a pleasure to speak to Mr. Schmidt and I personally thanked him for all of the work devoted to P.S. 114. I was moved not just by the physical gifts but the gift of time given by him and all of the associates that worked on the project. Finding time in the midst of the holiday season to do this is truly "Getting to the heart of Christmas." Rockaway is just one of the communities that have been blessed this year by The Today Show and Walmart. You can see how an inner-city arts program in Los Angeles and Bishop Martin and the community of Possom, Trot Texas were helped this year by clicking here.
These stories make my heart sing and I'm so happy that The Today Show and Walmart made such a positive impact on these communities.
Disclosure: I am a Walmart mom and have been compensated for my time and effort writing this post.
OMD, guys, can you believe it's only FOUR days until Christmas?!?! Santa Paws will be coming soon and leaving all sorts of nice gifts for all the good little pups and kitties (and crabs and turtles and birds and whatever!) out there. He's been coming early for a whole lot of our foster pups at LBR -- we've had SO many adoptions lately! But we still have lots of dogs that are looking for their furever homes.
Today we're going to look at the beeYOUtiful Mia!
Oh, she's a heartbreaker, isn't she? When Momma first saw her at a pet fair, she nearly started crying, because Mia looks just like my late Aunt Nina. <sniff> And she's just as sweet as Nina too! Momma was impressed with how calm she was even in all the craziness of pet fair.
"I gots this. Nothing can ruffle my calm. Except maybe belly rubs."
Mia is about one or two years old, so she's still just a puppy! She's very sweet and smart too. She hasn't had any accidents in her foster home, and she sleeps in her crate every night without a peep. She loves more than anything to go on walkies. (Who doesn't?!) She also loves to be with her peeps, preferably snuggling with them but just nearby if that's all she can manage. She just wants to be loved! She does grreat with kids, even little ones, because she's so calm and sweet. She gets along with other dogs, but she needs a calm introduction and some time to get to know them. She's not the kind who's instant best friends with every dog she meets, but she's worth taking the time to get to know!
I loves Mia so much. I told Momma she could come live with us, but Momma said that won't work. So I'll just cross my paws that Santa leaves her a shiny new furever home under the tree this year. I'm sure it'll fit! If you want to learn more about Mia, you can check out her bio page. And then maybe you can fill out an application and get a Mia for the new year!
You know what Momma says is the best part of Christmas? She said that we ALL get to be excited little kids again, even if it's just for a little while. I think that's a totally pawsome thing. Especially since everyone knows that boxers LOVE children! So to help everyone channel your inner child this Christmas, I thought I'd throw out a few pictures for inspiration.
Northward Ho the Wagons, Soon we'll packing up all our earthly goods, and heading across the pass to Oregon. There, we'll be de-camping in the Salem/Portland area, site of our new home grounds. The stories and adventures continue in the New Year. May your path be safe and happy this Holiday Season, Marjorie
(PeeS: Sorry I was MIA yesterday. Momma got a new computer, and Firefox decided it didn't want to let her use Blogger! So now she's on Google Chrome instead, and it's working. Yay!)
It is simply hard to believe that Christmas is a mere week away. And not because I am overwhelmed with holiday preparation but because the year is almost over. I often feel the time has gone by in the blink of the eye, especially when I measure by things that have happened this year. One of the major things was my participation in the Serta mattress ambassador program. I can remember the day in April when I received notification that I'd been chosen and I was ecstatic! My mattress was old, my bed just as old and falling to pieces, I may have even cried a tear of joy or two. Fast forward to December and I've had the opportunity to enjoy my lovely iComfort mattress for six months. It has been absolute heaven. The bed conforms to my body, cradling me like a baby. I sleep really well, no more tossing and turning for me. I frequently utilize the adjustable frame- especially when I decide to turn my bed into my office. Having the setting for laptop/tv works well and depending on my mood I will tweak the adjustment for a personalized position. Sadly I don't use the massage feature very often but that is simply because when I do hit the sack my head goes to bed almost immediately! I have been a solo user of my bed, my son is five and although he comes in my room and sometimes lays down with me early in the morning or when he is sick, he primarily sleeps in his own room (yay!). But this Christmas like all others we will spend it sleeping in a bed together as we visit Grandma's house in NY. Can I share a secret with you? I actually look forward to this time of the year. I have a brief reminder of co-sleeping, I get to watch his anticipation about Santa leading up to and especially on Christmas eve and we end up doing a lot of things together like play games and even watch tv. Holidays make a difference in our sleeping arrangements but I love it. My only wish is that I could magically transport my mattress so that we could enjoy it in New York. Of course, that is not going to happen but I will tell you the magic of Serta has changed my life. If you are looking for a new bed I highly recommend Serta. I had help making my video and told my friend to try out my mattress - she didn't want to get back up! Admittedly, I will miss my bed for the next 10 days but knowing it is there waiting for me is actually one of my favorite gifts of all!
To get all of the specifications about my bed - the iProdigy and the other Serta mattresses in the iComfort line click HERE. This bed has changed my life and it can change yours too! Serta is currently running a Holiday Wish List contest on Pinterest, pin your 3 favorite Serta items and you can win all 3! I wish you a holiday filled with joy, love and of course lots of comfy sleep! Disclosure: I was received product and/or compensation for writing blog posts and my experiences with the iComfort mattress. All opinions are my own and believe me when I tell you, this is a GREAT mattress!
Today we received further news from the SA Algulhas.
After an eventful week travelling south, the ship has arrived off the coast of southern Africa. Temperatures have risen to over 30* and Mary Mouse is taking the opportunity to top up her tan!
She has been playing her part to make everything "ship-shape!"
All is not easy aboard the ship, however. The ship has now entered pirate territory and the crew are doing all they can to keep safe. One of the crew writes:
Mary has spent much of the last few days watching flying fish skim across the waves. Until the day before yesterday we have had the North Easterly Tradewinds blowing, if we were sailing like the Cutty Sark we would have been bowling along at a huge rate of knots, but now the wind has nearly vanished as we enter the Doldrums. Last night there was a thunder storm from about 3:30 am until 7am, but even afterwards it was still very hot and sticky.
We been in Pirate infested waters off the Barbary coast for the last 4 days, and there is nothing romantic about them at all. The Captain ordered that pirate precautionary measures must to be taken: the crew watch the sea all around day and night , and all doors but one have been shut/locked, and our position is not published on the web.
Please continue to pray for those in peril on the sea.
This week saw the performance of our wonderful nativity play by the YR and Key Stage 1 pupils.
The simplicity of the most important story ever told was profound as the children shared the perspective of the shepherds.
The angels sang beautifully and there wasn't a dry eye in the house when Meyla and Ryan sang their respective solos!
Particularly impressive was the journey of the wise men, led by a star; "Oh what treasure to behold," and that wasn't the gold, frankincense and myrrh!
During the Advent season our choir have been in great demand.
Last week they entertained the members of St Mary's Parish Lunch Club with a selection of seasonal hymns and carols. This was followed by a concert for the shoppers in our local supermarket.
Last Sunday we joined other community groups for the annual Great Aycliffe Carol Service. This is a tremendous opportunity to contribute to our community and we were very proud to perform two religious songs in what increasingly becomes a commercial time of year. Well done to all of our choristers but especially to Bethany who sang solo in front of a very large audience.
This is my favorite time of the year. The sparkling lights, decorated yards, holiday music and classic shows like my favorite "A Christmas Story" keep me smiling. But the thing that makes me smile the most and count my blessings is having the ability to help others. While blogging has certainly impacted me in a positive way, my relationship with companies like Walmart enable me to pay it forward. This year, I was given a $100 budget to do with as I see fit. There are many charities that I support but this year I wanted to help the women and children of the Atlanta Day Shelter for Women and Children. "Our mission is to ease the burden of homelessness for women and children and to assist in establishing self-sufficiency by providing comprehensive education and supportive services in a manner that respects human dignity." This organization is simply amazing. The critical care program provides essential needs including:
Clothing closets
Laundry facilities
Restrooms
Breakfasts and lunches
Childcare
Essential medications and healthcare (such as child immunizations)
Mail, telephone, computer and fax machines
Toiletry and personal hygiene items
MARTA transportation to interviews, work, school and other destinations vital for starting a new life
Infant care items (such as diapers, formula, and baby food)
Showers
and provides health care, computer training, employment assistance, housing assistance, youth and children services. Annually the Day Shelter holds the Christmas Project which is designed to fill gift bags with presents from the women and children's wish lists. Last year 1,708 personalized gift bags were given and 1,071 of them were for children. This is the only time of year that only brand new items are requested. It was my absolute pleasure to take my entire budget of $100 and see what I'd be able to purchase for this effort. I simply printed the wish list and took it with me to Walmart. My plan was to purchase gifts for boys, girls, women and different age groups and I'm happy with what I was able to do.
Who doesn't like Marvel Action figures? My favorite find, a manicure set that has a dryer for $5 The Day Shelter is still accepting donations and will accept them until December 24th but ask that if possible donations be dropped off by the 21st. I love that I was provided with this opportunity to give back by Walmart. I hope that you and your family find a way to spread the love this holiday season too!
The third week of Advent saw the continuation of celebrations in school.
After a delicious Christmas lunch cooked and served by Mrs Mitchell and Mrs Crosby, the party season began! We played traditional games in our classrooms and enjoyed dancing to Christmas classics in the school hall.
Last Friday, The Friends of St Mary's organised a wonderful Christmas social evening. Great fun was had by all and despite his busy schedule, Santa Claus made an appearance. Our thanks go to all volunteers in school who spend many hours preparing for our events; we really appreciate all that you do for us.
We are all aware of the horrible tragedy that occurred on Friday in Connecticut. It is difficult for us as a nation and I am sure that all who are parents hugged our babies a little harder and longer when they returned home from school on Friday. I admit that I simply do not have an words to editorialize the situation, I am not going to talk about mental health or gun control issues. I simply want to help in some small way. And when I learned that the nephew of friend and member of the blogging community Victoria's nephewwas one of the young victims my heart was broken even further.
What I ask is this, will you please donate at least $1 to help cover the funeral expenses for the family of Noah? If all who read this donate and share the info we can remove at least one burden from this suffering family. I thank you in advance for reading and truly hope you can give a donation.Click Here to donate.
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