I know the photo is upside down. I flipped in on my computer but I guess blogger didn't like it.

This year for our family service project we are sending packages to a friend of mine who is deployed. I will send the packages and he will put them in a common area for all to have access to. He is in a camp where they don't have a place where they can purchase things that they may need. If they don't get it from home.

I am going to contact the boys school and see if any of the small groups or clubs want to write letters that I can stick in some of the packages.

It isn't much bu it is what we can do as a thank you to the men and women who serve and protect our country. We already pray for them and their families nightly but felt like we needed to do something more.

Busy hands ...Helping hands

This morning I went to the middle school to help with the knit and crochet club. We have about 5 girls that came every time we meet and then we always have one or two others. It is fun to see them learning a new skill. Last year I also helped with the club, we ( the adults involved) wanted the girls to have some kind of goal. Last year we ended up making loomed hats the last half of the year for charity. This year the girls wanted to make a felted bag so most of them are working on that project we have one girl who is making a crocheted baby blanket and then we have the ones who come in each week knit a few rows and aren't really sure what they want to make. It seems they all have fun and are learning which is the main goal

After I was finished with the club meeting I went to a county Food Pantry to bag groceries.On Wednesdays they give out food and try to have everything pre bagged to make it go faster. I was there for about 2 1/2 hours and it really made me realize how blessed I am to have all I have. They have a pre set list of things that go in each bag. One of the things on the list was a cake mix, Jello or Pudding. We give food but I don't know that I ever thought to give things like cake mixes. I said something to the lady in charge and she said it was really nice at holiday time for them to have cake mixes. I know what I am going to be sure and donate in the future. It also got me to thinking how thankful that Drew has a good job, we are healthy, and the kids have a good schools to go to. We are able to help those in need and I hope that we are teaching Chase and Justin how important it is to serve others. I would really like to find some place for us to be able to volunteer as a family but I think the kids are still to young for most places. Chase will have opportunities at church and Boy Scouts to help with service projects that the youth are involved in. Before I know it Justin will be in Young Men's and will be serving too!

We have a service group at church that I help out with. We have made hats to donate to a cancer center in honor of one of the women in our congregation. We have made freezer meals several times to have for a quick meal when a family needs it. We have also made quilts to donate. We have only been doing this for a few months but it is fun to get together with the other women and serve those around us.

What kinds of things do you or your families do to serve those in your community? I am always looking for ideas to pass along to our service group or for my family to to use. I would love to hear from you.

My favorite kind of day

Yesterday was good. I got to do the things I love to do. First a group of us met at church and created some freezer meals. We do this every couple of months. We have several families in our area that have some ongoing needs. We can also use these meals for those times when a true emergency comes up and someone needs a meal unexpectedly. I love getting together with different women and getting to know them better and at the same time serving those in need.

I then went to the library. I love books! that is the long and short of it. In my world there can never be to many books. I tend to find an author and read all of the books written by that author. It is always fun to walk around and find new books to read. I am always looking for new books so let me know what you are reading and some of your favorites. I love "The Hiding Place"

by Corrie Ten Boom. When life gets bad I try to remember to be thankful for the fleas. If you don't know what I mean you need to read the book

It also rained yesterday (and is still raining today) I love the rain. It was the kind of day that reminded me of sitting with my dad and watching the storms. We didn't have any great storms yesterday but in the afternoon there were lots of rumbles. A good day to curl up with a book.

Last but not least I made a breakfast dinner. It just was that kind of day. Eggs, bacon, and biscuits with dripping butter and honey. It was not quite cold enough for a fire but it would have been nice. the only down part of the evening was that Drew ended up having to work until late.

Oh I almost forgot I got to hear one of my all time favorite songs. " American Pie" by Don McLean. I could sing this whole song by heart when I was 4 years old. I have always loved this song it take me back to my childhood and happy places and times.

I hope you had a great day and I hope today is just as good!