Merry Christmas - Loaves and Fishes!

just sayin....

Give a man a fish and he will eat for a day. Teach a man to fish and he will eat for the rest of his life.

***

And so with that said I'd like to explain my thought on the above.

I've been home for weeks because of knee surgery and it is not my style not to be busy!

So I've had to continue to come up with ideas on a limited budget to keep the holiday roll going along! Yesterday was a perfect day! Just can't explain it - it was a high energy day from start to finish and not about me. It was about the pleasure you get from others. I've read other bloggers and they have such caring, creative ideas on how to touch someone else's life. I took tips and made up some of my own. It takes a village after all right?

A co-worker is having financial probs and this is not the time of year to have to worry even more about every day household supplies plus making Christmas nice with two children so I made a trip to ... yes! the Dollar Tree

 Look what you can do!

and for the troops...

Then I made goody tins for the animal shelter ...

they need donations all year long!

and my friends were gifted with mini containers
for their critters!

I found pretty loaf pans for $1 each at
Michael's and bought dessert bread mixes -
wrap them up in a pretty bag for my friends with kids =
a family snowy day baking project is born!

See... loaves and fishes =
pass ideas on!

I found these little guys and bought plastic gift bags at the dollar store...
packed them up in a bigger Christmas bag and off they went to a local shelter for the kids.

cute or what?!!!

No time...

Have the time... try this recipe...

Pumpkin Spice Granola

Directions

• In a large bowl, combine the oats, coconut, pecans, almonds and sunflower kernels; set aside. In a small saucepan, combine the oil, honey, water, pumpkin pie spice and salt. Cook and stir over medium heat for 2-3 minutes or until heated through. Remove from the heat; stir in extract. Pour over oat mixture and toss to coat.
• Transfer to two greased 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pans. Bake at 300° for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool on wire racks. Store in an airtight container. Yield: 13 cups.
• Nutrition Facts: 1 serving (1/2 cup) equals 284 calories, 18 g fat (4 g saturated fat), 0 cholesterol, 111 mg sodium, 29 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 6 g protein.

26 Servings

Prep: 20 min. Bake: 45 min. + 45 cooling  

Some years I don't have the time I'd like or the energy, imagination and heaven knows the extra cash. I work two jobs so I know how tough this economy is. I hope I don't sound as if I'm preaching to do, and do and do. But I've seen what faith can do.  I've witnessed little things bring joy to someone's life. So today and yes, several days lately... I had joy and some fun ideas ... a little extra cash and I went for it. Maybe tomorrow I won't be able to buy a bag of dog for for the shelter but I know I can make some of my cards to donate to our local hospice center and all it took was supplies I already have and my time.

So why did I have the best day...I'll tell you sometime...

OK, GOD is so AWESOME!

There's No Cross That Love Can't Bear...Holiday Caring

Love Bears All..

Once a mother stood on a corner
Tears betrayed her painted smile
She was trading in her halo
For just enough to feed her child


Then an old man, cold and hungry
Saw her crying, so he stopped

And he gave her his one possession
A shining silver pocket watch

There's no cross that love won't bear
And when you're down to your last prayer

It will be the saving grace
In the depths of your despair

There's no cross that love won't bear

So the old man found a park bench

Crawled inside and went to sleep
He lay down and went to sleep
As he drifted into slumber
He prayed the Lord his soul to keep

Then the mother with her halo
Came to him in a dream

And he woke up in a mansion
His silver watch there on it's chain

There's no cross that love won't bear

And when you're down to your last prayer

It will be the saving grace

In the depths of your despair

There's no cross that love won't bear

No, there's no cross that love won't bear

by John Berry

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
—John 13:34-35

To foster or not to foster - Yes I gave my Heart.

We had our sweetie foster dog for 8 months and it flew
by - Taco - 8 years old - "temporary" - just until a family of
of 7 got back on their feet and found a new apartment.
We gave him a flea bath, we cleaned his ears, we bought him
a collar - this is not good - he's under the cover in bed every
night - we buy him a fleece coat - he's stylin' - everyone loves
him - my grown sons, our 13 year old dog, the ladies at the
bank. The phone never rings. He's our baby now (he's gray,
grizzled and 8 years old). "My dog". Then the call comes ....
he's going home. I plan to be out, I get cranky. The day arrives.
No call, they don't show. Spirits soar! A week passes.
Taco went back to his family yesterday. We did a good thing -
When he left he ran out the door to an 8 year old girl with a leash
waiting. I found out she cried the entire week he left. You see he
was a birthday gift for her 1st birthday. He followed her to the car
with his butt and tail wagging. He never looked back
- which is just the way it should be. A little girl and her doggie
in love. Happy ending. I feel good.