SUMMERTIME and a glass of lemonade

Merry Christmas!  It is my first Christmas as a married woman, so I am spending my first Christmas away from my parents and with Brett's family instead.  It's a little tough, but I'm making it.  The traditions are different and the weather is different (it is the first white Christmas that I can remember!)  All the holiday hustle bustle around here and the kids' faces as they light up when they talk about Santa coming makes me can't wait to have kids of our own and our own family traditions.  But for now I will wish you a very merry Christmas! 

Well we made it to Seattle ... just barely.  As we arrived at the Seattle airport flights were being canceled and it took them nearly an hour to get our luggage since the door to the luggage compartment was frozen over!  Brett's sister, whose flight left just 40 minutes after ours didn't make it, and ended up in California.  And they couldn't get her another flight until 2 days later!  We arrived to a day of snow that resulted in a total of 9 inches of the white stuff when all was said and done.  Being from Tennessee, I can't remember the last time I've seen 9 inches of snow!  We took full advantage of it sledding and making snowballs.  I felt like a little kid again!

So its off to Seattle for Christmas to be with Brett's family.  And of course it will not only be us arriving, but it will be a snow storm as well!  It seems as though Seattle is breaking out of its normally drizzly weather, to instead welcome us with the white stuff on the ground.  That is all good and dandy .... as long as we make it through the airports tomorrow with a forcast of 3-8 inches of snow to be dumped on Seattle and up to 75 mph winds!  Predicted to be the worst blizzard to hit Western Washington for years.  The Seattle Times writes "This will be a major winter storm that will be life-threatening and disruptive to transportation and power for significant parts of Western Washington!"  Oh joy! Wish me luck!

I recently received in the mail a calendar from an organization that I volunteered with several years ago, and I knew I just had to share this information with more people! Orphanage Outreach is an orphanage in the town of Monti Cristi in the Dominican Republic whose mission is to provide opportunities to orphaned, abandoned, and disadvantaged children. During my college years I volunteered at the orphanage during my spring break and feel in love with the organization. They help the students at the orphanage, as well as in the town of Monti Cristi in so many ways. Not only do they provide a safe and loving environment for abandoned children, but they also provide summer camps, English school, extracurricular activities, computer training, and scholarships to local universities.

I highly recommend the volunteer program which allows individuals or groups to volunteer at the orphanage any where from one week to months. As a volunteer the assignments are varied depending on your interests from English teaching to construction/landscaping to sports coaching to leading vacation bible school. When I went I spent my morning teaching students at the orphanage (students only go to school for half of the day because they are so many kids and not enough schools), and then in the afternoon I helped with work around the orphanage or played baseball with the kids. They are sooooo good! Evenings were spent having craft night or watching a movie with the orphanage kids. A life changing experience for sure!

Even if you can't make the trip to the Dominican Republic right now, there are many ways to help with a monetary donation. Their website allows you to decide exactly where you would like your money to help out whether that be a construction project to add on to the orphanage or to fund the English education program. I know it is Christmas time and so many local organization are asking for money, but I hope you will also consider the children in need in other countries as well. I know from personal experience they appreciate every single dime of it.

Brett and my Dad have been working hard for the past two weekends now trying to complete our desk.  We had it framed by professionals, but decided we would lay the boards and railings by ourselves to save money.  (I can now see why deck builders charge $18/hour).  Luckily the only payment my two hard workers want is a hot lunch and drinks!  It should be done by tonight and we are considering getting a fire pit to be able to enjoy the deck during the winter months.  As you can see the dogs think that it is the perfect addition to the house ... another place to sit and plan their attack on the renegade birds and squirrels that might invade the yard!

I am so proud of myself for making the wreath that you see above! Who would of thought that I would be able to make that in under 30 minutes. Today after school one of our parent groups hosted a wreath making party for us teachers so I had to take advantage ... free food, pre cut boughs, and $3 wreath frames in a variety of sizes ... how could I pass that up. Basically the only supplies needed were a cheap metal wreath frame, thin green wire, and about 1 foot long cut boughs in a variety of sizes. You could also use a red berries, like I did, or something to standout like magnolia leaves. The process was simply taking a bunch of boughs, wiring them at an angle on the frame, and repeating multiple times around the frame. Easy as pie!