I'll be home for Christmas...

Well, I just arrived in Dyersburg to spend Christmas with my family. I was happily greeted by our cat, Rascal (I think she was happy to come in from the cold). My sister, Amy, is flying in tonight from Florida, so I'll get to see everyone when they get home from Memphis. Before I begin my break, I wanted to share with you what a success the distribution was on Friday. I know many of you were praying and we really appreciate it!

Our distribution began with a service to sing Christmas songs and hear a speaker from the church who hosted our distribution. Then, each family representative went through a line to receive their food voucher for a Christmas dinner and then their boxes from their sponsors. We also had some toys that had been donated to give away. Plus, the church graciously provided refreshments. It went so smoothly!! Everyone was patient and appreciative, and only two families didn't show up without making previous arrangements. I also had lots and lots of wonderful help. Since some of the boxes had to be carried a good distance to the cars, this was a blessing! Thanks for all your prayers....now I'm off to enjoy my break!!

My "Office"

It's Christmastime!

This week I'm getting ready for next week: Distribution Week. Each county will distribute hundreds of boxes to families who might not otherwise have Christmas gifts. As the caseworker for my county, I am in charge of organizing this effort in Rockcastle County. Needless to say, it's a little stressful. I'm wrapping lots of gifts. Carrying lots of boxes. Making last minute phone calls. Sending out letters. Verifying the details of our Christmas service. Sifting through many generous "extra" gifts from our sponsors. Sifting through these boxes again. And again. Making lists of things to buy. And looking through the shelves and boxes again. Filling multiple carts at Wal-Mart with gifts for our families. Distributing these to families in our county and in the other distressed counties that we serve. Loading and unloading my truck.

And...it's my favorite part of the year. I'm so excited for next week! And then I go to the great Volunteer State :)

Hope you are all having a simple and beautiful Christmas season!

I'm thankful for my friends :)

I had the most wonderful Thanksgiving weekend!! Three of my girl friends from last year came back to Kentucky to spend the holiday with me and one another. We ate at some of our favorite spots and enjoyed catching up in person. It made me realize how much I miss having them around. We had a really special group last year, and I am so thankful for our friendship. Not only did we live, work, and play together, but we shared life....we cooked dinner and shared our spiritual journeys. We bonded over finding things to do that didn't spend our entire stipend each month. And because of all this, this year is so different without them around. I really miss them!

Thanks to Kim, Jenna, and Kelly for coming to KY this weekend....it was awesomel! (and we missed having you, Jess!)

Enjoying the Sabbath

Well, it's Sunday afternoon, so as my housemate, Sarah, says, I'm "enjoying the Sabbath." Marilyn, another housemate, is making her weekly Sunday soup for all of us....so that should be ready soon. We have 11 people in our house now, including an older couple who are working with me, Rich and Barb. They come every year from Florida to help with Christmas baskets, and they are a joy to have around. They create chaos in my building because they are such hard workers, but that's ok because they are alot of help. We have more families than ever this year which means more boxes and less space. If they weren't here to help me, I would be greatly stressed with trying to figure out where to put the boxes.

I'm excited about Thanksgiving this year. I have 3 friends coming in who were former volunteers...Kim, Jenna, and Kelly. I really miss each of them, so it will be a nice reunion. Plus, we're having 10 people at our Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday evening. Everyone is pitching in, so I know we'll have plenty of good food...and we're having fried turkey! (I was skeptical the first time, too, but it's really good and not greasy!)

I'll try to keep you updated as we prepare for Christmas over the next few weeks, with our distribution on Dec. 18. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving....we are so blessed!

My first sewing project

About a month ago, I randomly decided I would make a quilt for Ginger and Ramfis for their wedding gift. At the time, I had no idea how much time this would take. Sarah, one of my housemates, has a little experience with sewing and quilting, so she offered to teach me the steps. We borrowed a sewing machine from one of our participants and began the project. After a long trip to the fabric store, I finally settled on 3 colors and begin cutting the pieces. Then, each weekend I would set a goal for how much I would have done. Many of my friends weren't sure I could finish in less than a month. Some days I wasn't sure. But, you know me, I'm a goal setter. So, I finished....and it looked really good!! Here is a picture of the finished product...


It was so exciting to give it to Ginger. She said she'd always wanted someone to make her a quilt. And I learned what happens when I really set my mind to something. Hmmm, I wonder what's next. Maybe a half-marathon??

More to come about the wedding....it was a blast! :)

Halloween and such....

Well, I hope each of you is coming down from your candy-induced sugar high. I made pumpkin cookies (thanks to April Butcher's recipe) and have eaten way too many! We took a trip to the "east side" to the Floyd Co. volunteer house for a Halloween party. There were lots of great costumes, and we all had fun (or at least our house did) coming up with great ideas and helping one another put together costumes! Here's a picture of our house.. (can you find me?)

I'm afraid I have not completely escaped sickness...I woke up this morning with a sore throat. However, I feel ok so please continue to pray that I feel better by Thursday when I leave for El Salvador. I am really looking forward to this vacation and to seeing Ginger as she begins this next part of her life!

As far as work, the boxes are coming in and I am getting ready for Christmas! This week, Rich & Barb, a couple from Florida, are coming to volunteer through Christmas. They come each year and I am excited to have company at work! They are tons of help, and just wonderful people. I'm planning on posting some pictures soon as our storage space fills up with boxes and goodies. I'm also going to do another small distribution of the "extra" stuff we have donated for families who did not sign up in time....we'll see how it goes! It's a little more work for me, but will be helpful in the long run, so that the donated gifts are used for their intended purpose.

Anyway...here's a few more October pics since I haven't been good at posting any :)

Amanda, me, and Sarah at the Respite Luau Dance

Bittersweet parade-watching (girls from Rockcastle, Patrick from Jackson, Alex from McCreary)