Two years ago, I started a project called Project 365. The intent was to take a picture every day for an entire year. The goal was not only to document my daily life, but to improve my photo taking skills and creativity as well. I made it about halfway through the year and was loving it, but unfortunately life got busy and I didn’t stick with it. Last year, rather than commit to a picture each day, I just did one a week  (you can see the full set of pictures here) of Munchkin as he grew throughout the year. I cheated a couple of times (shhh!) but I finished. It is so neat to look back and she how he changed from week to week!

 This year I think I am ready to tackle Project 365 again, hopefully with better results. Here we go with picture #1:

“01.01.10 Munchkin Bits”

I probably won’t post every picture to my blog. Maybe just weekly updates or some of my favorites. You can keep up with the rest on flickr if you wish. Anyone else up for the challenge???

Wow. Another year has flown by, and what an amazing year it has been! I can hardly believe that this time last year we were still waiting to become parents. Now I can’t imagine our lives without Munchkin. He is such a joy and a blessing!

At 10 months, his little personality is really starting to blossom. He jabbers constantly, and although he only knows a few words (mama, papa, kitty), he loves to try to imitate conversation. He really picks up on the tone of voice we are using and incorporates the tones into his babble remarkably well. Sometimes he will wake up at night or after a nap and I’ll find him in his crib jabbering to his stuffed monkey.  Oh, and “kitty” has come to mean  even remotely fuzzy. Cats, dogs, stuffed animals, even dad’s hair are all “kitties.”

Munchkin also loves music and dancing. And he cracks himself (and us) up all the time with his dancing. He thinks he is sooo funny! He eats EVERYTHING! (even things that aren’t meant to be eaten) There is nothing picky about this boy at all, although he is particularly fond of peas and cheerios right now. He gives super-slobbery kisses and big hugs. He can stand really well unsupported, and will walk all over the place as long as he has a hand on the wall, the furniture, etc… I’m sure he could walk on his own if he really wanted to because he really isn’t bearing any weight on the hand, but he’s just too chicken to let go:) And that smile! It continues to melt my heart every day:)

We had a wonderful Christmas, but it will sure be nice to get back into our routine around here now that the holidays are past. Munchkin has been sleeping so well at night lately, but I’m afraid it is just because he is sooo worn out!

We spent Christmas Eve with my husband’s family, then woke up to a beautiful blanket of white on Christmas morning. White Christmases are a rarity around here, so it was extra-special to wake up to the snow on Munchkin’s first Christmas. With the slick road conditions, we decided to spend the morning at home with just the three of us instead of rushing out for more family visits. It was sooo nice and relaxing! We had a nice breakfast together, read the Christmas Story, watched a movie and enjoyed some hot tea. Munchkin wasn’t really up to playing in the snow (and who could blame him with the temperature at a chilly 18 degrees!) so we came back inside and he opened the few presents that we got for him: a handmade puppy from me and a partially restored Radio Flyer wagon from Stephen, plus a little bicycle helmet. Nothing excited him more, however, than the new Elmo toothbrush in his stocking. He carried that thing around all morning!

Once the roads had cleared, it was back to the Christmas rush. We drove out to Mountain Home where Stephen’s aunt has her “cabin” by the White River to spend time with the other side of the family. When we arrived home the next evening, It was another rush to pack for a trip to Branson as chaperones for a 3-day youth trip. Poor Munchkin was so worn out by this time that he slept through the entire Skillet concert!

Finally we are home and unpacked, and the laundry is caught up. Finally we can relax a little and look forward to a brand new year!

Well, I did it! Even with all the last-minute holiday stuff and  a nasty cold to boot, I managed to finish the 12 days of kindness! I am so glad that I decided to do it! It was actually kind of challenging at first to make a conscious effort to do something for someone else each day, but it got easier. It also really forced me to focus on the true meaning of giving this season. Hopefully it was also an inspiration. If we could all make these small acts of kindness a part of our daily lives, how much better would this world be?

Saturday (day 10) was a sort of anonymous thing that doesn’t need blogged about. Day 11 was really special, as we were able to pass along a blessing that was extended to us seven years ago. When Stephen and I were first married, a friend of ours paid for us to go through Dave Ramsey’s Financial Peace course (Thanks, Tim!). We were both already fairly responsible with our finances, but there were a lot things we just didn’t know much about. We implemented several of the things we learned in the class, and it has changed our lives. Really changed our lives. We didn’t even realize how much the course had impacted our lives until three weeks ago when Stephen was laid off from his job. Because of the decisions we have made over the past seven years, we have an emergency fund that will last us almost a year if it has too (hopefully it won’t!). Of course, there is a certain amount of panic that inevitably comes along with losing a job, (like healthcare….all I can say is WOW, Cobra SUCKS!) and of course our budget has been slimmed way down, but there is SO much peace in knowing that we were as prepared as we could be. Anyways, back to day 11… some friends of ours got married on Sunday, and it just so happened that we had a Financial Peace membership kit lying around from the last time we taught the class (we accidentally ordered an extra). We were planning  just to order one less kit for the next class so that we could recoup the cost, but decided that we would pass the blessing on instead by helping another couple get off to a great financial start. Best of luck, Sharon and Kyle!

The last day of the 12 Days of Kindness challenge also happened to be our 7th wedding anniversary, so I decided to reserve my act of kindness for the day for my wonderful husband, Stephen. He has always been such a strong rock for our family, and I am blessed beyond measure to have him in my life. I know that the last few weeks have been extra-stressful for him because he takes the role of providing for our family financially so seriously, so I let his sleep in (well, as much as one can sleep in with a blanket-hogging, squirming 10 month old in the bed!) and got up early to fix a special breakfast for him. Stephen, I love you so much!

* A big thanks to all of you who stopped by my etsy site! Because of you, I was able to give a goat to Heifer International this Christmas!

Whew! I should have started this a few days earlier! This time of year always ends up a little crazy. I have been keeping up with my 12 days of kindness , as promised, but blogging about them has slipped a little due to our hectic schedule:) Wednesday was day 7 of my 12 days of kindness and since it was also grocery day and I happened to be a few dollars under budget, I thought I would pick up a few things for our Church’s food pantry. I also cleaned out our pantry and got rid of a few extra thing that were in there. It wasn’t much, but hopefully it will help out a family in need.  On Thursday, I delivered a plate of fresh baked pumpkin bars to a few of my favorite hard-working public school teachers over at Reagan Elementary to say thanks for all they do.

Today is day 9, and I’m really excited about today’s act of kindness! I spent this morning making handmade Christmas cards, and when Stephen gets home, we are all going to deliver them to a nearby nursing home. My grandpa is in the process of moving to an assisted living facility up in Wyoming, and while he has lots of family around to visit often, many people do not. I just keep thinking about how much it means to me to know that my parents, sister, cousins, aunts and uncles will be with my grandpa this year at Christmas. Since I cannot be there this year, I thought it would be nice to stop in here, where I can and bring a little holiday cheer to men and women in my own community. Munchkin will be coming with us, and he is sure to bring plenty of smiles:)

Oh and a big, big thanks to all who have shopped at my etsy site so far! I’m less than $15 away from my goal of donating a goat through Heifer International! And I still have till Monday to earn the rest… I am really going to try to list a few more items this afternoon, if Munchkin will take a goood nap for me!

As walked to the store with Munchkin, I caught myself mumbling about how trashy our neighborhood has become. I’ve been doing a lot of that lately. Partly because really want to buy a house in the country instead of living here in this subdivision and now that dream is farther away than ever, but also partly because, well, our neighborhood is becoming quite trashy. Literally. There have been seven foreclosures on our little cul-de-sac street alone, and several of those are still vacant and unkempt. I have also been noticing as I walk around the neighborhood that there are tons of old fast-food wrappers, plastic bottles, candy wrappers, cans, etc… all over the sidewalks, road and adjacent lawns. This time though, instead of just walking past it all, I got a plastic bag from the store and started picking it up as I made my way home. I don’t have much of a right to complain about the neighborhood unless I’m trying to do something about it, right?:) I ended up with a whole bag full, and I wasn’t going out of my way to get trash that was way off the sidewalk either! I know that doesn’t make much of a dent in the problem,  but at least my neighborhood is that much cleaner tonight!

…boxing up a bunch of Munchkin’s old clothes to pass along!

I promise I have still been doing the 12 days of kindness! I was just too busy this weekend to post about it:-) Oh yes, and to all who ordered from my etsy site this weekend, thank you! I’m up to $58 (with a special order for $14 more!) towards the goat! I shipped your orders all out this morning, so hopefully they will arrive before Christmas. If you haven’t stopped by my site yet, there is still time! Ill try to add a few more things this evening.

Okay, back to this past weekend. Our church Christmas Play was on Sunday and I somehow got roped into acting (I really just wanted to do costumes!) so most of Saturday was spent rehearsing. Since we were already going to be in Fayetteville for the rehearsal, I decided to drop off some food for a sweet lady from church who recently had back surgery and is at home recovering. It’s amazing how when you take the time to do something for others, it is so often you that is blessed. The woman asked if she could pray with Stephen and me about our situation while we were there, and we left feeling so incredibly encouraged and hopeful.

Sunday I decided to pass along some of the encouragement we received to a young girl who is about to be a new single mom. I know the past few months have been difficult for her, and I thought she could use it.  Along with a little note, I gave her this elephant who has been waiting in my craft closet for just the perfect home:

 I hope that she is encouraged and knows that I am there for her.

I’m still working on today’s act of kindness, so my day 5 post is yet to come.

Right now I need to go do some house work after a busy, busy weekend. Yikes!

Okay, I’ve been a little bummed that we are not going to be able to contribute much financially to charity organizations this Christmas, but then I came up with a brilliant idea (or so it seems to me!)  for day #2.

I have tons and tons of stuff piled up in my craft closet that is all ready to go on etsy, but I just never got around to photographing and/or listing it. So I decided, in order to give myself a little kick in the pants, and so that I will be able to give like I wanted to one of my favorite organizations this Christmas, I would list a bunch of that stuff and commit to donating %100 of the money I make on etsy sales over the remainder of my 12 Days of Kindness. Stop by and check out all of the new stuff over at my shop! Come on, you know you need some last minute Christmas gifts!

This year I would really like to be able to donate to Heifer International. I love what they do- that they not only provide the hungry with food, but with the knowledge and skills that they need so that they can continue to be self-relient and eventually pass it on to others. I’m setting a goal of a goat (In honor of the late Buddy, may he rest in peace, and because goats just ROCK!) and with your help, I know I can do it! I have a little bit of money from recent sales that I will also include, so really Iam already part way there!

Oh, and this is just the first batch of stuff… check back in at my etsy shop later for even more stuff!

…when I mentioned how incredibly blessed I am:

Seriously. How cute is that???

I have had to be a bit creative in planning my activities for the next 12 days since I am unfortunately having to do this the low/no cost way this year.  Still, there are so many ways to touch someone’s life that don’t require money. Many just require a bit of our time, skills, and abilities. Or even our hobbies:-)

As anyone who has ever visited my blog before knows, I LOVE to make things, and I love to give away handmade things. I also have tons and tons of yarn leftover from previous projects. So naturally, one of the first things that came to mind for Day 1 was a project that I have participated in before called Afghans for Afghans that sends hand-knit blankets, mittens, socks, and sweaters to people in need in Afganistan. I checked out their website but they don’t have currently have a campaign going (they are supposed to have one soon though!), so I started looking for other knitting/crocheting charities that I could make items for. Not only are there plenty of other projects out there for knitters and crocheters, lo and behold, there is even a project right here in my very own home state called Knitting for Noggins that supplies hats for kids and teenagers at the Arkansas State Children’s Hospital. So I whipped out some cheery yellow yarn (leftover from this) and started knitting up a hat. I haven’t quite finished it yet, but I guess it still counts for my Day#1

Do you have a special talent or ability that could be used to bless others? I challenge all reading this to think this week about how your skills can make a difference to someone else. Whether you make things like me, or perform, or can fix things, etc… we all can do something!