About once or twice a week I read the articles in the online edition of the local newspaper from the town where I grew up. It helps me feel connected to home, and gives me some talking points to discuss with my family. I love reading the wedding announcements and birth announcements the best.

Today one of the articles really disturbed me. It was about a local program run by the local fire department. The program provides gifts and food for needy families in the area. The article talked about a Craigslist ad that told people how to get "free" gifts by applying to be part of the"Santa Fund" program. The author of this "ad" described how they have been scamming this program for years and nobody has ever asked questions. The gifts and food just show up on their doorstep.

I have been poor before in my life. It is a very humbling experience. For many poor people it is very difficult to ask for help, even when you really do need the help.In our society we are taught that if you work hard that you will always have what you need. There are many hard working people out there who still struggle to pay the rent, provide clothing and food for their families. Are they less deserving of a nice place to live, a full belly and a good education? I don't think so . It just turns my stomach to hear of people abusing the systems set up for people who are really in need.

After reading this article I just wanted to cry. How dare someone who is just greedy and lazy take handouts just because they can. Just because its easy and nobody asks any questions. They should feel downright ashamed of themselves. It is situations like this that cause many social services to be limited, because lets face it, people don't want to give to greedy people. Most people are willing to give something for someone who is really in need.

Is this going to cause me to think twice about donations to charity? No. Am I able to give millions of dollars? Not at this point. Can I give a pair of shoes, or pants, or a book to a cause I care about ? Yes I can.

While honestly, I sometimes get bogged down with horrible stories like this, I still try to remember all the good that really does happen out there.

Have a lovely evening

Emily

I am really into the Christmas spirit this year! Been having a lot of fun making/putting gifts together for family and friends. I love having projects to do. I love the whole process of coming up with an idea, getting the supplies together, creating, and then seeing the finished product and then sharing it with others. It is so gratifying to start with something as simple a pretzels and M&Ms and then creating a cute little treat for my co-workers.

So I found this recipe on Becky Higgins' blog. Soooo yummy!

Am super pleased with how the whole packaging came together. I found the little bags at Walmart. Just printed out the sentiment on my home computer and punched them using a tag punch! Easy!!!

Sorry about the late update on Thanksgiving. Michael and I have been pretty much sick since Friday :( We are on the mend. Enough about that.

We went to our friends the Feldkamp's for dinner. Michael made a cherry pie and a blackberry pie. Yes, I have a husband that bakes pies. I'm lucky I know! I finally used the Trifle dish, that I just had to have from my wedding registry. Ha! Ha! So for my 1st attempt at trifle, I chose a raspberry chocolate. So very easy! I suppose you could make it with homemade stuff, but I just wanted quick and easy!

Raspberry Chocolate Trifle

2 Boxes of Instant Chocolate Pudding

1 Frozen Pound Cake

1 Tub of Cool-Whip

1 cup of Raspberry preserves

2 pints of Fresh Raspberries

1. Dethaw pound cake and cut into cubes

2. Prepare pudding according to package directions

3. Mix raspberry preserves with Cool-Whip

4. Place pound cake cubes in bottom of the trifle bowl

5. Spoon pudding on top of pound cake cubes.

6. Layer Cool-Whip/preserve combination next

7. Follow up with with a layer of fresh raspberries.

8. Repeat layers again!

The Feldcamps invited a couple of other families from church over to their house. Michael played football with the guys before and after lunch. The ladies stayed inside and looked at the blackfriday ads! Ha! Ha! The food was pretty good, I did notice that the food was all similar in color. The stuffing, turkey, potatoes, and corn bake were all in the same color category. Ha! Ha! Reminder for next year, bring a tossed salad!! We ended the evening with a guys against girls game of Pictionary. The girls beat the guys 18 to 10!

I printed out our Christmas cards last week. Yay!! Here is a sneak peek. There is going to be a surprise sent with the Christmas cards this year. I'm not going to share that part yet. :D Here is the card!

Today started bright and early as I had to wake up early to go toMiddletown for a CPR class. A 6:30am wake up call on a Saturday was not my idea of bliss. How I wish I could have stayed in bed. While the early wake up was a drag, the class was entertaining and educational.

As per-usual, I got lost on the way to the class. Thankfully I didn't go too far out of the way. I get lost coming out of a store in the mall. When I finally arrived I felt like a celebrity as several people cheered when I walked in the door. I can't help that I'm a celebrity! Wink, Wink!

The instructor, Mrs. Craycraft is quite a character. Totally worth driving 50 miles. She's spunky, has great stories, and she knows her stuff. Thats important. This is the third class I've taken with her. Her husband and son were there. She introduced her son by saying that he "needs a wife" One of my co-workers raised her hand. Poor guy, he was totally blushing. Fun! Fun!

After taking the CPR class I realised that I am not as flexable as I thought. Bending over those CPR maniquins hurt my back. Its just not a natural position to be in. Hopefully if I ever have to perform CPR that adrenaline will kick in, because giving CPR is worse than yoga or pilaties.

Tips for taking a CPR class.

1. Wear Stretchy pants that cover your be-hind! I saw a lot of cracks. I know in a real situation your not going to care about your bootie hanging out of your pants. In class...just say no to "crack".
2. Wear a long shirt that buttons up or has a rather high neck.
3. Wear your hair up to keep it out of your face.
4. Do some stretches ahead of time.
5. Keep this list to remind me of these rules in 2 years when I have to take the class again.

During the CPR class one of my fellow students was wearing shoes like this!

I have never seen anything like this before. So with a little google search I found that they are athletic shoes. While I'm sure they serve their purpose, the idea of wearing gloves on my feet just does not sound appealing. They look like ape feet to me! Oh well. They are unique and heck they are a conversation starter. I'm all for wearing or bringing strange stuff to start a conversation!

After stocking up on shoes we headed over the BORDERS.Yay Books. What should I find but

Yay! I saw the ad in Creating Keepsakes a few months ago and I knew I had to have it! So cute! After seeing this book in my hand, Michael "suggested" that I get rid of som other books before I buy any more. Yet,I wanted the book. Hmmmmm.....So I promised to purge my bookcase. Michael, being the smart man that he is,did not believe me. So in order to prove him wrong, once we got home, I removed FOURTEEN unwanted books to donate to the library. So a win-win-win situation for everyone.

#1: I got the book that I wanted!

#2: I supported the scrapbooking industry by buying this book!

#3: I got rid of some unwanted books that are just sitting on my shelves(unread). Thus leaving more space on our already bursting shelves!

#4: The money that the library will receive from selling my unused books will be used to support scholarships to future librarians and contine the wonderful work of the modile library van.

I love when I am able to justify scrapbooking purchases!

Thats all for now! Have a lovely Sunday!

Emily