A Season for Giving

Oh, I am very, very behind on my blog!  Can you believe I've basically skipped the entire month of December?  I was just so busy both at work and outside work.  Plus, I currently don't have a camera so that messes up things a bit as well.  It may take a bit for me to catch-up and it will probably be in some random order, but I'll try to get it all in here one way or another.

I had the opportunity to serve many different disadvantaged families this Christmas Season. It is so nice to be able to help give to and serve families in need during this time of year.

His Toy Store

The first Saturday of December, I headed up to The Bronx with my Community Group girls and some other people who are in CG's on the UES and in Queens (groups that meet in other areas did other projects). There is a pastor of a church in The Bronx who puts on a Toy Store for the people of his community every December, but he doesn't have the resources or help to do it on his own. My church has been partnering with him in this the past few years. We collect toys throughout the month of November at each of the services in hopes of having enough for all the families who come to the Toy Store. I donated one gift, but after seeing what they had to offer, I think I'll donate more next year and probably for older girls because they were really lacking in that area. This was the first year I've been able to go help at the Toy Store. It is held in the community center of some Projects in The Bronx and happens to be in the 3rd poorest Congressional District in the United States and it is the #1 community for the number of men from there who are in prison. So, you can imagine that the kids there receive very little or nothing at all for Christmas. I like the way the Toy Store is set-up because it allows the parents to shop while their kids are taken care of by volunteers in another room. That way, the parent can give the gift to the child themselves. All the families had been pre-approved as eligible to receive gifts for their kids and had tickets that identified how many children they had. I worked as a "Personal Shopper" that day and took about 5 different parents through the Toy Store to help them pick out gifts for their kid(s). It was neat to be able to interact with some of the people and I met some really sweet ones. Wrapping is provided for a suggested donation of $1. Many parents don't have $1 to give, but many did pay the $1 and it is a way of making them feel as though they are able to contribute towards their child's Christmas. It was a good experience and I'd love to continue to work with this in future years and hope to see it grow into something much bigger.

This is Jackson & his dad, Jeff.  Jackson is in my Sunday

School class and is the smartest 5-year-old I know!

The Toy Store, all set up

Erin, Jen, David, and Robyn busy wrapping gifts

The Bike

The Saturday after I arrived to Dallas, I had brunch with friends and my parents went off to serve with their Sunday School at a Toy Store in Dallas. It sounded like a HUGE toy store, held in the Auto Building of the State Fair (if you've ever been to the fair, you know how HUGE that building is). It sounded like they had a ton of toys and really good ones and they also sent each family away with bags of groceries. My mom happened to meet a mom who mentioned that her family had arrived at 9:30 the evening before to wait in line outside for 12 hours to get in when the doors opened. Crazy! Unfortunately, that was not early enough to get the bike they wanted for their 3 children to share. Her husband is out of a job and at this point I'm sure they were exhausted and disappointed. My mom felt so bad for this lady and said she was so nice and beautiful! She kept thinking about her and decided to step outside and see if she was still there. As my mom walked out, she prayed that if God wanted her to help, then the lady would still be outside. Well, the lady was still outside, but she was off in the distance and my mom could only see her because she had reached the top of an incline. Again, my mom prayed that if God wanted her to help, the lady would stop so she could catch-up. And suddenly, the lady just stopped. My mom caught up to her and got her information and promised to deliver a bike. My mom shared the story with the volunteer she was partnered with that day and she, too, wanted to help. Mom and I spent a few days researching the size of the bike we should get. The family planned for their three kids aged 7-12 to share the bike. But, we soon realized that a 7 and 12 year-old really needed different bikes. In the meantime, the other volunteer my mom had met came across a brand new bike for FREE that would be perfect for the 2 older kids. Mom and I did a little more research and got a smaller bike for the 7 year-old. We went to deliver the bikes with Ryder and Beau who toted some Christmas treats for the family and a bag of little toys for their 2-year-old. The dad was outside when we arrived and he was so nice and appreciative. His 12-year-old was across the way playing tennis and when he saw us, he yelled, "MY BIKE!!!!!" and came running over and hopped right on. It was such a joy to see the excitement on his face!!! As we pulled out of their apartment complex, we received a phone call from the boy's grandma also thanking us. It was so fun to do something so simple and see so much excitement and gratefulness.

Brother Bill's

Christmas Eve was probably my favorite full-day of my Texas trip and Brother Bill's definitely helped make it that! This is our 3rd year in a row to go and I love this new tradition my family now has! Only part of the family made it out this year. Last year was a bit difficult with Ryder and Beau, and everyone agreed that it would be much easier if Beau didn't come this year (we sure do love him, but he has some issues with obeying and sharing and SCREAMing)! So, it was just my mom, dad, Ryder and I this year. It is a Toy Store somewhat similar to the one I did in the Bronx, only a lot more people and a lot more toys. Each child gets 4 toys, plus some other things, and a Chick-Fil-A lunch to go. Sweet! We were in charge of giving out toys to the boys aged 12-14. They each got 3 pre-wrapped gifts (a book, a CD player, and something else) and then they each got to pick out 1 ball (football, basketball, or soccer). Most of the boys were pretty shy, but some of them were really excited about their balls and one boy just reached out and gave me the biggest hug. Ryder was a big help putting the gifts in the bags and I think he understood why we were there and what we were doing. It started SNOWING while we were there and snowed all day long!!! I heard it was the first time it has ever snowed in Dallas on Christmas Eve. So fun!

Celebrity Sighting

John Stossel was on my subway yesterday afternoon on my way home from some shopping.  I was 99% sure it was him, but I did a little research and found out he does live on the UWS (he got off one stop before me) and I even found an interview script where he said he rides the subway.  I love having celebrity neighbors!!

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Thanksgiving 2009

This year was my first time to spend Thanksgiving in Texas with my family since I moved to NYC. It was so nice to be able to go and the 5 day weekend somehow seemed very long. I really enjoyed it! I have so much to be thankful for, it is overwhelming to think about. I am so undeserving of all I have and have so much more than I could ever need.

We packed a lot in during my time in Dallas!! I started my weekend off by getting out early on Thanksgiving morning to do the Turkey Trot with Michelle & Kelli! I was sad to be missing the Macy's Day Parade for the first time in four years, but this was a great alternative. The weather was amazing that morning and we had a great time walking a few miles through downtown before eating our way through the rest of the day :)

With Kelli & Michelle.  We're excited to do the

Jingle Bell Run when I'm back in a couple weeks!

While at the Turkey Trot, we saw Jeremy from

DDDeahhhhna's season of The Bachelorette

Beth and I did some cooking on Thursday afternoon. I actually only did the potato casserole, so that was easy. Beth bought us cheeses and wine to have for lunch that day and it was all really yummy.

Dinner was held at my mom's house. We had a crew of thirteen family and friends. The food was yummy and we had a good time with each other. We spent time checking out all the Black Friday deals and watching the Cowboys game.

Beth made the boys Indian shirts and

helped them make their own Indian hats

This was after dinner, so the setting isn't as nice.

My mom made the namecards and had the boys

help glue on little leafs to all of them

Ryder made the awesome centerpiece Teepee at school!

I spent a lot of Friday laying on couches with Shep on top of me. He was having one of those days where he just wanted to be held. Neither of my other nephews ever would fall asleep in someone's arms. It's kind of nice to have a baby around who will cuddle up on the couch with me for a nap!

We went to my mom's house everyday for lunch Friday-Sunday for Turkey leftovers. I don't know how all the food lasted that many meals and that many people, but it did!

We did some shopping, of course! My sister, mom, aunt, and I went to some fun stores on Friday afternoon. Beth and I did more shopping on Sunday morning. I actually managed to get all my Christmas shopping done that weekend! I ordered some stuff online and bought other stuff while I was there. It is now all at my mom's house so I won't have to lug anything with me when I go back for Christmas. It's so nice to have it done so that I can enjoy one of my very favorite seasons in the City without having to rush around looking for gifts.

I babysat the boys a few times. We had a blast on Friday night. Beau and Ryder helped me bake some yummy treats, then we had a pizza party! I also bought them a big tube full of those glow in the dark necklace/bracelet things for $1 at Michaels...what a deal! Ryder and Beau loved playing with them!

I don't know how these pictures turned
out so bright...we were in a pitch-dark room
so they could play with their glow things.
Guess flashes really work!

Beau really wanted to hold "baby Shep" one day

Then Ryder had to take a turn as well

Saturday evening was Baylor vs. Tech at the Cowboys stadium. My aunt and uncle are huge Tech fans (both are alums) so they came, along with my mom and some other Baylor family and two of my friends. It was such a good game, but Baylor ended up losing. The Cowboys stadium is amazing!! It is so nice. I've never been that impressed with a stadium before, but I can honestly say I really liked this one!

I didn't know that Baylor's band was capable

of doing cool formations like this!

This is a terrible picture of mom and I, but proof

we were there together!

Notice the Game Day Beads we're all sporting :)

Michelle, Jeremy and I

Mom and I went to see "The Blind Side" on Sunday afternoon. Amazing movie! I loved it. I found out afterwards that it was directed by a Baylor alum...go Bears!  I want to see it again and I want to read the book...that's how much I loved it.  Maybe after all that I'll be prepared to adopt a teenage boy myself.  Or maybe not, but still something I'd love to be able to do some day.

Sunday evening was so fun. I went with six friends to a Christmas Tea. A cute English lady spoke about Christmas traditions for about 45 minutes and then we were served a traditional High Tea. Everything was so yummy. I loved the cucumber sandwiches, the scone, and the gingerbread cookies the most. I also loved the Christmas blend tea we had...I even bought a box to enjoy on those cold afternoons at the office!

Judith Dyer giving her Christmas talk

Brooke & Tamara

Jennifer & Julie.  The tea was their special Christmas

tea and it was delicious!!

Elizabeth, Michelle, & I

On Monday morning before I left for the airport, my mom and I helped Beth take the boys to see Santa. We went to Northpark, where they have the best Santa in Dallas! We had to wait in line for a while, but finally made it up to the front. Ryder got shy when Santa asked what he wanted for Christmas, but Beau said he wanted a cookie! Funny kid. He actually really does have quite the sweet-tooth, though!

Waiting for the Santa pic!

Merry Christmas!

The boys pics with Santa through the years...all with

the same Santa except for Ryder's first Christmas

I can't believe that I will be back in Dallas in just 11 days...this time for twice as long. I'm seriously blessed.

Recipe Roulette

My friend, Maggie, came up with the idea to play a little game of Recipe Roulette here in the blog world. I've had fun reading the other recipes this week and can't wait to try them. Today, it's my turn to post!

Salmon w/ Broccoli (or whatever veggie you so choose)

Ingredients:
Salmon (this recipe is suited for 1lb of salmon, adjust as necessary)
Salt
2 t olive oil
1.5 t mustard
1.5 t honey
Fresh Broccoli (any sized bunch)
I Can't Believe it's Not Butter spray
Garlic Powder

Start by placing your salmon filet on a cookie sheet.  I line my sheet with two sheets of foil to make clean-up easy.  Sprinkle salt over filet and pour olive oil over.  Next, pour mustard and honey over filet and spread over the filet entirely.

Take your broccoli and break into smaller florets and spread around filet on the cookie sheet.  (You can really use any veggie here).  Spray with a little I Can't Believe it's Not Butter and sprinkle a bit of salt and garlic powder over the florets.

Your cookie sheet should look a little like this before placing in the oven:

Bake the salmon filet and broccoli at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.  Remove from oven.  I serve this dish with rice...I prefer Uncle Ben's Ready Rice in Whole Grain because it's quick, easy, and yummy!  This meal is light, yet filling and quite tasty.  Enjoy!

Also, take a look at the other players of Recipe Roulette this week:

Maggie shared her Asparagus Quiche recipe
Kelly shared her Whole Wheat Penne Pasta w/ broccoli and Turkey Sausage recipe (her blog is private, but you can find the recipe, here)
Kate shared her Vegetable Enchiladas
and Ann shared her Shepherd's Pie

Crafty

My friend Sarah, the former OU NYC alumni club president, bought some awesome Game Day Beads online this year to wear to her watch parties. I decided to copy them and make my own for the BU game I had tickets to over Thanksgiving weekend. They were SO easy to make. I even made a Mizzou necklace just for kicks. I think I'm even going to open an Etsy store and see if I get any bites.

They're made with Kukui nuts, shipped

straight from Hawaii!!  Kukui nuts are

supposed to bring good luck...

perfect for Game Day!!

Home Tour : Kitchen

I know, I know, you must all be so disappointed that this little home tour is coming to an end.  Yes, it's true, we've finally come to the last little room of my humble abode.  My kitchen has created all kinds of problems for me since moving in.  It's undergone many renovations and although it's never going to look great, I think I've finally got it to a place where at least a disaster won't strike again.

This is basically what you see when walking

down the hallway from the front door

This is the only wall of the kitchen that

had anything on it when I moved in.

Not enough cabinets at all!  Plus,

they're not normal sized...plates are

too big to fit in them!

This kitchen cart, left behind by the previous

tenant, has been a lifesaver.  Not only does

it provide some much needed cabinet space,

it's basically my only countertop!

Above the cart, are these green shutters that

I got at an antique shop in Connecticut

last spring....love them!

Here's my newest piece of furniture.  So, my kitchen

stuff is kind of mixed with the red cart, green

shutters, and now these black shelves.  I think

the picture above the shelves ties the colors

together nicely.

On the wall opposite the black shelves is

this atrocious Ikea piece.  It's ugly, but

quite functional.  It has basically become

my pantry.  I need to paint it, just

haven't gotten around to it

Now, to recap my Apartment tour series a bit....

I love my apartment. It's so tiny, but you learn that you really don't need much space when you're forced to live without it. You also learn that you don't need as much "stuff" when you have nowhere to keep it. The worst part is the lack of closet space. At my last apartment in Dallas, I had 2 closets the size of the one I have now....and that was just in my bedroom! I no longer have a coat closet or a storage closet or a pantry or a linen closet. Oh, I do miss my closets.

I've made due with the small space...I have had more than one person who has visited tell me that my apartment is just so comfortable. That's exactly how I want my home to be. I want people to feel comfortable there, and I want to feel cozy when I'm there as well!

So, while the smallness and lack of closets is clearly the big negative, there are many positives. First being that it's in NYC. Clearly, I traded space for my desire to live here. I'm okay with that. But, I also love where in NYC my apartment is...Manhattan. Upper West Side. 1/2 a block to Central Park. On a tree & brownstone lined street. 1/2 a block to the subway that goes directly into my work building (my commute couldn't be easier or faster)! I do really love the location - it would be hard for me to ever leave the UWS.

I'm also learning how to turn my tiny space into the green stuff. Yes, making money!! I rented it out while I was gone over Thanksgiving to a Pennsylvania couple who wanted to spend the Holiday in the City. I made over $500 for the four nights they stayed in my place. Yes! I should have done this a long time ago and intend to try to do this much more often now.

All, in all, it's a great place.  I love where I'm at in my life and wouldn't trade my tiny apartment for anything elsewhere in the world.