holiday happenings

i don't have time to post much but here are a few holiday pics.

doesn't my son look pained. he looks like "come on mom. seriously?"

 {the hunt for our christmas tree}

 helping "papa" cut the truck so it will soak up water. steele loved the electric saw.

more to come on the big slide my dad built. it was a fast one this year and steele goes down it from the top all my himself! i'm telling you, my dad really goes all out. he uses snow from the street and most of the snow in our yard.

 jill taught him to eat the snow without getting his hands cold. ha.



holiday cheer

"holly moses" is all i can say to describe the last two weeks! bloggers give back was a HUGE success because of all of your generosity. i never knew how much work it would be to start up an online auction. but in the end we realized the worth of all the hours and hours we dedicated! once we get everything squared away, we will be giving a check to alan and donna. this is the true meaning of Christmas and has brought such great joy. giving of our time and talents to those in need is the greatest gift we can give. a giant thanks to jenna rammell, emily roche, and aubry bennion. i can't say how much these girls have put into this auction and for someone they've never met. the four of us now know the ins and outs of starting a non-profit organization. we have much to learn and hope our future auction will be even more of a success.

as for the Christmas hustle and bustle, we are alive and well! running around getting all the last-minuet items checked off our list. and can i just tell you how much i LOVE the snow. i woke up this morning and was as excited as a two year old. i got steele revved up to go over to "gama and papa's" as steele says. my dad builds a snow slide every year and steele is going to be the first one down it.

more pictures to come of our Christmas tree hunt and the fun holiday happenings.


 

Bloggers Give Back Project

I have so much I need to post about! The entire month of November and Thanksgiving in Pebble Beach, CA. All of this will have to wait for a very important cause.

I am extremely excited about a new idea that has come to me from my friend Jenna Rammell. She is a very talented graphic blog designer who reached out and wanted to help a family in need this holiday season. I gladly volunteered to help in anyway possible. We all felt the need to help but didn't know how to make a difference. Well the ball started to roll last night and she and I along with Emily Roche have now created our very own project called Bloggers Give Back! We were up until 1 am going over details of how we can pull this off.

Let me tell you a little bit about the couple we have decided to help. This is very personal to me because we have chosen to help my uncle Alan and aunt Donna. I will tell you their story in short but once our site is up and running their story will be there in full for you to read and pass on.

Alan and Donna Gubler live in Ely Nevada and are both school teachers who were hoping to retire soon. This past weekend, after doing all their holiday shopping, they came home to their furnace not working. My uncle Allan attempted to fix it and thought the problem was solved. They were in their living room watching tv when their neighbor came running through their front door and said to get out now because their house was on fire. The fire spread so quickly that they lost everything. They didn't have time to get anything out. All they have now are the clothes they were wearing. The most awful part is that they have no insurance on their home. Their home and everything in it is a total loss. They will have to start from scratch with what little savings they have. They have such a deep hole in their hearts right now and are entirely devastated. I know this holiday season will be a very trying one for them.

This is where you come in. We need all the help we can get being that we are trying to pull this off within two weeks! We have decided to do an online auction of homemade crafts and services. We have amazing photography sessions, accessories, jewelry, home decor and much more. We already have several donors, both local and out of state but are still looking for more photographers and etsy shop owners to help. If you know of anyone who would be willing to donate their services please have them email, bloggersgivebackproject@gmail.com

What I need your help with more than anything is getting attention the website and getting people to bid. The auction will be on December 15-16. Our hope is for you to help us spread this like wild fire. With today's technology, our viral circles are huge and we can use it for good. Use facebook, blogging, email and simply tell all your neighbors and family. Our site isn't quite up and running in full but the site has been created and will hopefully have some items posted soon. It is, http://bloggersgivebackproject.blogspot.com/.
Please help in anyway that you can. I know that we can make a difference if we just put ourselves out there. I've never been one to ask for help but I am now. Please do what you can. I know we are all so busy and all of us don't have a lot of money to spend but every little bit helps. This is what Christmas is all about. Thank you for listening and hearing me out.

I sincerely hope you have a wonderful time with family and friends this month.