Soup Swap

Until this month I had never even heard of Soup Swap.  Now, I am DEFINITELY planning one for next year.  So anyone in Calgary that is reading this....get ready because next year we're having one!

The lovely Rachel at A Southern Fairy Tale is hosting a virtual soup swap for those of us that are a little behind.  So check out some of my favorite soup recipes below & go visit Rachel for even more virtual Soup Swap fun.

Chicken Tortilla Soup - Just posted this week and SUPER YUMMY!

Taco Soup - Oh so easy & made with ingredients you have in the pantry.

Slow Cooker Split Pea Soup - My hubby's favorite.  So good even my Mother In Law uses this recipe now (and that's saying something!).

If you want to get into the Soup Swap spirit even more.....drop a bag full of soup off at your local food bank (in Calgary most grocery stores have a food bank drop off as well).

So who's in for the Soup Swap next year?

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Wordless Wednesday - Packing Shoeboxes for OCC

After a trip to Wal-Mart where I threatened to sell Evan to the highest bidder.....I had all my stuff to pack my 2 shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child.

Canada Info

US Info

After I packed them they were so full......

That I went to the dollar store & spent $20 more......

and stuffed 4 boxes instead of 2!

Ready to go....  How cool is that?  Remember....it's only Tuesday so you still have the rest of the week to get those shoeboxes packed!

This post is linked up at 5 Minutes for Mom and A Lot of Loves!

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Top Ten Tuesday - Reasons to Pack a Shoebox TODAY!

It's Christmas Time and contrary to Evan's belief....Christmas is all about Giving!  


Operation Christmas Child is a great charity that sends shoeboxes to kids in need around the world.  This year Canada's shoeboxes will be sent to:

Central America & the Caribbean: Costa Rica / Guatemala / Haiti / Nicaragua

A special shipment of shoe boxes is being sent to Haiti this year and all boxes backed online will be included.

South America: Chile / Paraguay / Uruguay / Venezuela

West Africa: Cote d'Ivoire / Equatorial Guinea / Guinea Bissau / Senegal / Sierra Leone

So on with the list.....

1. You can bring a smile to a child's face this Christmas!
2. You can teach your children the joy of giving.
3. You can teach your children how lucky and blessed we all are.
4. You can help a child learn by sending much needed school supplies.
5. It's a great way to support charity with friends/family/coworkers/etc.
6. All the cool kids are doing it.....like Oh Amanda
7. Since 1993, 77 million shoe box gifts have brought a message of hope, joy, and love to children in over 130 countries. 
8. Last season, 640,569 shoe boxes were collected in Canada and distributed to children in more than 15 countries.
9. It can be quite low cost & you get to chose what you send.
10. If you include a personal note, you just might get a letter back from the child who receives your shoebox.

So....now you're ready to do this....right?  

Well if you are in Canada find out more info here.

In the US find out more info here.

Oh, and don't do what I did & print out the "what to pack info" from the wrong country because they are DIFFERENT.  Doh!

Last but definitely not least....do it NOW. They need the shoeboxes this week!  In Canada, you can even pack a box online right from your desk chair!


Please leave me a comment & share your experience with Operation Christmas Child or other organizations that you support.

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Christmas Time is Coming!!!!!

I know, I know, it's still November but thanks to Shan and her mention of the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge I am now officially in the Christmas spirit!  I will be figuring out 25 days of activities for my little family to do starting Dec 1.  Stay tuned for "all Christmas all the Time" once December 1 hits.  You have been warned.  :)

This year I would like to do things a bit differently though.  I want to focus on "doing" and "giving" instead of "getting".  I have no delusions that we won't have a big case of the "gimmes" around here since Evan is 3 and all.  We get a small dose of that each and every morning watching YTV.  "I want that.  Can I have that?  I want that!"

Some ideas I've come up with to focus on "doing" and "giving" are:

• Make cookies and then deliver to the neighbors as holiday gifts.
• Make gifts for Evan's preschool teachers.
• Pack a Christmas box for Samaritan's purse (tho do this one soon b/c it ends in mid Nov). You can even "pack" one online this year.
• Give out charitable gift certificates in addition or instead of gifts.  Kiva, WorldVision, etc all have ways to do this.
• Adopt a family through Angel Tree or other organizations.  
• Volunteer to make cards/presents or even better....visit....local nursing homes/lodges.

There are so many great ways to get involved & to show your children that Christmas isn't just about getting.

What are your favorite "doing" and "giving" family activities?

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How Do You Give Back?

My favorite quote about giving is - "Giving is rent for space occupied". In other words, you are on this earth and receive so many gifts you HAVE to give back as payment for the spot you occupy on this earth. That is definitely a mantra I try to live by. Most of my friends realize that which is why I receive so many donation requests. ;) I love to give back. These days I tend to lean more towards monetary giving b/c my time is so scarce (what with that full time jobby job and a 2 year old running around) but I love to volunteer too.

You may wonder what spurred this topic.....well, we're almost through the first week of our United Way campaign at work. I tend to sign up to volunteer a lot at work. This week is no exception. So far I've run the bake sale, made baked goods for the sale, sold tickets for our barbeque, sold raffle tickets and sold packs of "jeans days". I'm exhausted and we still have another week! No matter how much I might whine about it, though I love it!

So how do you give back? I challenge you to find one way that you can give back to your community before the end of November. You will help your community and you'll feel better for it! As for me, I have one more week of volunteering at work for United Way and I'm attending the Girl Talk event to make handmade cards to include in the holiday hampers AIDS Calgary will be sending out to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Leave me a comment and let me know how you give back & whether you will take my challenge to do something for your community before the end of November no matter how big or how small!

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You Should Really Read.....

Three Cups of Tea
One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time
By Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

This book is all about how one man (Greg Mortenson) took a lowpoint in his life (not summiting K2) and turned it into an amazing accomplishment. Greg saw that the Balti people who served as porters on K2 expeditions did not have schools to educate their children. On a fluke he happened across the village of Korphe and that "mistake" changed his life & the life of the many children in Pakistan and Afghanistan that he has built schools for. It is an amazing story of how personal sacrifice and drive can have a global impact. Education is definitely the missing piece in the path to peace in the Middle East.

Read it...you'll be glad you did!

If you want to learn more about Greg Mortenson & his work (without reading the book), you can also find more information at his website.

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