We did get 8″ of snow this weekend! It was so pretty falling on Saturday. Knitting Daughter and WH were working, so College Guy and I went shopping in the snow. Still not done with Christmas shopping, but I’m getting closer. I also spent some time spinning and knitting. These Noro socks are really fun to knit. In fact, I was having so much fun watching for the next colorway to emerge that I probably made the cuff of these socks too long. 
Oh well. I am knitting these on size 0’s and getting 9 st. to the inch. I got 8 st. to the inch on 1’s, but it felt like the knit material was a little too loose. I like it done on the 0’s, better. This is color S185. We have lots in stock and more due in any day, so you ought to be in good shape for getting it here as soon as we get it put up for you! (Added later: Noro is up – go see!)
These RAKs have been so interesting to read. I find that I’m frequently saying, “Oh my gosh.” As in, “That’s a great idea!” or “What an amazing and giving person she/he is.” or “I need to be doing that, too.” And I have loved all of your blog comments, but also all of your emails as well. It has alao been fun to help many of you do some yarn-y type things anonymously. 🙂 I had one email last week and she wanted me to share this with you. I do agree with her that giving sacrificially is a really nice thing to do and kind of the “next step up” in RAKs. Read and see what I mean:
“Hi Sheri- have been thoroughly enjoying the RAK challenge on your blog- you’ve inspired me to sacrificial giving- and I’d like to put out a challenge to others- to do the same… RAKs can be big or small…. but what’s really changing me in practicing this– is by making them sacrificial… not just giving out of abundance- but giving as a sacrifice.
Recently a knitter on ravelry had his entire stash raided and stolen…. (long story). I knew I’d be sending out yarn.
First, I looked through my stash to see what I could spare— then I saw my gorgeous skein of Wollmeise. Wollmeise has to be a healing balm in any situation- don’t ya think? (Of course I bought it from The Loopy Ewe) I already pkged it up- It’s shipping to him in the morning.
I know- I know it’s just yarn- but I cannot tell you how good it feels to know he’ll be delighted- (oh man- I hope so) and that this little sacrifice might bring a little Christmas cheer into his life.) I’d love to anonymously challenge others to step up their RAKS to something that is a bit of a sacrifice…. and see how wonderful that feels!”
I know that many of you have already been doing RAKs that stretched you. Remember that giving sacrificially doesn’t have to involve money – it might also mean sacrificing some of your TIME to help someone else out. It’s a whole different level of feeling great about helping others, isn’t it? Keep up the great work! You all just inspire the heck out of me. Leave your comments today on the RAKs that you’ve worked on this past week. Again, on Wednesday, I’ll use the random number generator to pick a winner of this week’s Loopy Loot gift package. I know that’s not why you do RAKs, but it’s meant to encourage you to share your RAKs and ideas with all of us so that we can do them, too!
I’ve been doing some spinning, too. Not too much, because of the volume of knitting that needs to be done. But here is my latest and I love this colorway. I have a spinning area set up in the basement (actually, the very first Loopy Room space – I’ll have to photo it for you.) I’m hoping to do more spinning over the holidays, as I have a long way to go in order to get good! But I’m working on it. Are there any St. Louis spinners out there? I’m thinking of doing a monthly evening “Spin In” here at Loopy Central.
We’re ready for preliminary signups for Loopy’s Spring Fling Knitting Retreat! We’re leaving them open until Friday morning. We’ll get back to you by Friday of this week to confirm your spot. (Why not just take the first 60 signups? I didn’t want you to have to stay glued to the website and battle for a spot!) Your deposit isn’t due until January 15th, and we’ll send you a bill for that. Go check it out. We have Wendy and Cookie coming to teach classes, and lots more fun things planned. We can’t wait to have you here!
Sheri WebGuyisprintingpostage/addresslabelsforyourorderstoday.Nicetohavehimhere!
Cuffs are never too long, especially in the snow!
RAK kudos to the PTO ladies in my town: last Thursday I sent out an e-mail about the need for 27 remaining giving tree gifts for the needy, by 9 am next morning every gift was accounted for. Amazing!!!! It makes me smile again just thinking about the swift and kind response from these lovely people of all faiths.
You should have a 2-at-a-Time Socks workshop at that spring fling (she said, panting at the thought of a retreat)
My RAK this week was a sacrifice for me! I came to visit some relatives and had some socks for gifts that I had knit. Well, I totally forgot that my husband’s cousin was visiting also. When the others opened their socks, she just loved them! And since I hadn’t made her any, I gave her the ones that I had knit for myself (that I finished that day). The socks were made with some beautiful yarntini! And the worst part of it was that I forgot to take a picture of the finished pair!
I’m a bit late on my RAK’s, but I have been continuing to hold doors for people (especially as the weather’s gotten colder) and this week my big RAK (well, it’s not really random but..) came to fruition
I chaired up the food for finals committee for my dorm this semester and I’ve spent about 14 hours during finals week making sure that there is a snack and a relaxed atmosphere for my fellow students during our relaxed hour in the dorm every night (9-10 pm). My crown jewel was the Sunday night F.F.F. where I baked about 30 dozen Christmas cookies (all day long).
I didn’t do anything to big. But there was a lady on ravelry that wanted some of my yarn I had for sale and then realized she didn’t have the money because of some stuff that had happened this month so I offered to send it to her for free.
*giggle* honestly—- saw that comments were at 99…just wanted to push you over 100
bonus rak..(not for contest- too late and don’t care but wanted to share;) .got a first time haircut with my son’s stylist…(she’s cut him before but not me….) Decided to way over tip her…just cause;) it was fun to see her face…;)
Next up- I have to go get my nails done before this weekend..(AFTER the house cleaning is done) .. I decided to implement the starbucks thing there- will pay for mine- and the next fill to come in the door;)
RAK? I was in SuperWalmart on Sunday, all by myself. I had a cart full of groceries. As ususal, there were 4 lanes out of 30 open. A woman and her husband came up in line behind me with only a few things in their cart. I told them to go ahead of me. She seemed pretty astonished. I simply said that I had a cart full and she didn’t. She said “bless you”. That was the nicest thing she could say to me.
RAK? Our church collects store bought hats and mittens for distibution to the local neighborhood center. Instead of buying this year, I knit 6 hats, one scarf, and mittens in wool from my stash. I also gave a hat to another child from the congregation to put on the tree because she forgot to get something. I love the mitten tree every year, but I didn’t realize how much more I would love placing handknit items on the branches!
My act isn’t random, rather it took some planning. At Thanksgiving I stopped buying yarn.
See?
http://flickr.com/photos/verbs/1501292004/
Instead I saved the money to pamper a single Mom and her two girls, who have been in Canada for only a few weeks.
Last Saturday I delivered the goodies, including a nice, warm winter jacket for each of them. It was great fun, and I’ll do it next year.
I was having a party at my house Sunday nite for my Soccer Mom’s and a few older sisters from the team……We had a bad storm and had to cancel……One of the sisters made treats for the college boys soccer team for finals week and had planned to deliver them to my son who was coming home for the weekend……….she was so concerned of how she was going to deliver them…..So, I picked her up Monday Nite and drove her up to the school so she could deliver them in person…..Thelma & Louise Nite…….and you should see what she made for them…….
PS: I am so bummed I can’t fly out for the Retreat……I finish up tax season on the 15th of April and have already planned a get away that week….darn…I know everyone is cheering YEAH…one spot not taken…
Have a good one…Blogless Diane
I can’t remember my RAK. I had one this week, and I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s good, I can post that one!” Can I remember what I did? No. 😎
I did lots of things that people might consider RAKs, but I don’t because they’re just things I do anyway. I held doors for several people, told a lady she’d dropped her smoke-ring scarf, helped BFF Liz get some of her Christmas shopping done because she’s been working insane hours, took my mom (a.k.a. my 79-year-old-3-year-old) Christmas shopping twice, and basically rode herd on the third graders who sing in the church choir with us (I win by default since I sit next to them). :p
And has anyone else noticed that people are always really shocked when you hold the door for them? It’s amazing. :S
I did have a great RAK that came TO me, though. Actually, it’s on-going for the past several years, since my dad died. There are several neighbors who clear off my walk and driveway after snow storms. I’m never sure which one does it, but there are several who take turns. I don’t think they coordinate, either, I think it’s just whoever gets to it. Since it’s just me and my mom and we don’t own a snow blower, it’s very very nice of them. I told Mama that we need to have a coffee and dessert party for them all once the weather gets nice. But that doesn’t count because it won’t happen until April. 🙂
We did a gift exchange at the Vet Clinic where I help when they are in need of extra hands. There is a woman who works there who tends to be depressed around holidays. She always makes nice compliments about my knitting. I did not draw her name but I made an alpaca hat for her. It may not seem like much but her getting a special present meant a lot to her and to me.
Plus the supermarket we buy from always have bags of groceries for the food bank. No matter what we buy we buy a bag of those groceries. I love that the supermarket does that and it is a reminder every time I shop to remember those less fortunate than me.
Happy Holidays to all.
Happy Holidays Everyone! Wow, the count down is really critical now. I am half way into getting all of the food. I do Christmas Eve with the 7 different kinds of fish, peirogies, and the extra plate for Jesus coming at the door in the form of a poor person in need….and I also do Christmas Day….nothing like it! No Rest For The Wicked, is there??? I did do my RAKS, but not as many as I usually do. This week I taught three people knit…we started with a simple scarf…I thought it was simple, they did not, and I repeated said directions a gazillion times…oh well, I can’t wait to see these scarves. I gave a headband to the neighbor who looked cold and was shovelling her drive. I gave $ twice to the Salvation Army lady, and promised to give my next pair of mittens to Sally, an older woman with severe pain in her hands who still manages to drive the “special needs” kids to school….I am nearly done with the mittens…a few more rows and I can give them to her tomorrow. I made them with 1 stitch purple, 1 stitch periwinkle blue…warm and solid ones…special ones, just for her. I have not stitched for me in ages. I am LONGING to use the absolutely gorgeous, to die for Handmaiden silk yarn from Loopy, but there’s still too many other mittens to be made….Ashley needs a pair. And so I am off to finish Sally’s mitten and start another pair for Ashley. The stash gets smaller….my husband actually told me that he had a new storage area for me…the yarn could be used as extra insulation in the garage. Gads! Though we did not have power for 10 hours Sun. into Mon. and I needed wool then…lots of it! Actually built a fire in the fireplace, and had candles going…an adventure. Take care and Christmas blessings to all. Joanne
Jessica- the knitter with christmas trees to spare;) —
I love Freecycle-(it’s where I heard about the crisis pregnancy center I donated to this week) Just go to freecycle.org- type in your zip code- & sign up for a yahoo group in your area then post a message to the group saying the trees are available….I usually use “porch pick up” so I don’t even have to cart it anywhere!
in mi–
Speaking of sacrifical giving…
I decided several months ago to throw a surprise party for the Lovely Roommate. Most of his friends live out of town, in different states and sometimes across the country, and he usually starts to miss them around his birthday.
My original plan was to announce party plans, offer to pay for hotel rooms, transportation and food for any of the guests that could come, and we’d have ourselves a party.
Unfortuantely, as the deadline gets closer (February), it’s become apparent that many of his friends still won’t be able to make it because of the cost of airfare. I made the decision this weekend to raid the back-up funds, which likely would have been used for the Sping Fling, to offer to help with airfare to get several people into town for the party.
In other news, this won’t be the last shipment of Yarntini cashmere and cashermere/silk goodness we’ll be seeing, right?
Well, the man subsisting on saltines and jelly in the subway station didn’t want the more-nutritious cashews I offered this afternoon, so maybe that didn’t count. During my long lunch break from jury duty yesterday I ran to see my friend as she finished her doctoral defense and bought her lunch, just so she’d know I was thinking of her and how great she is. Since I knew I’d be busy with jury duty, I suggested to another friend that she watch our friend’s daughter during the defense so that her husband didn’t have to take leave without pay, and we were happy to offer our un-random acts of kindness!
I allowed some lady who looked like she was in a great big hurry get in front of me today. I was in a hurry too, but she looked like she was going to go postal. When I let her in front of me, she stopped, smiled, and moved around me to check out. 😀
Holiday Stress obviously needs an outlet.
I do lots of charity knitting:hats for premmies, scarves for the military and hundreds of scarves for our golf team’s various charity tournaments and Breast Cancer Tournament. I am Captain of our golf club this year and last week at our Holiday party I was surprised with a major (and un-random) act of kindness. I was presented with a 40 ft. hand knitted scarf. Small scarves were knitted by many of the women in the club; many of them non knitters or just beginners, and then put together into this LONG scarf. One gal said she didn’t know how to bind off, so she just slipped the stitches off the needles and sent it to the person who was putting the whole thing together. Attached to the scarf, which was rolled up and then unfurled across the room, were poems, messages and even a haiku:
“Rosemary knits scarves
While golfing at Coyote
Now my neck is warm”
They also gave me a $200 gift certificate to my LYS. I was so moved and blown away.
I have been giving a lot of moral support to a couple of parents who have younger kids who go to the same college that my son does, (that is 450 miles from my home). It started out with answering questions and giving them tips and hints on various things, including what to bring to college, what computers to consider getting, activities they might get into, courses they might want to sign up for, earlier rather than later, etc. We grew into somewhat personal friends, through the wonders of email. Last spring, the dad of the girl was fit to be tied, when his daughter ran into huge problems with Calculus 2 and Physics, both of which were prerequisites for courses in her major, so I coached him through it, as best I could, but she is a headstrong girl, so she would not drop the courses while she could…And then she was accused of cheating, with her team in an engineering course, which she didn’t. I coached him on how to approach it, letting his daughter take the lead in the contacts, but coaching them on where to go, what to say, etc. It took all summer, but eventually, she and all of her team members but 2 were cleared of cheating. She got tutoring over the summer, and she is doing better this semester. I am big into computers, and my son is a computer systems science major, so there was a beginning, with her father, and he knew the mom of the boy.
In the case of the mom of the boy, we grew to find that we have a lot in common, both our kids (although our kids have never met), but families. This lady lost her father last week. She has been caring for him for 9 years, but he died in a hospice. But I had coached her, on what I would do, if it might be near the end, so she would not regret it later, since I knew what I had done when my parents died. She was about to come unglued, so just sending her frequent, supportive messages, etc, has helped a lot. Her son did not get to come home for the service for her dad, which was very sad, but it had to do with the timing of finals (this week), and her brother-in-law’s getting home from Iraq for the funeral service. It is an especially difficult time, because her mom died on Dec 26, 10 years ago. Since she lives 100-plus miles away, and I am pretty much homebound because of my broken back, I could not go down to help her. In fact, none of the 3 of us have ever met face to face, but we have all three been good friends for 2 years now. We have found that email works very well for friendship.
And, if virtual support does not count for RAK, would the acts of my youngest son perhaps count? He has been snow blowing and/or shoveling the driveways of two elderly neighbors, without being asked, and in some cases, without being paid. One is a handicapped, elderly lady. The other is an elderly couple with back problems, whose snow blower gave out, just before our big storm this weekend, that dumped 8.5″ of snow on us. My son had fixed the bottom of his driveway the storm before without being asked, too. And, getting the bottom of the driveways, after the snow plows finally decide to come through (we call it “plowed in”), is a major task, requiring a lot of physical effort.
Your spinning results are BEAUTIFUL!!! I am no longer in mid-slide… I am in full slide mode as I have ordered my wheel. It should be delivered somtime this week. Was your roving from Copper Pot Woolies?
How about a monthly “knit-in” at Loopy Central? Just askin….
Oh BTW…I just finished my first “felted” project!
My co-worker’s best friend has fallen on tough times financially because a broken foot has kept her out of work for too long. Every year at Christmas our employer gives us each a $25 gift certificate to a local grocery store. I asked my co-worker to please give my gift card to her friend without telling her who sent it. Funny thing, the gal I work with planned to pass along her gift certificate as well! RAK X 2.
Any chance you’ll open up those classes by Wendy and Cookie to us locals who can’t make the entire knitting retreat?
As I read so many of these amazing, self-less RAKs, two things are apparent: knitters are inherently kind, generous souls and even the smallest act is worthy and seems to generate others. It’s really a conscious way of living. The unexpected smile given to someone, the “thank you” tendered, caring for others. Wow–what a movement we could all start! Thanks to all of you for being so amazing!
With all of the snow this past week, my family has been busy shovelling snow for some of the elderly folks in the older parts of town.
I sponsored two people who are in the war in Iraq under the “Sponsor Any Airman” program – the action involved sending two packages full of goodies that are on the wish list of needed items by the troops. We picked a Colonel (because he has the most people under him to share with) and a Sergeant (who has the most peers to share with). Some but not all the items included the following: Pocket games of checkers, parchesi, Uno cards, Qtips, suntan lotion, baby powder, mouthwash, Wet Ones, salt and pepper shakers, fruit snacks, Starbucks coffee, Tazo tea, Nerds, Grunts, Nestle Crunch, Werther’s, batteries, hand sanitizer, chapstick, crystal lite drink mix, pretzel snack mix, mardi gras necklaces, Cranium games, Junior mints. I’m sorry but I did not include any yarn and needles from Loopy Ewe. It’s a great program and you can contribute at any time. We included a letter from each member of the family to the person and letters for the people they will share with.
You MUST go to my blog and see what our knitting group, The Rockstars, pulled off as a random act of CHRISTMAS kindnes last night.
It will blow your mind!
I cannot wait for the Spring Fling!! Yeah! I LOVED seeing your newly spun skien!! I’m making progress….
I don’t know if my RAK will count this week… but I ate the rest of the cookies on the plate so that no one else would be tempted to! We all have wedding clothes to fit into next week so you can see the sacrifice I made in doing this!!!
In all seriousness, I LOVE reading all the posts and the amazing things that everyone is doing. Too bad our newpapers aren’t full of such stories… what a different world this would be!
I am participating in a RAK with my knitting group. A while back, we had a a little get-together at our LYS and shared ornament patterns (free ones!). We all decided to make tiny sweaters to hang on a little tree at the LYS. It costs $1 to put a sweater on the tree, and if you want to purchase one, it is $5. All the money collected will go to our local homeless mission before Christmas. I continue to be aware of those around me who may need a little hand as we go about our daily activities, and I am making a point to drop a little change in the SA pots when I see one and thank those bell ringers for the job they are doing to help out the less fortunate!
I work at a high school and several of the students don’t have any money for lunch or any food at home for that matter. I’ve been paying for them to get lunches, especially during finals week.
I’ve also let who knows how many people ahead of me in lines at the store. My kids are beginning to think I’ve lost it. But that is OK. I am a little weird. 🙂
My RAK …..I took some ” Christmas Goodies” to the Loopyewe elves this week.
I am completely smitten with your ornament holding statue. Where did you get him?
RAKs also apply to hearth and home. My husband and I generally have our own set of tasks that we take care of; his is yardwork and fixing things around the house, and I do meals, laundry, and such. Last week we had a huge wind storm with gusts up to 45 mph that blew leaves all over our yard. The various plants at the front of our house were totally covered, and you couldn’t see the lawn either. As we were projected to get a sleet, ice, freezing rain, snow, and then rain storm Saturday night (and my husband works on Saturdays) I decided to rake our huge yard and get the leaves into the woods before the storm hit. (I don’t know how to operate the leaf blower, so manual labor it was.) After that, I moved a considerable amount of wood that had been split over to the woodshed, and then brought wood indoors so we would have a cozy fire going when he got home. My husband had had one of those exhausting days at work, so these were things he could take off his “to do” list. I think I made him a happy man, and that made me happy as well.
My RAK this week had to do with a co worker. He was laughing about how long he would be in line at the Toys R Us in Time Square. I told him that he should order from Amazon and avoid the lines at all. He said he didn’t have time to wait for it and didn’t want to pay for expedited shipping. I get free 2day shipping through amazon, so I had him go into my account to do his shopping and not have to do the horrible human crush of Time Square.
I talked about finding a wheat free recipe for a co-worker in a previous comment. Did you know they make gluten free what already, so if you find that you don’t have to put all different ingredients together!
So I made a basic coffee cake with cinnamon streudel topping and brought it to our staff meeting. My co-worker was so pleased that she could finally share a treat that everyone else had! Plus *everyone* said it was the best cake they ever had. I was nervous it would turn out poorly since I had never used that flour, and simply subbed it in a wheat flour recipe.
So tomorrow I have to print out the recipe and share it with 5 people.
Mission accomplished! 🙂
er, that “gluten free what” really should be gluten free flour, oopsie. Got interrupted as I posted. 😉
this so nice, to read about all the wonderful things ppl are doing for each other! doesn’t it give you hope? i know it does for me. : )
let’s see…. this week (actually saturday – the day it snowed!) I passed by that close parking spot at Wal-Mart so the person behind me could snatch it up. i mean, Wal-Mart on a Saturday is bad enough… add in the snow… chaos. i figured i could use the exercise anyway. : )
and while i love anonymous RAKs, I have to say that personal ones are dear to me as they keep my husband and I a little more loving and thankful for each other. my poor hubby works his little tail off for our large family and he needs any break he can get. so i did the trash this week for him. one less thing to worry his troubled mind.
Not sure if this counts but I paid my daughter’s cell phone bill. She is 23 and pregnant and I just couldn’t stand her being without a phone. I’m very steadfast about my kids being on their own….I can’t stand seeing parents cripple their adult children by paying for everything and doing everything for them. They never learn how to do things for themselves….anyway…….she now has a phone. And I am still on my campaign to be a courteous driver!!!! Does this count?
BTW…..you are such a yarn “pusher” LOL….I just purchased some Noro sock yarn……such yummy colors!!!!!
i love reading about these RAKs. I’m getting great ideas! This Saturday, when it snowed, I passed up a close parking spot at Wal-Mart for the person behind me. Wal-Mart is chaos on Saturdays… add in the snow…. yikes!
RAK
There is probably only truly random act here. It is a long story so here goes.
My boss on Monday morning asked me if I wanted to be the lunch speaker at Kiwanis the next day. No pressure. He would have understood if I didn’t want to do it on such short notice.
I said yes. I hate public speaking, but there’s only one way to get better at it.
While there I heard about the Kiwanis Holiday Food Drive. They raised 17,000 lbs from a community of 8-9000 people. Nice huh? My boss promised to write a press release and send it to his media contacts. In the car, I asked if he wanted me to do it. After checking that it was okay with me, he agreed.
So I wrote the press release.
I volunteered my husband to go help sort the food yesterday for two hours. I went for about half an hour and stayed for another ten minutes interviewing the Holiday Food Drive Coordinator.
So we did random community service in the middle of the week :). I’m not going to log that half hour either, although it’s still a small gesture. I DID get my husband to go though. I guilted him into it.
My RAK this week involved my being a temporary and unpaid postal employee.
I went to the post office nearest my work to mail something Global Express Guaranteed, but (after waiting in a long line) I found out they didn’t have the forms and wouldn’t for several days. I had to mail this item (a birthday gift) so I went to another post office (with another line) about 6 blocks away. I picked up a bunch of the GEG forms and went by the 1st post office the next day to drop them off. The employees there (who are always very friendly) were shocked that someone would think to bring them forms!
Hopefully I saved some people from having to walk to another post office and wait in line twice.
I missed the original post…. What’s an RAK?
For my RAK, I sent a pair of baby socks knit in Koolade dyed yarn and a hat to Mossy Cottage Knits for a woman whose husband died. She’s expecting a baby soon. It seemed so tough to be without your mate at Christmas with a baby on the way. You should see all the beautiful things sent in.
It isn’t much, but when I’m in the checkout line, I look to see if there is someone behind me with only a couple items, and I let them go first. They act like it is a big surprise, but I have been in long lines when I only needed a couple items. It is hardly any wait at all.
Dear Sheri,
We a Rak Christmas every year! For instance, last year we gave christmas to a family at my brother in law’s school, we got together to wrap gifts and have cookies and cocoa the week before christmas. Then on Christmas day, Instead of presents last year for all my siblings, we decorated ordinary EMPTY white soup bowls with really pretty cellophane and a bow on top.We put a note inside each bowl telling them about how their gift fed a child for 3 months with soup! Everyone LOVED IT.
We gave funds to www. LifeToday.org They have both mission feeding where they feed and care for over 400,000 children each month in countries from Sudan to Mozambique. These kids don’t have anything, and Life Today goes to places where NO one else will go. In fact the mix they make to feed the kids has the highest vitamin and mineral and protein etc content , it is so Excellent that Unicef has come to see their recipe! It is like a porridge. The kids who eat from LIFE are so poor they would travel like even 20 miles and use dirty tin cans for dishes . Well, for only $1 added to your donation, Life will give each kid an orange bowl that can be used for this hot porridge and the child keeps the bowl and keeps coming to be fed as long as needed. They also clothe the kids and give them medical attention.
I know there are a lot of needs in the world but with Life, they are PROVEN to give all the funds to the kids. They also have a Missions water program, so next year we will give CUPS decorated so kids can get a CLEAN cup of water. Thousands of babies and children die from disease from Water borne illnesses.
We just felt that we are so blessed to have hot water, clean water, food and homes and warmth that we wanted to help.
This year we are giving out of our surplus, and our whole family is doing one of those Yankee Trader games, We limited it to only $5 ao we can give to the poor.
The year before we gave notes on giving a goat, or chicken or formulae from different Samaritans Purse programs.
Every year since my daughter was a teen, we started to give our christmas meal funds to the poor and eat soup instead. It became a fun and relaxed tradition. We have now done this for many years, as she is 27 and it really brings the family together, as we eat soup we watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “The Littlest Angel”
So that is how we RAK Christmas!! I hope this gives you an idea for YOUR family for RAK Christmas
Our family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve Day so I am posting early.
May each of you find the True meaning of the season this year.
Please enter me too, Sheri, in the contest.
blessings, grace in VT
Dear Sheri,
We a Rak Christmas every year! For instance, last year we gave christmas to a family at my brother in law’s school, they lost their home and everything, even clothing etc in a house fire. So, our family all purchased what they needed for clothing and toys and we got together to wrap gifts and have cookies and cocoa the week before christmas.
Then for my gift to my siblings families on Christmas day, Instead of presents last year for all my siblings, we decorated ordinary EMPTY white soup bowls with really pretty cellophane and a bow on top.We put a note inside each bowl telling them about how their gift fed a child for 3 months with soup! Everyone LOVED IT.
We gave funds to www. LifeToday.org They have both mission feeding where they feed and care for over 400,000 children each month in countries from Sudan to Mozambique. These kids don’t have anything, and Life Today goes to places where NO one else will go. In fact the mix they make to feed the kids has the highest vitamin and mineral and protein etc content , it is so Excellent that Unicef has come to see their recipe! It is like a porridge. The kids who eat from LIFE are so poor they would travel like even 20 miles and use dirty tin cans for dishes . Well, for only $1 added to your donation, Life will give each kid an orange bowl that can be used for this hot porridge and the child keeps the bowl and keeps coming to be fed as long as needed. They also clothe the kids and give them medical attention.
I know there are a lot of needs in the world but with Life, they are PROVEN to give all the funds to the kids. They also have a Missions water program, so next year we will give CUPS decorated so kids can get a CLEAN cup of water. Thousands of babies and children die from disease from Water borne illnesses.
We just felt that we are so blessed to have hot water, clean water, food and homes and warmth that we wanted to help.
This year we are giving out of our surplus, and our whole family is doing one of those Yankee Trader games, We limited it to only $5 ao we can give to the poor.
The year before we gave notes on giving a goat, or chicken or formulae from different Samaritans Purse programs.
Every year since my daughter was a teen, we started to give our christmas meal funds to the poor and eat soup instead. It became a fun and relaxed tradition. We have now done this for many years, as she is 27 and it really brings the family together, as we eat soup we watch “It’s A Wonderful Life” or “The Littlest Angel”
So that is how we RAK Christmas!! I hope this gives you an idea for YOUR family for RAK Christmas
Our family celebrates Christmas on Christmas Eve Day so I am posting early.
May each of you find the True meaning of the season this year.
Please enter me too, Sheri, in the contest.
blessings, grace in VT
My random acts of kindness this month? I baked dozens of cookies for a friend’s church. They have a living nativity and last year had over 40,000 visitors, to whom they provide free cookies. My friend told me about it so I offered to help bake. It was good to give back! I also made a flannel quilt for a friend who is going through a rough time and is keeping his heat low to save money. It will also be a great snuggle blanket for his children who are here for Christmas after a very painful, devastating divorce. There were others…making cookies for my elderly neighbors who aren’t able to do it themselves this year, letting the lady with the little kids have the close parking spot, etc. I don’t care of I win the contest, I’ve gotten more out of doing little RAKs this year than I ever would have imagined. But it would be NICE to win! :o)
Have a blessed Christmas,
Carolyn
I live in the DC area and traffic here is outrageous. I have been making a concerted effort to let people in and have been giving up the close parking spaces. May not seem like a lot, but I sure get a lot of smiles!
I end up with a lot of lotions/facial products (that I don’t use) from silly, wasteful trips to the drugstore. I don’t end up using them because my face is pretty much just okay with cetaphil cleanser and lotion or cream–anything else irritates it. I guess I just get sold on all the promises that the beauty products “promise”!