Just a Quick Update

My mother had three medical appointments in three day, so not much else has been accomplished.  On one of our trips to the island, we went to the Westin Hotel for their Christmas tree display.  The trees were sponsored by various groups or businesses and then put up for auction.  In many cases, something very nice came with the tree....vacations, services, etc.  I just thought it would be something Christmasy that my mother could do easily.  After that we stopped by the quilting guild that I'd discovered when Eileen and Tom were here.  Eileen will probably be surprised to know, as I was, that the whole display had been changed to a Christmas theme.  There was only one quilt in the whole display that was there when we first visited.  It really was a delight to see, so here goes........more Christmas stuff than you ever want to see!!

This always seems to be the season for giving and my tradition is to make a donation in honor of my treasured friends, most of whom are fortunate enough to already have everything.......and worldly-wise enough to recognize the needs of others and appreciate the gesture. So, I'm always looking for charitable organizations that really stretch a buck.  I ran across this article in O Magazine and wanted to share it with you, as it perfectly exemplifies my idea of the Christmas spirit......and shows that even a small donation can do a lot.

How to Spend a Little and Give a Lot - Small Donations

From Oprah.com  |  From the December 2011 issue of O, The Oprah Magazine

Twenty bucks buys movie tickets or a weekend's worth of lattes. But you can do a world of good - from feeding an endangered animal to educating a child - for even less.

   $1    Two books shipped to a classroom in Africa. In many schoolrooms on the continent, 20 children share one textbook.
booksforafrica.org

    $2   A set of drumsticks for a low-income public school student learning to play the drums.
littlekidsrock.org

   $3   A field trip to a museum, concert, or theatrical production for a high-risk youth.
createnow.org

    $4  Two hours of prepaid phone time for a soldier stationed overseas to call home. Started by teen siblings in 2004, Cell Phones for Soldiers has since mailed more than 1.5 million calling cards to American troops.
cellphonesforsoldiers.com

     $5   A one-burner kerosene stove for a family that would typically rely on an open fire. The stove is reusable and less environmentally taxing than the cutting of timber.
foodforthepoor.org

      $6   Measles vaccinations for 15 children in a developing country.
doctorswithoutborders.org

     $7   A week's worth of food for an abandoned dog or cat at a shelter run by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
aspca.org

       $8   A medical teaching doll, to be used in educating a child about his or her cancer treatment.
stjude.org

       $10   A box of nails used to adapt a disabled veteran's house, from Homes for Our Troops, an organization that provides full accessibility to the injured at no cost.
homesforourtroops.org

        $10   A day's worth of fresh fruits and vegetables to feed two chimpanzees—most of which have been orphaned by poachers—at the Jane Goodall Institute's Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo. janegoodall.org/oprah

       $10   Two specialized bottles for babies born with a cleft palate, who otherwise might suffer from malnutrition before receiving corrective surgery.
operationsmile.org

    $10  Cloth and tools so an Afghan woman can become self-sufficient by taking a six-month tailoring course through Creating Hope International and the Afghan Institute for Learning.
      globalgiving.org

        $11   Eleven trees to be planted in Alabama communities devastated by the April 2011 tornadoes.
arborday.org

       $12  Twenty pounds of multipurpose soap to help keep families germ-free around the world, through Oxfam.
oxfamamericaunwrapped.com

       $14   Two nutritious meals delivered by volunteers from Meals on Wheels to a housebound senior citizen.
mowaa.org

       $15  A backpack and school supplies for one homeless or low-income urban child.
cradlestocrayons.org

Merry Christmas to All