Two weeks of partying!

Josie's birthday is four days before Doug & Andy's birthday.
The past couple of years we have had a "unified" party.

This year things sort of crept up on us and I suddenly realized we needed to make some sort of decision.

So Josie had a party at our house last weekend. I wish I could say that I have lots of pictures, but I completely forgot the camera at all.
Her party was on the eclectic side. She had cupcakes in ice cream cones and then also ice cream cones with ice cream. She had "pin the ear on the bunny" (That is what she wanted... not the tail, just the ears). She picked out the blue T-Rex pinata because she said it looked like Godzilla. We planted flowers in pots the kids had painted because it seemed like a nice take home party favor. We also decorated crowns. I did discover that many 3-4 year olds are not used to be being blindfolded.

Doug and Andy, to accommodate their diverse interests, are having a "Time Adventure" themed party. So we have two giant boxes (from an appliance store) that has a dial on it to make it a time machine. We have six time periods to visit.

• We will assemble dinosaur bones in the prehistoric period.
• We will pin the nose on the Sphinx in Ancient Egypt.
• We will use catapults to knock down a tower during the time of the knights.
• We will battle with balloon swords and axes (I'm hoping I can pull this off) for the time of the Vikings.
• We will have a treasure hunt and find a pirate pinata during the time of the pirates.
• We will shoot off balloon rockets in the future.

I'm looking forward to it. Andy is having a pyramid cake that I am assembling. Doug has a castle cake because I happen to have a bundt cake mold.

Charity, volunteering, donations, etc.

With everything that is going on locally I have to keep reminding myself that it is not all up to me. Through this experience and the experiences that I have had being a graduate student on a budget, I feel that I have learned some important lessons about donations, volunteering, etc.

1. When people are aware of a need they pull together. Many of the people and schools who lost things probably could have used the help prior to the storm, and yet now that it is plainly evident that help is needed other people offer an overwhelming amount of support.


2. The Shakers were right that "many hands make light work." I have to constantly remind myself that it is not all about me and that I do not have to single hand-idly save the world (thank goodness).
I may hear of a need but that does not mean that for every need I should run out and respond. I need to give other people the chance to respond and then I can help where I feel most called. There is a lovely Max Lucado quote that goes "Say no to the important so that you can say yes to the crucial" or something like that.

3. Sometimes you have to be the receiver. People can be generous and they want to help. Sometimes you might find that people want to help you and it can feel strange if you are used to being on the giving end of things. Some people do not want to accept "charity." However, you are allowing an opportunity for someone else to act like Christ.

We went out to eat to celebrate something and met a student with whom we had a passing acquaintance. She lost everything (car, apartment, etc). We offered some help. She was hesitant to take it. When I explained that it would not be charity but just her allowing us to help, she was more receptive. In our materialistic and competitive society we do not always teach people how to graciously accept help.