Sometimes.....Often..... Usually..... Dare I say....Always.....The craziness of life brings the best blessings and surprises!!  :)  Today that blessing is a visit from 2 of my beautiful nieces!  Bored at older brothers' basketball tournaments.  Not quite old enough to stay the weekend alone.  Spending time with me eating powder donuts, candy canes and pumkin spice muffins.  Making crafts.  Watching girl movies. Waiting for big sister (one of my other beautiful nieces!) to get home for Christmas break late tonight.  The added benefit of my niece coming home from college is that she is bringing one of my daughters with her and I will trade her sisters for my daughter.  I am not sure who is getting the better deal!  (Just kidding, Carrie!)

But having all these lovely ladies coming and going  through my day, takes me back  a few weeks to a brilliant patch in my quilt.    The college girls were home from school (all except Alexa *sadness*) and we celebrated one of our favorite Christmas traditions--packing shoe box gifts for Operation Christmas Child!  We learned of this amazing ministry when my oldest daughter, Bryanna, was in Kindergarten and have done it every year since.  Sixteen years!!! :)  There is nothing quite like praying, planning, and packing a special Christmas gift for a child, often the only gift they have ever received in their entire life.  We always try to include a picture and our address.  In all the years we have packed boxes, we have received a few letters back from a variety of places.   An orphanage in Slovenia. A little girl in the Philippines.  A school girl in India that my youngest daughter corresponded with several times.  Then the Tsunami hit.  It was her area of the country because we had looked it up on the map.  We have not heard from her since.   Each child has become a special piece in our life quilt, loved and prayed for.  This tradition has trickled down to younger cousins and we enjoy getting together and shopping, wrapping, packing and praying together.  

If you want a glimpse into our Packing Party, click on the slide show to the left.  You will see some of the most awesome kids in the world, my daughters and nieces and nephews!  Special moment--check out baby DeLaney packing her first shoe box!!  

If you want to see some of the touching, funny, amazing and heart warming moments when children receive their boxes, you can go to youtube and search Operation Christmas Child Shoe Box.  Have tissues handy!! (I am not sure how to link to it, plus there are soooo many I could not limit it to one, so I hope that you take time to go check it out on your own.)

If you have packed a shoe box gift before, I would LOVE to hear your stories!  If you have not packed a box before, there is always next year!!  For more information you can visit samaritanspurse.org.  

Blessings!