12/16 ~ Makes You Feel Merry (Photo-A-Day)

I did a scaled down version of Christmas baking last week.  I sent a large tray to work with Les, took another tray to music practice on Saturday afternoon, and gave a tray to Pastor and Sis. McGriffin.  I love sharing my baking with others!

I put a new twist on my gingerbread cookies - grass skirts, shorts, and leis!

Sharing baking at Christmas time is a tradition in our family.  Grandma Luella was widowed in her 40s and lived on a very small income.  She was the original coupon queen!  Her pantry was filled with sugar, flour, and other non-perishable items that she stocked up on.  When December rolled around, she joyfully baked and shared with friends and neighbors.  Mom carried the tradition on and I remember taking goodies to my teachers.  Now it's my pleasure to share with others!

What Christmas tradition makes you the merriest?

Today is the last day to enter the giveaway on my other blog!  Winner will be announced tomorrow morning.

12/12 ~ Joy Is... (Photo-A-Day)

It's Christmas time, a time when we think about gifts, stress about gifts, and wrap gifts!  I am done with my shopping, how about you?  I find great joy in giving - the look on a loved ones face as they open a gift you spent hours searching for.  I'm adding just a little extra joy today - I've got a giveaway going at my running blog.  Check it out here.  If you're not a follower, let me know and I can send you an invite.

I Say This Every Month...

"Every time we come home, I am so busy!"

I know I say it every month, but it's so true.  There are just some things I can't do while we are gone.  Like go through a months worth of mail.  And work on new choir music (I really miss my keyboard while we are in Hawaii!)  Or visit face to face with wonderful friends.  And schedule shuttles for our next trip.  And schedule to have our mail held while we are gone again.  It seems endless, but I'm getting it done.  Laundry is going, I just emptied the dishwasher, and now I've got bills to pay and set up to be paid while we are gone again!

Church and choir tomorrow, then it's back in the air on Monday!

Oh!  I got a really cute new purse.  When I showed it to Les, he said, "When did you buy that?"  "I didn't - I won it on a blog giveaway!"  I almost never win anything, but I won this cute purse from Kristina J.  Isn't it darling?

Giveaway on Mommy Hobbies

There's a really great giveaway going on over at Mommy Hobbies.  You could win this:

or this:

In a variety of colors.

Enter today and decrease my chances!  See what a giver I am?

Be A Help

The Pioneer Woman does more giveaways than any other blogger I know. Not that I personally know PW... but, she's doing something fantastic this week and everyone wins.

This week she is giving away four (4) $500 donations to the charity of the winners’ choice in an effort to help those devastated by the tornadoes in the South. In addition, she is giving a quarter to charity for every person who leaves a comment (as of 9:56 pm she has 1148 comments, that's $287 already.) This will cost you about 30 seconds, so please go do it.

Click here and feel good about it.

Be A Winner

My blogging buddy, Cylinda, is having a giveaway on her blog. Raise your hand if you enter blog giveaways. Now raise your hand if you've never won any...


Yes, that's me! I enter blog giveaways on a regular basis. I mean, who can resist free stuff, right? But I've yet to win a thing!

So here's where you can help me out. Go to Cylinda's blog. Enter yourself for her $50 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway and tell her that Kathy McElhaney sent you. That gets me another entry. Pretty cool, huh? Then, repost it on YOUR blog and get your friends to do the same. Starting to sound a bit like a pyramid scheme, isn't it??


Now after you've entered the giveway, stay at Cylinda's blog a while. She's a great writer. She'll have you laughing hysterically one minute and saying, "oh, Lord, I need to work on that" in the next. You'll love her girls and her passion for missionary kids. And you just might win an Amazon gift card in the process.