Have lots of tiny toys that you are sick and tired of stepping on? Make a wreath!!

I love this idea by Beckie at Infarrantly Creative. Head over to her blog to learn how to make this.

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I’m taking a break from my usual blog post to write about a BIG mission project I’m leading to help my community. I’m excited to tell you about it and hopefully you can help me!

Last year I started a new mission with my church to help bring Christmas cheer to needy families in my community. It’s called Gifts of Grace – Toys for East Plano.

I work with my MOPS group to collect toys for low income families. We partner with a church who serves mostly an underprivileged, multicultural congregation. They find families in need during a big free community Thanksgiving dinner they host. Then a few weeks before Christmas, these families line up outside the church’s gym (rain, sleet or snow) and we pass out toys to the parents. The toys are already wrapped and put into a garbage bag to hide them from the kids. These are probably the only gifts the children will receive, so the parents like to say they are from them.

I had no idea what I was getting myself into last year when I started this! We collected over 440 gifts, probably wrapped a fourth of them, sorted them into age groups, delivered them to East Plano and then helped hand out the gifts to families. Needless to say it was a chaotic month, but worth every bit of effort to know that these children were going to receive at least one toy that Christmas.

My children also learned a valuable lesson and I hope to help mold them into generous givers. This is one project the whole family can be involved with. The kids actually get to see and hand the toys to the people they are helping. Seeing the children help and the smiles on the parents faces makes this project so rewarding.

This year we hope to double the amount of toys! I would LOVE if you could send us a wrapped toy or at least spread the word on your own blog, Twitter and Facebook pages.

If you are in the DFW area and would like to volunteer to help wrap, sort and pass out gifts, I would so love the help!! Thanks to all of you who helped last year. Words cannot express how thankful I am for you!!

You can help by:

• Purchasing a NEW toy.

• Mail your wrapped or gift bagged toy with the tag below attached by Nov. 29th to:

Grace Community Church
Att: Toys for East Plano
4501 Hedgcoxe Road
Plano, Texas 75024

• Volunteer if you are local. You can click here for more details about volunteer opportunities.

• Help me promote this by adding the following button to your side bar, blogging, tweeting or facebooking about it.

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We got the Toys R Us toy book!!! My son got to work on his wish list yesterday. I didn’t realize what a Star Wars and video game freak he really is. Is that every 5 year old? Or just mine? Well, if you need a good 45 minutes to an hour to yourself, just sit your kid down with a toy catalog, scissors, glue stick and my wish lists! I’ve never seen this kid so happy or so focused as I did yesterday. ha! We made wish lists for all Grandmas, Santa and just because. Today he will finish writing the names of each toy…. yeah… I like to add a little work in on the fun:-)

It’s pretty crazy how our kids think they will get anything and have no worries. I try to explain how some children in the world don’t even have clean water to drink. I think the best thing I’ve done this year, which has actually sunk into my boy’s little brain, was to do the Operation Christmas Child boxes. He watched the video about people delivering the boxes to the children. It really helps for kids to see it on the screen, the homes where the children live and how many are children lined up to get these boxes, which may be the only gift they have ever received. My son helped me put together four boxes and not once did he ask if he could have something in the boxes (a first!) because he was so excited to be helping another child.

My MOPS group put together a bunch of boxes yesterday and the kids were happy to help stack them up nice and neat.

I hope my children will grow up to be givers. The best we can do as parents is to give ourselves and hopefully they will learn by our example. If you have never participated in Operation Christmas Child, please go to this web site to learn more.

FYI- Here is a link to a Toys R Us 15% OFF Coupon!! Valid until Nov. 20th.

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My 5 year old son has been talking non stop about what he wants for Christmas. He is constantly changing his mind or adding new things to his wish list. I designed these fun sheets for him to practice his writing. He’s not the best writer, so I made one where you can glue on a picture.

I hope you enjoy these for your kid’s wish lists too! Just click on the image to download a printable file.

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Be sure to join Amy on Facebook for more fun!
Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!

October 15th was Blog Action Day. Over 12,000 bloggers banded together to discuss a single issue – poverty. I am sad to say that I didn’t know about this until the following day. Well, now I have something to discuss on this topic and I need your help!

I’ve always had a deep desire to do something to help people, but never stepped outside of my little box other than to donate money or sponsoring a child far far away. I’ve never really gotten involved personally, until now. I’m excited to say that I’ve started a mission project at my church! Yeah! I’m excited, but also freaking out a little!

I started by asking around for something my MOPS (Mother’s of Preschoolers) group could do to help needy families in our community. I was then introduced to Pastor Roy Frady, of Willow Creek Fellowship of Plano, who serves mostly an underprivileged, multicultural congregation. From talking with Pastor Frady, I realized this community was in dire need of help. Along with needing food and clothing, he told me many of the children got nothing for Christmas last year, but small things the church handed out. I couldn’t believe families living only 15 minutes from me couldn’t afford to buy their kids ONE toy, when I have an ENTIRE playroom overflowing with them!

Amazingly, Pastor Frady has come up with ways to provide this community with food, clothing and school supplies. Well, then by golly… I wanted our MOPS group to provide them with toys!!!

This is how Gifts of Grace- Toys for East Plano was started and where I need your help blog land:-) Please, Please help a child in need. All you have to do is 3 simple steps!!

1. Cut out a tag provided on this pdf file.

2. Purchase a toy.

3. Mail your NEW toy with a securely attached tag by Nov. 30th to:

Grace Community Church
Att: Toys for East Plano
4501 Hedgcoxe Road
Plano, Texas 75024

**Please mail gifts by November 30th
You may send wrapped or unwrapped toys as long as you include a tag.

Our goal is to provide 800 Toys for this community need. Please help us reach our goal and make a difference in a child’s life!

I can’t wait to show you photos of the day we get to hand out these toys to the families! I hear there will be a long line of very thankful people wrapped all around the church. I just pray we get enough gifts for each child! If you live in my community and would like to help, please contact me.

For more information about participating churches please visit: www.findgrace.org and www.willowcreekfellowship.us

We only have a few weeks to get 800 TOYS!

Please help spread the word by adding a button to your side bar:

<p><a href=”http://www.livinglocurto.com/?p=1060%E2%80%B3″><img src=”http://www.livinglocurto.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/11/gracebutton.jpg”/></a></p>

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Also, be sure to check out Printables by Amy! Find easy and affordable digital files to download and print at home or at your local quick print shop. Each product is custom designed by Amy, a professional graphic designer. Amy makes do-it-yourself projects a breeze!