Christmas Traditions: Shiny Objects & Fostering Good Will

Good Morning, it's another beautiful Pink Saturday at our dear Beverly's blog, and we all hope that Beverly is feeling better after a nasty fall a week ago this past Friday. Sending you feel better wishes, Beverly! :-) And speaking of Beverly, today she asked us to share a Christmas tradition.



If you are wondering what Stella is sitting on, that would be packages of shiny objects...



But they aren't just any old packages. These are packages that Stella helped me select and wrap for a little five year old girl in foster care...



One of my Christmas traditions has been to donate to a program involving this charity, but this year with Stella's help, I took it one step further and did the shopping and wrapping. And as you can see from this tower... oh, what fun we had!



It's a tradition that has been going on in this community for over thirty years, and the group has made a difference in the lives of so many children. Last year for the first time, we got to meet one of the children who was all grown up, and there was not a dry eye in the house. This year, while we won't get to meet this little girl or any of the other children who are being sponsored, I wanted to share this on Pink Saturday because she is a Pinky! Her form said that she loved pink, so I thought you might enjoy seeing some of the things she is getting that are wonderfully pink...



One of the things on the list was Baby Alive, and I found and bought this Fairy Baby Alive in a pink fairy costume...



But then Stella discovered that there are other Baby Alives which made us head back to WalMart's toy department to find one that talked among other things. So Fairy Baby Alive went back to play with her friends on the shelf, and Baby Alive Whoopsie Do joined the group of gifts at our house...



See the arrow...



Okay, you press her little pink bracelet, and she kicks her feet and gurgles, etc. I won't mention what else she does when you feed her, but with a name like Baby Alive Whoopsie Do, you get the gist. ;-)



And speaking of feeding her, she has her own pink bib set...



In addition to a clothing set (note the pink) for a rainy day...



Her very own pink dress-up set...



And her pink pajamas with a little teddy bear to love...



And speaking of teddy bears, Baby Alive is not the only one with a teddy bear. This little pink teddy is for this little five year old to love...



And there are diapers with pink emblems for Baby Alive ...



And food with a pink spoon...



And what doll set would be complete without a pink stroller...



And a tiny teaset for those days when you must have a cup of tea with your dolly, and this one with the pink teapot was a steal at WalMart for $5...



And Stella and Baby Alive agree that we think the shopping went well. The people at WalMart were SO helpful, even returning the folder to lost and found that I left in the buggy with all of the little girl's information on it! Some good Samaritan found it and turned it in, and Stella and Baby Alive were very happy, indeed, right along with me...



Often times the children that end up in the foster care system come with only the clothes on their backs, and some come from terrible situations of abuse. Many foster parents are stretched to the limit to afford new clothes for the foster children in their care in addition to the food and other necessities that the state funds in a limited manner. So, there is no money for Christmas. Hence there is usually a request for clothes for the children. This little girl wanted pink, so she is getting a number of pink blouses like these stripes...



And these stars (I saw a mother buying this for her little girl and took the hint)...



And these long sleeved blouses are for winter. We wear cotton all year through...



I did get her one turtle neck among a few other blouses...



And some pink slacks along with two other pairs in other colors. Unfortunately, I wrapped the slacks before I got their pictures, but I bought these little pink slack hangers...



Which I thought would look cute on the boxes...



I just loved this reindeer wrapping paper I found at Dollar Tree with the cute deer who is such a sweet little fellow on his pink sled. I also love the pink trees and pink houses that dot the landscape...



Oh, and she got this sweet little hoodie outfit...



Complete with gray leggings and hearts...



And though she didn't ask for it and while there have been few cold days, she is getting some tights...



And a little pink coat for winter...



The only time I veered was with this little cotton dress. I thought she could wear it to school on the last day. I tried to find a pink dress like this one, but they were out of her size...



I hope she doesn't mind...



After we got everything wrapped and before they went into giant garbage bags to be taken to the secret distribution center, Stella carefully helped me place the toy boxes in one bag...



And the clothes in another...



I was afraid Stella was going to get lost in the bags...



But she didn't, and we loaded up our sleigh and took all the gifts to be distributed on Christmas Day to our little secret pal...



Stella also handed me a letter from Santa to go in the bag. We told the person in charge that the foster mother could read it and decide whether to include it or not, but Santa wanted our secret pal to know the following:

Dear E...

Merry Christmas! I received a very special order from Heaven just for YOU! While I hope you enjoy these gifts I brought you, I want you to know that there is one gift that is far more wonderful, far greater than any gift I could ever hope to bring. The greatest gift is one that God gave us many, many years ago on that first Christmas in Bethlehem. It's the gift of God's own Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ who is the Prince of Peace, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. So in remembrance of Jesus' birthday today, I present you with these gifts on His behalf so that you will know just how much you are loved!

Santa

And that, my friends, is a wrap!



Thank you for visiting Stella and me on Pink Saturday, and I look forward to visiting you as well! You know how I like to see what you're up to! Magpies are very curious creatures. ;-)

Stella wanted me to let you know that she had a FABULOUS time visiting friends. She went to see Rhonda and went to the beach and a tour of a fabulous Victorian hotel, AND she had a super fun time painting Lisa's house! ;-) Click on her friends' names to visit their posts about it!

Please visit Beverly and all of her pink friends by clicking right HERE. They have lots of traditions to share with you, and I'm sure you will be blessed. :-)

Happy Pink Saturday!

Warmly,


Mrs. Magpie (Sheila) and Stella