Speaking To Me

This week I decided not to share the scripture verses which have spoken to me but a conviction that was laid on my heart during my Bible in 90 Days reading. That is to:

Place verses of scripture throughout my home.

I've always been a quote person. I have a Theodore Roosevelt quote hanging in my living room. I have random quotes written in the back of my journal and tucked into the nooks of my desk...but I have no scripture.

God's word is more precious than that of any scholar. I have been convicted to place relevant scripture throughout my home, where I can see it, where my kids can see it, to serve as little reminders throughout the day of what's really important.

Confessions of a Homeschooling Mom

This confession is for the public-at-large, family and friends...anyone who has not experienced or does not understand homeschooling. Hopefully this will give you some insight. I want you to know what I'm all about. Taking on homeschooling is by and large on of the best decisions I've ever made. But it isn't always easy.

I feel judged...that I cannot make a mistake because all eyes are upon me.

I do have bad days.

I'm afraid to ask for help or share my troubles for fear that any shortcoming will be attributed to homeschooling, even though many public schoolers may share similar issues.

I don't always know what I'm doing.

If you're so worried about the socialization of my child(ren), offer to take us on a field trip. You just may find we're already well socialized.

I do this because it's what I feel is best for my child(ren).

I don't think homeschooling is the answer for everyone.

I don't think public school is evil, I realize it's a good fit for some children.

Quizzing my children whenever you see them is NOT helping.

The best way you can help is to show us your support, even if you're unsure of homeschooling. Give it a chance.

We live in our home, school in our home, it's bound to be messy sometimes. Mess does not always mean lazy, it can mean busy.

I am not a stereotype.

Telling me over and over "I don't know how you do it!" "I could never homeschool." or " I can't imagine your days!" is not a compliment.

*Disclaimer-Lest I give everyone the impression that homeschooling is the hardest thing ever, or that homeschoolers always feel like victims; let me say that 90% of our days are positive and productive. But, like everyone else, we have challenges to overcome. This post was inspired by the frustration I feel when someone gives me the "she's crazy" look when they find out we're a homeschooling family. Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often.

Weekly Wrap Up - Scheduling My Homeschool Day

Each year I'm more and more in awe of the the flexibility homeschooling affords us, and also how much it requires. After all, this is our home, our life. Homeschool is not carried out in sterile concrete halls with bells and whistles and regimented staff members. It's carried out at kitchen tables and on carpets with crying babies and ringing phones.

For the last few months I've clung to our old schedule, white knuckles and determination, only to find...it's not working. At the end of last week, after an episode of me trying to vacuum a filthy house (because I hardly accomplished any housework all week) while tossing different articles from one end of the living room to the other (yelling things like: I told you to pick that up, how many times do I have to tell you to hang up your coat, if I find this on the floor one more time so help me it's going in the trash!!!!) Hubby decided it was time to sit me down and have a talk.

Thank God.

Of course I was surly and impatient and completely unreasonable. But he was patient and helped me calm down. He reminded me that if there's not enough time for everything then we either (a) have too much going on or (b) are doing things in the wrong order. So we discussed the days schedule and why I always felt so behind, why the house was a wreck (again). And came to the conclusion that the homeschool schedule is on longer working for us.

We've had the same schedule for years now, and it's worked so well for us. Even when Bram was a baby I was impressed that I didn't have to change anything. But now he's a toddler...an energetic toddler who is bouncing off the walls in the morning and calmer in the afternoons. He manages to triple the time it takes to complete our Bible Study and read aloud by the sheer volume of interruptions.

It got to the point where we would start our read aloud time at 9AM in an effort to get it accomplished and barely finish in time for lunch. Fox's independent study time was suffering, so was my chore time, Bram's educational-play time and all of our sanity. After taking a step back it was easy to see what needed to be done.

Rather than starting our read aloud time earlier we postponed it until after lunch. It's just too much before lunch. We still do our Bible Study first,because I think it's important to start with that. But it's not a challenge for Bram to sit through those 15 minutes, especially when he knows Mom will be free to play afterward.

This week has gone MUCH more smoothly.

Soooooo, this whole long meandering post was to demonstrate that it's okay to be flexible, it's okay to try something new. You never know, it might just work better!

That's it for our week. How about yours? Share and link up at Weird Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Kate Gosselin's Hair Extensions

(photo via Zimbio.com)

So what do you think of Kate's new hair extensions? I'm not digging them, maybe if they looked a little more natural?? I dunno. My first thought was "Wasn't Jon always lamenting the loss of Kate's long blonde hair?" C'mon Kate. I'm not saying it's all her fault, but maybe if she'd tried to do things to make Jon happy (like growing out her hair) a little more often he might not have felt so stifled and unheard and wouldn't be walking around with the gigantic, rebellious, angry-teenager-esque chip on his shoulder. I'm just sayin'.

But I think the real question here is, Is this story really international-magazine-cover worthy?

While in the Shower, Do You Ever Get the Feeling You're Being Watched?

For more Wordless Wednesdays visit Extraordinary Mothers.

You Found My Blog How?

Time for another installment of You Found My Blog How? Where I share the search phrases that brought people to my blog. Usually the searches make sense...other times not so much. Case in point:

Crunchy Mama...uh huh

Amish Split Pea Soups...yup

Homeschoolers Service Hospice...check

Allergy Translation Cards...that makes sense

French Meat Pie Recipe...blogged about that too

Mom and Son 13th S(e)x...... (crickets chirping)

WHAT??? I don't know how that brought you to my blog and I sure as hell don't want to know what you were really looking for!! Sicko!

CM3 - Goodbye Alice in Wonderland

It's Monday and I'm ready for some music! How 'bout you? CM3, a.k.a. Crunchy Mama Music Monday, is a time for me to express myself through music. If you'd like, fell free to play along too.

Jewel is one of my absolute favorite artists, and I adore this song GOODBYE ALICE IN WONDERLAND. The lyrics really resonate with me. I consider myself a dreamer. But dreaming can become destructive if you live in your dream world. It's about growing up, being hopeful but realistic, the "difference between dreaming and pretending". She says it best:

Growing up is not an absence of dreaming

It's being able to understand the difference between the ones you can hold

And the ones that you've been sold

Dreaming is a good thing cause it brings new things to life

But pretending is an ending that perpetuates a lie

Forgetting what you are seeing

For what you've been told

So goodbye Alice in Wonderland

Goodbye yellow brick road

There is a difference between dreaming and pretending

That was not love in your eyes

It was only a reflection of my lonely mind searching

what was missing in my life

Speaking To Me

Judges 5:31

So may all your enemies perish, O Lord. But may they who love you be like the sun when it rises in its strength.

1 Samuel 15:22

Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.

To obey is better than sacrifice. How true. That is what I expect of my children. I say it is better to simply obey me than to disobey and try to make up for it later. God wants the same from his children.

-Amen-

No Time To Comment

I've been so stinkin' busy lately, I haven't had time to make my usual rounds and comment on your blogs. So I wanted to say I'm sorry, I miss you!! But I'm reading along in Google Reader and I plan to have more time to next week to stop by and say hi. Thank you to all my readers for the comments, I appreciate your readership! I'm sorry I haven't had time lately to reciprocate. But I'll touch base soon.

*MWAH*

Weekly Wrap Up - Still Nothing To Share

We had a good week, but we still didn't do any great projects or anything to share. Sorry.

Monday: I had way too much to do to prepare for Tuesday so we had an impromptu school break. But even without official school we were really busy with errands; grocery store, library, health food store, post office, UPS mailing station...just to name a few. Then it was planning my science class, laundry and other household stuff.

Tuesday: Elementary Co-Op (I'm on the committee) resumed with the Jr/Sr Co-Op so it was a big and busy day. I'm happy to say everything went smoother than expected. My general science class went well too.

Wednesday and Thursday: These were very productive days, thank God. We got through the school work without too much issue but I realized that we need to do some tweaking of our schedule. When he was little Bram used to be calm in the morning and more energetic in the afternoon. Now that he's reached toddlerhood he's more wound up in the morning, making it very difficult to accomplish the usual one on one work with Fox. So next week we'll be flip flopping our schedule and I'll let you know how it goes.

Friday: Today we got through our schoolwork as quickly as possible so we could straighten the house because (drumroll please brrrrrrrrrr) The Redheads (Shane's two little brothers) are coming to spend the weekend with us! YAY! We're really looking forward to the visit.

The highlight of the week happened this evening. Fox, who thinks he may want to be a chef, likes to help me cook. I was making Beef Bourguignon and he wanted to help. He had a blast when we had to light the cognac on fire. The flames shot out of the pan about a foot and a half high. It was wild! I wish I had taken some photos :(

That was it for our week. How was yours? Share at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers.

Easy Homemade White Bread

You know, I realize this blog is entitled Adventures of a Somewhat Crunchy Mama but I don't often share the somewhat crunchy things I do, like bake my own bread. So I figured I better do that. Below is my homemade bread recipe, it's good if I do say so myself. Try it and let me know what you think. Sorry the pictures aren't the best.

Being that I'm only somewhat crunchy, I do take some shortcuts. For example. I don't knead my bread on the counter. I knead it right in the bowl I mix it up in. I then pick up the dough, grease the bowl and plop the dough right back in and let it rise. I'm not about doing a lot of dishes.

This is a recipe I concocted after trying many different ones. I took what I liked from each one, left what I didn't and voila, bread the whole family loves.

1 tsp yeast

1 1/2 cups warm water (about 110-115 degrees)

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup butter, margarine (melted) or oil

1 egg

5-6 cups AP or bread flour

When making bread always proof your yeast first. To do this , stir the yeast into the water and let it set for about 5 minutes. If the yeast becomes bubbly or foamy then it is good, if not it is dead and your bread won't rise. Start again with fresh yeast and be sure your water is the correct temperature. If it is too hot or cold it will kill the yeast.

Once your yeast has been proofed, combine the yeast/water mixture in a large bowl with the sugar, egg, salt and melted butter (or margarine or oil). Add 4 cups of the flour and stir until it begins to get tacky and form a loose ball.

Next knead the dough and add as much of the remaining flour as you need (1/2 cup at a time) to form a smooth, elastic ball. This will take a few minutes. Be sure not to add too much flour or the dough will get crumbly.

I stop adding flour when the dough is still very slightly tacky. Then grease the bowl and the top of the dough, cover it loosely with a towel or plastic wrap and set it in a warm area to rise. Allow it to rise for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. After it has risen it will be about double in size.

Sprinkle on about 1/4-1/2 cup of flour, punch the dough down and lightly knead it again. At this point you want to grease the containers you want to bake the loaves in and place the dough in those pans for the final rising. Allow the dough to rise for another 1 hr and 15 minutes then bake it a preheated 350 degree oven. The bread will take anywhere from 30-50 minutes depending on what size loaves you bake. It is ready when it is lightly browned and sounds hollow when you tap the top.

Mmm. Homemade bread. I love mine with butter and honey. Enjoy!

*The moisture level of different fats can cause the bread to come out differently. This recipe works (and tastes) best for me when I use Earth Balance Buttery Sticks or Fleischmann's Unsalted Margarine.)

I Dressed Myself!

Mom, I'm ready to go out and play!

To check out more Wordless Wednesday participants visit Extraordinary Mothers.

Remembering Grandma Some More

Saturday was my Grandmother's memorial service. It was a nice day full of happy memories. I enjoyed listening to family members share their most memorable moments. I had the opportunity to speak but chose not to. I'm now kicking myself for passing up that opportunity. So I thought I would share here.

The most common memories I have of my Grandma are going to visit her as a child. She lived in this neat old apartment on the second floor of a rickety building smack in the middle of town. She had a nasty old Chihuahua, named Tequila, whose doodads dragged the floor. There was always a jigsaw puzzle set up in her room at various stages of completion. She always encouraged us to "Eat, eat!" and served very sweet tea, diabetes in a cup.

Grandma cherished children and always did her best to let us know we were loved and special. She never judged us. Every memory I have of her is a happy one. There aren't many people I can say that about in this life. But what I remember and enjoyed the most about my Grandma were her funny sayings. A few of which I've adopted myself. My all time favorites were:

Hello you lucky people! (Always hollered when entering a room, whether in a friend's house or the doctor's office)

Landsakes! (Her general expression of surprise, usually when disapproving)

Well I'll be. (Another expression of surprise, usually when happy)

Lord willing and the creek don't rise. (When making plans)

Well bless your heart. (To any and every child)

A kick in the "uh-huh". (As in, that kid needs a good kick in the uh-huh, that'll straighten 'em up)

CM3 - How Can I Help You Say Goodbye

It's Monday and I'm ready for some music! How 'bout you? CM3, a.k.a. Crunchy Mama Music Monday, is a time for me to express myself through music. If you'd like, feel free to play along too.

I just love this song, I've been thinking about my Grandma and saying goodbye.

Speaking To Me

On Loyalty And Power:

Deuteronomy 4:39 Acknowledge and take to heart this day that the Lord is God in heaven above and on the Earth below. There is no other.

On Giving What You Are Able:

Deuteronomy 15:14 Supply him liberally from your flock, your threshing floor and your wine press. Give to him as the Lord your God has blessed you.

Weekly Wrap Up

Oh my gosh, where did this week go?? It's all a blur...but I'll share what I can remember. We actually had a pretty productive week. I've been trying to have Fox do a little lot of extra work each day to make up for what we missed when The Boys were visiting, when Fox went to Ohio and what we will miss when we go to Nashville in February.

We crammed in 8 days of work in 4. I don't like doing that because he doesn't absorb the info as well, but every once in a while we must or we'll be schooling through July.

This week was pretty much the usual, though I'm now convinced that we do need to switch math curriculum. So I've begun looking into all the suggestions. We didn't do any fun experiments or projects or anything! The only thing new with our curriculum is our read aloud book. Fox and I are both enjoying it.

Bound for Oregon

Based on a true account, Bound for Oregon brings to life a spirited heroine who, within six months, had enough adventures to last a lifetime. Nine-year-old Mary Ellen Todd, filled with the pioneer spirit, treks cross country in 1852 with her family in search of a better life. The Todds survive Indians and swollen rivers, but what will happen when mother has a new baby and winter arrives?

We're getting ready to get into the civil war, just in time for Black History Month. I love it when timelines align! I'm ashamed to admit I never realized how "late" the civil war was fought...I thought it was just a few years after the Revolutionary war. Oops! I love that I can learn right along with my kids :)

That's it for my weekly wrap-up. For more be sure to visit Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. Oh! And please go to my Help For Haiti post and leave a comment. For every comment or link I'm donating a dollar to Haiti relief, up to $125.00.

Help For Haiti - You Comment, I Donate

Your heart has broken wide open over the headlines, the images, the tragedy. You want to help....but how? It's overwhelming, so many in need, so far away. It feels like one person can't possibly make a difference, but that simply isn't true.

Coming together is a beginning. Keeping together is progress. Working together is success. -Henry Ford

MoneySavingMom has put out a call for bloggers to come together in order to raise support for Haiti. I don't have a lot to give monetarily, but I will give what I can. That's why from today through January 25, 2010 I've decided do donate $1.00 for every comment or link left on this post (up to $125.00) to the local, Pennsylvania chapter of GAiN (Global Aid Network). So if you would like to help, leave a comment or a link to your blog post on what you're doing to help.

Don't think your voice or donation is too small. When we combine our resources, it's magic.

Just be sure that when you donate it is to a reputable foundation. Unfortunately there are many scammers popping up to take your money. It's safest to stick with an established organization like GAiN, The American Red Cross, Compassion International or Doctors Without Borders.

So, you'd love to help but you just don't have a penny to give, or you don't trust that your money will get to those in need? That's okay! There are plenty of non-monetary ways to give.

How To Help Haiti Without Spending Money

Pray - Can you donate 10 minutes of prayer? How about 10 minutes a day? Pledge to spend a certain amount of time in prayer for Haiti.

Give Blood - Roll up your sleeves to give. The American Red Cross and other organizations are in need of blood for the injured. They also need to replenish the stores they are now using.

Pack Boxes - Organizations like GAiN have distribution centers in need of volunteers to help sort and pack care boxes. Many of them have the items they need sitting, waiting for enough hands to get it boxed and shipped.

Comment - Spend an hour blog hopping. Comment on every blog you can find that is offering to donate money for comments. There is a link list below and on many other sites like MoneySaving Mom. You could raise hundreds just by commenting.

Speak Out - Talk about it, blog about it! Just because you're not in a position to give financially doesn't mean your voice doesn't count. Share your heart and encourage others.

Teenagers!

I've always considered myself a baby person, they are just so cute and cuddly, what's not to love? I never thought I would enjoy teenagers the same way I do babies. But you know what I'm finding? Teenagers are fun! Seriously. Fun! I laugh every day at teenage antics. Today Fox, who is 13, when referring to his "hotness" told me:

If I jump in a pool, a minute later all the water has evaporated.

Dear Hubby

Thanks anyway, I'll take the photos :)

For more Wordless Wednesday participants visit Extraordinary Mothers.

What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free? - Gewurtztraminer Talapia

This is my favorite way to cook Talapia. It's easy, fast and delicious. The only ingredients you need are olive oil, Talapia fillets, salt, pepper, dried dill, dried parsley and Gewurtztraminer.

If you don't have Gewurtztraminer on hand, you can use any white wine. But Fetzer Gewurtztraminer is my absolute favorite.

Simply drizzle a tablespoon or two or olive oil in a baking dish and arrange your Talapia fillets on top. Evenly sprinkle on salt and pepper and your desired amount of parsley and dill. Then add about two tablespoons of Gewurtztraminer to the bottom of the baking dish. Bake at 350 until the fillets are opaque and flake easily. Yum!

For more Gluten-Free dinner ideas visit What Can I Eat That's Gluten Free at The Gluten Free Homemaker.

Why Yes, I'm Going To Blissdom. Are You?

Connie at Smockity Frocks asked her readers if they're going to Blissdom, and if so, which bloggers they're looking forward to meeting. Why yes, I'm going to Blissdom, are you?

I'm so excited (and nervous too)! I'm really looking forward to meeting, face-to-face, the bloggers I love. Maybe once they meet me they'll see I'm not really the crazy-blogger-stalker I appear to be. Maybe, as long a I can control myself. Again, I'll try really hard to not act like this:

So whom am I wanting to meet, other than Mrs. Smockity herself?

Mrs. Fussypants

The Happy Housewife

Mom's Toolbox

Many Little Blessings

Raising Olives

Kingdom First Mom

Extraordinary Mommy

From Dates to Diapers

Pensieve Robin

My Blessed Life

We Are THAT Family

And that just scratches the surface...there are many more. But how about you? Are you going to Blissdom? Who do you hope to see there? Other than me of course ;)

UPDATE: I just got on Twitter and saw HARRY CONNICK JR. is going to be there! He's going to give a mini concert!! Holy Frickin Cow!! Excuse me while I go watch Hope Floats and get all swoony.

CM3 - Alessandro Safina

It's Monday and I'm ready for some music! How 'bout you? CM3, a.k.a. Crunchy Mama Music Monday, is a weekly meme where you can express yourself through music. If you'd like to play along be sure to read the guidelines and link up. If the MckLinky isn't up or operational, feel free to leave a link in the comment section. Don't forget to include a link back here in your post so your readers can find us and play along too.

This week I chose LUNA, by my favorite tenor, Alessandro Safina. If you think you haven't heard his work before, you're wrong :) He's everywhere and has collaborated with many American artists. Isn't his voice yummy? I first fell in love with Safina's sound when Moulin Rouge came out. He was featured in Your Song on the movie soundtrack. Enjoy!

Bible in 90 Days Challenge Update; Days 2-9

Two birds, Pete and Repeat, sat on a wire. Pete flew off. Who was left?

Wow. Now I know why this is called a challenge. This weeks reading was very challenging for me to get through. And I must say, at the risk of getting myself kicked out of the group, many parts of Exodus and Leviticus were boring! Mind numbingly boring. The sheer repetition was driving me nuts!

But I did it, and I'm proud of myself for not giving up. I hope the Lord is proud of me too. He knows my heart and felt my struggle, and gave me the endurance I needed to muddle through.

And you know what I found? Meaning. Even in the slow parts, buried in the repetition I found messages which spoke to me. I find that amazing and humbling.

What spoke to me the most were the verses like Exodus 23:9 which said:

"Do not oppress an alien; you yourselves know how it feels to be aliens, because you were aliens in Egypt."

In this day and age it seems that the words 'Hispanic' and 'Mexican' have become dirty words. This verse serves as a reminder to love one another. We can dislike and fight government and policy all the days of our lives, but we are to love one another.

Then I thought I should take this a step further and apply it directly to my day to day life. As silly as it sounds, having a teenager sometimes feels like living with an alien. Here I have this young man, independent and strong where I once had a pudgy, dependent baby.

On one hand I feel like I know my son better than anyone; on the other hand I feel I don't know him at all, as he pushes for his own space and safety to express his independence. I am reminded not to oppress him, his growth into a man and all that God calls him to be; and to remember what it was like to be a teenager...all the angst, emotion and struggle that goes with that.

Let The Celebration Begin!

My birthday is tomorrow, I'll be 31. So according to "Cheryl's Official Birthday Rules" this means my Birthday-Weekend Celebration starts today. Lots of sleep, movies and food, very little chores! Boo-YAH! I told Hubby he got off easy this year being that my birthday falls on the weekend. This is because Cheryl's Official Birthday Rules clearly state that when a birthday falls on a weekday, the birthday person gets to celebrate an entire birthday week. 'Cause it's just not right to have a birthday on a weekday :)

WWU - First Week Back

It's hard to believe we're halfway through the school year! Where has the time gone? I'm happy to say we're on track. There are a few extra things I was hoping to have covered already, but if we don't get to them that's okay. Even so, we got off to a rocky start this week. I had a busy week planned, with Fox leaving on Thursday for a tractor-pull field trip with his Grandpa. So I brilliantly (can you hear the sarcasm?) decided to cram a week's worth of school into three days. If I had used my brain, we would have taken this week off too. Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Monday was tough. My husband's little brothers who had visited for three weeks went home, I was gung ho to get back into school and Fox was still on vacation time. We butted heads a bit but made it through. Bram was used to having three teenage boys entertain him constantly so he was very high maintenance and clingy. Mama needed wine at the end of the day.

Tuesday morning I had Co-Op Committee meeting to attend. It lasted four and a half hours and we barely got through the essential topics. Praise God the boys were well behaved for the whole thing. We made it through and ironed out some issues, co-op should run much more smoothly next year. By the time we got home I was exhausted, very little school was accomplished.

Wednesday was better than Monday but I came to the conclusion that Fox needs a new math curriculum. While I adore Math-U-See, Fox isn't enjoying it as much as he did in the early days. I put out a call for curriculum suggestions and got a great response! Thank you to everyone who responded, I will be researching the suggestions over the next few weeks.

Thursday was a little bit of school, a whole lot of laundry and an orthodontist appointment for Fox before he left on his trip with Grandpa. They're going to a tractor pull. SIX hours away. I'm glad he likes it, but I don't understand the passion.

Friday, today, has been nice. I spent some one-on-one time with Bram, went to a local sheriff's sale where they auction foreclosed homes--which was very fascinating, 3/4 of the properties went back to the bank without being bid on. Then this evening Shane and I went on a double date with my brother and sister-in-law to one of my favorite restaurants, Bonefish Grill.

Weekly Wrap Up is hosted by Kris at WEIRD, UNSOCIALIZED HOMESCHOOLERS.

Help for Hospice

Kristen at We Are THAT Family has organized a wonderful series, Do-It-For-Others. Each month she shares a different DIY/craft project for her readers to join in. Once complete, the crafts are sent to Kristen and she delivers them to that month's spotlight organization. This month's project and organization?

FLEECE LAP BLANKETS FOR HOSPICE!!

When my Grandmother passed away last month, Hospice was there for her, and us too. They prepared us all for the process of death and made sure my Grandmother was comfortable and cared for in her last days. She passed with peace and dignity, with much help from Hospice. I will be forever grateful for their care and consideration.

One of my resolutions this year is to give more. This is a great opportunity to give and to show Hospice my gratitude. So I will be joining Kristen in making EASY, NO SEW, FLEECE LAP BLANKETS for Hospice. Won't you join me? The below tutorial is for dog rescue blankets, but it clearly shows how easy these blankets are to make.

The lap blankets only need to be the size of a baby receiving blanket, so an inexpensive yard of fleece could easily make two lap blankets.

If you would like to join in, leave a comment on Kristen's post, letting her know you're joining in. When you've completed your blanket(s), please email Kristen at kristenwrites(at)yahoo(dot)com and she will give you a P.O. Box to mail your contribution to. She will send all the collected blankets to Hospice together in one shipment. She wants to deliver all the blankets by the first week of February so please get them to her by January 31st at the latest. Bless you for joining in!