'Tis the Season.....For Giving!

For those who know me, they know that I love charities and around this time of year I try to donate to as many as I financially can. I am sure there are others out there who feel the same and may be leery at times to donate to certain charities due to not knowing where their money really goes. Well, I wanted to share this great website with all of you. It's called CHARITY NAVIGATOR. It's a fantastic website that tracks and reports on basically all federally registered and recognized charities. You can verify a charities authenticity, see their financial status, spending, and rating....anywhere from a 1 star charity to a 4 star charity.

Check it out - it just may give you that extra confidence to give a little more this holiday season. I am sure it is very much appreciated! :)

Happy Holidays!

CHARITY NAVIGATOR

SNOW snow SNOW snow !!

I am so happy it's snowing! The first snowfall of the year and it's this big ole storm! I know, many think I am nuts because I love the snow, but I guess I am "New England made" and happy to be so! Currently, there is about 6 inches outside, but tonight it should be at least a foot. Weeeee! 4-Wheeling, Snow Mobiling, snow boarding, ice skating, snow ball fights, or just the pure beauty of it is what makes winter so fantastic to me. It breaks up the year, it makes Christmas "right" to me, and it just makes me feel good! I wasn't in much of the Christmas spirit until today - the snow perfected the feel for me. Now, I am officially excited!

I went around the property yesterday trying to get into the Christmas mode and collected a bunch of different evergreens to make some wreats and xmas swags. I still have to stop by the local greenhouse and get some ornamental berry branches (have to plant some of my own this spring so I won't have to go purchase them for others in the future) and then put them all together with some raffia & cinnamon sticks. I also have to dry some apples and string some cranberries along with popcorn. We decorate the trees outside with natural, edible "ornaments" for the wildlife to munch on for the holiday season - I enjoy watching them dance merrily around the trees, pecking and nibbling away. We need to buy still a tree...we don't usually chop trees, we purchase new, root-balled trees, then after the season we plant them. Though we weren't here last Christmas, I saved the tree in a large planter. I knew we were planning on moving so I saved him...he sits happily in the ground on the side of the house near a stone wall :) We considered chopping our own this year - with 30 acres there are plenty of areas that could use some thinning to promote healthy & continued growth, but I didn't find any that particularly called to me. I don't know.....we aren't doing the tree thing until next weekend anyway so I guess we will have a decision by then on which way we are going to go.

Did some online Christmas shopping - nothing too extravagant. Just a few things here and there. Even after all that, nothing put me into the true Christmas mode...it takes the SNOW. And it's here! WooHoo!!!!!

I shall be on my way ... the dogs absolutely LOVE the snow too and I have to get the camera ready to catch their delight.