bees abuzzing

My favorite... the bees. The best for last. :) I hope you've all enjoyed this little book as much as I have!

I've been wanting this Christmas season to mean a little bit more.. all of the obnoxious blow up decorations, the excess, the spending... well if I'm not careful it can make me a bit of a Scrooge. And that's not good. That's why I'm so glad I rediscovered an amazing charity the other night: Heifer International.

You purchase animals (the type depends on how much money you donate) and those animals help families that need it. From heifer.org: "Heifer projects around the world help families achieve self-reliance through the gift of livestock and training. Gifts are passed from recipient to recipient until entire communities are transformed." How wonderful. How simple. You can spent as little as $20 and give a family a flock of chicks, ducks, or geese. Or spend $30 for honeybees. :) Or whatever you can afford. I just love this idea and I haven't stopped talking about it to my friends and family. :) I plan on giving a family some bees.

I know this is just one organization and there are tons of wonderful ones out there but this one got me excited. And here's a great post I found from the Handmade Homeschool blog, encouraging everyone to "Do what you Can". Great ideas on ways to help if you just don't know where to start.

Edited to add: I found a few other neat charity sites to check out: Changing The Present, Redefine Christmas, and The Jane Goodall Institute. Please share your favorites as well!