Nov 30, 2010 | Uncategorized
Our Christmas Cards arrived in the mail today! Having 75+ cards to personalize and address is a little bit daunting, but I’m excited that they turned out pretty cute. (We have a lot of ministry partners and we want to let them know we appreciate them at this time of year!) We went with Hallmark last year because we were in SA, and it worked out less expensive to order through them and have them post the cards for us.
Shutterfly won out this year because their prices are really good. {Up to 30% off on Christmas Cards on their site right now! And if you spend more than $25 (which we always do) shipping is free.} They look great, and I like them a lot. I will note, Hero Hubs wishes they didn’t say they were printed at Shutterfly on the back, but I don’t think it’s a big deal.
Since I can’t send each one of you, my delightful friends and readers, a card this year, I’ll share the preview of our Shutterfly one with you to wish you a (slightly early) Merry Christmas! (Maybe I’m the first?)
Along with the flat and folded Christmas cards at Shutterfly, they also have some pretty stylish stationary cards which will frame your favourite pictures in a chic way. Sassy!
In case you’re struggling to cross a few names off your list, you can also sassify some photo-filled calendars and books there too. My Mom and Dad love the grandkid photo calendars! They have some pretty photogenic grandkids. 😉
Anywho, what do you think of our card? Can you tell I’m pregnant in the top right picture? That’s kind of the point, so I hope you can! (Please comment and tell me!) But if you see any typos, don’t tell me because they’re already printed and here and waiting for me to write little notes on them, address them and send them out! Woot!
Are you sending out Christmas Cards? Have you ever made your own? Pam (who shared Uppercase Thanksgiving with us last Sunday) makes the most delightful Christmas cards ever. I forgot to add that to her intro. Handmade cards are by far my favourite, but how can you do that for more than 5 people? I’m gonna stop procrastinating now, but in case I forget later,
Merry Christmas!
xCC
Nov 4, 2010 | Uncategorized
Hi guys and gals! I’ve been asked about what’s happening with the camera and our letter to Canon, so here’s the update: Nothing. My guess is around 50 people emailed Canon on our behalf, although I’m not sure how many folks may have emailed and not cc’d me. We haven’t heard anything back yet…no response so far.
But friends, I want to thank YOU so much for writing emails on our behalf. They were really a blessing and an encouragement to us, and it meant a lot to have you behind us with such kind words. Thank you for making the effort to say something. We read such beautiful words from friends and from strangers, and it really meant a lot.
We were thinking about switching to Nikon when we realised we were going to be starting over with a new camera (before we wrote the letter) so now might be the time! 😉 In God’s good timing!
Thanks again and again, friends!
In other news, we’re having a great time with our friends who are visiting, and possibly planning another visit to see Mirriam and her gang next week. I am, of course, very excited about that!
The Bear would stop by to say hi to you all, but he’s too busy having fun with Uncle Will (or as he pronounces it Oooey-gum) and Aunt Heather (Hea-ven).
And the little one on the way is too busy kicking me from the inside, and causing me to suddenly, significantly start poking out with a proper bump! Although that could be the chocolate brownies. Whoo-hoo!
xCC
Oct 2, 2010 | Uncategorized
I am trying out a new piece of software which could *potentially* save me loads of time when it comes to writing and posting blog posts for you guys.
Right now, it’s like a four step process where I write the blog in one type of software, Journler, paste it into a Word document to change the font size and make sure it doesn’t start acting funky, copy and paste it from there into WordPress, upload pictures one by one, and other html bits and pieces, and then finally schedule it to show up online whenever it seems appropriate. See how hard I work for you?
So I’m running a trial version of MacJournal to see if it will help cut a few steps out of this rather lengthy process.
Sorry if that was TMI.
Anyway, this morning I tried posting a “test post†to my site which may have happened to appear in your inbox if you subscribe to this blog, or perhaps you saw it advertised on Facebook, clicked over, and were sorely disappointed to see a one line post here to greet you. I was under the impression that MacJournal would send the post to my drafts so that I could edit the html, play around with the post, and then click publish. Obviously I was wrong.
Anywho, I’m going to post this rather lengthy explanation of stuff you might not give a rat’s patootie about as another trial, and as an explanation of why you may have seen an earlier post (which has since been deleted) that may have been a slight waste of time. Sorry bout dat.
And just to make sure I am aware of what this software will do, I’m adding a random picture below.
Forgive me for making you a guinea pig?
xCC
Jun 27, 2010 | Uncategorized
To let you know that I’m going to be enjoying my brother and his girlfriend’s visit and not spending too much time on my laptop!
We waited at the airport with great excitement…
And although the soccer hasn’t exactly gone our way…
We’re still gonna get out there and enjoy beautiful South Africa!
There are a few things I’ve already written for you I might get a chance to post, but in the meantime, will you say a prayer for our little family? HH, the Bear and I are all sick. No fun anytime, but especially when you have guests visiting! Hope you’re enjoying the weekend! More pictures and posts coming soon!
xCC
Jun 23, 2010 | Uncategorized
Today is a very special day! Hero Hubs and I have been married for three delightful years! The day is likely to fly by with everything that’s going on right now, so we are planning to wait to celebrate once the busyness of this particular moment in time has passed us by…hopefully things will slow down a little in mid-July! But in the meantime I thought I’d wish Hero Hubby a Happy Anniversary right here, in the space where greeting cards are free and fully customizable. Well, as customizable as I have skill to customize anyway.
Dear Hero Hubs,
It’s not just a catchy nickname. You are an awesome man after the Lord’s own heart, a hero to me, and I am so blessed to be your wife! I will save the major mush for an actual card that the rest of the internet isn’t going to read, but I just thought I’d make sure you know you’re loved and celebrated right here, too!
Here’s to these three, and many more!
During this time we’ve lived on three continents: Africa, Europe and America, and we’ve visited three other countries together: Honduras, England and France!
We’ve physically moved all our stuff three times, have had three home addresses, at least three flat tires, and perhaps no more than three proper arguments. We’ve visited three game reserves, enjoyed three major sporting events (and at least three games where we cheered on the Pirates). We survived about three months of morning sickness (thank you for being so great!) and three major life decisions (your entry into ministry, stopping my PhD and our move to South Africa.)
We’ve had a blast scoring deals at Old Navy while back in the US on at least three separate and special occasions. I think you’ve consoled me while I cried at at least three hundred movies, and we’ve had three slightly scary visits to the hospital. I think we’ve broken down in the Ikea parking lot three times, too. 🙂
So while we might not have the opportunity to fully celebrate the joy today, I just want to take a moment to celebrate it right here. Thanks for being the Hero Hubby that you are. Thanks for always reminding me that God’s got us right when I need to hear it. Thank you for living out Ecclesiastes 4 with me, and for picking me up so well. Thank you for selflessly making an amazing cup of coffee for me almost every morning for the past three years! I’d like to ask the Lord for another three hundred.
With Love,
Your CC
Ecclesiastes 4:9-12 Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together, they are warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart.
Jun 17, 2010 | Uncategorized
Samaritan’s Feet South Africa, as an organisation, was in a bit of a pickle earlier today. Mind you, at this stage that simply means Mark and Caroline Collie were in a bit of a pickle. But really it was a big pickle.
You see, the shoes we were expecting two weeks ago have been delayed and delayed and delayed. Between customs paperwork, rail strikes and slow moving vessels, the ETA for us getting into the crates has been reassigned on what has sometimes felt like a daily basis.
Thanks to these delays, our most recent plan was to drive a car load of shoes up to Bloemfontein for one of the first distributions, which is happening next week. (The very first one was supposed to take place this week, but has been postponed because of these delays.) This trip would’ve saved some money and made sure the shoes were where they needed to be when they needed to be there. But these plans, too, were thwarted. Which may have been a good thing because there are a lot of tourists on the roads right now who don’t know anything about driving on the left. In the aftermath of yet another change of plans, were were left with a booking for a car rental — more like a big ol’ van rental — at about £300 ($440/ ZAR 3,363) and we no longer had any need for said van.
It was too late to cancel the booking, and we considered amending the booking to make it shorter, just so that we at least wouldn’t be charged so much. Then I decided to call Car Hire 3000 (it’s a UK company, but we got the best deal with them, and we still have credit in the UK) and explain our situation.
So I found myself this afternoon, with Joseph on the other end of the line.
Joseph took down my details, and then I explained our dilemma. We now have to freight these shoes up to Bloemfontein, as soon as we get our hands on them, (hopefully Monday) but we can no longer drive them up because there are more distributions happening here next week, the shoes are delayed, we’re welcoming a Samaritan’s Feet team from Brazil Wednesday, and lots of other stuff. (Including my brother’s visit!) And if we still have to pay for the rental, while we have to pay to freight the shoes up to Bloem and Rustenberg, we are left holding two expensive bags, with the cashflow for only one. For a charity just trying to do some good ’round these parts it is really painful to say, “Well, £300. It was nice knowing ya.” Especially when you do the math on how many barefeet you could shoe with that cash.
After a moment, things didn’t seem hopeful, but Joseph put me on hold and went to speak to his manager. He came back on the line and said:
We’ll cancel your booking and you’ll receive a full refund in the next few days.
It was Christmas and Joseph played the part of Santa Claus. And I was teary-eyed as I asked his name, thanked him profusely, and said, “God bless you, Joseph,” before getting off the phone.
We all get these opportunities — to hear someone else’s story, perhaps to choose not to follow the “protocol” set by our office or even our society, and to show kindness, even to a stranger.
It was a privilege to be a recipient of such kindness today.
So to my Joseph, (and Joseph’s manager) and to all the other Joseph’s showing this type of kindness — thanks. You may never know how much a little kindness means to someone else. It may be a small decision at that quickly sweeps across your desk. But to someone else it can be a pair of shoes…a message of hope… or a moment of joy needed at the end of a long day.
Thanks so much, Joseph!
xCC
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