another great website!

I know I have mentioned this website to a few of you before but for the rest of you, here it is...

www.hungersite.com

All you have to do is click on the button and you donate food to those in need. No catch! No cost! There are other tabs too for the rainforest, animals, literacy, child health, etc. There are also online stores under each tab and whenever an item is purchased, they also donate something. Example: I bought a pair of earrings and they donated 50 cups of food or you buy something in the literacy online store and they donate a book to someone. Pretty neat. Check it out!

Trying to do my part!

I just recently discovered CFL light bulbs. I know, I must have been living under a log but at least I caught on at some point. Anyway, I am really excited, as it is one small way to make a different in the environment. Check out this blurb from planetgreen.discovery.com:

"If every American home replaced just one light bulb with an Energy Star-qualified compact fluorescent light bulb, we would save enough energy to light more than 3 million homes for a year (as well as more than $600 million in annual energy costs), while preventing the greenhouse-gas equivalent of the emissions of more than 800,000 cars."

They are coming out with all different kinds-for vanity lights, dimmers, recessed lighting, etc. so check it out! They aren't a bad price either!

possibly the CUTEST twins ever!

Mark, Amber and I took a trip down to Staunton to see the Hockman, Wells and Shifflett crew! Amber had a blast with all of the kids! They were outside and upstairs playing allll day, and I forgot to grab some action shots while they were playing. I did get some oh so cute shots of the twins since they spent most of the day downstairs with the ladies (Mandy, Jen, and myself) while the guys ventured out to do manly things like going to the dump and checking out Uncle Gary's building projects. Anyway, here are the cuties!



Here is Clarkey! Don't you just love his spikey hair!!?

Here is Patrick. Check out that grin! Gotta love it!

Hi Clarke! Clarke is very easy going and he let me hold him for long periods of time without complaining!

Here they are, just chillin' after their nap. Such good babies!

cool website

www.theniapeleproject.org

I came across this webpage when I was looking for different resources at the Buduburum Refugee Camp. They are doing quite a bit! I am going to try to see if I can register and enroll the 2 girls we sponsor in the camp so that they could receive a meal every day at the school that the organization is affiliated with. Right now, my contact at the camp told me that they are not getting enough food. It doesn't sound like a meal is included at the school they currently are attending. This program is very low in cost and would make sure that they get at least 1 good meal a day. I will keep you updated! (I included a picture of Sylvia, Hanson, and Esther coming from church. Hanson is Sylvia's brother.)

Books

Just thought I would share with you some of the good books I have read recently! Please feel free to share any good books you have read! I have put an asterisk next to the books I own so if anyone wants to borrow one, just let me know and I would be happy to share!


Water for Elephants: fiction, different and interesting
**Three Cups of Tea: non-fiction, very good!
The Kite Runner: realistic fiction, very good!!
Eat, Pray, Love: non-fiction, ok-had some good parts
**A Thousand Splendid Suns: realistic fiction-very good!
The Glass Castle: memoir-amazing that this lady survived!
True to Form by,Elizabeth Berg: fiction, fun read
**We Shared The Peeled Orange-Louis Braile (ok, had interesting parts)- worked in Thai-Cambodian Border Refugee Camps and this is his letters home
**Strawberry Fields by Marina Lewycka: fiction, cute story

In our Backyard

I have been testing my camera to see how good the zoom is and it did pretty darn well here! I was inside the house for the first 2 and I went outside on the deck for the other 2! I think our groundhog has been hibernating but there have been lots of squirrels and birds around to keep us entertained while we eat our breakfast and look out the window! We get really big robins, blue jays, and cardinals!

Christmas at the Goodine's

On Christmas Eve, my dad took us all out to TGI Friday's for dinner for a great meal. Then Mom, Dad, Mark and I went to a Christmas Eve church service where we got to sing lots of Christmas songs and we even sang Silent Night outside with candles! We came back to the house and read "The Night Before Christmas" and Amber got the stockings, cookies, milk, and carrots (for the reindeer) in order! The next morning, Amber found many special presents, one of which was an American Girl Doll!!! It was a very special Christmas for sure! Mom and I made a pancake, egg and bacon breakfast for everyone and then it was nap time! We had a big ham dinner later in the day. It was a very nice day!



















This is Amber with her "Hannah Montana" gear!

another party

Mark and I went to the company Christmas party!




















These are some of the ladies in my department. (from left: Tasha, Katie, and Sierra)

Christmas Party

We had some friends head on over for a Hockman style holiday party and had a great time. As usual, I forgot to get the group shot before someone left (John and Shyra) but I grabbed everyone else before they headed out!

We bought a fireplace this year and Mark got that installed before the party so that was nice to have going. It added some ambiance!

continued

Next up, Mark and I took Amber to a local "fun center" where they were having a "breakfast with Santa". After we finished breakfast, we tried out some of the other things they had there!





















Amber had the professional bowling stance down pat!






Amber was the only kid that wanted to climb the wall while we were there. Go Amber! She was so brave and look how high she went! All by herself!






Amber beat me in air hockey and then was swishing in those basketballs!

















She also played some mini golf like a champ!

Updates

I apologize for going MIA again! I have a lot to catch up on! So here it goes...

First, I need to introduce you to the 2 new puppies in the Goodine household...Buster and Jake. Jake is the small, quiet 5 pounder and Buster is the fiesty 10 pounder (same litter!)








Jake will sleep quietly next to you and cuddle but Buster is another story! Jake is prim and propper and Buster is a scraggly nut. :) They have been fun when we go for visits to the Goodine's!