World » The Best Nest

We finished picking, packing and wrapping our families contribution to Operation Christmas Child this weekend. I have discovered that I am absolute rubbish at wrapping cardboard shoe boxes {how can it be so hard?}.
I thought I would share what we included in our gift box in case you needed some ideas or are still undecided about whether or not you will contribute to this amazing charity.
So, we decided to prep our gift for a young boy around Ethan’s age (7);

INSIDE THE BOX

1 exercise book
1 spelling notebook
Coloured pencils
Writing pencils and pencil sharpener
Cars posters to colour in, markers and stickers
Toy car
Marbles
Funky pen
Cuddly alligator
Glow stick
Lego mini figures
Flannel and soap
Toothbrush
Squishy ball
Frisbee
There is a drop off location just off Lincoln Rd in Henderson so we plan on delivering our Christmas Shoebox on Wednesday!
How are your families donations coming along?

I am SO excited about this project, I can’t stop thinking about how awesome it is, how easy it is, how absolutely meaningful it is and how much we are going to enjoy putting it together with Ethan.

Of course I discovered it on Create Hope Inspire, Miriam seems to know no end of awesomeness! Let’s teach our kids {in a really hands on way} about giving this Christmas. About sharing with a child in a far less privileged position then our own and lets do it now! Well you actually kinda have to do it now before time runs out. Intrigued?

Check this out;

Operation Christmas Child is a charity operating in Australia and New Zealand. You decorate a shoebox in Christmas wrap, fill it with selected small items that a needy child would just love and be ever so grateful for {think small soft toy, pencils, school books, soap, flannel toothbrush, something to play with etc}, then drop your shoebox off at one of many locations around Australia and New Zealand {NZ list here}. The boxes are gathered and shipped to locations around the world and children who would normally go without get to enjoy something just a wee bit special this Christmas.

So, are you in? Here’s the simple instructions;

Our family is on this like white on rice. We have our shoebox, I did the grocery shopping today so have picked out the first few items, Ethan has ideas about what he is going to contribute, Mum is adding some school supplies – I actually think there could be more than one shoebox leaving this house hopefully! There is so much to love about a project like this. Buying a goat for a village is a wonderful idea, but kind of hard and intangible for my son in NZ to get his head around. Donating money is also a very practical and easy way to donate, but you just never really know where it ends up. When you drop off your Christmas shoebox you can pick up a tracking label which will allow you to follow your boxes journey to the country of its intended recipient. Love it.

So who’s in?

PS If you are even thinking about leaving some nasty-ass comment about how charity begins at home i.e. NZ…… don’t bother please and thank you : )

This is a post that I started the other night and never finished.

Feeling so sad that nothing can change your mood.

Having two sad things combine in your head into a giant mean-sad combo that takes over your being for a while. It makes you feel like your are suspended in and surrounded by the sad and you can’t see the end of it, only feel everything. I feel so sad for Denver. All I can think about is reform of liberal gun law, working it around in my head from every perspective, trying to figure out if it would or could ever change a country so in love with guns.

I also feel so sad for Ethan right now……

And that’s all I wrote.

The sadness has moved on into a numbing ball of stress, which I’m not sure I really enjoy any more than a numbing ball of sadness but work with what you’ve got right?

Can’t think, can’t write {that makes me sadder} so all I can offer is a picture of a Shi Tzu. My darling Louie guarding his breakfast.

My god there are some brilliant, creative peeps out there? Are you one of them? I am envious of you marvelously talented creative types that can spew art and craft from your little toes ::::::sigh::::::blog:::::::

Here is some gorgeousness I found whilst getting lost online;

Digital Origami Animals by Jeremy Kool

Amazeballs. Yes I know. See the other animals that will feature in Kool’s digital book here

Portraits of Ladies in Cardboard Outfits by Christan Tagliavini

How odd, very Alison in Wonderland-esque don’t you think?

Michael Wolf: Architecture of Density

These photographs will make you pause and really appreciate you 1/4 acre in New Zealand after your mind has been blown.

Waimea, Feb 2012

Soap Bubbles. Seriously. Macro is amazing.

Bokeh Macro Photography – By Lee Peiling.

Who knew insects had this much personality?

See you later little nerdlings x

Take 5 minutes and 47 seconds and watch this beautiful film composed entirely of stills. Over 160,000 of them in fact. Some people must just ooze so much talent that they leave a slimy trail behind them don’t you think?

Partying in Rio: A Tilt-Shift Carnival Film by Film director and musician Jarbas Agnelli and photographer and filmmaker, Keith Loutit