This year I keep hearing the term, "gifts that make a difference," and I love it.

Target is the happiest place on earth to me but sometimes I get tired thinking that all the money I spend there is just going to some corporate executive's pockets. I'm sure they do some great community programs but how far does the impact of that really reach? Does it reach Honduras? or South Africa?

So tonight here's a few gifts that will make a difference and reach beyond the suburbia of the U.S.

First is Compassion International. The do great, amazing, awesome things. I've followed two tours that they have taken with bloggers to third world countries and the pictures that come back are mind blowing. Seriously they are of children growing up in an area that I would not even let me kids look at, much less grow up in. But these people have no choice and they do the best they can. We are blessed. Compassion has a gift catalog right now where you can "buy" and item and give someone a gift card stating that the item was bought in their name.

My two favorite items are:

 A goat for $45 dollars that would provide food and milk to a family or

a soccer ball that would provide kids with teamwork and other physical skills.






I'm not sure why I love those two.. probably because the kids are stinking cute. The images are straight off the compassion website, they are not mine.

Next is probably my favorite because I love the people that founded it. Introducing The Tilapia Project...

This is a project started by my brother in law, Bill, and gorgeous sister, Debra. They raised Tilapia in their yard and in their shed until they found a way that Tilapia (fish) ponds could be grown in third world nations. Now they help orphanages and schools in poor countries provide fish and a food and income source. It's a great project and they are always in need of donations. A place to donate and more info about their current projects can be found on their website, The Tilapia Project. Give a donation in some one's name for the perfect Christmas gift. And the best part is that it wouldn't even smell like if you gave a real fish.

Bill and Debra do not know that I am writing about this and have in no way, shape, or form asked me to do it. They are sleep deprived with a new baby and probably don't remember my name, proof being that they didn't name the baby after me. I'm OK with that.... really...

And the Last one is... Mercy House Kenya's Etsy Shop

Mercy House is in the process of building a maternity house in Kenya. It will help give the girls a better healthier option for their pregnancy while training them for jobs and parenthood. A portion of all the sales from Mercy House Kenya Etsy Shop goes directly to Mercy House (a large portion). So the good news is that you can still buy these as gifts and give them for Christmas. It's not just a piece of paper saying that you gave, which is still amazing, it's a tangible gift that would be great to give to those that might need them while still giving to this great organization.

I love this Merry Christmas Petal Pin.
What a great gift for a coworker!

This hat is amazing. Who can do that? not me.. that's for sure











So give a gift with purpose this year.  If you dont' have anyone to give them to you can mail them to Bobbie J. Byrd, 185..... Oh, I'm just kidding!

Greedy Goose

Sunday we went to the Houston Galleria. In case you've never been let me just tell you that this place is dripping in money. The parking garage alone housed a few Maserati's, LLamborghini's, a PPorsche and two Bentley's. That was all before we even went in the actual mall.

Walking in we immediately saw Chanel, Burberry, Emporio Armani, Versace and Valentino. These are heavy duty shops, not the outlet versions that you might possibly see at your local outlet mall. The main way that you can tell that you could only shop there if you took out a second mortgage on your house is that there is about two racks of clothes with one sample of each outfit and at least five sales people that look bored with life.

It is very easy to tell the tourists from the actual shoppers. The tourists look more like myself, mom jeans, bad haircut, cheap shirt and homemade purse. The actual shoppers have designer purses and shoes that you've only seen in magazines. Their haircut cost more than the birth of my last child and they are fancy.

Damion suggest that I take the girls into Sephora for a little "girl time".  I was so excited that maybe I could buy some new make up but everywhere I looked there was vulgar makeup names. It was so vulgar, I'm not going to post it on here. Why does every fancy makeup designer feel the need to name some of their collections with body parts and sexual things? It made me feel a little ill. No I would not like my eyeshadow name to be more embarrassing than my yearly OB exam.

Finally we made our way to Nordstrom because I wanted to try on Tom's shoes. Truth be told, Damion and I both have feet sightly wider than a VW bug so of course, they didn't fit. Damion did however get a kick out of all the fancy clothes, furs, and shoes.  On the way out I actually touched a pair of Louboutins (shoes for you guys that don't know) and they were only $800.... for one pair of shoes.

It made me sad. Really. I know why. The night before our trip I had spent time of my brother-in-laws blog about his mission to bring a sustainable food source into third world countries. There are pictures of babies asleep on concrete floors, shacks that are literally falling down, and hungry orphans. Then I walked into a mall where luxury is at every turn and in way, it's not even luxury, it's gluttony and greed. I know that's harsh to say so please don't think I'm judging you if you don't share my same feelings. I'm not, I'm just trying to write down my feelings.

How can I desire or long for any of those things when the people in Haiti only long for food that day? How greedy am I to wish for riches when I am a millionaire in the eyes of those people? I am so greedy Lord. Forgive me.

How greedy is America that when give money to companies that are vulgar and use the riches for their own gain instead of helping others?  What if everyone in that mall took $2- and gave it to one of the families in Haiti or Kenya? What difference would that make? What if someone didn't buy the $800 shoes and gave that money to one family in a third world country? Would that provide a safe home and the chance to educate all their children? yes and more so!

Now an even longer rabbit trail that doesn't make sense because I have never in my life made sense. This is the Clumsy Crafter, not the well put together and thought out crafter.

Yesterday at one point I was ready to give up being SuperWife and give back the cape. I was mad about something and tired of taking care of everyone. I was so tired and still had more to do before bed. As I was standing there ironing Damion's shirts for him, I thought to myself "God I better get a big crown of jewels for this".

With the sweetest love available, God smacked me in the face and said, "You already have a huge crown of jewels."  He wasn't talking about my reward in Heaven, He was talking about my life here in America.

I gripe about wanting a bigger house but compared to those in Haiti, I have a mansion. I gripe about needing new fall clothes while some people have one set of clothes. I can barely close my dresser drawer. I get blessed with a dishwasher and meat that I don't have to shoot and prepare that day just to eat it but I gripe about cooking a quick 20 minute dinner.

So those people that I was judging in the Galleria? I am no different. I may have less in my bank account but I am extremely wealthy and extremely greedy.  I live in the lap of luxury and need to be more thankful for it. Sometimes it's easy to forget the blessings that we have at every turn here in this country. But we are no different from the extremely greedy if we take our blessings for granted.

If you stayed here through my entire rant, you are a saint and I love you.  I love you even if you didn't, but you wouldn't know that, would you?

Just in case you want to support my Brother in law and super prego sister go here The Tilapia Project