My Pursuits of Craftiness

 This weekend we decided to pay it forward. We present to you our 26 Acts of Kindness. Each act was presented with a tag honoring the Sandy Hook Elementary tragedy in remembrance of one of the victims. Here is our story.

 

 

 

 

 

This is the card that really sparked my desire to do it and to do it now. I've always wanted to do it and had bookmarked several ideas. This lady inspired me and I knew I needed to do something to give back.

 1st Act: Make bows for a needing family with 2 young girls. This gift was in honor of Anne Marie Murphy.

 I wrapped it up and delivered it to a friend who put the presents together for the family. It was her idea!

 

2nd Act: Leave coloring books and crayons in the pediatric wing children's waiting room. This gift was in honor of Charlotte Bacon.

 3rd Act: Savannah gave "You Rock!" treats to her teachers at preschool. This gift was in honor of Daniel Barden.

 She gave them to six teachers. This is Abigail helping.

 ...another teacher!

 ...another teacher!

4th Act: I could not for the life of me find a park with a sandbox (Do they even have those anymore?) so this bark will have to do. We left a bucket and shovel for a little kid to find and play with. This gift is in honor of Rachel Davino.

 5th Act: We taped quarters to a vending machine for someone to enjoy a free treat! This gift is in honor of Olivia Engel.

 6th Act: Left a treat for the mailman! This gift is in honor of Josephine Gay.

 7th Act: We went to Tampa General Hospital and asked the nurses station if we could deliver a "Get Well" balloon and treat for someone who didn't get very many visitors. We weren't able to deliver because of hospital policy but they delivered for us! This gift is in honor of Ana M. Marquez-Greene.

 8th Act: We left quarters taped to a children's ride in Toys R' Us for some child to enjoy. This gift is in honor of Dylan Hockley.

 

9th Act: Eric helped return carts at the grocery store. This gift is in honor of Dawn Hocksprung.

 10th Act: We knew there were a lot of kids who will not be spending Christmas at home this year. We wanted to deliver a bit of cheer. We brought some Tinker Bell balloons and sport balloons. Again we had to leave them at the nurses station. This gift is in honor of Madeleine F. Hsu.

 11th Act: We wanted to donate toys to kids who won't get much this year. This is Savannah giving one of her toys to Goodwill. We appreciate what Goodwill does for needy families. This gift is in honor of Catherine V. Hubbard.

 12th Act: We love the military and have a very special place in our hearts for all the men an women currently serving, especially away from home during Christmas. This care package is headed to a Marine in Afghanistan! This gift is in honor of Chase Kowalski.

 13th Act: We wanted to let the firefighters of our district know we appreciate the work they do. We delivered cookies to our local firestation. Guess what they did for us? Let us have fun in their truck! This gift is in honor of Jesse Lewis.

 I thought it was really neat how they stopped everything they were doing to entertain us. This was so fun!

 14th Act: A neighbor/coworker/friend of ours just had a baby and we wanted to have dinner ready for them when they got home from the hospital. We made them a family favorite dish and brownies. Mmmm! This gift is in honor of James Mattioli.

 15th Act: We donated some children's books to a local library! This gift is in honor of Grace McDonnell.

 Savannah went through her books and chose ones she thought other kids would enjoy.

 16th Act: I ordered flowers for my mom :) ... and Eric ordered Sherris Berries for his. This gift is in honor of Noah Pozner.

 17th Act: Here's where I paid it forward. I left money with the cashier to be given to the woman in line behind me at the grocery store. What a wonderful feeling! This gift is in honor of Emilie Parker.

 18th Act: Savannah wanted to let her primary leaders know she appreciated what they do. We appreciate they example the set and all the hard work they put into their callings! This gift is in honor of Jack Pinto.

 

19th Act: We donated a bag of warm sweaters to a halfway house in downtown Tampa. They were so grateful it just makes you feel good inside. This gift was in honor of Caroline Previdi.

 20th Act: We donated some towels to a local animal shelter to help clean and keep the animals warm. This gift was in honor of Jessica Rekos.

 Abigail loves dogs. Savannah not so much. Savannah enjoyed the fact they were locked up and wouldn't get her. We spent a little while saying "hi" to the doggies.

 We wanted to thank the volunteers who take care of these animals who don't have a home. I sure couldn't do it.

 21st Act: We paid the bill for the car behind us at the drive-thru. This was so fun! It was an elderly couple and I can just imagine what an old grandpa would say. :) This gift was in honor of Avielle Richman.

22nd Act: Doorbell ditching is so fun! We left a box of Christmas treats and a box of Nutty Bars with a note saying, "Merry Christmas from your Nutty Neighbors!"....I wanted to leave Ding-Dongs and Ho-Hos and say, "Ho Ho Ho from the Ding-Dongs next door!" ...Miss ya Hostess! This gift was in honor of Lauren Rousseau.

 23rd Act: We gave a treat to a local librarian. This gift was in honor of Mary Sherlach.

 24th Act: We taped a $1 bill to a toy at the dollar store for a child to find and enjoy an extra present this Christmas! This gift was in honor of Victoria Soto.

 25th Act: We taped candy canes to ATM machines. Surprise! You get your money AND a candy cane! haha. This gift was in honor of Benjamin Wheeler.

26th Act: Finally, we left balloons at a park for some child to find and play with. This gift was in honor of Allison N. Wyatt. What an amazing journey our family went on this weekend. I cried several times. I smiled to myself several times. Pay it forward ya'll. I dare ya.