(no subject)

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

My name is Marti and I live in Seattle. I work with special needs children and am a single parent to one remarkable teenage monster on the autism spectrum. My email, if you need a mailing address is moira_says_hi at hotmail dot com. Here is my list:

1. I just spent my last dime buying my kid a Wii for Christmas. I know it comes with a game, but if you have used ones you don't use, I'd love to have them. He also has a GameBoy Advance, and would appreciate games for that as well. Most of his were stolen. :(

2. A tree skirt. Anything pretty! I don't have one.

3. Gloves. Fleece, knit, leather - I don't care as long as they match!

4. Speaking of matches, I love collecting little boxes (not books) of matches, the ones you get at restaurants or hotels with a logo on them. I don't know if you can mail these or not though... Don't do it if it's bad. I don't mean to do bad things and neither should you, by and large.

5. Tell me a story. I really want to hear about the gift you are most excited about giving this year. Seriously. Don't email me - leave it as a comment so others will share your joy and excitement of giving. :)

6. I can't figure out how to post a button for my amazon wish list, but you can find it by searching for my email. There are things for both me and my kid on the list.

7. Gift cards, even partially used ones. Restaurants, stores, gas stations, whatever... I don't care where they're from as long as I can find one in Seattle.

8. A paid livejournal account. That would be very cool. But you already knew that, didn't you?

Thanks so much and have a wonderful holiday season....

Comments

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

I am making penguins for penguin lovers!

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Very cute. Do you know a special penguin lover?

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

I went scoping out wish lists and the top entry when I looked under the holiday cards tag was someone requesting penguins. I hope you found them and have them covered!!

[manintheboat.livejournal.com]

Absolutely! That's where they went!

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Yay!

[mawombat.livejournal.com]

I am knitting a scarf for my sister. It's my first knitting project and it's going well. I am very excited because I am not very crafty, so it's a surprise that I can do it! Plus my sister is crafty so it will be nice to give her smth made like she does for me. :)

http://pics.livejournal.com/mawombat/pic/000573z4

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

That's so awesome. I'm making sugar scrub for my friends and I'm happy to be able to give something so personalized. (And something I can afford!!)

[maika-75.livejournal.com]

Actually, it's funny, the gift that i'm most excited about is the blanket making project my daughter and I are involved with for the Knit 1, save 1 project Save the Children are running.

Who would have thought that 16 20cm x 20cm squares sewn together in a 4 x 4 block could be the difference that allows a low-birth weight baby in a developing country to live.

I don't know, I look at my daughter, and realise how blessed I am to have her largely in our case due to medical help (she was born with bilary artresia)...but that here, for small babies here, there is access to incubators, which get them through that rough start until they can keep themselves warm and then thrive. It's amazing what a little warmth can do.

But in some countries, they don't have incubators, and parents there love their babies just as much as I love my daughter, and if us knitting blankets allows them to be able to watch their babies grow up, how can I not help, you know?

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

I think that's awesome, especially because it's something you are sharing with your daughter. You should post the link so others can know how to get involved. :)

[maika-75.livejournal.com]

This is the American link - http://www.savethechildren.org/programs/health/child-survival/survive-to-5/knit-one-save-one.html

They ask for hats, but the cool thing is that you can make them as simply or ornately as you want...AND you can write a little message for the mother of the recipient that will be translated if necessary.

This is the Australian one for the blankets http://www.savethechildren.org.au/knit-one-save-one

You don't have to knit a whole blanket, you can just knit one square if you want, and they'll connect them with other swuares, so you can do as much or as little as you want.

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Now I just have to learn how to knit!

[noodles101.livejournal.com]

I'll be sending something your way! :)

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Ooh!! I'm excited! Do you need my address or anything?

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Thanks for your email. It put a smile on my face. :)

[noodles101.livejournal.com]

No problem :)

[ghoti.livejournal.com]

The thing I am most excited about this year is in the children's stockings... I have a ten year old boy and a one year old girl, both of whom love to watch the TV programme Top Gear. ()ne year old doesn't understand, but likes cars and likes it because her brother does/it's familiar.) They have a super secret test driver, called 'The Stig'. I got both children t-shirts which read "I am The Stig". I just know my son is going to love that.

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

That's so cute!

[violetxfires.livejournal.com]

The gift I'm most excited about giving this year is for my girlfriend. She loves Harry Potter, and desperately wanted to go as Bellatrix Lestrange for the Halloween party at our college, but she couldn't afford to buy any of the accessories. So, I printed out on parchment paper a Hogwarts acceptance letter, in fancy script with the crest on top, and also a supplies list. I then made her a Platform 9 3/4 one-way ticket and cut it out using (Walmart)fancy scissors. Lastly, I'm making/printing her a spellbook with all of the spells used in the books/movies, with fancy lettering and pictures, etc. To top it all off... a wooden wand from Alivan's. I can't WAIT to see her reaction.

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

That is so thoughtful and creative!!

[karra.livejournal.com]

I think that it's ok to mail matches as long as you tell the post office you are doing so, so they can make sure you packaged it right/it is handled properly.

I will be sending you something!

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Yay! Email me if you need my address. :)

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Wow...that sounds like an incredible gift. I wish I could make something that cool. You should post pictures of your finished product.

Gift

[starssshine20.livejournal.com]

I am actually super excited to give a present to my dad that I know he wants this year, well...2 actually. He is retired and only has health insurance, so me and my sister bought him dental insurance, which he really needs and is too proud to ask for. I also bought him Hanae Mori edp cologne. My sister caught him sniffing it at the mall, but he said he couldn't justify spending $90 on cologne. She said he looked sad when they left the store because he is having a hard time living on a fixed income when he used to be able to buy whatever he wanted (within reason, of course). I really think that it will lift his spirits to see that we not only pay attention to him, but love him enough to give him what he wont/cant give himself.

Re: Gift

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

I think that is really thoughtful. I like the fact that you got him something practical AND something frivolous.

[heyfashion.livejournal.com]

5. I always give my parents store bought gifts and then a handmade gift. This year, I am needle felting dolls of each of them and packaging them as though they were store bought, so they are going to have custom boxes with descriptions on the back about their dolls. I tried to write the descriptions as quirkey as I could, to match the typical doll descriptions you see like "Fashion doll STACY loves to go to the mall with her friends after school...". It's a little corny, but I put a lot of effort into these so I can't wait to see their reactions.

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

How fun! You can really have a lot of fun with those. What a great idea. I'd love to read some of the descriptions you wrote for your folks.

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

I think that spending time with people you love, both family and friends, is the best part of Christmas. I think it's an awesome gift.

[sonadora9.livejournal.com]

I'm making the guestbook for my sister's wedding; I think that's the gift I'm most excited about doing. Tying in her theme colors, though if she doesn't like it, she'll still have plenty of time to buy one from a bridal shop -- but handmade is personal, so I thought she might want that. :)

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

That is so lovely and thoughtful. It will be WAY more beautiful than anything she would find commercially. I hope she is thrilled!

[duskwillow.livejournal.com]

Hm, I think I'm most excited about my nephew's present. He's two and he's currently fascinated with firemen. So I got him one of the Lego fireman toys. And plan to draw him a card/poster with his favourite cartoon character. I think he'll like that. :)

As for a LJ account, sadly I can't afford to buy you one. But I do have few 10$ LJ coupons left (more info about them here (http://community.livejournal.com/paidmembers/23977.html?mode=reply)), and I could send you one if that would help?

[zerlina.livejournal.com]

Oh! Your nephew is going to LOVE that! I'll bet if you went to your local fire station they would have some junior firefighter hats to spare...

I appreciate the offer. I have a friend with some as well, but I need to wait until after the holidays to spend any money on myself. Thanks though! And thanks for sharing your story! I'd love to hear about his reaction. :)

the gift I am most excited about giving

[badrahessa.livejournal.com]

I am painting a large acrylic peice of a elephant head with starspois along it's main contour lines. It's a gift for my soon to be mother-in-law. She is a super sweet lady and has welcomed me into her family with open arms. I wanted to make her something she was esepcially fond of ( elephants ) and from my heart/hands.