Christmas In July @ I Like Big Buttons! July 22 2018

It feels like Christmas in July in our I Like Big Buttons! household.

We have been busy helping our small community church prepare goodies for the Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes that our church sends out each year. It is a great way to demonstrate to and with my children what it means to love and reach the unreached.

Given how excited my children, who have much in comparison, are about the little packages we put together, I can only imagine the wonder each girl and boy has when they open the special boxes we have packed for them.

This year we were tasked with making little bead & necklace kits which feels right up our alley. 

I think they turned out pretty nice and with my many helpers, the task wasn't overwhelming. So far, we have put together 225 bead necklace kits. I am sure some more beads will make their way to us. 

Next, we were put in charge of cutting in half all the construction paper so that it fits neatly in the shoeboxes. I may have volunteered for this task because I have the largest paper cutter around. :P

Our task for the upcoming week is sewing kits. I bought some simple hotel sewing kits off of Amazon that we are going to jazz up with some extra goodies.

Like an overabundance of "free" fabric, Grandma dropped on my doorstep when she was cleaning her home.  I think for my sanity and to bless someone else, it should be donated to Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. Seems like a win, win! :)

We are also adding extra thread, bobby pins, buttons, floss, ribbon left over from our bead necklaces, and scissors.

I hope you enjoyed a glimpse into Christmas in July at I Like Big Buttons! I am sure there will be more Operation Christmas Child projects to come as November approaches. My kiddos and I are on our OCC director's short list. She knows we are cheerful, ready, and willing to make her crazy ideas a reality. :)

Last year, our tiny community church made almost 800 boxes which amazes me. God is Good!!! If you haven't checked out Operation Christmas Child and Samaritan's Purse, you should. It is an outstanding program run by Franklin Graham.