Giving Tuesday 2021

Dearest friends and family,

I hope this finds you and yours well. For many reasons which I don’t wish to recount here, we have been through some challenging times in 2020 and 2021. As you may recall, despite keeping Story Spark closed during 2020, I maintained and deepened our mission while giving back to the Amarillo community through the Story Spark Christmas Project. With your support and generosity, we were able to provide carefully curated gift sets which included a book and related play and educational items to over 60 children from low-income families in Amarillo.

This year through the generosity of the St. Andrew’s Episcopal School community, we have collected over 120 books to date, but now it’s time to play Santa and purchase all the play and educational items that will transform each book into a more meaningful and hands-on learning experience. My hope is that you will again support this project by giving any amount you can and by spreading the news to friends and contacts who may also be able to give at this time. Thank you for helping me spread peace, love, and books! The children, their families and their teachers are so very grateful.

Visit, donate, and share the GoFundMe Page today: https://gofund.me/fbc45243 or click on the red picture above.

With much love,
Annika

“Reading should not be presented to children as a chore, a duty. It should be offered as a gift.” -Kate DiCamillo, children’s author

“Play gives children a chance to practice what they are learning.” -Mr. Rogers

5 Keepsake Crafts for the Holidays

There are few things cuter than baby hands or feet. I can’t get enough of the way those little toes curl or the way those little hands clap with glee or  manipulate things around them. Ok, except for the hair grabbing, poking me in the eye, or trying to pull off parts of my body like a nose or nipple… yikes! But seriously, those sweet toes and fingers are the cutest torture devices that exist.

Because they’ll grow way too fast and because messy play is so much fun, why not create some keepsake crafts to decorate with during the holiday season, using those adorable hands and feet!

Continue reading 5 Keepsake Crafts for the Holidays

Be Kind Because You’re Decent: A Rant about Santa and Elves

We have made it to my favorite time of the year: The Christmas and Advent season! I recognize and respect the diversity of holidays and ways people celebrate them, but for me, it’s Christmas and there are a lot of family Christmas traditions that make me all warm and gooey inside.

Continue reading Be Kind Because You’re Decent: A Rant about Santa and Elves