Instead of our traditional $2 Taco Tuesday, Helene and I gathered up our stash of snacks and goodies that we’ve been collecting all month for Holy Family School. Linda joined us for our visit. We go about once a month or to share our “giving back” gifts for the kiddos. Then, we treat ourselves to the best French fries in the great state of Texas over at One and Only Burger, just down the road from the school.
Linda, Helene, Miss Sondra, and yours truly. Miss Sondra always gives us a big hug and thank you for our thoughtfulness. I had a lot of cereal , juice, and other goodies to donate.Helene had a lot of snacks, cereal, and 8 pounds of bananas.
After our drop off, chatting, and hugs, we went over to One and Only Burger. Woa! So good.
It was a very rewarding day. The weather was sunny and in the upper 70’s. I think this was the last beautiful warm day for a long time. I’m glad we got out to enjoy it,
“Sharing is caring, according to my 3 year old granddaughter.”
Toni Armenta Andrukaitis
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Helene and I stopped over at Holy Family School over on the east side this afternoon. We both have been picking up snacks, drinks, baby wipes, and Helene also purchased a bunch of crayons for the kiddos, besides all her snacks.
We had a trunk load of goodies, plus, our dear friends Joni and Bob gave us a very generous check for the preschool to use for arts and craft supplies. Thank you Joni and Bob.Some of my goodies.Our donation was much appreciated, and this little guy actually stopped crying when we came to visit. He had been fussing caused by some new teeth coming in, so he wasn’t napping with the rest of the children.A little quiet or nap time upstairs. While we were on that side of town, we stopped to see the awesome silo murals. The ribbon cutting ceremony is tomorrow, weather permitting. We just got a downpour here. Appreciated, it not really conducive for outdoor painting. After our sharing is caring, then staring at silos adventures were over, a quick stop at One and Only Burger over off of 380 and HWY 5. The best French fries ever. That was our lunch. We split one medium bag of French fries and were stuffed. $4.00 for that huge bag. They have great burgers too, but we couldn’t do both.
We stopped at the Purple Store thrift shop right down the street, always on the hunt for some great glassware to paint. Nada! Nothing today.
A lovely cleansing rain, good friends, sharing, caring, and blessings.
“There can be no keener revelation of a society’s soul than the way in which it treats its children.” ~Nelson Mandela
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Yesterday, Helene and I made our monthly pilgrimage to Holy Family School on the east side of town. The quaint little non-profit preschool has been a Godsend to working parents all around McKinney. With a beautiful Christian based atmosphere, children from babies to pre-schoolers are lovingly cared for.
Helene and I have been gathering up fun snacks and drinks and baby supplies for a few years now. When we see a great sale for the kiddos, we add it to our stash, then we plan a day around once a month to visit and drop off the goodies. Our friends June and Linda went with us last month and have started adding to our contributions.
Holy Family School has become our little family away from home.The staff is always happy to see us and they truly appreciate our visits.We had a trunk load of goodies to share with our little friends.
After our drop off, we stepped out back to see how the Community Kitchen and gardens were coming along. It’s so neat that the children get to see the vegetables growing right in their own back yard behind the school.
I bet the kiddos enjoy watering and watching things grow.The pretty playground overlooks the gardens, providing a fun safe environment for these beautiful children. The little ones were all napping when we arrived, so we didn’t get any kiddie photos this time. Here’s a cool photo from their Facebook page. Look at those smiles.
After our stop at Holy Family, Helene and I have a tradition of stopping at One and Only Burger for the best fresh French fries in town.
This is one medium order of French fries. That’s enough for two or three hungry people. That’s all we ordered and split it. And, that’s all I ate all day. Yum! So good.After we rolled out of One and Only Burger, we stopped at “The Purple Store,” that it is known by, but actually the real name is the Samaritan Inn Thrift Store. I’m always on the hunt for a unique glass bowl for next year’s Empty Bowls auction. I didn’t find the perfect one yet, but I did find a bowl for an artist Collectors Club that might work. I’ll keep looking.
And, don’t forget …Tomorrow, Thursday May 12, 6-8 pm, is the Annual Empty Bowls Event on the McKinney Square.
Wow! That first bowl looks really amazing. I wonder who the talented artist is? 🤦♀️ 👩🏻🎨 The high bid is only at $400. And, it’s a very fun charity event for a very worthy cause. “Feeding the hungry, one bowl at a time.” (More on that tomorrow.)
“The more one does and sees and feels, the more one is able to do, and the more genuine may be one’s appreciation of fundamental things like home, and love, and understanding companionship.”
Yesterday, my good friends Helene, June and Linda met me over at Holy Family School. We were dropping off our donations for the little pre-schoolers. It’s always fun to buy and collect items during the month that we think the school could use, anything from crayons to baby wipes. It’s always an adventure.
It seems like every week, we can find some great bargain to add to our collection. This is what I gathered this month. Helene had her own trunk full of goodies.Checking out the playground and Community kitchen construction out back.Miss Roseanne gave us a little tour.We were fortunate to have a chat with our friend, the very busy Miss Sondra. The Community Garden and children’s playground are really coming along.
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After our visit to Holy Family School, Helene and I just had to take Linda and June over to One and Only Burger on Hwy 5. We’ve been bragging about their fries forever. They had never been.
Yesterday, Helene and I went over to Holy Family School on the Eastside to deliver our donations of snacks and drinks for the kiddos. With the supply chain being messed up and store shelves getting empty, it seems like there haven’t been any great sales to stock up on for January. But, we did best.
I didn’t have as much as usual, but like my mother-in-law used to say, “Better like nothing.”Helene had some pretty cool snacks to take. Our visits are always most welcome.
Now for our decadent reward… we always stop afterwards at One and Only Burger, Just down the road. We get a regular size order of French fries, which inch enough to feed two hungry ladies.
Did I mention this huge bag of freshly cut fries cost a whopping $3.48 cents with tax? Yowza!
“If you think you are too small to make a difference, try sleeping with a mosquito.”
~Dalai Lama
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Not one single person on this planet is too small to make a difference. A little love and kindness and generosity goes a long way.
Today, Helene and I went on a little road trip to the east side of town. Our first stop was a visit to Wendolin Mercado’s studio. Wendolin had this awesome idea of offering some friends the chance to have some special custom handmade jewelry made and attend a workshop with her for a contribution of only $50 or more to her class tool fund. The proceeds would go to purchasing an expensive piece of jewelry making equipment that she has been yearning for. Plus, the students will be learning how to use professional jewelry making tools in their classes. Win-win.
I have taken several of Wendolin’s workshops and she is just the sweetest and most talented artist. She works magic with children and adults alike. So, we stopped by to drop off my envelope. Not only did she show us around the studio, but right there on the spot, she custom measured, sized and tarnished a beautiful silver ring for me. I told her that there was no rush, but she insisted. It’s beautiful.
How she performs her jewelry magic, I don’t know.
Our next stop was Holy Family School. Helene and I have been doing our shopping and gathering all month. And an added bonus surprise was an extremely generous check for the kiddos from Joni and Bob Goen. They are so kind and thoughtful.
Some drinks and snacks That I’ve been collecting. Gotta love Unicorn Jello Pudding. No… it’s not made with real unicorns, although maybe they help with the transporting. Helene had her trunk load of treats and milk and water to add to the donation.
Thank you Joni and Bob for your generous check. You guys ROCK!
Well, all that exhausting running around got us hungry, and we were so close, we had to stop at One and Only Burger for their famous fries, to die for. Literally, I think we almost died trying to finish the one regular size fries. $3.73 with tax, and more freshly cut delicious fries than two people could consume. We did our best, but couldn’t quite finish.
Luckily, we only go out that way once a month after our Holy Family School visit. 🤦♀️
So, that was a peek at our Tuesday Travels with Toni and Helene. Just a couple of mosquitos, doing their little thing, buzzing around, trying to make a difference.
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Jesus speaking Mark 9:37 NIV
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Helene and I stopped over at Holy Family School the other day. We try and get over there about once a month with our fabulous finds of snacks, cereal, juice, baby necessities, or art supplies for the children. Every month is a fun adventure of shopping sales for the school.
The best part of our adventure is visiting the school with all our special treats and the smiling faces that greet us.
Miss Rachel helped us carry in all our bags. Miss Sondra was just about to have her lunch when we popped in. The children were up in their classrooms, but here is an old photo that shows exactly why we do what we do. Look at those beautiful smiling faces.
The video below tells a little bit about the wonderful non-profit faith-based pre-school.
“Whoever welcomes one of these little children in my name welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me does not welcome me but the one who sent me.” Jesus speaking Mark 9:37 NIV
“Those blessings are sweetest that are won with prayer and worn with thanks.” ― Thomas Goodwin
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Nothing says thankfulness like sharing. Today, Helene and I went over to Holy Family School over on the east side of town. We had our regular goodies and sales that we gather over the weeks when we go shopping. It’s like a fun game.”Look, I got cereal on sale, and baby wipes were only a dollar.” Fun! Today we had a couple cases of water, ten boxes of cereal, fruit snacks and bars, etc.
Also, I had a check for $200 that was donated to the Trinidad Aguirre-Armenta Foundation for the Arts from my friend, Sid, who admired our generosity to the non-profit Christian School. My sister started the foundation just a few months ago in honor of my beautiful, artistic and awesome mother who discovered her artistic talents in her late sixties after she retired. The object of the non-for-profit, TAAFA, will be to help promote the arts in the Hispanic community, in honor of my sweet mother.
Holy Family School in McKinney is the first of many future recipients that will be assisted in promoting the arts in their community. A good place to start… with the little ones.
(Photo c1950’s courtesy of Jason Hernandez.)(Photo courtesy of Michele Bernard.)
“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?'”
Martin Luther King Jr.
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Sometimes I wonder if people reading my stories about taking brownies to the firemen, or volunteering with local senior artists, or taking food and treats to the preschool, well, I wonder if they think I’m trying to toot my own horn or show off. The truth of the matter is, I have found that when I share some of these random acts of kindness, often times, other people are influenced to join in on the fun. Yes, fun. Friends have given me checks to donate, others have given me cookies to take to my firemen, and others have joined me in volunteering. And guess what? They had fun and felt joy, too.
There is no greater satisfaction in the world than making someone smile. It could be something as simple as paying a compliment to a stranger, or writing a note or making a call to an old friend. And, my firemen love my brownies and always smile. From my own experience, I have found that the more I give, the more I receive.
I always say that my cup isn’t half full or half empty, but rather, it’s always overflowing. I have been blessed with so much that I try and share a little of my blessings with others. Then, right when the cup starts getting a tiny bit lower, it gets filled to overflowing again, so I need to share again. That’s how my universe works.
Monday, Helene and I went over to Holy Family School over on the east side. During the course of the month, we shop the sales at different stores for items that the little ones can use, anything from baby wipes to cookies to, the ever popular, Mickey Mouse Goldfish crackers. We delight in sharing our bargains. Then, about once a month, we gather a trunk load of items and take it over.
This month, I hit the jackpot, apple juice was only 99 cents, as well as the bags of cookies. Helene had puddings, cookies, and a bunch of other treats at her house. Between the two of us, we had a trunk load of goodies for the little ones.Miss Melody greeted us with the biggest smile, even under her mask. She knows that we are just two ladies that appreciate what the school is doing to help the young children and families in the neighborhood.
If we all just give back a little to our community, the world could be a better happier place. I know Helene and I are happier every time we visit.
“It’s okay to be crazy and scared and brave at the same time!” ― Kelly Epperson
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This certainly is a crazy scary world nowadays, but life goes on. And, we have to make the best of it, so it’s okay to be crazy and scared and brave. Hopefully, that will include being smart and exclude being stupid.
I’m trying to continue on with my life, being careful and considerate. I’ve gotten my first dose of vaccine and have an appointment for my second next week. Even then, I will continue to wear my mask and try to keep others safe. But, I’ll still do my thing.
Yesterday, Helene and I masked up and went over to Holy Family School with a trunk load of our donations for the little ones. We stock up on sales every week and about once a month, we drive over to the east side for our “happy fix.” We had baby wipes, Gold Fish crackers, juice, cereal, bottled water, and other snacks. The staff is always happy to see us, and we love peeking in on the little ones napping or going out to the playground.
It was kinda funny, today, on my Facebook memories from last year on this day, this cute photo popped up. (Pre-scary Covid time.)
When Helene and I were leaving downtown McKinney, we spotted the mounted patrol putting the horses in the trailer for their rest and lunch break. (The horses, not the officers. Well, maybe them too.) Officer John even recognized me with my mask and said, “Haven’t seen you in a long time.” Officer Kevin said the same, and the horses were glad to get a pat on the nose and a gentle nuzzle. Do you think they remember me, too?
Aren’t they adorable! The horses….well, the officers too.
Today, I met my friend Krys for a quick lunch and to pick up my order. She had sewn some special order items for my little granddaughters. I wanted to get them shipped before Easter, so she’s been working diligently. Not easy with the power outages we had. (Thanks Krys)
Aren’t they magnificent! Krys works wonders with fabric, and my little girls love the special handmade gifts. I ordered two identical sets so there is no fussing or confusion down the line. I have the most talented friends. If you want to contact Krys Watson, let me know.
Well, that’s what I’ve been up to the last couple of days. Keeping busy and trying to stay out of trouble. (That’s not always easy.) Happy Wednesday, my friends.
Toni Andrukaitis 