#GivingTuesday is a terrific opportunity to look up and away from ourselves. Of course, this outlook shouldn’t be confined to just one day a year, but I can’t argue with a movement that encourages us all to reach out. And so, in celebration of Giving Tuesday, here are eighteen different ways to give a gift that gives. A gift that loves. A gift that matters. ♥

For more information about a particular gift, simply click on that photo.

1. Love Without Boundaries | EDUCATION | Provide education and school access to at-risk children in China ($10+)

2.Love Without Boundaries | FOSTER FAMILIES | Provide a family environment through foster care to orphaned and at-risk children in China ($10+)

3.Love Without Boundaries | ORPHAN CARE | Provide access to care, hope and healing to orphaned and impoverished children in China through LWB’s programs ($10+)

4. Love Without Boundaries | MEDICAL CARE | Provide medical care and surgeries to orphans and infants/children whose parents would not otherwise be able to provide care. ($10+)

5. Samaritan’s Purse | REFUGEE RELIEF | Provide tents, heaters, food and more to displaced people ($125+)

6.Samaritan’s Purse | PREVENT HUMAN TRAFFICKING | Provide education in at-risk locations to empower potential victims to recognize and avoid exploitation and trafficking. ($100+)

7. Samaritan’s Purse | CLEAN WATER | Provide a water filtration system to give 3,500 people access to clean water ($20+)

8. Samaritan’s Purse | PROTECT VULNERABLE WOMEN | Provide literacy classes, maternal/child health education, protection and support for victims of gender-based violence, and more. ($30+)

9. Samaritan’s Purse | ONE WEEK OF FOOD | Provide food for a baby or nursing mother for one week. ($9+)

10. Samaritan’s Purse | CLOTHES & SHOES | Provide warm coats, clothing and footwear to displaced people in refugee camps. ($25+)

11. Anchor of Hope Romania | FOSTER CARE | Provide family-like environments and other vital care for orphans, abandoned babies, and at-risk young people in Romania. (Any amount) To give directly to Christian & Marie Burtt, full-time missionaries serving in Romania with Anchor of Hope, click here.

12. Taiwan Xi En | CRISIS PREGNANCY HOME | Provide nurturing care for infants and expectant mothers at the Taiwan Xi En House of Hope. (Any amount)

13. Taiwan Xi En | SPONSOR A BABY | Provide diapers, formula, clothes, shelter and caring nannies for abandoned and at-risk infants 0-2y at the Taiwan Xi En Orphanage. ($50/mo)

14. Show Hope | SURGERIES | Provide heart, cleft lip and cleft palate surgeries to orphans and infants/children in China. ($65+)

15. Show Hope | EVERYDAY NECESSITIES | Provide diapers, food, and clean drinking water to the special needs orphans living at the Show Hope care centers in China. ($12+)

16. Adami Tulu + Ziway Project | EDUCATION & FOOD | Provide access to education and nutritious meals for a school-age child in Ethiopia. ($19/mo)

17. Adami Tulu + Ziway Project | HIGH SCHOOL EDUCATION | Provide the resources necessary to build a high school so the Adami Tulu + Ziway students can continue their education. (Any amount) Or, donate in honor of a loved one, and send a card to a friend! ($20+)

18. Lifesong for Orphans | WHERE MOST NEEDED | Provide life-giving care for children, and sustainable micro-business opportunities for adults, in Bolivia, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, Ethiopia, Liberia, Zambia, Cambodia, India and Ukraine. On #GivingTuesday [2 December 2014] only, your gift to Lifesong for Orphans will be multiplied 4x through a matching grant when you give using this link. (Any amount)

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Monday's Pretty Things

MONDAY’S PRETTY THINGS :: 5 Impossibly Delicious Pictures of Food

June 3, 2013 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Tarta de ruibarbo -Rhubarb Tart -via Elle.es
Tarta de ruibarbo via Elle.es

Cannelle et Vanille -Alaskan Black Cod
Alaska black cod via Cannelle et Vanille

Blueberry coconut lassi via Cook Republic

Potato Salad with Dill - A Thought for Food
Potato salad with dill via A Thought for Food

Mimi Thorisson - Artichoke
Artichokes via Manger by Mimi Thorisson

(You guys, Mimi’s blog is seriously one to add to the reading list. Before her current home in Médoc, France, she’s lived in Hong-Kong, Singapore, London, Reykjavik and Paris. The photography is stunning, and the stories she weaves as she prepares food make you feel like you’re tagging alongside her. Check it out!)

Babiekins Magazine, Life in Photos

LIFE IN PHOTOS :: The Brasilian Supermarket

April 30, 2013 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Earlier, I had all sorts of things I was going to say, but I think the sun fried all my brain cells. Priscilla and Aveline and I were off exploring this morning, and I am pretty sure all of us are now completely melted — it was HOT today!

But don’t miss her very cool (heh) photo tour of Aveline’s time in a Brasilian supermarket, from our outing to Silva’s last week!

Baby/Toddler Food, How To

3 Simple Baby Foods You Can Easily Make at Home in 2 Minutes or Less

November 9, 2011 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Before I start, I feel like I need to say up front that my intention isn’t to ignite a firestorm on the topic of babyled weaning (BLW) vs purées. I’m not preaching purées over BLW. We personally have used a combined approach. If you read my prior post in this series, you’ll realize that my point in writing this baby food series is to encourage mama to feed baby using foods already in the grocery budget, rather than using purchased “baby” foods. Obviously, if you’re practicing BLW you already know this. :-)

Avocado - Baby Foods You Can Make on Your Own in Less than 2 Minutes

Here are a few alternatives to packaged baby food, each of which takes only a minute or two to prepare.

Avocados

This is an incredibly nutritious food, and is an excellent choice for baby’s first food. (Yes, as baby’s first food! Contrary to common belief, babies don’t need to eat white rice cereal. White rice has very little nutritional value, and (hey, it’s a fact) contributes to constipation.)
Avocados contain healthy fats, which are essential for the development of baby’s brain and central nervous system. They are also a good source of vitamin K, B6, and folate.

As far as preparation, you really can’t get any easier than avocados. Wash, peel, and mash some up with a fork. Or, if baby is feeding herself, you can cut ripe avocado into little pieces. Easy peasy!

Canned Pumpkin/Winter Squash

Purchase plain canned pumpkin in the baking aisle. It’s the same pumpkin they use to make jarred baby food, except without the additives. And, it’s a fraction of the cost. Win!

Of course, it doesn’t have to be canned. If you have the time and desire, you can halve, deseed, and oven roast your own winter squashes. Prepared this way, it can also work as (a messy) finger food.

Nutritionally, winter squashes are a good source of both vitamins C and A, which are excellent for the immune system. It’s also very easy on baby’s digestion! (I like to stick to pumpkin and squashes rather than sweet potatoes or yams, because the latter are much higher in sugar.)

Quinoa Flakes

Quinoa’s recent surge in popularity is for a good reason. This unique food — actually a seed, not a grain — contains all nine amino acids and is, on its own, a complete protein.

Quinoa flakes are extremely easy to prepare, since you just add water and cook for 90 seconds. You can mix cooked quinoa cereal in with any other food to add protein to baby’s meal.

Don’t be scared off by the relatively pricey cost of quinoa flakes (~$5/box). A single box goes a very, very long way when you’re just using it to feed baby; one has literally lasted us for months.

Obviously, this is not an exhaustive list. As this series on baby/toddler food progresses, I’ll talk more about practical ways to feed baby with the same ingredients you’re using to cook the family’s dinner.

(Click here to receive email updates when the Oaxacaborn blog is updated.)

Guest Blog, Handmade

Headband Giveaway at ‘Ma Nouvelle Mode’

September 15, 2011October 12, 2011 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Guess what, lovely readers? My very first giveaway ever is going on right now at Ma Nouvelle Mode! Head on over and enter to win all three of these headbands from my Etsy shop. Giveaway is open to US and non-US readers. Be sure to follow Natalia’s beautiful blog while you’re at it — I just love her.

And did you see my gluten-free cracker/pizza crust recipe on Peas in a Blog yesterday? Thank you, Carolina and Katie, for letting me guest post!

Life in Photos

‘Buvoo zhh zhh ma mumm’ to you (August Photo Challenge: Day 4)

August 4, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Wow, readers, you are truly wonderful. I was overwhelmed by your sweet words — and your prayers! — yesterday when I was feeling small and far away.

Aveline standing on couch in the morning - art in background is by Josiah Munsey 26pm.com

Today has been a blessed and peaceful day. How could it not be when it involved crepes, new striped fabric (different than what’s pictured above), and this little sweet pea giving me slobbery kisses while saying over and over “buvoo zhh zhh ma mummm”.

Pretty much perfect if you ask me.

Image of eggshells, i.e., crepe aftermath: Day Four (Interesting Litter) of the August Photo Challenge.

Life in Photos

Guacamole, anyone?

July 31, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

I keep looking at this avocado we bought at the Farmer’s Market yesterday. I can’t help it. It’s the biggest avocado I’ve ever seen in my life! Maybe this is old hat to Floridians, but in all my trips to good ol’ Denios in California, I’ve never encountered an avocado of such Biblical proportions. I felt a little like Caleb and Joshua, coming back from Canaan with those ginormous grapes.

I can already taste it with a little bit of tomatoes, cilantro, garlic, lime & sea salt. YUM.

Gina and Aveline with Florida avocado

Florida avocado size compared to hand

Guest Blog

Guest Post: Summertime Means Popsicles

July 8, 2011March 22, 2014 Gina @ Oaxacaborn

Amelia of More Fun with an Apron eating a homemade fudgepop with popsicle recipe

I’m so excited to write my first ever guest blog post! I was very flattered to be asked and the first thing that came to mind was “Slow Drip Fudge Pops”. I started making “slow drip pops” for my daughter last year and she loves them. I love that they hold up well in the summer heat. You can get creative with homemade popsicles by mixing and matching different fruits, yogurt, and juices. Mix in some chamomile tea with fruit juice for a teething baby. I like that I can control the amount of sugar in the popsicles and I can also avoid nasty artificial dyes and flavors.

More Fun with an Apron Homemade Fudgepop Popsicle Recipe

This recipe can be made with almond or rice milk but I happened to have left over organic whole milk from making yogurt so I used that. You could even live on the wild side and use heavy cream or half and half. It will be our secret.

Amelia of More Fun with an Apron eating a homemade fudgepop with popsicle recipe

Homemade Fudgepops

2 cups milk
1/2 cup cocoa powder
2/3 cup of sugar (or add to taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 package Knoxx gelatin

In a medium sauce pan heat all the ingredients and stir until sugar and gelatin has dissolved and cocoa powder has been incorporated well. Cool slightly before adding to the popsicle molds. Makes 6-10 pops depending on your type of molds.

There you go! The gelatin is the secret. It keeps the liquid from dripping!

I hope everyone has a safe and blessed Summer!

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Lindsey Costa is a lover of all things vintage and retro. A Virginia girl in California, she’s a mixture of 1940’s vintage, a southern belle, and a hippie. Lindsey describes herself as a “wife, mama, Christian, homemaker, baker, amateur herbalist, homebirther, crocheter and sewer”. Read her lovely blog More Fun with an Apron or follow her on Twitter.