I Met Eliza Doolittle and I Want a Goat For Christmas...

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Yesterday I went through the express checkout lane at Target. I had 2 cans of tomato basil soup (a staple), 1 can of condensed cream of celery soup (for boca pot pie - my husband drools over it... only change is that I make my own crust), cinnamon raisin granola, and rice milk. I resisted the urge to buy couscous and a box of white tea... Beggers must be choosers.

So I'm in the checkout lane and the checkout lady is very short... (which is really irrelevant to my story, except for the fact that it makes me imagine that her uncle was a dwarf and that makes me squeal).

And the little checkout lady says "'Ello, madame" in what was unmistakably a subtle cockney accent (which, apparently, can be taught - this guy is awesome).

I enjoyed my little moment while she bagged my food, took my cash, and gave me my change. And then she said "'Ave a nice day, madame!" And I took my groceries and left, thinking "WHO ARE YOU?!?!? WHERE ARE YOU FROM?!?!!?". So. Cool.


In keeping with my appreciation of different cultures (really... was she from England, or just making up an accent to make her Target-day job more exciting? She's my hero), I am enamored with goat-giving this Christmas...

A goat for Christmas? Yes.

Samaritan's Purse has an online Christmas gift catalog where you can shop for gifts. You can buy a fishing boat, fruit trees, water filter, mosquito net, honey bees, goats, and much more!

And you're probably thinking "Huh... I'm not sure I really want a mosquito net for Christmas..." Yeah, me neither. But for someone in a third-world country that mosquito net can be life-saving (mosquito bites spread malaria which kills over a million people each year). So this year, when you're doing your Christmas shopping, PLEASE consider the following:

• Does your Aunt Mildred REALLY need that $35 cashmere scarf? (Hint: NO)
• Does $35 feed a family in a third-world country for a month? (Hint: YES)

I really don't want want a goat in my nice little suburban house (or my nice little suburban back-yard). But I do want one that can provide milk for a starving family in Uganda.