Every Time We Give

"Every time we love,

every time we give,

it's Christmas."

~ Dale Evans 

Carolyn, Carol, Ardis and Barbara deciding on placement

Carolyn and Ardis ~ straightening and positioning.

 Monday, November 29, was the set-up day for the Festival of the Trees.  We loaded up the tree, the reindeer, the wall hanging, stockings, tools  and all of the things for the Gift Shop, and headed to Sandy to begin setting up.  

Ardis ~ giving some helpful direction

The atmosphere at the South Towne Center is electric with creative energy and excitement ! It is so fun to be up there on set-up day!

Santa and His Reindeer Wall Hanging and Stockings to Match!

The Festival board members have this all down to an exact science and things flow smoothly. We check in, then find our designated spot and begin to assemble the components of our display. The tree is finished, but needs a few touch-ups.

Our Reindeer Family

The quilted Tree Skirt

Our Tree

It is a wonderful event and all the proceeds go to Primary Children's Hospital to help children around the world get the health care that they need. The Festival begins Wednesday, December 1 and goes through Saturday, December 4th at the South Town Center in Sandy.

Our Reindeer Renezvouz on Display

 The festival has hundreds of different sizes of trees, wreaths, gingerbread houses, centerpieces, quilts, a gift shop, and bakery as well as entertainment all day long.

Carol, Carolyn, Ardis, Barbara and Sandy

    We're all finished and ready to go have lunch!

Our friend, Paula, who so graciously chauffered all of us and all of our paraphanalia in her Mighty Van!

Expressing Gratitude

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them." ~ John F Kennedy

Carolyn with one of the lollipops that helped decorate the tree

Just a few of the stockings we stuffed for Soldiers serving in the Armed Forces

 Tuesday, November 2nd was a busy day for the We CAN Humanitarian group.  We met at Carolyn's home and stuffed stockings to send to soldiers overseas.  Ladies brought toiletries, food,  candy, breath mints, chewing gum, playing cards, and other useful items and each sock was topped off by a Patriotic Bear that the soldiers can share with a child in the area they are serving. 

Carol, Judy and Paulette stuffing pet treats into stockings.

 We also filled stockings with pet treats to be sold at the Gift Shoppe at the Festival of Trees.

Kathy and Phyllis decorating the tree.

Barbara, Carolyn and Paulette putting final touches on the tree

 We decorated our tree for the Festival of Trees that will be held Dec 1-4 at the South Town Expo Center in Sandy, Utah

Judy, Patti and Phyllis cutting coupons.

 We also cut out more coupons to be sent to soldiers and their families.  Carolyn received a Thank You note from one of the bases that we sent coupons to a couple of months ago ~ they were very grateful for the coupons they received. 

Flowers Feed the Soul

"Happiness held is the seed; Happiness shared is the flower." ~ John Harrigan

Lynn teaches how to make fabric flowers

Our October meeting was held Tuesday, October 6th at Judy's home.

We each brought something for the Mother's Without Borders Boutique that will be held October 22-23 at the Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake.  We then made fabric flowers for the boutique.

 

Barbara working on flowers

 Judy, Ardis and Carolyn sewing petals together.

 Lynn, Kathy, Arlene and Judy cutting and sewing petals

 We have some great cooks among us and our potluck lunch is always a visual delight as well as delicious!  We had pulled pork, cucumber salad, peach and chicken salad, pizza bread, caramel apple salad and peach cobbler with home-made ice cream . . . are you getting hungry? 

Our finished flowers. Some of these are on pins, so they can be worn on a garment, others will be put on hair barretts and headbands.

Coupons and Christmas

"People who work together will win, whether it be against complex football defenses, or the problems of modern society." ~ Vince Lombardi

Barabara and Carolyn clipping coupons

In September, we clipped thousands of coupons to send to the families of servicemen who are overseas.  These families can take the manufacturer's coupons and use them at the px when they go shopping.  We had many sisters donate coupons and we were surprised at how long it took to cut them all out and sort them into "grocery" and "non-grocery."  We hope these coupons will help those who are serving our country to stretch their budgets a little farther.

 Judy with some of the clothes peg and pom pom reindeer ornaments

 We also worked on reindeer ornaments for our Christams Tree for the Festival of Trees.

 Sandy and Barbara with more felt and puzzle piece reindeer ornaments.

Back to School

"Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.  The human mind is our fundamental resource." John F. Kennedy

In July we started collecting school supplies: notebooks, pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, colored pencils, and scissors.  At our August meeting we sewed 15 school bags for children and packed them with school supplies.  These school kits, along with lots of extra school supplies were taken to the LDS Humanitarian Center and were given to children in Utah County to start school with. 

Upcoming Meeting, Tuesday, July 13

"Children are one third of our population and all of our future." ~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

We CAN will meet Tuesday, July 13, 11:00 a.m. at Judy's home. 

We will be collecting new boys' and girls' socks, children sizes 2-10.  The Humanitarian said that is their number one need right now, along with twin size quilts.  So if you want to donate, bring them to the meeting with you Tuesday.

We will  be tying a twin size quilt for the Humanitarian Center. We also have a small sewing project for the Humanitarian Center to complete (sewing Velcro on doll "hospital gowns.) 

We will also start working on reindeer ornaments for the Festival of Trees tree.

Potluck Lunch.  See you Tuesday!

Missionary Socks

"Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value." ~ Albert Einstein

Tuesday, May 4th we met at Lynn's home.  Lynn, Judy, Kathy, Ortensia, Ardis, Phyllis, Paulette, Patti and Carolyn worked together, tying a baby quilt for a child at Primary Children's Medical Center and the ladies sewed 22 missionary Christmas socks that will be sold at the Festival of Trees, a benefit fund raiser for Primary Children's Medical Center.   We also celebrated Ortensia's birthday during our PotLuck Lunch.

Lynn finished binding the quilt we did in April  for the Primary Children's Medical Center and brought it for everyone to see.  It is shown below.

One of the Best Gifts Ever ~ PAY IT FORWARD

A friend who just went through an extended illness and recovery said that one of the most thoughtful gifts she received was from her daughter, who came and filled up her freezer with meals to use after her surgery.  Paying it forward, she in turn organized all of the ladies in our WE CAN group, who also brought freezer meals for one of our dear friends who is successfully battling cancer. 

We hope you feel all of our love and all of our prayers each time you go to your freezer!

"Have I done any good in the world today?"

"We are here on earth to do good for others. What the others are here for, I don't know." ~ W. H. Auden
Bill Vaugn said, " A three-year-old child is a being who gets almost as much fun out of a fifty-six dollar set of swings as it does out of finding a small green worm."  Tuesday, April 6, we met at Ardis home to make some simple dolls for children around the world to play with.  The dolls are made from a  15" square of fabric,  a small circle made into a face, a bit of stuffing and lace, and yarn for hair.    They will be shipped in containers to areas in the world where children are living with war, poverty and uncertainty.  We hope that each child who receives one of these dolls will feel the love that it is made with and hope in their future ~ and thesheer  joy of being a child.  

We all worked together and finished sixteen of the little dolls.  We then enjoyed a lovely luncheon in Ardis beautiful sunroom, where we watched snow swirling around and moments later, the sun shining on the fields below. 

An Old Irish Blessing

An Old Irish Blessing

May love and laughter light your days,

and warm your heart and home.

May good and faithful friends be yours,

wherever you may roam.

May peace and plenty bless your world

with joy that long endures.

May all life's passing seasons

bring the best to you and your's.

We will be having our next meeting on Tuesday, April 6th at Ardis' home.  We will be learning to crochet newborn hats and booties and making some dolls for the Humanitarian Center. 

We will have a potluck lunch ~ Come and enjoy a few hours of fun, laughter and service.

March Madness

"The needs of others are ever present, and each of us can do something to help someone."

President Thomas S Monson, October 2009

On Wednesday, March 3, we met at Sandy's home.  We tied a "Fire Engine" quilt for Primary Children's Hospital and made lots of bead Geckos, Bees and sewed Dolls for the Humanitarian Center

Next month our meeting will be at Ardis home on Tuesday, April 6.  We will be making more dolls, and learning how to crochet Preemie and Newborn Hats and Booties for the Humanitarian Center.  This is a great way to use up left-over yarn and they are quick and easy to do - and so needed around the world!

A Remarkable Venture

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." ~ Theodore Roosevelt

Wednesday, February 3rd, we went to the American Fork Stake Center at 825 East 500 North to join at least a hundred other men and women assisting in the Humanitarian Efforts that started 19 years ago by this remarkable woman,  RoseAnn Guenther.  And as busy as she was, she greeted us at the door and offered to give us a tour of everything going on in the Stake Center that morning. 

Ladies were crocheting and knitting newborn hats and booties as well as chemo caps.

Blankets were being tyed, yards and yards of fabric were being cut out for children's jumpers and pajamas, other fabrics were being put together for more quilts. There were at least 20 sewing machines and sergers set up on the stage going full blast. 

Others were putting together beaded toys for children. When we walked in the lovely aroma of freshly baked bread greeted us and RoseAnn explained that a man and his wife bake bread and sell it each week in order for the Launfal Foundation, the non-profit organization that supports this huge venture, to purchase more supplies. Also for sale were children's hair ribbons, crocheted hair bands and other fun things. The Launfal Foundation was named after Sir Launfal found in a 14th century poem written by Thomas Chestre. In the poem, Sir Launfal is one of King Arthur's knights and is known for his chivalry and giving of gifts.

Through RoseAnn's dedication and a highly skilled team of volunteers, this Stake Center is turned into an amazing production facility every Wednesday from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.  Every month they fill cargo containers that are shipped around the world to fill needs~ and it is their hope that the people who receive these things will feel the love and caring that go into the making of them and light and hope.

After our morning of labor, we all went to Zuppas for lunch~ and it is highly recommended!
Rae Lee, Jan, Paulette and Carolyn ~ enjoying the delicious soup, salad and sandwiches at Zuppas!

Carolyn, Ardis and Phyllis (and Sandy's behind the camera!)

TEAM = Together Everyone Achieves More

RoseAnn accepting delivery of school kit items we worked on last year.

We will be collecting toilet tissue for the next two weeks.  Carolyn just spoke to the woman in charge at the Women and Children's Crisis Center in Provo and she said their number one need right now is toilet paper, so we thought perhaps we could collect as much t.p. as possible and deliver it to the Women and Children's Crisis Center on Wednesday, February 3rd when we go over to help with RoseAnn Gunther's Humanitarian Project in American Fork.

Upcoming Meeting:
Wednesday, February 3

Leave at 9:00 a.m.

Travel to American Fork, work for a few hours, have lunch together and return home (probably around 1:00 p.m.)

We'll be helping with whatever Humanitarian project RoseAnn is working on, but I would presume it would be something for Haiti. this informaion on her work was in the Church News a few years ago:

"RoseAnn Gunther is supervisor for the American Fork Humanitarian Room (stake center), one of only a few throughout the Church where kits of various kinds are prepared for immediate shipment when disaster strikes. She coordinates service at the multi-stake level with the Church's humanitarian needs and the products available." Church News, Saturday, Sept 25, 2004

 

 

 

The StarFish Story

At our meeting Tuesday, Carolyn shared the story of the Starfish with us and gave each of us a starfish pin  to remind us that we can make a difference.

Once a man was walking along a beach. The sun was shining and it was a beautiful day. Off in the distance he could see a person going back and forth between the surf's edge and and the beach. Back and forth this person went. As the man approached he could see that there were hundreds of starfish stranded on the sand as the result of the natural action of the tide.
The man was stuck by the the apparent futility of the task. There were far too many starfish. Many of them were sure to perish. As he approached the person continued the task of picking up starfish one by one and throwing them into the surf.
As he came up to the person he said, "You must be crazy. There are thousands of miles of beach covered with starfish. You can't possibly make a difference." The person looked at the man. He then stooped down and pick up one more starfish and threw it back into the ocean. He turned back to the man and said, "It sure made a difference to that one!"

Mountain Baby Blankets

"The service we render others is the rent we pay for our room on earth." ~Wilfred Grenfell

Carolyn, Phyllis, Ardis, Sandy and Barbara working on different blankets.

We met at Judy's home Tuesday, January 12th to work on some quilts fo rte Mountain Baby Blanket project to send to the Christian Applachian Project to be distributed to women and children in the Applachian mountains.    Phyllis and Carolyn putting on the finishing touches

Barbara, Ardis, Judy, Carolyn and Phyllis~

Quite a few blankets were donated, we tied one crib size quilt and we are working on several other fleece blankets. We will continue to collect receiving blankets, baby blankets, crib quilts and twin size quilts through January.

If you would like to donate some blankets, contact Sandy

This is our finished afghan for the Warm Up America project that we started earlier in the year.  Many women from our community donated a few crocheted or knitted squares.  We joined them all together and will take the afghan over to the Food and Care Coalition.

Festival of Trees ~ A Gift of Love

We received the following letter from the Chair of the Festival of Trees Executive Board - which is to all of you who worked so hard:

"Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time." - - - Laura Ingalls Wilder

Please accept our heartfelt appreciation for the small tree you decorated and donated to the 2009 Festival of Trees!  Your beautiful contribution awed and inspired more than 90,000 who visited the Festival to experience the childlike wonder of the Holiday Season.  In addition, your gift of time, energy, and creativity will help children at Primary Children's Medical Center feel the magic of Christmas all year long. 

We refer to the Festival of Trees as "A Gift of Love" because your gift will provide comfort, joy, hope, and love to children and families at the hospital who need it most!  And, although  you may never meet the patients and families you have helped, please know you have given a gift that will last long past childhood.

On behalf of Primary Children's Medical Center and the Festival of Trees Executive Board, please accept our sincere gratitude.  May your Holiday Season be filled with the precious gifts you  have so generously given to others. 

Festival of the Trees ~ A Child is Born

Here is our little tree, "A Child is Born," amongst the other beautiful trees . . . we were so thrilled when we found out that someone purchased our tree the first hour or so of bidding . . . and apparently, there were several people bidding for the tree.  

Thank you, we hope the tree brings you joy in this beautiful Christmas season.

James and Charlie with their mother, Arianne,  to whom we dedicated our little tree.

The dedication reads:

Tree Dedicated to: Arianne Lindstrom Morrey

Arianne was hit by a car just before her 12th birthday in 1988 and suffered multiple fractures and severe Traumatic Brain Injury. Through miracles from the Lord and the dedication and professional care of the doctors and nurses at Primary Children's Hospital, and through her strong faith in the Lord and tenacity, Arianne has graduated from University, is married and has two beautiful children. She is an inspiration to all of us who know her.