The Reason for the Season

"He is the reason for the season.
He is the light that shines on our lives.
The baby Jesus born in God's grace
So we all might rejoice on this day
He is the reason for the season."
~ Lonestar


 Our beautiful tree, Prince of Peace, King of Glory,  is up at the Festival of Trees at the South Town Expo Center in Sandy. Carolyn, Ardis, Paula and LaVern spent the afternoon decorating and setting everythiing up on Monday. The tree is lovely and has an antique rocking chair, table, and antique bible beside it.

Today is the auction. The Festival begins Wednesday, November 30 and goes through Saturday, December 3rd.  If you go, you can see our tree at Q17. You can purchase tickets at Zion's bank and get a discount or purchase tickets at the door. We have also made and donated many items for the Gift Shoppe at the Festival.



For more details and photos, see Paula's blog .

Our Festival of Trees decorators ~ Paula, Carolyn, LaVern and Ardis
"Thank you, ladies, for your help making the ornaments...and an especially big THANK YOU to Paula.
our tree sold at bid night last night. It sold for $800!" --Carolyn



Humanitarian Needs for December

"Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas."

~ Dale Evans

For December, our humanitarian group will be collecting items needed by the Provo Humanitarian Center.


CURRENT NEEDS FOR UTAH COUNTY

1. New children's story books
2. Boys' clothing, new, sizes 2 through 6
3. New boys coats, sizes 2 through 6
4. New toys - games, dolls, tinker toys, balls, cars, jump ropes, crayons, coloring books, etc.
5. Knit hats - children, youth, and adult sizes.

If anyone wants to donate any of these items, please drop them off at Carolyn's home by Sunday, December 11. (don't wrap any of the items that you donate).

Do What You Do Well

"I think we have to appreciate that we're alive for only a limited period of time, and we'll spend most of our lives working. That being the case, I believe one of the most important priorities is to do whatever we do as well as we can. We should take pride in that." Victor Kiam

 The November We Can meeting was held Tuesday, November 1 at Carolyn's home. Those ladies in attendance were RaeLee, Barbara, Judy, Patti, Vila, Ardis, Ann, Paulette, Phyllis, and Carolyn. 

 We worked on four projects. We filled 10 Christmas stockings that will be sent to soldiers in war zones for Christmas. We completed 100 shape toys (these go in school kits and are mainly being sent to Afghanistan). We also made more than 30 dog chew toys.

These will go in Christmas stockings for dogs and are sold at the gift shop of the Festival of Trees. The fourth project was a tag in the shape of a Christmas ornament. The tags go on the dog socks and say "Merry Christmas from Santa Paws" with a picture of a dog wearing a Santa hat. Ann and Carolyn's cub scouts will finish filling the dog socks with a tennis ball and dog biscuits. We also collected candy for the Children's Justice Center Christmas Hats project.  Besides working on service projects, we enjoyed a nice pot luck lunch.

We will be going up to Salt Lake City to attend the Mother's Without Borders Boutique, Saturday morning, November 5th.
 
Our next meeting will be on Monday, November 28th. We will be going up to the Festival of Trees to set up our Chirstmas tree and take any craft items you have made to the Gift Boutique. Bring a lawn chair, snacks and drinks.    Festival of Trees will run from November 30-December 3 at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy.  It is open from 10:00 a.m to 10:00 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the door or through Zions Bank .

"Never, Never, Never Give Up"~ Churchill

"If children have the ability to ignore all odds and percentages, then maybe we can all learn from them. When you think about it, what other choice is there but to hope?  We have two options, medically and emotionally; give up or fight like hell."

~Lance Armstrong

Tuesday, October 11th, the We CAN ladies met to drive over to Provo to the Huntsman Cancer Center to deliver the comfort pillows that we made a few months ago. Ladies also brought craft items for the Mothers Without Borders Boutique that will be held November 4-5 at the Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City.  This boutique is fabulous and has lots of great arts and crafts, holiday decorations and beautiful things that are made in Africa. "The boutiques have raised thousands of dollars for orphans in Zambia. These events feature handmade crafts and goods that are donated as well as beautiful treasures made by the orphans, women, and craftsman of Zambia."

Barbara, Ardis, Kathy, Paula, Carolyn, Judy, Vila & Phyllis

 These comfort pillows are helpful for people who are having procedures done at the hospital, or from our recent experience, they are handy to hold against your chest when you need to cough after surgery and everything hurts ~ Ray said, "A pillow really helps."  I hope whenever they are used, that the person can feel the love radiating from that small pillow ~ they were sewn with lots of love, prayers and healing wishes tucked inside each one.



Bringing comfort and cheer to those who have mountains to climb



Ardis, Vila, Carolyn, Paula, Barbara, Phyllis, Kathy, Judy and Sandy (behind the camera)

After delivering the pillows to the Huntsman Cancer Center in Provo, we met at Bull Peppers restaurant for lunch and laughter.

Stockings, Just Ready to be Stuffed

 "Let us not be weary in well doing.  For in due season, we shall reap if we faint not.  Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all men. . ." Galatians 6:9-10

Vila and Rae Lee cutting out felt stockings, ties, collars, etc.

On Tuesday, September 6th, we met at Kathy's home to make Missionary Christmas Stockings for the Festival of Trees, that will be held November 30-Dec 3, 2011 at the South Towne Expo Center in Sandy. The festival benefits children who need medical services at Primary Children's Hospital.  The festival has been going for 41 years, last year in 2010 over $1, 500,000 was raised.

Carolyn and Ardis sewing the stockings together

 The missionary stockings we made last year sold quickly in the Gift Shop, so this year we added a "Missionary Sister" stocking as well.

Lynn and Patti glueing the ties and collars on.

Paulette and Sandy were  working on shapes and colors cut-outs.

 We also worked on foam color and shape cut outs that are sent to in kits to schools overseas to help the pre-school children learn shapes and colors.

Kathy was also sewing.

Sister and Elder Missionary Stockings

Lynn adds an embroidered black Elder or Sister tag to these for the final touch.

At the end of the day, these amazing ladies surprised both Judy and Sandy with "Freezer Meals., " to help us through some challenging days ahead.  Our hearts are so full, as these wonderful ladies are all so busy and accomplish so much good, but they are always doing good for others and never weary in well doing.  ~ Thank you, we love you all ~ Judy and Sandy

Enthusiastic Creativity at Work

Ardis, Kathy, and Carolyn working on crowns

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk." ~Thomas Edison

 

 On Tuesday, August 2 , nine ladies, met for We CAN at Carolyn's home.  We are continuing to work on ornaments for our Festival of Trees entry.  Today, we cut out cardboard crowns that will be spray painted and glittered, as well as cut and glued paper balls made of scripture paper,  and put together printed paper ornaments.

Tiffany, Paula, Barbara and Phyllis ~ working on paper balls and printed paper ornaments

 Everything is black and white and most of the ornaments will be made from lightweight scripture paper.


Carolyn, Lynn, Ardis and Kathy ~ half the fun is visiting with each other



Carolyn's Patriotic themed table

Phyllis, Lynn, Carolyn, Sandy, Tiffany, Ardis and  Kathy

Phyllis, Lynn, Carolyn, Sandy, Tiffany, Ardis and Paula

Our luncheons are always lots of fun, with great food, lots of laughter and fun conversation.

Our next meeting will be held Tuesday, September 6 at Sandy's home.  We will be working on Missionary Stockings and

July meeting - Soles 4 Souls - Changing the World One Pair at a Time

Lynn's home

Tuesday, July 5

10:00 a.m.

Service and Potluck Lunch

We'll finish the comfort pillows for the hospital. 

They are already cut out, we will just stuff and sew them.

For our upcoming meeting in July, we will be collecting new or lightly used shoes for the Soles 4 Souls program.  They need all types of shoes: athletic, running, dress, sandals, pumps, heels, work boots, cleats, dance, flipflops, and children's shoes in all sizes.  Pairs of shoes should be tied together using laces or rubber bands. 
The following is from the Soles 4 Souls website:

Why Shoes?
Shoes help prevent the spread of parasitic diseases that plague over 1.4 billion people worldwide, and they are a basic human necessity.

The reality of life for many individuals in developing nations is that having a pair of shoes is a rarity. It is not uncommon for children to grow up in these areas without ever having had a pair of shoes at all.

The number of barefoot orphaned children, in Sub-Saharan Africa alone, is estimated to be above 20 million.
Over 300 million children worldwide are without shoes.

Shoes are very often considered a required part of the school uniform in developing countries, and without shoes, many children are unable to attend school.

Many serious health conditions can be absorbed through the feet, even through the toughest soles. As the skin on the bottom of the feet toughens and thickens, large cracks can form, which allows parasitic infections such as hookworm and threadworm to penetrate the skin. In addition, constant cuts and scrapes to the feet and ankles frequently become infected and many of these infections can lead to ulcers and worse.

Some of the most dangerous conditions of going barefoot is the risk of puncture wounds, cuts, scrapes and burns to the feet. These injuries are almost never treated and can lead to serious infections, amputations and even death. With the number of children living in abject poverty and therefore surviving at a scavenger's existence, the feet are at tremendous risk as the child hunts for food or household items in garbage dumps, abandoned housing/construction areas, or while crossing through open sewer trenches and contaminated areas.

In addition to infections brought on by external injuries, a child's bare foot is particularly at risk of infection by hookworm. Especially at risk are children living in African and Southeast Asian countries, where hookworm infections are about 60 times more common.

Thank you from the Teddy Bear Den

What is Done in Love

"Love many things, for therein lies the true strength, and whosoever loves much performs much, and can accomplish much, and what is done in love is done well." ~Vincent Van Gogh

We met Tuesday, June 7 at Ardis home to work on ornaments for our Festival of Trees project.  We also collected several boxes of baby clothes, diapers, and toys for the Teddy Bear's Den that is sponsored by the March of Dimes.

Judy, Carolyn, Ardis, Patti, and Paula hard at work

 We worked on scripture ornaments - these beautiful, creative ornaments are made from pages of scriptures, cut and shaped, decoupaged or glued into lovely fanned medallions, finials and paper balls.

Kathy and Paula

Judy, Carolyn, Ardis and Patti

Carolyn, Ardis, Patti, Kathy, Paula and Sandy

Our finished finials

Celebrating birthdays - Kathy made a cake for Sandy and Lynn's June birthdays

Children are the Future

"Children are one third of our population and all of our future."

~Select Panel for the Promotion of Child Health, 1981

For our June meeting, we will be collecting baby items for The Teddy Bear Den, which is a March of Dimes program that promotes good prenatal care and healthy  behaviors during pregnancy.  Teddy Bear Den accepts new or hand-made items.  The most needed items are: Diapers (sizes newborn to size 5), Wipes, Lotion, Shampoo or Baby Wash, Baby Powder, Diaper Rash Ointment, Bottles and Sippy Cups, Binkies, Onesies, Sleepers or Pajamas, Blankets, Shoes and other clothing for babies. 

Some interesting fact about The Teddy Bear Den 
The Teddy Bear Den serves approximately 1,000 women every year.  It has been in operation for five years and has served over 5,000 women.  Right now, between 100 and 200 new women sign up each month for the program.  Most of teh referrals come from the Community Health Center.  All are low income.  910 babies are born in utah each week. Of those, 137 do not receive adequate prenatal care.  Inadequate prenatal care can lead to premature birth, low birth weight, failure to thrive, etc. 

Our upcoming meeting

will be at Ardis' home,

June 7, 10:00 a.m. 

We will be working on Christmas Ornaments again for our Festival of Trees project, collect the baby items and have a Potluck Lunch. 

Bring a friend and come and enjoy a few hours of service.

Creating Something Out of Almost Nothing

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

Rae Lee and Carolyn making Accordion Pleated Medallions

Our We CAN group met at Paula's home on Tuesday, May 3.  Six ladies attended: Judy, Paula, Ardis, Lynn, Carolyn and Rae Lee.  They created ornaments for our Festival of Trees entry.  It is amazing what you can do with an old book (besides reading it!) 

Ardis and Lynn, brushing up on their decoupage technique

Paula - our designer and artiste in residence

The accordion fold medallions

Ornaments, created with an old book, dowels and some glue ~ amazing creativity!

Baking - but Not in the Sun

Our We CAN group met Tuesday, April 26 for a day of baking.  We have a Bake Sale coming up to raise funds for some hearing aids. Six ladies attended: Barbara, Kathy, Ardis, Patty, Judy, and Carolyn.

Appreciation

"Generally, appreciation means some blend of thankfulness, admiration, approval, and gratitude. In the financial world, something that "appreciates" grows in value. With the power tool of appreciation, you get the benefit of both perspectives: as you learn to be consistently thankful and approving, your life will grow in value."

~ Doc Childre and Howard Martin, HeartMath Solution

We did 2 batches of brownies and lots of cup cakes. We also worked on the Mother's Day flower pots (flower pens stick in them). They're cute. Patty has a friend who is baking cookies. Patty and a couple of her kids are also baking cookies. Bryan's wife, Ann-Marie is doing some small cakes.


More things that are needed for the bake sale: Bread, more brownies, or more cookies would be great

The bake sale/antique sale was cancelled due to extreme April snow showers and will be rescheduled at a later date.

A Comforting Thought

"The joy that isn't shared, dies young."

                                                ~ Anne Sexton

We CAN met Tuesday, April 5th at Lynn's home. We made over 40 comfort pillows that will be taken to a local hospital, where patients can use them during treatment and take them home. The pillows are made of flannel or fleece and are colorful and bright. We also made lots of 5", 4" and 3-1/2" flannel squares that will be given to a woman who makes baby blankets for High Risk Mothers.

 

 Lynn and Barbara sewing up a storm

 Patti, Lynn, Kathy, Ardis and Carolyn - stuffing pillows and hand sewing

Paula - cutting out patterns

We had a delightful few hours of service and a delicious lunch afterward.

Maralee, who makes baby quilts for High Risk Mothers and their babies.

Friday, we delivered all the flannel squares to Maralee and she showed us a few of the beautiful baby quilts she has done.  Maralee designs the quilts and her friend sews the tops together, then they are tied with the International stitch and bound.

We learned that a woman in our community is in need of hearing aids, so it was decided that we will have a Bake Sale during Paula's upcoming Antique Yard Sale April 30th to help raise needed funds.  We will be meeting Tuesday, April 26th at Barbara's home to bake and prepare for the sale.  Food can be prepared at home as well.  Bring any items you wish to contribute to Carolyn's, Sandy's or Paula's by early Saturday morning, April 30.

Our next We CAN meeting will be Tuesday, May 3rd at Paula's home.  We will be collecting white Sunday shirts in teens and men's sizes to be sent to missionaries in foreign countries and we will begin making Christmas tree ornaments for our 2011 Festival of Trees entry.

April Showers Bring May Flowers

Our April meeting ,Service and a Potluck Lunch, will be held at Lynn Rawling's home at 601 E Bridger Lane at 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, April 5 .

We will be making "Comfort Pillows" for people in the hospital (a small long, thin, pillow that cancer/hospital patients use during various hospital treatments or procedures). To make the pillows, you use a 12" length of flannel or fleece. You can mix & match co-ordinating fabrics. So if you have flannel or fleece pieces in your fabric stash that you would like to use, bring them. Or you can purchase a yard or two of flannel or fleece to bring. Or you can just come and help cut out and sew. I have attached a photo of the Comfort Pillow for you to see - Lynn says, "They are really easy to make!"

We will also be collecting 3 1/2" or 4" or 5" squares of flannel. Paula saw an add on ksl.com from a lady in Provo who needs flannel squares for blankets she makes for High Risk Moms. The health department nurses visit new moms who are "high risk" (because of poverty, teenage, etc. - various reasons). They take the blankets as a gift when they go to visit them.

We will have scraps left over from the Comfort Pillows that we can use to make these squares or you can bring any other small flannel scraps you have.

What to bring:

• Flannel or fleece (at least 12" long and 36" wide)
• Cutting mat, ruler and rotary cutter if you have one
• Potluck Dish 

What's Cooking?

"In the sweetness of friendship let there be laughter, for in the dew of little things the heart finds its morning and is refreshed." ~ Kahlil Gibran

Ethan and Amy

Tuesday, March 1st, we put our culinary skills to the test and met at Kathy's home to mix and bake up a storm.  We had seven ovens going and eleven ladies mixing and preparing.   

Judy, Ardis and Carolyn



Paula, Ardis and Carolyn



Sandy, Kristen, Patti, Barbara, Kathy and Rae Lee

We counted this a successful day, as we baked 552 mini-cheesecakes and over 400 chocolate and vanilla cupcakes. Scrumptious and all ready for Heather's big day!

Our next meeting will be held Tuesday, April 5 at Lynn's home at 11:00 a.m.  We will be making Comfort Pillows for people in the Hospital.