We CAN

Tying Up Something Special

2012-01-21T16:11:00.001-08:00

"Blankets wrap you in warmth, quilts wrap you in love."

Lynn, Carol, Vila Paula, Kathy & RaeLee tying the

Right before Christmas, a home of a dear friend in our community burned down. Friends and neighbors gathered together to help them piece their lives back together. Furniture, food, clothing and other necessities were gathered, Christmas presents replaced. Love, support, prayers and concern surrounded this wonderful family.

Caroly, Barbara, Vila, Paula, RaeLee and Paulette

"Quilting with a Friend will keep you in stitches." ~Anonymous

So for our January 9th We CAN meeting, we tied a lovely blue/white gingham check queen size quilt for our friend, Ann. One of the things we enjoy the most about getting together, besides accomplishing a little bit of good that day, is talking, laughing and savoring the great company.

Carol, cutting out coupons, Barbara and Vila work on the luncheon.

"Friends are threads of gold in the quilt of life."

Carol, finding and sorting coupons for servicemen and their families.

The pattern is formed in the quilt by tying white in the blue squares and blue in the white squares.

Lynn does the beautiful embroidered labels.

One of the things Ann was missing the most, were her recipes, which were all destroyed in the fire.

So we collected favorite recipes from all the We CAN members, plus several favorite recipe books were also shared.

Ann with her new quilt ~ tyed with love

"When life gives you scraps - make a quilt."

Ann with some of her new recipes

Carolyn, Lynn, Ardis, Ann, Barbara, Vila and Kathy at Ann's January 14, 2012

"Quilts are like friends - a great source of comfort and warmth."

Upcoming meeting: February 6 at Carolyn's 10:00 a.m.
We will be collecting warm winter mittens, gloves, and hats to go to Korea.
We will be making Valentine's for several retirement centers in Payson.
Potluck Lunch

Tribute to our beloved friend

2012-01-08T18:49:00.000-08:00

"Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, impossible to forget."

Judy ~we love you and we will miss you!

Lunch at Bull Peppers

"Judy was and is an inspiration to me of a special person that really cares about others and even when she didn't feel good was here doing things for others. We had our We CAN meeting today and really misssed her - it wasn't quite the same without her. She will always have a special place in my heart that will help me to be more caring and loving." ~ Barbara

Delivering Comfort Pillows to Utah Valley Regional Medical Center

"Even though I had less contact with Judy than anyone else in We Can, I knew her well enough to learn to love and admire her. She is truly an elect lady. I have never seen anyone go through such a tramatic and life changing experience with such a calm assurance. I am amazed that she served as Young Women's President until just a month before her mortal life ended. She was always cheerful and positive, even when she was weak and suffering. I think the thing that was the most wonderful about her last battle, is how she always thought of others, and never of herself. She accepted pain and even prolonged it, so that she could be there for her children when she felt that she was most needed.. Her example of grace under pressure will always stay with me. I am grateful to have known her. " ~ Paula

Preparing for Heather's wedding reception

Judy Dimond--An Elect Lady.
On the night of her passing, it snowed after having been dry and warm for a long time. At first I thought it was sad it had to be snowy on this day. But as I pondered the events of the day, I felt it was very appropriate for our part of the world to be covered in white, reminding me of Judy's purity.

My life has been enriched by knowing her. (I was so looking forward to be working with her for Primary Activity Days!) My life has been enriched by knowing Judy. Her example of devotion to family, courage, faith, charity, humility, selflessness, determination in the face of adversity, and love of the Gospel and her Savior, whose "image radiated through her countenance," will always be remembered.
May the Holy Ghost comfort her family, as well as those of us left behind, until we meet again.

With much love,
Ardis

Dolls for the Humanitarian Center

"Judy is such a sweet friend and a wonderful example to all who know her. From the time she moved into our ward I noticed she was always serving, signed up & helping wherever there was a need. She was an amazing example of patience and faith through every struggle. It didn't matter what she'd been through or how poorly she felt she was still always looking for ways to serve and bless others. She never was looking for praise, just quietly loving and lifting the hearts of all those around her. I feel so grateful for the blessing of knowing Judy and having her for my friend and I will forever remember her, and her smile and her kind, thoughtful ways and beautiful example. We love you Judy!" ~ Kathy

Ornaments for the Festival of Trees 2010

Doggie Socks 2010

Flower Power - Hair Ribbons for the Women and Children's Center

"It has been special to know Judy and to have her as a friend. I am so glad the Dimond family moved to Elk Ridge a few years ago. Getting to know them has been a blessing in our lives. Judy was always willing to host We Can or Empty Nesters. I think she took her turn more than most of us, even though she wasn't feeling well. She was a gracious hostess and a really good cook. I admired how she continued to attend and participate in ward activities, We Can, Empty Nesters, the Cookie Exchange, etc. right up to the end. She is so amazing! She is a lovely woman who was a great example of service, testimony, devotion to family and friends, grace, and courage. I will miss her but will always remember her and love her." --Carolyn

Making paper ornaments for Festival of Trees 2011

"Judy and I have been friends since I moved in next door to she and Dave about 3 1/2 years ago. But, I felt we had known each other much longer. We had much in common. We both had our twins during the same years, and we often talked about that time in our lives. We were in a church organizations together, and spent many hours working together on different projects. The "We Can" group in our Ward is a small group of women that meet to do humanitarian projects. Even when she wasn't well she would show up with a great attitude to help OTHERS. She was such a great example to us all. We truly were "sisters" in the very sense of the word, and had a close bond.

I will miss Judy very much, just knowing she was right next door, and sharing a hug, or a wave, or sitting together during activities. I loved her, and her testimony shows in the faces of her children and family! She truly was a wonderful woman." ~ Patti

Sewing tee-shirt dresses for girls in Ghana

Delivering shirts, tee-shirts and supplies to Village of Hope founders

"Judy loved the Savior and lived her testimony of the gospel each and every day. She is one of the most amazing women I have ever met. She is such a great example of Christlike living. Judy loved life to the fullest. She was interesting to talk to and so much fun to be around. I will cherish the memories of her friendship, her love, her laughter, her beautiful voice as she sang the hymns she so loved. I watched as she served and attended our We CAN events or Young Women even when she didn't feel well, but she didn't want to miss a lesson or weekly activity and she always shared her love and testimony of the gospel. in everything she did. What a great woman! What a dear friend, I will miss you greatly, but cherish these past few years of friendship and beautiful memories." ~Love You and Miss You!, Sandy

Painting Nativity scenes at Super Saturday

Potluck Lunch fun at Judy's home

Decorating our first Festival of Trees tree 2009

Tying a quilt for the Humanitarian Center

Festival of Trees Report - A Gift of Love

2012-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

". . . in the end, all goodness must be translated into the manner of how we treat each other, and especially, how we treat those who have for whatever reason been damaged by the vicissitudes of this world. " ~Eric Shumway, BYU-Idaho, April 1, 2003

We received this lovely letter from the Festival of Trees Executive Board thanking us for our participation in the festival, for donating time and talent to this year's Festival of Trees. Over 100,000 people attended this year's Festival and every penny that is raised goes to help benefit children at Primary Childrens Medical Center to receive medical treatment that they otherwise wouldn't be able to have.

Carolyn reported that our beautiful tree sold on bid night for a goodly sum. All 36 of the missionary socks we donated to the gift shop at the Festival of Trees sold , as well as the 30 dogs socks. The fireman baby quilt and fireman book also sold; plus Carol donated many other items to the Gift Shop which also sold. All told, our combined efforts made over $1400.00.

"These were wonderful projects benefitting Primary Children's Medical Center.

Thank you, ladies, for all of your help." ~ Carolyn

Our next meeting will be Monday, January 9th at 10:00 a.m. at Barbara E.'s home. We will be working on a quilt and putting together some of our favorite recipes for a friend. So bring your favorite recipes you would like to share, and something for the potluck lunch.

The Reason for the Season

2011-11-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

"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

2011-11-13T20:53:00.000-08:00

"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

New children's story books
Boys' clothing, new, sizes 2 through 6
New boys coats, sizes 2 through 6
New toys - games, dolls, tinker toys, balls, cars, jump ropes, crayons, coloring books, etc.
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

2011-11-06T19:26:00.000-08:00

"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

2011-10-16T18:48:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-10-16T15:14:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-08-07T19:34:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-27T13:22:00.000-07:00

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

2011-06-19T20:38:00.000-07:00

What is Done in Love

2011-06-19T20:27:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-05-13T13:30:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-05-05T15:14:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-05-05T14:49:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-10T19:49:00.000-07:00

"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

2011-03-17T18:58:00.000-07:00

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?

2011-03-14T20:41:00.000-07:00

"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.

Caring Hearts

2011-02-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

"Unless someone like you cares a whole lot,

nothing is going to get better. It's not."

~ Dr. Seuss' The Lorax

Tuesday, February 8th we met at Sandy's home to finish the Valentine project. We made over 200 Valentines which were placed on patient's trays at a local hospital on Valentine's Day. Our hope is that they brightened everyone's day who saw those happy red hearts! It was a great project and so many ladies commented on how much fun it was to create so many beautiful.love-filled hearts and how it always makes their day better to spend a few hours doing something kind for someone else.

We also collected dozens of muffins for the Monday Muffin project, had a lovely potluck lunch and lots of laughs!

Lorna made these beautiful Valentines as well for our "Loving Hearts" project. Since we already had enough for the hospital trays, they were taken over to the Hospital Gift Shop, where they sold like hotcakes on Valentine's Day.

Our next meeting will be Tuesday, March 1st.

Heart-felt Valentines

2011-01-21T14:44:00.000-08:00

"One word frees us of all the weight and pain of life:

that word is love." ~Sophocles

Phyllis, Ardis, Carolyn and Kathy~ creating caring cards

We CAN met on Tuesday, January 4th at Phyllis' home. We collected several large boxes of coats, hats and gloves that were taken to the Food and Care Coalition to help those who are in need during these cold winter days. We are also working on making 200 Valentines to take to a local hospital, where they will be put on the patients' trays on Valentine's Day. We have some very artistic and creative people ~ the Valentines that were made are delightful.

We met again, on Thursday, January 13th at Carolyn's home to make more Valentines. To date, we have 160 made.

Our next meeting:

Tuesday, February1st

at Sandy's home

11:00 a.m.
We will have everyone bring a batch of freezer muffins
to take to a family in a local community
We will also be finishing the Valentines
Bring a friend ~

Every Time We Give

2010-12-01T10:45:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-11-30T13:56:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-10-06T14:20:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-09-26T16:34:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-09-06T18:42:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-07-11T18:52:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-05-23T19:04:00.000-07:00

"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?"

2010-04-11T16:28:00.000-07:00

"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

2010-03-28T19:11:00.000-07:00

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

2010-03-10T17:10:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-02-19T10:49:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-01-25T12:42:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-17T19:18:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

"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

2010-01-06T15:31:00.000-08:00

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

2010-01-06T15:16:00.000-08:00

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.

Festival of the Trees ~ Set Up

2010-01-06T14:57:00.000-08:00

On the 30 of November, we traveled to the South Towne Center in Salt Lake to set up our first ever "small tree" for the Festival of Trees. We spent many hours painting, decorating and getting the tree, quilt, tree skirt and nativity scene ready to go.

Judy, Lynn, Ardis and Carolyn getting things just right.

Once at the Festival of Trees, Carolyn stood in a line to check in, while the rest of us guarded our "stuff." Once we had our number, we proceeded to search for the three foot space alotted to our tree (Small Trees at least three feet tall). We found our spot and mulled over just the right spot for the quilt, the Nativity and our tribute to Arianne. We got things set up quickly~ and we were glad that we had decorated ahead of time. There were lots of people there with camp chairs and picnic coolers - they were ready for the long haul!

Sandy, Lynn, Judy, Ardis and Carolyn

It was a joy being at the Festival of the Trees on set-up day. The creative energy and excitement in the air was palpable. It was just amazing watching these stunning trees being put together.

Here's the finished tree, with Arianne, Will, Charlie and James in the photo. We were pleased with the finished results and went home hoping and praying that our little tree would sell.

Festival of the Trees Coming Up

2009-11-22T15:50:00.000-08:00

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

On Tuesday, November 17, we gathered at Kathy's home to finish our small tree for the Festival of Trees. Ornaments, bows, lights and the star all have to be wired securely onto the tree, so it can be easily transported to it's final home.

Ardis, Kathy, Sandy and Judy - decorating has begun!

Judy, Kathy, Carolyn and Ardis

Paulette putting on the final touch.

Our finished project, ready to go to Salt Lake.

The Festival of Trees will be held December 2-5 at the Southtowne Center in south Salt Lake.

Mothers Without Borders Boutique

2009-11-22T15:29:00.000-08:00

"Every child comes with the message that God is not yet discouraged of man." ~Rabindranath Tagore

The Mothers Without Borders Boutiques were held November 6 and 7 in Lehi and Layton. Five of us went to the Mt. Timpanogas Temple Friday morning, then we met at Porter's Place in Lehi for Lunch. Afterward, we went to the boutique in Lehi that was held at the Mellor Hidden Meadows Mansion.

The boutique was filled with beautiful items that were made in Africa by women who are being lifted and helped by the MWB program, as well as many hand crafted items from local artisans and crafters. Beautiful jewelry, wood carvings, dolls that are named after some of the little girls in Africa, crocheted scarves, quilts, seasonal decor, clothing, carved canes, and all sorts of fine handiwork were available at the boutique as well as great five minute massages.

We even got to see Kathy Headlee, who is the founder of this great organization that serves "children in orphanages in Romania, Mexico, Guatemala, Ecuador, Nepal and Bolivia and those living in the streets in Africa and India, it is our goal to send a message of hope and offer real solutions to the serious problems these children face."

Be thinking of craft items that you can make throughout the year to donate to this great cause. Truly even small efforts forward make a difference in our world.

Upcoming Dates & MWB Boutique

2009-11-05T08:38:00.000-08:00

Friday, November 6
Temple Trip and attend the Mothers Without Borders Boutique in Lehi

Tuesday, November 17
We CAN meeting at Kathy T's home at 11:00 a.m. We will decorate the tree and prepare everything else that we need to finish for the Festival of Trees.

Monday, November 30
Trip to Southtowne Convention Center in South Salt Lake to put up the tree for the Festival of Trees.

Mother's Without Borders Boutique - November 6 & 7 at the Mellor Hidden Meadows Reception Center in Lehi, Utah. There will also be one at the Chantilly Mansion in Layton, Utah.
I delivered all the items for the Mother's Without Borders Boutique a few weeks ago to Terri W in Provo and she was thrilled - very impressed with the beautiful things you did for the boutique. She has been over to Zambia twice with the MWB group and said they have been able to build schools and help women get businesses started and they are making a positive impact on the lives of women and children there.

2009-10-11T15:22:00.000-07:00

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

Thomas S Monson, October 2009

Kathy working on the manger scene

for our tree for the Festival of the Trees

We CAN met Tuesday, October 6th at Barbara's home. We are currently working on a couple of projects and spent the afternoon preparing ornaments for a small Christmas tree for the Festival of Trees that will be held in December.

Kathy graciously accepted the challenge of putting the lights on the tree. Barbara, Carolyn, Judy, Lynn and Sandy all worked on ornaments for the tree.
We have also been collecting items for the Mother's Without Borders boutique that will be held November 6th and 7th at the Mellor Hidden Meadows Reception Center in Lehi, Utah and November 6th and 7th at the Chantilly Mansion in Layton, Utah.

Here are just a few of the lovely items that ladies in our area have made and donated for the boutique.

2009 Mothers Without Borders Boutique

2009-09-02T20:06:00.000-07:00

Mothers Without Borders 2009 Boutique The kids are in school, the temperature is dropping and it's time to think about what you can make for the fund-raising boutique for Mothers Without Borders. MWB is a non-profit organization that is committed to supporting programs that offer sustainable, long-term solutions to the global orphan crisis. More than 36 million children under 15 are orphaned in Sub-Saharan Africa today and every 14 seconds, a child is orphaned as a result of AIDS.
This wonderful non-profit organization was started back in the 1990s by Kathy Headlee after she adopted a daughter from Romania.

The organization works to help children in crises all over the world.

We would like to collect as many craft items or donations for the MWB botique that will be held on November 6th and 7th at the Chantilly Mansion in Layton, Utah and at Mellor Hidden Meadows Reception Center in Lehi, Utah. The boutique has raised thousands of dollars for the orphans of Zambia. This 2 day event features handmade items that are donated as well as beautiful treasures made by the orphans, vulnerable women, and craftsman of Zambia.The word is spreading. Come and be a part of this tidal wave of caring. It is good medicine for the soul.

The following items are things that sale well at the boutique:

Thanksgiving and Christmas Decor Items
Home decor items - including the popular vinyl lettering trend
Unique toys - we love sock monkeys, wooden cars, blocks, animals, dolls (we never have enough dolls!), quiet books and doll clothes
Jewelry
Childrens hair bows
Handbags
Family picture magnetic boards
Trendy knitted scarves and hats
Quilts

If you would like to make something for the MWB botique we will collect them at our October meeting or you can drop it off to Carolyn, Lynn, Judy, Ardis, Barbara, Paulette, Kathy or Sandy anytime before October 15 and we will take it over to the MWB collection center in Provo.

It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

2009-09-02T19:14:00.000-07:00

" He who has health has hope; and he who has hope has everything." ~Arabian Proverb

Jeannie, Ardis, Carolyn & Judy marking the quilt~

Primary Childrens Medical Center brings hope to many children and their families, so we have chosen to work on a project for the Festival of Trees, a large fund raiser for PCMC. Our September meeting was held Tuesday, September 1st at Carolyn's home. Attending were Judy, Lynn, Ardis, Kathy, Jeannie, Carolyn and Sandy. Our guest speaker was Jeannie A* who has volunteered for many years for the Festival of Trees and was a board member. Jeannie told us about the history of the festival and how it was started back in the 1970's to raise funds for Primary Children's Hospital in Salt Lake City.

In 1971, the first Festival of Trees was held at thet old Armory in Salt Lake and featured 60 Christmas treee. That year they were pleased to make $47,000 for the hospital. "Over the years, this beautiful event has blossomed into a forest of more than 800 trees, a gift boutique featuring handmade articles, a sweet shop filled with freshly made candies and baked goods, a display of wreaths and door decorations, centerpieces, gingerbread houses, and backyard playhouses. There is also Santa, activities for children, hot scones and sweet rolls, and continuous live entertainment. In all, the Festival spans over 220,000 square feet of display space and last year's festival raised $1,495,840.74." (Quote from Festival of the Trees History) All of this money goes to helping children in need get the medical care they require.
Lynn, tole painting decorations for the Tabletop Christmas tree.

This year we are making a Table Top Christmas Tree, a quilt to go with it and a small nativity, themed around the birth of the Savior. We tied the quilt and painted the ornaments. Next month we will finish the quilt and decorate the tree. Each ornament on the tree has to be wired into the branch to ensure that the decorations are secure and to facilitate transportation to the purchasers of the tree. The Festival of Trees will be held December 2-5, 2009 at the Southtowne Expo Center in Salt Lake City and all proceeds benefit the Primary Children's Medical Center.

Coming right up!

2009-08-30T21:43:00.000-07:00

Our September meeting will be held Tuesday, September 1st at Carolyn's home at 11:00 a.m. Jeannie Anderson will be coming to share some of her experiences with the Festival of Trees. Jeannie is a former board member with the festival and has spent many years volunteering for the event. The Festival of Trees raises millions of dollars each year for Primary Children's Hospital and the funds are used to help children who could not otherwise afford medical care to get the care that they need. These children come to Salt Lake City from all over the world and receive life saving, life changing medical care.

We will be making a quilt and a tree to donate to the Festival of Trees. Come and join us at 11:00 a.m. We will have a potluck lunch around 1:00 p.m.

Special Delivery

2009-08-06T19:17:00.000-07:00

"Where there is great love, there is always miracles." Willa CatherSandy, Ardis, Paulette, Carolyn, Haru, Judy & Lon
Paulette, Ardis, DeAnna, Carolyn, Haru & Judy
Thursday, August 6th was a heart warming day for the We CAN group. We traveled up to Heber to deliver our dresses, tee-shirts, jeans and 160 pairs of flip flops to the Village of Hope founders, Lon and DeAnna Kennard. DeAnna graciously shared with us a few of her experiences and a bit of the inspiration that started them on their journey with the village of Kersa Illala and Village of Hope Foundation. She is an amazing woman with thirteen children, the youngest six were adopted from Ethiopia. DeAnna radiates love and faith, has a huge heart and a spirit in tune with the Lord. They have been working in Ethiopia for ten years now and have overcome huge obstacles and seen many miracles. Thank you, DeAnna, for sharing a part of your busy day with us~ thank you for your light and love!

Sewing in the Love

2009-08-06T18:45:00.000-07:00

" We look for visions of heaven and we never dream that all the time God is in the commonplace things and the people around us." Oswald ChambersWe met again on Tuesday, August 4th at Lynn's home to finish sewing the tee-shirt dresses for the little girls in Ethiopia. Carolyn and Lynn ~ pressing and gathering.
Haru, visiting from Tokyo, helped pin the skirts together

Judy, gathering the skirts together.

Haru has a great technique for folding the finished product -

it looked ready to go on a store shelf!

A few of the finished dresses . . . we hope the girls and women who wear these can feel our love for them as they go about their daily tasks, for they truly were sewn with loving hearts and kind hands. We also collected tee shirts and jeans for the little boys. We will be delivering them this week to the founders of Village of Hope

That's Sew Fun

2009-08-06T18:23:00.000-07:00

"If we seek to manifest love by utilizing our inherent abilities to serve others in whatever we are doing, we find the greatest opportunity for development, for then we are giving expression to our love for our neighbors and ourselves." The Intelligent Heart, David & Bruce McArthur
Our July meeting was held at Lynn's home on the 21st. Kathy, Judy, Ardis, Lynn and Carolyn spent the afternoon sewing tee-shirt dresses for the little girls in Ethiopia. Fabric is ruffled, and hemmed, then sewed to a tee-shirt and it becomes a cute little dress for girls. They finished 17 dresses and have many more partially completed. These little dresses will be given to the Village of Hope Foundation.

What's next?

2009-06-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

We are still collecting flip flops for the children in Ethiopia, but we are also collecting new or gently used tee-shirts for the children. In July we will be making simple dresses for the little girls

The boys wear a tee shirt with jeans, and the little girls wear simple dresses that can be made by sewing a ruffle of fabric on the bottom of a tee shirt as shown in the photo above. The best tee shirts are those of dark colors or with patterns on them. They do need to have sleeves and a high neck. Click here for more information:

"The most important consideration when providing clothing for the children is to realize that the item will be the only thing the child will wear until it literally falls apart. It will be worn to play in, work in, and slept in. It isn't uncommon to find that a child's outfit is sewn on, nor is it uncommon to see a child clutching a filthy piece of rag around the shoulders to serve as a pitiful dress or shirt -- no other clothing or shoes, only the rag. Please know that what you donate with love will be received as a priceless possession. This is why we ask for only new or like new, shirts and dresses, and socks and clean shoes, that are very durable." from Village of Hope

Warm Up America

2009-06-30T16:45:00.001-07:00

"Man's mind once stretched by a new idea, never regains its original dimension." Oliver Wendell Holmes

Our June meeting was held at Judy's home. We learned about Warm Up America, a foundation that was started by Evie Rosen because she wanted to help the homeless.

Volunteers knit or crochet a 7" x 9" rectangle, and these rectangles are put together to form an afghan.

To date, over 250,000 afghans have been given to victims of natural disasters, battered women's shelters, the homeless, and others in need.

Walk a Mile in My Shoes

2009-06-30T16:28:00.000-07:00

"If I could be you,

if you could be me for just one hour

If we could find a way to get inside each other's mind,

If you could see you through my eyes instead of your ego

I believe you'd be surprised to see that you've been blind,

Walk a mile in my shoes,

walk a mile in my shoes

Hey, before you abuse, criticize and accuse

Walk a mile in my shoes."

Words & Music by Joe South sung by Elvis Presley

So far we have collected over 150 flip flops for the children and more are coming in . . .

Here are a few of the beautiful children in Kersa Ilala in Ethiopia, where Village of Hope is making a difference in these children's lives. You can watch some videos of the children and see a few of the things the foundation is doing.

Learning to Give, Giving to Learn

2009-05-20T20:49:00.001-07:00

Learn not only to find what you like, learn to like what you find.
~Anthony J. D'Angelo, The College Blue Book

Our May 12th meeting was hosted by Ardis. We again worked on the foam shapes that go into the children's school kits and had a lovely luncheon.

Coming to a Theater Near You

2009-05-20T20:19:00.000-07:00

Our compassionate service enrichment group will be collecting flip flops for the Village of Hope foundation.http://www.villageofhope-ethiopia.org/.

They really need flip flops in children's sizes - but any size will do.
They have flip flops for $1.00 at the Dollar Store, but another group working on this project indicated that the flip flops found at Old Navy are more durable and will last longer - and many other stores carry them as well.

If you would like to donate some flip flops to the Village of Hope, you can bring them to the upcoming meeting or give them to Carolyn, Lynn or Sandy.

Our meeting in June will be Tuesday, June 9, 1:00 p.m.at Judy D's home. Bring your friends and come enjoy an afternoon of caring!

Just Plodding Along

2009-04-14T18:43:00.000-07:00

"Great opportunities to help others seldom come, but small ones surround us daily." ~ Sally Koch

Our fourth meeting was held today at Lynn R's home. We continued working on items for the school kits going to Afghanistan.

We learned about Village of Hope, a non-profit organization that is helping a village in southern Ethiopia. Briana Whatcott, of Payson, has organized a fashion show on April 23 at 7:00 p.m. at Payson High to raise funds for Village of Hope. Briana was adopted eleven years ago from this small village and is now reaching out to help others who still live there. Village of Hope has a comprehensive plan and is building a strong foundation in the village, helping the people there be self-sustaining. One of the most impressive aspects of the program is that people in the village are already reaching out, serving and helping others.

School Kits

2009-03-11T15:31:00.000-07:00

"Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world." Nelson Mandela.
Our March meeting was held Tuesday, March 10 at Sandy O's home. Five ladies attended, and we watched a video on the Humanitarian Services of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and the great need worldwide for service. We also learned about Rose Ann Gunther, who received the "Women's Achievement Award in 2005" from the Utah Commission for Women and Families. Mrs. Gunther, along with her Service Group, first developed the Hygiene, School and Newborn Kits for the Humanitarian Center that are now sent throughout the world.

Sister Gunther organizes ongoing humanitarian projects and meets with a large group each Wednesday to work on these projects. KSL TV highlighted Sister Gunther and her work between conference sessions. Her impact on humanity has been great. She is a wonderful example of the positive impact one person can make in the world.

Our current project is working on school kits that will be going to Afghanistan. We have been collecting items for the school kits such as pencils, erasers, rulers, sharpeners, colored pencils, etc. During our meeting, we cut out fun foam shapes and tied them together in groups to be placed in each of the school kits.

Upcoming Project March 10

2009-02-26T09:40:00.000-08:00

For our next meeting, coming up on March 10, we will be working on a Humaitarian effort to send school supplies to children in Afhanistan.

Supplies that are needed are:
12" plastic rulers
small pencil sharpeners
pink erasers (the kind that are approx 1" x 2")
#2 pencils
packages of colored pencils (12 in a box)
If you have extra around your home or can purchase a few items in the next couple of weeks, bring them to our meeting.

We will be watching a video about a woman in American Fork who organizes ongoing Humanitarian efforts, such as this one to send 2500 kits to 10 schools in Afghanistan and we will be cutting out some foam felt patterns that will also go in the school kits.

We CAN (Care And Nurture)

Tying it Up

2009-02-11T13:15:00.000-08:00

"Children are our future, we must take care of them with maximum effort." Naomi Campbell

Our second meeting was held February 10, 2009 at Paulette's home. Marcia W., Connie K., Ardis L., Carolyn S., Paulette F., and Sandy O. attended. We tied a lovely children's quilt for the Humanitarian Center.
Ardis suggested we call our group "We CAN" with CAN an acronym for Care And Nourish. The name was approved by all attending. Carolyn reported on her trip to Rosarita. We had a lovely luncheon with a variety of salads. We will meet again the 2nd Tuesday in March.

Reflections on Rosarita

2009-02-11T11:54:00.000-08:00

"If you can't feed a hundred people, then feed just one." ~ Mother Teresa

C & D delivered 240 pounds of rice and beans and 12 large jars of salsa to the Bishop in Rosarita. The Elders help Carolyn unload the supplies.

The beautiful chapel in Rosarita

Carolyn with a lovely family in Rosarita

And We're Off!

2009-02-11T11:10:00.000-08:00

Our first meeting was held on a snowy morning, February 2, 2009 at Carolyn's home, who has spearheaded this endeavor. Carolyn S., Paulette F., Connie K., Marlene S., Barbara E., Rae Lee S., Judy D., Ardis L . and Sandy O., attended and Ranae H will be a long-distance member. We also welcome others throughout the community who would like to be involved.

We talked about different organizations and areas where we could serve and help others. A myriad of ideas were formed and we talked about different names for our group as well as a mission statement. Our first project will be sending some food staples to an area in M. where because of the current decline in tourism, people are struggling. C & D will be heading to M. Wednesday and will take down food staples with them then. We are to bring ideas for a name for our group to the next meeting, which will be held February 10 at Paulette's home.

We visited, had refreshments and adjourned.