Maybe....(not off topic but long)

Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just *now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

First off, *hugs and tears* on the passing of your Opa. That was such a
bitter-sweet story.
I don't know if Joyce was/is a troll, but I do know that a lot of places
will more than welcome quilts. Hospitals, nursing homes, group homes,
orphanages. A lot of people are left with nothing or start with nothing.
Alena was given a crocheted blanket while in the NICU, and I was given loan
of a cuddle quilt while I stayed in the hospital with her for three weeks.
People often keep them, even though they're supposed to be loaners only. We
still have the blanket she was given. I can't even express how much it was
appreciated. I've written thank you letters to the maker.
So instead of getting upset at a scam artist, ignore them, and then if
you're interested in making quilts for donation, look into it yourselves,
or ask someone on the group to do it for you. Heck, I'll compile a list if
you'd like.
Just trying to help.



"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past
May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was
his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of
plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the
charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so
he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in
seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so
she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and
favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears
welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a
deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell
me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from
them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later
where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and
realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring
them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to
be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled
out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good
use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead
of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old
yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some
sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to
eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle
through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin
can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
(gentle snippage in the interest of bandwidth)

Oh Karlee...you made me cry....

Debi (no flames here)

Hey Karlee:

Big Hugs to you dear.

May I make a suggestion, If you don't hear from Joyce then why don't you
look up a local senior center. I have a feeling that a lot of quilters are
there. They would love to get those pieces of fabric that you can't get
into a quilt. They make quilts for the police to carry around for kids
found in distress, for hopitals, nursing homes and families that have lost
their homes.

Kate T.
South Mississippi
"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

From: "Karlee in Kansas"

Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for it

No flames, Karlee, just a lot of hugs. Your story about Opa reminded me about
my Pipo, who passed away 3 weeks ago, today. He was my uncle, but more like a
grandfather, since both my maternal grandparents passed away before I was born.
He and my Mimo, since they were the oldest of that side of the family, and
since they cared for me when I was younger, became like my grandparents. He
was diagnosed with prostate cancer about 10 years ago...he went through chemo
only twice, and decided against it because it made him too sick. He was 72
years old at the time, so, his family let him quit the chemo. He wasn't
expected to last a year. Fast forward 8 years...my Mimo has a stroke while on
a car ride to California to visit family. She was flown back from El Paso to
Houston, and when she had arrived at the hospital, it had been almost 16
hours...she was in the hospital for 2 weeks, and then spent another 2 in a
rehab center. He was there every day, even when she didn't want him there.
Even though they have 11 children and 30-someodd grandchildren, they had
problems finding someone to stay overnight, since she was unable to speak. I
stayed overnight every night for 12 nights with her...one evening, when we had
visited and my mom and sister were getting ready to leave me there, my mom
asked my sister to take my Pipo to go get a soda, then they would take him
home. While down there, he showed her his wallet, and a picture of myself and
my sister was right in the front...he considered us his granddaughters, and was
happy that I was staying overnight, because he knew I would make sure nothing
happened to Mimo. Now...by this point, he had cancer for 8 years...untreated.
He still mowed the lawn, sat outside, cooked for himself...hardly what his
doctors had expected.
Last year, around May, I believe, I saw a posting on one of my charity crafting
lists, offering quilts and afghans to family members who were sick or
elderly...I asked Mary, the leader of the group, if I could trade some dolls
for 3 afghans for my Mimo, Pipo, and paternal Grandma. She sent them, along
with some books, crosses, etc. I expected my Mimo to like hers, and my
Grandma, since they both had flannel lapquilts I had made them when they were
in the hospital...I didn't expect my Pipo to use it much, if at all.
Now, to a month and a half ago...we got a phone call from my aunt that my Pipo
was in the hospital, and he had fallen out of the bed and was badly hurt. My
sister and I rushed down there to find out what was going on....it was about 11
at night, and we had to go through the emergency room. Turns out he had been
in there for almost a week, but we had heard nothing at all (long story). He
was babbling incoherently, and the nurses were happy that we had come. After I
called my mom and told her I was going to stay, he had regained his coherence,
and was talking to me. This is when I found out he had been in there for a
week. His arms and legs were badly bruised, he had cuts on his arms, etc...no
one was there to help him, and he was unable to reach the call button to tell
the nurses he had to use the bathroom, so he tried to go himself. I sat there
and talked to him for a while, and calmed him down when they wanted to put a
catheter in...he was crying during that. I had to tell him it was ok for him
to pee then, since he thought they would be mad at him if he soiled himself.
It was a sad situation all around. With 11 children, no one could stay...with
30something grandchildren, over half of them 18 and up, no one was there. I
had to leave when he was transferred into cardiac ICU, and I cried while
telling my sister what had happened. Less than a month later, he was bedridden
at home, and the hospice workers were there. Three weeks ago, at 12:35 pm,
less than 2 minutes before my mom and I had arrived to see him and my Mimo
(she's bedridden now), he passed. I had to try not to cry, just stayed by my
Mimo's side, while all their children and some of the grandkids came to say
goodbye. I had to tell my sister, who is away at college, about him passing.
I'm crying now, just thinking about all the events of that day...and the
resulting family issues that came up. (just another long story)
The day after the funeral, I asked my Mimo if I could have my Pipo's afghan for
my sister, since they were very close. I was afraid it would get thrown away
or donated, and I knew that it would help my sister with closure, since she was
unable to come home for the funeral. When I went into their bedroom to find
it, it was folded up with my Mimo's. While my Mimo's felt and looked pretty
unused, my Pipo's was well washed. It turns out he slept with it, because I
gave it to him.
I'm finding out a lot about things I didn't know about him, like how he played
minor league ball (he was buried in an Astros jersey, jacket, and cap...no suit
for him!). But what I will remember most is that he loved me, and he slept
with the blankie I gave him.
I know that most people in this group have given quilts to seniors in nursing
homes, sick family members, pets :-), and they know how important it is, but I
just wanted to share my story. Thanks Karlee for sharing yours.

Sarah

I'm so glad you were able to make a quilt for your Opa and that he treasured
it so much.

--
Lady Cynthia, Royal Musicmaker

http://photos.yahoo.com/cbet_99
http://www.one-eleven.net/~music/

A little boy was overhead praying: "Lord, if you
can't make me a better boy, don't worry about it.
I'm having a real good time like I am."
"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

Karlee, I am going to be making some lap quilts for some of the folks in my
nursing home after the holidays. If you can't get the addy for the person
you offered the fabric to, I'd be glad to take it off your hands and put it
to good use. It really is amazing just how many people in the homes, either
have no family left, or their families just don't take the time to drop in
for even 10 minutes from time to time just to say hello. It's very sad. All
it takes is 10 minutes to brighten up their day and will give them something
to talk about with the other residents for days!
We have some family members that are present so much of the time, you
actually have other visitors them questions thinking that they are part of
the staff. Then you have the family members that live right there in town
that you only talk to on the phone when you have to call them to let them
know of changes in the residents meds or when they may have had an accident.
You never see them.
I am notorious for taking candy to work with me and handing it out on the
sly to the ones I think can use a little cheering up. I have to be sneaky
about it, or there will definitely be a mutiny on the bounty. lol I can't
tell any of you just how much chewing tobacco, snuff and cigarettes I have
bought for residents over the years. As I write this, I am about to start a
batch of fried apple pies to take to some of the residents at my facility.
We have a resident there that needs to gain weight. I was talking with her
one day and we were talking about cooking and she told me that she loves
fried apple pies made out of dried apples. I told her that she would have
them very soon and she will be getting them tomorrow when I go back to work.
This lady used to love to cook and misses it. They *DO* allow her into the
kitchen sometimes to bake, which I think is great! This is something that I
have said all along that all nursing homes should do. Allow these little ole
ladies in the kitchen sometimes to cook something special for themselves.
(The ones that aren't demented.)
Shelly



"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss




---
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Checked by AVG anti-virus system (http://www.grisoft.com).
Version: 6.0.532 / Virus Database: 326 - Release Date: 10/27/03

What a beautiful post.
I feel inspired. I have a couple of baby sized quilts that were not finished
before the babies outgrew them. I think I will back them, tie them with
buttons, and donate (to joyce, if she wants them).

"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over 4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

Could I ask you to rethink the buttons on baby quilts? Busy little fingers
might pry them off.. its astounding how clever the little diaper wearers can
be sometimes! Things in the hands end up in little mouths. Better safe than
sorry..
Just a thought..
Diana

--
http://photos.yahoo.com/lunamom44
"Lisa C" wrote in message
t...
What a beautiful post.
I feel inspired. I have a couple of baby sized quilts that were not
finished
before the babies outgrew them. I think I will back them, tie them with
buttons, and donate (to joyce, if she wants them).

"Karlee in Kansas" wrote in message
...
Maybe I got taken in by Joyce's plea for supplies. Wait, that isn't a
good
use of words. I guess what I'm trying to say is her plea tugged at me.
Maybe she is a troll, and maybe she isn't. And maybe, just maybe, I'm
going to spill too many of my guts right now and suffer the flamage for
it,
but here goes.
(please bear with me as this is long...but it does have a point)

Over a year ago, I made a lap quilt for my beloved Opa, and this past
May,
he passed away. He had spent his last two years or so in a nursing
home,
and I felt horrible that I couldn't be there every day for him. I was
his
favorite grandkid (despite his best efforts to hide that fact, everyone
knew it), and every time I was in my home town I stopped by to visit
him.
I made him a bunch of pretties for his room...I painted a bunch of
plastic
suncatchers and hung them in his window, I went through my calendar
collection (my mom gets tons of promotional calendars due to the
charities
that she gives to, and gives them to me for some unknown reason) and
took
out the prettiest pictures and hung them all over his room. I talked to
my
Mabel and got a bunch of his favorite family pictures and made a big
collage out of them, and hung it next to his bed. Then I made the
quilt.
It was something of me that he could hug, it was bright colors on the
top
to give him something interesting to look at, I tied it with buttons so
he
had something to fidget with, and I backed it with the softest fleece I
could find so it would be warm and fuzzy on his lap. (I have a digital
camera now, and can take a picture of it if anyone is interested in
seeing
it)

About a month ago, my mom wanted to give me and DH a break from DS, so
she
took DS to her house for the weekend. When she came to pick up DS, she
gave
the quilt back to me, and all I could do was stand there and cry like a
kid
because of what she had to tell me. She told me that Opa adored his
quilt.
He took it everywhere with him. He wouldn't let the nurses touch it or
move it. He told everyone a million times that his grandbaby made it
for
him so he could still be close to me. It was his most prized and
favorite
possession there. Mom stopped at this point, and hesitated. Tears
welled
up in her eyes (as they are doing to mine all over again), she took a
deep
breath, and told me that they (her, dad, and Mabel) didn't want to tell
me
this at his funeral because I wasn't taking his passing so well, but he
died clutching his quilt. The quilt that I made him.

I worked in a nursing home for a while, and it wasn't an easy job. It
wasn't easy because so many of the residents were ignored by their
families. Very few of them had some sort of comfort object, be it from
their family or someone else. And I guess that this brings me to my
point.
Bad spelling aside, troll alert aside, I felt tugged on because of the
purpose for the request. The quilts are/were intended for people that
ordinarily wouldn't have anything to cuddle. Not all of us is lucky to
have a quilt and feel its warmth or love...but IMO (opinion being the
key
word here) there are people out there that can and will benefit from
them.
The Alzheimer's patients most likely won't remember 20 minutes later
where
the quilt came from, but they will still love it. The withdrawn and
non-verbal patients might come out of their shells for a while and
realize
that this is something that they can call their own, and it can bring
them
comfort. My initial reaction was that it is a legit cause, even if
there
wasn't a whole lot of specifics given out. I guess it will continue to
be
my reaction for a while. I posted two email addresses (albeit spelled
out
with spaces to avoid more of the v*agra spam and what-have-you) and
haven't
heard anything yet from her. I guess if she is a troll, she will
persist
in sending nasty emails to members of our group and ignore my offer...if
she isn't, she will email me with a snail addy where I can send these
pieces of fabric that really need to go to a good home. I'll wait a
few
days, and if she hasn't contacted me, I'll be looking for other takers
on
this. I can't keep all this fabric, especially if I can't find a good
use
for it on my end.

Now before you go hopping up and down about "why don't *you* make quilts
out of your oddball fabric for local nursing homes/shelters/etc instead
of
offering to send it to gosh-knows-where if you feel so strongly about
people having something to hold and call their own?", realize please
that
it is a time issue. A time issue in the fact that I don't have the time
to
finish any of my current WIP, and don't feel like taking on such a big
task
with so much on my plate. I have DD, who turned two months old
yesterday,
a 6 yo and his school activities, all the hub-bub of being an army wife,
and now, I'm assistant to the FRG (family readiness group) leader and a
POC
(point of contact) for DH's unit. Some days are so full with DD, school
stuff and FRG stuff that I don't know if I'll find time to sh*t, shower,
and shave. I have missed more than one meal because I was so busy
taking
care of Erin, throwing together a craft project at the last minute for a
class of 1st graders, starching a uniform at the last minute for some
sort
of ceremony that DH has to attend to within the next X hours and just
*now*
found out about it, and compiling packets for the FRG meeting that got
scheduled that day for the following day, that I just plumb forgot to
eat.
I haven't seen my SM in months, and haven't had the time to rootle
through
my stash until today (the last time I started going through it was over
4
months ago, and I only rootled through 2 piles and a shoe box so far
today,
thanks to the army, but that is a whole 'nother ball game). I would
honestly love to make quilts for the local nursing homes, I just don't
have
the time, and I'm glad that someone, somewhere does have the time, and
if
they can benefit from my "uglies" then so be it. I'd be happy to make
time
in my day to find all of them and ship them off.

I'm not flaming anyone, so please don't take it that way. I guess my
ramblings are my meager attempt at trying to justify why I'd respond to
someone that is seen as a troll. If I send the "uglies" off, and don't
get
so much as a stinky fart blown in my direction for my efforts, so be it.
Maybe that means that my "uglies" still found a home where they will be
loved and used instead of being a box protector or a
shelf-holder-downer.
They still will have found purpose, ugly or not.


Hugs,
Karlee in Kansas, pulling on the asbestos gear and hiding in a tin
can....

~~
"Be who you are and say what you feel because those who mind don't
matter and those who matter don't mind."
-Dr. Seuss

Karlee!
Jumping up and down to wave the banner!!!
what an AWSOME post!


betsey
"we do not inherit the earth, we caretake it for our children"