Snuggly, cuddly receiving blankets for baby.

Today was a wonderful day here at Relief  Share.  We were very busy in the morning getting a donation ready to go to the hospital made from the gorgeous flannel that arrived in a donation box from our Relief Share guardian angel (who wishes to remain anonymous, but is very much loved by everyone).

The flannel is darling – little dalmations romping over soft fuzzy flannel in pink and yellow, cute ducks that make you smile when you look at it. Other flannel from our inventory room was also used – in fact, we just used up ALL the flannel on hand so the hospital will have enough receiving blankets this chilly winter for the precious babies.  Firemen puppies, cute green dinosaurs, pink check, white and orange polka dot, pastel plaids, cute kids prints – all cut out to 36 x 45 with rounded corners and carefully serged.

We love using the wooly nylon to make the flannel receiving blankets look more store bought and professional when we have it. So much love sewn into the baby blankets….

A large box came in to the office of baby clothing and accessories and it’s already been delivered to the crisis center, along with another box that came in from a wonderful reborner, Kimiko Stallard, who sends boxes of books, childrens clothing and accessories regularly.  She also donates part of her ebay auctions to Relief Share and we appreciate her.

This afternoon we took the donation to the hospital and they were so pleased with everything in it. Thank you to all who help us help the sick and needy

Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven.

Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in Heaven.

In today’s world it is hard to keep your nose above water.  What floats your boat?  What makes you do what you do and think what you think?

Well, the short answer is ‘decisions’.   Decisions are affected by two forces, and two forces only.  Faith and fear. If you think you can, you can, if you think you can’t you can’t.  It really is that simple.  Decisions made with faith can be empowering and beneficial to everyone – those are the kind of decisions that lead to volunteering to help charities, offering to give assistance to a neighbor, smiling at strangers out of sheer happiness and wanting to share joy.

There are many many children who don’t have decent parents and many without any parents at all. I see a lot of the sad side of life because of the two national charities my husband and I founded.

It is good to always seek for happy productive people to have in your circle of friends. The sad and bad is out there, but life is a choice and reaching for peace, joy, love and happiness is always the way to find more. What we think about and seek is what we will find as our thoughts become actions and actions create our environment.

Want to be happy and have a seaworthy boat that floats?  Volunteer or donate today to a charity of your choice!

If you choose to help us, our address to send donations to is:

Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225

and

Relief Share
6200 N River Pointe Dr C208,
Boise, Idaho 83714

Urgent needs:

Baby items: recieving blankets, baby quilts, clothing, diapers, pacifiers, lotion, etc

sewing and crafting supplies – yarn, fabric, thread, knitting needles, crochet hooks, etc.

Carol Green
President
ReliefShare.org

Warn knitted hat - one size fits children and adult

This entry in our blog is bringing attention to the needs of those who are dealing with lack.  When we think that an item will be used for a specific purpose, those who have not may use it for our intended purposes, but also have the creativity and inventiveness to re-purpose it for other needs.

We were charmed to see what our knitted hat wound up being used for by a sweet little girl who innocently showed us that there are different ways to look at and use the same things.  Thinking outside the box allowed her to spend happy hours caring for her baby doll in a soft cuddly bunting pod, and when it gets cold, she can immediately pop the baby dolls ‘bed’ on her head for a cute warm hat to protect her head from the chilly weather.  I guess you could look at it this way – warm weather, it’s a dolly bed – cold weather, it’s a hat.

Attention to detail makes the hat fit better and look nicer

Cute soft baby doll bed, re-purposed hat by a little girl - smart thinking.

Just a few extra minutes with a crochet hook and adding a button really puts that 'touch of love' message to recipients.

If you would like to donate knitted or crocheted hats to help the  sick and needy, feel free to use your own patterns or email us at info@ReliefShare.org for our pattern shown above.

Hugs to you – may your heart always be warm, your tummy full and you be willing to help others when the spirit of God touches you to do so.

Carol Green
President
Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225

or

ReliefShare
6200 N River Pointe Dr c208
Boise, Idaho 83714

Dear little baby, born this day - may God be with you all the way.

Being a ‘good’ Christian.  What does that mean to you?  That’s the opinion that matters to the face in the mirror.

There are quite a few people who don’t go to church anymore because they were offended by their brothers and sisters who went there.

The bible says not to offend and not to be offended. Easier said than done when our emotions kick in.  I’ve been horribly offended, too, and wanted the perpetrators nailed to the cross for the pain they inflicted.  It wasn’t right, it wasn’t fair, it was unjustified – oh ya, I could really rant on in what I saw as a justified position as a victim.

Then I realized that I wasn’t a victim.  I had become the sinner by refusing to forgive and wanting ‘justice’ – lets call it what is really was – I wanted revenge.  Oy!  Put an entirely different light on things.

Being a good Christian – and loving God enough to obey him – I took a hard look at MY behavior and realized I needed to stop playing the ‘blame game’ and justifying my non-attendance on others.  I humbled myself, forgave the perpetrators (never having received an apology or even seeing any change in their behavior) and found peace.

I now attend church for the right reason (in my eyes) and that is to worship God.  Church is not a social club. You don’t primarily go because of mortal friendships but you are supposed to mainly go because of eternal and spiritual friendship with your Heavenly Father and your brother Jesus Christ.  It isn’t the “Church of Sally” or the “Church of Ron” – its the “Church of God” and while mortal friendships are beneficial and supportive, it is best to realize that the true purpose of church is to connect with your Creator – the one who loves and supports you the best.

Going to church allows you to strengthen your testimony and faith in God.  If you can’t humble yourselves enough to forgive and going to church is counterproductive, then fine – stay away and struggle on your own for a while.  However, if you can rise above the pain and misery inflicted on you by others, so you can once again enjoy basking in Gods love with others – please do go to church. Seek out and find a church that meshes with your concept of God, find one that brings peace to your soul. When you find that wonderful place – then you can reach out to others who are hurting, like you are now hurting, and bring them into your circle of love to shelter, care for, and support.

The Bible tells us to become strong first – then reach out.  If we are weak and hurting, instead of helping others, we could be dragging them down as we spew anger, frustration and pain all over their life – making it harder for them, instead of being a blessing for them.

Life is a journey, not a destination right now.  We live each day at a time, one footstep at a time.  Most days we move forward, some days we are backsliding, but we are always going from day to day, moment to moment and praying for help so that it can be forward motion.

Let go of the insult, the anger, the indignation, the frustration – all the negative emotions associated with what is holding you back.  You don’t have time or energy for it, life is short and time is fleeting.  When you do that, life gets into clearer focus and it is not as hard.

What really gets our life in focus is dealing with challenges, and sometimes other’s challenges can make us very grateful that our similar challenges in the past are over and we can now help others out who are in the same situation we were that hurt so badly.

Before I start to cry again so badly I can’t see the sewing machine, I am going to get off the computer and back to sewing burial gowns.  I have such a hard time making them.  I lost 3 children and while God has made the loss bearable, it still stings enough to make it very hard to sew the tiny gowns and bonnets for babies whose parents never got the chance to say a decent hello before they had to say goodbye.

Please, dear friends, forget your own pain today and soften the blow for others.  Speak kindly, wisely and comfortingly.  There are others all around you who are drowning in sorrow.  they show it in different ways – some of the evidence of pain is negative – striking out, saying or doing not nice things.  Find those people and be a blessing to them. Sew a burial gown, bake a batch of muffins to feed their body as your hug feeds their soul.  Give them a hug, Take them to the doctor or shopping for groceries, if thats what they need.

Listen to those who are in need of help without criticizing or even speaking if they need to unload, but most of all – listen to your Heavenly Father who loves you. He needs you most of all as the greatest blessings from heaven usually flow through hands that serve Him here below.

Off to do what has to be done now….pray for me, it’s very very very very hard.  (If you need me, I’ll be there.  That’s what being a ‘good Christian’ means to me, listening to my Heavenly Father and reaching out to help others as He helps me. )

Soft hugs
Carol Green
President
ReliefShare.org

(Note – this post is introspective.  It is not a rant on religion but sharing why we do the things we do at Relief Share. )  We would love to hear from you on your perspective of charity work.  Email us at info@ReliefShare.org

Cocoon made with Love That Yarn stripe from Hobby Lobby

Experiment with color. Enjoy the process of crafting a remarkable item to share with those less fortunate or sick. You will be doubly blessed as you put your love for your fellowman in action through service and charity.

We make so many items for the hospitals and for the sick and needy that it can get pretty hum drum to use the same yarn and colors over and over.  To spice up our charity work and enjoy what we are doing again – we simply add variation and color.  We either change up the pattern just a bit to make it slightly different and interesting – adding seed stitch to our knitting or using a variegated yarn instead of solid colors – and the joy in creating comes flowing back in again giving us a renewed love for the projects we are working on.

I ran across a wonderful tutorial on youtube on how to get the most from your variegated yarn. The idea was simple but brilliant. Mike suggests pulling the yarn from opposite ends to get a color reversal to double your benefit from using variegated yarns.

One of our Directors also has a marvelous way to make the most of variegated yarns. Jennifer Sundquist is an experienced knitter and crocheter and owns “The Tiny Panda” business – you can see her facebook page here: http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Tiny-Panda/177250085656698 Her technique for working with variegated yarns is to watch how the colorway interacts with the pattern. When she sees that there is too much of a color being added to the project, she ties off some of that color and omits it from the yarn being used. By doing this simple technique, she can control how much of any color being integrated in the pattern is impacting the final result. This is especially helpful when using your own dyed yarns if the colorway turned out different than what you wanted. Don’t toss it out or put it in the back of your craft room – simply use the tying off technique to get the amount of any given color you are looking for.

Dyeing yarn with koolaid

If you are in a rut with your charity knitting and crochet by being bored with color – make your own!  Another way to get the most from variegated yarn is to dye your own yarn. Wool is the best choice of yarn to work with and it can be dyed with koolaide and your microwave. Yes, it does work and the color is permanent. Jennifer has dyed some incredible colorways that are absolutely gorgeous. Using Koolaid to dye yarn to make beautiful colorway (variegated yarn)

Here is a tutorial on the internet on how to dye wool with koolaid: http://knitty.com/ISSUEfall02/FEATdyedwool.html

Yarn dyed with koolaid - simply gorgeous

Some of the wonderful colorways you can purchase in variegated yarns are found at the major chain craft stores. My favorites are:

Hobby Lobby – the store brand of Love That Yarn is always a good choice. You can find two types of variegated yarns in that brand. The ‘stripe’ version of the yarn will give you, yes, you guessed it, stripes – but not just solid stripes. There are pretty accents in the stripes that make your finished items wonderful. The other type of variegated yarn made by Love That Yarn is the ‘ombre’ – the more traditional type of variegated yarn with spotches of color.

Ombre pattern turned in to argyle with just a tension change - how fun!

I discovered, by accident when working on a charity fundraiser cocoon, that the ombre also makes amazing patterns when you least expect it. When making a cocoon, I put extra tension on the yarn and the basic ombre or splotch coloring turned into an argyle pattern. Very beautiful and more complex coloring and completely unexpected and welcome!

Another colorway that I love to use is Caron Simply Soft. In my opinion, that is some of the best yarn to use for baby projects as it is silky and soft and drapes beautifully. I also discovered that Wal Mart has three colorways that just came out a few weeks ago, as Wal Mart is adding all their fabric departments back (yay, Wal Mart – we love you again!) and the colorways are gorgeous. They are not available at any other stores in our Boise, Idaho area yet so I quickly bought up all that I could.

If you have ideas and comments on using color with yarn in your charity or other projects, we would love to hear from you.  Our email is info@ReliefShare.org

Carol C Green
President
ReliefShare.org
ReliefShare.org/wordpress

Chow dog dyed to look like Panda

Oh – just a fun aside note:  Yarn isn’t the only thing people like to dye.  This is a picture of the latest rage from China – people are dyeing their dogs like other animals.  Its safe and fun and quite interesting, but that is an entirely different post altogether *smile*

Volunteer kindness - it's love in action!

Summertime tends to be a more relaxed time when we can enjoy the sunshine and take a look around to see how we can make a difference in the world.  We always try to leave a place better than we found it and the earth is very much in need of those who care and do what they can to alleviate suffering and help those in need and in crisis.

Everyone has gifts and talents.  We all have something we can offer each other to make life gentler, easier, more precious and kinder.  What is your gift?  Sewing? Crochet or knitting? Embroidery? Quilting? Tending children? Writing?  Baking? Organizing? Leadership? Making others feel better about themselves?  You see, there are as many wonderful gifts from God to each of us as there are God’s children here in our earthly family.  Take some time today to think about how you can share your special gift with others.

Volunteers have been working hard to help others.  This week boxes of much needed donations have come in filled with finished items, supplies, and love.  Many donations have gone out to those who are sick and needy and they express gratitude for the help.  Thank you so much to those who share from the heart what they have with those who so desperately need it.

Current projects:

- queen and baby size quilts – for the hospital and shelters
- wool dryer balls (these can save the average family approx $240 a year)
- knit hairbands for refugee children
- baby cocoons and hats for the hospital
- soft toys for refugee and homeless children
- infant burial layettes
- baby items such as diaper bags, totes, layettes, booties, hats, sweaters, onesies, cloth diapers, hygiene items (soap, lotion, rash ointment, conditioner), bottles, feeding pillows
- baby ribbon taggie blankets and toys
- backpacks with school supplies
- tote bags for foster children
- baby afghans
- prayer shawls for cancer patients
- knitted and crocheted hats for chemo patients

Some of the supplies most needed right now are: a Kam Snap press, Kam Snaps (all colors), PUL fabric for diaper covers, fabric (flannel, cotton, knit, woven, any kind, kids print), elastic for diapers, velcro, thread, sewing tools, quilting tools, crochet and knitting supplies and needles and hooks, yarn – any kind, smocking supplies, trim, lace, ribbon roses (burial layettes), ribbon (we need lots of washable ribbon of all widths, colors and patterns for the taggie blankets), USM knitting machine, claw weights, swift for making skeins into center pull balls of yarn, yarn winders, wool yarn for dryer balls, baby longies and hats and blankets.

May your summer be a fun and wonderful one, filled with friends and family and may you bless others as you enjoy all that God has given you.  You may want to donate supplies to help volunteers make what is needed, or make items yourself and send them to us to distribute.  You may want to help by sending funds to help us ship items to where they are needed to go or purchase needed items.  You can donate through paypal by sending your donation to info@reliefshare.org or send a check or money order as well as boxes of donations to:

Relief Share
6200 N River Pointe Dr C208,
Boise, Idaho 83714

or

Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225

All donations are tax deductible.  We are grateful for everyone doing what they can to help us help others

God bless you,

Carol C Green
President
www.ReliefShare.org
info@ReliefShare.org

Christ shows the way with charity.

Here is a wonderful quote about service.. I love the Saviour and his protecting, guiding care. When those around us get too critical, life can become burdensome. All I have to do when situations occur is remember what the Saviour did in the same type of circumstances – he turned the other cheek and lost himself in service.

He knew and understood well what his mission here on earth was. It was not about Him, it was about serving others and offering us His selfless gift of the atonement.  Jesus Christ told those who would be His followers that they were to give meat to the hungry and drink to those who thirst. His is a gospel that includes taking in the stranger, loving neighbors as self, and visiting those who are sick or imprisoned. He taught that we are to love and care for each other, that we should visit the fatherless and the widow in their afflictions, and lift up those whose hands hang down and whose knees are feeble.

May this help you as much as it helped me!
President Carol C Green
ReliefShare.org

———————————————————————–

Marion D. Hanks on Christ’s Example of Service

“We rejoice in the wonderful welding in his life of principle and performance. The Savior taught precepts of spiritual perfection, and he practiced and applied them with perfection. He could with authority declare that he was the light and example the people should follow: ‘I have set an example for you… I am the light which ye shall hold up — that which ye have seen me do.’ (3 Ne. 18:16, 24.)

“What he *did*, as we read in a splendid verse in the book of Matthew, was to go ‘about all Galilee, teaching… and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of… disease.’ (Matt. 4:23.) Matthew also recorded that, as he approached the final events of his earthly ministry, Jesus taught his followers the parable of the sheep and the goats, representing the judgment to come, in which he clearly identified those who will inherit ‘life eternal’ and those who will ‘go away into everlasting punishment.’ (Matt. 25:46.) The key difference was that those who should inherit the kingdom with him had developed the habit of helping, had experienced the joy of giving and the satisfaction of serving — they had responded to the needs of the hungry, thirsty, homeless, the naked, the sick, and those in prison. Well known are his words, the words of comfort to them: ‘Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me’ (Matt. 25:40), while to those who were condemned to ‘everlasting punishment’ he made the sad pronouncement, ‘Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me’ (Matt. 25:45; italics added).

“Nothing would seem more clear than the high premium the Savior put upon selfless service to others as an indispensable element of Christian conduct and of salvation. Helping, giving, sacrificing are, or should be, as natural as growing and breathing.”

Relief Share has been knitting, crocheting and serging up a storm to make the baby afghans, baby cocoons, hats, scarves, baby quilts, women’s matching scarves and hats, and infant demise layettes.  Donations have come in from wonderful dedicated volunteers via the mail and gone out to hospitals, crisis centers, homeless shelters and individuals across the nation.

A wonderful donation of alpaca yarn and baby quilts was received from Buck Valley Alpacas.  The yarn is the highest quality – so soft and hypo-allergenic for babies, it is from their herd.  Two beautiful baby quilts were donated from them, also, and have already been given out to the sick and needy.  We are so grateful for this generous and lovely donation to bless the lives of the sick and needy we serve.  Be sure to visit www.buckvalleyalpacas.com or email KathorineWood@FrontierNet.net if you would like to purchase alpaca yarn for your own projects.

Mason at just 3 lbs 2 oz.

Ever wonder “how tiny is tiny” when we are talking about the preemie babies we make things for?  A picture speaks a thousand words and this beautiful baby takes our breath away as we see his Daddy’s hand measured up against him.  How tiny is tiny? REALLY tiny.  Really perfect, really sweet and this little one is no different from thousands of other teeny tiny babies in that he has completely captured our hearts.

In less than one second, eyes are riveted to the picture and hearts committed to helping clothe and snuggle Mason in warm clothing and blankets. That is the power of ‘baby love’ that drives the volunteers at Relief Share.

Thank you to the volunteers who quickly responded to the call to action.

A package went out priority post for Mason filled with all kinds of goodies:

1 preemie afghan
2 crocheted incubator/carriage covers
1 blue outfit
3 preemie tops
4 preemie sleepers
1 preemie jacket
1 preemie snuggler cape
8 washcloths/also used for burp cloths and change pads for preemies
1 baby gown
1 baby bracelet
a number of knitted preemie baby hats
2 teddy bears
1 pair preemie booties
2 baby swaddling cocoons
pkg of 20 preemie disposable diapers
2 to a pk of bottle insulators

There was a lot of love put into this package.

Mason's care box.

The crocheted incubator covers were made by a precious little old lady in a old folks home in Missouri.  Her husband travels 2 hours EVERY DAY to go see her and pick up what she has made to donate to us.  She loves the preemies and continues to crochet for them on an ongoing basis.

Mason's care box.

I made the cocoons from a gorgeous baby blue sweater (this president loves to roll up her sleeves and participate) donated by the local Food Pantry to help us with supplies through recycling. The soft cocoons will keep Mason snuggly warm and comforted as it is like being back in the womb again.

Mason's care box.

The gown was sewn by a volunteer and has a matching crocheted hat that another volunteer made, they are from West Virginia. The bracelet was made by a third volunteer and the white blanket and booties by another.

Mason's care box.

The preemie clothing is brand new from Wal Mart and bought by yet another volunteer. Everything was donated and worked on with love. Mason has a lot of Relief Share Grannies and Aunties that love him

It is a miracle how all the hands and hearts come together in love to bless the babies and families we serve. No one is paid, we are just happy to help where we can.  Now that our care package has gone out to help Mason physically,  we will keep him and his family in our prayers   He truly is a gift from God.

President Carol Green
info@ReliefShare.org

PS.  If you love babies and want to get involved, it’s as easy as 1, 2 3……

Mason's care box.

1. Get a cardboard box
2.  Fill it with anything a baby might want or need – either finished or purchased items or sewing, quilting, knitting or crocheting supplies.  Items can be new or gently used.
3.  Stick a label on it to Relief Share, 6078 Lundy Rd, Houston, MO 65483-2225 and mail it.

Ta da! Done! You are now one of us, a Relief Share donor and volunteer and also counted in God’s book of heavenly acts on earth

Some of the items a baby needs:

sleepers, gowns, onesies, socks, booties, soft shoes, hats, tops, bottoms, diapers (cloth and disposable), burp cloths, diaper bags, swaddlers, cocoons, blankets, afghans, quilts, stuffed animals, crib bedding (sheets, bumper pads, blankets), moses baskets, cribs, swings, activity mats, rattles, bottles, soothers (pacifiers or dummies), bottle liners and nipples, breast feeding items, breast pumps, diaper lotion, baby shampoo, baby oil,  baby bath, baby food, formula, shorties, longies, baby slings, baby carriers, car seats (for safely rules they must be new), play pens, baby music CDs, bassinettes, baby brush and comb, baby chair, bath items.  Can you think of more?

Mason's care box

Some of the supplies needed:

fabric – all kinds.  Minky, chenille, micro fleece, flannel, knit, cotton – think baby!
thread, scissors, pins, quilting rulers, rotary cutters, rotary cutting mat pads, cricut machines and cartridges for quilt appliques, sergers, sewing machines, knitting machines, knitting machine weights, Kris Krafter garter bars for Bond knitting machines, yarn, all kinds, colors and types, elastic, velcro, buttons, zippers, appliques, interfacing, wonder under, knitting needles, crochet needles, tatting shuttles and needles, patterns, pincushions, bias binding, trims, laces, etc.

Clean out your closet for a good cause.  Recycle the items you no longer want or need – sweaters and tee shirts become baby cocoons, hats, onesies, gowns and stuffed soft toys.  Cut the buttons off of old shirts – they are fun down the front of a sleeper in all colors.

Joy

“One day at a time – this is enough. Do not look back and grieve over the past, for it is gone: and do not be troubled about the future, for it has not yet come. Live in the present, and make it so beautiful that it will be worth remembering.”
Ida Scott Taylor
1820-1915, Author

With our challenging economy and hardship of difficult weather, there seems to be a general pervading sense of of regret, fear, hopelessness, and anxiety. In order to flip that kind of thinking over to positive thoughts of gratitude, joy, happiness, contentment, peace and understanding, priorities need to be set.

If you are going on a trip, it is wise to know where you are going, for how long, and properly prepare. The Bible tells us “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear”. In our “me, too”, “I want it right now” “It isn’t fair if I don’t have what my neighbors have” world, many blessings are missed because they are simply overlooked. It’s not that they aren’t there – they are – but in the lemmings rush to the sea, not many stop to smell the flowers that are along the way.

Have eyes to see, ears to hear with and hearts that are soft enough to take advice, constructive criticism and willingness to change, if change is needed.

May your day today be on a trip towards a better tomorrow, for it is our todays that make the future what it is. Decide now to be happy – happiness is a gift we give ourselves, not something that happens to us by default (though that can and does happen). Be pro-active in your life, and if you are feeling like a victim, realize that there are no true victims here – no one can make you feel unhappy unless you give them the power over you to do that. There are recorded histories of people incarcerated in German holocaust camps that learned how to be happy despite their circumstances.

There is a popular quote that is attributed to Jesus – “I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it”. How shallow our lives would be if we had everything too easy. “The best stuff sometimes happens because we had to fight so hard to grasp hold of it to get it, to savor it, to embrace it.” – This comment was made by a young lady who had a terrible experience of rape at 18 years old. She rose above it – taking time to heal but never gave up.

You only fail when you stop trying. Just remember, you don’t have to do it alone – the Saviour is always here to help you, but he can’t help if you won’t let him. He also can’t talk to you if the yelling, screaming voices around you are so loud that you can’t focus and concentrate on the still small voice. Take time everyday to stop and meditate on your blessings. You will find that life may not be as difficult as you perceive it to be – that’s Satan’s trick.

Life IS good. God loves you. You deserve to be happy and you will be, if you decide here and now that you will do whatever it takes to reach out to the Lord and walk side by side with him. You do not have to be perfect, you only have to try. There is only one perfect person and by following in his footsteps you can go where he is and enjoy all that he has. He promised, and he is a promise keeper!

I won’t hit you with the blow by blow on our busy day at Relief Share, it would be a book, but today not only was a family with 7 children helped but, through divine intervention, another family with 8 children received food for the Christmas holidays as well.  The family of 7 received an entire truckload of Christmas food, clothing, coats, scarves, hats, blankets, toys, books and necessities. Thank you to a very sweet lady who donated some money with the suggestion that I use the flea markets and thrift stores to make it stretch even further – I did   also included were toys and books and also hand knitted items from our Relief Share volunteer, Lorene.

I am only 3 years old, but I can help, too!

What was so fun was when my little 3 year old grandson came up to the house from the guest house with Momma in tow with a huge teddy bear.  It is his favorite teddy and he uses it for a chair to watch TV in.  It has a big red and green plaid bow on its neck.  Reuben insisted that I take the teddy bear to the family with all the children.  The family with the 7 children have a little boy who is 6 with a birthday tomorrow, the day before Christmas and Reuben wanted to ‘do charity work’ like mommy and grandma.  THAT is the reward of a long life – seeing grandchildren make excellent choices and understand sacrifice for others.

Tonight I am busy tying a polar fleece blanket for my 8 week old grandson for Christmas and experiencing gratitude for a loving Heavenly Father.

I am grateful for a loving husband, wonderful children, a firm faith in God, good health (well for me and the ability to serve others.  I am also grateful for our volunteers and donors and read email from all of you who make my life more full and happy.

A very Merry Christmas to everyone – may God bless you and touch your hearts as he has done for me.  I am grateful for you.

President Carol C Green
info@ReliefShare.org

There is a song that I love that goes like this:

Have I done any good in the world today?
Have I helped anyone in need?
Have I cheered up the sad and made someone feel glad?
If not, I have failed indeed.

Has anyone’s burden been lighter today
Because I was willing to share?
Have the sick and the weary been helped on their way?
When they needed my help was I there?

I felt the need to reflect on my actions of the day. Had I helped someone? Had I helped to fill the needs of someone that could not help themselves? Had I made life better for those around me?

It does not need to be something huge, or some grand gesture to let the world know how good and wonderful you are, that defeats the purpose. Charity and honest affection for your fellow human beings is not about who can make the biggest splash and get noticed the most by doing good deeds. It is about the quiet moments of kindness and simple, unacknowledged goodness that make a life better because it was touched by them.

It’s about lifting those around you when they are too weary to take another step, be it physical or emotional. It’s about taking a moment to talk to that kid at the pool that drives everyone crazy by asking a million questions. . . . probably because he’s lonely. Or about smiling at the massive, scary, tattooed biker guy in the gas station aisle even though your knees turn to jelly. . . . because maybe he’s having a rough day and could use a friendly smile. (Yes, big, scary biker dudes have bad days too!) Or maybe it’s paying for the car behind you at the drive through at Arby’s, or dropping off some school supplies at a local charity.

It’s does not really matter what you do, so long as you just do it. And sorry, but this is not a “it’s the thought that counts” type of deal.

Actions speak volumes louder than words. What do your actions say about you?

Phly Jambor
U.S. Cybertek, Inc.
www.uscybertek.com

Funds are needed to ship donations to recipients, please help by donating to info@ReliefShare.org through paypal or call us to donate over the phone with a credit card or check 417-763-3288. All donations are tax deductible as we are a 501 (c) 3 non profit charity.

Many times requests for help seem to be brought to us by an invisible hand.  Folks who would normally never connect do in an effortless way that seems to be fate.  Those who have love for others and want to help are ready to hear the still small voice who whispers to their heart and lets them know when to take action and when to wait quietly for promptings.

Have you ever had this kind of an experience?  You just felt that you should be somewhere, or call someone, or do something, and don’t know why, but you know you should so you do it?  What happened?

Please share your experiences with us by emailing info@Relief Share.org for us to share with others on our blog. When we share with each other similar experiences, we strengthen and validate our feelings, thoughts and efforts.

We can tell you from experience that great blessings for both the giver and receiver result from listening to God’s promptings to help each other.

No action was ever taken without it being a thought, first.  The scriptures say it this way: “for as a man thinketh, so is he.”  Have you thought about helping others but don’t know how or who?  Wondered which charity to join as there are so many and all have good causes? Making a priority list may help you decide where to focus your efforts.

PRIORITIZING, WISDOM & KNOWLEDGE

- prioritize your projects to make sure you’re working on what’s truly important instead of getting caught up in minor things. Prioritizing is logically thinking about how to spend your time.  Wisdom is knowing how to do that and knowledge is applying your wisdom to achieve the best results.

- you will want to make the greatest amount of progress towards your goals with the least amount of effort.

- for prioritization to have any meaning, it’s imperative that you have a clear objective. Can you visualize what you want to do? Can you see how accomplishing your goal will make you feel?  Are you passionate about helping others?

- effective prioritization is the essential skill you need to make the very best use of your own efforts and other volunteers.

CHOOSING WHERE TO PUT YOUR EFFORTS

One key to choosing a charitable activity is the reason for your motivation. Why do you want to help Relief Share? Has a need personally touched you? Do you identify with how Relief Share is addressing the need – such as working with Shriners Childrens Hospital to make warm quilts for the tiny patients, donating food for the hungry, or books to help children read? Does contributing your time, effort and goods give you a sense of ownership and partnership? Giving to a compassionate service effort you believe in, or share a common vision with, means so much more than giving just for tax purposes.

Your efforts should also be what is needed.  You should be convinced your gift would make a positive difference in the lives of the recipients. You should have no regrets, no afterthoughts, just confidence in your decision.  Ask questions via email to see if we are actively working on a project that your heart is in, and feel free to suggest a cause that you care about but be ready to be part of the solution to the need you suggested.

Currently we are working on twin size quilts for Shriner Childrens Hospital in St Louis – also hospital gowns and xray shorts for them.  We are also making and donating crocheted and knitted blankets, afghans and sweater sets for crisis centers and homeless shelters.  Toys for children in church nurseries, food for the hungry, supplies for community groups and the aged to help others, clothing for tiny babies and warm bedding for families in need – this is some of what we have handled this week.

“I love my job!” – Have you heard many folks say that about their job?  Well you hear it a lot around the Relief Share office.  We truly love our jobs, though unpaid, our pay is the smiles on faces who were sad, grateful hugs from little children now snuggled in warm blankets, messy faces on children who have food all over their mouths who, before we arrived, had their tummies growling.

Come join us – let us know if you sew, knit, crochet, craft or have items you would like to donate.  Email us, we would love to hear from you.  Input is always welcome!  info@ReliefShare.org

Carol Green
President
www.ReliefShare.org
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225

Outside we have items that are half the original prices and sales from GrandmothersAttic.net, a store located in the same mall, are also being donated to Relief Share to help.  We are hoping to have enough money from the fundraising to be able to purchase the material needed for the hospital gowns for Shriners, the x-ray shorts, and the twin size quilts for the patient’s beds.  We also have many other projects we need supplies for  – mama pads, diaper bags, diaper covers, bibs, clothing and quilts for sick and needy families.

Relief Share is blessed to have the Lucky Dollar Store down the road in Licking who has fabric at very reasonable prices and gives us a discount because it’s for charity.  Now that our local Wal Mart no longer carries fabrics (don’t get us started on that…), we are grateful for the Lucky Dollar Store and Mel Porter – the owner.

A huge thank you to Ashley Green who has set up, taken down and spend the entire time monitoring and running the sales.  She has been sunburned, tired, sore from dragging heavy items in and out of buildings and pressed into service more than she could ever imagine.  What started out as a weekend sale has now turned into three weeks.  She needs a medal and we are most grateful to her.  A thank you to all the wonderful people who donated their time and effort helping.

Today 100 baby hats were donated out to Tennessee for the babies there.  We pray none of them suffered from the recent flooding that has caused so much problems in that state.  We also donated out preemie clothing to a little baby born to soon and only lived long enough for momma to say goodbye.  A tiny baby doll was donated to baby’s older brother so he would have something to remember her by.  A large donation went out to an expectant abandoned mother for her little one.  Donations of household items to needy folks were given out and baby blankets and clothing were given out to a young family in need.  Yarn donations have gone out to volunteers who are knitting and crocheting for the sick and needy in their area – those donations were possible from a large donation of cone yarn from a shop that shut down.  Beautiful tiny baby blankets with gorgeous hand crocheted edges done by a very special volunteer were donated to the local hospital – thank you Roberta – your work is lovely and the hospital so appreciative.

The kind of ‘are you ready’ that I am going to discuss is the kind of events you may wish would never happen to you, your family or your friends and neighbors.  Some of the events that you may not be ready for can be described in one word and the whole world will know what you are talking about.  Haiti.  Obama.  H1N1.  Taxes.  Flooding.  You know what I mean.  Unforeseen events that require preparation or survival may be at question.

Lets discuss a few of the ones mentioned in the above paragraph one at a time.

Haiti – Instant hell for an entire nation throwing world orders into action to help the sick and needy.  Many sources for donations at home are immediately drained off out of the US as the squeaky wheel gets the grease and the media is making sure that Haiti is the squeaky wheel right now.  Charities that usually had resources to calm the cries of cold hungry children here in the states no longer provide necessary bedding, clothes and food at the level they used to simply because donations are down, having been sent overseas or just not available due to the rotten economy – which brings us to another event, or rather person.

Obama – because of the decisions made by the Obama administration, every man, woman and child is in debt to the tune of $100,000.00 – that is one hundred thousand dollars – not chump change – and more announcements of further excessive spending by the same folks are surfacing daily.  I am not discussing whether anyone likes it or not, or even whether they like our current administration, I am simply stating a solemn fact that the US is heavily in debt and not likely to get out for generations, if ever.  If you are counting on the US for welfare, social security or any form of free handout – just know that it may be dubious as to whether governmental help will be there when you need it.

H1N1 – sickness can strip even an able bodied man or woman of the ability to provide basic essentials for themselves or their families.  Illness knows no boundaries, creeds, or race.  It can strike when least expected and leave devastation and misery in it’s wake.

So – what can you do? Can you do anything? Are you a victim or is there a way to safeguard yourself and your loved ones in times of crisis?

The answer is in the Bible.  “If ye are prepared, ye shall not fear.”

You may ask.. What kind of preparation?  How do I  get started?  What do I do?  How much does it cost?

The good news – there are many entities, charities, churches, and resources to help you be more self reliant.  You see, that’s the key – being able to rely on yourself for relief and assistance, and then extending help to family, friends and neighbors.   After you are secure and stabilized, then you reach out even further to others who need help.

Natural disasters, national leadership out of control (not just the current administration, it’s been going on for quite some time), sickness, death, loss of jobs, breakdown of the family and the disintegrating moral standards of those around us all impact our lives.

Here are some suggestions on how to insulate yourself, as much as possible, from negative aspects of events.

I.  Be aware.  Read the news, check the weather and be involved in your community so nasty surprises are kept to a minimum.

2.  Get out of debt.  Cut up those credit cards, use bank debit cards instead or paypal where when the funds are gone, they are gone and you can’t dip into someone else’s pocket at a terrible rate of up to 30%.  Know the difference between wants and needs.  You can get along with a lot less than you think you can.  Use ebay, craigslist, your local flea market or farmers market to sell what you don’t need that is cluttering up your life.  If it means walking to work instead of driving, taking a sack lunch instead of eating out, mending your clothes instead of buying the latest trends, then do it. If you can’t meet your mortgage, talk to the lender NOW before things get out of control to see if you can refinance at at lower rate or if there are other options available.  There are debt management companies  – legitimate ones – who are ready, willing and able to help you pay off your credit cards.  Don’t wait – mail this guy david@debtguru.com

David Gibbons, Credit Counselor
American Credit Foundation
www.debtguru.com
800-259-0601
7720 S. 700 E.
Midvale, UT 84047

Nope, I don’t get a kickback or am related to anyone that works there, I just am more than happy to share with others how to lighten the load. There are no gimmicks or high fees and it’s easy.

I will be posting more on provident living later on our Relief Share blog.  Helping folks to be self sufficient reduces our workload and strengthens America.  Once you are on your feet, then we hope you will join us in helping others who are walking the same path that we have walked.

3.  Illness is devastating.  Some illnesses are long term and coping mechanisms need to be set in place.   However, other illnesses have immediate onset and no warning may mean little or no preparation for some folks, such as having 6 months worth of income in the bank should employment be discontinued or disrupted due to illness.   Preventative measures can circumvent a lot of the loss and pain accompanying  illness.  Good quality vitamins can build your immune system so you stand less of a chance of getting sick in the first place.  The vitamins we recommend and take ourselves are by Pharmanex These vitamins are nutritionally formulated to nourish and protect cells, tissues, and organs in the body.  We also take Reishi for immune boosting.  You can read about the ‘miracle mushroom’ at www.reishi.com

When you do find yourself dealing with illness, don’t hesitate to talk to your caregiver, hospital, Bishop or family for help.  Note that emotionally sustaining the sick and needy is just as important as providing warm blankets or essential items through the hospital, such as gowns or slippers or turbans for women who have lost their hair through cancer.

There are a number of wonderful resources to offer more advice, and we strongly recommend you get yourself a cuppa, pen and paper and check them out.

Our self reliance top picks are free :

http://www.ready.gov  – prepare. plan. stay informed.

http://www.fema.gov/areyouready – an in depth guide to preparedness

http://www.providentliving.org – self reliance and resources

http://emergencyemail.org – have severe weather reports for your area sent daily to your email, etc.

If you have other links or information to share regarding self reliance, please feel free to respond to this article in our blog.  It takes everyone working together to make life a better place for all.

If you are able, and have the desire to assist others, please consider sending a donation to: Relief Share, 6078 Lundy Rd, Houston, MO 65483. All donations are tax deductible and acknowledged with a thank you letter. Donations of funds, new and used clothing and bedding, baby items, toys, books, fabric and sewing, knitting or crafting supplies, and essential items are gratefully accepted and donated out to those who need your gift of love the most.

If you have a question regarding a donation, and some folks have unusual donations they would like to make, please feel free to email us at info@ReliefShare.org  – come join us in making America a happier and better place to life.

Our work meeting is tomorrow and we are working on hospital gowns for a local hospital as well as mama pads and aprons for the hospital.

Donations in have been wonderful, just in the nick of time – exactly what was needed shows up. May God bless those who hear his voice and answer our cry for help so we can take care of the needs of the sick and less fortunate.

The fastest way to make a’quilt in a pillow” is to first make a ‘pillowcase’ quilt.  Lay the front and back of the quilt down with the right sides together.  Put the batting on top of the front and back and cut all three layers together the same size.

Sew a 1/2 ” seam around all the edges, leaving a large enough opening in the center of one side to turn the quilt.  Turn and either sew closed by hand, or sew closed by machine.  Topstitch 1/4″ all around the edge to secure.  Tie, hand quilt or machine quilt the quilt.  If tying make sure that ties are at least 4″ apart or less for stability of the quilt. Double tie the knots.  Please do not just take a stitch and then another one in the same spot and keep going.  Quilts that are tied this way without making a knot come undone in hospital laundry. Make sure you tie a square knot using thread or yarn that does not slip.  Embroidery thread is not a good choice because it tends to work it’s way loose through wear.

Make a square mini quilt the same way you just made the quilt (omitting the tying or quilting)  that is approx. just larger than  1/3 the size of the narrowest width of the quilt. For example: if your quilt was 45″ x 72″, then make your mini quilt 18″ square. The mini quilt makes the pocket.

Lay the larger quilt down with one shorter side next to you like you are standing at the end of a bed.   Place the mini quilt on the edge of the short side nearest you and center it on the edge.  Sew down three sides, leaving the side open that faces the center of the quilt, making a pocket.  Reinforce the ends of your stitching so the pocket will not come unsewn from the quilt.

To make the quilt into a pillow, lay the quilt with the pocket side down .  Fold the quilt into thirds longways, overlapping long edge.  Turn the pocket over the end of the quilt.  Fold the remaining quilt into thirds and continue folding into the pocket forming a pillow.

Voila! Done   You can embroider a cute teddy bear face or heart on the front of the pocket if you want to make it fun for a child or adult.

Note – regarding quilt sizes: Baby quilts can be 36″ x 36″, 36″ x 45″ or 45″ x 60″.  Larger quilts can be 45″ x 60″ or larger, depending if it is going to be used for a child or adult, partial coverage such as a wheelchair quilt or full coverage for a bed.  The bottom line is pretty much any size is welcomed to keep the sick and needy comfortable and warm.  Twin size quilts are the most urgent size needed right now – approx 70″ x 90″.  You can make the quilts all the way up to 120 x 120 if you like, be creative and have fun making your donation of love for the sick and/or needy.  Feel free to sign the quilt and ask your church group or quilting group if they would like to get involved.

We love to receive volunteers items lovingly sewn for the sick and needy to distribute where the need is the greatest.  If you would like to donate quilts in a pillow or supplies to make them to Relief Share, please send donations to Relief Share, 6078 Lundy Rd., Houston, MO 65483-2225.  All donations are gratefully accepted and acknowledged with a tax deductible receipt and thank you letter.

Patterns and ideas are happily accepted to share with others on our Relief Share website, blog and at work meetings.  Please send submissions to info@ReliefShare.org   Upon receipt, all submissions will be considered public domain for distribution for charitable purposes and will not be returned so if it’s your favorite pattern, please make sure you have a copy, too.  Thank you

When you whipstitch the tube, whipstitch the edge closest to the outer edge of the hat first, pulling the stitches as you go to make sure the hat has lots of stretch in it. Then whipstitch the other edge of the microfleece and Voila! You have a warm knitted hat with a nice cozy liner.

This works great if your kids are allergic to wool, too.

I found pictures and instructions on the internet on this blog: http://www.craftstylish.com/item/33810/how-to-line-a-knit-or-crocheted-hat

If you would like to make warm knitted or crocheted hats and donate them to www.ReliefShare.org for the sick and needy families we assist, you might want to consider lining them with microfleece, fleece, knit fabric or even cotton fabric for warmth.

A generous donation of books from Alma Mooney of Licking was received as a fundraiser to raise money needed to purchase flannel for the backing of the Relief Share Quilts for Kids project.

Donations out include helping a family with a young child and another on the way with nursing pillow covers, household goods, food, baby clothing and bedding, essential supplies, toys, and other needed items. Newborns in Need Ozarks Chapter was the recipient of a large donation of cone yarn, baby clothing, bedding, fabric and diaper bags.

Donations of clothing to area residents in need of warmer seasonal clothing and food was also given out.

Wonder what you can help with? Here is a handy urgent needs list that you can print out and take with you when you do your shopping. Just get one or two extra items and send them to:
Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225
All donations are tax deductible.

Urgent Needs List:

Basic food item suggestions – Sugar, flour, salt, pepper, oil, cereal, tinned food such as beans, vegetables, fruit, soup, etc. Baby food, formula, crackers, tuna, etc. Many of the families we serve are very grateful for the food given them. A package of animal crackers, macaroni and cheese or juice boxes can make the world of difference to a hungry child. A Wal Mart gift card is also a great donation item as volunteers in our Relief Share office are happy to take the list of what is needed and purchase food and personal items, like toilet paper and shampoo and deliver it to the needy family – this also saves on shipping cost to us.

Clothing – clean gently used clothing or new. Socks, pants, tops, coats, shoes, undergarments, hats, mittens, etc. Accessories like purses or wallets, belts and backpacks are very gratefully accepted by recipients.

Bedding – home made, clean gently used or new. sheets, blankets, baby blankets, receiving blankets, pillows, pillow cases, crib sets, afghans.

Personal hygiene items – shampoo, conditioner, soap, razors, deodorant, moisturizer, lotion, wet wipes, baby oil, baby diaper cream, baby powder, etc.

Books, toys, movies, games, and furniture is also welcome. Christmas is coming and many of the families we care for have little or nothing for the holiday. Full size filled stockings are a huge blessing at the Christmas season. We donate the stockings, when available, to foster homes, hospitals, medical centers, crisis centers, homeless shelters and area churches who care for the sick and needy. A doll or book can make a wonderful difference in a little one’s holiday season. A mother struggling to care for her family with no partner for support is grateful for a soft warm scarf from a donor to show her someone cares for her.

You can make Christmas brighter and more blessed by showing your love to a stranger who has need of your care.

Here are some ideas for you to consider making items to donate:
Sewing – quilts, baby clothing, bedding, blankets, tote bags, diaper bags, toys, dresses, diapers
Quilting – baby quilts, twin size quilts, toys, Christmas ornaments, tree skirts, wall hangings, totes
Knitting – hats, sweaters, mittens, socks, pants, tops, blankets, afghans, toys
Crochet – afghans, blankets, hats, dish cloths, toys, clothing, sweaters, mittens
Tat – handkerchiefs, bonnets, doilies , lace trim for baby gowns
Embroider – blankets, hats, clothing, toys

If you have questions or would like to talk with representatives from Relief Share – please feel free to email info@ReliefShare.org or call 417-967-3340 and ask for Stephanie or Carol. Please note: all Relief Share workers are volunteers – no one is paid – this is a work of the heart in Christ’s name giving relief through sharing to God’s children. We are his hands and feet showing mercy to the less fortunate – join us and make a difference today.

If you want to donate something that is very much needed and important for us to have, please consider donating PUL material – any color.

Clean out your sewing closet for a good cause:

Donations needed:

Sewing supplies – needles, scissors, thread, notions, seam rippers, inferfacing – all weights.
Quilting Supplies – olfa cutters, rulers, templates, stencils, books, patterns, pattern weights
Embroidery Supplies – for both machine embroidery and hand embroidery – thread, patterns, CD’s with embroidery designs – we can use all types, stabilizer – tear away, wash away, sticky peel off, sew in.
Fabric – all kinds, what we use the most is kids print for hospital gowns, clothing and quilts, PUL waterproof fabric, cotton, knits, woven  – any color, any kind, any size.
Tatting Supplies – shuttles, needles,  books, thread, yarn, patterns, finished products as well
Machines – Sewing, serging, smocking pleater, knitting machines, binder, snap press and snaps, quilting

All donations receive a thank you letter and a tax deductible receipt.  If you wish to talk about a donation to us first, please feel free to call 417-967-3340 (My business office – to leave a message to have me call) or 417-967-2589 (my home office number). Email is usually best as I can read your information and reply

Carol Green
info@ReliefShare.org

If you have new or gently used clothing, bedding, toys, books, or other infant and children’s items that you would like to share, please send them to:

Relief Share
6078 Lundy Rd
Houston, MO 65483-2225

You will recieve a thank you letter and tax deductible receipt for your donations.  Your items came make a huge difference in the lives of the sick and needy.

Relief Share volunteers are the best!  We love to post tidbits and quotes to encourage our volunteers and let them know we care!

Hugs
Carol Green
President

www.ReliefShare.org