Reverse Lent: Week 2

I am sitting here, on this beautiful day, reflecting on this past week of Lent. I can't help, but be reminded that this time last week I was sad and felt like a failure because my first blanket wasn't done. I was feeling sorry for myself, I was too busy, and I didn't have time, but I was missing the point: this wasn't about me. This Reverse Lent was about loving and caring about children because God loves these children and called them to my heart. Then there was also the fact that I was blessed to be busy with work, not everyone has a job or is able to work, and to be busy with school, not everyone can afford an education. I was selfish to complain. Now, I will admit they there are times when you need to complain, to vent, and to release that frustration, but it isn't healthy or beneficial to stay in that place. I left off last week feeling convicted and decided that I would finish the week smiling instead of complaining. The change in attitude proved effective because this week I am feeling blessed and accomplished.

The blanket for the first week of Lent is finished and simple, but beautiful. The blanket was made using Red Heart yarn in Grey Heather using single crochet stitches made with a crochet hook size G (4.25 mm). I originally intended this blanket for one of the All Kids Need Love comfort kits for foster children, but have since decided that the blankets I make during Reverse Lent will be donated to Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep Remembrance (Nilmdts Remembrance). This organization provides comfort kits to families who have lost a newborn or given birth to a stillborn. I was aware of this organization before, but only vaguely. This last week this organization was referred to me by my sister. She knows more about the organization and recognized their need for crochet or knit blankets to include in the comfort kits they send out to families. I knew that I had the ability to help this organization and felt convicted. As I sat thinking about this I realized that this might have been the reason why I had trouble finishing the first blanket on time. 

Yes, I still could have donated the blanket later upon discovery of the immediate need, but then the blanket would have been too large to be donated. Since I was behind, I was able to make the blanket in the size specified in the description: 16" x 16" to 20" x 20". This is significantly smaller than the blankets I intended on making for the foster care children. This much smaller size is much easier to manage. I am now back on track to finish a blanket a week during Lent while still maintaining my busy lifestyle. Even when everything seemed turned upside down this weekend, I was still able to work on the blanket for week 2, and handle the painfulness life sometimes brings. 

This week I have learned that there are times when we need to be weak, when we need to rely on our friends, and when we need to have faith that there is more than we can see or experience in our current state. I do not usually spend my posts reflecting on life or the shared experiences we have, but I feel that Reverse Lent is an opportunity to share more than just my projects, it is time for reflection. Although, the purpose of this blog is not to discuss life or the lessons we learn, I recognize the need to sometimes discuss life, after all it is a journey we all are experiencing. It would take too long to explain why this weekend was painful or why there was a need to be weak, but I can  assure you that the worst of storms will pass leaving you with a rainbow. 

I would like to leave you with a final thought, a passage from The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch:

"Proper apologies have three parts:

1) What I did was wrong

2) I feel badly that I hurt you

3) How do I make this better?

Yes, some people may take advantage of you when answering question 3. But most people will be genuinely appreciative of your make-good efforts. They may tell you how to make it better in some small, easy way. And often, they'll work harder to help make things better themselves.

Students would say to me: "What if I apologize and the other person doesn't apologize back?" I'd tell them: "That's not something you can control, so don't let it eat at you."

If other people owe you an apology, and your words of apology to them are proper and heartfelt, you still may not hear from them for awhile. After all, what are the odds that they get to the right emotional place to apologize at the exact moment you do? So just be patient. Many times in my career, I saw students apologize, and then several days later, their teammates came around. Your patience will be both appreciated and rewarded." (The Last Lecture, Pausch, pp. 162-163)

The only thing you can control in life is yourself so apologize when you need to and be patient with those who owe you an apology. You might never receive the apology you deserve, but that isn't within your control so you can't let the mistakes of others eat at you. Live your life in a way that you can be proud of when you are out of time. 

Charity of the Month: Beautiful and Bald Movement

It is April 7th, which means it is time for this month's charity, Beautiful and Bald Movement. This charity is a personal favorite of mine because of the support they offer to women and children with hair loss due to cancer treatments, alopecia, or trichotillomania. This nonprofit organization was founded by a few women, who were personally responsible for spearheading a social media campaign with the goal of creating a bald Barbie doll for little girls. Since the start of their campaign, Mattel has made 10,000 bald Barbies, which were donated to children's hospitals, MGA made a collection of 6 True Hope dolls in their Bratz and Moxie doll lines, which were available for purchase through ToysRUs, and American Girl started offering their custom dolls without hair along with allowing girls to send their dolls to the American Girl hospital to have their hair removed. Besides spearheading the social media campaign these women have also created and sent out thousands of Dome Decorating packages.

Each Dome Decorating package contains headbands, scarves, stickers, and temporary tattoos for decorating the recipient's newly bald head. The women are constantly in need of donations for these packages and ask crafters for fun headbands, headwraps, etc. to be made for these packages. Last year I donated several handmade headbands, crocheted from my own original pattern, to the Beautiful and Bald Movement. However, I cannot find the photo collage I made using the pictures of these headbands. I am actively looking for the picture and will upload the photo as soon as I can locate it. This year I have made a headband, using another original pattern, that better fits current trends and this pattern is the pattern I am sharing below.

Crochet Ribbed Headband

Materials:
Red Heart Super Saver yarn, color of choice
Crochet Hook Size G
3 Buttons, for closure
Flower embellishment, optional

Directions:
Row 1 - Cast on 8, single crochet all stitches, turn
Row 2 - Single crochet in back loop only, this is the start of the rib stitch, turn
Row 3-4, Repeat row 2, turn
Row 5 - Increase in first and last stitch of row, turn
Row 6-8 - Repeat row 5, turn
Row 9-53 - Continue rib stitch, no increase, turn
Row 54 - Decrease in first and last stitch of row, turn
Row 55-57 - Repeat row 54, turn
Row 58-63 - Continue in rib stitch, creating button loops over 5 rows
Cast off

Finishing:
Cut off remaining yarn and weave in loose ends. Attach buttons to cast on edge so they line up with button loops on cast off edge. Attach a  flower embellishment.


These headbands are quick and easy to make, which makes the headbands a perfect donation for the Beautiful and Bald Movement. Information about requesting a Dome Decorating package or donating your headbands can be found on the Beautiful and Bald Movement's website, which is linked above. At the time of writing this post the website was down, but hopefully will be working again at time of post.

Organizational Tips: Gifts

The last few months I have talked a lot about gift giving planning as well as gift ideas that are quick and easy to make ahead of time for last minute emergency gifts, but I haven't talked about how to store/organize these gifts. This week's tips are are devoted to organizing and storing gifts. I have gifts for specific people in my life, birthdays or other celebrations, as well as emergency gifts for unexpected events. These gifts are stored together while gifts for Christmas are stored separately. I store Christmas gifts separately because the gifts only really need to be accessed once a year while other gifts are constantly being used throughout the year. If you have a large family consider storing each person's gifts separately.

Tip #1: Store gifts in storage bins, boxes, and baskets. Choose your storage so that it matches other storage in your craft area. If you have snoopers then blending it with your storage is great, but also consider not labeling the boxes or bins. I chose photo boxes that matched my craft storage. Currently I have 4 photo boxes devoted to gift storage: family gifts that are small, emergency gifts for unexpected celebrations or events, charity donations, and Etsy sales. Granted charity donations and Etsy sales are not traditionally gifts, but I have stored them with my gifts because I access these boxes the same amount and they are typically the same type of things stored. 

Optional Tip: Large gifts can be stored in larger bins or baskets, but don't go overboard. The majority of my gift storage is meant for smaller gifts because that is the majority of the gifts I ended up storing for long periods of time. However, frequently some aspect of the gift is usually larger than what will fit in my photo box. I don't really have storage set aside for large gifts and store the gifts as I accumulate them, mainly because I usually purchase large gifts closer to the birthday or celebration. That said, if you have the space and the need, then store larger gifts in bins or baskets, but don't purchase too many boxes.

Tip #2: Create an inventory of your gifts or items. Depending on your needs or preferences, type or write a simple inventory of items in each boxes. Include who the gift is for if you think you might forget. Finally include an envelope for gift receipts. This may not be necessary for you, but it is helpful if you have lots of store bought gifts. If you tend to purchase gifts in advance then be aware that gift receipts are only good for a set amount of days before items can only be returned for store credit. 

Optional, but helpful tip: Have many different gifts saved as emergency gifts. This isn't really an organization tip, but will help save you stress throughout the year. Personally, I never had the budget to just go out and shop for emergency gifts, but I have also never had a shortage of gifts. I keep my emergency gift box stocked through reward programs and choice shopping during annual sales events. If you have extra time on your hands, or even 5 minutes once a week, online surveys are great for accumulating gift cards or small cash rewards that can be stored away or used to purchase gifts. My favorite online survey, shopping rewards, and participation points website is MyPoints. I have been using MyPoints for the last few years and have been rewarded with many many gift cards, including Starbucks, Macy's, Red Lobster, and the Rainforest Cafe. The total amount claimed, between all of the gift cards, is something close to $100.

With MyPoints I am rewarded through online shopping, survey taking, and general participation in clubs. 

The other online shopping reward company I love is eBates. eBates gives you cash back for shopping online through their website. Unlike MyPoints, eBates gives rewards in the form of a check or PayPal. 

I am really bad about just cashing the check and spending the money, but if you can resist the temptation then eBates checks are great for spending on emergency gifts. 

I know there are people reading this and wondering what gifts I have in my emergency gift box and what gifts make great last minute gifts so hopefully I can help answer those questions. The gifts in my box are headphones with bag (I have about 6 pairs), iTunes gift card ($10), Victoria's Secret Fantasy lotion and perfume set, bath salts, and an assortment of beanies. The headphones were actually free gifts that I received when I ordered off of  the Greater Good Network's websites: Animal Rescue Site, Breast Cancer Site, The Hunger Site, The Literacy Site, Autism Site, and The Veteran's Site. These websites frequently offer promotions with purchase that would make great gifts. I have received the headphones, socks, coin purses, bracelets, necklaces, ornaments, and a purse as free promotional items. The Victoria's Secret Fantasy lotion and perfume set were left over from a larger set of perfumes and lotions, which I used as gifts at Christmas. Emergency gifts are any small gifts that you would like to be gifted as well as small gifts associated with specific interests. The iTunes gift card and headphones will make a great gift for someone who loves music while the bath salts, lotion, and perfume are a great gift for someone who likes to be pampered (pair with a gift certificate for a spa service, massage, or manicure for a more luxurious gift). 

I like keeping beanies, booties, and receiving blankets as emergency gifts as well because you never know when you will need a baby gift. For instance my coworker, who I met when she was already 7 months pregnant, had her baby early, which meant that I wouldn't have had enough time to make a nice baby gift had it not been for the baby gifts in my emergency gift box. These gifts also work great for the baby shower you forgot about or the unexpected invitation to a baby shower you weren't planning on attending. If you don't have a lot of babies in your life, but do have many young children or soon-to-be recent graduates, then something similar will work for you too. For young children, accumulate a lot of party favor type gifts, such as crayons, coloring books, and games, as well as dolls, Legos, and cars. Obviously for a child you knew well you would find more personalized gifts, but small toys work great for that child you weren't planning on gifting to. For graduates I suggest gift cards and small items that are either functional for college or sentimental. Young adults are very adamant about picking out their own items, especially for college, so I wouldn't suggest too many functional items, but you could always purchase laundry bags with silly sayings and a roll of quarters. Great sentimental gifts include Dr. Seuss' "Oh the Places You'll Go" with an encouraging note written to them inside or a collection of your own favorite recipes you made in college. 

When I graduated high school, and actually college too, most of my gifts were impersonal in the form of cash or gift cards with more personal sentiments expressed in the form of cards, but I did receive one sentimental gift, which was a College Humor book of college experiences, and would have enjoyed receiving similar gifts. Everyone has their own preferences though so don't feel bad if you just want to stock up on various cards and gift cards as emergency gifts for graduation, or any other event you may have to attend. 

Charity of the Month: March of Dimes

This month's charity is March of Dimes, a wonderful organization that raises awareness about premature babies through annual walks. While I have always been fond of March of Dimes I never had any personal ties to premature infants until this last month when my friend's baby was born early.  Her baby is doing much better, but I know the outcome may have been different if it hadn't been for the research funded by March of Dimes. I have identified two ways in which people can help premature babies: 1) Crochet, knit, or sew hats for premature babies or 2) Donate or walk for March of Dimes. 

Knit Preemie Hat

My favorite way to help premature babies and their families, or anyone for that matter, is through crafting. While I have many hat patterns for newborns and infants I currently do not have any of my own patterns for premature babies. However, I have found my favorite knit and sewn hat patterns on other blogs and posted the links here. The knit hat shown on the left is from Knitting Up A Storm's blog. I love how easily the hat could be customized with a person's favorite sporting teams.

Sewn Preemie Hat

The sewn hat shown on the right is from Extraordinary Ordinary Life. The tutorial has a lot of pictures and is really easy to follow.

The finished hats can be donated to your local hospital, but read your hospital's donation policy for making hats to donate. Some hospitals require you make a specific pattern. More knit and crochet preemie hat patterns can be found at LionBrand and RedHeart's websites. If you have never checked out these yarn companies' websites I recommend checking them out now because both companies offer tons of free patterns.

If you can't crochet, knit, or sew well enough to make these hats then you can always join a team and walk for March of Dimes. Every year this is my sister's preferred choice of donation. Her and her friends fund raise and walk to raise awareness and money for March of Dimes. This is a great way to give back and a really fun experience with your teammates. There are many ways to use your crafting skills at the walk, including team t-shirts or costumes if you like. This year I am contemplating making team shirts for my sister's team. Comment below if you would like to see a tutorial for a team shirt.

This month you can crochet, knit, sew, or walk for premature babies. Your time and dedication can greatly benefit the lives of these babies and their families. If you don't have the time to make your own hats or to participate in a walk you can always donate to March of Dimes directly.

Is there a charity you want to see featured? Comment below and let me know. 

Charity of the Month: Valentine's for Seniors

It is the 7th, which means it is time to introduce this month's charity, Valentine's for Seniors. 

DoSomething has paired with Meals on Wheels to deliver Valentine's cards to seniors. Individuals make one or more cards, using card stock, and then mail these cards to their local Meals on Wheels or another location of their choice. Meals on Wheels then delivers the cards to seniors in the area. DoSomething is offering an entry to a $4,000 scholarship for every card mailed to Meals on Wheels as an extra incentive to participate in this campaign. For every card you make, take a picture, and then submit these pictures to DoSomething for your entries into the scholarship contest.

The Supplies

DoSomething provides a few guidelines and ideas for making Valentine's cards in pdf form, but I also have made a tutorial of the cards I have made and donated to Meals on Wheels. When I first started this project I had a grand plan and thought of many wonderful ideas, but very quickly I ran out of time. Plus I didn't have all of the supplies I thought I had like cardstock, doilies, and good markers. The Dollar Store has been very good about having a large variety of seasonal craft supplies, which is where I ended up going to to get doilies, foam stickers, and ribbon. However, I forgot to buy cardstock and new markers so I ended up using the supplies I had, construction paper and dried up markers.

Recommended supplies:
Cardstock in red, white, and pink. Construction paper works too.
Markers, bright vivid colors, in red, pink, and gold or silver
Doilies in red, white, or pink
Heart Stickers or stamps
Glitter, optional
Glue, I used a glue stick


For card designs 1 & 2:
Take cardstock or construction paper and fold it in fourths. Unfold once and cut along the fold line to make 2 cards.
Card 1: Paste doily to front of card. Write LOVE in pretty letters across the inside of the card. In upper right corner write a Valentine's message. DoSomething recommends you include 3 things in the message:
1. Location, but only your state, 2. Hobby or interest, and 3. Future plans

Card Design 1 & 2

Card 2: Adhere 3 heart stickers to card front. Using a gold or silver marker draw lines from heart point to card bottom to look like balloon strings. With a red or pink marker write "YOU BLOW ME AWAY
 in lower left corner. Left inside of card, write a quote or saying and decorate with scrolls. I wrote, "Live, Laugh, Love". Right inside of card, write your valentine message.

For card designs 3 & 4:
Fold cardstock in half and turn to make a vertical card. Paste a doily on the bottom of the card, cut around the doily to create a heart shape. DO NOT DISCARD SCRAPS.
Card 3: Cut ribbon and tie a bow. Glue bow to front of card on doily. Open card. On left side write a quote. I used "Spread the love everywhere you go." On the right side write the valentine message.

Card Design 3

Card Design 4

Card 4: Cut a folded strip out of cardstock scraps. Write LOVE in pretty letters, but omit O and replace with a heart sticker or stamp. Open card, write SPREAD THE LOVE across the inside of card. In upper right corner write a valentine message.

Refold all cards and put in a manila envelope addressed to the Meals On Wheels location of your choice. DoSomething recommends not including a return address to protect your identity. Remember to take a picture of your cards if you want to enter DoSomething's contest. If I have more time then I will make more cards using cardstock and more creative ideas so stay tuned. In the mean time be sure to leave your own ideas in the comments below.