The Run-up to the Big Finale - Noble Packages
I am going to use the blog to fill you all in completely as to what I’m doing with your money with the Noble Packages. So many of you have been so generous - I thought I’d let you join in on the fun vicariously through my reports with photos!
This morning, we left home about 7:30 am to try to find a few things - and we needed to go to the north side of Warsaw to a huge shopping complex that has almost every store imaginable.
My husband is being a great sport!
Of course, the problem these days is that we run out of stamina before we run out of stores!
The first stop was Castorama - a building supplies store. We were looking for an ax (!) and then while there we needed to find a light fixture for the man in FAM 3 and a night light.
Before I go any further - we are now (this means YOU) are now providing for 6 different family groups! I am stopping with 6 as we have no more time than that for delivery - or buying or packing. I’ll try to summarize the groups so you have an idea -
FAM 1 - a large family with 5 children - the third child has childhood diabetes and the mom lost her job as a server/worker in a canteen. Because of the pandemic and difficulty in finding jobs right now, they are struggling. Previous to the occurrence of the 11 year old’s diabetes a year ago, they had never had any serious financial difficulties.
FAM 2 - a grandson and his grandma - the 25 year old just finished college - studied humanities, but doesn’t have a job at the moment - is taking care of his 75 year old grandma - and they both live on her pension which isn’t much. His mom (the grandma’s daughter) died last year. The young man is trying to get started with life, but it has all hit at a difficult time in 2020. It’s a hard year to try to “launch”.
FAM 3 - a single man, 60, who has recently had cancer surgery. Until 16 years ago he was an alcoholic but became sober then. He had to stop work due to his cancer. He is in the middle of getting his strength back, and hopes some day he can go back to work. He loves being hospitable and often has people over for tea.
FAM 4 - a mom, 54, with all 5 of her children ranging from 32 to 17 at home still. The mom used to work, but came down with some very bad sickness not too long ago and the 32 year old man and one of his sisters pay the bills through their jobs. The other sister looks after the mom who has to be taken to doctor’s appointments and such and apparently is quite ill. The adults in this family are quite “handy” and specialize in do-it-yourself. The youngest two children are in school.
FAM 5 - the husband had an accident within the last year where he hit his head hard and has become blind. They have two children - 6 and 3 years old. The man had been the breadwinner of the family but now his wife has to take care of him…leaving them in a bad way. This family, until the time of the accident, had been able to take care of themselves and never needed help from anyone. These people have something like $28/month per person to live on. I have no idea how they do it. The handler told me they need FOOD the most. I’ll do my best. Up until the accident they had been able to manage fine on the jobs they had.
FAM 6 - A husband and wife with 2 children who just make very little. The wife is expecting number 3 child. The 12 year old boy has Kawasaki disease and the younger daughter, 5 has anemia and other issues that require frequent trips to the doctor. The man just barely makes enough to keep them together so the Noble package will help them with food and encouragement.
So there you are! That’s the overview. Now on to the shopping!
After we went to Castorama, we went over to a mall just across the way and went to a big store called Carrefour. There I found a great deal on towel sets and I was looking for certain things including some toys for the 1 year old in FAM 1 and the 3 year old in FAM 6. Among other things. We spent a while there.
After we finished in Carrefour, we went to yet another mall in the area and I needed to get some shoes for FAM 4 - all 6 of them needed tennis shoes, so we did that at Deichmann. Mike went to the Media Markt store next to the Deichmann store and picked up a mouse and a computer game for FAM 1. I found all the shoes I wanted at the overall price I was looking for. Took a while though.
This photo was taken before they opened as we drove by the first time. Later - all this parking was filled.
Then we drove to Ikea, which was also right “right there” and began traversing through the store. I’m coming to hate the place.
You get so tired going through and through - when all we really wanted was a bed, some chairs and 2 wardrobes.
I already knew which chairs we were going to get - just needed to find them.
They make you wind around everything to get to the end. (If Walmart in the states did that, there would be anarchy!)
We’re getting the one on the right - but without the cushion.
We found the chairs first on display and we wrote down the aisle where we would find them in their warehouse area. Then, we came to the beds, asked for some help and found the one that would work for both the man in FAM 3 and a son in FAM 6. We got the information on where to find that.
This is what the beds will look like - but in a wood color.
Then we kept walking what felt like another 5 minutes - and found the mattresses - having missed them at first.
We decided on a mattress and got the location of them in the warehouse as well. We also had to ask for help again.
My husband checking out the mattress - and giving his knee a rest!
We looked for wardrobes, but they had nothing in the sizes we needed. Sadly. We asked at least two different sales people about the ones were interested in. Neither one was actually available! (They really should put a sign on the “thing” that it is currently out of stock if they are going to leave it on the floor display!)
But we were so tired already! Not really tired such as “need to go to bed tired” but my feet and my husband’s knees. That’s a lot of concrete to be walking all around on. I’ve gotten soft in my sewing days!!! :)
We went to the cash register area and checked out - I went on one side and checked out with my cart of “stuff” - I picked up some napkins for each family (big family packs - it’s the best price around, bar none, for the nicest quality) - and some zipper type storage bags for each family. Mike checked out with the self checkout with the chairs. We then went outside and loaded that stuff in the truck - noticing it was beginning to snow there in Warsaw. We had no idea that it was supposed to snow - though the air was quite chilly.
Once that was loaded up, we had to head to the second warehouse area of Ikea and get the bed and mattress and check out there. By this time I’m tired. I even opted out of going to the home goods store (Jysk) which I happen to love!.
Each one of these is a bed and a mattress! I think they hire engineers to pack these boxes!
Alas, there wasn’t room in the back of the pickup (and the back seat), so a man who was working at Ikea had a contact who was waiting around to help people with loads of furniture for transport, so we made a deal with him. They loaded the two beds in his truck.
This road has changed completely from when we used to drive up here to go shopping with our whole family! It is so nice now!
The courier DPD delivered 3 more things to the house!
Mike told him that we wanted to go to Burger King which was right in the area (and we have none in our area at all!) so the driver said he’d start to head on out and go quietly. So we went through the drive-through at Burger King and sat and ate and came on home.
While driving, I got a phone call from a courier saying he was at our house and supposed to pick up something - was I home? I told him I had waited for him yesterday and he didn’t show up - but that he could leave the three packages in our tent which we used as our garage for our vehicles. He will come back tomorrow for the package he has to pick up.
When we were almost home, the transport man with our beds called - he was already in front of our house!
While they unloaded the pieces of the beds (when you buy things from Ikea you buy BOXES of things - not the finished, put-together thing) and put them in my husband’s garage area - the man who provided the transport helped which was nice as they were heavy. Then the man left after he got paid (we gave him more than he asked as he was quite reasonable and he helped my husband which meant I didn’t have to help carry those heavy things!).
My husband carrying shoes. He’s being such a help!
After we got all the stuff out of the pickup, I decided to go to our local CCC which is a shoe store and buy 3 gift certificates for the 3 older girls in FAM 1 so they can pick out their own shoes. I shudder at the idea of choosing boots for 15 and 14 year-olds. Besides the fact that they are extremely picky at that age, it is really important that they fit!
I was also looking for a snowsuit type thing for the 14 month old in FAM 1 at our local PEPCO.
So far, no go. I did find some wonderful silky feeling blankets, though, so I picked those up.
It was only my 2nd or 3rd time ever in this store. It’s pretty nice though. Sort of reminds me a Family Dollar only a bit nicer.
3 CCC gift certificates - should make some teenagers pretty happy! Technically two teens and an 11-year old.
Then I came home and was working at our dining room table (where I sandwich quilts and we eat) - checking receipts, writing things down - when my phone dinged.
Eventually I looked at my messages to see if I had gotten any more STUFF in.
I went back out at 4:30 pm to get more packages!
I had a message that a courier truck was meeting at our local paczkomat and I was supposed to go down there by 7 pm as they were waiting for me! Wow. So, I got back in the vehicle and went down there.
Apparently their boxes were all full as I wasn’t the only one ordering a lot. There was a truck there and LOTS of people getting packages - Eventually I got my 6 packages from there - all related to this Noble Packages thing.
Then I came home and got to relax!
Well, not really!
Sadly, I don’t actually have any volleyball or handball fabric in my stash! Can you believe it? I did have a lot of other sports, though!
I had asked the handler for FAM 1 to find out the girls’ favorite things and colors and she got back with me - girl one (15) loves sports, girl two (14) wants to join the army, and girl 3 (11) is a girly girl (the one with diabetes) and loves pink.
I had wanted to make a quilt for each of them. But the handler hadn’t gotten back with me right away. Then I was in a quandary what to do as there wasn’t much time left.
I decided to just do the older two as I have a lot of owl quilts or other feminine quilts that I can give the 11 year old, but the army and sports themed quilts - well, that was tough. Anyway, I decided to make a simple rail fence (with a larger center rail) using sports fabrics and black for the oldest one and my camo and tan for the second one).
I managed to get the tops both made on Monday, which surprised me, actually. To me, the army one is incredibly boring and not particularly pretty. Hmm. But then I’m not fixated on joining the army or going to the military high school next year like this girl is!
The family has a cat and a dog, so I’m hoping she likes cats!
My goal today was to get them both sandwiched so I can quilt them tomorrow. I had prepared the backing yesterday for the army quilt - using cats and green - to create a whole ‘nother feeling in case she decides she’s not “into” army anymore! I am using the Polish beautiful bright black/floral for the back of the black/sports print rail fence on the front.
So I sandwiched them both.
Then I decided to just start quilting and see what I could get done. I managed to get the first one quilted - the tan/camo one.
Then, it was time to come write up this blog post so I could report what I did today!
And now you! It’s 10:30 pm and hopefully I can just plug in my photos and hit the bed! I’ve got to go shopping some more tomorrow!
Can’t wait. :)
Have a great day wherever you are reading this! Thanks for coming along!
Stay safe!
Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!
Here’s one of those beauties!
