Weekly Review of Ukraine Efforts
This week was not all that unusual. As I have been getting closer and closer to being completely finished, I wanted to focus on getting the quilts all done. I had previously wanted to be done by my birthday, August 2, but we didn’t make that. However, I did finish all of the ones from Quilted Twins on the 8th of August! All of them are now packed up and in vinyl packs. I am finding things here and there that still need dealing with but soon I should have those gone as well.
I have my living room back! I’m gradually coming to myself.
Is that weird? I’ve been living in such a state of numbness - just trying to do the right thing as quickly as possible and getting this huge responsibility off my head. Other responsibilities have been completely pushed out of the way. At the moment of this writing I have about 20 more that need to be packed up but these were ones that were sent to me individually via the mail service. I’ve had Australia, Japan (!!!), Amsterdam, as well as lots of them from the USA, of course. I put them aside so as to not get them confused with the ones from Quilted Twins simply because I put a different letter in with them.
Anyway, let me go back and summarize.
Monday
In the morning we went shopping for more cleaning supplies and baby wipes.
This next load heading to Ukraine is going to a place where they lack water, so they use baby wipes for washing. There was some food in this load but the majority was cleaning supplies.
In the afternoon - Lena matched up pillows to the quilts that they were to go with. I had a certain pile that I wanted to finish because I had a goal on the second to open up all the rest of the boxes (6) and get them matched up shortly after that so they could all be finished. In the afternoon Lina and Rachel joined us and we were able to finish up all the ones that were all matched up. I now was up to current with the boxes that had been opened.
You can see in some of the pictures that the living room is beginning to come back to me.
Tuesday
This was our birthday and the day we had to finish packing up the trailer that was heading to Ukraine the next day with my husband.
We had been this different than any other so far as the trailer had been parked in our yard for the week. We had ordered so many things on line that we decided to just load it from here as things arrived and not try to pile it all the garage at the church and then load it in one day.
I also ordered from the wholesaler and the delivery person came to our home and he helped load the food in at the end.
While we were working on that, I had a couple of ladies come over and give me a birthday cake (with the number “18” on it) and flowers. They also helped put things on the trailer and in the truck.
We didn’t do a big final ‘all who helped load up’ photo because neither Tim nor his daughter, Rachel, were even in the country anymore and they both helped more than anyone except Mike.
Ready to head out in the early morning, August 3.
On this day I did unload all 6 boxes of quilts and counted everything. I did not match up pillowcases - I left that for my helpers who now knew how to do that.
Wednesday
While Mike headed off to Ukraine to deliver this load and pick up our guest, Josiah, who had been in Ukraine for a week.
While Mike was driving, Lina and I worked on baby sets while Lena and Rachel matched up pillows to pillowcases. I had piled more than 200 baby quilts in the corner that needed to be made into the baby sets that we did. Once again - we don’t put a pillow them - as they are made with the baby 1 day to 24 months in mind. I bought a hooded towel and flannel receiving blanket and a package of wipes to go with your quilts. We also threw in a ‘bonus’ item using a variety of things that you all sent us - everything from burp cloths, to fleece blankets to little zipper bags with goodies in it to nice huge blankets or crocheted afghans. Each set was different due to those bonus items. :)
Thursday
My helpers were willing to help again on Thursday but because I never know when they will arrive back from Ukraine, I didn’t want to ask them to come in the morning. Afternoon was getting hot, and people had things to do, so I actually took it off from having a lot of help or working on this project.
I went to check out a couple new stores that opened about a week before and I hadn’t been to yet. My husband told me that I would like them. Sure enough I did. :) One of them had some craft supplies. Shocking. Not many stores have that kind of thing here in Poland. Very, very few.
Friday
Two ladies came over and we worked HARD. So hard, in fact, that I didn’t take many photos. I had Lina, Lena and Josiah helping. We got a lot done.
Saturday
Lena and Josiah helped me and we got done until I ran out of pillows. We also took a couple of loads to the church building. We have some people staying there and they put the bags into the rooms. It helps speed up the process for me. By noon on Saturday I had only 2 left of the ones from Quilted Twins - I lacked two pillows.
We had boxes and BOXES of baby quilts ready to take to the church and put in the garage where they will await a trip to Ukraine. But we left them in our house for the moment.
Saturday afternoon I opened all of the remaining boxes sent by various people individually with the help of my husband and Josiah, our guest from the USA. I will still get some more of these boxes as I have three more forms to send in which I hope to do the day you are reading this.
I had this whole table full of boxes to open and deal with. They were sent individually to me!
Sunday
We didn’t do anything relating to Ukraine relief this day. We did take a little excursion, however, which will be for another day - in the afternoon - to our local castle.
From left - Josiah, Mike (my husband), Lina, Rachel, Katie, Tanya (Katie’s mom), Lena. Lina, Katie, Tanya and Lena are Ukrainian.
And that’s it. Things are coming to a conclusion, gradually, on this project.
There have been lots of boxes taped up filled with various things. When you sent some older things or purchased comforters, I didn’t put them in vinyl cases as presents, but we are definitely sending them on to Ukraine. They are labeled as such and will find the best places to serve a second life helping someone in desperate need. There are plenty of people who need them.
This week Mike is not going again to Ukraine. He has been now three weeks in a row and is tired and needs to take a break. His back/leg seems to be better, but he is not completely well. At least he can sit though. Back in May/June he wasn’t doing well and I had to drive him around as he sat in the passenger’s seat with his seat reclined as far as he could make it.
Thanks again for coming along with me on this journey.
And yes, I still have money - so don’t worry about it at this point. I don’t want to have so much given that I can’t spend it by the end of the calendar year for this Ukraine effort. I know some of you were wondering. You all have been wonderful!
Have a great day wherever you are reading this!
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