This week was filled with shopping and preparing for my husband’s next trip to Ukraine.

Monday -

This day was a holiday (August 15), and I really tried to NOT do anything relating to Ukraine. I wanted to keep it for doing what I wanted/needed to do. I still had some big time cleanup. Instead I tried to get back to sewing.

Tuesday -

I got up early and headed to the store. Stores here are closed on holidays - so I wanted to get going on more shopping for the next load my husband is taking plus a load going to a lady named Oksana. Both need diapers. I went to several stores.

What happens now is that I’ve been doing these same things over and over, so I forget sometimes to take photos! Yikes!

I then took them to the garage - where I stacked it up. For the last two weeks I had also been getting things via our local auction site (like Amazon/Ebay combined) so many things came to our house and had to be carted to the church’s garage.

Wednesday -

Lena, Rachel and I went shopping for more of the items we need for the next trip (this week’s trip) to Ukraine. We were looking for coffee, tea, cocoa, sunflower oil and detergent for 100 families! :) After going to several stores, we then unloaded it all into the church garage.

Later in the afternoon, we opened 3 boxes that came in the mail to me with quilts and then made them into packs - both baby sets and the regular quilt sets as before.

Thursday -

It was very hot this day - I was just trying to survive. I didn’t do anything with Ukraine stuff today. At least nothing I took pics of. I did start working on quilt tops from you all - sent in the boxes with quilts for Ukraine.

Friday -

I met with Rachel and Lena at the church’s garage and we segregated our stuff that we had purchased and marked some for Kharkiv.

We were designating things for 50 different families in Kharkiv. So, in order to help the people who are going to meeting my husband on his trip, we are marking each box which ones are to go to Kharkiv. We had to count out 50 toothpastes, 50 deodorants for women/men, 50 towels, (etc) and then mark boxes with a special bright pink paper which can be seen easily. It was soo hot that day.

We spent about 3 hours doing this. We also loaded some things into the trailer. We will finish loading on the day before Mike leaves for Ukraine.

Here’s a list of the typical things we are sending to this particular group - These are very poor people and are often without electricity or have irregular power. You all are providing these things:

• oatmeal  ( or corn flakes)

• flour 

• rice

• buckwheat

• sugar* - not going to be much sugar

• salt -

• sweets (cookies)  

• soup instant (Knorr) -

• instant noodles (Ramen noodles)

• pasta / spaghetti

• tomato paste

• Vegeta seasoning ✔ /bouillon cubes ✔

• tea/coffee/cocoa powder  ✔

• canned meat/fish/vegetables (mixed) -

• sunflower oil ✔

• baking powder, baking soda, dried yeast, citric acid  ✔ everything ordered packages

• nail clippers ✔ 

• zipper bags my old ones 15 to 20

• water filter plus filters Brita - 50 plus 100 filters ✔

• washing powder - ✔

• toothpaste - ✔

• toothbrushes - ✔

• soap /shower gel ✔

• shampoo ✔

• deo - ✔

• towels  ✔

• warm socks   ✔35-38    ✔39-42  men/women

• gas stove lighters   ✔ lots

• flashlights ✔

• candles ✔

• band-aids  ✔

• hydrogen peroxide ✔       iodine solution - iodine tablets✔  bottles of charcoal ✔

• diapers size 4, 5,6   - -  4  ✔  5  ✔ 6 ✔

• baby wipes  ✔

• power banks  50 ✔

• first aid kits ordered ✔ ordered kits and filling separately ✔

• diapers for adults ✔

• diapers/pants✔

• pads (ordered) ✔

• 'old' blankets  ✔

• baby sets  ✔

• 150 quilt sets  ✔

*Becky’s note - there is very little sugar in Poland - so far -  10 kg   

So there you are - each time you see a whole load of stuff going into the trailer - one must remember there is quite a bit of shopping, ordering, loading and hauling and piling of things into it. Nothing happens with a magic wand. It’s all one step at a time. Is it any wonder we get tired?

(It’s still not as bad as carrying fabric, though!)

I did discover that if I order food with our local wholesale company, it saves me a lot of energy/time. I’ve done that this time and the majority of food will arrive at the church via truck on the day before they go to Ukraine this week! There a man from the wholesalers will help unload it into the trailer as they’ve done before.

And there you are - my last week’s activities relating to Ukraine.

Thanks so much for coming along on this journey! It’s a lot for you to read about, I know!

Be sure to check out what my sis has for you in the store here!

Feel free to browse the site.