Craft Hope Project 8

By now, we all know about the devastation caused by the Gulf Coast oil spill. Personally, I've wandered what I could do to help and have come up with nothing. Luckily for me, the wonderful people at Craft Hope are partnering with The Institute for Marine Mammal Studies to assist them in their efforts in caring for and cleaning oiled marine mammals, mostly dolphins and sea turtles. This will be Project 8.

Craft Hope's Project 8 will be collecting handmade washcloths and hand towels for use in cleaning all of the dolphins and sea turtles. These will be thrown away after a few uses, so there is absolutely no need to worry about how they look.

If you can sew, knit, or crochet, then you can do this. They are asking that you create sets of hand towels and/or wash rags to send. Preferably in sets of 10 or 20.

Since they are called "Craft Hope", they do require that they be handmade, however, several people have asked about simply cutting up old towels and t-shirts to send. They said this is okay! Also, someone mentioned not being a sewer and wanted to do the cloths where you tie the edges with knots, like you can do for the no-sew fleece blankets. Craft Hope says this is good, too! So if you're not a crafter, please don't let this stop you!

Craft Hope says this is also a great opportunity to get kids involved. It’s a wonderful way to teach them about our beaches and the fragile marine life. Perhaps they can help you cut up the fabric? It's never too early to teach them about doing what they can to help save the environment, don't you think?

The project deadline is July 3rd, so you still have plenty of time to join in! I think I will get started tonight so I can get as many sets of 10 made up as possible.

If you want to join in with me for this wonderful project, go here.

You can send your handmade towels and wash rags to:

Kimberly Davion
c/o IMMS Oil Spill Relief
1700 East La Rua Street
Pensacola, Florida 32501
USA

They also said that if you'd like, include a bottle of Dawn dishwashing soap, as this is the soap they use to cut through the oil on the animals.

Don't you just love this project? It's so easy, and yet so rewarding. We can really make a big difference if we all step up to help with this! Please let me know if you intend to help!

I will love you forever if you help!! {Okay, I will anyway, but do it anyway--even you non-crafty peeps!}

Friday Follows!

Today I'm linking up with some Friday blog hops!

Friday Confessional: 6.4.10

It's that time again.... Friday Confessional.

*I haven't cleaned our master bathroom in like 6 months. This is a VERY generous estimate. And by that, I mean, it might have been longer...
*I have gained 15 pounds since the hubs and I got married 2 years ago. This must be remedied.
*I confess that when I get stuck on a certain song or music video, I can watch it like 50 times in a row. After the initial obsession, I may never listen to it again.
*I confess that I don't know what "once bitten, twice shy" means. Any help here?
*Nor do I know what "tangled up in blue" means. Sounds kinda dirty.
*I hate a Pennsylvania accent. That's about the only accent that I truly cannot tolerate. Perhaps it's because the two people I've come into contact with from there were both the most extreme a-holes I've ever met.
*In two weeks I will be closer to 30 than I am to 20. I'm kind of sad about this. It's better than the alternative though!
*I confess that this is definitely my favorite baby set I've ever made! I love when something turns out great:)

*I've been meaning to write to Zuleyma {my Compassion sponsor child} all week and I still haven't done so. I wanted to try to write her every couple of weeks. I need to get on that this weekend.
*I joined www.postcrossing.com just because I love getting snail mail.

What do you have to confess today? Go link up with Glamazon!

Pour Your Heart Out

Do you ever just get really tired? Tired of pretending that everything is going great? Tired of ignoring problems and thinking that will make them go away? Tired of being the strong one? I sure do, and I'm tired right now. Of all of these things.

To fill you in, my parents separated in October of last year and their divorce was final in January. When they gave me the news I was hysterical. I couldn't believe that this was happening to my family. We've always been the picture-perfect family from the outside. Sure, my parents fought, but they did it behind closed doors. Everyone fights and I never thought it was a big deal. I'm not exaggerating when I say that people who learn of the divorce for the first time are floored. They can't believe that my parents, of all people, would break up. No one is immune, obviously.

I really only have one friend that I can talk to about this stuff, because she's the only one who understands. She's been there and she's got a good head on her shoulders. She can also tell me when I'm wrong or tell me the things I don't want to hear. I actually showed up at her house one day during lunch, unexpectedly, in the pouring rain, having a good cry, and she immediately invited me in, offered grilled cheese and chocolate, and put me back together again. Now that's a good friend. I don't think she'll ever know what she's done for me. She and my husband were the only ones who got me through at the beginning. The hubs tries so hard, bless him, but he doesn't understand what I'm going through. Plus he wants to fix it rather than just listen, because he loves me so much. Sometimes I just need a listening ear and some good advice.

It has come to the stage in the divorce that my parents are dating again and I have to say that I don't think they're making the wisest choices. Does anyone? I don't know. Dad's with someone who no one approves of and who no one will accept for lots of reasons, which is hard. It's got my family in complete turmoil. He won't listen to anyone and is doing the whole "rebellious, angst-ridden teenager" thing right now, IMO. He really can't even be talked to at this point. I guess we'll just have to wait him out.

We watched "It's Complicated" last night and there's a scene where the divorced parents and the kids are eating a nice meal for a graduation celebration. It's just them and the kids, no significant others, etc. Anyway, the kids say how it's been the best day because for one day it was just them again, "the original 5". That just really got me, too, because I know I'll never have that again and it feels so tragic. I know this is a broken world because of sin and that no one is immune, but I've found this divorce to be so hard to accept since I literally grew up with my parents together. I always felt so sorry for my half-sister and half-brother {who I don't call that, but will for clarification here} because I saw what their parents divorce {our dad and their mom} did to them. It was always a struggle. But I thank God that they are also there for me now, getting me through, making me stronger, and letting me know I'm not alone.

I know they say time heals all wounds, and I believe that to be true, but I'm afraid I'll always have this sadness lurking in the far corners of my heart.

Giveaway at Only the Curious

Just wanted to let you know that I'm hosting a giveaway over at Only the Curious! Click the flashing star to go enter!

Not Quite Wordless Wednesday

My week in photos. Because some things shouldn't be blogged.

I have learned that people will ALWAYS disappoint you. This is a fact of life. We might as well all just get used to it.

Sometimes I am tempted to try to get revenge on those who have wronged me.

But, God says pray for your enemies. So I will try to do that instead.


This will be an hourly battle for awhile, I'm afraid.

Post It Note Tuesday: 6.1.10