Heads at Ease pillowcase project - our motto is: ALL OR NONE

Mornin' all!  I have posted some new numbers and we are now over 23000 for the 4 years since HAE was founded!  AWESOME!

Today is a bittersweet day for me.  It is my last day to be in my 50's.  This decade has been a positive one for me, making changes for myself.  When I turned 50, I knew that it was beyond time for me to lose weight and get into shape.  I didn't make my entire goal of weight loss, but I sure made great strides and for that I am thankful!

So I think my decade of being in the 60's (and I still don't believe that I will be 60 tomorrow-I think it is a practical joke on me haha) will be one of continuing to get in better shape and maintain or even improve the good health that I have.

Looks like the ship is complete.  I posted some photos of some misc groups that have been done this month.  We have been busy in July!  We mailed 535 pillowcases this month to a variety of groups!

I have been making pillowcases this past week as I will be getting back into the full swing of work starting on Tuesday.   It has been fun!

Happy Birthday Sue!  Hope that you have a great day!

Happy Birthday Sue. Congratulations on all you have accomplished and wishing you success on reaching your new goals.

Thank you for the wonderful birthday wishes!  

Happy Birthday Sue.   I'll be joining you in Dec.

Thanks Lyn, we'll be the 60 club haha.

 Happy Birthday Sue!  I am only a few behind you!!

I have missed you ladies. Lots going on here. My mom passed in June,   sailor and wife are expecting in December! This is my first human grandbaby (I have 2 wild grandpuppies).  Daughter has a nice guy to date.  So all is well with my world.

Leaving for a few days vacation tonight.  Will try to be better at keeping in touch.

Thank you Joy!  I am sorry to hear about your mom.  Congrats on becoming a grandma your self!  Glad all is well in your world.  Have a good vacation!

Added a couple of thank you notes to the misc thread.

Hello all,

I went to an all day training for the after school part of my job today!  wiped out.

check out the really cool thank you note that I posted in Dawn's group.  I brought that up to the top instead of doing a whole new group.

take that back.  we didn't have a special one for Dawn.  So I posted it in the 2012 misc.

Cindy or Phoebe, please refresh my memory which one of you had the DIL that was in the article for the Operation Shower event.  Or is my mind totally mush and I am really off?

Any way, I was able to track down that army wife that I asked about and we are mailing to her husband's unit this week.  Thanks for posting that article!

Sorry Sue not me...

Boy, I was really off on that memory!   Thanks Terry!

CPR training for me today.  Full time starts today for me!  not sure that I am ready.

I am having adventures and I am not even back at kinderland yet! I came home from CPR training to this adventure on my front porch!

that is either a king snake or a rattlesnake, didn't get close enough to see the tail.  We have alot of pack rats here.

Went out later to see if I could get another photo and I guess the rat was too big for the snake or too much in/out at my house haha

This thank you note came in for Rose, a woman to came to us from the article.

This is not why I started making pillowcases back 2008, but it is why I continue to do it:

Thank you so much for the pillowcase!  It came just in time too ! I checked into my new command and was issued a pillow, sheets, and blanket.  The pillow was nasty.  The pillowcase wasn’t even a pillowcase, it was a pillow protector… that didn’t even fit the pillow!  I just so happened to walk by a stack of your pillowcases and got one.  I’m sure it’ll see all of Afghanistan before I go home!

 V/R,

IS1(SW/AW) Lynette

New numbers today!

Good to hear from you Yankee's Mom!  And I love that you are the president of your VFW.  We would love to be your special project!  Thank you so much!

fell down at work yesterday.  banged up my knees.  I was so upset cause I finally got the right hip bursa issue better and then this.

I must slow down and let people wait a bit.

School starts tomorrow for my district.

I'm so sorry to hear about your accident. Definitely slow down and let them wait. It will teach them patients.

I'll be off to Florida again this weekend. We are be leaving on Sunday and I won't be taking my laptop with me. This is the first family vacation in 6 years and it is long over due. Not that I expect to see much of Alex and his best friend while we are in Orlando. Alex starts school the day after we get back.

I'll check in as soon as I get back.

Have fun Lyn and you are so right about slowing down.  AND I have stood up for myself.

Yesterday morning I emailed the new Dean of Students, who is a former 5th grade teacher at my school.  I told her that I needed to speak to her because I had been placed in an impossible situation.  2 huge projects for 5th grade that need to be done ASAP and we have DIBELS (reading assesments for the entire school body=665 kids) next week.

I had started the copy project Thursday.  And how do you eat an elephant?  I bite at a time.  So since I am a numbers person-meaning that I calculate out the cost or how to make the best use of my time, I figured out the copies needed and then the best way to  make them in the 1.5 hours I am assigned each day to the 5th grade.

Guess how many copies I was making for these books?  over 6,000!  Then they had to be assembled, hole punched and bound with the spiral thing!  YIKES and 

again I say YIKES!

I was also given a fabric project as well-covering 2 squares of fabric per book, for 100 students.   Plus the testing all shift, starting next week.  Impossible-I think so.  I know all of this had a direct relation to me falling down.  That was a wake up call to me.  

So I made the admin aware of what is happening and guess what, our new DOS is wonderful, because she looked at the numbers and said "what????"  and it has changed.  PTL

My knees are really bruised up, but walking is okay and I can still do the steps like a normal person.  The right hip is also bruised and sore, but seems okay.  I am not going to work out at Curves though today as I had planned.  I will just deliver my AVON orders and call it a day.  I don't want to push it.

So, what an exciting day for America today!   Better days are coming our way.

AND  we have a brand new group.  See the thread.  I just heard from the chaplain this morning.

Thanks Terry.  I was so discouraged from Tuesday until Thursday.  And once I started that project and realized how ridculous it was, I prayed about it and decided to take action.  turns out that they don't even use all the pages in that book and the teachers have reassessed it.  amazing haha

yes I will.  So excited about our new group and I have a couple of small ones that I will do this week.   Finally got that Tucson group info!  whoohoo!

check out the photo in the 2012 misc thread.

Mornin' ladies!

Today my "baby" turned 28!  YIKES!  I am proud to call him my son.

He is working today and asked if we could have dinner last night.  So we did.  Nice evening.  I have taught my hubby how to cook some simple things and then I mixed up the green bean casserole and triple chocolate cake when I got home from work.

Got the numbers for the Marine battalion today.  528.  I have scheduled 3 waves so far, so if you are able to do some, please sign up on the thread!

Have an awesome day!

Hello and goodbye!  I am in overload already haha.  later with some new numbers

and check out CLB 2.  Wave 1 is good for now, but need helpers for 2 & 3.'

Have an awesome day!

New numbers posted and welcome to aggiemom's!  We are glad to have you join us!

Thanks for the welcome Sue (and the compliment on my son's picture). I will start making a stash of pc's. I've got a pile of scraps that will work for bands, might have to piece some of them but that makes them unique. If I feel ambitious can I embroider something like "thank you for serving" on the inside of the band?

HI aggiemom!   We sew and stash, so you can say that we are "always ready" if a need comes in.  Thank you for doing that.  We often piece bands, that is what make them each unique.  Yes you can embroider on the bands.  We have some really talented ladies with an embroidery machine.

Phoebe, any word from you son about the pcs arriving for his ship?

Sue, No I haven't. I was wondering the same thing... Where are they and when will they be passed out?

Now that I'm back, I'm ready to help out.

Mornin' ladies!  Yikes, it's Thursday already!  We've had lots of rain in sunny Tucson this week.  Makes for interesting school days since our "hallways" are outside.  Mostly covered but not all.

Phoebe, ME has contacted the ship.  I don't think she has heard back.  What do you hear from your son?

Lyn, glad to hear that you are back!  I hope refreshed and relaxed.

I have 3 small groups that I am mailing today and then I'll change the numbers.

Wave 1 for the Marines is done and the 1st box has arrived.

new numbers posted.

HI all,

hope you are all well.  I am just busy with school.  Wanted to sew over the weekend, but that came and went and no sewing.  Where does the time go?

Wave 2 of CLB begins this week.

I got this email this morning from Dawn.  Any helpers?

Hi Sue, 

We just had a young Army E-4 up here looking for pillowcases for her office.  If you have a box or two ready to go, feel free to send them to:

also LT M (US Navy!!!) said she will hand out a couple boxes as well 

Only if you have extras that need good homes.  :)  Thanks again Sue for all you do! 

Dawn

I can ship but not until the end of Sept.

Thanks Lyn.  I wrote to get some specific numbers, so sew and stash like always!

new numbers.  a storm is rolling in so I best get off for now.  Hope all of you are getting some rest this weekend.  Me too!

I hope this Labor Day finds you all rested and relaxed. I got to spend a day at home with no schedules doing what I wanted haha.

Which was reading about 15 thank you emails from our troops and answering them.  Doing alittle sewing-a new apron for me.  Seeing my handsome son.  Always a good thing.

Great Morning Ladies,  just to let you know we are busy and have a lot going on and that is a good thing. I just wanted to let you know that come October we will be doing the USS Mobile Bay.  Keep the machines humming and I will fill you in as we geet closer.

Also I will be moving in 11 days, I will be out of contact for a few days as they get our internet back up and running. I will try and check in from hubbies lap top if I can but my phone number will be the same so you can call me if needed. If you need my new address email me at mepeller@bellsouth.net

sounds good Maryellen!  thanks for doing the research on the ship!

Not a problem you know me I love to research the ship, I learn a lot about them when I do. It is fun to do and everyone is so nice when I send the emails.

I just read that we have another ship for October!!! That is so exciting!! I cant wait to ship!

You do a great job with it Maryellen and I really appreciate your research work.  I 

did some for the army in June and it takes time.  It has paid off though because I am finally getting information on some groups that have deployed from southern AZ and they were on the news or in the paper.

Yes, another ship. We do love those navy guys and girls, don't we?

Hi everyone,

I'm getting ready to send a care package to our last army group in Afghanistan. First let me say that this is not part of HAE, it is something I'm doing on my own because they sound like they really need some Mom Love. What I'm looking for is ideas for what to put in the box. My son has given me some ideas but he's an ex-submariner. So, if you all have any ideas please send them along. I'm looking for things you can put in the palm of your hand and that they can't get at an FOB.

Still sewing pcs and looking forward to the ship and/or Dawn's group.

good job Lyn.  baby wipes, long q-tips or any kind really-they use them to clean their weapons.  peanut butter, crackers, soft pouches of tuna-food that can be eaten without cooking.  TP!  my son said that the best box he ever got was a box from a stranger that had TP in it.

back to work.  I will post later about 2 soldiers who don't get mail and need a card blitz

I have 2 soldiers who do not get mail.  Anyone interested in mailing a card to 1 or both?  I would kind of like to do it weekly by taking turns.  let me know.

thanks!

Wave 3 for the marines begins this week.

Sue, PM me the addresses for both. Patricia

thanks ladies.  I emailed you both the address.

check out Dawn's thread.

Hi Sue,

I can sends a card for both also.

For those of you sending cards or letters to the soldiers, I would suggest that you co-ordinate when you send those cards. It is nice that they finally get mail, but it would be nice if they got cards over the long run. Instead of a bunch of cards and then nothing until they leave the sand box. Also, you are more likely to get an answer if they get one or two cards a week. Just a thought?

I agree Lyn and that's how i plan to hand out the address.  weekly.  I'll keep a list.