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While those of you who sew continue to sew (thank you ver much) here is our destination

Amphibous Assault ship The USS KEARSARGE.  It has been fun chatting with our chaplain, who says they have opened a new space for our Sailors and Marines to  unwind called Holy Joe's Café.  Are we ready to stock it?  Yes!

EVERYTHING in Holy Joe's Cafe is free to our guys and gals! 

 

So, here's the request list:

Beef jerkey covered by Jack's Links

Sunflower seeds

Gum (no hard candy or chocolate)

Coffee--all sorts, both instant, packetts and brew type (I'm saying some tea, too.)

Single packet drinks

Personal hygiene products

DVDs

The crew loves any TV show. I've noticed the popular ones are: Dexter, 24, Prison Break, NCIS, True Blood, Sons of Anarchy, House, Spartacus. I obviously wouldn't expect you to get all of these, but it is at least a selection to choose from.

 

Board games: Storage space is slim, so bulky board games may be difficult. I know that Cranium, Catch a Phrase, and games like that are popular.

 

 

Can you add to the list--of course. (No though, on books.)

Lots of cards and handmade pictures from the kids--think SPRING AND ST. PATTY'S DAY

 


Pack what you can in gallon ziplock type bags so the group can help pick up their godies.And of course, the pillowcases

 

It's now just a stitch over 1,000 needed.  Chaplain says: 1028 total

216 female

812 male

 

In the meantime, keep those sewing machines tuned up and continue sewing!  '

Love ya

Carol

 

***SHIPPING STARTS FEB. 22nd and ends the 28th (or thereabouts)****

 

Count to date by Mom, male/female/generic and total to date

valerijean                   50 female  200 male  30 generic

Ally                             60 female

jenmark                      60 generic

carols_kitchen            9 female  34 generic

Molly                           30 generic

Krista                           25 male   2 female

Llovemysailor                 25 female

Cheryl S                        20 female  20 male

Dana                           375 generic

sissi                             20 generic

Susan, mom to Niko      20 female, 30 male

 

Kimmy                          10 generic

Dee                             2 female, 2 male

(OOPss--dizzy blonde moment and listed a count twice.)   We can now concentrate on our other donations for this group. 

 

If anyone is still making iron on personlized ones, let me know as we definitely want you to send those.  Let me know, and we can switch some of the other ones out. 

 

Views: 1158

Replies to This Discussion

Kim--words I love to hear.  Yes, sew up those flannel pillowcases for MAS.  Glad to have you on board :)

I heard rumors that I and Heads at Ease were being discussed here!  So had to check it out.  haha.  So let me set the record straight.

Pillowcases:

Had been making them for years to sell at craft fairs.

March 2008, sailor deployed and I made him/cubemates each a patriotic pillowcase for their birthdays and sent them in June 2008 to celebrate with the country's birthday.

Fall 2008  made 6 more pcs for some soldiers in Afghanistan

Fall 2008 joined N4M and the groups the USS Abraham Lincoln and Molly's adopt a sailor

January 2009, MAS adopted 55 IA in Afghanistan.  I wanted to make pillowcases, but needed help because of short time frame.  I asked friends and family to help.  Got a great response, so I annoucned my pillowcase plans.  Another navy mom gave me 2 different names for the pcs, but I liked Heads at Ease the best. AND I got  enough support from my f/f to do Feb group of 105 too.

What I thought was a frivolous item in Jan 2009 (the other moms were sending food, socks, t-shirts etc and I thought that was more important), but I just couldn't get the pcs out of my mind.

And I have been doing pillowcases ever since.  While the MAS moms all liked them, the 1st navy mom to get involved with me in making pillowcases was Lyn Love in July 2009.  We had 2 groups that month-sailors on land and marines on a ship.  Up until then, I had been doing them every month with my friends and family. 

Maryellen, Dori and Michele all started to help in July 2009 also, but not with pcs at that time.

During the months of Jan - August 2009, I did the MAS groups plus a number of groups separate from MAS.  Although I did talk about them in the separate HAE thread that I had set up to keep track of the pcs.

Sept 2009, Molly and I talked by phone about MAS going the non-profit route and what it meant.  She wondered if I wanted to stay with MAS, as it seemed that HAE was a group within a group, like the specials hugs thread was.  She explained to me that if I stayed as it was set up, that MAS would absorb HAE and I would need permission to do any groups other than the monthly adoptions that MAS was doing.

We talked about that a bit, I wanted to stay, but she was really patient in making me understand what that meant.  and at the end of the conversation, we decided that I should branch out on my own, cause I really am too independent to be told who I could adopt.  And since the pillowcase idea was mine, I should have my own group.

Thus, in Sept 2009, I began the separate group HEADS AT EASE on N4M.  And let me state this, I hope for the last time! Molly and I are still friends.  As far as I am concerned, there is no anomisty at all towards MAS.  In fact, in the letter that I include in eveyone of my boxes, I mention the MAS group "when I joined MAS, that's when I really began to do pcs in earnest".  I didn't start them with MAS, but they really took off thru MAS.

 

Molly has met my son and had dinner with him  in March 2009!  That was so kind of her.  She was in VA then to visit her son Colton and unbeknown to her, Melissa M had asked me to make a special pc for her son Colton.  So that month, she took Ben to dinner, I made Colton a Green Bay packer pc, which last I heard, he was still carrying everywhere with him.  I made one for Tucker, basketball themed in the Chicago Bulls colors when he deployed to Japan.  Molly named me "pillow" and the pillowcases "Sue cases".  Which a few of my crew still call them that.

 

Susan, I must correct you on the pcs though.  I don't encouage my crew to send them to me!!!!  Good grief, I don't want to give the USPS anymore money than necessary.  I think us navy moms are keeping them afloat!   Over the 2 years that I have been doing this, moms have asked to do that and I always say "I would rather you mail direct."  If someone insists, they send to me.

 

The reason I have hundreds on hand right now, is because I have a tremendous crew in southern AZ!  I have been interview on TV 4 times in 18 months, plus there is a small article about me/HAE in the winter issue of Diane magazine, which is the magazine for Curves for Women.

Sue-- WE LOVE YOU!  Chat with you later, gator.

There are 10 of thousands of sailors, marines, soldiers, Air Force deployed around the world.  They all could use a special pc to lay their head on when they are finally able to sleep.

 

So I am glad to see that MAS, who now has some resources that HAE doesn't have, get those pcs out to our men and women.

 

Peter Cruse said it best in 12-09 when I sent him a special pc "food is eaten or spoils, but a pillowcase can be cherished forever".

 

For the military who gets nothing, having a pillowcase in their hands is a permanant hug-that's what I call them.  So let's work together to get our troops some love.

 

I do not count the MAS pcs in my totals.  The only time that I do that is if someone sent some to one of the MAS groups and they tell me.  Otherwise, the HAE totals are what we have done.  We are work at a slower pace. 

We do include some other things and ocassionally do just a Care package if a need comes to our attention.  But our primary focus is pillowcases.  When a POC asks for desparately needed toiletries, it is hard to just send them a pc.  It could be a towel, but doesn't clean too well. haha

 

HAE did mail some pcs to the Cape St George, as Lyn asked me to.  My friend Pat was moving from VA to FL and wanted to ship her pcs and not move them.  so she mailed some.  A much better place than a moving van.

 

Happy sewing or decorating for your 1,000 goal.  We are starting to mail to the darkhorse battalion this week.  We will break that huge group into smaller ones like we did the Ft Hood group and then we have a big spring project on the horizon.

 

And I hope I cleared up any misunderstandings about MAS and HAE. 

Where's the "like" button?  AS one who has and will continue to support both groups, we all send love.  Now, on to the count for the February MAS pillow case group <3

I love that ALL troops get supported and isn't that what WE are all trying to do?....

Good luck Sue on all your adventures!!!

I guess you could just choke it up to MAS and HAE early history....

OR

That we BOTH are supporting troops with Pillowcases.....

AND PLEASE Kim....flannel is GRAND..so so very soft and comfy, just like HOME,

And just as MAS says

"We ship a little bit of HOME In every package"..

 

Thanks KIM for all your efforts and Carol you too dear!!!!...

PS...Carol for some reason your "screen name" makes me HUNGRY!!!...Its just a warm loving name!

CAROLs Kitchen, always did LOVE IT!!! LOL....♥

Remember---I'm always COOKING up some Navy Mom loving! 
And these Navy Mom love meals don't require a drive to South Carolina anymore to cook 'em, Carol!

You're also right, Diane. We can never do enough for them all. That is why I emailed you about the monthly routine for the packing parties. With Carol and I being within 30 minutes of each other, I wasn't sure if it was necessary that we both request to be an ombudsman in the same month. There was no reason to coordinate more than one packing party each month in the same demographic area. There are some of my supporters who aren't NavyForMom members, or MAS members, but they make sure that they provide items to send. If they're available, they will join us for the packing party, or they will get their items to me to take to the packing party.

Kim knows what I meant about the pillowcases... it was more about saving her the shipping costs and giving her breathing time to recoup her stash on-hand. She knows that I act as Sue's midwest liaison and I have several, like Sue, who sew and send me their pillowcases or I meet them and pick them up.

There are some commands who will not allow for the flannel pillowcases, and those commands are usually certain divisions or departments aboard the ships. It is due to the fact that flannel is more flammable as opposed to the broadcloth or cotton fabric. For some, the colors are important. For example, those who are on the flight decks working. They have color guidelines.

Most all of the others who are on the ground in Afghanistan, it really doesn't matter. What does matter for them is the color of the scarves... there are guidelines for them.

I understand Michele..but we have 1000 pillowcases..I say go for it KIM!!!! I don't forsee a problem!..

And if command has a real issue, then the Sailors can always take them home or back to barracks, its the POINT that they GET THEM!!! ....

Anyway, packing party!....we have Chris & Tammie who will contact Carol and I beleive it is all set!...I have been chatting with Carol and see seems VERY on top of the whole thing! way to go Carol!...

And there is NO membership required for MAS, you pack a box to support a deployed troops...That is all that is required....YOUR LOVE FOR OUR TROOPS...you can call that "membership fees" LOL....and I kinda of like that fee!.....♥

No one, including myself has suggested that Kim or anyone else NOT sew the pillowcases in flannel material. Obviously, the point was missed... if Kim would like to have them sent with the packing party shipments here in IL, that would save her shipping costs to have to burden the shipping cost to the February unit herself. I would take them to the packing party Carol is coordinating here in IL.

You indicated to me in the email that only boxes that were packed and part of a packing party would be paid for by MAS, and of course it is always the monthly adoptee that the boxes are for.

If I misinterpreted that, by all means, please let me know otherwise. Assuming that to be the case, I am in the process of coordinating a packing party for March and April, both. When I receive confirmation from the groups who are going to participate, I will send you an email to get the Ombudsman form and all other details worked out. I just didn't want to duplicate packing parties if it wasn't necessary.

With respect to membership... I merely indicated that there are many people who DO NOT use social networking sites... but they like to participate. If they want to join us for the packing party, they are welcome and I will bring them along to join in the fun!

I am not familiar with or know Chris & Tammy. Are they from here in IL? I'm glad that you are chatting with Carol... and I am sure she will send me an email or call me with the specifics about the packing party as soon as the info is available. She knows that my schedule is hectic at times, and often emails are better means to contact me or calling. That also allows me time to arrange for others to gather all of their items they are wanting to donate in time before the day of the packing party if they won't be attending. Some of them live an hour or so away and we meet up to get the monthly items.

He said flannel pillowcases are A-OK!

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