Sponsoring Siblings

My Hubby and I recently made the decision to sponsor some siblings of some of our sponsor children. This was something I had been thinking about doing for awhile, but it was a hard decision for me to make.

On the one hand there are several families that I am very close to and I would like to offer them more help by sponsoring an additional child. Siblings are not necessarily automatically enrolled in the Children International program. I think each family is allowed either four or five children to be in the program at any one time but once two or three children from one family are enrolled and sponsored CI tends to concentrate on getting assistance to new families. So these siblings might never get the benefits of the CI program if I didn't request to sponsor them. Also, how crappy must it feel to be the only non-sponsored kid in a family where all of your other siblings are sponsored? Being left out while watching your siblings getting all the benefits from CI and letters and perhaps even gifts from their sponsors must really suck.

On the other hand I was very worried that if I shared my attention between two siblings I would make my original sponsor child feel less special to me. That's not something I want to do at all! I also thought it might create sibling rivalry (although I fully intend to do everything equally for each child - and actually there is probably more jealousy if one child is left out rather than if they share).

After thinking about it for a long time, and discussing it with my Hubby (he was for it) and with other sponsors (some mixed opinions), I finally made the decision to stop worrying about it and just do it.

So this feels like a grand experiment - we will see how it goes...

I don't have the children on my account yet because CI has to get the field office staff to go out and sign the kids up. It will probably be a month before all the paperwork is done, the first medical visit completed, pictures taken etc...And I guess there is always a chance that for some reason or another the families don't want to sign up another child. (Although I seriously doubt that.) So barring something going wrong, I will soon be sponsoring these three new kids:


Jerica Mae in 2008

Jerica Mae is Harry's youngest sibling. I think she turned five this year. She was the only eligible child left in Harry's family that wasn't sponsored. I don't think sponsoring her will upset Harry. He will probably be just fine with sharing. I think the fact that there is such a difference in their ages and they aren't the same gender will lessen any chance of there being a rivalry between them. Also, by sponsoring Jerica I will be able to keep in touch with Harry for a long time after he graduates from the CI program. So I think (I hope!) it will be a win/win for everybody. Plus, Jerica = Adorable!


Adriana in 2008

The second child I am adding is Ana's youngest sister Adriana. I think she is eight years old. She was also the only child who was not sponsored in the familiy. I am already in the process of setting up the family with an Income Generating Project through Aura's House. So until Ana graduates high school and is ready for further education, sponsoring her sister is the only other major way I could help the family right now. Adriana looked somewhat sad in the family photos I have. I hope she will feel happier now that she has sponsor too.


Dulce in 2009

Dulce is Hermelinda's younger sister. I think she is four years old. Since I am unable to do anything major to help the family with their houseing situation and they are unable to do an IGP at this time I think that sponsoring Dulce is the best way to releive some of their burdens. Besides - as if I could resist that little smiley face! From what I know of the sisters they seem to be almost opposites in personality. It will be interesting to get to know Dulce. I wrote to Hermelinda last week and told her that she was very special to me and that because I loved her so much I would like to help her family even more by sponsoring Dulce. I told her that maybe when she is old enough, she will help Dulce write her letters just like Hermelinda's brother helps her now.

So - I hope this is a decision that will work out for everyone. I'll be a little trepedatious until I hear from Ana, Harry and Hermelinda and hear what they have to say about it!

Beautiful Ana

Just look at these new photos I got of Ana. Isn't she beautiful? There is just something about her that I really like. She has such a serene presence but at the same time she can be so silly and funny. I think the sweatsuit that Ana is wearing was her Easter gift from Children International.


The serene Ana...


and the happy, joyful Ana!

I wasn't expecting to get these photos. I had found some Easter cards in Spanish so I took the opportunity to wish my Spanish speaking children a Happy Easter and send them some family photos as well. I didn't think that such a simple gesture would get me these wonderful photos back - thank you CI!



This is Ana with her mother Monica. I was happy to see Ana's mother because she wasn't included in the family photos I have. Monica is currently the only source of income for her family due to her husband Luis's disability. She has to work long hours as a maid which is why she was unable to be present for the family photos.


Ana writing her letter to me. She told me that she is on her summer break and how excited she is that she will start high school next year.

Ana's twelfth birthday is just a month away. I've sent her (and Maica and Jester who also have July birthdays) a special needs gift so the family can purchase whatever they might need. But I also spent most of today making up little packages to send to Ana and several of the other sponsor kids as well. My daughter chose little items to send to Lesly and the other Guatemalan girls Nyslin and Hemelinda - little things like bracelets, earrings, hair accessories. Just girly stuff. And Carla had requested some new photos so I had to send some of them as well. I'm exhausted! It's amazing how long it takes to put together packages for seven different kids!

Wouldn't it be great to finish Ana's IGP project in time for her birthday?? If there ever was a kid that will appreciate such a gift, it's Ana.

Update from Aura's House:

Ana's Project: $1564/2770 - we're over halfway there!!
Zoila's Project: $390/824
Joey's Project: $669/723 only $54 left to raise!
Nyslin's Project: Completed!
Lesly's Project: Completed!

Hexagon Blanket for Ana's Project

As promised - here is the blanket I will be giving away for Ana's Project over at Aura's House.



Ana's Income Generating Project is going very well - slowly but surely getting there!



I've been told that Aura's House is exploring the idea of beginning buying some of the tools Ana's father Luis will need for his workshop rather than waiting for all of the money to come in. I'll let you know if that happens.



In the meantime - about the blanket...



I used hand dyed sock weight yarn from various Etsy artists. The subtle variations in the colors are really beautiful. I especially like the grey because it has so much depth.



And the "green" is also brown, blue and bits of other colors as well.



I had fun crocheting this. I had never tried hexagons before. And the bobbles were new to me too. I like the texture they add.



The blanket is a comfy lap size - perfect for TV watching and otherwise lazing about on the couch. :)



The giveaway will work just like the one I did for Nyslin's Project. Every donation up to $5 gets it's own number. When Ana's Project is fully funded I will have a random number generator choose the winning number.

Good luck!! And thank you again to everyone who has so generously helped my sponsor children. Check back again soon as I have some beautiful new photos of Ana to post!

On the Subject of Dogs, Contacts, Charity and the Fugliest Sweater Ever Knit

I haven't had much time for blogging lately. We're in the middle of the inevitable end of the school year frenzy of activity. Every year we are pretty much booked solid for the last four weeks or so of school. It's exhausting but at least it's all nice busyness. :)

So I'll just sum up:

I don't talk about my kids on the blog so all I can say about them is that they are awesome!

Some other things I'm happy about:

1.I got contacts and I'm absurdly pleased. I'm convinced I'm actually better looking now that I have contacts. Maybe I'm just not as blurry? :) The only sad thing is that I can't find colored, daily wear lenses in my prescription. :( Bummer. I totally want to change my eye color everyday.

2.I got an update on my projects from Aura's House. There was a long but unavoidable delay but happily the totals have still gone up!

Aura's House update:

Ana's Project: $1419/2770 - we're over halfway there!!
Nyslin's Project: $389/550 - only $161 left to raise!!
Zoila's Project: $293/824
Joey's Project: $236/723
Lesly's Project: Completed!

Hopefully Hubby and I will have a chance this weekend to complete the quilted placemat sets and get them up in the Etsy shop. We should be able to raise enough money to finish Nyslin's project.

And I got some beautiful pictures of Ana today so I will post those ASAP. She is such a gorgeous girl!

3. My fellow sponsors (and friends!) from our sponsor group are helping me to raise money for yet another one of my sponsor children! Click on the link to see Jester's fundraising page. We have started a fundraising group using a "pay it forward" philosophy that has helped us as a group to raise funds for Special Needs and Income Generating Projects for six children so far! Jester's project is to set his mother Agnes up in a reatil clothing sales business. If she can get this business started she will be able to live with her children rather than her current situation where she has to work and live in another city. If you think you might be able to help with Jester's project that would be awesome. Any little bit helps and, like Aura's House donations, these are also tax deductible.

4. I'm also happy because I was able to make another Kiva loan! I think I have 8 going right now. And I am tickled pink that the one that has been the most successful so far has been the one I made supporting a crafts group in Bolivia. Go crafters!!

5. In non-charity related news - After much thought we decided to get Clementine and Sarah ready for summer with some pretty drastic haircuts. Here they are sporting their new looks:



Clementine had hair that a showdog would kill for. Her feathers were literally down to the ground. But it was a really big pain to keep up with because it tangled and matted very easily. She also gets the typical spaniel problem of ear infections so I thought taking away all that extra hair would help get some healthy air circulation going there.



You can't tell it from this photo but Clemmie loves her new haircut. It's like we cut off a couple of years of her age rather than her hair! She has been playful and happy and frisky like a puppy. Actually exactly the opposite of her usual self. :) Some dogs act ashamed and embarrassed when they get a drastic haircut. Not Clemmie. She gives her new look two paws up! We will be keeping her hair trim and tidy from now on.

We let Sarah keep her long ear hair. She doesn't have the same tangly type of hair as Clemmie and no ear infection problem. The rest of the fluffy hair had to go though.



Sarah always looked like a fat little muffin with all of her hair. Now she looks like a lowfat muffin. Both of the dogs are so soft and pettable now - they feel like bunny rabbits.

The verdict on the haircuts is: A+.

Sadly, there is also one item on the unhappy list:

I recently knitted the worlds ugliest sweater. I'll try to get a photo to show you (if you think you can hack it) before I frog the beast. It's pretty appalling. Not only did I knit the whole thing, but in defiance of logic I actually sewed it all together too. Shudder.

I had to cast on for a February Lady in Noro Cash Iroha and Silk Garden to try to erase the memory of the fugly sweater. It's really that bad.

Ana - I'm Proud of You!

These are photos of the "summer vacation" package that we sent to Ana in Ecuador.



Ana is very special to me. She's like a daughter that I have never met. She has such a great attitude and is so thoughtful and really takes her schooling seriously. I hope that she will go on to gain a higher education. I've told her to keep up the good work because I will help her with whatever she needs to continue her education.



Since sponsoring Ana and Jhonny (and now also Alison and Stefany) I have the impression that the Ecuadorian people must be quite friendly as a whole because all of my Ecuadorian sponsor children are super sweet.



If Ana could read my blog I would tell her that I love her, send her a big hug and tell her that I am so proud of her!

Ana's Income Generating Project is still on going over at Aura's House. While you are there check out Joey, Zoila and Nyslin's projects too. The project totals so far are:

Aura's House update:

Ana's Project: $1334/2770
Nyslin's Project: $244/550
Zoila's Project: $288/824
Joey's Project: $200/723
Lesly's Project: Completed!

Somethin' to show ya!

Okay - I finally have somethin' crafty to show you.



It's the Bo=Peep skirt from Anna Marie Horner's book Seams to Me.

I made mine in a ballet length (hit's mid-calf) and used an Alexander Henry print for the main panels. I absolutely adore the retro '70's type prints that are popular these days. The large scale and the strong colors just make me happy. My daughter loves it too - she has worn it twice already. And everywhere we go she gets compliments on how pretty it is.



This is the first article of clothing that I have made in years and years. The last time I attempted anything like this was when I was fourteen - so you can draw your own conclusion as to how long ago that was!

I learned so much from this project - french seams (so cool and useful!), rolled hems, basting (hate it), and working with ruffles (did mine by hand - can't wait until the local fabric store re-stocks the ruffle foot for my machine!). One of the coolest things about this particular design is that I can replace the elastic in the waistband as my daughter grows. She could still be wearing this skirt when she is in her teens.

I loved making this skirt! Especially because (prepare to be totally jealous of me) my Hubby made one also. It was so much fun to be able to work this whole sewing clothes thing out together. We are both totally hooked!

Here's Hubby's version:



He made his shorter than mine - just below the knee. The main print here is also an Alexander Henry. This picture really doesn't do the skirt justice - it is SO cute.

You can see more photos of reader made projects from the Seams to Me book in the Flickr pool here.

AND - Here's an update on the Aura's House Fundraising:

Ana's Project: $966/2770
Nyslin's Project: $149/550
Zoila's Project: $165/824
Joey's Project: $117/723
Lesly's Project: $184/393

I couldn't be happier! Thank you, thank you!!

Meet Ana

Meet Ana!

I know that my regular blog readers have already been introduced to Ana, one of my sponsor children from Ecuador. But I thought I would post little "features" on each of the children (Ana, Nyslin, Joey, Zoila and Lesly) who I am raising funds for at Aura's House. I have lots of pictures you haven't yet seen! :)

Ana's Income Generating Project is the largest one on Aura's House right now. We are trying to raise funds so that her father Luis (who is disabled) can work from home. Luis has skills as an electrician so the money raised will be used to set up an in home workshop where he will be able to repair small electronics.


Ana - in the pink top - stands outside her home in Ecuador with her siblings Jennifer (13), Adriana (7) and Daniel (5). Adriana still needs a sponsor.

One of the key elements that we are raising funds for is a special chair for Ana's father. This chair will accommodate his handicap and make it possible for him to sit comfortably while working. Having a way to support his family will be a huge self-esteem booster for Luis. We estimate that his work will be able to double the family income.


Ana with her siblings and her father Luis.

Ana's family currently has about $100 a month on which to live. Her mother works as a maid so she has to spend long hours away from home. She is the only wage earner in the family.


Ana looks like this photo caught her by surprise! :)

Ana is truly like a daughter to me. I have high hopes for her future. She is so smart and works so hard at her studies! Recently Ana was rewarded for her good grades - she was chosen to be the standard bearer for her school at a festival. It's clear that Ana is well aware that a good education is her best pathway to a brighter future. I do all I can to encourage her to dream big and work towards her goals.


Doesn't Ana have just the brightest smile?

I am so thrilled that Ana's project has launched at Aura's House! I often think about the day when she will receive word that the money has been raised. She doesn't even know that it is happening now! What a great surprise it will be for her whole family. I know how thankful she will be and how excited.

I want to say a huge huge thank you to anyone who has donated to any of the projects!

Here is an update on the fund raising progress (current funds first and goal funds second):

Ana's Project: $396/$2770
Nyslin' Project: $115/550
Zoila's Project: $15/824
Joey's Project: $97/723
Lesly's Project: $55/393

I also wanted to mention that the totals are updated about once a week. So if you do donate and don't see your donation reflected right away - don't worry! Just check back in at Aura's House in a few days or right here and you will see the numbers go up. :)

THANK YOU!!!

Catching Up & Finally an Announcement!

Oy. We've been having a rough time at Chez Needles.

The bad news is that my Mom had a heart attack.

The good news is that she is out of the hospital & only requires medication (so far) in order to deal with the problem. The doctors say that the radiation she had when she went through her first round of breast cancer probably damaged that section of her heart and made it more vulnerable. Luckily they think whatever further damage she suffered during the heart attack may be able to heal. But as of now she is pretty weak and has lots of medicines she will have to take.

It really sucks to be so far away & not to be able to help - even though she does have other family members there. All I can do from here is try to stay positive and help my Mom feel more cheerful.

I don't really like to discuss depressing health stuff on the blog so I'll just leave it at that. My Mom has really had more than her fair share of trouble this past year!

Better news is that I have been doing tons of crafting. I've finished my nine patch quilt top & now just have to decide on the borders. I'm halfway through a second needlepoint piece (even though I still owe you guys pictures of the first one!). And *gasp* I actually picked up my knitting again! I haven't knit in probably 8 months or so. Luckily I haven't forgotten how. :) So I am nearing the finish of the mitred square blanket that I worked on last year.

I'll try to get photos ASAP so my blog posts won't be so boring. :)

And now....

The best news I have is that I finally have a moment to tell you all about the "project" I've been working on and semi-mysteriously mentioning off and on. :)



A charity group called Aura's House has agreed to raise funds to help five of my sponsor children. Aura's House has launched fund raising for Income Generating Projects for four of my sponsor children, specifically Ana in Ecuador, Nyslin in Guatemala, Zoila in Honduras, and Joey in the Philippines. The fifth project is to help Lesly in Guatemala with some special needs. Aura's House website will tell you all about each of the projects and has lots of pictures of each child and their background story. There's even a picture of me (unfortunately taken before my weight loss - 27 pounds now!) and some words about my sponsorship. You can also read more about each of the kids by searching their names in the tags on my blog.

Please go visit the website and check it out!

Aura's House has been absolutely wonderful to work with and I am so grateful to them for agreeing to help me! They have been doing this work for several years now and have helped lots of needy children in many ways. You can read all about their past projects and the history of Aura's House on their site. If you donate you will get a letter from Children International acknowledging your donation (at least I did) and it is tax deductible.

I'd like to give some random gifts/prizes as a thank you to my blog friends for donating so if you do - please leave a comment and let me know! Every little bit will help and maybe you'll get something yarny as well. :)

Ana's New Photo

We got our new yearly photo of Ana. I'm always happy to see her face. She is the kind of person who just gives off a good vibe. (You know people like that right? I hope so!)



I have high hopes for Ana! I just learned that I may be able to fund college for my sponsor kids - obviously not all of them will want to go to college or will be able to go - but perhaps some of them might. I think/hope that Ana would be one of my kids that would wish to go to college. I think she would be able to make a great success of it. So I'll be exploring ideas for this option in the future. She's only twelve after all...

Thinking about:
1. Ghosts and the unseen world.
2. Becoming Jane Austen - wonderful book. Much better than other bios I've read. I always love reading about families and their interconnected relationships.
3. The relief I will feel when the election is over. I'm so ready for it to be done.
4. Money. Wishing I had more of it so I could fund all of my sponsor kids income projects right away. If I'm feeling like I have no money how must they feel??
5. Kaffe Fassett's quilting fabric. Liked him as a knitter. Adore him as a quilter.

Ana's Birthday Gifts

This is Ana. She just turned eleven and lives in Ecuador. This was our first experience sending a package to Ecuador and it seems to have worked out just fine. We just got these pictures and a letter from her a few days ago.



Ana likes math and used her birthday money donation to buy a scientific calculator. I was really pleased to hear that she was able to do that. I'm sure it's a big help to her studies.



Isn't it sweet how Ana put one of the dresses we sent her on over her other clothes? And isn't she just the most pretty little thing? She has such a serene and self composed expression and so far what I know of her personality seems to match. I have a feeling that Ana will really go far and make something special of her life.



My favorite photo of Ana, showing her sense of fun. She can seem quite serious on the outside but you can tell she also has that little glow in her heart. I can't wait to meet her someday!

Craty News and the Big (Sponsor Kid) News

Been a few days since I last posted... (sometimes it seems like you have to go to Blogger confessional... "forgive me readers, it has been X days since I last posted...) ;) The transition from school to camp is always a bit crazy but we've reached our tenuous equilibrium again. :)

Crafting is off and on this past week. I'm just super tired. I've been trying to concentrate on sewing up the patches. I counted and I've currently got 31 patches all sewn up. That's about a third of the total I have. It takes me about a half hour to sew one patch up. So lets see...the calculator says it will take me 31 hours to finish sewing up the patches. Not too bad right?

The biggest & best news this week is that since my last post I have gotten letters from 8 of my sponsor kids!! (I'll post photos of the kids I haven't "introduced" on the blog yet.) -

Flor, 7 years old from Honduras who tells me she likes to eat rice with beans and cheese. (Me too!)

This is our latest picture of Flor.



Lesly, 6 years old from Guatemala who says she had a great birthday because her village has a festival around her birthday so she got to go to that.

Carla, 5 years old from Chile who drew me a really detailed picture of a little girl - I think she used every colored pencil she could get her hands on.

This is the only photo we have of Carla so far:



Mary Joy, 12 years old from the Philippines who told me how she got her nickname of "Apple". (So sweet.) I had complimented her on her lovely handwriting and she told me she takes great care to make her letters to me nice and neat. (Isn't that sweet?)

Our first letter from Joey who is 9 and lives in the Philippines. He says his father is a farmer. Joey likes math and has lots of friends.

This is Joey:



(As an aside to tell you how great Children International is - I had noticed in Joey's family report that it was noted that he needed some dental work. I called to CI to ask what the status was with that in case he needed some help and they said they would check on it. A week ago I got a letter from CI with a full report from the dentist on what work Joey had done and what his status was now. I was amazed! Talk about customer service! I have a harder time getting reports from my own kids dentist. So the good news is that Joey's teeth are all taken care of.)

Our first letter from Harry, 13 from the Philippines. He wrote to introduce himself and to thank us for our special donation (He was one of the ones we gave Mother's Day donations to.) We got three more photos of him also! He was able to buy tons of groceries, school supplies, clothes, and kitchen supplies. (Made me so happy!)

My first letter from Ana in Ecuador. She turns 11 this month. She describes herself as a "simple, humble girl". She writes very good English in a beautiful curly script.

This is our latest picture of Ana. We sent her a birthday package. I can't wait for it to arrive!



And we got two letters from Jester! He is 11 and lives in the Philippines. He is the little boy that waited two years for a sponsor. I have to say his letters really touched me. He is a wonderful boy who expresses himself very well. You can tell he has a very sweet heart. He told me about his father abandoning the family and how he feels it is now his duty to step in and take care of them. He promised to work very hard in school so that he could prove to me that he deserved to be sponsored. (Totally made me cry!) We also got another letter with several photos of him. He wrote to thank us for the special donation we had made and tell us about all the things he was able to buy with the money. The sweetest thing was how he described "jumping in surprise" at getting the gift and how happy he was at being able to share that with his family. He's a real treasure - we are so lucky to have him as a sponsor child!

Hubby told me he would get on task and install our scanner so that I can more easily share letters and photos with you guys. There's nothing like getting to see the actual letters. You can tell how hard the kids work on them and the pride they take in using their English skills and writing neatly. I feel so privileged that these kids share their lives with me. I love how different they all are. I will really enjoy watching them grow up. They are such special people!