The Babies are Coming!

There are so many uncertainties in life, and things happen in their own time. One thing that you can pretty much count on though, is that nine months after troops return from deployment, a lot of tiny Marines will start to report for duty.

In the coming months and throughout the year, many babies will be born to our military families. While each birth is a wonderful blessing, it is sad that many of these babies will have to wait to meet their daddies who are away on deployment. That's why its so important that our Marine Corps Kids gifts don't stop after the holidays. We want to be able to send care packages to as many babies and military moms as we can.

Just today I made contact with two new volunteers on Marine bases. In 2009 Marine Corps Kids will continue to expand and our efforts will reach even more families.

Please continue to be as generous as you can.

A thank you note from Base

I received a beautiful Christmas card in the mail yesterday addressed to Marine Corps Kids. It is from Rachel, a Family Readiness Officer at Twentynine Palms, CA.

Rachel wrote:

Thank you for your thoughtful giving to the the US Marine Corps... My unit, VMU-1, was returning from deployment in Iraq... the temperature dropped & we got several inches of snow here in the dessert!! ... The hats were a surprise and welcomed gift as the families tried to stay warm while waiting for their Marines.

We are so grateful for the unique way in which you show your support to our Marines. Truly, the work of your hands has warmed the hearts of many.

To all of our charitable crafters who send gifts throughout the year, your hand-work is received, used, and very much appreciated. I hope it puts a smile on your face to know that your donations have reached so many families!

In the new year, Marine Corps Kids will continue sending gifts for the newborn babies and the children of our deployed troops. Your gift, no matter how big or small, goes a long way. I hope you will all continue to support our military families in whatever way you can.

I wish each and every one of you a very happy new year!

Thank you all for your continued support!

Delia

Buddy, can you spare a dime?

It's never easy to ask for money, but when it's for a great cause, it's worth the asking.

Thanks to the generosity of our charitable crafters and the support of Marine Corps Family Foundation, we've been able to send gifts to hundreds of babies born to our deployed Marines and Soldiers. The needs are ongoing, and I'm delighted that more and more people are hearing about our cause and sending gifts for the kids!

Distributing these gifts to our military families costs money. We are working with volunteers on bases to help us distribute the gifts, and this keeps our operating costs at a minimum. Still, there is an ongoing need for funds to cover postage costs.

Marine Corps Kids has no overhead costs. 100% of donated funds are used to cover our postage charges. Your tax deductible donations can be made with PayPal on-line through the Marine Corps Family Foundation site , or you can send a check to:

Marine Corps Family Foundation
4000 Lancaster Drive- Suite 57
Salem, OR 97309

Just mark your on-line donation or check "Marine Corps Kids" and it will be earmarked for our postage costs.

Every dollar helps. Thank you for your generosity!!

Delia

More Hats from Lynn!!!

I received another box today from Lynn in AZ. The hats in this photo are less than half of what she sent.

Thank you, Lynn!!! As always, the hats are beautiful and are going to make the holidays really warm for a lot of families!!!

Positively Speachless!!!

I'm not actually speechless (those who know me know that I can talk and talk and talk), but I really don't have the words to express what I am feeling right now.

When I arrived home from work today, there was a rather large box for Marine Corps Kids. I can only imagine how much the new moms enjoy receiving new gifts, but I'm always delighted to receive packages for Marine Corps Kids and see all the wonderful gifts inside!

When I opened the box that arrived today, I was speechless! It was amazing how much love was squeezed into the box!!!! Here's what it looked like!



The box was so beautifully packed. You could see the love that went into each piece and the care that went into packing them for the kids! I unpacked 32 pairs of beautiful booties and 4 adorable hats! This photo shows only a some of them!!



But there was so much more. There was a second layer of beautiful handmade items!



That layer included 50 hats and 35 more pairs of Booties! These are just a few of them!





And beneath that, believe it or not, was a third layer of 79 hats!!!



Everything is so beautiful! It really takes my breath away!

There are hats and booties for newborns, for toddlers and for tiny preemies. They are all beautifully knit and crocheted in an amazing assortment of soft and wonderful yarns!

There was no note included in the box. It came from Kathryn in Corsicana, Tx. Kathryn, I don't know if you made all these wonderful pieces, or if you are part of a group of charitable crafters, but you are amazing. This package will ship to the babies on time for the holidays, and the mom's will feel so much love when they see all the beautiful gifts that have been sent.

I hope everyone who made these items will see this post and know just how much their donations are appreciated!!

More gifts from Kansas!

Our crafters from Kansas sent another package of wonderful gifts!!!

Judy knitted the adorable red, white and blue Christmas Stockings! They are really adorable, and will be perfect for goodies this Christmas!!

The beautiful purple blanket was made by Patsy. Glee sent the little baby booties.

All of these gifts are fantastic! They're already boxed up and ready to go to the post office tomorrow. Our military families will have them before Christmas.

Thank you again for your continued support and all your beautiful work!!

Thank you, Rosie!!!

I received a box in the mail today from Rosie in Huntsville, AL. Rosie is a new donor who read about Operation Marine Corps Kids online. She sent a box filled with the most delightful sweaters, hats, and booties! The snapshots that I took do no justice to these adorable gifts!!! The photos also don't show all of items that Rosie sent, but you can see them in our photo album (link to the right on our main page)

Rosie, Thank you so much! Our military moms are going to be delighted to receive your gifts and to see their precious newborns clothed in such beautiful outfits!

Thanks also to your husband for his 22 years of service to our country, and to your entire family!!

Thank You, Sandy!!!

These beautiful knit hats and booties were made by Sandy from Ohio.
Thank you, Sandy! They are absolutely beautiful!

I know that are new military moms will be thrilled to dress their newborns in your handiwork!!

Thank you, Lynn!!

Lynn from Arizona sent another box of her wonderful baby hats. I didn't get an exact count, but there are at least 150 adorable hats in this shipment - many of them in red and white for the holidays.

She also included photo's of her adorable twin granddaughters modeling grandma's work.

Those little angels are adorable, Lynn! They are wonderful models for your hats!!!

Thanks for sending so many hats and for sending the photos of your sweet grand babies!!!



edited: I edited this post because I made a horrible mistake. I listed these hats as being sent by Judy, but they were sent by Lynn from AZ. Lynn, I'm so so sorry!!!

Lynn is one of our most active donors who has made more hats that I can count for Marine Corps Kids. Lynn, I'd know your hats anywhere, and I apologize for my mistake!!! Wishing you and your adorable grandbabies a wonderful Holiday Season!

Thank you, Karen!!!

Many Thanks to Karen from Wisconsin who sent a large box of donations for the holidays!

Karen sent 4 large fleece blankets that kids of all ages will love, a few fleece tote bags. The leopard stripe will be great for moms to carry baby's things, and the little fire truck bags will be big hits with the kids. There are 9 fleece scarves that are very soft and warm. Finally Karen made two adorable bibs! I've never seen bibs quite like these, and I think that they're so cute, smart and practical! I'm not sure if they were made from towels of from bolts of terry material, but Karen sewed in necks to make cute poncho style bibs. I think this is so clever!

Karen, I don't have your e-mail address, so I hope you're reading this blog and seeing that your lovely donations were received. Thank you so much for your continued support! If you are reading this, please drop me an e-mail so that I'll have your e-mail address too!

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving is just around the corner - a time to be thankful for all our blessings and to send special thanks to our troops and their families.

I thought this video was beautiful and wanted to share it with you.

Thank you, Judy!!!

Wow!
The other day I received another box filled with amazing donations from Judy T in Pennsylvania.
These photos really don't show how wonderful these are! Each little set is even more precious than the last - and that's hard to imagine!

Thank you, Judy! Your continued support to Marine Corps Kids is truly appreciated!!!

Thank you, Mary Jane!!

This gorgeous baby blanket was made by Mary Jane from Long Island. Mary Jane only recently began crocheting, but has quickly become hooked on the craft.

She gave me this blanket for Marine Corps Kids. It's soft and pretty and is sure to be cherished by one of our new moms!

Thank you so much, Mary Jane!!

Thank you to all our donors!

When crafters send items to Marine Corps Kids, most of them are sent to Marine Corps Bases where family volunteers distribute them to the new moms.

Today I received a message from one of the volunteers that I work with at 29 Palms in California. She said:

"Individuals with hearts as giving as those of you are very hard to find, and we hope that all of you know what a heart warming feeling we all have to know that you support us, our spouses, and our children "THANK YOU"."

I wanted to share this message so you all know that your beautiful gifts are being received and appreciated. You all do such beautiful work, and you don't know the individual families that receive your donations. Everything goes to a military family, and is received with appreciation.

Thank you all for your continued support!!!

Thank you Key Largo Crafters

This lovely blanket and adorable quilt were made and donated by crafters from the Florida Keys. I don't know your names to thank you personally, but I hope you'll see your beautiful work posted here and know that we appreciate your generosity!!

These will be mailed to new moms on base this week! I know that they are their babies will love them!

Thank you Claudia!!

This weekend I got a very large box from Claudia in Key Largo, Fl. In it were 5 stunning Red, White and Blue baby blankets.

I think that these photos show how lovely they are, but I can't possibly describe how soft and wonderful they feel!!! Claudia, the new moms are going to love these afghans! Thank you so much!!!

Claudia is Marine Corps Mom to Cpl. Joshua Potts. Joshua, thank you for your service!

Thank you, Mary!

Mary S. from Georgia is 84 years old. She loves to knit and crochet, and while she watches tv she enjoys making caps on a knitting loom. These she lovingly donates to Marine Corps Kids.

This photo shows the most donations from Mary. These hats are thick, soft and warm, and our military mom's will love to receive these for their newborn babies.

Thank you Mary, for all you do for Marine Corps Kids and the other charitable crafting groups that you support!!!

Thank you, Lynn!!

Lynn from Arizona sent more wonderful donations for Marine Corps Kids!

The hats in this photo are just a few of the 95 crocheted hats that Lynn donated this week. She also sent a great assortment of baby and children's books, a few adorable store-bought outfits and a couple adorable receiving blankets.

Thank you, Lynn!! All of these wonderful gifts are packed up and ready to be taken to the post office tomorrow.

Your continued support of Marine Corps Kids is an inspiration! Thank you for these wonderful gifts and for all that you have done for our Military Families!!

Thank you, Karen!!!

Karen from Jefferson, Wisconsin sent a package with these four darling blankets! The blue and yellow blanket is a soft flannel receiving blanket. The other three are warm fleece blankets in adorable baby blocks, cookie monster and teddy bear fabrics.

Thank you so much, Karen. These blankets are precious! I don't have your e-mail address so I can't thank you personally, but I hope that you'll check in here and see that we've received your package.

These will be mailed out to this week and should be wrapped around some lucky newborns soon!

Thank you for your continued support and generosity!!!

Change is in the air.

Yep. I can feel it.

The air is getting cooler, the leaves are starting to fall, and the days are getting shorter. Autumn is definitely approaching! My favorite time of the year! I love the change of the seasons and all the fall colors!

There are so many holidays - Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years - times when families build memories together. For families that have a deployed parent those holidays can be hard - someone important is missing from the celebration.

That's why I ask that as you plan for all the great upcoming events with your loved ones, you remember our Military Families. I'd love to be able to send special packages for the babies for Halloween and Thanksgiving! For Christmas, Hanukkah, and New Years we will be sending items for the entire family. Hand-crafted gifts for babies, older children and parents/care-takers will be collected and distributed on bases.

All of our Marine Corps Kids donors have already shown what big hearts and what amazing talent you have. Please reach into your hearts and send what you can for Marine Corps Kids during the coming months.

Your donations can be sent to:

Marine Corps Kids
4524 E Beardsley Drive
Bloomington, IN 47401

Thank you!

Sleepy-time Express

I made this little edged blanket and matching hat for Marine Corps Kids. The blanket has a cute train design. I prepped it with my edgerydoo, and then did an edging using sc, X-stitch, and puff-stitch. The little cap mimics the pattern.

We won an Award!!!

Sandie from Crafty Corral nominated us for her "I Love Your Blog Award"!

Thank you so much, Sandie! That means a lot to me!! Marine Corps Kids isn't my blog - it's a blog to support our charity and the beautiful work that all our donors do for this great cause! In honoring this blog , you recognize all of the wonderful individuals who so lovingly support our cause, and the Military families who's work and sacrifice support us all.

The "rules" of this award, is that I'm supposed to pay it forward and nominate 7 of my favorite blogs.

Here are the rules:

1) Add the logo of the award to your blog.

2) Add a link to the person who awarded it to you (as shown above).

3) Nominate at least seven other blogs.

4) Add links to those blogs on your blog.

5) Leave a message for your nominees on their blogs.

This is not an easy task because there are so many great blogs and bloggers out there. My seven selections below are links to the blogs of some of Marine Corps Kids donors. Please check out these blogs, and Sandie's (link above)! All of these bloggers have helped to support Marine Corps Kids, and do some really wonderful work for charity!

My seven nominations, in no particular order, are:

1. Deb's Crafts - Handicrafts for Charity
2. Kathy's Crochet Cabin
3. Flyin' Needles , by Stacy
4. Sandy's Space
5. Crochet All Day, by Sara
6. Beading Help Web, by Lynn
7. 25 Things for Charity, by Cindy

These are just a few blogs by our charity crafters. I hope you enjoy their work and their blogs as much as I!

Wow!! Thank you, Lynn!!!

Lynn from AZ sent us another fabulous package of donations!!!

Lynn might be Marine Corps Kids mad hatter. She loves to crochet hats, and she has been amazingly generous in sending them for our Military families.

Once again, Lynn has dazzled me with her wonderful gifts. I didn't actually count, but the photos above show that Lynn literally sent dozens and dozens of caps. She made the cutest caps in so many pretty colors, and she also made a new girly hat pattern. The photos show the quantity but not the beautiful quality of Lynn's work! I tried to take a close-up shot of the girly bonnets to show the adorable design!

And Lynn knows that babies can't go out in hats alone! She sent some really adorable store bought outfits for the kids too.

Lynn - the mom's will be so delighted to receive your beautiful gifts!! Thank you for your continued generosity!!!! Your work is lovely!!

Thank you, Sandy!

Sandy from Ohio sent these wonderful gifts for the kids!

I know that the photo doesn't do them justice, but these tiny booties are just precious, the cap/bootie set is beautiful, and the striped blanket is just magnificent!

Thank you so much Sandy!

These will be on their way to the babies soon!!!

Thank you, Jody!!!

These lovely knit and crochet items came from Jody in Florida!

They are even more sweet in person!! The little sweaters and the dress are absolutely adorable! The small bundles that you see are wonderful cotton bib and washcloth sets, and really wonderful socks (I tried crocheting socks exactly once, and am in awe of all of you who can do them and have them turn out right!).

Thank you so much, Jody! Our new moms will love receiving these darling gifts!!!

Thank you, Judy!!

This week I received two wonderful boxes of donations!

The first was from Judy from Pennsylvania. Once again, Judy managed to amaze me with so many adorable sets for the kids. These pictures are just a small representation of all the lovely items that Judy sent. Check out our photo album (link to the right of our main page) to see all of her lovely work!! There are so many cute sweaters, ponchos and hats. And Judy makes the cutest stuffed toys. I just adore the baby sting-ray that she made!

Thank you so much Judy! We always appreciate your generosity, and these adorable sets will be sent to the kids this week!