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Make It For Maggie 2012!

Nov 4, 2012 by tracy

What an amazing weekend!

Saturday (last Saturday! Yes, a whole week has gone by without the post going live about MIFM. I will try to explain why later!) was our third annual Make It For Maggie event. Kat and I started this project three years ago because we felt absolutely called to do something for Maggie’s Month. We wanted to involve lots of people and to bless lots of people…and Make It For Maggie has done just that.

We were there bright and early getting everything ready for our participants. Thank goodness for Keziah, Courtney, and Rachel…they set up the chairs and tables in all the classrooms, hauled supplies all over the building, and served at our beck and call for three hours before MIFM started. Jennifer came early and we quickly put her and her children to work as well. Kim came and turned the gym into a lovely dinner arrangement with all the tables decorated with children’s books and a fall theme. My favorite was the Make Way For Duckling table which had a copy of the book and then many squash turned into a duck family.

Around noon our guests started arriving. I love welcoming people to MIFM!

I love looking in their eyes and connecting with their hearts and thanking them for coming to MIFM. I love helping people feel special…because they are and they can feel it by the way I treat them when they walk in the door.

Ted (Kat’s dad) made everyone involved adorable pink name tags. I nearly died when I saw how stinkin’ cute they turned out. Emily, our photographer, snapped this photo of me and miraculously I look like a human being instead the ridiculous blob I normally turn into when a camera is pointed my way.

Ted also made us signs for the whole building and printed out piles of spreadsheets so we could keep everyone and everything organized. Kat’s printer is broken and mine has been out of ink for many weeks now, so Ted came to our rescue and printed up whole reams of documents for us.

This year’s event was a late night affair with classes ending at 9:00 p.m. and our teachers were superstars and stayed engaging and inspiring all day long.

Anne’s Laughter Yoga is always a hit.

Keri’s essential oil goodness was a hit during the 8:00 hour.

Sheila teaching about raw food scrumptiousness with gobs of samples everyone loved.

Here are Jana and Kim, our Dinner Chairmen. They did a fantabulous job! We didn’t have to worry about it at all!

During dinner we had a frenzy of last minute bidding on our amazing Silent Auction items, a delicious spread of soups, breads, and desserts (confession, I ate five pieces of pumpkin roll!), a tear-jerking presentation by Jodie (Maggie’s mama) that inspired all of us to work together as families to make a difference in the world for the causes we are called to give our hearts, resources, and money towards.

All during dinner, Kat calculated the donations to reach our grand total. Then, in a pile of tears (tears were flowing all around, not just from Kat’s lovely eyes) she announced to our recipients just how generous this community is.

The Osburns

The Roughtons

We thought we had $5000 to dispense to our three families, but we have run into some mathematical errors and are still trying to sort it all out. We know we have at least $4500 to split between them and are now trying to pinch hit to get back up to the $5000 we thought we had raised.

I am so, so grateful to be part of Make It For Maggie. My heart is bursting with joy over the whole thing! I am thankful to have a philanthropic project that involves my whole family. I want to smooch all of our amazing teachers – they are what bring our participants back each year. I am thankful for our awesome group of people who volunteered to make it a success this year – Jana, Kim, Charlene, Amy, Emily, Ted, and Lois all contributed of their time and talents and greatly lightened our work load. I am thankful for Katherine and the privilege it is to work with her make a difference in the world. Every single year my whole soul is taught of the goodness and generosity of individuals, the power of community and the wonderfulness of this community, and the miracles that happen when I am doing God’s work.

Thank you. Thank you for anything you have done to Change The World One Family At A Time.

May God bless you.

mifm 2012 countdown

Oct 22, 2012 by tracy

Five days until Make It For Maggie. Five days to get everything done. But really? Only two. Tuesday and Thursday. Because Wednesday is iFamily and Friday is gym.

So two.

Two days to pull off a miracle.

We still have gobs to do.

Get a gazillion more registrations.
Make name tags for all registrants, babysitters, chairman, and recipients.
Organize (and collect more!) silent auction items.
Collect more door prizes to be given out to our participants throughout the day.
Buy all the napkins, plates, bowls, cups, and cutlery.
Buy all the snacks for the children being babysat.
Make all the room signs.
Make all the handout books.
Make all the silent auction bid sheets.
Buy and make all the teacher thank-you gifts.
Make sure we have all teacher supplies ready and organized.
Make the agenda for the dinner time presentation.
Bring the microphone system (and test it to make sure it works!)
Fill my heart up with God’s love so I can spill it out on everyone who is joining us.

Pray for us. We need miracles and thousands of dollars in donations (YES, my friends, every little bit counts, so if you would care to join us in this mighty endeavor, head over to Make It For Maggie and click the donate button) to pull off our big dreams for these three lovely families. We need calm heads, strong spirits, and huge hearts to make this day as wonderful as it can be.

And we need you! Join us in Changing The World One Family At A Time.

m, m, & m

Oct 20, 2012 by tracy

These past many days have been chock full. Full of Make It For Maggie, miracles, and mushiness. I want to soak it all in and let the gratitude permeate my entire being. Wait, I think it already is. Permeating, that is.

Make It For Maggie fills my heart with so. much. joy. Everytime I check our nifty registration page and see more people who are joining us I want to scream out loud. Every time I see someone choose one of our additional donation buttons I DO scream out loud. Everytime I speak to one of our recipients, my heart fills right up with joy because I know what is coming for them…in one short week my amazing community is going to shower them with love and hugs and money and food and joy and belonging. Everytime I think about Kat and the privilege I have to be part of her life I am overwhelmed with gratitude. I am one blessed woman.

The miracles? Yes, there have been a few this week. My dear Jessica has been granted a big one. On Thursday, I swung by her house to get something for Make It For Maggie and found her in bed not quite feeling up to snuff. She had passed out repeatedly that day and was now in bed trying to get some protein into herself. I immediately hopped into bed with her and started making all sorts of assessments and tried to relieve her headache with some massage and peppermint oil. I took her pulse and it was at 40 beats per minute. Next I called Richard to do some energy work on her and instead of responding the way he normally does and getting right to work on her meridians and chakras, he told her something was wrong with her heart that he couldn’t fix and she needed to go to the hospital. Right now.

That was pretty baffling because my husband would pretty much never tell anyone to go to the hospital. We all thought, “hmmmmm?”

Meanwhile, her father was calling from Utah and urging us to leave. Now.

Then I called Cameron, our friend Paula’s husband, to come give Jessica a blessing thinking surely he would pronounce some lovely, reassuring words of healing upon her head, but no, instead he could barely speak and told her to go seek the expertise and tools of medical specialists.

More baffling. But at least now we knew we really did need to go in. Three trusted loved ones had given us the same advice. So, off we went.

We made it as far as the entryway and she collapsed to the floor. Luckily we were able to catch her so she didn’t bonk her head on any walls or the floor on the way down, but it was still quite dramatic. We decided she was no longer in control of any of her limbs and would need to be carried out to the car which was done quite ably (if not a little hilariously) by her husband and Cameron.

Kat zipped us off to the hospital while I cradled her head and her mama prayed.

The next many hours were slow and fairly uneventful…more passing out, more shaking, more twitching, lots of laughter, not so many doctors, and more waiting than anyone who has lost control of their body should ever have to endure. Eventually (about 21 hours after we arrived at the hospital) it was determined she has a PFO or a hole in her heart.

Whoa. Big whoa. We were so excited they found the cause of her bizarre passing out and this whole hospital adventure, but were a bit saddened that she has to go through this trial. While many people have this condition, it only causes symptoms in about 2% of the population. Strokes and heart attacks can happen at any time with a PFO and those are two things Jessica (or anyone else!) doesn’t need.

Now we are waiting. Waiting for all the results from the EKG, EEG, MRI, Cortisol tests, and all the blood draws. Waiting to find out what the next steps will be and when she will be all better. The surgery has a pretty good success rate, but any medical procedure is going to cost a huge amount of money, cause a lot of pain, and greatly impact their family.

Now for the mushiness.

I love the women in my life. I often forget that having this large circle of close-knit friends isn’t all that common and that many women go through life without it. I am so blessed. We have created a community of women who give and serve and love and support and dream and work together. It is such a blessing in my life.

And my Jessica? Words cannot describe how much I love her. She is creative, talented, hilarious, beautiful, determined, brilliant, spiritual, committed, and full of big dreams. And she helps me go potty when my hips don’t work. What more could I want in a friend?

Snuggling with her in her hospital bed is my new favorite thing…I just need to make sure I don’t become completely entangled in her myriad tubing and accidently kill one of us.

his voice

Oct 9, 2012 by tracy

My heart is spilling over with gratitude today. Gratitude for the goodness of God. Gratitude for His patience with me. Gratitude for His majestic love. Gratitude for His voice.

He has been talking to me. Helping me learn to listen and then to act. Blessing me with His guidance.

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to change the world…to make it a happier, brighter, and more peaceful place. I remember as a little girl growing up in our family grocery store how much joy I felt when I helped others get their groceries to the car, or find something they needed in the store, or brought them a smile as they checked out. I remember jumping up and helping others AND having a great time doing it. I remember playing knock-and-run to our neighbors and people in our town who needed our help. I loved it then and I love it now. I love helping people have a brighter day and a more secure tomorrow. In many ways, it is what I was born to do.

As a grown up, this poem sums up my feelings much of the time.

Motherload

Motherhood has ruined me for life.

I want to nurse the world
A continent to a breast.

I want to cut up waffles
For all the third world
Send the dictator to his room
Ground the drug dealers
Wash out the pornographers’
Mouths with soap
And spray organized crime
With Black Flag.

I want to make all the politicians
And all the executives sit on the couch
And memorize the golden rule
And stand up and say it in unison.

I want to grab a bullhorn
And announce to the world
That barbecues will stop
Until all the litter–all the litter–
Has been picked up.

Oh, I could fix everything
If they would all just listen to me,
Listen to me,
Listen to me!

I have such illusions of grandeur:
I am a mother

~Carol Lynn Pearson

I am one of those people who would run off to a foreign land and spend my days bandaging wounds, feeding soup, and giving hugs. I would…if I could. And maybe I will someday. But God has called me to labor here in my home as a mother and to nurture these children He has blessed me with. While they are my first priority, those longings to save the world are ever present in my heart. Thus, Make It For Maggie was born. It all started back in 2009 when I first discovered Katie and Amazima. I could not rest until I created a way to be of service to Katie and the children she serves in Uganda. Women from all over the world joined with me in sewing pencil rolls for Katie’s schoolchildren and our family’s fall service project was born. The next year, my friend, Jodie Palmer, created Maggie’s Month and once again, I knew I needed to DO SOMETHING. I could not, NOT do something. Kat and I started brainstorming and Make It For Maggie was born. That first year was amazing. Things came together quickly (in three short weeks) and the outpouring of love from our community was enormous. In 2011, I really didn’t know if I was up to it. I had just been through an incredibly difficult six months with a breast lump and a variety of treatments and finally a lumpectomy that took me two months to recover from. But, Katherine was willing and God spoke to my heart, and with many helping hands we were able to create another wonderful event.

This year, there was no question in either of our minds if we would be doing it again. We are in for the long haul now. So back in August we started working on putting all the details together. By September things were rolling along, but we couldn’t decide on who our recipient should be. We had several excellent nominations and one fairly obvious choice, but as we prayed, we didn’t feel right about any of them. We went on planning, finding teachers, and working on the website, but we could not select our recipient with any amount of peace in our hearts. It was bizarre. In past years we knew exactly who we were working so hard for and had a central purpose driving us. This year, we had to keep working without knowing who all of this was going to bless. More prayers. More pondering. No peace. More work. More teachers. More people asking us over, and over, and over again WHO the recipient would be. More courage to wait until the peace came. More nominations. More prayers. No peace.

This went on for weeks and was a tad unnerving. But, we couldn’t feel right about just selecting someone because they needed our help. We wanted and needed to have confirmation from God that who we were choosing was right.

Registration was supposed to open on Saturday, but on Saturday we still didn’t know who our recipient was. Then, finally, yesterday, the answer came, with power and peace, it came.

I know this is long, but bear with me. It is worth it.

Last Sunday at church, when my heart was breaking over our ward split that would be happening in a few short hours, God spoke to me and told me to ask my friend, Heather, if there was someone at her church (where we meet for iFamily) who needed MIFM’s help. I thought, “Oh, that is a good idea.” But, I didn’t do anything about it. I think I believed I could still solve this whole thing and so even though time was fleeing rapidly, I didn’t call Heather. On Wednesday morning, as I was showering before I went to the temple with Keziah for her first time, I heard God speak to me again. He said “Tracy, someone is adopting children and they need your help.” I thought in my mind “Oh, we don’t do adoptions, we do children with disabilities.” Again, “Tracy, someone is adopting children and they need you.” “Hmmm,” I thought.

Later that day at iFamily, I shared with Heather our inability to feel peaceful about any of our nominations and the prompting God had given me on Sunday to speak to her about it. She told me about a family in her church who has two children with severe disabilities and told me she would find out more about their needs and how MIFM could help them. I thought, “Hmmm, maybe this is our family. I hope Heather finds out more quickly so we can make a decision and move forward.” As I turned to walk away, she kind of mumbled something about another family in their church who were adopting from the DRC. I froze in my tracks and asked her for more information. She couldn’t give me much, but I felt like this might be the answer we had been praying for. I still wasn’t sure and was rather unsettled by the whole thing. I kept thinking, “We don’t do adoptions. This can’t be right…but what if it is?”

But I kept thinking about it. On Thursday I told Kat about it and she wanted more information as well. Friday I left for SLC and our amazing temple trip. Sunday was spent watching General Conference and then working on the MIFM website into the wee hours of the morning. Monday was the last day to decide. We had postponed registration from Saturday to Tuesday in the hopes of having our recipient selected and our registration process smoothed out, but here it was Monday morning and still no recipient we knew was right. I kept pleading with God to teach me, to show me who we needed to select, to show me the path. Nothing. More website work. Finally, I called Kat and said “We must decide.”

And then we knew. We were flooded with peace. We knew we were to select TWO families and that one of them was our obvious choice from up above and the other was the adopting family from Heather’s church. I immediately called Heather and found out more about this family. It turns out that Todd, is the Youth Pastor at their church and is well-loved by many of our friends. It turns out that they have been praying and working for many months to raise the money they need to travel to pick up their sons. It turns out they had just made an awesome movie to share their message and their need. It turns out their seven-year-old son, JT, had just prayed that very morning for God to send them help.

And He did. JT, He did. He sent two crazy mamas who want to alleviate all the suffering in the world, but know they can’t, so instead they spread joy and love and goodness and build a community of people dedicated to changing the world one family at a time.

I can’t even begin to put into words my feelings about this. It is overwhelming to know, clearly know, God led us to this family who has been praying for someone just like us to find them. It is humbling to think of being an instrument in His hands. It is my desire to more fully align my will with His so He can use me more fully to bless His children.

So grateful.

Want to learn more about our recipients for this year? Check them out over at Make It For Maggie, then either click on the Registration button or the Donate button and join us in Changing The World One Family At A Time.

Thank you, God, for teaching me once again whose work this is and how much you love your children.

thankful thursdays 11/3

Nov 3, 2011 by tracy

* My heart is full with gratitude at the blessing of participating in Make It For Maggie. I am full to overflowing with the goodness of my community. I am surrounded by people who believe in giving and serving and loving and hugging and smiling and crying and giving some more. I am in awe of the people who made Make It For Maggie a success. Kat and I did the conceiving, planning, and carrying it out, but our community made it happen. They came with hearts yearning to serve and serve they did! They taught classes, cooked food, set up tables, gave money, made booklets, shared love, and cheered us on all the way to the finish line.

Thank you. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for being in my life and joining me in changing the world one family at a time.
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* Knee-high socks. I love them. I need a gazillion more pairs because the three I have are getting a work out with the temperature in my house (this morning it was 55…I think I may need to turn on the heat!) Whenever I pull my knee-highs on, I think of my friend, Kate, and how much she loves her knee-high wool socks and then I love mine even more.
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* Mikelle made Tami’s famous chicken tortilla soup for Make It For Maggie and she made extra for our family. I can’t even tell you how yummy it is and how lovely it was to come home from church on Sunday and have soup waiting for us. Thank you Mikelle…and Tami for the fabulous recipe!
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* I am grateful to be me. Sometimes I think I am crazy and sometimes I really don’t like some aspects of myself. I do silly things and I stick my foot in my mouth and I am impulsive and take too much on and don’t know when to stop and am completely disorganized. But, at the end of the day, I am glad to be me. I’m glad I take on seemingly impossible tasks and dream big dreams. I’m glad I am willing to make a fool of myself. I’m glad I can talk to perfect strangers and become friends with them. I’m glad I have a mind full of ideas. I’m glad I have a love affair with books. I’m glad I’m a doula. I’m glad for so many things about me and even though there is plenty of room for improvement, I’m glad I have been blessed with the personality and skills and strengths and weaknesses and everything else that makes up me.
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* Showers-n-Stuff by Don Aslett Cleaning. I am not that frequent of a bathroom cleaner and we have extremely hard water, living in gravel bed and all. I can spray it on my shower/tub/etc and let it sit there for a while and then voila, everything is sparkling clean. Just wipe it off and all the soap scum, hard water, minerals, and grime will be GONE! I can’t even tell you how wonderful it is, you will just have to try it and see for yourself.

Kat tried it last week and then called me raving about how beautifully it worked. I promise your tubs will never be cleaner
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Time for morning learning time!

make it for maggie wrap-up

Oct 30, 2011 by tracy

Katherine and I are grateful and filled with love for each and every participant in Make It For Maggie. Words cannot do justice to the feelings we have in our hearts after yesterday’s event.

I walked through the day with a smile on my face and oodles of gratitude in my heart at the greatness of soul that was demonstrated by our community. It was a privilege to spend a day learning, serving, and laughing with you.

There were SO many amazing and wonderful and delightful moments throughout the day. Here are just a few of them.

1. Bill and Linda Watts helped us set up chairs and get each room ready for our classes to begin. We couldn’t have been ready on time without them!

2. Charlene walked in with the box of Handout Booklets at just the right time. We gasped when we saw how beautifully they turned out! They are lovely. Thanks to Charlene Hertzberg for her hours of work putting them together! We hope they prove to be useful in the lives of our supporters and they get used and used and used!

3. Several attendees showed up with friends! Yeah for spreading the love!

4. Check-in was super fun (although a little bit of a bottleneck!) because we were able to speak to each person, give lots of hugs, and connect with our attendees.

5. The decorations, table settings, and the whole flow of our lunch together was FABULOUS! Thank you to Kim, Stevie, and Zoie Conder for going the extra mile to make Make It For Maggie run a gazillion times more smoothly than it did last year. Your efforts are greatly appreciated!

6. Liz sang to us at lunch and what can I say…her voice melts me every time. There were many tears throughout the room. Thank you for sharing your heart with us and blessing us with the gift of music.

7. The Silent Auction was a HUGE success! Thank you for your generous support and for bidding at the last minute!

8. Christine Paugas gave Maggie a cute little knitted turtle…wish I had a picture of it because it is adorable!

9. Our classes were thoroughly enjoyed! One participant said “I have been inspired by this group of amazing women. I can’t wait to come back next year!” Yes, we have wonderful teachers!

10. An anonymous and generous donor wrote us a lovely letter and put it in our donation box. Thank you to whomever you are…and may God shower you with blessings!

10. The Bartell family showed up at 5:00 and said “Put us to work! We are here to clean the building.” Woo-hoo!!!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

11. When Eric Browning saw that Brian Bartell was the only man putting up tables, he dropped his schedule and got right to work! Thank you Eric!

12. Lots of people put up chairs, swept floors, and got the building put back together! I drove away at 6:39! Yes, only 1 hour and 39 minutes after it ended! Thank YOU to everyone who helped!

13. I received so many wonderful hugs yesterday…and not your average-pat-on-the-back-hugs, but tight squeezes full of love!

14. Another donor, who wishes to remain anonymous, made a very generous last minute donation. She brought Kat and me to tears with her love for the Lear family. Thank you!

15. Melissa Bartell donated money from her Halloween Costume Party…such a fabulous idea! Thank you!

16. Many people brought in door prizes at the last minute and filled our day with fun and lots of winners. A special thank you to my mama, Dorothy, for bringing so many adorable and yummy items! Thank YOU!

17. I was able to snuggle my nephew, Easton, so his overworked mama could attend Jodie’s relationship class. He promptly fell asleep on my shoulder and I was in baby heaven for an hour. Isn’t the sound of a baby breathing in your arms one of the most precious things in the world?

Here are some pictures of our day:

Check-in

Miss Maggie at lunchtime

Sharing information about some of our donors

Picking Door Prize winners

Lincoln Lear and lil’ guy Damon

Giving Maggie’s mom, Jodie, money for Maggie’s new Proloquo2Go Communication Program and two Hyperbaric Oxygen Treatments. Yippee!!

Jodie sharing her words of inspiration and gratitude for Make It For Maggie. She showed us some of the blessings that came into Maggie’s life through Maggie’s Month last year.

Liz singing her heart out and bringing us to tears

Lunch

Bill and Linda Watt’s amazing display of preparedness items to use without electricity

Silent Auction

Door Prizes

Making Tea Towels Aprons

Knitting

Cosette’s Stewardship Approach to Chores class

Amy’s Just Add Water class

Dorothy’s Make It, Take It Wooden Craft Class

Kim, our amazing luncheon chairman

Liz’s Green Smoothie Class

Thank YOU to everyone for making Make It For Maggie a huge success! Thank you for joining with us in Changing The World One Family At A Time. Every single donation from $10 to $500 made a difference and we are humbled to be surrounded by such greatness of spirit.

Please feel our love for you and please spread the word, build the momentum, and join us next year.

checking it off

Oct 27, 2011 by tracy

Key – check

Table Linens – check

Silent Auction items – check (check them out and bid!)

Door Prizes – still working on

Name Tags – not even started yet

Door Signs – check (thanks to my mama doing it for me!)

Last minute letter to all attendees – check

House cleaned and ready for my MIFM guests – not so much (but there are clean towels!)

Food for luncheon – check

Tableware – check

Babysitters – check

Handout Booklet – check (thank to Charlene for doing a FANTABULOUS job on it!)

Thank you’s – check

Microphone – check (thanks to my brother and his Karaoke machine!)

Still a smile on my face – check

MIFM is coming together. If you haven’t registered yet, you still can! We would love to have you join us for a day of food, friendship, and fun!

the countdown to mifm

Oct 26, 2011 by tracy

Starting to feel it. The list of what needs done by Saturday morning is starting to stack up. You probably won’t see me on here again till our Make It For Maggie party is over.

Join me over at makeitformaggie.com for all the latest updates.

Are you signed up?

Donated?

Ready for a soul-filling day of fun, food, and friendship?

Oh, yeah.

See you there.

one week to go

Oct 22, 2011 by tracy

Make It For Maggie is in one short week! I can’t wait to rub shoulders and give warm, smooshy hugs to our attendees! I have a list a mile long of what I need to do to put the finishing touches on our event. I also have laundry up to my eyeballs. Literally. I also have a ton of work to do for both of my Worldviews and You! classes.

Today I must focus on my list and not let myself get distracted! Quite a task for someone like me who goes from thing to thing to thing all day long.

If you want more information about Make It For Maggie or would like to donate, check out our lovely website.

Off to fold the whites, design the cover for the Handout Booklet, write a letter to our attendees, start another batch, make breakfast, do the dishes, make signs for the classrooms, find some awesome girls for the nursery, and figure out all the prizes.

See you later, alligator!

what are you signing up for?

Oct 9, 2011 by tracy

Have you seen the new Make It For Maggie site? Have you seen the classes are up? What are you going to take? Registration will be up soon!

make it for maggie 2011 recipient

Oct 4, 2011 by tracy

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Drumroll

Our 2011 Make It For Maggie Recipient has been selected! Check out this adorable family and join with us in changing the world one family at a time!

make it for maggie take two

Sep 27, 2011 by tracy

Make It For Maggie is ON! Yes, Kat and I are joining forces again to make a difference in the world. Stay tuned for more information on our recipient, classes offered, location, new website, dates and times, and how you can help.

In the meantime, I need two things from you:

1. A comment here if you would like to be involved. We are actively searching for committee chairs and numerous other volunteers to make this event a huge success.

2. Suggestions for a Make It For Maggie recipient. We are going to have a new recipient each year and divide up the funding between our new recipient and Maggie.

We are tentatively scheduled for October 29th, so keep that date open. As soon as it is confirmed, we will let you know!

we did it!

Nov 9, 2010 by tracy

Make It For Maggie was a huge success! Our goal was to raise money for seven dives for Maggie, bring our community together in service, and to help people learn skills and information that will bless their lives.

We did all three!

Through the great generosity of many, many people we were able to raise almost $1700 for Maggie. Isn’t that amazing! I am so blessed to be surrounded by people of goodness, people who are willing to share themselves with others, people who are willing to give and give some more.

The women who came together at Make It For Maggie made new friends, learned new skills, laughed, cried, and loved. It was a wonderful day of delicious food, inspiring classes, huge smiles, gushy hugs, and lots of laughter.

Although we were exhausted by the end of the day, we were also filled with joy from head to toe. I am so glad Kat and I decided to create Make It For Maggie. It was a wonderful experience that has blessed more lives than just Maggie’s.

My favorite parts?

1. Listening to the Laughter Yoga class giggle themselves silly.

2. Watching my friend Laura teach how to make her signature Mexican tortillas, beans, and salsa.

3. Listening to everyone have great conversations during dinner.

4. Mary Beth enjoying a soup so much she demanded to know who made it and what the recipe was.

5. My little sister learning how to get her baby into a sling.

6. The plethora of hugs I received during the day.

7. Kat’s dad doing the jobs of about 50 people and doing them fabulously well.

8. Seeing Anna give Maggie a doll that looks just like Maggie and then seeing Maggie love on that doll for the rest of the time they were here.

9. Smelling the deliciousness of the essential oils class.

10. Seeing Sarah teach a group of little girls how to knit.

11. Seeing the excitement in everyone’s eyes as they learned about raw foods, sprouting, freezer meals, calendula creme, cracker making, marinara sauce, sewing, and green smoothies.

12. Drinking Liz’s green smoothie of utter deliciousness mid-afternoon when I needed an energy boost.

13. Eating the best graham cracker of my life – thanks Carol!

14. Watching everyone laugh during the Improv Underground Dinner Show.

15. Watching Liz scream and shake her booty when she was announced as the raffle winner for a Family Photo Shoot by Moments by Tyra Photography (unfortunately all that screaming scared Miss Maggie).

16. Giving Jodie and Maggie a pile of cash to fund Maggie’s treatments and seeing the joy on everyone’s faces as they realized that each of us was part of something amazing.

Jodie, Maggie, Mary, and Jodie’s mom, Mary Ann, spent the night at our home (along with my mom, Mikelle, and Easton, and Camille, Abigail, and Eve!) and attended church with us. We had so much fun trying on baby carriers, designing options for Maggie to be carried more comfortably, reading books, eating granola and smoothies, coloring my hair, and watching all the children playing together.

Ignore my half-closed eyes…

Some firsts for Maggie happened right here in my home! Maggie stood up for several seconds by herself! She sat up by herself! She colored with a marker by herself! These are all new things and I am sure the nine dives she has had so far are the reason why. It is so super-exciting to be a witness to the transformation of Miss Maggie!

Annesley and Maggie…aren’t these two girlies adorable!

Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! Thank you to everyone who helped make this possible. Thank you for sharing your money, your food, your time, and most of all your hearts.

make it for maggie – breaking news!

Oct 31, 2010 by tracy

If you have been trying to make up your mind or trying to work out your schedule to come to Make It For Maggie, let me put a tickle in your ear…

Two pieces of exciting news!

1. Early Bird Registration has been extended until Monday at midnight! You must email either Kat at pynkhope@gmail.com or Tracy at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com by Monday night with your class selection. Please mail your check on Monday to Katherine Jensen at 3506 Greenfield Dr., Ammon, ID 83406.

2. We are having a raffle!! Birth Happens is donating Doula Services with a retail value of $400. Anyone, attending or not, can buy raffle tickets by emailing Kat or Tracy how many tickets you want to purchase and sending your money in to Kat. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5. If you win, you can use the doula services yourself or give them to your daughter, friend, or other lucky pregnant mama!

Please spread the word about the raffle to help us earn even more money for Miss Maggie.

make it for maggie – new info!

Oct 23, 2010 by tracy

(Before I get started on all the latest Make It For Maggie news, I need to let my loyal readers know that posts will continue being posted below this one until Make It For Maggie is over, so scroll down for my thoughts on a myriad of other topics. This one will be on top until November 7th).

BREAKING NEWS!!!

If you have been trying to make up your mind or trying to work out your schedule to come to Make It For Maggie, let me put a tickle in your ear…

Two pieces of exciting news!

1. Early Bird Registration has been extended until Monday at midnight! You must email either Kat at pynkhope@gmail.com or Tracy at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com by Monday night with your class selection. Please mail your check on Monday to Katherine Jensen at 3506 Greenfield Dr., Ammon, ID 83406.

2. We are having a raffle!! Moments by Tyra Photography is donating a One Hour Family Photo Shoot w/ CD and copyright release. Anyone, attending or not, can buy raffle tickets by emailing Kat or Tracy how many tickets you want to purchase and sending your money in to Kat. Tickets are $2 each or 3 for $5.

Please spread the word about the raffle to help us earn even more money for Miss Maggie.

Our Make It For Maggie event is coming together and is going to be fabulous! This post has new photos, class descriptions, and oodles of information you need, so PLEASE read the whole post to make sure you don’t miss a single thing.

Make It For Maggie will be held at 2055 S. Ammon Road, the Stake Center (church building) on Ammon Road in between 17th Street and Sunnyside.

Updated Schedule

What are you waiting for? Register today and make sure you get the classes you want! Email Kat at pynkhope@gmail.com or me at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com and tell us the classes you want, the sizes you need for sewing patterns, and any food you would like to bring from the menu down below. Mail checks payable to Katherine Jensen at 3506 Greenfield Dr., Ammon, ID 83406.

If you have already registered and would like to change your classes, please email Kat at pynkhope@gmail.com or me at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com.

Class Descriptions

Twirl Skirt – Pattern will be available in whatever size you specify

Learn how to make this adorable skirt with two options: either with the strips of different fabrics or just one middle piece. This skirt is available in all sizes. Please specify child, junior, or misses and what size within those categories.

Wear Forever Dress

Size 6 months – 3T

Okay, you can’t really wear it forever, but three+ years is a pretty long time. The ingenious strap and buttoning system allows it to grow with your child for a really long time. Come and learn how to make one for the little girl in your life.

Model in the pictures below is the lovely Jain who is nearly four and it still fits!

Adult Wrap-Around Skirt

If any of you know Kat well, you have seen her wear her brown skirt. You can wear it when you are thin, pregnant, postpartum, overindulged, or on a great work-out plan. It just keeps fitting! As there is no standard sizing in the US, please give us a waist and hip measurement so we can make your pattern correctly.

Roll-up Market Bag

This bag is generously sized to hold plenty. Rolls up compactly to fit in pocket or purse so it’s always handy. Tote’s self-fabric tab with snap closure keeps it securely rolled when not in use. Measures 19 1/2″ W x 27″ H. Makes a perfect library bag, farmer’s market bag, or grocery bag and will hold an entire paper bag’s worth of groceries.

Mei Tai Baby Carrier

Every mom needs a baby carrier and mei tais are easy to make, easy to use, and enable you to carry your baby from birth to three+ years. This class will teach you how to make a Ball Baby Carrier, which is Kimber Tower’s pattern. I use this carrier and LOVE it. I have even sewn one of these carriers and if I can do it, anyone can!

Here is one of Keziah as a seven-year old carrying Annesley:

Here is the one I made:

Whole Wheat Bread Making

Learn how to make delicious bread that your family will love for pennies compared to what you pay at the store!

Marinara Sauce & Breadsticks

Mary Beth’s marinara sauce is quick and easy and so yummy you’ll wonder how you ever lived without this deliciousness. Learn how to make it and then go home and tempt your family’s taste buds.

Mexican Tortillas & Fresh Salsa & Beans

Laura is an amazing mother of two and creator of scrumptious, authentic Mexican food. I could eat her food every single day and never grow tired of it. She will be teaching us how to make her famous tortillas, salsa, and beans. Come and enjoy her delightful personality and learn how to make these staples of the Mexican diet.

Cracker Class

Carol will be teaching us how to make graham crackers and wheat thins. Homemade crackers are the best! Save money and get peace of mind by only putting ingredients that you can pronounce into your family’s bodies.

April’s Easy and Yummy Beans + The Wonderful World of Lentils

April’s beans are my favorite. I LOVE them. She is coming to teach us how to make them and have them on hand for your family to use every day. She promises that they are super easy and anyone can make them.

Kari makes lentils taste divine. Come learn how to make this cheap legume a featured item in your family’s diet. She will have some samples on hand for you to taste test…yummm!

Raw Foods

Raw foods are delicious, nutritious, enzyme-packed, great for your digestive system, and more creative than you ever dreamed of. Come learn how to make eating raw fit with your lifestyle and reap the benefits of more energy, weight loss, and improved health!

Sprouting

Sprouting grains and legumes increases the protein, minerals, vitamins, amino acids, and essential fatty acids your body gets. Come learn how to make sprouting work for you and taste a wide array of dishes made with sprouts.

Exercise Balls Workouts for Moms

Learn 10 things you can do in your home each day to improve your health, strength, and stamina!

Babywearing 101

Wearing your baby in a sling, mei tai, structured carrier, wrap, or pouch makes mothering a million times easier. Come learn how to use these contraptions to free up your hands, lighten your load, and help your baby feel secure.

Laughter Yoga

Laughter Yoga combines laughter with yoga breathing exercises for a one-hour workout session that includes 30 minutes of laughter. “Laughter truly is the best medicine,” says Anne Timpany, Certified Laughter Yoga Teacher and leader of the laughter sessions. “We all know that laughing feels good, and now scientific research is revealing the full range of physical and mental health benefits that come from the practice of laughter.” Come and enjoy an hour session and just see if your stress level doesn’t decrease!

Knitting and Crocheting Circle

Beginners and experienced knitters and crocheters will come together to learn the basics, improve on their skills, or work on their current project. Sarah will be there from 8 p.m. – 10 p.m. teaching and sharing her stitching know-how along with her fabulous gentle spirit.

Freezer Meals

Come learn how to cook one day and have food for a month! Save time and money and always have dinner on hand when you need it on those busy days when the time to cook gets lost in real-life living.

Couponing

Come and learn how to save hundreds of dollars on your grocery bill each month! Rachel will teach us how to make it work for you on the things you buy already.

Ribbon Hair Bows

Come and learn how to make adorable bows and barrettes for the little girl in your life!

Calendula Super Skin Cream

Calendula, a plant that has been referred to as nature’s first-aid, has been used to heal skin for ages. Recommended for those with eczema and other skin sensitivities, it works wonderfully on diaper rash, minor cuts and scrapes, and on the face and body for replenishing extra-dry skin. Come and learn how to make it!

Fabric Flowers

Learn how to make flowers with fabric that you can use on dresses, purses, barrettes, or on headbands. Super cute!

Charting Your Cycle

Come and learn what your body is doing each day of the month and how to keep track of it all. Basal body temperatures, cervical fluid, and cervical position provide you with a wealth of knowledge you need to be able to properly schedule medical exams, start on medications, know when you can get pregnant, and what your hormones levels are. Absolutely essential information for every woman!

Intro to Essential Oils

Come and learn how and why essential oils work to improve health, provide emotional support, decrease pain, and treat infections. Learn about the top five oils every home should have on hand and how to use them.

Extras

On top of all these fabulous classes, we will have some Cricut Cutting Machines set up all day long. You may bring your own paper and cut to your heart’s delight. Make your Christmas cards, a paper doll dress-up set, baby announcements, scrapbooking pages, and lots more!

For those of you with some holes in your schedule, we will also have a quilt set up to tie for the Humanitarian Center. Come and learn how to tie a quilt, put in some stitches, and go home knowing you just helped make a blanket for someone in need!

If you cannot attend, but would like the patterns for the sewing projects and handouts from the classes, you may pay the entrance fee of $15 and you can get them! Just email pattern sizes and handouts desires at Kat pynkhope@gmail.com or me at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com and we will get you taken care of!

Prizes

Yes, prizes!!! We will be giving fabulous prizes away all day long. You can earn tickets by registering early (the earlier you register, the more tickets you get!), registering a friend we did not invite (yes, invite your neighbors, sisters, friends, church members!), bringing food, teaching a class, or volunteering to be on the clean-up crew.

If you would like to donate a prize, please email Kat at pynkhope@gmail.com or me at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com.

Food

Here is the menu for the day:

2:00 Snack

Fresh Fruit
Yogurt
Granola

6:00 Supper

Variety of Soups
Green Salads
Breads

8:00 Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Variety of Ice Creams
Strawberry Topping
Hot Fudge Topping
Caramel Topping
Bananas

We have enough soups to feed everyone, but are still in need of everything else. If you would be willing to bring any of the above items, please email either Tracy or Kat and you will receive our endless love and gratitude!!

Nursery

We will have some young ladies available to watch children on a limited basis. In leu of paying them, we are asking that you make an additional donation to Make It For Maggie. If you are need of babysitting, please let us know how many children and what ages so we can properly plan for them.

Late Registration

If you are one of those people who can’t make up their mind until the day of an event, you are in luck! We will be thrilled to have all of you procrastinators show up at the door and you can get in for $25. To get in for $15, please register and pay before October 30 or register TODAY and get lots of tickets for the prize drawing! The earlier you register the more tickets you get!

Entertainment

Did you notice the 6:00 time slot on the schedule? If not, go back up and look at it.

Drumroll : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : : :

Yes!!! We are having dinner entertainment provided by the inimitable Improv Underground. Laugh your heart out while eating scrumptious food!

Share Make It For Maggie With Others

If you would like to share a flyer to share with friends, neighbors, church members, family members, etc. Download FLYER here (If the flyer link doesn’t work the first time, try again and it should work just fine.)

Make It For Maggie is going to be amazing! We are so excited to offer it to our community and to be working together with all of you to make a difference in this world. Please join us for a day of fun, friendship, and fabulous food all while learning and loving together.

p.s. If you are not in our local area and you would like to participate in Maggie’s Month: A Family Philanthropy Project, please visit Maggie’s Month for ideas on how you can help change the world for one little girl.

make it for maggie: super saturday extreme edition

Oct 14, 2010 by tracy

We have finished our plans and our excited to announce our Maggie’s Month project!

Please join us on November 6th from 1:00 – 10:00 at

Make it for Maggie: Super Saturday Extreme Edition

Make It For Maggie Schedule

How it works? Each person pays $15 to get in the door and you can take as many or as few classes as you wish. If you are doing any of the sewing projects, you need to provide your own fabric and machine (if you don’t have a machine, let us know and we will find one for you!) and patterns will cost $1 – $2 extra. There will be yummy snacks throughout the day and a delicious potluck dinner of soups, salads, and breads will be served at 6 p.m. At 8:00 p.m. there will be an ice cream sundae bar (you know I LOVE ice cream, right?) We have youth donating babysitting and ask that in leu of paying them, you make an additional donation to Maggie’s Month. You must register and pay by October 30, but you will want to register early to be sure you get into the classes you most want.

To register:
Email Tracy at tracy@wetoatmealkisses.com or Kat at pynkhope@ gmail.com with your name, phone number, which classes you’d like to attend, sizes for skirts if applicable, and if you would like to bring some food to share at our potluck. Makes checks payable to Katherine Jensen at 3506 Greenfield Dr., Ammon, ID 83406.

Classes include (see schedule above):
Whole Wheat Bread Making
Twirly Skirt (any size)
Exercise Ball Workouts for Moms
Freezer Meals
Wear Forever Dress
Babywearing 101
Adult Wrap-Around Skirt
Mexican Tortillas & Salsa
Couponing
Roll-Up Market Bag
Laughter Yoga
Easy & Yummy Beans
Raw Foods
Mei Tai Baby Carrier
Sprouting
Knitting Circle
Charting Your Cycle
Essential Oils

More classes will be added in the next few days!

Here are some pictures of the twirly skirts…super cute, aren’t they!

Check back for more pics of the Roll-up Market Tote, the Wear-Forever Dress, and the Wrap-Around Skirt!

The menu for the day:

2:00 Snack

Fresh Fruit
Yogurt
Granola

6:00 Supper

Variety of Soups
Green Salads
Breads

8:00 Ice Cream Sundae Bar

Variety of Ice Creams
Strawberry Topping
Hot Fudge Topping
Caramel Topping
Bananas

If you would be willing to bring any of the above items, please email either Tracy or Kat and you will receive our endless love and gratitude!!

p.s. If you are not in our local area and you would like to participate in Maggie’s Month: A Family Philanthropy Project, please visit Maggie’s Month for ideas on how you can help.

live an outstanding life

Oct 12, 2010 by tracy

I was reading over at Maggie’s Month and saw this post. Read, watch, cry, rejoice, and then do it again!

p.s. Our project for Maggie’s Month is almost ready to launch. It is called Make It For Maggie and is going to be oodles of fun! Keep November 6th open and be watching here for all the details coming soon!

maggie’s month

Oct 9, 2010 by tracy

Maggie’s Month is well underway and hundreds of people are participating in making a difference for our dear Maggie. You can read all about current projects here.

Kat and I have created a project and we can’t wait to announce it to the world in the next few days. Just a tip…keep November 6th open…and know that you will have an unbelievably fun day learning new skills, making adorable skirts, and eating scrumptious food.

Until then, you can be thinking about what you want to do for Maggie’s Month.

let’s help maggie!

Sep 16, 2010 by tracy

Hello Friends,

The letter below is from my dear friend, Jodie Palmer. She and her husband have created a fun way for each of us to help fund some treatments for their daughter Maggie. I have been amazed at this family’s diligence and determination in helping Maggie reach her potential. Maggie is a joy to me and I have loved the time I have spent with her. It has been one of the joys of my life to watch her learn new skills. Several years ago, Jodie had Keziah and I over for lunch and Keziah worked with Maggie in learning to grab a toy. A simple task for most babies, but for Maggie it took every ounce of concentration she had. Keziah was so excited when Maggie finally grabbed the toy! I know there is a BIG spirit inside of her just trying to find a way to get her body to move. My family will be sponsoring an oxygen dive for Maggie and we invite you to join us in creating a fundraiser for your family to be able to do so as well. I love doing service projects with my children – it is one thing to let them serve others with their church groups, it is quite another experience to have a family service project. I have found that nothing binds us together as much as helping someone else.

I can’t wait to find out what amazing projects you come up with! I think we will be sewing and baking some wonderful things to offer up to the world in hopes of earning $150 for Maggie.

Love to you all,

Tracy

Dear friends and family,

We hope that your family finds the opportunity below intriguing, exciting, and engaging. If you choose to participate we hope that it will bless you as much as it will bless our Maggie.

Please visit Maggie’s official webpage for more information on Maggie’s Month at www.maggiesmonth.wordpress.com.

Warmly,
Jodie & Doug Palmer
Maggie’s Mom & Dad

Hi, I’m Maggie. I’m 4-years old and I have a disability called Cerebral Palsy from a brain injury at my birth. Learn more about ME here. I need your family’s help to get a special therapy called Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy (HBOT). Click here to read more about HBOT.

Because of my brain injury I can’t walk, talk, feed myself, or even sit up by myself. But HBOT has the potential of helping me walk, talk, and do things that I can’t do right now.

Essentially, the theory is that when the brain is damaged from lack of oxygen, like mine was, many of the damaged brain cells go into hibernation rather than dying. Soaking the brain in oxygen essentially wakes these cells up so that the person regains motor function that was previously lost.

How it works is I go on a “dive” in an oxygen chamber for about an hour. The first round of treatment is 40 dives, 1 dive a day, 5-6 days a week. Usually two treatments are needed; that’s 80 dives.

Of course, I know there are no outcome guarantees, but the possibilities of improving my quality of life are worth the effort. Heck, I could even go to college some day and have a family of my own! I want to be ready for that.

My mom and dad have found a facility that will treat me here in Salt Lake City, which is where I live. It’s very expensive and isn’t covered by insurance.

So, my mom and dad had an idea that is really fun! We’ve created a special fund-raising project called, Maggie’s Month: A Family Philanthropy Project.

The idea is for your family to work together through the month of October to raise the money to sponsor 1 of my dives ($150). The funnest part is coming up with ways to work together so that everyone in your family can get involved. Click here for some really fun FUNDRAISING IDEAS. (Be sure to check out the read-a-thon idea, it’s especially cool!) Our goal is to get 80 dives sponsored.

Family Philanthropy is a really terrific way for your family to work together to make a difference in the world. Click here to learn more about FAMILY PHILANTHROPY.

So, here’s what you do.

1. Send my website or this email to everyone you know. You can use the Facebook and Twitter buttons on my site, or just email the link http://maggiesmonth.wordpress.com/the-projec/ to your friends and family.

2. Sit down with your family and come up with lot’s of fun ideas to raise the money to sponsor 1 of my dives ($150). Make sure you have some yummy treats while you’re brainstorming. It makes your brain work better, and I know about brains!

3. Send my mom an email and tell her that your family is going to participate. Share some of your fundraising ideas. She’s going to post what families are doing and their experiences here on my website. You can also watch the dive chamber fill up with pledges at the bottom of my website. My Mom’s email address is maggiesmonth@gmail.com.

4. Send her updates through October that she can share with everyone. We want to know how it’s going and the fun that you’re having by working together for something really important. Click on the RSS button below so that you can be updated each time my mom adds a new post. Again, my mom’s email address is maggiesmonth@gmail.com.

5. At the end of October, get your family together to count all the money you’ve earned. Gather around the computer and click the DONATE HERE button together. Then give some cheers and go have more yummy treats.

Of course, if you’d like to just sponsor a dive or a portion of a dive yourself, you are welcome to do so at any time on the DONATE HERE page of my website.

My dog Ody Lew is really grateful for your participation, because he really wants me to be able to scratch his belly.

Thank you for helping me!
Love,

Maggie (and Ody Lew)

www.MaggiesMonth.wordpress.com

MaggiesMonth@gmail.com
Special thanks to the philanthropic contributions of Charlie Pabst from Charfish Design for his fabulous Maggie’s Month header, and Abe Fawson from GoodFront for his expertise in WordPress.