Crochet Me Crazy

Well, my lap top is being shipped off tomorrow for some service. My power cord isn't getting a good connection and I am having trouble keeping my battery charged. We have extended warrantly coverage on the computer so it won't cost anything but I hate having to send it in. I am supposed to have it back by the weekend though. They pick it up overnight, fix it the same day, and then overnight it back to you. We'll see how true that is!

I do have a few pictures of some squares I finished. Also, I had a nice surprise in my mail box today from Sandie in California! She donated 3 squares to my King Sized Afghan! That was exciting to receive because I haven't received any in awhile! I'll post the pictures later on tonight.

Today was a pretty uneventful day. I talked to Amanda at the Astrodome and her granddaughter in a shelter in Fort Worth had a high fever and was taken by ambulance. Turns out she has Strep Throat. Poor thing...and she really has no business being in a shelter with Strep Throat but what else can they do?

Crochetwise...I have been puting a boarder around all of my completed squares for the past few days. It's sorda a boring task but it has to be done. I think I have enough bordered now that I can put together another couple of strips for my afghan. I don't mind doing that part. I have two strips done so far. After I get these next few done, I'll take a picture of them. That will really give a good feel for how the complete project will look. It's going to be so "perty"!

Hope everyone is having a good weekend!

Amanda said that her kids are coming here to Houston from Dallas. I don't know how they are going to get here but they are going to figure out a way! They all have lived together their whole lives and they want to be together. I have a really good job lead for Jerry where a friend of mine's husband works. Her husband is getting the details and getting back to me. We may have to get Jerry down there in person to fill out the application next week. The job provides transportation, too!
I told Amanda to ask a woman she had been helping if she needed anything. Amanda called me to ask me if she could give her my phone number. Her name is Rhonda. She called me last night. She is alone, pregnant with her 2 year old and 5 year old here in Houston. Apparently, the daddy said he didn't want to be with her anymore and LEFT HER AT THE ASTRODOME! She was one of the people trapped in the LA Superdome and was in there with all the horrors that went on in there. She is staying with a woman on Wilcrest now that is giving her a place to stay for a little while. She is there by herself most of the time because the woman works and goes to school at night. She tearfully asked me if I would help her find her other 2 daughters, ages 13 and 18. I was able to to find them in El Paso and found her mother somewhere outside of Dallas. I gave her the numbers to call. That poor woman was in anguish and it was a simple thing for me to do. By the end of the night I was able to track down a internet post that put her in touch with the rest of her family. She has 14 brothers and sisters, one being her twin sister! It looks like all but one sister has been accounted for.

A very generous couple brought over 8 brand new umbrella strollers, 9 fleece blankets, and a bag of large sized women's bras and underwear for us to take down to the Astrodome on Friday when we go. Our girl in the dome, Amanda, has already got people that need them lined up. What a blessing!


Our adopted family 

Here is our adopted family "Grandma Amanda" and "Granpa Jerry"....two of the most precious people you'll ever meet! We are in contact with them everyday. The good news is I was able to help Amanda find the location of all of her children. They are all safe in Fort Worth. We located a couple of Jerry's family members and they are at College Station.


Toby and Tonda 

Here is another nice couple we met and were able to help get some needed items. His sister was with us, too, but I didn't get her in the picture. He is the one who is the PE teacher and she was a medical assistant at the prison.


Willie & Carol 

Talk about a woman filled with the "joy of the Lord"! This is Carol and her son Willie. We gave them a ride to target where they were trying to get a battery operated radio. More Sweet people....


We filled their tank with gas 

These guys were low on money and trying to head back to Mississippi...wonder if they made it okay.


Parking lot donations 

Just a quick picture I took of a parking lot that some people brought donations into for the people.

And finally..... Squares!!



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I was able to whip up a little crochet doll dress for Alison's baby doll today. I'm going to make a diaper cover to match it. I'll post a picture of that when I get that finished.

Well, I can't find the charger and extra batter for my digital camera so I can't post anymore pictures. I was just about to post some pictures of some squares I've made and some pictures of the hurrican evacuee families we've had the pleasure to help. My camera battery went dead right in the middle of it. We've been searching for it everywhere....argh!!! Pictures are so much more interesting than a boring monologue from me so hopefully I find it soon!

Well, I got a "little" bit of crocheting done today. I was really tired because I haven't been sleeping well this week. We spoke with our new adoptive family, Amanda and Jerry Warren from New Orleans. Jeff met them in front of Big Lots by the dome to deliver their little battery operated TV and Pre-paid phone to them. She wanted to pay for them but we told her to save her money because she's going to need it. Amanda was a cook in New Orleans before the storm and they say she makes a mean pot of gumbo. They didn't know what pico de gallo was or tortillas! They have never had mexican food! We're going to have them over and make fajitas for them. Jeff makes awesome pico de gallo and no restaurant pico would do, especially if you've never tried it. They said they love spicy stuff. She was able to get a recorded message out by some people that came into the dome helping people looking for their family members. They are supposed to run her search for a week. I pray that she is able to locate her family. She is really torn up about not knowing where they are and if they are okay. Her husband Jerry said he'd like to wash dishes somewhere...his son said he'd do that too if he could. They said a lady came to them and wanted to move them from the Astrodome to the Reliant Center because the accomodations there are a bit more comfortable and better suited for the children. They have people watching kids and a play area for them in the Reliant Center. I'm glad to hear that because I have heard that the Reliant Center is more comfortable. You don't hear them complaining though...It has been the strangest bond we have with these particular family. I already feel like they are family to us and she tells us she loves us every time she talks to us. Talk about our family and theirs being the odd couples! Our lives were worlds apart less than a week ago and now I know that these are people we will stay in contact with for the rest of our lives. I had to really stretch myself to go out and do the things we did going down to the Astrodome to help these people. I am not an outgoing person and I hate crowds. We walked around in parking lots in Houston that I never would have walked gotten out of the car in before. Complete strangers come up to you and tell you they appreciate you even though you haven't done anything for them personally. The way these people think seem to be that by helping one of theirs, you are helping them all. There are some bad apples in every group of course but I truly believe that the Lord led us to the people we have met so far.

Where do I begin....
We had an extremely busy day yesterday. We drove down to the Astrodome area to meet with a family we had met on Friday. We picked up Toby & Tammy Garner along with Tonda Ricard and set off in search of a WalMart to get them some needed personal items. It took us a while to find the nearest WalMart but they were just happy to be riding around in the car with air conditioning! Toby is a elementary PE/Healt teacher and he ran into so many friends and people he knew in Wal-Mart! These people are an extremely tight knit community. We bought them undergarments, shoes for children in their family at the dome, more comfortable shoes for the women than the ones they got out with, Pillows, Shampoo and Condition, and hair brushes. This family did not easily take the help we offered to them and were concerned about taking from our own family's reserves. We took them to an area parking lot where volunteer citizens have been dropping off donations and all kinds of things are available to them. They were able to get a few other items there such as bottle nipples for the babies in their family waiting at the Astrodome, disinfectant wipes and rubber gloves they wanted to clean the toilets in the Astrodome to make their lives just a little more pleasant amidst the thousands. They told us that after they had met us the night before, a man drove up to them while they were walking back to the Astrodome and told them he had reserved a group of rooms at a nearby hotel and had another one left to offer and gave them the room number. They quickly got their few belongings in a shopping cart and walked to the hotel for a night of luxury. They said it felt so good to sleep on a real mattress and take hot showers in privacy for just that one night. Even one night like that is a tremendous blessing for these people. Toby and Tonda were a middle class family and had just bought a brand new car before the disaster hit. She was a medical assistant-HIV/coordinator, counselor at the prison. They talked about just putting new marble counter tops in their kitchen. They hadn't had breakfast or lunch because they had been away from the Astrodome so we had lunch at KFC and send the leftover buckets of chicken with them to take to the rest of their family waiting at the Dome. After we dropped them off we went to a Jack-in-the-box to buy some burgers to pass out and use the restroom. We saw an older women and man in there with the Astrodome wristbands on. While waiting in the restroom line, I asked the woman if I could do anything for her. She said no, that she was about to go and buy her grandkids some clothes because they were out of the right sizes for the kids in the clothes they were passing out at the Astrodome but that she had some money. She had gotten out with some cash that they were about to use on a down payment on something. We sat down at a table with them and listened about their ordeal. Their names are Amanda and Jerry Warren and they got out with their oldest son, his girlfriend and their 3 kids but she doesn't know where the rest of her family is. With tears in her eyes, she told us that the only thing she needed was to find out whether her children and her 13 grandchildren were safe. We offered to drive them to Wal-Mart because she was looking for a little battery operated TV to have in the Astrodome with her. We were unsuccessful in finding that at the Wal-Mart near there. Those Wal-Marts are getting sold out because of the demand. Their underwear and pillow selections were low. We bought them pillows and pillowcases. They tried to buy the things themselves but we told them to save their money. The people we have met so far ARE NOT looking for a hand out. They are extremely grateful for all the help being offered to them. We drove them over to the Star of Hope facility where they are provided clothing. They were able to get the clothes for the grandkids there and some underpants, and a few items of clothing for themselves. Amanda got a bible that had large print becuase she said the print was too small for her to read on the ones being passed out at the Astrodome. Amazingly, we were able to drop them off right at the door of the dome. After we dropped them off back at the dome, we were flagged down by a a woman and her son asking if we would give them a ride to Target. More nice people that we made this short trip for and then we headed home. We didn't get home until 10:15 last night and it was an exhausting day...especially emotionally draining.
Something that is not being provided by the Astrodome is pillow. Strollers are a much needed item down there. These people are having to walk everywhere they go and many, many people have small children. We were able to get a donated stroller from one of the drop of points for a friend of the Garner family who has 2 (maybe 3, I can't remember) small children and a baby. She hasn't been able to get out of the Dome as much because of the small children. The donated strollers go very fast so we are VERY happy that we were at the right place at the right time to get this one for her. It's a double stroller too! We still haven't been able to get a hold of them to let them know that we found it and get it to them.
I've alread heard from Amanda Warren this morning. She was able to get a call out from one of the phones SWB has installed in the dome. I am trying to help her locate her family among the various list on the internet. We are also going to get the battery operated TV and a pre-paid phone for them at our Wal-Mart which won't be so picked over. She told us that she had good news for us...she wanted me to know that she didn't cry last night and that she slept well. She said that she woke up this morning with lifted spirits and it was because of our kindness to them.
I don't have time right now to give my commentary about the wonderful people that we have met and the emotions of this day. I will write more about it later but I do know that I will be forever changed because of this experience and I KNOW that we have made some life long friends of the strangers we met yesterday.

We drove down to the area of the Astrodome where the Hurricane evacuees are being brought in. We were able to help two men with a young boy by filling up their car with gas and giving them some cash to try to make it back to Mississippi. We met a husband, wife, sister-in-law, several kids, and another family member that we talked to extensively in a Fiesta parking lot. There are evacuees of all types walking all over down there. This was part of a 15 member family. Some members were still at the dome guarding their few belongings. The Astrodome is not a place normal people would want to stay a long time. They said they just washed off because they weren't comfortable with the shower situation. It is completely open with no privacy. They don't get much sleep because they are so packed in there. We are meeting up with them tomorrow to take them to get some shoes which they needed badly and whatever other neccessities they might need. They are interested in finding jobs. One man is a roofer, the wife is a medical assistant and the husband is a elementary health/PE teacher. I gave them a list I had printed out of people I had found offering to open their homes up to families. They were very grateful for that. I hope we will be able to help them to find a place to stay, help them with transportation. You can imagine how hard it would be to be shipped into a foreign city with nothing and then try to start a new life with no transportation, etc. The electrical outlets in the dome are hot commodities so even though they do have a cell phone, it is difficult to get an outlet to keep it charged in. Who know how long they will have a phone since they have no address to send a bill to and no money to pay the bill. These people are the lucky ones...they managed to be rescued fairly early. They did swim in muck up their chins but were rescued by a boat. (I think it was Wednesday) They do have family that is still there though...they were very upset and tearful when they found out about the bus that wrecked in route. The wife has a Cocker Spaniel that she got out with but they only have 10 days to get the dog from the shelter that took it. Hopefully, I may have a temporary home for her dog that she was very fond of. There is no sense in these people losing any more.
Several of Jeff's fellow employees found out about Jeff taking the water to Louisiana and that we were planning on trying to find some families to help. Several people wanted to send money to us to help us to help people. I want to say thank you to those people. We will use every cent to help these people who need it so desperately. This is not going to be over for us people in Houston for a long time. These people are completely destitute and they are not going to be able to get back to any semblence of normality any time soon without citizens help.

Square Piles 


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Well, my husband and I have been extremely disturbed by the despair and horrible situation in the Hurricane stricken areas. I have so much compassion for these suffering people. My husband went to Wal-Mart and bought a truck load full of water and left to see if he could try to get some water to people stranded in New Orleans. He left about 2 am and arrived there this morning. He was told all rescues has stopped. Civilians with boats had been assisting in rescues but were no longer allowed in because a helicopter had been shot at. It was mass confusion and chaos. Martial law had been declared and the military was coming in to take over. No one knew where to tell him to take the truck full of water. He drove to the end of the freeway following another citizen bringing a load of water until the freeway led into the water. There were people waiting to load onto the hundreds of waiting buses. He finally ended up loading about 20 buses with water for their long trip to Houston. He was able to give 6 water bottles each to 2 men wandering around asking for water that were very grateful. My husband said the the smell was awful. People were defacating while standing in line because they were too afraid they would lose their place in line to get out on a bus.

Please pray for these people...this is such a horrible tragedy. Please pray and help any way you can.
These pictures really don't show much of the devastation there. My husband just took these pictures quickly. After all, he wasn't really there to take pictures.


Loaded with water for victims 


I-10 to on the way to New Orleans 


on the way 


triage on I-10 


desperate people waiting 


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