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It's difficult times and for older kids, I'm hoping that they can understand that the Holidays may not be like those in the past. But there is something that nearly anyone can do to try and make the best of it this year. So dust off your imagination, brush up on your grade school craft and middle school home ec skills and lets get busy.

I recall my own holidays, granted that's a long time ago. But just as things were a bit low tech back then, it may be somewhat low tech now too. What we did was build memories that have stayed with me much longer than others did.

Decorations - what's the holiday without a little cheer. To help make a fake tree feel real, try getting some of those cheap (buck or two) car scent trees or some pine scent candles. Cinnamon and peppermint are also scents to spice up the house.
To decorate the tree, maybe lights aren't available this year. Make a paper link chain for garland. Make foil balls, pop some popcorn and string the popcorn and make garland. Cut out images out of mags or advertisements and if you take tape and put a strip where you then make a hole - it won't tear easy. Then thread, make a loop and hang. You can cut out letters and images to tape to a window. Take a pretty doll, smallish that may or may not have wings and put her at the top of the tree. Or make an aluminum star to put on top.

Now look around the net for a good play dough recipe. I prefer one without a lot of salt. Especially with little kids, they may just try to eat it. Then with a little food coloring, dyes left over from an egg dying kit or some such you can make the clay different colors. It would be a nice little project for making a little gift. Some doughs need to be baked to harden and then painted. Others will air dry - be sure to check out the instructions for the recipe you use.
You could make cute decorations for the tree too.

Cutting out snowflakes is another craft that takes some work. Getting the pattern for the snow flakes is optional, but often recommended so you don't wind up with some very odd looking cut outs. These can be strung about the room or even a garland can be made with the right pattern. There is sure to be an abundance of resources on the net.

Making funnel cakes, sugar cookies, pies and an assortment of treats (recipes online) with the kids in the kitchen can make some fun memories as long as it isn't approached overly serious. Messes happen and it's the sharing and caring, not the condition of the mini concoctions that's important. Look for items at the grocery store that would be perfect for making small cakes/pies and take a small amount of imagination to create.

Hot apple cider, candy canes to decorate the tree, holiday music and the smell of pine and baked goods all can make the whole holiday feel a lot nicer. As for the gifts to put under the tree or in stockings. Think about giving someone a gift of time. A coupon that offers the holder a gift from you. Time to read a story. Time to take a walk. Go to the park for an hour. Watch a movie together. Whatever you want to offer. Just remember, you also have to honor those coupons or they won't be much of a gift.

Even just sending a homemade card and a handwritten note, is a gift of time, to someone special. It can be that simple and mean so very much to that person.

Go through your stored stuff, most people have far too much stuff stored away they haven't seen in ages. Regift some things that you find or hit the dollar store to get the small sample items. Or try a salvation army, good will or thrift store. That's stuff other people finally got rid of - maybe ask if the thrift shop will take some of your things and make some money.

Now for those that would like to get help in the coming months. Get a MyPoints account, then visit your email and click to view the offers that they send you. You get 5 points for each email viewed. Now be sure to fill out their profile questionnaire as that gives more points. They also have surveys...2-3 questions for 50 points. Fairly easy.

Then for you limited few that still shop online, ebay, amazon, etc. Go to the main MyPoints site and THEN go to the ebay (or other) site through their link. Not only are you going to pay for the item you got anyway, by doing a few more clicks to get there through MyPoints you can get points for every dollar you spend, sometimes more.

Now why do you want these points? Because you can trade them in for a gift card. Like $25,$50,$100 cards for Walmart, Kmart and other stores. There are cards for restaurants, book stores, even hotels. The rewards area can tell you more.

Over the last 5yrs that my sister and I've been members of MyPoints, we've spend hundreds of dollars in gift cards. We used to use them as stocking stuffers for the kids, but then it was Walmart/Kmart cards to get stuff that we needed due to not having the money to get it any other way. My sister travels and she's used cards to get a room or food when she needed one due to hiccups during trips.

So hope that some of these idea have been inspiring. There are lots more things that you can do if you think about the old fashioned kind of celebrations that people enjoyed back in the 1950's or around that area. We can do a lot to not only help to enjoy our own holiday, but to help others enjoy their own. It's more than money, it's time, sharing and caring - listening, connecting and making memories together.

I wish you and yours a very warm and wonderful Holiday and a bountiful New Year to come.

 I am hear to ask for help getting decorations, small favors, or any kind of wedding accessories anyone may be able to help me with.
My fiance and myself had initially made plans to wed on April 24, 2010, but since we have found out that his grandfather is ill and ready to go "home", we have decided to move our date up so that he does not miss it.
Grandpa has been in the ER more than 12 times in the last 2 months. He has cancer, a mass on his lung, pneumonia, asthma, dimentia, and just got over the flu. Just in the past 4 months he has gone from walking to being totally dependent on us to do for him.
My fiance was raised with his grandfather as his daddy, because his father was murdered when he was 16. So grandpa step up as daddy to my fiance and his 4 siblings. He did a wonderful job with these people, because they all turned out to be wonderful big hearted folks.
Since we have moved our date up are are kinda short on funds and time. What we need are simple thing, but they all add up to money we DO NOT have extra right now.
If any one would like to help, any and all help is appreciated.
Thanks in advance, and God bless.

decorations, donations, or whatever anyone could help with

 YES I DO HAVE A WISH ON WISHUPONAHERO, BUT I HAVE ONLY HAD 1 OFFER FOR A CARD BOX.

Hi all. I'm fifty years old. I've been divorced about 10 years. I'm a single parent of 2 daughters. The eldest is 21 and about to start college. The youngest is 11, and she has asperger's syndrome, which is on the autism spectrum. Like many, we struggle with poverty and related issues. I have scoliosis that is severe enough to cripple me. I can still walk, but it's with a limp and a lot of pain. There is so much I want and need to do for my family but I always come up short, because of my limitations.

I'll try to state my needs as concisely as possible. My whole family needs dental work. I'm actually missing some front teeth and it would really help me professionally to get those fixed. I really wish I could start some kind of business that would just provide a living wage and let me be a full-time mom. My youngest daughter needs at least one full-time parent, and her dad's not in the picture at all. She has a lot of social problems because of her disorder. Because of that, I have been homeschooling her since 4th grade, and she is now going into 7th. I wish I could afford some sort of private school for her. Public school really put her self esteem on the floor, and I place no faith there. She is extremely intelligent, and I don't feel I'm giving her the education she deserves by homeschooling. It's just the best solution we have for now. When she went to public school, she cried every morning when I dropped her off, and usually came home crying. It was horrible. You wouldn't believe what kids, and even some adults, so-called professionals, will say and do to a kid that is different.

 My oldest daughter is an angel. She has practically given up her childhood since her father left us with nothing, just to help me cope with losing our home, extreme poverty, and a little sister with special needs. She is going to college on government grants.

We count our blessings. We are better off than many. I would just like to be able to make a living without sacrificing my home and family. That and health needs I guess are our biggest needs. A wheelchair would really help me keep up physically. I also had lyme disease last year and that adds to my joint problems and foggy mind. I have hypertension and type 2 diabetes, and I cannot afford to go to the doctor to get my meds refilled. I take Metformin and Atenolol, which is cheap at WalMart, but I recently moved and need a new doctor to renew my prescriptions. That's the part I cannot afford.

I make crafts, spa products and candles. I also do computer graphic design and digital photo editing.  I'm only a fair typist, but I also have telemarketing experience. I also have an extensive background in community theatre and was once a freelance writer. Would love a creative job or business.

I would REALLY appreciate it if some patient person would tutor me on how to create a website. My biggest challenge is being able to concentrate and sit for very long without pain. I'm really interested in learning more about adsense. I have all sorts of ideas.

I am a Christian and would very much appreciate prayers, and will offer my prayers for others. I also welcome any and all advice.

Is this a get rich quick scheme? How much money can I actually make?

No, this is not a get rich quick scheme. This is work like everything else. Your income will completely 

depend on how much time and effort you decide to put into this and how many projects you choose to work 

for.

Is assembling crafts at home easy work?

We believe assembly work at home is easier than most jobs because you don't have to answer to a boss and 

you can work from home. However, if you are under the impression that you won't have to put any effort 

into it, this is probably not for you.

Why do you want me to assemble your products? Why don't you open a factory?

The craft industry is different from other industries. We are able to sell our products on the basis that they 

are hand-made in the USA. If we had a machine make our product, then we would be selling to an entirely 

different market. Let's face it, everyone loves crafts because they are hand-made. By hiring you, we can 

still boast that our products are hand-made. Also, since you are considered a contractor, we are not 

required to provide you with medical benefits, etc. It would be a lot more expensive for us to hire you 

under our roof.

How often will I be paid?

As long as you send in finished products every week, you will be paid every week. If you only send products 

in once per month, you will be paid once per month. Ultimately, it's up to you.

Will I have year round work?

Yes, all of our assembly work is year round work.

What if I need time off?

Simply inform us that you need time off. We will give the extra work to our other assemblers and save your 

position until you are ready to assemble more products.

Will taxes be taken out of my paycheck?

No, you will be responsible for filing your own taxes. At the end of each year, we will send you a misc. 1099 

form to file along with your taxes. However, you  could be entitled to various tax deductions such as a 

portion of your electricity bill! Speak with a CPA for more information on taxes.

Can I work for more than one project at the same time?

Yes! In fact, we suggest that you do. Working for more than one project will decrease the chances of you 

burning out on one product. It's also a great way to make more money!

Do I need crafting experience to become a Craft Assembler?

No, we will go into great detail in describing how to make our products. We will give you as much time as 

you need to learn our projects and offer as much assistance as we can. Training DVDs are available for 

purchase and have proven to be an incredible tool in passing more quickly. We have a dedicated customer 

service staff, so you can call us anytime if you are having trouble. We also offer unlimited refill inspection 

kits. If you use up all of the supplies in your kit while training, we will send you more at no additional 

charge. Some people will develop skills faster than others but we will not give up on you.

Who pays for postage to ship the finished products?

We will pay all shipping costs. Since most of our products are lightweight, shipping is usually no more than 

$5 and is reimbursed into your paycheck the following week.

Who pays for the supplies to make these products?

We pay for supplies to complete our products. We will begin shipping supplies to you upon approval. We will 

ship additional supplies to you every time you mail us completed products. We will also pay all shipping 

costs associated with these supplies.

Will I be paid per hour or by the piece?

Since you will not have a boss looking over your shoulder to see how many hours you are putting in, you are 

paid by the piece. The better you become at making each product, the faster you will be able to produce 

and therefore the more money you will earn per hour! We do not expect you to work for nothing and have 

structured our pay fairly. We pay $1-$2.00 per piece depending on how long it takes to complete each 

project. For example, we pay $1 for each Sheep Ornament produced because once trained, you will be able 

to produce 8-10 Sheep Ornaments per hour. We pay $1.50 for each Toe Ring Set since they take slightly 

longer per piece to produce than Sheep. We don't expect you to be able to do anything we can't do ourselves.

Will I ever be required to sell?

No. We are hiring you to make our products so that we can sell them. If you are interested in selling, you 

can contact our office to inquire about sales positions open in your area. Simply call 1-860-482-3955.

Could my finished products be rejected?

Yes. You must be able to follow written instructions. We cannot resell a product that is not of gift shop 

quality. We require that you start by making one item and then send it in for inspection. We will not allow 

you to send multiple pieces until your product has been approved. We will let you know what needs to be 

changed if your product does not pass inspection. We will never suggest that you give up and we will let you 

try as many times as you wish. You may call our office for assistance if you need any help at all.

What is your refund policy?  

We allow up to 7 days to look over your starter kit and make a decision. If you choose to return your kit 

within 7 days, fully intact, we will refund your fee minus $15 restocking and $5 sample charge. The sample 

in your kit is yours to keep and does not need to be returned. If you are still interested in assembling 

products, we offer a 30 day kit exchange to one of our many other projects. You cannot use both offers and 

these offers are good only one time.

Why do you believe NEC is the best company to assemble products for?

New England Crafters offers more projects than any other Home Craft Assembly Company in the US. We 

are dedicated to staying on top of trends and keeping our product line fresh. Our products are both 

beautiful and of gift shop quality. We design our products on the basis that we will be able to resell them. 

We have an excellent customer service staff that is in place to help you become approved and begin 

assembling! We are available by phone Monday through Saturday to answer your questions. We have a 

Holiday Bonus plan set up for Top Producers and offer many other incentives. We plan to expand our 

product line with new projects each year giving you endless opportunities to earn money.

What if I have additional questions before getting started?

You can email us at magicalgiftco@optonline.net. You can also view photos of our projects on this site! Feel 

free to call our customer service staff at 1-860-482-3955.

Website 

Kmart sells cocoa mix in a decorator bag for about 4 bucks.  It is really the simplest thing, just layering items for cocoa in the bag and wrapping a ribbon around it.  Tom. I am going to the craft store to look at prices for bags and the store to see if making them is really worth it.  I am also going to check out prices for ball jars and bath fizzy ingredients.  I'll probably go to the thrift shop to see there selection of jars.  Today 15 (I'll be referring to my youngest as 15) and I went to the mall because she had to return an item.  She took me to all the stores to show me the stuff she likes.  A lot of the stores are having sales.  Which is annoying because I am not in a position to take them up on their offer.  I make mental notes of these items 15 has shown me and one or two may make their way under our tree!

http://craftingfuntimes.blogspot.com/  Craft Blog

 http://moneysavingsurvival.blogspot.com/  economic tips and trips to survive the times

I write both of these, and I would love to hear from you guys on them.

Ideas for Yule

· Grains and seeds, and the feeding of creatures have been associated with Yuletide holidays for hundred of years in Europe. To continue this tradition why not feed our feathered friends as a family project? See who comes to visit your little sanctuary and identify them with a field guide. For ideas to feed our feathered friends see the craft section or try stringing peanuts in the shell and popcorn garlands for the trees. See our Kids section below for more ideas


· Hang popcorn balls made with honey on trees for wild birds or string a popcorn chain and drape it around the trees.


· Make a wreath out of pine boughs that the family collects on a family outing. Put the wreath in a visible location, such as on the front door, on an inside wall, or in the center of the dining table. When summer solstice arrives it may be burned in the bonfire.


· Make or decorate a special red candle to light on Yule


· Start making tree decorations for family as gifts


· Make an "Advent" calendar


· Make a Yule log. Drill three holes in it to hold three candles of white, red, and black. (Don’t let the candles burn down *into* the wood!) Or go to our craft section where we give even more ideas for the Yule log including types of woods, herbs and flowers to decorate with all their correspondences.


· Bake Sugar Sun Cookies


· Make your very own Yule cards to send to friends and family


·Go out and find a special log to decorate and light on Yule night


· Explain the concept of the holiday to your child. Using crayons or markers ask him or her to draw you a picture of the sun being born, or try other mediums like clay or finger paints


· Let your child stay up with you all night, and watch the Yule log burn. If your child (or you!) can’t make it all night long, wake up extra early and plan a dawn picnic in a park, or on a hill, or somewhere where you can watch the sun rise.


· Keep a candle lit throughout the night to encourage the Sun to keep it company. Make sure the candle is in a safe place where it can’t accidentally set your home ablaze.


· Create a ritual of re-birth. Let it begin with all in darkness, and, throughout the ritual, light candles until you are surrounded by warmth and brightness. Move from the womb to the full light of a summer’s day!


· Volunteer at a soup kitchen, and make a commitment to be there at other times throughout the year; there are those less fortunate than you... share what you can with them.


·Donate to food-banks. Be an anonymous giver.

Hello Once Again.

Today I went to the Labor Dept. here in Vermont and found out about a wonderful resource for crafty Vermonters. It's a program called "Vermont Creates" It is ran by B.R.O.C. They will sell your crafts is a consignment store located on Center St. in Rutland. They do want a percentage to cover thier costs but, I know of alot of very talented people who don't know where to go to get thier crafts out there. I'm not sure you can make alot right off the bat but most people posting in here (like me) can use anything we can get. They have a web site too. www.vermontcreates.com.

B.R.O.C. also has other programs to help Vermonters facing economic challenges. One that I just found out about, (and plan on finding more out) is called Micro-Business Development Program. It's goal is to foster self-employment as a viable option toward self-sufficiency.

They provide education, training and assistance for small business start-up, expansion and management. And they offer counselling to help participants set themselves up for long term success. I will let you know more as I find out more as I've always dreamed of having a small horticulture business or a nice little odds and ends store but didn't know how to go about starting it let alone financeing it. Who knows mabey this is the door to my dreams.

B.R.O.C. Has many programs to assist Vermonters that have come up on hard times. They have a food shelf, can help to keep your utilities from getting shut off, help you sign up for food stamps, and so much more. They offer counciling in repairing and rebuilding your credit, Financial Literacy and many other services. Thier Phone # is 802-775-0878 and they're located at 60 Center St. in Rutland. They are also in Bennington on Orchard Road and that # is 802-447-7515. The People there are very nice and non-judgemental. They can also help with heating, and deposits for the same.

Well I will keep looking for resources and posting as I find them. Till then keep the faith and remember you are not alone, and it WILL get better.

Forever Searching,

Idnic

My husband and I are living beyond our means, but our rent is among the lowest in our city and we never buy anything we cant pay for in cash. Half of my husband's paycheck goes to pay child support for his two daughters yet we are considered to have a middle class income. The courts just denied my husband's request to waive the fee it will cost to have his custody re-instated. The ex-wife has done a super job of alienating us from the girls and we just want them back in our lives. She has even gone so far as to keep their baby brother a secret from them, he is now 16 months old and they do not even know he exists. The courts denied the fee waiver ($300+) since our household income exceeds their limits. How laughable! We have two other children in our home to support and they only consider gross income and not take home pay in their guidelines. Currently, our bills exceed our income by about 200-300 dollars a month and this doesnt include birthdays and holidays when I have to get REALLY creative. I sold some of my baby's old clothes yesterday and made $50. This will go towards our (late) rent payment and we are still $300 shy of that goal. What the heck is going on here? I cant get help from any government agency, and not only that but the child support tax laws need to be changed! The imbalance is a catastrophe for non-custodial parents. No tax write offs, then the recipient of the child support never has to claim the money as income?!?!? Come on!

My dream is to be able to work from home with my children and instead I am considering taking on a 3rd job to make ends meet. I am so tired of living day to day and placating myself with the fact that we are alive and fed and have a roof over our heads for TODAY. I cant think about the future or I get so sad. My husband is currently going to school part time to try and make a better life for us. We spent a fortune in books and tuition for this because, again, we do not qualify for any assistance. This has put us even further behind not to mention the raising price of gasoline and electricity. All of our bills are 2 months behind and buying new clothes or shoes for my kids (never for myself!) would feel like a real luxury to us. To top it all off, my ex husband only pays a fraction of what he owes in child support each month and gets away with it working under the table jobs with friends and family. I can only count on the government to report to me each month the dismal truth, which is they cant do a damn thing to help. Big surprise! Maybe I should pop out a few more kids and acquire a crack habit. Will they help me then?

I love to crochet and I make beautiful hats for adults and children. I also love to make baby blankets and purses from recycled materials. If I could craft for a living it would be a dream come true. Unfortunately, I am not too great of a salesperson as my real estate career has shown me.

I'm really looking for some emotional relief and writing this out has been quite theraputic. Any advice or help is very welcome. And if you or someone you know would like to have a beautiful, handmade crochet item let me know!

Hi I am a single mom to a 10 month old son. I started up a business painting childrens decor and home decor at the beginning of 2007. You can see what I am doing at my website: Website: Imagine Creations. I am making just enough to scrape by right now, but my living situation is on the verge of changing and my rent will be increasing by several hundred dollars a month. I am in need of a loan or a grant that will help me to purchase a few items to help to supplement my current sales, such as a color laser printer so that I can start selling prints which are much more profitable and much less time consuming than all of the hand painted items. I am an intelligent person but I am so confused in searching for grants and scholorship opportunities, one link just seems to lead to another with actual grant applications in sight?! And the government lists are even worse.. Can anyone either point me in the right direction or at least help me understand how to decipher the language of looking for and applying for grants?!?! Thank you so much in advance!
Kalee

Hi I am a single mom to a 10 month old son. I started up a business painting childrens decor and home decor at the beginning of 2007. You can see what I am doing at my website: Website: Imagine Creations. I am making just enough to scrape by right now, but my living situation is on the verge of changing and my rent will be increasing by several hundred dollars a month. I am in need of a loan or a grant that will help me to purchase a few items to help to supplement my current sales, such as a color laser printer so that I can start selling prints which are much more profitable and much less time consuming than all of the hand painted items. I am an intelligent person but I am so confused in searching for grants and scholorship opportunities, one link just seems to lead to another with actual grant applications in sight?! And the government lists are even worse.. Can anyone either point me in the right direction or at least help me understand how to decipher the language of looking for and applying for grants?!?! Thank you so much in advance!
Kalee

I have started a website that sells handcrafted items, especially journals and mixes in a jar.A percentage of the profits go toward the pay it forward grants that I offer.  I also take donations for pay it forward, but I can only give out grants that equal the amount that is in the grants account.  If I only have $50.00 I can only give $50.00.  Grants do not exceed $500.00, so if I have $2000,000 dollars in the grant account then I will award 4 grants for that month.

I am asking for donations for the pay it forward grants and or the purchase of products to aid in the pay it forward account.  Thank you and if you have any questions just email me or visit the web-site listed here.

I am a mother of three.  I have a fifteen year old, a four year old and a two year old.  My husband left last month and took all the money and our only running vehicle.  I was trying to do an online business to try and make a little extra money to help out, but that didn't work out very well.  I no longer have the money to make products to sell.  I haven't been able to find work or help with grants around this small town.  They are shutting off our electric today and I'll have an eviction notice tommorrow.  I'm not sure what to do.  I will be having a yard sell this weekend to try and make a little extra money, other than that, I'm lost.  I've already applied for work at all the places in town even places I know I don't qualify for.  Without electric, I can't hope to get a call for work and without a home, my children will have to go to foster care.  If you know of any way to help, please let me know.

*UPDATE*   OUR FAMILY IS FINALLY ON OUR WAY OUT OF THE WHOLE WE HAVE BEEN IN FOR SO VERY LONG. PLEASE CONTINUE TO BE IN PRAYER FOR US, THAT GOD WILL CONTINUE TO BLESS US AS HE HAS DONE THE LAST THREE MONTHS.

GOD IS GOOD, ALL THE TIME!!!!

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

our family is living on "A Wing and a Prayer" right now and our Prayer is that the items we list on our web sites and on Ebay will answer our Prayers. Our story is below...

We are Dan and Carmella Dunkin, we have 8 children (3 still at home) one of which is disabled, (Autism), and we are both partially disabled. We work many different venues to create an income to support our family, and have decided to try selling on Ebay once again and on our web sites to help make ends meet.

We sold antiques and collectibles on Ebay years ago until Dan injured his back and could no longer do all the driving to sales and auctions and the packing involved. We are now going to be selling items that we create ourselves. Gourd art, air brush art, Sterling Silver and 14K gold fill jewelry, awareness ribbons, sewn items, and anything else we think of to make.

Dan creates some really awesome Gourd Art and air brush paintings. You can look at his work here, http://www.thegourdreserve.com/galleries/sale/gourdart4sale.shtml. Dan also searches out quality computer equipment, monitors and TV’s and list those deals here, http://www.dailysalesonline.com. I design gold and silver jewelry, and awareness ribbons, and craft gourds, you can see some of my creations here, http://www.carmellamaeoriginals.thegourdreserve.com/.

Dan has been diagnosed with emphysema, osteoarthritist, and severe degenerative disk disease. I have been diagnosed with asthma, Osgood-Schlatter disease, and Chondromalacia in my knees. We also believe that I have fibromyalgia, but cannot afford the test and doctors to find out for sure. I have lived with severe pain throughout my body daily for the past 4 years, sometimes with the pain so bad it is crippling and I cannot function at all, other times I can just barely bear it. On top of that I have bi-polar disorder.  Our entire family is also recovering from a 5 year exposure to toxic mold which has amplified our health problems severely. You can read our mold story here, http://www.carmellasplace.thegourdreserve.com/mold.html  We are now living in a house with ventalation problems which the owner refuses to fix and we cannot run the air or the furnance without repairs to the system. Unfortunatly Indiana has no rules or laws about having any working air or heat in a rental, at least that is what our County building inspector and the health department is telling us. All these problems are costing us money we do not have and lots of heartache.

Dan tried to get disability through social security, but it seems their only concern was how much money they were going to have to pay out to our family because of how much money Dan had made all his life. Dan worked long hard houses doing back breaking warehouse work. He paid over a half a million dollars into the social security system over a 40 year period and when the time came that his back broke for good, the "security system" that he paid so much into not only denied him his benefits, they also changed his work history from a warehouse man to a plant manager and said he could do that work with no problem! I cannot believe that the social security system can do such things, but they sure did, and not only did they do it once, but his second denial was word for word the same as the first!!! We never have figured that one out.

With the problems we both have, living in the Midwest is NOT a good thing, so we are now working on raising money to buy an RV, (if someone wants to donate an RV we will not turn it down, but we would prefere to buy one hopefully on an owner financing type deal.), so we can travel the country and be able to live in cooler, (not freezing), dryer climates no matter what time of year it is. We cannot afford to have multiple houses in different states, but if we had an RV we could live in it and when it was time to head South, North, East, or West, we could just pull out of our RV spot in whatever camp ground we were in, and head for the next state we need to be in. It's been our dream for many years to travel the country in an RV full time, now it is a necessity that we do this, and the sooner the better, because the Midwest is killing Dan fast. Most nights he can just breath without too much trouble, other nights he scares me by telling me that it is so hard to breath that he don't think he will last through the night. I know he must be having a horrible time, as I know how hard it is on my asthma, which is nothing compared to emphysema. It's not so bad when everything is cool and dry, but when the humidity is up, like it usually is in the Midwest the air is a killer for those with emphysema and asthma.

With all that said, I just want to say, that we are not asking for a hand out, we are only asking for a little help and you can help us very easily just by shopping through one of our sites. Even if we do not have anything that we made that you would like to have, we still have a lot of affiliate sites you can shop with. Also if you do buy one of our creations, you can know that not only are you buying a hand crafted item made by a disabled American, you are helping that American to help themselves and their family, and for that we THANK YOU GREATLY!!! If you feel that all you can do is make a small donation to help us out, then we will not turn it down, but please see if there is something on one of our sites that you would like first.

Thank you and God Bless!

Dan and Carmella Dunkin and family

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