Two very different visits

Over the past two weeks I went for two very different visits, first I needed more material to finish this:

So I went back to Echt Studio, where I bought the materials in the first place, love that shop, all those colors against the white walls!

 

 

As before the ladies there were wonderful in helping me, this time Wilma showed me various ways of putting the granny squares together (that is Wilma behind the counter, but that is not me in front of it…)



 





I bought the balls of Drops cotton I needed, they are discounted now by 35%.  Sooooo…. If you want some, this is the time to get them!

 

My second visit was of a totally different nature. Eline cleaned out her room recently and had stacks of books she no longer wanted to keep. Because they were in perfect condition and what you would call ‘youth literature’ I mailed various places to see who wanted to have them and got a positive reply from the Ronald McDonald House in The Hague.
I was invited to bring the books and was shown around.

The Ronald McDonald House offers a place to stay for parents, families who have a sick child in the children’s hospital, in this case the Juliana Kinderziekenhuis, so they can be with the child as much as possible. It runs mostly on volunteers who do a wonderful job there and it wants to create comfortable atmosphere, a home away from home. Parents (or a family) have their own room

Their own space in the kitchen (they make their own meals)

There are shared living rooms (with bookcases!)

And even an outdoor terrace.

 

Usually a Ronald McDonald House is located in another building nearby, but in this case it is located right on top of the children’s hospital, like a penthouse, which makes it so much easier for the parents to be with their children.

I am sure there are corporate sponsors for these houses (the name itself points towards this, but I am sure there are others), but private persons can contribute as well, with money but also with items. At least in The Hague, the Ronald McDonald House specifies on their website which items they will gladly receive.

I received this gift as a ‘thank you’ for the books, but mostly I am glad that they found a good new home.

When Eline was a baby and toddler she had three emergency hospitalizations and I always stayed with her in her room on a fold up camping bed, so I know how it is to have a (very) sick child in hospital and needing to be with them. There was no Ronald McDonald house where we lived then, so I understand how importance of these houses.

It was an interesting afternoon thanks to the ladies there who received me and showed me around, they do great work over there!

 

Phyllis