Monday, May 30, 2011

Summer air reminds me of...

It's summer break for us and here in the south which means your stove will get a break for a good 3 months or longer. This is what inspired my Etsy treasury and an awesome song that reminds me of the summer of '05. *Note the song starts off sweet and low but will pick up louder for everyone that is "working" today.* 

Summer Air

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Tornado Relief

     Sorry I left that last post at a dead end, I have been in a bit of funk lately, plus so busy with the school year ending and just life. But aside from that I wanted to share with you how great the people of the US have been, heck the whole world. After the storm not only did I stop everything I was doing to donate what was left of my couponing stockpile but I received a huge response from real life friends and twitter friends. I have had many people ask how to help, I have had people donate clothing, travel items, diapers, bibles and a huge donation from Tyndale with 3 large boxes of Bibles.
 
                         Now another large area has been hit by a deadly tornado; Joplin, Missouri. They also need our help. But many of us are Moms, students, teachers and are barely making our own ends meet. So what can we do with little of nothing? One thing to know is every little bit helps, so even if it is dropping a can off in the local food bank, someone will appreciated it. You also can always donate blood to your local LifeSouth or blood bank. Many people are have been injured and many blood banks have also lost their stored blood due the storm damage and loss of power. You can also text REDCROSS to 90999 to donate $10. And how about that gift card you have been carrying around for months and always forget to use.






 How about donating it to Alabama cards of Hope (site) Facebook  its so easy to do, I know I always have a few odd cards in my purse that I think I will use one day but never do. You can also submit your gift card electronically.  Another really cool way to help is a donation that gives you a chance to win a Guitar Autographed by Kenny Chesney, a lady won this really neat Guitar the day after the storms and although she loves it she feels too blessed to keep it to herself.   

Kenny Chesney Guitar
You can buy tickets for that here and find out more information on it on Facebook
It has almost been one month since the storms in Alabama and it is still shocking to me every day to drive down the road and see trees still down and homes and stores that I had just been to now gone. But I am now proud to say I am from Alabama and it's a joy to see how much closer we have all became as a community.
Thanks again to everyone for sending items many have been handed directly to families who needed them. 



Saturday, May 21, 2011

25 Days later...


   As many of you know I live in Alabama , I used to be very wary of telling people that due to the Alabama stereotypes. But after 4-27-11 that has changed. I live in Northwest Alabama and our area was hit by many severe tornadoes, while I do not want to blog about that story due to the sadness I do want to share what is going on now.
A few days after the storm I donated a few baby things a girl who had lost everything, She and her 9 month old were in her apartment when it was picked up and dropped all around them, she shielded her baby with her own body and stood up after the storm to see nothing but the outside around her. When I met her she was in great spirits and happy to be alive. She had just gotten a rental car and temporary housing. I had a bed for her so I followed her to her new apartment. She passed the turn due to no landmarks or street signs. USARs were at every street corner, it looked like a movie set to me, a really bad movie set. We made it to her new home there were trees and power lines all over the ground, children played basketball on the courts as workers lifted lines and replace transformers right by. The air smelled like gas and pine with ammonia on the side. All  I could do was look around in shock. My 10 year old kept asking are those homes? I replied Once... The only way you could even tell there once stood a home were by the driveways and sidewalks.





 My aunt lost her home in the storms, yesterday she watched as workers knocked down her home, she stated "This would be so much easier if I was in Disneyland. Where is Ty yelling "Move That Bus"?  I am sure everyone is wishing it could be like a tv show. It has all been so surreal already.
Dip N Dots


Now it has been 25 days the donation drives are slowing down, the national news has continued on but it looks like it just happened yesterday. I know things can't be fixed over night, but I worry about the elderly lady who is still living in her home with the large tree sitting on her roof and the 20 foot hole in her yard, the power lines are laying in the ditch. I haven't seen workers anywhere in weeks. Most homes that had major damage have been torn down. But left in a pile where the home once stood with the front door sitting on top of the rubble, addresses are spray painted on each door to distinguish what home once stood there. I feel bad when I have to pass by and do nothing, I feel like I should stop help these people even with 4 kids sitting in the back seat.
These photos are not great, they are no meant to be my daughter took them from the back seat of my car, all she could say was "Oh my" 





Thursday, May 12, 2011

I am here..

This has been a very uncomfortable month/2 weeks. Many of you know I live in the south and we where hit pretty hard by the tornadoes, luckily my home was not hit but people around us have lost a great deal. Well in the middle of all that going on I was trying to help donate and distribute items to others in need. Then I took a day to rest and think only to get a phone call around 10:30 pm Friday that said "Your Mother is dead!" Not a easy way to say or hear that. So needless to say my world has been turned upside down. I keep questioning if I am even really sitting her. I can't even get into all this without having a panic attack. But it was not expected...

So between the craziness and the shock I have to close down shop until further notice. I just have way to much else going on, school is ending, I have to move and now tie up lose ends.....