Wall Vinyl

I am sad to say I will have to take my window and wall vinyl down this week. If I take down the wall vinyl correctly I can reuse it, but window vinyl is a no-go. It will come off but not as one solid piece. I wanted to share some of the decals I have in my current home. Hope you enjoy! I will post a removal how-to on Monday.

Kitchen Window

Jude's Room

Kitchen Wall

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

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. 

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" 

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.....

                 

Giveaways!!!!

      I am sponsoring in a giveaway over at Facebook. With the talented Kaleidoscope Art & Gifts where you can enter in her 1500 Fan Extravaganza to win your very own set of Canister Decals from Gossip Gal Gifts.

There 39 other awesome items in the giveaway. you just have to pop on over and like Kaleidoscope Art&Gifts of facebook and like the sponsors page ie, GossipGalGifts and post a nice "Hi Y'all" on both pages (something besides the boring old ""Sent By XYZ"! This is not required but why don;t you leave a nice little comment here telling me you have done so.

Canisters

    I spend most of my day in my kitchen. It is literally the center of my home. I have my awesome pink Crosley in my kitchen along with 15 different signs that say anything from Mom's Kitchen to, If you can Dream it You can do it. 

 I also always have a computer in the kitchen. So I pretty much live/work in there. But I am not the most organized person when it comes to the cabinets and finding things. One thing all kitchens have and I never use is canisters. Truth is I put the coffee and flour in the fridge, not sure why it is just something we have always done. The canisters usually sit by the stove which means they have a ton of grease on them but nothing in them. I had some plain solid black ones I got from my mother years ago and I never knew what to put in them, every once in a while I would hide candy in one then find it six months later. But with a little vinyl and a whole bunch of windex. I made my old yucky non-used canisters new. I also now know exactly what is in them. 

Best part is H even said "Cute" when he came home then changed it to that looks nice. lol Men!

I will have these decals on Etsy Friday, I can make them in 9 other colors and fonts. 

Now off to find a real cookie jar for more decal fun! (I hide the cookies in the microwave from the kids) Shhh...

XO Gossip Gal