Friday, May 15, 2009
Still climbing!
I'd also like to point out that the thermometer has passed the $600 mark! Now that's something you can all be proud of! :)
YARD SALE!
The Dilemma
I've been getting several emails from people looking to donate items, but not really sure if they are things the Abbotts can use or not. I've come up with what I hope is going to be an awesome solution! :) We're going to hold a charity yard sale in June and all proceeds will go to the Abbotts.
The Solution!
What this means is that I need donations from anyone and everyone who has stuff they're looking to get rid of. For those of you holding yard sales between now and mid June feel free to bring whatever you have leftover to me instead of taking it to DI or throwing it out. For those of you just looking to do some spring cleaning, bring your unwanted items to me and I'll get rid of it for you. You can feel great knowing you're doing something wonderful for someone who really needs it at the same time you're cleaning out your garage, closets, etc and reclaiming some of your space back! :)
I'll be taking donations now, and once I see the direction this is going to take I'll be setting a firm date. For now I'm thinking early to mid June. Contact me at crystal.brinkerhoff@gmail.com for details on where you can drop donations off.
I've been getting several emails from people looking to donate items, but not really sure if they are things the Abbotts can use or not. I've come up with what I hope is going to be an awesome solution! :) We're going to hold a charity yard sale in June and all proceeds will go to the Abbotts.
The Solution!
What this means is that I need donations from anyone and everyone who has stuff they're looking to get rid of. For those of you holding yard sales between now and mid June feel free to bring whatever you have leftover to me instead of taking it to DI or throwing it out. For those of you just looking to do some spring cleaning, bring your unwanted items to me and I'll get rid of it for you. You can feel great knowing you're doing something wonderful for someone who really needs it at the same time you're cleaning out your garage, closets, etc and reclaiming some of your space back! :)
I'll be taking donations now, and once I see the direction this is going to take I'll be setting a firm date. For now I'm thinking early to mid June. Contact me at crystal.brinkerhoff@gmail.com for details on where you can drop donations off.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Keep 'em coming!
We're over halfway to our goal of $1000! We're up to $540 now. Keep up the great work. Every little bit helps! :)
More Salvaging
We're in this together
When Leah and Tom got married they were given a couple of sculptures. One was a cast of two hands clasped together with wedding bands on each hand. The other was a pair of love birds. One sat on the piano (which no longer exists) and the other sat on a table next to the couch (which also no longer exists). After digging through a foot and a half of debris they found the sculptures. They were broken, but they're pretty sure they have all of the pieces. Leah intends to put them back together and use them in her new home. The sculptures have turned into more than just a lovely gift. The promise that Leah and Tom have made to each other to stick together regardless of what happens is much more poignant now.
Before the firemen arrived...
When the fire first broke out it spread fast and the smoke and flames were pretty hard to miss. Men passing by jumped out of their vehicles and ran to the yard asking the family what they could do to help. They began grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and pulled it away from the home. Their quick actions saved the patio furniture, a grill, the lawn mower and a can of gas.
You'd better believe the family enjoys using their patio furniture now that the weather has turned nice. It's something familiar that belongs to them!
The Kitchen Fairy
For this story to have any meaning you have to understand a bit of Tom's upbringing. He's got really strong Italian roots, and he's mean enough in the kitchen to prove it! He's been pretty serious about cooking from a very young age. So their kitchen has always had every kitchen gadget you can possibly imagine. And more importantly he knows how to use all of those fancy kitchen gadgets!
Leah's sister invited them to take a look at some of the kitchen items that she had on hand that she didn't think she was going to be needing. Apparently she had a lot of the same tools that the Abbotts were accustomed to using. They are so grateful and excited to have cooking utensils that look and feel so much like what they had. It's almost as if their own stuff had been set aside for them. Now Leah calls her sister the Kitchen Fairy!
When Leah and Tom got married they were given a couple of sculptures. One was a cast of two hands clasped together with wedding bands on each hand. The other was a pair of love birds. One sat on the piano (which no longer exists) and the other sat on a table next to the couch (which also no longer exists). After digging through a foot and a half of debris they found the sculptures. They were broken, but they're pretty sure they have all of the pieces. Leah intends to put them back together and use them in her new home. The sculptures have turned into more than just a lovely gift. The promise that Leah and Tom have made to each other to stick together regardless of what happens is much more poignant now.
Before the firemen arrived...
When the fire first broke out it spread fast and the smoke and flames were pretty hard to miss. Men passing by jumped out of their vehicles and ran to the yard asking the family what they could do to help. They began grabbing whatever they could get their hands on and pulled it away from the home. Their quick actions saved the patio furniture, a grill, the lawn mower and a can of gas.
You'd better believe the family enjoys using their patio furniture now that the weather has turned nice. It's something familiar that belongs to them!
The Kitchen Fairy
For this story to have any meaning you have to understand a bit of Tom's upbringing. He's got really strong Italian roots, and he's mean enough in the kitchen to prove it! He's been pretty serious about cooking from a very young age. So their kitchen has always had every kitchen gadget you can possibly imagine. And more importantly he knows how to use all of those fancy kitchen gadgets!
Leah's sister invited them to take a look at some of the kitchen items that she had on hand that she didn't think she was going to be needing. Apparently she had a lot of the same tools that the Abbotts were accustomed to using. They are so grateful and excited to have cooking utensils that look and feel so much like what they had. It's almost as if their own stuff had been set aside for them. Now Leah calls her sister the Kitchen Fairy!
Sunday, May 10, 2009
$520!
Wow I turn my back for one day and we're up to $520! I know I keep saying it, but you guys are just awesome!
Friday, May 8, 2009
2 weeks later...
There are a few things I'd like to pass on. Some of them are funny. Some of them are not so much. But it's all part of the story, and it needs to be told.
The Hunting Party
The other day I was asked to check for a package that might have arrived at the house across the field from me. It was extremely reminiscent of I Am Legend, where the remains of what life was like before tragedy struck were evident everywhere. Even in the middle of the afternoon it felt strange and eery. There was a deep sense of loss. Like something had died. Maybe I was just inventing things in my mind. Maybe I'm just too close to the situation now. Either way, my home seemed warm and inviting as I returned from my errand!
Tom, Leah, and Chad have been picking through their house little by little. It's been such a huge undertaking, and they're finding that looking at the house as a whole is too overwhelming, a method that doesn't seem to be very effective.
They've changed their plan of attack and are now trying to take it room by room. First they try to identify what was in one particular room to begin with and then pick through it thoroughly hoping that things really are where they left them. Not only are most of the objects in the rubble unidentifiable, but many things are not where they left them. If you've ever seen someone operate a fire hose you know there's a lot of power in those suckers, and things moved all around the house while the firefighters did their job. Let's just add one more complication, right?
So the work commences on the house today and tomorrow. You might ask yourself, "At what point do you give up and just finish tearing the thing down?" I don't know the answer because I've never had my house burn down. Leah often tells me that nobody's given her a handbook on what you're supposed to do in the event you lose everything in a fire. There aren't any hard and fast rules. I think anything the Abbotts can find that they have some ownership over means the world right now. I know that for me personally there are some things, like my wedding ring for instance, that I would be willing to dig through ashes and rubble if there were any chance that it had survived.
Gourmet Dinner
Now I have to share about dinner last night. They have been given some great stuff to help them start over again. But they've only been in the house since Monday. So it's not like they're used to the things that they have yet. To them it still feels like someone else's stuff that they're using.
Leah was determined to make a nice beef stroganoff dinner for her family. She had all of the ingredients and she was prepared...until she realized the pans which were so generously given to them were too small for what she was doing. No problem. Leah's ingenuity has gotten her out of tight fixes before. So she had to boil more than one pan of pasta. A little inconvenient, but she's just so grateful to have anything at all to cook with that she's not complaining!
Then came the can of beef. There's no can opener in the house. One of the many small conveniences you don't think about until you don't have one. She does have a tool that punches holes in the can though. So she began to use that thinking she'd just have to make several holes in order to get the lid off. Inconvenient sure, but she's not complaining because 5 days ago she had nothing.
The first few punches were going smoothly, but the integrity of the can began to be compromised as she punched away. Pretty soon the juice was flying everywhere, but she ignored it because surely she was almost done! Just a few more punches, right? Sort of.
The last remaining punches were of course the hardest since she couldn't get a good grasp on the can any longer. By the time she was done she had beef chunks and juice all over herself!
A pretty ridiculous ordeal for dinner, but don't worry. After getting herself cleaned up she presented a lovely meal to her family who oohed and aahed appropriately over it!
Whose stuff is this?
You know that disoriented feeling you get sometimes when you wake up in a strange place and forget where you are? The Abbott's surroundings aren't familiar enough yet that it feels like home. It's hard for them to accept that the new things in their new house are really theirs. Tom asked Leah, "Soooo....if we ever move do we take the couches with us?" One of the many things in their lives right now that is just going to take some time to get used to!
Update on Donations
We're up to $340. That's awesome! Rent is due today and while it won't cover the entire amount (we're short $160) it'll help! So keep the donations coming in. No amount is too small. $3 donated is $3 more than the family would have had. Maybe they can even buy a can opener once rent is taken care of! :)
The Hunting Party
The other day I was asked to check for a package that might have arrived at the house across the field from me. It was extremely reminiscent of I Am Legend, where the remains of what life was like before tragedy struck were evident everywhere. Even in the middle of the afternoon it felt strange and eery. There was a deep sense of loss. Like something had died. Maybe I was just inventing things in my mind. Maybe I'm just too close to the situation now. Either way, my home seemed warm and inviting as I returned from my errand!
Tom, Leah, and Chad have been picking through their house little by little. It's been such a huge undertaking, and they're finding that looking at the house as a whole is too overwhelming, a method that doesn't seem to be very effective.
They've changed their plan of attack and are now trying to take it room by room. First they try to identify what was in one particular room to begin with and then pick through it thoroughly hoping that things really are where they left them. Not only are most of the objects in the rubble unidentifiable, but many things are not where they left them. If you've ever seen someone operate a fire hose you know there's a lot of power in those suckers, and things moved all around the house while the firefighters did their job. Let's just add one more complication, right?
So the work commences on the house today and tomorrow. You might ask yourself, "At what point do you give up and just finish tearing the thing down?" I don't know the answer because I've never had my house burn down. Leah often tells me that nobody's given her a handbook on what you're supposed to do in the event you lose everything in a fire. There aren't any hard and fast rules. I think anything the Abbotts can find that they have some ownership over means the world right now. I know that for me personally there are some things, like my wedding ring for instance, that I would be willing to dig through ashes and rubble if there were any chance that it had survived.
Gourmet Dinner
Now I have to share about dinner last night. They have been given some great stuff to help them start over again. But they've only been in the house since Monday. So it's not like they're used to the things that they have yet. To them it still feels like someone else's stuff that they're using.
Leah was determined to make a nice beef stroganoff dinner for her family. She had all of the ingredients and she was prepared...until she realized the pans which were so generously given to them were too small for what she was doing. No problem. Leah's ingenuity has gotten her out of tight fixes before. So she had to boil more than one pan of pasta. A little inconvenient, but she's just so grateful to have anything at all to cook with that she's not complaining!
Then came the can of beef. There's no can opener in the house. One of the many small conveniences you don't think about until you don't have one. She does have a tool that punches holes in the can though. So she began to use that thinking she'd just have to make several holes in order to get the lid off. Inconvenient sure, but she's not complaining because 5 days ago she had nothing.
The first few punches were going smoothly, but the integrity of the can began to be compromised as she punched away. Pretty soon the juice was flying everywhere, but she ignored it because surely she was almost done! Just a few more punches, right? Sort of.
The last remaining punches were of course the hardest since she couldn't get a good grasp on the can any longer. By the time she was done she had beef chunks and juice all over herself!
A pretty ridiculous ordeal for dinner, but don't worry. After getting herself cleaned up she presented a lovely meal to her family who oohed and aahed appropriately over it!
Whose stuff is this?
You know that disoriented feeling you get sometimes when you wake up in a strange place and forget where you are? The Abbott's surroundings aren't familiar enough yet that it feels like home. It's hard for them to accept that the new things in their new house are really theirs. Tom asked Leah, "Soooo....if we ever move do we take the couches with us?" One of the many things in their lives right now that is just going to take some time to get used to!
Update on Donations
We're up to $340. That's awesome! Rent is due today and while it won't cover the entire amount (we're short $160) it'll help! So keep the donations coming in. No amount is too small. $3 donated is $3 more than the family would have had. Maybe they can even buy a can opener once rent is taken care of! :)
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