One Year Later

Wednesday, April 27, 2011 is a date that will forever be etched on many Alabamians’ hearts and minds. The many tornadoes that ran through the state that day left scars both visible and unseen. Even now I see images of mangled trees, bent and broken from the brutal forces, lumber and bricks where homes once stood and it still takes my breath away.

But in the wake of destruction something even more powerful sprang forth: hope and love.Twitter hashtags, Facebook pages, and blog posts were filled with needs, ways to meet them and people wanting to help. Truly Matthew 25 in action.

Photo Source

So today I will hug my family a little tighter, say a prayer for those who lost loved ones, and know that Alabama and her people will continue to rebuild and will be stronger and better than ever.

Tornado Relief Efforts In Eastern Alabama: How You Can Help

I live in the Eastern part of Alabama. In the Calhoun/Cherokee county area more specifically. While we might not have sustained the damage Tuscaloosa, Birmingham and Cullman have there are still many people without homes or with serious damage to their homes.

I spent the better part of the evening tweeting trying to find out who was doing what in this area and was able to compile a few places that can either point you in the direction of where to help or are a donation drop off/dispersion point.


Calhoun County:

• Calhoun County Tornado Needs and Haves: A Facebook page where you can find the greatest needs and let people know what you have to donate and they can tell you the best place to take it.
  
• Calhoun County EMA Facebook Page The best place to check is the discussions page. They update it daily with new information.

Cherokee County:

• The Cherokee Baptist Association They are partnering with the Cherokee County Family Resource Center.

The following items are needed: *furniture in good condition *beds & mattresses *sheets & linen items (blankets, quilts, pillows...) *towels, washcloths *soaps, baby wipes, tissue, shampoo, and other toiletry items *non-perishable food items *Also, financial donations can be given as well
We are needing volunteers to serve at the center, by doing the following: *work in the center helping load & unload items *deliver items to victims *pick up items being donated *other task will be needed as well
You can find out more by visiting the CBA website

• Leesburg Baptist Church is taking donations of baby supplies and blankets and work boots. You can contact me and I can let someone from the church know. 

I have one more agency to contact and will update this post as soon as I find out more information. Any other places I find out about I will add as I get more information.
Update 05/05 Piedmont Benevolence Center.


Update:  I was told these places were taking donations: Fords Valley Baptist Church, Young's Chapel Congregational Methodist, Cross Creek Community Church in Hokes Bluff{Etowah County}, Knightens Crossroads FD, Oak Grove Baptist Church, Williams First Baptist, Word Alive International Outreach - Oxford all in Calhoun County. I do not have contact information for all of them but I know most of the ones listed in Calhoun county have been mentioned on the two Facebook pages I listed at the top. If anything changes it will be updated here.

Want to find out about how to learn of more opportunities to help? Read How to be a Tornado Relief Hero by Using Social Media by Rachel at Grasping for Objectivity in My Subjective Life. Rachel tells you who to follow on Facebook and Twitter (even if you don't have an account) to get real time information.

Overwhelmed

Update Alabama Possible has a comprehensive, state wide listing of relief agencies. and The Facebook page for the Calhoun County EMA has information on how to help Calhoun County victims check out Alabama Bloggers for more links

Update 2 Calhoun County residents can keep track of efforts on the EMA facebook page

Words fail me right now. I wanted to write an eloquent post showing support of my fellow Alabamians and I just can’t. All I can do is cry. The destruction is overwhelming.

One of the tornadoes touched down just a few miles from my house. My family and I are okay. We were without power for a little over 24 hours which is nothing.

Please remember Alabama today and in the coming weeks as we pick up the pieces of our shattered hearts and lives.

Samford University has a listing of ways you can help.  Some of the listings are Birmingham specific but not all are.

Top Ten {Tuesday}: Things I Hear on a Daily Basis

So after finding out there was already a top ten Tuesday I decided to quit my never really got off the ground top twenty Tuesday. Anyway ten things are much easier to come up with. Without further babbling from me here are the top ten things I hear everyday:

1. “What’s for supper?” Mom and Dad
2. “What time is supper going to be done?” M & D again.
3. Did you make dessert? M & D yet again.
4. “I want M candy.”  The nephew
5. “Sing had a farm e-i-e-i-o.” The nephew once more
6. “No Mommy, no sister. I want to stay at Mimi’s house.” If you guess the nephew you are correct.
7. “Mimi!” The nephew again
8. “I want tea.”  and again
9. “Where’s my cup?”  and yet again.
10. The tenth, final and most often heard courtesy of my two year old nephew- “Why?”

This post is linked Top Ten {Tuesdays} hosted this week by It’s Come 2 This for OhAmanda

Once a Month Cooking in March: The Game Plan

I've listed the dishes I am going to make so it is time to break them down into steps. It is late winter in Alabama and that means crazy weather. Seriously we're in the upper 50s today and tomorrow and snow is forecast on Tuesday. I will be doing my oven cooking Tuesday to maximize the warmth.




Monday:

• Make pancakes. I'll double the recipe and some will be breakfast for my nephew and me. The rest will be frozen.
• Cook pintos in the slow cooker for refried beans. I'll be cooking some extra beans because I am making tostadas for supper.
• Make flour tortillas.  I will be making at least three dozen because enchiladas are on the menu for March and we'll go through  18 tortillas easily with two pans of enchiladas.

Tuesday:

• Make brown sugar biscuit twists. I'll be freezing them already baked for a quick breakfast.
• Buttermilk biscuits. Some will be baked then frozen and I will also whip up a batch of dough and cut and freeze for when I have a bit more time for them to bake.
• Make and freeze the pizza dough. I will probably double the recipe. I can't remember off hand how many pizzas this makes because I haven't made the dough in awhile. 
• Make the French Bread rolls. These will be baked prior to freezing so on nights we want rolls we can take a few out and heat them in the oven or microwave them.

Crystal at Money Saving Mom has these great down loadable freezer cooking planning worksheets that will help take a lot of the guess work out of once a month cooking. When we get more ink for the printer I plan on printing a ton out and putting them in a notebook.

See y'all again tomorrow night with an update of what I managed to get done and some photos.

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The Snow That Wasn't

I am totally disappointed. Utterly devastated. All weekend long I kept seeing reports of heavy snow that was supposed to happen in my area. Heavy snow in Alabama = two inches. Not exactly blizzard proportions I know but still I went to bed last night expecting to wake up to this glorious scene:

Instead I see this:

 

That is the same patch of trees from three days earlier. Instead of lovely glistening snow we have dead grass, mud and naked trees. What a let down. So, if any of you in the northern part of the US who are tired of snow would like to send me a couple of inches I would be happy to take it.

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Snow Day!!!

Snow is a pretty rare occurrence in Alabama so when we heard that it was supposed to happen today everyone seemed to be pretty excited. Everything looks so beautiful under the blanket of snow. These are some pictures I snapped today. Most of them were taken from the car as Mom and I were going down our driveway. Snow days in Alabama are a finer thing indeed.

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