In case you missed it, my brother is currently deployed on the USS Abraham Lincoln and they have just had their cruise extended for a second time. I'm collecting money and giving out names to send some of the sailors packages as they aren't very happy at the moment.

So far, I've collected $88 and sent addresses of three sailors out, which is awesome. I still have 13 names, and I'm going to use the money I've gotten and anything else I get to make sure each of them gets a package too. Currently, the plan is to buy a box or two of Girl Scout cookies (which also supports transgender rights) and some condiments to send to each of them.

If you'd still like to help, I'll be collecting through March 9, which is my next payday, and sending stuff out that weekend. You can go here to donate or request a name. I'm making all of these posts public as well, so please signal boost if you're so inclined.

Thanks again to everyone who has helped so far and to my f'list for pouring up with these posts. There will be a real update soon, I promise.

Okay, a few people indicated they'd be interested in helping send cookies, condiments, etc. to the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln, who just had their cruise extended for a second time. What was going to be a 5 month cruise is now over 9 months, and it might go longer as they're in a war zone right now. Unlike soldiers on the ground, they don't get days off or leisure unless they're in a port, so they're working seven days a week while they're at sea.

I'm offering two options if you want to help.

Option 1:

Click the donate button below and give whatever you're able. I'll use the money to purchase Girl Scout Cookies, condiments, etc. and to pay for postage to send it to sailors on the Lincoln. Any donation amount is appreciated, even if it's just a dollar or two, and I'll post updates here as to what I send.

Option 2:

If you'd rather send stuff yourself, leave a comment here or send an email to nessabutterfly80 (at) gmail (dot) com, and I'll send you the name and address of one of the sailors on the USS Abraham Lincoln. The only thing I ask is that, if you choose this option, you be sure to send something—whatever you want to send—as I'll be removing the name from my list of people to send to.

Either way, I and the sailors on the Lincoln appreciate anything I can do.

All right, I'm biting the bullet. Due to a variety of reasons (not all of them bad), I'm looking at not going to Jus in Bello anymore. So my pass is for sale.

I have two Demon Passes (DP131 & DP132) a Jensen Photo Op (JAP153) and a Jared Photo Op (JPP116).

If you know anyone who is interested, please have them comment here. I'm making this entry public.

I did a friend's list clean up this morning, mostly removing journals that don't get used and people I no longer have anything in common with. It's nothing against anyone, but my interests have changed drastically over the past year or so, and there were a lot of entries on my f'list I was just skimming by all the time. If you feel like I may have removed you in error, comment here.

So an online friend of mine has a contest going in her blog to win an autographed copy of Wicked Games by Jeri Smith-Ready. I've never read it, but it looks interesting, and my friend enjoyed it.

If you'd like to enter, go here.

Did a f'list update tonight. Pruned several people, added a couple. It was long overdue.

If you find that you can no longer see my non-public posts and would like to... contact me and we'll chat about it. The reasons behind unfriendings were varied... though I do promise no one is borne any ill-will.

My company, Western & Southern, is part of the Ohio Prosperity Project, which is a registered 501 (c) (4) not-for-profit, nonpartisan group founded in 2001 by a number of Ohio’s major employers and business trade associations. The purpose of the Prosperity Project is to educate employers and their employees about issues impacting job security, wages and benefits and ultimately the state’s future prosperity.

The elections are in less than a month, and the website is actually very informative. I highly recommend that anyone who lives in Ohio visit the website to check out the issues and the candidates. There's lots and lots of information there and they present both sides equally and fairly. It's a lot easier than trying to decipher all those ads or the candidates websites.

I'm going to leave these post unlocked. Please link to it, copy it into your LJ/GJ/DJ/Xanga/Blogger/whatever, email it to friends and family members, etc.

Most of you have had the buckeye balls that I occasionally make and send out to people on my f-list who want them. For those of you who don't know what they are, look in my icon. They're chocolate and peanut butter balls that are made to look like the nuts of the buckeye tree.

Well, I've decided that this year I'm going to try selling some for the holiday season so people can give them as presents or bring them to parties or dinner or just give a little present to themselves.

I will charge $5 for a container of 9 (the size that I mailed out earlier this year) and $6.50 for a container of 12.

They'll come with the buckeyes in individual muffin cups so that they're easy to share.

This price is comparable to the price of mass-produced buckeye balls you can occasionally buy in stores, but mine are (in my opinion anyway), much better than the ones that are made by machines.

Unfortunately, if you're not local, I'll have to charge shipping too, but it will only be the exact cost of shipping. If you order one or two containers and live in the United States, it would be about $3.85 to send it Priority. Outside the US or more containers would obviously be more.

I can take checks, money orders, or paypal (no credit cards, though).

Orders would ship on or before December 10, so they should make it to you by Christmas even if you're overseas.

For an additional $1 I will gift wrap up to two packages and send it directly to the recipient with your name on it so you can send them to someone who doesn't live near you without paying shipping twice.

I need to have orders for at least 90 buckeyes if I'm going to do this, though, as my small batch makes about 100 and I don't need or want a ton of leftovers. If you're interested, comment here or email me at peppervl @livejournal .com (without the spaces, obviously).

I've made this post public so you can feel free to refer friends to it if you think they'd like some as well.

She IMed me while I was upstairs watching a movie (curses!) and said that she got the package that I sent with Adara's birthday presents and that they made the kidlet's day.

She says thanks so much to everyone who contributed to that package/money.

She's still going to be without a steady internet connection for a while as she's rather between housing, but she'll keep people posted on where she's moving to.

I know I have at least one more person sending me things, so I'm going to send out another package or two at the end of this week or early next week.

Today I got an email from someone who plays in an RPG with cruel_illusion. She wanted to send stuff to Destin, and another of Destin's friends had sent her my email and told her that I was organizing stuff for Destin.

So she's sending a package and some money for me to forward on to Destin...all the way from Germany.

Another person who only knows Destin through RPGs also sent me money.

And an LJ friend who doesn't know Destin at all except as a name that appears in my LJ sometimes sent me money to pass on to her as well.

This makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

~*~

And for those of you who know her or know people who know her...feel free to pass my email along or direct them to my LJ. I'm planning on sending more down to her, and then when it gets closer to Christmas, I'm probably going to try to organize something for then too.

I mailed a package full of clothes and birthday presents for Adara today. I sent it priority so it should get there before Adara's birthday.

I also mailed the $55 I'd gotten from people to pass on to her. I sent a money order, so I know she'll be able to cash it.

At the moment, I have a box about half full of books and at least one more check on the way, so I'll be mailing out more stuff early next week if anyone still wants to get in on it.

Thanks so much to those of you who have helped. I really appreciate it and I know Destin does too.

Since several awesome people are pimping my efforts to help cruel_illusion recover from Katrina and to help her give her daughter a good birthday despite what just happened, I have made that post public so people can link to it.

I really appreciate the response. You guys are awesome.

My plan is to send out one money order/package on Tuesday or Wednesday so it will hopefully get there before Adara's birthday on Saturday the 10th, and then if there's more send out another one about a week after that.

Okay, shira and I were talking, and we've
decided that we're going to collect money to send to cruel_illusion to help her recover from Katrina.

I definitely encourage people to donate to general relief funds or
donate goods to organizations that are collecting them and I'm
going to do that too, but since I know Destin personally, I want to
help her out.

I'm going to collect money and then send her a money order. She
can't access her bank accounts at the moment and doesn't know how
long it will be before she can, but she'll be able to cash a money
order at any bank without a fee. I think that if several people do
$5 or $10 each, we can do a decent amount easily.

I'm also collecting things or money for Adara's birthday presents.
She will be 7 on September 10. She wears a size 10 in girls. I know
she did gymnastics, I'm not sure what else, but I'm guessing that
most things a typical 7 year old girl would like will be safe. I
know this is really important to Destin; I paypal'd her some money
last night and her response was that she could at least get Adara
something for her birthday.

Donations can be paypal'd or mailed to me. The paypal email is
nessabutterfly80(at)gmail(dot)com and my address is:
Vanessa Lee
PO Box 62354
Cincinnati, OH 45262-0354

I promise, anything sent will go straight to Destin.

And if you don't know her and/or want to donate elsewhere, that's
great too. I just thought I'd mention it here.