PLEASE HELP!

Hello everyone...hope all of you are having a good day...I wish I could say that I was having a great day, but I'm not. I live here on the ALABAMA gulf coast and this oil spill has really been hitting us hard and I need your help. I don't ask for help very often...only when I am desperate and I'm very desperate for HELP here on our beautiful Alabama beaches. I have received an e-mail from my old neighborhood with info about how we can call the WHITE HOUSE and ask them to PLEASE give approval for this HUGE SKIMMER to work on the oil spill...so if you have just a few minutes...PLEASE give them a call.

Just last week we lost one more person due to this oil spill...a boat captain here in Orange Beach took his own life over this mess and it hit home with us because we knew him...his name is Allen Kruse. I told Mr.CC back in early May that I thought that this would happen, but I never thought it would happen to someone that I know. Allen has a twin brother Frank...Mr.CC and Frank have been friends for about 30 years...please remember this family in your prayers. Let's all try and do something about this disaster so we don't have this happen to another gulf coast family.
Here is the info that I received...please pass this on to everyone you know and ask them to help us too. I would like to THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart.

Blessings,
Linda

We need your help!! The Administration has yet to waive the requirements of
the Jones Act which would permit vessels of foreign registry with foreign
crews to assist us in skimming oil from the Gulf of Mexico. Several
countries have offered assistance in this regard but are reluctant to
proceed due to the provisions of the Jones Act. The president has the power
to waive the Jones Act; the last time this was done was after Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita. The most recent offer is from a Taiwanese vessel which is
touted as the largest oil skimming vessel and can ingest up to 500,000
barrels of oil-contaminated water a day. It set sail last Friday from
Norfolk on its way to the Gulf of Mexico where it hopes to assist in the
oil-clean-up effort.

We believe vessels of this nature and other foreign vessels like it should
be permitted to participate in this massive clean-up effort. We believe we
can use all the help we can get! If you agree we would appreciate you
calling the White House Comment line at (202) 456-1111 and the White House
Main Switchboard at (202) 454-1414 and let them know how you feel about the
situation. Ask the president to waive the Jones Act for the duration of
this crisis.

Please feel free to forward this email to your friends, relatives or anyone
else you feel could help us with this endeavor.

Thank you!

Ono Island POA
28491 Ono Blvd.
Orange Beach, Al. 36561



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Strut Your Stuff Thursday
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Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays No. 18 and a GIVEAWAY

Hello everyone...hope all is well with you and hope you have BIG plans for the upcoming July 4th holiday...I know I do! I will be spending the holiday at my beach condo in Gulf Shores. I was not lucky enough it get a ticket to the Jimmy Buffet concert here on the beach this Thursday...I guess I will just hang out near the area! I don't have much to share this week...sometimes that just happens. I do hope you have lots of treasures to show off this week...so let's get this PARTY started!

PLEASE don't forget to enter my COASTAL GIVEAWAY...click HERE to enter!





****Please everyone, follow these guidelines!****
1. Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, include the NTT button in your post (copy and paste the html code under the button…the button is located on my sidebar). Please make sure that you have put my NTT button or my blog name with a link on your post. I have seen that some of you have forgot to do this…so this is just a sweet reminder.
2. This party is for sharing thrifty finds from garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, craigslist and even those awesome deals that you find at any retail store. Please do not link to an Esty shop or something similar (I will delete the link). If I see that your post is not really on track with the NTT theme and also if you don't link back, I'll delete your link...please don't make me do this. It's common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please go and visit the other participates and leave a comment about their treasures and thrifty ideas…this is what makes the PAR-TAY so much FUN! What a great way to meet new friends.


I just love silk lampshades and I found this little baby at a garage sale for only 25 cents...I knew she would be mine when I spotted that awesome price tag!This sweet little silver cross was not a garage sale find...Mr.CC and I received this as a gift from one of our children that we teach in Sunday School...I just love displaying crosses around my home...how about you?



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Garage Salen Party

Making Pickles and a GIVEAWAY!

My daughter found this recipe for REFRIGERATOR PICKLES and wanted to make some...soooo we said sure...go for it! You see Mr.CC has his first garden this year and we have cucumbers everywhere around here...way more than we need! Yes...we have given them away to family, friends, neighbors, co-workers etc. but they just keep growing! I can not take any credit for these wonderful pickles...I give Mr.CC and my daughter all the credit. This is a very easy recipe and the pickles are so DELICIOUS!

Four pounds of cucumbers yielded 10 pints of pickles.
This recipe does not call for the cucumbers to be cooked or processed in a water bath… this keeps them fresh and crunchy but also means they should be stored in the refrigerator where they will last several weeks.
You packed each jar with thinly sliced Vidalia onions and cucumbers.
The recipe calls for fresh dill but they used Watkin’s organic dill and it worked great...sprinkled 1/2 to 1 tsp on top of every jar.
You bring the apple cider vinegar, water, sugar and spices to a boil on the stove top and then pour it directly over the cucumbers and onions.
The recipe calls to leave them uncovered in the refrigerator for 24 hours before putting the lids on them. Your entire fridge will smell like pickles...it's really wasn't too bad!

**Slightly Sweet Dill Refrigerator Pickles**

Ingredients

* 1 small sweet onion (such as Vidalia or Maui), thinly sliced
* 2 pounds medium pickling cucumbers, scrubbed, cut into 1/4-inch-thick rounds {we used regular ole cucumbers}
* 1 large bunch dill, coarsely chopped (stems included) {used dried}
* 1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds {used 1 tsp of mustard powder}
* 2 teaspoons whole white peppercorns {could only find black}
* 1 1/2 cups apple cider vinegar {we increased this to 2 cups}
* 1 cup water {increased to 1 1/2 cups}
* 1 cup sugar
* 3 tablespoons coarse kosher salt
* 2 teaspoons dill seeds

{They doubled this recipe and it yielded 10 pints but there wasn’t near enough liquid… so be sure to make note of changes above}

Preparation

* Divide sliced onion between two 1-quart wide-mouth glass jars. Pack cucumber slices horizontally in jars. Top each jar with dill.
* Using mortar and pestle or resealable plastic bag and mallet, crush mustard seeds and peppercorns together. Place crushed spices in medium saucepan. Add vinegar, 1 cup water, sugar, coarse salt, and dill seeds. Bring mixture to boil over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
* Ladle mixture evenly over cucumbers. Leave jars uncovered and chill 24 hours.
* Cover glass pickle jars tightly with lids.
* Keep refrigerated.

You should try them, they are delicious!

Be sure to check out my "COASTAL GIVEAWAY"HERE! I would love for
you to enter and help me spread the word about our beautiful ALABAMA BEACHES!


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Feature Yourself Friday
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Favorite Things Friday

It's a Hodgepodge Friday
Friday's Favorite
Saturday Nite Special
Weekend Wrap Up Party
DIY Project Parade

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays No.17 and a COASTAL GIVEAWAY

A FREE beach concert and a COASTAL GIVEAWAY...soooooo NIFTY THRIFTY! I know this is not my typical NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAYS post but as a local here on the ALABAMA GULF COAST...this is what my life is like at this time. I love living here on the gulf coast...I guess I should...I have lived here my entire life! Check out this awesome FREE concert!


Jimmy Buffett announced a free concert on July 1, 2010 in Gulf Shores, Alabama to promote awareness and tourism in the Gulf area.

Special guests will include Sonny Landreth, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint. A special souvenir tee shirt will also be designed for the concert and sold onlne and at the show. More info coming soon!

What AWESOME news for all of us here on the ALABAMA GULF COAST...we sure needed some! I'm here at my beach condo this weekend and our beach is CLEAN and the water is crystal clear...I almost cried when I saw how much better it looks today...prayers are answered. I know our problems are not over, but it does feel really great to see our beach look like it did before BP made this mess! Please tell your friends...neighbors...co-workers...family and everybody you know that the best way they can help us here, is to come down for a visit in the near future.

Well onto the FREE concert...WOW...I'm still pinching myself...just can't believe all these people want to help us here on the gulf coast. I'm not so surprise that Jimmy Buffet is doing this...if you didn't know...Jimmy grew up in Mobile (my hometown...located on the Alabama coast) and get this...he went to high school with Mr.CC! Jimmy and his sister Lucy both went to school with him...Mr.CC didn't know Jimmy, but he does know Lucy (they went on double dates back then). This is an awesome line up...sooooo many wonderful musicians! THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!! All of these pics were taken yesterday 6/19/10 on West Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama!

Now let's get down to this COASTAL GIVEAWAY! I'm a huge fan of the magazine "COASTAL LIVING" and I thought I would give one LUCKY follower a ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTION...if you WIN...I'm sure you will fall in love with it too! The GIVEAWAY will end on Wednesday July 6!

FOUR ways to "WIN"!
1. Follow COASTAL CHARM...please let me know if you are already a follower or a newbie!
2. Copy and paste the "LOVE THE GULF COAST" button with a link back to this post on your blog. This can be located on your sidebar or write a post about this "COASTAL GIVEAWAY". If you do both of these...then you double your chance to win...go for it and double it up! Please let me know that you have done this with a comment.
3. Share with us how you feel about the BP Oil Spill with a comment.This is the button (with a link back to this post) that you need to display on your blog...I can't begin telling you how much this means to me that you are helping me spread the word about this giveaway,the FREE concert and our BEAUTIFUL ALABAMA BEACHES! I give you a BIG THANK YOU!!!!!!


****Please everyone, follow these guidelines!****
1. Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, include the NTT button in your post (copy and paste the html code under the button…the button is located on my sidebar). Please make sure that you have put my NTT button or my blog name with a link on your post. I have seen that some of you have forgot to do this…so this is just a sweet reminder.
2. This party is for sharing thrifty finds from garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, craigslist and even those awesome deals that you find at any retail store. Please do not link to an Esty shop or something similar (I will delete the link). If I see that your post is not really on track with the NTT theme and also if you don't link back, I'll delete your link...please don't make me do this. It's common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please go and visit the other participates and leave a comment about their treasures and thrifty ideas…this is what makes the PAR-TAY so much FUN! What a great way to meet new friends.

I'm linking to these FUN parties!
The DIY Showoff
Motivate Me Monday
I Made The World Cuter Today
Toot Your Horn Tuesday
Lucky Linky Tuesday
Outdoor Wednesday
The Boardwalk Bragfest
Thrifty Thursday
Show Off Your Stuff Party
Garage Salen
New Friend Friday
Love the Gulf Blog Carnival

FREE Concert With Jimmy Buffet...Kenny Chesney and more!

Jimmy Buffett announced a free concert on July 1, 2010 in Gulf Shores, Alabama to promote awareness and tourism in the Gulf area.

Special guests will include Sonny Landreth, Zac Brown Band, Kenny Chesney, Jesse Winchester and Allen Toussaint. A special souvenir tee shirt will also be designed for the concert and sold onlne and at the show. More info coming soon!

What AWESOME news for all of us here on the ALABAMA GULF COAST...we sure needed some! I'm here at my beach condo this weekend and our beach is CLEAN and the water is crystal clear...I almost cried when I saw how much better it looks today...prayers are answered. I know our problems are not over, but it does feel really great to see our beach look like it did before BP made this mess! Please tell your friends...neighbors...co-workers...family and everybody you know that the best way they can help us here, is to come down for a visit in the near future.

Well onto the FREE concert...WOW...I'm still pinching myself...just can't believe all these people want to help us here on the gulf coast. I'm not so surprise that Jimmy Buffet is doing this...if you didn't know...Jimmy grew up in Mobile (my hometown...located on the Alabama coast) and get this...he went to high school with Mr.CC! Jimmy and his sister Lucy both went to school with him...Mr.CC didn't know Jimmy, but he does know Lucy (they went on double dates back then). This is an awesome line up...sooooo many wonderful musicians! THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!! All of these pics were taken yesterday 6/19/10 on West Beach in Gulf Shores, Alabama!

I'm linking to these FUN parties!
Metamorphocis Monday

Displaying With Corks

Back in the Spring I was making some "coastal" bottles for my beach condo and I purchased a box of corks from Target to use for my bottle stoppers...this lead to more displaying with the extra corks. I believe that the box of corks were $5.00...now that is a very THRIFTY price for all those corks! I'm thinking that I might make a picture frame with corks...what do you think about this idea? Maybe I will put a pic of Mr.CC and I...out enjoying a wonderful night of dining here on the gulf coast. Yes...we are still dining out at our local resturants and you should too...more on that subject later. Take a look around at the fun that I'm having displaying with corks and maybe you to will head over to Target and join in on the FUN!



I'm linking to the following parties...come by and check them out!
Strut Your Stuff Thursday
Get Your Craft On Thursday

Thrifty Thursday
Fab Friday
New Friend Friday
Frugalicious Friday
Flaunt it Friday

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays No.16

Garage/Yard Sales are in full swing and I found some great "NEW" Christmas treasures at one in my neighborhood last week...it was like CHRISTMAS in JUNE! I'm thinking that the lady having the sale might be a school teacher (you know they get a load of gifts and can't always use all of them)...so just put them out at your garage sale and let somebody else put these great gifts to good use. I have sooooo many Christmas items, but I thought I would pass some of these items on to my daughters. Hope you are having some good luck finding some treasures...so now let's see what you have found! I will be posting some awesome garage/yard sale tips weekly here at COASTAL CHARM...if you missed this weeks tips, then click here.
I thought she was a real "CUTIE"...price tag...25 cents!She will look so cute in Mary Claire's condo in Auburn!Hand painted "SANTA"...price tag...25 cents!Black iron tree with a votive candle inside...price tag...75 cents! I will be painting it another color...not crazy about the black!This "new" pot holder/towel set from Target will also be a fun look in Mary Claire's kitchen...price tag...25 cents!A fun Christmas bottle stopper...price tag...25 cents! I think she liked marking items at 25 cents...what do you think?I purchased a smaller tree like this one last Fall in a upscale gift shop in Atlanta for $16...price tag...75 cents!A close-up look! Maybe Haley will like this tree for her place in our cottage.


****Please everyone, follow these guidelines!****
1. Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, include the NTT button in your post (copy and paste the html code under the button…the button is located on my sidebar). Please make sure that you have put my NTT button or my blog name with a link on your post. I have seen that some of you have forgot to do this…so this is just a sweet reminder.
2. This party is for sharing thrifty finds from garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, craigslist and even those awesome deals that you find at any retail store. Please do not link to an Esty shop or something similar (I will delete the link). If I see that your post is not really on track with the NTT theme and also if you don't link back, I'll delete your link...please don't make me do this. It's common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please go and visit the other participates and leave a comment about their treasures and thrifty ideas…this is what makes the PAR-TAY so much FUN! What a great way to meet new friends.

I'm linking to these FUN parties!
2nd Time Around
Garage Salen Party

Nifty Thrifty Garage Sale Tips

For all of you garage sale shoppers out there...here is the first of many awesome tips that I will be sharing with all of you! Hope my tips will help you while you are out and about hunting for some great treasures. I'm looking forward to this weeks NIFTY THRIFTY TUESDAYS PARTY to see what all of you are finding while out shopping in this HOT summer heat!



**Find Out Where the Sales Are**

Check out sites like craigslist, garage sale tracker {there’s an app for that} and your local newspaper. I like to get my newspaper and mark the sales that I like with the starting time circled and then off I go! I never go to a sale that is on day two...I feel like the best items are already gone:( Sometimes I live on the edge and just drive around looking for signs...I hate when people have awful signage...that drives me crazy! I will stop at a sale late in the day...the seller is ready to get their stuff gone and sometimes it pays off. Do you remember me finding my backsplash tiles late in the day?...if not...click here to read about this treasure.

Coastal Beauty With Country Living

When my new issue of Country Living arrived in the mail, I was happy to see that one of our GULF COAST homes made the cover! Thought I would share with you a few pics of this COASTAL BEAUTY...hope you enjoy!

Nifty Thrifty Tuesdays No.15

I'm sure that some of you are wondering where I have been this past week...on Wednesday my 82 year old mother had surgery to have the right side of her colon removed...the surgery went well and today we got the news that we had been praying for...she does not have colon cancer...I'm so happy that our prayers have been answered...God is good! I have not had time to post and blog...so sorry that I'm late getting the PARTY up and going...so on that note...I'm going to re-post some garage sale finds from last Fall...I hope you understand:)

Southern Living Home...Estate Trivet Trio $37.95...brand new in the box...$2.00...just what I needed for my new granite counter tops!

FUN Wine Carafe...$3.00!

Vintage"California Pottery" Lazy Susan Set...$1.50

Vintage Picnic Basket...$2.00!

Added it to my collection...I needed another one really bad...this is were I keep my cookbooks and I was running out of space!

****Please everyone, follow these guidelines!****
1. Be sure to refer back to my blog so everyone can see who is participating today, include the NTT button in your post (copy and paste the html code under the button…the button is located on my sidebar). Please make sure that you have put my NTT button or my blog name with a link on your post. I have seen that some of you have forgot to do this…so this is just a sweet reminder.
2. This party is for sharing thrifty finds from garage sales, thrift stores, consignment shops, craigslist and even those awesome deals that you find at any retail store. Please do not link to an Esty shop or something similar (I will delete the link). If I see that your post is not really on track with the NTT theme and also if you don't link back, I'll delete your link...please don't make me do this. It's common courtesy to link back to the person having the party, so that all of your readers can find it too.
3. Please go and visit the other participates and leave a comment about their treasures and thrifty ideas…this is what makes the PAR-TAY so much FUN! What a great way to meet new friends.


I'm linking to these FUN parties...come join in!
Thrifty Thursday
Garage Salen Party