Mystery Tags

I know that there are many families out there that do not have anything. I will not lie, my bills are usually paid...things are really hard and my fiance works constantly while I stay at home with our two young children but we do have a roof over our head. Lately I have been convicted of having children before marriage, and I know that God will forgive me although I need to do right and marry now or as soon as possible. My fiance and I do not need expensive rings, do not need a huge beautiful wedding, but we would like to have a small wedding with our family there. I would like to give back if I receive a money gift, so what I am doing is making a MYSTERY BOX for people who donate to me. I am asking for any amount of donations but donations over 25 dollars I will send you something from around my house or go shopping and find a good deal that is worth the money you send me, this will be a fun game. (I am doing over 25 dollars so that I can make something and also cover the cost of shipping) To know that I am truly going to send something back I ask the first person to do this with me reply on this post showing that I am honest and do send something back. THANK YOU SO MUCH! Please make my special day come true! :)

Updates: September 11, 2011 - I have been able to get a part-time job which is good news, but the rest is just about the same. Thank you for your help Malum Designs
and Pete B.
Since my previous posts have yielded only four donations over the last five months I thought I would try this approach. My financial problems are quite real. If you find my fable entertaining please send a small donation.
- Fortuna vitrea est, tum cum splendet frangitur -

The Grasshopper and the Ant
A Classic retold by Joseph the Beggar King
Part One

Once upon a time, not so very long ago, there were two friends, the Grasshopper and the Ant. Why these two became friends is a bit of a mystery. The Grasshopper was a dreamer and a drifter. The Ant was a believer and an achiever.

In school the Grasshopper would look out the window without thought and only learned the subjects he found interesting. Sometimes he would fall asleep in Math class, other times when a angry teacher would jump him with a pop question he would give the correct answer in way that would confound them.

The Ant was a teachers dream, he soaked up every subject the system taught him, gave the correct answers in the correct way and got straight A s. He would delight his Math teacher by doing compound interest in his head. The Ant believed that what they taught him would help him succeed and was very completive. After graduating High School the Ant got an Academic Scholarship and the Grasshopper got a Pell Grant.

Within four years the Ant got two BS degrees in Business Management and Engineering. The Grasshopper dropped out after the first year. He went to live with the Rainbow Tribe for a few years. On the way to the bus station he found an old fiddle in a trash pile along the road and when he got station he was able to panhandle his bus fare. That was the Grasshoppers first beg.

The Ant took the College like a fish to water. During open Rush some Greeks invite him to be a brother in their Fraternity. He earned his dues by being the Frat Houses Accountant and made beer money by writing term papers. One day while visiting the Tri Deltas he watches the girls play volleyball and is amazed that even though they are playing a vigorous game not one of them breaks a sweat. It is there he meets the girl of his dreams, Polly Fishbane.

While the Grasshopper was living with the Rainbow Tribe he never meets the girl of his dreams, but it does not really matter too much because they believe in Free Love. So free, in fact, that after what you might call the Honeymoon he found himself getting a little bored with it. From the Rainbow Tribe he learns to live off the fat of country and from his new friend, Buffalo with Runs, he learns to live off the land. Buffalo with Runs was an very old Indian that was adopted by the tribe. He taught the Grasshopper what wild plants were safe to eat or use for medicines. He showed him how to set traps and hunt small game. Then, during one winter Gathering four people froze to dead because they were too stoned to come in out of the cold. The Grasshopper became very sad and hopped away.

The Ant is recruited by a Aerospace firm even before he graduated college and goes to work on the Apollo Program. He and his new wife Polly loved the Florida sunshine and settle down to start the American Dream. They decide to have two and half children. Even though the third kid looked a bit odd the Ant loved him as only a father can. With easy money down and mortgage tax deductions compliments of Uncle Sam, they get a house with a two car garage. Next they get two cars and the Rat Race is on. The Ant loves it! Working on the Apollo Program is more than a job, it is being part of history. Polly loves it! Raising their kids and Keeping up of with the Jones. She starts selling Avon products on the side. The Ant buys the best bass boat in the neighborhood, but only uses it once a year because he too busy working. He sets up his retirement funds and a small stock portfolio. Life is Good!

After leaving the Rainbow Tribe the Grasshopper panhandles his way across the country. He sets up in parks and subways where he pretends to play his fiddle while selling jewelry made of deer anthers and beads. The noise he makes with his fiddle sounds like a cat being killed and people give him money just to make him stop. Before the Cops run him off, the Grasshopper usually made enough in one day of begging to cover his needs for the week. When he is hungry he goes to a Soup Kitchen and when he needs clothing there are the Sharing Centers. Every now and then he lets some good hearted woman try to save him. Life is Good and he hops away.

The Apollo Program ends and the new Shuttle program does not start for a couple of years. The Aerospace company were the Ant works at does not win any of the new bids. They offer him a job in California at 20% less of his salary. Polly and the kids are in a rage. Nobody wants to move and leave their friends. The Ant sells his house at a loss because the real estate market in flooded by the laid offs. The one car and the boat are reprocessed. He sells off his stock portfolio for the down payment on the new house in California and even though money is tight the Ant decides to take the family on a short vacation to Key West to uplift their spirits. He finds the Grasshopper selling deer antler jewelry at the Front Street Market. While Polly and the kids go shopping, he and Grasshopper catch up and have a couple of beers. The Ant tells his friend about the laid offs and the move. The Grasshopper asks him - Are you Happy - ? The Ant says - Yes -. His friend says, - Good - . They watch the sunset and see a green flash on the horizon.
To be continue.

I am ashamed to that it has come to this. I need help so badly it seems so unreal... I don't know how it go this bad...
I am a 25 years old and I have a 2 year old, who brings such happiness to me. I rent a house for $300.00 a month. seem good deal right. That's what I thought while I was pregnant with my son. I had to move out of a apartment complex because they upped the rent to $850.00 a month for a 1bed/1bath and I still had to pay all the utilities. That was coming out way to high for me, know I had a little on on the way. I canceled my contract 3 months before it was up and I go A huge penalty bill for that, but I had no choice. I packed every thing I owned and move to a really really bad part of the city. It was 2am so I just went in with a blanked and a pillow and crashed on a couch that was left behind by some Tweakers. When I woke up I started to bawl. The front door was not Even a front door, it was a temp door that you find a a construction site. Th wall between to living room and kitchen was gone and the support beams were being held by a 2x4, The ceiling was sagging. the kitchen had water damage and the celling was dripping black water. The counter tops was pieces of plywood with wallpaper nailed to it. The bath hall bathroom was nasty like "stuff" all on the tub side wall and spoons that looked burnt? not sure on that but there were needles there. the three rooms not so bad a little drywall work and done. that master bath (if that was what was supposed to be) was backed up black mold? and something dead int the shower part. I called the lad lord and he said "you signed to contract knowing what was wrong". I reminded him of what he told me you said a LITTLE bit of work, Like little patches here and there... he told me you signed it and it said you were to fix up the house for part of the rent and pay 300 for the last bit. fine any how. the whole time I have been here it has be fixing on the house and trying to nurse a baby and work to pay the bills. 2 years down the line the roof leaks every time it rains, I landlord was so kind to replace toe swamp cooler for an AC. That gave me a $900.00 bill, because the house has so many cracks and leaks, it was cooling the out side world too. The hall bathroom tub has a cracked pipe under it and the wall around the spigot started to degrade. the cracked pipe leaks in to the master bathroom and floods part of the master bedroom. I could not pay my gas bill so I had to turn it off, but I boil our bath water to bathe. Work has slowed down so bad and I used all my unemployment to barely keep my head above the water. Now that it is gone... my rent is backed up to 1200.00 I still have to pay 900.00 for electric. I applied for food stamps but budgets had been cut back for the state that I get 150.00 for the month. so I applied for WIC and it gives us a little bit (two gal of milk, a loaf of bread, and 6.00 worth of veggies along with the cheese and peanut butter) I went and got a food box but there was not much ( a bit of pork, 6 mystery cans, and crunchy hamburger buns) all this was to last us for the month. I had to cut back to one meal a day so my son can have his 3 meals and 2 snacks. but lately I have gone with out eating but only once every two days. It hurts bad to do that. I lost 50lbs from this, I mean I looked at it positively, I kinda needed it. but my clothing dont fit any more, they hang on my body or fall off my waist and Now that winter is coming along... I cant get fall/winter clothing for my son, I am okay, I guess I have coats that work for me, He dose not fit any thing that he had last winter. I feel like I am a horrible mother, that cant even get her child clothing and I cant lose our home even tho it is old, run down, leaky, and falling apart. It is still a place that we can be safe for the elements of the outside world. I Have tried asking my mother to help us but she is having a hard time, too.
I am sorry to bother and ask y'all for some help. I am so very sorry, But I have to do what I can to help my son, so he dose not have to worry about when his next meal is or if he is going to be warm enough. I want him to say innocent as long as possible. No child should have to grow up so fast and leave their childhood behind. He is to young to know how harsh and hard the real world is. I want to see him smile over the smallest things at life, It makes all this worth it... for him. Please anything will help us. I will be so ever thankful and know that there still are people out there that have a heart and would show it to the world. Thank You for your time and Thank You for being so kind enough to read this. Thank You from the bottom of my heart.

Dear Friend,
These are words I thought I would never say. My name is Dixie and I need your help. I am 60 years old, and I have worked the last 43 years of my life. I had a bad stroke and I can no longer work. I am on disability and the goverment expects me to live on $649 per month. I can no longer afford to live on my own, so I have moved into a one bedroom apartment with my daughter and her husband. I cannot stay here much longer because the landlord will not allow me to reside in the apartment because I am not on the lease and because its only a small one bedroom apartment and not enough room for the three of us.
I have helped alot of people over the years. I have assisted friends and family with money for rent, food, and clothing. I did this out of the kindness of my heart because I know times can get tough sometimes. I have always been told that "what goes around comes around". I have always believed this was true.
I need your help. I have no resources for affordable living. I have tried to make money doing various things like working at home jobs, mail marketing jobs, and mystery shopping. I have been unable to make any money doing any of these things. I have spent money to do these things and have not gained anything in return. It has left me completely broke.
I am asking for your help. I am trying to raise enough money so that my family and I can move. I am asking if you could send me a few dollars to help. Anything at all will help me. I really do appreciate anything you can help us with. I didnt know what else to do. I hope I will hear from you soon. Thanks again for your help.

God Bless,
Dixie Harris & Family

1802 N.E. 104th Street Apt. A111
Vancouver, Wa 98686