Auction Closing

Dear strangers, friends, frenemies, and family,

The auction benefit for Stephanie Nielson and Carol Decker has officially ended and I say a grand thank you to all of you who participated, from sponsors to bidders to winners. Hefty amounts were raised in this thing: over $1000! Way beyond my expectations. This is entirely thanks to my many generous and delightful sponsors of beauteous products, and to you, generous and delightful readers, who pushed the bidding high and made sure every item in here was bought to benefit Carol and Stephanie.

To the many vendors and readers who have contacted me offering donations of money and items: thank you. My auction is closed but if you click on the faces of Carol and Stephanie to the right you will be taken to websites full of info on how to help and containing updates on Carol and Stephanie's situations. The PayPal buttons below Carol's and Stephanie's pictures will also directly link you to their respective rehab funds, should you wish to make a cash donation.

Last, for all the many new readers who have come to me as a result of this auction. I feel the need to set the record straight: I am usually a very selfish, self-absorbed mom blogger who harnesses the power of negative thinking for her own petty laughs. In truth, I am not usually remotely inspiring and do not dispense nuggets of wisdom or joy. I do not believe in God and do not lead by example in any aspect of my life; the only thing I aspire to in this venue is to make fun of myself and others.

The auction benefit was a brief moment of respite for me from my usual self because we all need a break from ourselves. Carol's and Stephanie's stories moved me, obviously, and made me want to be other than my typical self. I am so glad I was able to use my blog for a higher purpose this week. But I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea: my lesser and unkinder self will be back in full force as of my next post, when I will return to bash Sarah Palin from here to way beyond the outer banks, where she belongs...and that post will be followed swiftly by cranky and trivial musings that may well offend those of more delicate and noble sensibilities. In short, the crabby mommy returns...

Thanks again to all of you who made this auction a success.

Sincerely,
Crabmommy