We are Being Forced to Move From My Home After 27 Years - Everything MUST GO!

Well, most of you may know me as “Melanie B” through social media, but my real name is Melanie Ball Gilstrap. Yep, I am a real person with a real story…and boy, do I have a real story for you all. {But I am going to save the “all the dirty details” post for another day 😬. It’s a juicy one, but it is taking a while to get written 😅.}

If you have been following my YouTube channel or have been a member of my private Facebook group for any length of time, you may know a little bit of the story of the legal battle I have been fighting over the last six years with my siblings, who have been trying to get possession of the home I built 27 years ago on generational property that my parents’ gave to me. It has been an ongoing, living nightmare that I haven’t been able to wake up from. My home and 10.96 acres of property became a part of my father’s estate when he passed away in October 2020, because no one seemed to be able to find his Will. It was curious, indeed.

{Side note: My father was a brilliant attorney for over 50+ years, who advised everyone he knew to get a Will, and there were reports from other attorneys that he had one for himself since he was in his 30s.

‘Nuff said.}

The latest chapter in this saga is that two weeks ago I had to go to mediation with the older four siblings in an attempt to try to come to an agreement to avoid going to trial at a later date. During that meeting, it came down to me making a decision regarding my home and its attached property or run the risk of going to trial where a judge could determine the outcome and potentially decide to liquidate the entire estate and sell everything to split between the five of us.

I was basically forced into a no-win situation where I had to give up my home and approximately 6+ acres of the 10.96 in order to be able to keep only about 4+ acres. Considering that this 10.96 was only a small portion of a much larger 260 acres of where I have spent 43 years of my 54-years-of-life; raised my four children to adulthood; assisted in raising one grandchild; where my mother grew up; that her father and mother owned and raised twelve children; and where my eldest son, Logan, died tragically in a flash flood in the creek that ran through our property. That alone would make anyone want to keep their home and entire tract of land. You would also think that his own aunts and uncles would concur…if only they had an ounce of compassion for me {their sister}, their nieces and nephew, or Logan’s own daughter, Mikayla, was only three and a half when he died. If nothing else one would imagine that they would want to keep the home and property for Mikayla’s sake in order for her to have his childhood home and his memorial site to continue to visit as an adult. But again, we are talking about selfish, soulless creatures, who don’t care about anyone or anything but the almighty dollar. 

Not only would I have potentially been losing my house and all of the attached acreage by letting a judge decide my fate, but when Logan got sucked into the creek while driving home that night due to the flash flood, instead of suing the county for allowing the road to get into such a state of disrepair, I worked with them to have that portion of the road re-constructed. The engineers raised it up three feet by designing a 10-foot arch culvert to be built underneath, added guard rails, and a little bridge was erected to prevent anyone else from ever dying in a flash flood there again. I named it “Logan’s Crossing”, and I designed signs for it, and the county also put up a bronze plaque in Logan’s memory for us. Since “Logan’s Crossing” was built, that section of road has not flooded again, even when all of the other roads in the area have…even during Hurricane Helene…the worst flooding we have seen since the floods that killed Logan. 

After Logan’s death my other three children and I did not receive any outpouring of empathy, sympathy, support or any displays of emotion from three of my siblings, as it had always been throughout our lives. That’s why it really should have come as no surprise that they would try to take everything from me; including the property where I found Logan’s body and his memorial that is just yards from our family home.

{…but in all seriousness, we do have more than just “Mel’s Art Supplies” to move. 🥴}

At the time when I am writing this post, I am down to 76 days until we have to have 30+ years of my personal belongings; my art supplies, completed paintings, kits, business inventory, and all of the materials I use to make my handmade products; Jim’s possessions, collections, and personal items; all four of my children’s keepsakes, photos and memorabilia; my four grandkids’ toys and keepsakes; etc, etc. I have no doubt we can do it, but it is ludicrous that we should even HAVE to, simply because of the lifelong bitterness, resentment, greed and jealousy my four other siblings have always harbored against me.

In the meantime, we will have to find and move into temporary housing somewhere until my eldest sister can finish dragging out her job as Personal Representative of the estate. She has been responsible for it since December 2020, but since she has spent all of that time up until June 2023 suing my mom and abusing her power as the PR, she hasn’t finalized anything. All of my dad’s properties still have to be sold, along with my home/land now, and then I will get my fifth. I had decided to agree that my house and 10.96 acres would be my fifth, {even though those things had been given to me during my parents lifetimes are were not intended to be my inheritance}, but the other four are greedy, narcissistic assholes. 🤷🏻‍♀️ 

I just know my father is watching this entire scene play out, and he is heartbroken and utterly devastated to know that all of the land that he and my mom worked their entire lives together is going to be sold…potentially to a developer to sub-divide. 🫣😣

Due to the fact that I cannot run my business while we are packing everything up in a mad dash {and through the holidays no less}, and I will not have room for inventory once we move, I have to close my business for all of the physical inventory…including my custom paint brushes 🥺. I am trying to think of every, possible solution for being able to continue to sell those, but at this point, I don’t have one.

It is not only for space purposes but also for financial reasons that my inventory MUST be sold immediately. Unfortunately, due to other recent major expenses we incurred due to the devastating effects of Hurricane Helene, and because we had no way of foreseeing this sudden major and unexpected turn-of-events, we do not have another source of income for this situation. We desperately need your help!

I believe it is important to add, we do NOT have unnecessary debt; like loans or credit cards, and we only have one car that we share. We do not spend money frivolously, and we only get to take mini-vacations once every couple of years. We spend what we have in our bank accounts, instead of charging and creating debt for things we can’t afford. It is extremely important for me that you understand that we do not throw our money away wastefully, and that we are not asking for your support simply because we are “financially irresponsible”. Even the majority of my PBN, DP & DIY kits have been gifted to me by collaborators over the last 4 years, or I purchase them for myself for birthday, anniversaries or Christmas gifts. In addition, I only make approximately $130-180 a month combined from all of my YouTube videos and affiliate commissions. 

It was primarily at the encouragement of members of my Facebook group {the most SUPPORTIVE, helpful group of people I have ever been blessed to know}, that I reluctantly set up a GoFundMe to raise money as quickly as possible. As a strong, proud, independent woman, and my husband is a US Marine Veteran of 7 years, so it has always been very difficult for us to ever ask for help in any form or fashion. It went against my nature to set up a GoFundMe for us. I just want to make sure you know in your heart that we would not ask for your help if we did not feel like this was a desperate situation.

I also feel it is very beneficial to share with you how we plan to spend the money you contribute, because I want to know where my donation goes when help in similar situations. One of the main priorities is to pay my half of the mediation fees. Unfortunately, I got screwed on this deal, because my four siblings got to split their part, whereas I have to pay the entire $1170 myself. Your donation will also assist Jim and I with my regular attorney fees, moving expenses, storage costs, and for help with the deposit & a month of rent on a new place to move.

Here are the things I can think of so far, and I am sure I will be adding to this as we progress into the process: 

• Mediation fees {due by November 15th}  $1170
• Attorney fees {ongoing} $4200
• 40’ steel storage container - $2000-3500 delivered {renting one costs $200-300 per month, and we don’t know how long we will need it; if we purchase, we can sell it when we’re done and recoup some money}
• Purchase of moving supplies {packing tape; moving boxes; bubble wrap; paper for wrapping breakables; pens & labels; etc}  $500
• Deposit and first month’s rent  $500-1000 {unsure of the amount yet}

In the link for GoFundMe, I also posted other ways you can support us that does NOT require a monetary donation. There are so many ways you can help us beyond a financial contribution that are so beneficial to us through my channel and emotionally. Please take a moment to read those simple methods if nothing else, because we appreciate every, single thing you can do…no matter how small or insignificant you think it might be. Believe me when I say, no display of compassion ever goes unnoticed or is ever considered “small or insignificant” to us!

We appreciate your support for my YouTube channel, my online store, and for me personally throughout the years! I cannot express how grateful we are for your continued dedication to my channel and business. 🥰

Much love and appreciation,

PS. I will be posting more of the full story and the “dirty details” behind why my eldest sister and her husband originally started attacking me 16 years ago in another post, so for those who are interested in learning more about what the true story behind all this BS is, wait for it. Truth is stranger than fiction, and people are more evil, narcissistic and vile than you can even imagine.