That Is So C.U.T.E.

What's on your Needles?

2011-06-19T15:59:00.000-04:00

I have (as always) lots of new patterns I can't wait to try.

Knitted tie http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/L10390.html

I want to knit up at least 2 or 3 to start and see how my son and the neighbor next door like them.

Next... I want to knit up some beaded bracelets...you, you read that right - knitted bracelets! That reminds me...I need to go find my bead needle, beads and other supplies. Looks like a nice afternoon to site outside and string beads. http://knitting.about.com/od/reviews/fr/beaded-bracelets-knit.htm I picked up this book and it's looks like fun!

Then...my big big big project! This amazing sweater. I saw it in Vogue Knitting recently. I put it down...and yet I can't stop thinking about it! It's called "Inversion Theory" and there is no "right" way to wear it. There is no real top or bottom as you can wear it either way! It's quite an advanced pattern but I don't see anything in it that I can't do.

Now, what are you working on?

Keeping the Kitchen Clean

2011-05-31T13:03:00.000-04:00

Wow, we finally got some very warm weather yesterday. You know the feeling...hot & humid. It's that time of the year where anything that's damp starts to get that yucky smell in a matter of hours.

Guess how I avoid that in my kitchen? I change my dishcloth every day. I do it in style now that I've started making my One-A-Day Set of 7 Hand Knit 100% Cotton Dishclothes. These get me through to the next laundry day.

I just started listing these in my shop.

You get 7 unique dishclothes - none looks like the other. This set was made using a hot green, hot blue and a white with blue, green and yellow flecks in it. It comes with 3 round solid color clothes and 4 striped clothes.

Have favorite colors? I'll gladly make a set in your choice of 3 colors (if I can get them!). Visit my Etsy store and convo me or you can leave a comment here.

Here's a set in yellow, purple & white.

Coming soon: a set in blue, yellow & white; and a set in pink, brown & cream.

Thanks for stopping by!

Harriet

Wisdom...things to remember and follow!

2011-02-13T13:31:00.000-05:00

I don't know where this originated...but one of my wonderful sisters forwarded it to me in an email. I simply have to share it.

1] Prayer is not a "spare wheel" that you pull out when in trouble, but it is a "steering wheel" that directs the right path throughout.

2] Why is a Car's WINDSHIELD so large & the Rear view Mirror is so small? Because our PAST is not as important as our FUTURE. So, Look Ahead and Move on.

3] Friendship is like a BOOK. It takes few seconds to burn, but it takes years to write.

4] All things in life are temporary. If going well, enjoy it, they will not last forever. If going wrong, don't worry, they can't last long either.

5] Old Friends are Gold! New Friends are Diamond! If you get a Diamond, don't forget the Gold! Because to hold a Diamond, you always need a Base of Gold!

6] Often when we lose hope and think this is the end, GOD smiles from above and says, "Relax, sweetheart, it's just a bend, not the end!

7] When GOD solves your problems, you have faith in HIS abilities; when GOD doesn't solve your problems HE has faith in your abilities.

8] A blind person asked St. Anthony: "Can there be anything worse than losing eye sight?" He replied: "Yes, losing your vision!"

9] When you pray for others, God listens to you and blesses them, and sometimes, when you are safe and happy, remember that someone has prayed for you.

10] WORRYING does not take away tomorrow's TROUBLES, it takes away today’s PEACE. If you really enjoy this, please pass to others. It may brighten someone's day...

Creamy Brussell Sprouts

2010-11-22T13:04:00.001-05:00

My sister made these a few years ago at Christmas....we love 'em!

Creamy Bussels Sprouts

For a green bean side dish, substitute 2 pounds of green beans for the brussels sprouts, and reduce baking time to 15-18 minutes.

Prep: 15 minutes

cook: 12 minutes

bake: 20-25 minutes (or less for green beans)

oven: 350^O

non-stick spray

1 medium onion, quartered and thinly sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

3 tablespoons butter

2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (or green beans, trimmed)

1 teaspoon snipped fresh thyme or ½ teaspoon dried thyme, crushed

¾ reduced sodium chicken broth

¾ cup whipping cream

¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ cup finely shredded Parmesan cheese

¼ teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

1.Preheat oven to 350^O. Lightly coat a 1 1/2 quart oval gratin baking dish or baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.

2. In a 12-inch skillet, cook onion and garlic in butter over medium heat for 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in Brussels sprouts and thyme. Cook for 4 minutes, or until onions begin to brown. Add broth. Bring to boiling. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 3 to 4 minutes or until broth is nearly evaporated. Add whipping cream and nutmeg. Cook for 4 minutes or until mixture begins to thicken. Transfer to prepared baking dish. Stir in half of the cheese, all of the salt, and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining cheese.

3. Bake, uncovered, 20-25 minutes or until Brussels sprouts are tender. Makes 8-10 servings.

Resin...having loads of fun with resin!

2010-10-08T13:48:00.002-04:00

Oh, I'm so happy with how these turned out! I made a few new molds last week to use in resin casting. I had a chance to do some resin casting for the first time in the new molds and I'm so happy with the results!

Leafy and Small

I made these for a friend's red scarf. She originally had picked out 1 extra large chunky button until she saw this pattern. She quickly changed to 2 smaller buttons in black.

Driftwood

This is one of my favorites! I made this from a small piece of driftwood I found on the beach in Douglas this summer.

Large Bamboo

This is an extra large chunky button. I'm going to put these on the neckwarmers I knit with my very large needles.

So, what will I be doing with these? Well, I have ideas...I'll be casting in several colors.

- buttons to put on my scarves for sale

- button - to sell

- pendants

- magnets

So, what do you think of these? Would you wear these? I'd love to hear your comments!

Harriet

Why you really shouldn't link your Facebook Fan Page and your Twitter Accounts

2010-08-07T22:23:00.000-04:00

I know...it seems like a great idea. Link your Fan Page & your Twitter feed...you only need to post once and it gets to both pages. When you post something in your Facebook Fan Page and it shows up simultaneously in your Twitter feed there are several problems I can think of. I'm sure there are more. If you have another pet peeve about this, please let us know by leaving a comment.

What could be wrong with this idea? Well, let me tell you...

TWITTER IS ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS
It's not just pushing out information to your followers. Relationships involve more than 1 person...that means what takes place on Twitter is a conversation between people. OK, not every single tweet is going to be part of a conversation...but if you never have had a conversation on Twitter, you are really missing out. I watch TV shows and tweet back and forth about what's happening with friends.

Problem # 1
If people are both fans on Facebook and Followers on Twitter, they will see the exact same thing 2 times. I know when I have to read duplicates often, I am going to either unlike you on Facebook or unfollow you on Twitter. I don't need to see the same thing twice. Please have some respect for my time.

Problem # 2
You may think that by having your Facebook posts feed into your Twitter account you are making it easier on yourself to be active on Twitter. Reality check - you aren't; you aren't being active on Twitter. Why? Because you aren't having a real conversation with anyone on Twitter.

One of the great benefits to Tweeting are the replies & the interaction you get from others. You can vent, joke, ask questions and you will often get a reply. If you get a reply, and fail to acknowledge it, you have failed. Not only have you failed in simple common courtesy, but also in your purpose for tweeting in the first place. Remember, you are using your Fan Page to promote your business. By failing to have your Twitter-persona acknowledge those people who have taken the time to reply to you, what impression are you leaving with them? Whether intended or not, I think the impression you are leaving is that you can't/won't/don't take the time to thank or respond. Hmmm...if you got this impression from someone you were thinking of buying from, would your intentions change?

Problems # 3
Think about all those folks who are able to see your Twitter feed at work. Think about all those Facebook links you post in Facebook...and therefore in Twitter because you are linking these accounts. Then think about how many companies ban or outright block Facebook at work. Yes, I work at one of these. I see lots of links that look interesting so I click on them (yes, during my lunch hour!) Oops, I've now been taking to a Facebook page! Thanks for taking me where I'm not allowed. If you do this too much, I will unfollow you on Twitter.

Problem # 4
If you link the other way (Twitter feeding into Facebook) it doesn't make sense for those who don't Tweet. What are these status updates that contain the #, @ or RT?

Problem # 5
Facebook & Twitter are 2 different animals. Why would you want to treat them the same? When you post something on Facebook, you do not have the 140 character limitations that are on Twitter. This means the first 140 characters you use on Facebook show up on Twitter...and will probably not make a whole lot of sense. Are you trying to confuse potential customers or friends?

Problem # 6
Links. When you post a link in Facebook, space is no issue and you have the whole website address...and you know how long these can be! When you post a link on Twitter, if it's long, you really really should be shortening it with a tiny url.

So, to sum up...remember this please. Facebook is for telling your friends what you're doing. Twitter is for telling the world what you're doing. What you tell your friends is not the same as what you tell strangers. So please refrain from the "set it and forget it" mentality of this convenient app.

Want to do some more reading and get more opinions?
Why You Shouldn’t Trust Feeds For Social Updates
Don’t Link your Facebook Fan Page and Twitter Statuses

Wonderful inspiring day

2010-08-03T21:34:00.001-04:00

If you are ever near the Saugatuck area in west Michigan, you need to stop in at Good Goods! It's the most amazing inspiring and unusual store I've seen in a long long time.
I however don't recommend taking young children with you as you will be scared silly that they will break something. And then there goes that emergency fund. It's not cheap. Heck, for me it's not even affordable. Except... I've been looking for a new wallet for months & months. Think I found one. It's a half circle! How out of the ordinary is that? I'm hoping to go back next month...maybe I'll splurge and get it for my birthday.
Oh, you'd like to get me something for my birthday? How lovely...I'll take this table. LOL

My first resin button!

2010-08-02T12:33:00.000-04:00

I'm excited & happy with how my very first resin button turned out.

It's a smidge over two inches...do you know haw difficult it is to find buttons that size in the store?

Please comment and let me know what you think.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Future Buttons

2010-07-31T19:30:00.001-04:00

This is something I've been dreaming of doing for a long long time - designing my own buttons!

Last year I designed some simple neckwarmer scarves. Went shopping for some extra large colored buttons and just didn't like the limited choices. I ended up making some fabric buttons for a show.

This year I have designed another new pattern with a neckwarmer and a hood. And this year I'm going to make my own extra large buttons out of resin.

I did the first try today. I made some buttons out of clay...and the next step will be to make a mold out of these...and then I get to cast the resin

Take a look and please let me know what you think!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

5 Minute Mug Cake

2010-03-08T19:31:00.000-05:00

Ok, so this is a good, simple and quick recipe. I. Recently tweaked it just a bit after reading a few reviews. The new recipe received a thumbs up from the 6 year old boy.

Ingredients:
4 tablespoons flour
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cocoa
Dash of salt
1/2 egg
3 tablespoons milk
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
Mini chocolate chips (optional)

Mix all ingredients in a coffee mug. Microwave on high for 3 minutes.

I usually remove the cake from the mug onto a saucer and top with chocolate syrup.

Enjoy!!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

How Do You Keep Your Wine Chilled?

2010-02-25T17:58:00.001-05:00

Brown Cozy w/ Orange Trim3,
originally uploaded by that is so cute.

Who doesn't enjoy a nice glass of wine? This hand knit cozy will keep your wine chilled while you enjoy a glass or two with a special someone. No need to make sure you have an ice bucket & ice!

This is knit with 100% wool yarn and then felted. Felted wool is a great insulator. This is how it keeps that Rose chilled for you without ice.

Coming soon to a store near you...actually, coming soon to my Etsy store!

a bunch of Wine Cozies

2010-02-22T07:44:00.001-05:00

a bunch of Wine Cozies,
originally uploaded by that is so cute.

So, this is only part of the new batch of Wine Bottle Cozies I've finished. I think I will do some needlefelting on a few of them. Look for more pics after that is finished.

Just entered a give-away!

2010-01-23T12:20:00.000-05:00

And since I would really really love to win this one, please don't enter it yourself! LOL

Seriously, if you've had a hankering to learn to spin yarn..this is the giveaway for you! Check it out here: http://phatfiber.blogspot.com/2010/01/silver-sun-alpacas-dropn-spindle-kit.html

Wish me luck!

Happy New Year!

2009-12-31T13:44:00.000-05:00

It's time to say good by to 2009...and I for one am happy to do so. I sincerely hope that 2010 is a better year for my family and all of yours!

My family has had some tough times this year. This spring my husband was diagnosed with cancer...had sucessful surgery and all is well. My dad went in for what was supposed to be a simple sugery before Thanksgiving and as a result now has severe Alziemers and may never go home. My brother was diagnosed with cancer and lost his battle a few short days before Christmas. A sister's cancer is worsening. In spite of all of this, we are so thankful to our Lord for all the blessings He has bestowed on us. We are still firm believers in the amazing & wondrous power of prayer. We find comfort in the fact that our brother is in a better place and is reunited with those that have passed over before him. We find comfort in the fact that we will see him again and he will no longer be in pain.

Thanks be to our Lord!

Merry Christmas to All!

2009-12-13T15:04:00.001-05:00

I wish to take this time to wish all of you a very merry Christmas!

My Poor Forgotten Bloggie

2009-11-10T05:11:00.000-05:00

Wow... I sure have neglected you, my little bloggie
I feel like a parent who abanded their child
Or one who has selected a favorite child
...and it wasn't you.

I've jumped on the bandwagon
a bandwagon called Facebook
I've been bedazzled by BeJeweled
...I'm just not that into you.

I've moved past this blog
to a place where I Twitter
and see lots of Tweets
oh wait...my Tweets are here too!

Please forgive my inattentiveness
I promise I'll change
Isn't the first step
Admitting my problem?

Look what I found on the side of the road for free yesterday!

2009-09-11T09:06:00.001-04:00

While driving out in the country yesterday to pick up something from Craig's List, I saw a sign "free" and this behind it. I was running late so I thought I'd stop on the way home.

Kept my eyes peeled on the way back because I couldn't remember if where I saw it... and finally saw it ...

Pretty cool. It just fits inside my van - practically reaches from slider to slider. It has 12 of those little things the fit in the slots. They go in in alternate directions so you end up with 6 things on each of the 4 sides. I think this could work well to display some of my things.

What's on my needles tonight

2009-09-08T21:25:00.000-04:00

Starting a cotton wash cloth...

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fortunately

2009-08-07T20:34:00.000-04:00

Fortunately my daughter successfully completed her university class in Barcelona, Spain and is coming home!

Unfortunately she missed her pre-arranged & prepaid ride to the airport.

Fortunately she was able to call a cab.

Unfortunately she had to pay for the cab.

Fortunately she had some money.

Unfortunately she went to the wrong airline counter to check in.

Fortunately she found the right airline counter.

Unfortunately she was too late to catch her flight.

Fortunately the airline was able to book her on another flight.

Unfortunately she has to wait a whole day to fly out.

Fortunately she is able to stay 1 more night with the same lady she boarded with.

Unfortunately she needs a lot more money to pay for the additional charges to chang her ticket.

Fortunately she can call mom & dad.

Unfortunately this means mom needs to get to the bank this morning.

Fortunately mom & dad have an emergency fund and can get her the money.

Unfortunately our son has his final T-ball game at noon so we have to be ready to head over there after doing the banking…and we can’t find his glove.

Fortunately we called dad who found it in his truck.

Unfortunately we now have to drive across town to pick it up.

Fortunately we have time (barely) to do this.

Unfortunately my van won’t start!

Fortunately we have an extra vehicle.

Unfortunately I don’t have a key to that vehicle.

Fortunately my oldest daughter is living at home and has a vehicle that I can borrow.

Unfortunately this leaves her without a vehicle.

Fortunately we were able to quickly get our banking done and head over to pick up the t-ball glove. Dad said he’d leave the truck unlocked.

Unfortunately he left the keys in the door of the truck!

Fortunately the truck, keys and the glove are all still there.

Unfortunately I have to interrupt dad’s meeting to return his keys to him.

Fortunately we make it to the game in time.

Unfortunately I still have to change my daughter’s ticket home from Sunday to Monday.

Fortunately I can find my ticket information with the phone number to call to make changes.

Unfortunately it sounds like my call ended up in a foreign country.

Fortunately I’m pretty used to listening to accents.

Unfortunately it’s going to cost quite a bit to change this flight.

Fortunately the person at the other end suggests I simply cancel the flight and received a credit to be used later…and then book a completely new flight.

Unfortunately I can’t find a cheap ticket into our town. I end up buying one an hour’s drive away. Half the price.

Fortunately I think all the flight rescheduling is finished. I forward the flight confirmation to my daughter.

Unfortunately my daughter did not forward her new flight information to me so I have no idea when she’s supposed to be back in the States.

Fortunately she calls home Sunday night to let us know she’s at her cousin’s house. Yippie!

Unfortunately she can’t read the email with her next flight information.

Fortunately I can just email the information to her.

Unfortunately she doesn’t call me to let me know she’s made her flight. But, we figure no news is good news.

Fortunately I have time to get home from work and put together the Lasagna she requested for dinner.

Unfortunately it’s not finished before we have to head out of town to pick her up. Hope her dad remembers to turn the oven off!

Fortunately the trip to pick her up goes well. She arrives. All of her luggage arrives. We have a safe trip home. The lasagna is perfect and still warm.

Welcome home!

How do You Store Your Fabric Stash?

2009-08-02T20:38:00.000-04:00

Wow...so I'm catching up on some of my favorite blogs today. One of my very favorites is "Just Something I Made" by Cathe Holden. She comes up with some of the most amazing ideas! Anyway, I'm browsing today...and this post catches my attention. And I'm not even a sewer...nor do I collect fabric like so many of my Etsy teammates. Guys - you have GOT to check this out!!

http://justsomethingimade.blogspot.com/2009/07/organizing-fabric-remnants.html

I'll be waiting for your own pics!

Hot enough for you today???

2009-07-31T16:00:00.001-04:00

Dear Diary
Just moved to Texas! Now this is a state that knows how to live! Beautiful sunny days and warm balmy evenings. What a place! It is beautiful. I've finally found my home. I love it here.

June 14th:

Really heating up. Got up to 100 today. Not a problem. I live in an air-conditioned home and drive an air-conditioned car. What a pleasure to see the sun every day like this. I'm turning into a sun worshipper.

June 30th:

Had the backyard landscaped with western plants today. Lots of cactus and rocks. What a breeze to maintain. No more mowing the lawn for me. Another scorcher today, but I love it here.

July 10th:

The temperature hasn't been below 100 this week. How do people get use to this kind of heat? At least, it's kind of windy though. But getting use to the heat is taking longer than I expected.

July 15th:

Fell asleep by the community pool. (Got 3rd degree burns over 60% of my body). Missed 3 days of work. What a dumb thing to do. I learned my lesson though. Got to respect the ol' sun in a climate like this.

July 20th:

I missed Lomita (my cat) sneaking into my car when I left this morning.   By the time I got to the hot car at noon, Lomita had died and swollen up to the size of a shopping bag, then popped like a water balloon. The car now smells like kibbles and sh*ts. Another lesson learned. No more pets in this heat. Good ol' Mr. Sun strikes again.

July 25th:

The wind sucks. It feels like a giant freaking blow dryer!!! And it's hot as hell! The home air-conditioner is on the fritz and the AC repairman charged $200 just to drive by and tell me he needed to order parts.

July 30th:

Been sleeping outside on the patio for 3 nights now, $225,000 house and I can't even go inside. Lomita is the lucky one. Why did I ever come here?

August 4th:

It's 115 degrees. Finally got the air-conditioner fixed today. It cost $500 and gets the temperature down to 85. I hate this stupid state.

August 8th:

If another wise ass cracks, 'Hot enough for you today?' I'm going to strangle him. Damn heat. By the time I get to work, the radiator is boiling over, my clothes are soaking wet, and I smell like baked cat!

August 9th:

Tried to run some errands after work. Wore shorts and when I sat on the seat of the car, I thought my ass was on fire. My skin melted to the seat. I lost 2 layers of flesh and all the hair on the back of my legs and ass... Now my car smells like burnt hair, fried ass and baked cat.

August 10th:

The weather report might as well be a dumb recording. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. Hot and sunny. It's been too hot to breath much less try to do anything for 2 blasted months and the weatherman says it might really warm up next week. Doesn't it ever rain in this damn state? Water rationing will be next, so my $1700 worth of cactus will just dry up and blow over. Even the cactus can't live in this wretched heat.

August 14th:

Welcome to HELL! Temperature got to 115 again today. Cactus are dead. Forgot to crack the window and blew the windshield out of the car. The installer came to fix it and guess what he asked me??? 'Hot enough for you today?' My sister had to spend $1,500 to bail me out of jail. Freaking Texas. What kind of sick demented idiot would want to live here??? Will write more later to let you know how the trial goes.

Too much????

2009-07-29T09:47:00.000-04:00

Ok now, I love to knit but this is carrying things too far! To me, this just raises lots of questions...

who has that much time on their hands?
not to mention who has that much yarn? OK, this I actually do understand - it's called MY STASH!
how did they get this tree to stand still for a fitting?
how to get this over/on those top branches????
what kind of yarn is this?
how many times did they have to redo a section because the fit was all wrong?
did they check their guage?

I am seriously impressed and a bit appalled... I know...this is probably crochet and not knit...but still!

Which frame should I pick?

2009-07-27T21:57:00.000-04:00

# 1

# 2

# 3

# 4

# 5

OK...I need some help. It's time to order new glasses and that's a task I hate. Don't get me wrong - I love it when I get my glasses and the world is once again crisp and clear. It's just so hard to see myself when I'm trying on new frames. I'm very nearsighted so I can't see clearly unless I look very closely into a mirror. So, one of my daughter's came along to help me out. After trying on many pairs of glasses and seeing her initial thoughts on her face even before she said anything, we narrowed it down to these 5 pair.

Please take a look and vote on your favorite. Please try to see past the fact that my eyes are not focusing on anything...it's hard to focus when you can't see much of anything!

have you taken the Facebook plunge?

2009-07-24T20:34:00.000-04:00

I have! Not only am I on Facebook, I've created a fan page for myself. Please check it out and become a fan. Let me know your fan page - I'll check it out!

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#/pages/Grand-Rapids-MI/That-Is-So-C-U-T-E/98021562216?ref=nf

~I needle felted this weekend~

2009-07-20T08:45:00.001-04:00

I knitted & felted this wine bottle cozy some time ago. I decided to pull it out this weekend and prettify it. What do you think?

The photo colors aren't the greatest - I just quickly took a picture but I think you'll get the idea. Deep purple & lime green polka dots on a cream cozy.

Penguins

2009-07-16T08:47:00.000-04:00

Penguin

Did you ever wonder why there are no dead penguins on the ice in Antarctica- where do they go?

Wonder no more!!!

It is a known fact that the penguin is a very ritualistic bird which
Lives an extremely ordered and complex life.

The penguin is very committed to its family and will mate for life, as well as maintaining a form of compassionate contact with its offspring throughout its life.

If a penguin is found dead on the ice surface, other members of the family and social circle have been known to dig holes in the ice, using their vestigial wings and beaks, until the hole is deep enough for the dead bird to be rolled into and buried.

The male penguins then gather in a circle around the fresh grave and sing:

"freeze a jolly good fellow."

What's On My Needles

2009-07-10T20:55:00.000-04:00

Here's a sneak peek of what I'm working on. It's sooo soft! I can't wait to get it finished. Yes, it's a scarf in a lovely combination of roses and greens. Reminds me of a rose garden. And the old song "I never promised you a rose garden". Anyone else remember that one?

This will be another of the long scarves that are great for looping loosely around your neck or wrapping several times when the winds start to blow. This one is not quite as wide as a few of the others I've finished recently.

Are you on Facebook?

2009-07-10T07:35:00.000-04:00

Have you joined the many many others on Facebook? Would you like to hear more about what I'm up to via Facebook? That's easy to do - just become a fan here: http://www.facebook.com/business/dashboard/?ref=sb#/pages/Grand-Rapids-MI/That-Is-So-C-U-T-E/98021562216

thanks!!

Harriet Perdue
http://thatissocute.etsy.com
http://www.thatissocute.1000markets.com

Zipskinny

2009-07-10T07:01:00.000-04:00

I received this link in my inbox from Mark's Musings . Get the "skinny" on your ZIP code - if you live in the States, anyway - at http://www.zipskinny.com/. Enter your ZIP on the first screen and on the next you'll find a wealth of demographic information about your part of town, culled from the 2000 U.S. Census. Wow - I had never heard of this website but I find it so interesting! Have you ever wished you knew how you compared to your neighbors? Find out at zipskinny.com!

The Perks of Reaching the Age of 50!

2009-07-06T11:14:00.001-04:00

Someone had to remind me, so I'm reminding you too. Don't laugh.....it is all true...

Perks of reaching 50 or being over 60 and heading towards 70!

Kidnappers are not very interested in you.

In a hostage situation you are likely to be released first.

No one expects you to run--anywhere.

People call at 9 pm and ask, did I wake you?

People no longer view you as a hypochondriac.

Things you buy now won't wear out.

You can eat supper at 4 pm.

You can live without sex but not your glasses.

You get into heated arguments about pension plans.

You no longer think of speed limits as a challenge.

You quit trying to hold your stomach in no matter who walks
into the room.

You sing along with elevator music.

Your eyes won't get much worse.

Your investment in health insurance is finally beginning to pay off.

Your joints are more accurate meteorologists than the national weather service.

Your secrets are safe with your friends because they can't remember them either.

Your supply of brain cells is finally down to manageable size.
You can't remember who sent you this list.

And you notice these are all in Big Print for your convenience.

Survived the Garage Sale!

2009-06-27T11:22:00.000-04:00

Wow...we're done with our 2 day garage sale. After postponing it twice (because we weren't prepared!) we ended up with our first day being one of the hottest of the year. The garage sale went fairly nice...once we got set up and jumped over the hurdles life threw in our way!

My poor friend though. We were holding the sale at the home of her husband's aunt.

Thursday...when they got there Thursday morning, the Aunt was feeling very poorly. Friend's DH took her to the ER...her blood pressure was extremely high. Of course, Wednesday was the hottest day of the year so far and there is no air conditioning in the house. After getting her taken care of at the ER, he brought her back home...where she slept most of the day. We carried on with the sale.

Friday morning...when I arrived, my friend was calling the doctor's office as the aunt was feeling poorly again. DH took to in and got her taken care of again. Did I mention this lady is 92? Brought her back home...made sure she was eating and drinking. All looked good.

Friday late afternoon...we were starting to pack up when the aunt told my friend that her doctor's office had called and wanted her to go in to the ER for some tests...and we were like "they called at 6???" My friend went in to call the doctor's office - they were closed. She called the ER and they didn't know anything about it. She figured she'd call the doctor's office back in the morning and find out more. We went back to packing up. A couple of minutes later, we hear a siren. I joked "I hope your aunt didn't call 911!" The siren got closer and closer and by the time we could see it, it was slowing down....and turning into our drive!! Goodness!

Long story short: I still don't know much of the details of how that ambulance was called - my friend ended up scooting right out to take her aunt to the ER...I finished packing up the garage sale and headed home. All I know right now is that they are all OK this morning and I'm tired!

Oh, I did get a rock tumbler for myself at the sale!!!

2009-06-24T13:25:00.001-04:00

Do you love to garage sale? Did you even know that garage sale-ing is a verb? If you do love it...and if you are near the Newaygo, MI area on Thursday or Friday this week, come on over and check our out!

A friend and I are combining our stuff so there will be plenty to choose from.

Take a look at the Craig's List ad: http://grandrapids.craigslist.org/gms/1236961017.html

Hope to see you there!!

PS If you stop by and mention my store name "That Is So C U T E" I'll give you a coupon good for free shipping for any purchase from any of my online shops!

http://thatissocute.etsy.com/
http://thatissocute.1000markets.com
http://thatissocute.artfire.com

FW: BEST IDEA I HEARD IN AGES

2009-06-23T08:48:00.001-04:00

Good Housekeeping Tip
Another Maxine Tip...

Always keep several
get well cards on the mantle...
So if unexpected guests arrive,
They will think you've been sick
and unable to clean

2009-06-17T12:01:00.001-04:00

Adding To My Stash!!

Ooh, I'm a happy camper! Stopped at Hobby Lobby yesterday and found some good yarns on clearance! I think I picked up over 10 skeins at $1.19 each!!

Who Says You Can't Play With Your Food??

2009-06-16T11:42:00.001-04:00

2009-06-15T16:51:00.001-04:00

A LIVING SPIDER?

Poke and prod the spider with your mouse. Also 'grab' one of its legs with your mouse and drag it around the screen -- tell me it's not alive!

click here:

http://www.onemotion.com/flash/spider/

And, anywhere on the map, you can hit the space bar. It leaves little bugs where your mouse it - watch the spider go after them. Crazy or creepy?

Computer Dependency: Do We Rely Too Much on Our Computers?

2009-06-09T08:33:00.001-04:00

This is a test to determine if you are too dependent on y our computer.

Are you male or female?

To find the answer, look down.

LOOK down , not SCROLL down !

YOU SCROLLED DOWN, DIDN'T YOU?

THINGS I LEARNED IN THE SOUTH

2009-06-08T11:58:00.001-04:00

1. A possum is a flat animal that sleeps in the middle of the road.
2. There are 5,000 types of snakes and 4,998 of them live in the South.
3. There are 10,000 types of spiders. All 10,000 of them live in the South , plus a couple no one's seen before.
4. If it grows, it'll stick ya. If it crawls, it'll bite cha..
5. 'Onced' and 'Twiced' are words.
6. It is not a shopping cart, it is a buggy!
7. 'Jaw-P?' means 'Did ya'll go to the bathroom?'
8. People actually grow and eat okra.
9. 'Fixinto' is one word.
10. There is no such thing as 'lunch'. There is only dinner and then there is supper.
11. Iced tea is appropriate for all meals and you start drinking it when you're two. We do like a little tea with our sugar.
12. Backwards and forwards means 'I know everything about you.'
13. The word 'jeet' is actually a phrase meaning 'Did you eat?'
14. You don't have to wear a watch, because it doesn't matter what time it is, you work until you're done or it's too dark to see...
15. You don't PUSH buttons, you MASH EM.
16. 'No. Jew?' is a common response to the question 'Did you bring any beer?'
17. You measure distance in minutes.
18. You switch from heat to A/C in the same day.
19. All the festivals across the state are named after a fruit, vegetable, grain, insect or animal.
20. You know what a 'DAWG' is.
21. You carry jumper cables in your car --- for your OWN car.
22. You only own five spices: salt, pepper, Tony's, Tabasco and Ketchup.
23. The local papers cover national and international news on one page, but require 6 pages for local high school sports and motor sports, and gossip.
24. You think that the first day of deer season is a national holiday.
25. You find 100 degrees Fahrenheit 'a bit warm'.
26. You know all four seasons: Almost summer, summer, still summer, and Christmas..
27. Going to Wal-Mart is a favorite past time known as 'goin' Wal-Martin' or 'off to Wally World'.
28. You describe the first cool snap (below 70 degrees) as good chicken stew weather.
29. Fried catfish is the other white meat.
30. We don't need no dang driver's Ed. If our mama says we can drive, we can drive dag-nabbit.

60 USES FOR TABLE SALT

2009-06-05T08:36:00.001-04:00

1. Soak stained hankies in salt water before washing.

2. Sprinkle salt on your shelves to keep ants away.

3. Soak fish in salt water before de scaling; the scales will come off easier.

4. Put a few grains of rice in your salt shaker for easier pouring.

5. Add salt to green salads to prevent wilting.

6. Test the freshness of eggs in a cup of salt water; fresh eggs sink; bad ones float.

7. Add a little salt to your boiling water when cooking eggs; a cracked egg will stay in its shell this way.

8. A tiny pinch of salt with egg whites makes them beat up fluffier.

9. Soak wrinkled apples in a mildly salted water solution to perk them up.

10. Rub salt on your pancake griddle and your flapjacks won't stick.

11. Soak toothbrushes in salt water before you first use them; they will last longer.

12.. Use salt to clean your discolored coffee pot.

13. Mix salt with turpentine to whiten you bathtub and toilet bowl.

14. Soak your nuts,HUH, in salt brine overnight and they will crack out of their shells whole. Just tap the end of the shell with a hammer to break it open easily.

15. Boil clothespins in salt water before using them and they will last longer.

16. Clean brass, copper and pewter with paste made of salt and vinegar, thickened with flour

17. Add a little salt to the water your cut flowers will stand in for a longer life.

18. Pour a mound of salt on an ink spot on your carpet; let the salt soak up the stain.

19. Clean your iron by rubbing some salt on the damp cloth on the ironing surface.

20. Adding a little salt to the water when cooking foods in a double boiler will make the food cook faster.

21. Use a mixture of salt and lemon juice to clean piano keys.

22. To fill plaster holes in your walls, use equal parts of salt and starch, with just enough water to make a stiff putty.

23. Rinse a sore eye with a little salt water.

24. Mildly salted water makes an effective mouthwash. Use it hot for a sore throat gargle.

25. Dry salt sprinkled on your toothbrush makes a good tooth polisher.

26. Use salt for killing weeds in your lawn.

27. Eliminate excess suds with a sprinkle of salt.

28. A dash of salt in warm milk makes a more relaxing beverage.

29. Before using new glasses, soak them in warm salty water for awhile.

30. A dash of salt enhances the taste of tea.

31. Salt improves the taste of cooking apples.

32. Soak your clothes line in salt water to prevent your clothes from freezing to the line; likewise, use salt in your final rinse to prevent the clothes from freezing.

33. Rub any wicker furniture you may have with salt water to prevent yellowing.

34. Freshen sponges by soaking them in salt water.

35. Add raw potatoes to stews and soups that are too salty.

36. Soak enamel pans in salt water overnight and boil salt water in them next day to remove burned-on stains.

37. Clean your greens in salt water for easier removal of dirt.

38. Gelatin sets more quickly when a dash of salt is added.

39. Fruits put in mildly salted water after peeling will not discolor.

40. Fabric colors hold fast in salty water wash.

41. Milk stays fresh longer when a little salt is added.

42. Use equal parts of salt and soda for brushing your teeth.

43. Sprinkle salt in your oven before scrubbing clean.

44. Soaked discolored glass in a salt and vinegar solution to remove stains.

45. Clean greasy pans with a paper towel and salt.

46. Salty water boils faster when cooking eggs.

47. Add a pinch of salt to whipping cream to make it whip more quickly.

48. Sprinkle salt in milk-scorched pans to remove odor.

49. A dash of salt improves the taste of coffee.

50. Boil mismatched hose in salty water and they will come out matched.

51. Salt and soda will sweeten the odor of your refrigerator.

52. Cover wine-stained fabric with salt; rinse in cool water later.

53. Remove offensive odors from stove with salt and cinnamon.

54. A pinch of salt improves the flavor of cocoa.

55. To remove grease stains in clothing, mix one part salt to four parts rubbing alcohol.

56. Salt and lemon juice removes mildew.

57. Sprinkle salt between sidewalk bricks where you don't want grass growing.

58. Polish your old kerosene lamp with salt for a brighter look.

59.. Remove odors from sink drainpipes with a strong, hot solution of salt water.

60. If a pie bubbles over in your oven, put a handful of salt on top of the spilled juice The mess won't smell and will bake into a dry, light crust which will wipe off easily when the oven has cooled.

Giving Up Wine

2009-05-04T09:11:00.001-04:00

I was walking down the street when I was accosted by a particularly dirty and shabby-looking homeless woman who asked me for a couple of dollars for dinner.

I took out my wallet, got out ten dollars and asked, 'If I give you this money, will you buy wine with it instead of dinner?'

'No, I had to stop drinking years ago', the homeless woman told me.

'Will you use it to go shopping instead of buying food?' I asked.

'No, I don't waste time shopping,' the homeless woman said. 'I need to spend all my time trying to stay alive.'

'Will you spend this on a beauty salon instead of food?' I asked.

'Are you NUTS!' replied the homeless woman. I haven't had my hair done in 20 years!'

'Well, I said, 'I'm not going to give you the money.. Instead, I'm going to take you out for dinner with my husband and me tonight.'

The homeless Woman was shocked. 'Won't your husband be furious with you for doing that? I know I'm dirty, and I probably smell pretty disgusting.'

I said, 'That's okay. It's important for him to see what a woman looks like after she has given up shopping, hair appointments, and wine.'

Water Bottles...

2009-04-29T21:07:00.000-04:00

So...I had a convo today from someone wondering my my chocolate chip bottle cozy will fit her klean kanteen. That got me thinking...after all the reports about how bad plastic bottles are...and the reports of stuff leaching out of them...how many of us no longer use plastic bottles? I love the idea of making a cozy to fit a better product that those water bottles that last forever in our landfills. I think I need to go clearance out my water bottle cozies in anticipation of a more environmental friendly cozy. Stay tuned!!

Happy Easter!

2009-04-07T12:52:00.001-04:00

Wishing all of you a wonderful Easter Sunday.

Teaching an old dog new tricks!

2009-04-04T13:52:00.000-04:00

Yup...the old dog - that's me!

The new trick? Using Picnik.com to edit my photos.

I've been using the software that came with my Kodak camera. I thought I was doing ok. Knew how to brighten, crop, etc. Still, I wasn't happy with my pics.

Today, about 7 members of my Etsy team met for coffee and to chat. We had a great time and lots of good ideas were thrown out there. I decided to check one out that I've heard before. And that idea was to use Picnik to edit my photos.

I sharpened the picture, added some color to the background, changed the edges and added my shop name. What do you think? Are you more likely to click on the before or after picture?

Yarn Grafitti?

2009-04-02T12:25:00.000-04:00

One of my Etsy team members posted a link to this story. Check it out. If you're a knitter or crocheter, you'll probably enjoy it. Please, take a few minutes to read the comments left behind. I found those to be even funnier!

April Fools Day!

2009-04-01T07:20:00.000-04:00

April Fools Day is here again. I'm not the kind who typically plays practical jokes on family & friends. Well, not too often! I have one sister who is able to pull off fantstic jokes - usually at her husband's expense.

For example, one year she went to the grocery store, bought a portabello mushroom and gently placed it in her front yard. When her husband came home from work, she made some excuse about going outside and made sure he saw her "find" said mushroom. She made a big deal of "picking" it, and as she was trying to bring it into the house, he was at the door blocking her way! She was telling him that since they were having burgers for dinner anyway, she would add this mushroom. He's going nuts, exclaiming that it could be poisonous! She finally 'fessed up and admitted she bought it at the grocery store.

Another year, she "soiled" the toilet in his bathroom with a brownie...and left it looking that way. He has a sensative stomach and was very upset when he saw that and nearly lost his lunch. I don't think he was much happier when she told him it was only a brownie!

I have to admit, I did get her one time...not on April Fools Day though. We were sharing an apartment and working different shifts. While she was at work on 2nd shift, I was involved in an accident and totaled my car. Had it towed back to our apartment. Called her to see if I could borrow her car the next morning to go to work because "I had a flat tire". Well, techinically, it was true - my tire was flat! Oh, that passenger side door that is now INSIDE the car - yea, that's not good either. She wasn't too happy with me, but happy that I was fine.

So...what are you doing tomorrow?

Another um interesting site to check out

2009-03-31T18:36:00.000-04:00

***warning*** this site is not for those with a weak stomach!

http://thisiswhyyourefat.com/

The Places You'll Go...

2009-03-29T18:46:00.000-04:00

when you browse the Etsy forums!

I always find interesting links in the Etsy forums - especially in the etc. section. Here's one I cam across a few weeks ago:

http://producten.hema.nl/

check it out - it's a clean, fun site!

My Near Escape From My Most Embarrassing Moment at Work

2009-03-16T21:23:00.000-04:00

Wow...that was close! Thank goodness no one was in the lunch room to see it.

Let me start by saying that I usually wear a skirt or dress to work. Believe it or not, they're more comfortable than the dress pants I usually find. This does mean I often have to wear a slip under said dress or skirt.

Today's skirt was black & unlined...needed the slip. No big deal; I remembered to wear it. Well, this afternoon, I walked into the lunch room to grab a cup of coffee and felt something under my foot. Wondered who dropped something and didn't pick it up. Glanced down to find my slip on the ground!!! That darn slip had slipped all the way off and I never felt a thing! I'm so glad that no one else decided to get a cup of coffee at the same time.

Time for a new slip!

Is spring here yet?

2009-03-01T16:06:00.000-05:00

Well, we've had a snow filled winter in our town. Last year we had the 2nd snowiest winter on record and we're on track to beat that this year! We've have over 104 inches of snow this season. And I've got the winter blues. It's been dark & dreary; I've been cold and weary. I wish for sun & warmth...I hope that will energize me. About the only thing that doesn't stop working is my imagination. I still have dozens of things on my mental to-do list. I just need to find that incentive to actually do them.
I do have some book thongs made. I'm trying to come up with an imaginative way to photograph them. I have almost 1 1/2 dozen mini scarves knitted up as well. I'm debating on the kinds of button I want to use on those. And there again, I'm trying to come up with an imaginative way to photograph those.

If you have an idea for photographing, please let me know!

For those friends who only forward things

2009-02-27T13:10:00.001-05:00

You know who they are...unless you're one of them. Friends who forward emails to everyone in their address book. Never do they add a personal note. Never do they remove the previous emails. No longer do you need to wonder how spammers get your email address - it's because of folks like these.

Here's a wonderful letter to "forward" back to them...

I just want to thank all of you for your educational e-mails over the past year.
I am totally screwed up now and have little chance of recovery.
I no longer open a public bathroom door without using a paper towel or have them put lemon slices in my ice water without worrying about the bacteria on the lemon peel.
I can't use the remote in a hotel room because I don't know what the last person was doing while flipping through the adult movie channels.
I can't sit down on the hotel bedspread because I can only imagine what has happened on it since it was last washed.
I have trouble shaking hands with someone who has been driving because the number one pastime while driving alone is picking one's nose (although cell phone usage may be taking the number one spot).
Eating a little snack sends me on a guilt trip because I can only imagine how many gallons of trans fats I have consumed over the years.
I can't touch any woman's purse for fear she has placed it on the floor of a public bathroom.
I MUST SEND MY SPECIAL THANKS to whoever sent me the one about poop in the glue on envelopes because I now have to use a wet sponge with every envelope that needs sealing.
ALSO, now I have to scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason.
I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl (Penny Brown) who is about to die in the hospital for the 1,387,258th time.
I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Bill Gates/Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program.
I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me, and St. Theresa's Novena has granted my every wish.
I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers.
I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day.
THANKS TO YOU I have learned that my prayers only get answered if I forward an e-mail to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes.
BECAUSE OF YOUR CONCERN, I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains.
I no longer can buy gasoline without taking someone along to watch the car so a serial killer won't crawl in my back seat when I'm pumping gas.
I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr. Pepper since the people who make these
products are atheists who refuse to put 'Under God' on their cans.
I no longer use Saran Wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer.
AND THANKS FOR LETTING ME KNOW I can't boil a cup of water in the microwave anymore because it will blow up in my face... disfiguring me for life.
I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS.
I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me.
I no longer receive packages from UPS or Fed Ex since they are actually AlQaeda in disguise.
I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support ourAmerican troops or the Salvation Army.
I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan .
I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe.
THANKS TO YOU I can't use anyone's toilet but mine because a big brown African spider is lurking under the seat to cause me instant death when it bites my butt.
AND THANKS TO YOUR GREAT ADVICE I can't ever pick up $5.00 dropped in the parking lot because it probably was placed there by a sex molester waiting underneath my car to grab my leg.
I can no longer drive my car because I can't buy gas from certain gas companies!
I can't do any gardening because I'm afraid I'll get bitten by the brown recluse and my hand will fall off.
If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 p.m. tomorrow afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump.
I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician . . .
Oh, by the way.....A German scientist from Argentina , after a lengthy study, has discovered that people with insufficient brain activity read their e-mail with their hand on the mouse.Don't bother taking it off now, it's too late.

Time Keeps On Slippin'

2009-02-15T20:42:00.001-05:00

Yes, as the old song goes...so does my life these days. Time keeps on slippin' away from me. I'm getting older and times moves along faster it seems. But I really don't see myself as a time-waster...or at least not in excess. I always have way more things I want to do than I have time to do them.

I know I could utilize my time more wisely but I think most of us need some down time. Time to recharge both our mental & physical "batteries". That is what my so-called wasted time usually is...recharging time. You may call it something else. Relaxation. Silence. Meditation. Peace.
I love to read and haven't read as much in the past few months as usual. So...that's back on my list of to-do's. I bought a new book several weeks ago...and I'm keeping it unread until a special time comes that I know I"ll have hours and hours to read it. Years ago I read the book "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett. I loved it! Recently Follett came out with a sequal "World Without End" and when it came out in paperback, I grabbed a copy. And even though I can't wait to read it...I will wait until I can savor it for the first time.

I also love to reread my favorite books. I have several authors whose books I will buy and keep. And even though I may have read their books several times, they are such good authors that their books are worth reading over & over.

I love the tactical sense of holding a book...and holding a page in anticipation of turning it and learning more about the challenges facing my favorite character or the most welcome payback my least favorite character is getting.

What is your favorite way to recharge?

A Kiss

2009-02-13T12:14:00.000-05:00

I found this in my inbox this morning...and just wanted to share in honor of Valentine's Day!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
IF COLLEGE PROFESSORS HAD TO DESCRIBE A KISS

COMPUTER SCIENCE"A kiss is a few bits of love compiled into a byte."

ALGEBRA"A kiss is two divided by nothing."

PHYSICS"A kiss is a contraction of the mouth due to an expansion of the heart."

CHEMISTRY"A kiss is the reaction resulting from the interaction between two hearts."

ACCOUNTING"A kiss must be considered an investment that is profitable when returned."

ECONOMICS"A kiss is one of those things for which the demand is always higher than the
supply."

PHILOSOPHY"A kiss is persecution for the child, ecstasy for the youth, and homage for the old."

THEOLOGY"A kiss is divine."

EARTH SCIENCES"A kiss is a clean, green, renewable energy resource that works best when recycled often."

PHARMACOLOGY"A kiss is an oral stimulant taken by mouth that can often cure what ails you."

LAW"A kiss is when the party of the first part and the party of the second part have reached a mutually beneficial understanding that two (2) pair of lips shall co-exist in, for all practical purposes, the same space and time for a temporary period."

POLITICAL SCIENCE"A kiss is that which will cost your career if experienced with anyone other than your spouse."

ENGINEERING"I'm sorry. I'm not familiar with that word."

[selected from About.com with lots of additional material by Mark Raymond]

Winter in Michigan

2009-01-26T12:44:00.000-05:00

Winter is almost over and we can see the deer wandering around now.

Check it out!

Retirement...

2009-01-24T23:19:00.001-05:00

I finally figured out what to do with all those email that are forwarded to me...share them with you! Hope you enjoy this one.

RETIREMENT Q and A
Q. When you're retired, how do you know which day of the week it is?
A. That's easy. Six Saturdays, one Sunday.

Q. When does a retiree go to bed?
A. Three hours after falling asleep on the couch.

Q. How many retirees does it take to change a light bulb?
A. Only one, but it might take all day to do it.

Q. What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
A. Not enough time to get everything done.

Q. Why don't retirees mind being called seniors?
A. Because at this stage of life that word carries a 10% discount.

Q. Among retirees, what is considered formal attire?
A. Shoes you have to tie.

Q. Why do retirees count pennies?
A. They're the only ones who have the time to do it.

Q. Why are retirees so slow to clean out the attic/basement/garage?
A. Because they know as soon as they do, one of their children or grandchildren will want to live there or store their own stuff there.

Q. What do retirees call a long lunch?
A. Normal.

Q. What's the biggest advantage of going back to school when you retire?
A. If you cut class, no one can call your parents.

Q. Why does a retiree say he or she doesn't miss the work, but misses the people he or she used to work with?
A. The retiree is just too polite to tell the whole truth.

Coupon time!

2009-01-18T21:36:00.000-05:00

OK...I love it - the 40% off one item is back at Hobby Lobby this week! Now...what do I need?

http://www.hobbylobby.com/weekly/weekly.cfm?page=2

Brrr....cold weather means it's time for soup!

2009-01-16T20:47:00.000-05:00

and here's one of my favorites - it's easy, quick and hearty!

Ingredients:
1 pound ground beef (or ground turkey)
1 large can of V-8 vegetable juice
1 16 oz package of frozen mixed veggies
1 package beef ramen noodle soup mix
1 envelope onion soup mix
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
In large sauce pan, brown ground beef and drain. Add all the other ingredients and simmer until noodles & veggies are cooked.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

That's it! This one is so easy we even make it in a crock pot at work. Serve with fresh bread and a slice of cheese...yummy!

Alternate uses for coffee filters

2009-01-15T17:32:00.000-05:00

I love coffee....and always have coffee filters around. Do you? If so, here are some alternate used for coffee filters. Coffee filters..who knew! And you can buy 1,000 at the Dollar Tree for almost nothing.

1. Cover bowls or dishes when cooking in the microwave. Coffee filters make excellent covers.
2. Clean windows and mirrors. Coffee filters are lint-free so they'll leave windows sparkling.
3. Protect China . Separate your good dishes by putting a coffee filter between each dish.
4. Filter broken cork from wine. If you break the cork when opening a wine bottle, filter the wine through a coffee filter. Or if you make your own from crushed grapes..And want to filter your wine..this would do .
5. Protect a cast-iron skillet. Place a coffee filter in the skillet to absorb moisture and prevent rust.
6. Apply shoe polish. Ball up a lint-free coffee filter.
7. Recycle frying oil. After frying, strain oil through a sieve lined with a coffee filter.
8. Weigh chopped foods. Place chopped ingredients in a coffee filter on a kitchen scale.
9. Hold tacos. Coffee filters make convenient wrappers for messy foods.
10. Stop the soil from leaking out of a plant pot. Line a plant pot with a coffee filter to prevent the soil from going through the drainage holes.
11. Prevent a Popsicle from dripping. Poke one or two holes as needed in a coffee filter.
12. Do you think we used expensive strips to wax eyebrows? Use strips of coffee filters.
13. Put a few in a plate and put your fried bacon, French fries, chicken .&..butch..this holiday season.. fingers, etc on them. Soaks out all the grease.
14. Keep in the bathroom. They make great "razor nick fixers." or a-- wipe?? . . . Being that it is soooo absorbant..

A little something to drive you nuts

2009-01-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

Try this one when your brain gets tired. My oldest daughter a linke to here (click here) to me...I've tried it and got it to change colors exactly 2 times so far!

Please give it a try and let me know how many times you were able to click on the ball.

Winter continues here in Michigan...

2009-01-06T12:59:00.001-05:00

thought I'd share some wintertime humor with you all!

Merry Christmas To All!

2008-12-25T12:11:00.000-05:00

And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow

Stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?

It came without ribbons. It came without tags.

It came without packages, boxes, or bags.

And he puzzled and puzzled 'til his puzzler was sore.

Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.

What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store?

What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more?

-- Theodore Giesel

Did you miss your favorite Christmas Classic?

2008-12-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

Then check out this website: http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2008/12/christmas-tel-1.html

I'm seeing lots of regular TV show episodes listed like Bewitches, All In The Family & Happy Days. Come on, grab a cup of cocoa and sit a spell...(and yes, the Beverly Hillbillies are there too!)

Merry Christmas to all!

Tragic news...

2008-12-23T12:09:00.000-05:00

Slightly Twisted Words

2008-12-23T07:20:00.000-05:00

One letter spelling changes that provide a whole new meaning.

Skilljoy: The friend who's just a little bit better than you at everything.
Larger-Than-Wife: How a husband prudently describes other women.
IOUprofen: The economy's current drug of choice.
Loingerie: Underwear for men.
Igloot: Cold, hard, cash.
Limpostor: A perfectly healthy person who borrows a car with handicapped tags or plates.
Insulatte: The little cardboard sleeve around the coffee cup.
Knewledge: All the stuff you've forgotten.

Ok, you know I didn't make these up. I got them from my daily email called Mark's Musings. Click here if you want to subscribe. [selected from the Washington Post Style Invitational]

Wine Bottle Cozy - a work in progress

2008-12-11T22:28:00.000-05:00

I'm not quite done with this yet...still need to add some grape leaves and some trailing vines. And it looks to me like someone grabbed that sweetest grape at the botton and ate it! Just might have to add 1 more grape!

Birdhouses Galore!

2008-12-06T21:00:00.000-05:00

Wow...I've just finished listing a ton of birdhouses in my Etsy & 1000 Markets stores.

I still have 7 more to list! But no more tonight.

These are fun to make. I do a step at a time. Knit bases. Knit roofs. Full (felt). Shape. Air dry. Needle felt. Pick twigs for perch. Stuff. Add ribbon. Take pics.

19 times over. No, really. Do each step 19 times before going on to the next!

Please, if you know a bird lover or a felt lover or a Christmas ornament nut, send 'em over!

I now Own This Hour on Own The Hour

2008-11-30T09:04:00.000-05:00

I just learned of this site yesterday because of a comment left by a reader of this blog - thanks Moxylyn!

I stopped by her blog and did some reading and Own The Hour was one thing she talked about. It is so easy! I just pick up to 2 available hours...add a link to an item from my etsy store, and pay using a credit card or Pay pal! The best part - the hours were on sale...10 cents instead of the usual 50.

Can you find my item there?

Don't You Just Hate It When

2008-11-29T20:18:00.000-05:00

you're looking for something and cannot find it?

I'm in the middle of finishing up my bitty bags...and I need the larger grommet for it. I know I have some extra large silver grommets along with the setter here someplace...but I can't find them. I even cleaned up in several areas, hoping to come across them to no avail. I did find the bronze ones which will work well with most of my bags..but I need that larger setter! I really don't want to go out and buy it again!

1000 Markets has featured lil 'ole me!

2008-11-29T10:40:00.000-05:00

Wow! I went to take a quick peek at my 1000 Markets shop and checked out the markets...clicked on the Handmade Haven one and saw myself! Doing the happy dance!

Makes me wish I had gotten around to listing new items yesterday!

Collapsable Light Box

2008-11-28T16:08:00.001-05:00

I'm been trying to improve my pictures for my online shops. I bought a new camera last year and that helped a lot. It had a lot of settings I'm still learning how to use such as the white balance. Just a few weeks ago, I lucked out and found a tripod at Goodwill for a few bucks. This will help as well. It can be so hard to hold that camera steady.

As I live in Michigan, it's very hard to get good weather for taking outdoor picutres during Nov - April. We can go 30+ days without sunshine...or much of it. And many of those partially sunny days occur while I'm at work. But, recently I bought a collapsable light box. I had made my own light box using an old cardboard box and tissue paper. The tissue paper lasted all of 3 minutes before it tore. So, I used tracing paper instead. Much better! Except that even my large sheets of tracing paper were smaller than the sides of the box which meant taping them together which meant you could see that in some pics. I'm excited to try out my new light box. Hope you all can tell the difference.

later!

Too Aquarius

2008-11-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

and to keep entering! In the meanwhile...let me tell you something about one of the artists featured in this give-away. Her shop name is Too Aquarius

I've loved her shop for some time. I've hearted both her shop and some of her items a long time ago. Who is this of whom I speak? Read on to find out... I convo'd her and just threw a few questions out there for her to answer. I love that she shared so much.

How long have you worked with polymer clay? I've been working with polymer clay for ten years this fall! It was the perfect way to relax during a difficult pregnancy.

What is your favorite thing about working with polymer clay? That has to be the fact that you can do just about anything with it - classy, high end jewelry, bright, funny figures, beautiful sculpture, games, toys, vessels... I'm still just starting it feels like.

What is your best piece of advice for someone who wants to start working with clay? To just give it a try. Pick a few packs of colours you want, take small pieces and squish it. Remember how much you liked Play-doh? This is just as cool! And then, have some patience with yourself if it's not perfect right away.

Do you have a book or tutorial to recommend? My book recommendation, for newbies and as a reference is Sue Heaser's The Encyclopedia of Polymer Clay Techniques. My favourite website is http://www.polymerclaycentral.com though I have tutorials on my site too! (http://www.tooaquarius.com)

Is this your full time occupation? It's my part-time / second job. The other half of my work is as a freelance web developer, so I'm lucky to have the time and flexibility to work on my clay.

How did you pick this medium? I began selling beaded jewelry in high school, at shows with my grandmother and as I got further into it, I started to spend too much money on the beautiful glass beads I liked. I taught myself clay to subsidize my bead habit and it ended up taking over my focus!

What else would you like to tell us about yourself? Oh! The chance to talk about me and my obsessions! My focus has always been on beads and millefiori (the graphic images on the beads) and that's what I sell on Etsy between my two shops. I'm always interested in requests or completely custom orders and happy to answer questions!

Please - go visit her shops - they're fabulous! I think I need to get one of her tutorials since I've bought quite a bit of clay...and tools...and books...and even a pasta machine! Now I need to do something with those!

Beneath The Tree update

2008-11-27T22:24:00.000-05:00

So, I finished the Beneath The Tree event last week end. Well, I say I finished, but really, all I had to do was drop off my items with an inventory list and then pick them up. So easy. I did make it our Friday night to all the homes. They all looked great and had great things. I did buy a few things...and found more to put on my own wish list.

I certainly hope to do this show again next year.

Etsy West Michigan Gift Guide is Here!

2008-11-16T15:52:00.000-05:00

If you're in the West Michigan area and prefer to shop local, you're in for a treat! Check out our Etsy West Michigan Gift Guide. It gives gift ideas for babies, women, teenagers, men, secret santas and more!

http://etsywestmichigan.blogspot.com/2008/11/gift-guide.html

1000 Markets

2008-11-11T18:15:00.001-05:00

I now have a new place to sell my items. Please check out my new shop at 1000 Markets! It doesn't have many items yet...but you will find different things than you see at my Etsy store.

http://www.1000markets.com/users/thatissocute

Sweet Figments Blog is hosting The Blog A Day Giveaway!

2008-11-01T12:31:00.000-04:00

If you love giveaways, you've got to check this one out! Sweet Figments Blog is hosting a giveaway this month and it is a massive one! 30 amazing prizes to giveaway.

TO ENTER: This is a little different than our usual giveaways but I thought it would be fun since most of us will be shopping for holiday gifts anyways. Browse through our wonderful list of giveaway contributors, find shops or items you like and write about them on your blog, Myspace, Ning site or any other type of post that you can link to. Then, go to Sweet Figments and leave a comment with your contact info (email address) and a link to the blog post and tell us who you blogged about. If you are busy or you miss a day or two you can blog about up to 2 shops per day.

GENERAL GUIDELINES:
If you blog about more than 1 shop per day you will have to post up seperate comments for each individual shop you blogged about for it to count. For example if you posted about 2 shops the first comment would say "I blogged about shop1 here: http://shop1.etsy.com/" and the second comment would say I blogged about shop2 here: http://shop2.etsy.com/

♥ Enter once for each shop! That's up to 30 times! 30 chances to win!

♥ International residents can enter too!

♥ Contest starts Oct 31st and ends December 4th at 11:59pm (GMT)

♥ Winners will be drawn using a random number generator and a winners list will be posted on Dec 8th. Be sure to check back to claim your prize.

BLOG IDEAS:Here are some fun topics and ideas for you to blog about!
♥ Blog about your favorite item from a shop along with a photo and link to the shop

♥ Pick something that reminds you of a story from your life and tell us about it

♥ Post about who you would buy a gift for from a shop

♥ Pretend to be a critic and review a shop

♥ Create a questionaire for a shop owner to fill out

♥ Choose 4 items from the shop that you think work together as a group (by colour, pattern etc.) ♥ Post about your wishlist from one of the shop
♥ Tell us why you like the shop
♥ Pick an item from X shop as great gift idea for "Dad" or "Grandma" or one of those hard-to-buy-for-people
♥ get a shop owner to fill out a meme
♥ If you are a past customer of one of these shops tell us about your experience shopping with them.

GIVEAWAY CONTRIBUTORS:

♥ Fruit Variety Candle Gift Set from Moodwax, $26
♥ 15 oz. palm/beeswax blend pillar scented in our Cinnamon Spice essential oil blend from BeSem Natural Scents, $20
♥ Ice Crystal Resin Necklace from PennyDogAccessories, $24

♥ Xmas Dancer Gift Set from kittyhawke, $95
♥ Snow Bunny washi covered notebook and a Japanese fabric badge set from Asking For Trouble, $21
♥ Fabric Shopping Bag and Earrings from avocadocreations, $28

♥ Desert Dreams Hairsticks from stringmealong, $15

♥ Rose Quartz and Leather Earrings from HeartofaCowgirl, $16.95

♥ Handbound Leather Journal (7x4, 300 pgs) from myhandboundbooks, $30

♥ STUD from museacdonline, $18.50
♥ Silver plated Marsa Ring ,Two Beaded beads and Polymer Clay Flower Pillow Bead from dicopebisuteria, $24
♥ Island Vibe burp cloth from SnugBugClothing, $22

♥ Red Hum Love - Original Scratchboard from TidbitsandBits, $25
♥ Pink and Green box from gmistudio, $15
♥ Limited Edition Cloud Print Wristlet from TheTinyFig, $28

♥ Evergreen Earrings from GenuineArticle, $35

♥ Your choice of any pewter pendant from 2monkees, $15

♥ For the Birds - Felted Birdhouse Ornament in Pinks & Browns from thatissocute, $15

♥ Black and White Floral Bangle from tooaquarius, $25

♥ Orbitals 3-strand Wire Crochet Bracelet 'mod dots' in purple from pomomamadesign, $25

♥ Marbled Earth Earrings from chendric, $18

♥ Sweet Tooth Gift Set from threeofwands, $26.75

♥ Loves Me, Loves Me Knot from xiztance, $40

♥ Lucky Fishpond Necklace from majentadesigns, $15

♥ Hazy Raindrop Earrings from zahour, $35

♥ Shark Attack Dog Leash from Organidog, $15

♥ Sterling Silver Drip Necklace from BeadsInTheBelfry, $25

♥ A Little Black Box from littleblackboxes, $23

♥ Falling Leaves - Hand Spun Merino Wool from jilldrapermakesstuff, $20

♥ Custom Gift Set (Scrub, Butter, and Perfume) in White Gift Box with Ribbon from thegardenbath, $25

Good luck to all and Happy Blogging!

I've been critiqued!

2008-10-23T07:03:00.000-04:00

So, like many of you I imagine, I follow a number of blogs. I think I've got over 40 right now in my RSS feed... and let me just say this first...Thanks to those of you who do NOT update every day! I wouldn't be able to keep up.

Anyway, one blog I follow In The Night Kitchen does writing critiques...and by leaving comments on her blog, you have a chance to be selected for the next critique. I finally got up the nerve to leave comments, knowing I might be reading about how I do so much wrong. I was selected and I'm so happy! Amy did a great job and was very gentle on my ego. Please check out her blog.

I was so excited when I saw that I was featured here...and even more so when I saw how she took my description and gave it some WOW & POW. As I told her, she made ME want to go out and buy my own product!

now...if only I can get her to critique all the other items in my shop...

Shuttered Mirror - my new display unit

2008-10-14T19:40:00.000-04:00

So, I went shopping at lunch...to Hobby Lobby. Love that store. I had a 40% off coupon. I also had a gift card. I no longer have either.

Instead, I found this amazing shuttered mirror in the clearance isle. The mirror is etched in two of the corners. It has a base so it stands by itself. I'm going to open the doors and hang some of my items from those doors.

and no...since it was on clearance, I used the coupon on something else.

Cozies: what are they?

2008-10-11T09:07:00.000-04:00

noun pl. -·zies
a knitted or padded cover placed over a teapot to keep the contents hot
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I make cozies...except mine ( and many other people's cozies) fit things other than teapots. By taking a quick look in Etsy's categories this is a list of subcategories under:

Accessories/Cozy:

beer
bottle
cell phone
checkbook
coffee
laptop
lip balm
mp3
passport
tissue

and under Housewares/Cozy:

appliance cozy
beer cozy
bottle cozy
coffee pot cozy
cup cozy
teapot cozy
tissue box cozy
turntable cozy
wine bottle cozy
wine glass cozy

and under Knitting/Cozy:

bottle cozy
cell phone cozy
cup cozy
mp3 cozy
teapot cozy

Now...how did I tag my cozies?

etsywmi team

2008-10-07T23:47:00.001-04:00

etsywmi team,
originally uploaded by cjmeinke.

You've heard me blog about our first trunk show...well, here's a picture of the 11 of us who participated. What a great group.

Stay tuned as we're heading into the planning (we hope) of our own Etsy West Michigan Craft Show...sometime in 2009.

Etsy West Michigan Trunk Show: update

2008-09-27T19:13:00.000-04:00

We had a beautiful day for our Trunk Show...even though it was indoors. Our room was big enough to have space for 11 of us! For me it was a learning experience...figuring out how to set up my table. I did not even try anything fancy! I did get lots of compliments...but alas, they were not followed through with many sales.

It was great to meet other team members in person. I was so tempted to buy from you gals! I had to keep telling myself I was there to sell...not buy.

Sneak Peek: Wine bottle cozies

2008-09-26T14:56:00.000-04:00

Just took a quick pic last night as I set these out to air dry. They're all coming along to my Trunk Show tomorrow. If any are left, I'll list them either on Etsy or a new place - GoZabo.

Are You a Yarn Snob?

2008-09-23T07:11:00.000-04:00

Do you knit? Do you crochet? Are you a consumers of hand knitted and/or hand crocheted items? If so, please take my poll!

2008-09-20T15:47:00.000-04:00

Keep Knittin’
By an unkown Irish poet

When the folks next to you act like those in the zoo,
A grumbling, growlin’ and spittin’. It’s a pretty good plan
To be calm as you can, and do something useful-like knittin’.

When gossipin’ Susan, with poison-barbed tongue
Comes into the room where you are sittin’, and starts to defame
Some neighbor’s good name, count stitches out loud—
And keep knittin’.

When there is a light misunderstanding at church
And others hint broadly of quittin’, the very best thing you can
Do is sing...and stay at your post, and keep knittin’.

In the middle of problems, the big ones and small
It’s always most proper and fittin’
To trust and to pray till the Lord shows the way
And go right ahead with your knittin’.

First Box shipping off to college...

2008-09-12T20:34:00.001-04:00

So, we packed up the mini-van last month and took our daughter to college. And, yes...it was pretty packed. And almost every other day, I get a phone call or an email..."I need this" or "Can you send me that?"

The first box I shipped includes:

about 6 pairs of shoes (mostly dress shoes still in boxes)
about 6 purses
about 6 belts
water bottle
her favorite DVD
a pair of jeans
some old dishtowels/dishclothes
some of those 3-M removable hooks
a corded phone
an extension cord
a backpack
some trial mix
some dried cranberries
some of those peach ring candy

I think that's about all! I'm so thankful I work in an office where we have UPS come and pick up every day...no waiting in line at the post office...insurance included....and I can pay through payroll deduction!

Stay tuned for the contents of box # 2...should be shipping early next week!

Trunk Show: September 27th!

2008-09-11T07:05:00.000-04:00

Pssstttt..... I'm going to take part in a Trunk Show featuring our own West Michigan Etsy Artisans! Mark your calendars for September 27th...

Who: 10 Etsy West Michigan members

What: Trunk Show

Where: Gymnastiks Unlimited in Hudsonville

When: September 27, 2008

Why: Because You Took the Handmade Pledge!

Current projects...

2008-09-07T15:26:00.001-04:00

I have several projects I'm working on. I have my knitted/felted candy cane ornaments almost ready...I can't wait to see how these turn out. Here's a "before" pic:

They look like a mess this way, right?

I'm also working on some great hostess gifts...felted wine bottle cozies.
Wait, they're not done yet!

And just this week, I've started some coasters. I'm glad school has started as it gives me some "me" time after my son goes to bed!

Antique Roadshow - con't

2008-08-25T13:07:00.000-04:00

So, I was expecting to stand for hours and hours in line...happily, that was not the case! Our time was 9:00 AM and it was recommended that we get there about 30 or so minutes before that. We got there right at 8:30 (after making sure to have breakfast & coffee!). Looked like we were the 2nd main group. There were still several lines left of the 8:00 group. Many people brought chairs. I'm glad we didn't as we really didn't have time to sit. We might have been at a stand still for a few minutes..but then we move right along a few feet.

After only 1 hour, we were at the front of the line...the front of this line that is! We were at the area where they gave us tickets telling us which lines to take our items to. We had: photography, Asian Arts, and pottery/porcelain. So, off to photography we went. This is where we waited the longest...close to 30 minutes. And we were only about the 5th ones in this line. However, I think our expert had taken a break. After she returned, things moved along much faster. Then we hit Pottery/Porcelain only to be told that my tea set was worth about $125.00. Off to Asian Arts where I was told my bookends were worth about $30.00. We were done! In about 1 more hour.

Hey, this gave us time to take in an antique store, the local farmer's market, check out a new restaurant for lunch, and a few more stores...and still get home when hubbies were expecting us. All in all it was a fun day. I hope I can do it again sometime!

Antique Road Show

2008-08-10T19:32:00.000-04:00

So...a few months ago, one of my friends asked me to apply for tickets for the Antique Roadshow as it was coming to Grand Rapids for the very first time. I didn't want to at first as I'm not a huge antique-y person. But I did...I figured she and her husband could go. Of all of the people she asked to apply for tickets, I was the only one lucky enough to win a pair. And since her husband didn't want to go, I went...and am I glad I did!

Figured as long as I was going, I might as well bring a few things....at first, I could only think of one thing to bring: a set of Snow White & seven dwarfs figurines that my mom bought years ago at an Estate Sale. Here they are:

But, these have absolutely no markings on the bottom...and quickly browsing some collector website, I couldn't find anything like them...leading me to think they might be everyday ordinary figurines.

So, I looked around and spotted a couple of other items I'm interested in learning more about. I took a few quick pictures and put them on Flickr...then went to the Etsy forums and asked which of the three people thought I should bring. Here are the other 2 items:

A Japenese teaset and Indonesian carved wooden book ends.

Almost everyone said I should bring the teaset and the bookends...and that was my gut feeling so that's what I brought.

Stay tuned for more later!!

Etsy Day in Grand Rapids

2008-08-05T07:08:00.001-04:00

So...if you're familiar with the Grand Rapids Michigan area, you have probably heard about the Fulton Street Farmer's Market. It's been there as long as I can remember and I'ved lived here over 27 years!

What you might not have heard about is the Fulton Street Artisan Market (FSAM). Same place. Takes place on Sundays from 11-3. Artisan's only. And, on August 17th, it's going to feature our local West Michigan Etsy Artisans. How neat is that?

Come on out on the 17th...it'll be some great shopping.

Basic Black Beautiful Bodacious Bag

2008-07-26T15:34:00.000-04:00

So, I made something for the first time...and I'm so happy with how it turned out! I made this bag as part of a trade over on Etsy:

I was browsing some blogs and came across Handmade By Annabelle's blog
http://www.handmadebyannabelle.blogspot.com/ where I just fell in love with her rag coiled basket in blue & brown. The basket is a gorgeous shade of blue with brown dots and the liner is brown with dots in the same blue. I asked Annabelle a question about the diameter of this basket and in the same convo, asked if she might be interested in trading. She answered my question, but said nothing about trading so I figured she wasn't interested. We traded a couple more convos and then she asked if I ever made purses. Well, not yet I hadn't but I have been wanting to try. A few more convos later, we had decided on this bag. So, I've been busy knitting and felting...and just finished it up today! I hope Annabelle loves it as much as I love my basket!

My basket is a great size. I love that the liner actually has the "right" side of the fabric on both sides - that's attention to detail! I'm going to throw some of my balls of yarn into it - won't that look cute?

Well, let me know what you think of my first attempt at a purse. I added removable handles. The ones I'm including with the purse are black felted wool. But, they can easily be removed and replaced with ribbon, a scarf, chain, etc to change the look. I can just see someone putting a hot pink or red scarf through this to match that special outfit...Wow - I've got to go start knitting one for myself. I may just have to needle felt the letter C. U. T. E. on mine as advertising...

Have a happy day!

OMG - My Van Is Gone!

2008-07-23T07:09:00.001-04:00

What a way to wake up yesterday! I got out of the shower...and was pouring my first cup of coffee when I happened to glance out my back window. And my jaw just dropped to the floor - my mini-van (yes, I drive one - it's great for garage sale-ing or craft shows!) was gone - right out of the garage. I quickly went through the house to make sure all our drivers were still tucked into beds...husband - check, 18 year old - check, and my older daughter was already at work and her car was gone - check. But I gave her a call anway. No, she didn't take my car. But, she did notice that my van was gone when she left for work (and she didn't think to check on that - have I failed somewhere?) but she just thought daddy took it. She also noticed that someone had gotten into her car (parked in back of the house) and the junk car.

So, I call the police...report it stolen...no, I haven't given permission for anyone to take it. They take the details and say they'll send someone over. He's there pretty quick. As he's taking down the information, his radio goes off: "we think we've found it...corner of x and x...occupied". He quickly gets up and tells me he'll be back. Wow, that corner is only about a block away!! A few minutes later he's back telling me to grab my keys as it is my van! Hooray...I think. Wait, I wonder if it's damaged...did "they" do anything foolish like a robbery or high-speed chase while driving it? He assures me it looks fine. We get there and it does! However, I can't touch it until they process it for fingerprints.

So...they get done and I'm free to take it home. Wow, I'm a mess by the time I get home - literally! Have you ever dealt with fingerprint powder? It sticks. It sticks good. I call in to work...um, I'm going to be a bit late. They're fine with it, really, I have a great boss! A bunch of paper towels and Formula 409 later, it's much better. I can actually touch things without my hands turning black from that powder.

So, did they take anything? Yes... They also left things behind. They stole the van and then went shopping for deoderant, toothbrush, toothpaste and some lotion. They also went to a fast food place. Left all of that stuff when they ran as soon as they spotted the cops. And no, they weren't caught - took off running. I have some items missing...phone charger, a used pair of Sketchers, and a portable CD/Radio player (used because my radio isn't currently working in the van). Make a mess of everything else in there...

All in all, I'm happy to have gotten my van back that quickly! About a 1 in a million have that happen the cop told me.

Free Shipping through July 31st!

2008-07-20T18:32:00.000-04:00

It's Christmas In July time over at Etsy.com. A number of shops are participating. I'm offering free shipping on my whole store. I've blogged more about it here: http://thatissocute.blogspot.com/2008_07_01_archive.html#3644127131142647348

Come on over and get an early start!

A sneak peek at my newest items

2008-07-20T18:23:00.000-04:00

I'm so excited. I was out looking at blogs and came across one by this Etsy seller, Handmade By Annebelle. Just fell in love with one of her coiled baskets. I convo'd her with a question and asked if she would be interested in trading. She answered my question and when she didn't mention anything about trading, I figured I'd have to save for it. About 2 convo's later, she asked me if I ever felted purses! Not yet, but I've been wanting to. So, we threw around some ideas and came to an agreement. This adorable basket is now mine: http://www.etsy.com/view_transaction.php?transaction_id=9521500

I've got her bag knitted and will be felting a load later tonight. Once it dries, I'll attach the handles, list the reserved bag and it's on it's way to her. Here's a sneak peek at the bag:

and also a few other new items I'll be felting.

bet you can't guess what these will be...

how about these?

check back to find out!

Christmas In July over on Etsy.com!

2008-07-12T22:13:00.000-04:00

Come on over to Etsy. We have probably at least 200 sellers who are/will be doing a Christmas In July sale. Wow - over 200 - and you're asking "Sure, and how am I supposed to find them?" It will actually be pretty easy. We've had a number of forum threads about this and the main thing all these stores will have in common will be that tag "christmasinjuly".

What are tags? How do they work? Tags are keywords used to sort items on Etsy.

To shop the Christmas In July sale, simply go to http://etsy.com and then on any page in the top banner, in the empty box just to the left of the word "search" type in this tag: christmasinjuly. Yes, leave the spaces out! I just did this and found 32 pages of results. Then I added the tag "ornament" and my results were down to 4 pages. So, if you're looking for something specific, add that word. If not, just enjoy looking around!

Each seller is deciding what they are doing for their sale...it could be Christmas items, it could be a percentage off sale, it could be free shipping or gift wrapping. I'll be checking out the shop announcements to see what the seller is offering.

Most shops are running the sale from July 20-31. A few have mentioned they'll be running a sale all month.

Any questions? Leave me a comment and I'll get back to you.

thanks!!

Update on our deposit dilemna

2008-07-09T07:55:00.000-04:00

So, we are working on a letter to send this landlord...sending it via certified mail, asking for our full deposit back. I'll keep you updated as to how that goes!

Meanwhile, I'll be blogging in more detail about this and previous vacations experiences on my new blog: Sisters On Vacation. http://sistersonvacation.blogspot.com

One neat thing - I posted a question on the forums at http://tripAdvisor.com/ Great site by the way if you'll be traveling. They have lots of info and reviews on places to stay, things to do, where to eat, etc. Anyway, I've had someone already ask me who I rented from - they wanted to make sure they aren't renting from the same person! Turns out they aren't, but we are mentioning this in our letter...and telling them we will be using the power of the Internet if they don't return our deposit.

Grrr...they're trying to keep our deposit!

2008-07-05T17:43:00.001-04:00

So, as we do every 2 years, my sisters and I (husband & kids included) all rented a house together for our vacation. This year we ended up changing our place within a few weeks of renting because we ended up with fewer people than originally planned. The price was reasonable...but I was a little nervous because their website (they are part of VRBO.com) did not have any comments from previous renters. This is what they told us:
And I usually don't ask the visitors to put remarks on there. I have several properties through vrbo. Which you can click on the link that says. See all my other listings. And I make sure that they are in great conditions. I do have a lady that just stayed and I can ask her to put some comments in if it makes you more comfortable. But I am always on top of my properties and have never had a. Complaint

Well, we do have a complaint - they are trying to keep our deposit! Unfortunately we did not think to take pics as we left the place as we found it. They are claiming that we did some small things:
~ in one bathroom, they have a black bear toilet paper holder...one foot of this bear was already off when our party arrived. They claim we did this.
~ in another bathroom, there is a piece of the tub faucet gone - this is how it was when we arrived but they are claiming we did this.
~ in the kitchen, a cabinet door hinge came loose. They are claiming we broke the hinge. This is normal wear-n-tear and not something you keep a deposit for.
~ in a bedroom, they are claiming a "gouge" in the amoire. This is the bedroom I stayed in and I certainly never noticed a gouge.
~ they claim we were not respectful of nature and threw beer bottles & cans down the mountainside. They were there when we got there.
~ I'm not impressed with their cleaning lady. On the deck was a large trash can that had a full bag of trash when we arrived. Since you had to take your own trash down the mountain (10 minutes 1 way) we were not about to haul someone else's old trash for them.

We are talking a $200 deposit here. We are not happy. We are in the process of writing them a letter...not that we expect much. Probably will also write to the BBB & the Chamber of Commerce. I'm wondering if this is how they make some extra money...and if this so-called cleaning lady gets a kick-back for each problem she finds..and how many times she's found the "same" problems!

Whew! That's Done...

2008-06-28T22:06:00.000-04:00

"That" being the Open House we held for our daughter! Not that I really had that much to do...I think that what she needed me the most for is to write checks for everything! That's about all we did this morning...run to Sam's Club...run to Gordon Food Service...run to the grocery store...run to the party store...run to the ATM machine! I'm not complaining, I'm just tired!

I let her pick the menu...with just a few hints from me...she picked: chicken wings (3 styles: BBQ, lemon pepper and plain), macaroni salad, baked beans, veggies & dip, fruit & dip, chips, and of course cake! Sodas and punch to drink. It was all good! The best part? I didn't really have to spend the day cooking.

We had a really nice time with all the friends that came out! Thanks to all of you!

Where did that witch go?

2008-06-25T19:43:00.000-04:00

I returned home from a relaxing vacation this past Sunday...just me and my 5 year old in the car for over 1900 miles.... and no working radio or CD player. Anyone care to try that?

We went to the mountains of northern Georgia. Since I was driving down from Michigan I decided to take 2 days to drive it. Good thing I did since I made a wrong turn a time or two...come on, my navigator is only 5! Have you ever tried to change the page on your large atlas going down I-75 at 75 miles per hour? Yikes!

Day 1: the plan was to drive about 6 hours (1/2 way). Hit a traffic jam south of Indianapolis where we went 5 miles in about 50 minutes. By this time it was almost 8 PM and we hadn't even had dinner...time to stop for the night even though we didn't make it to Louisville as I had hoped. A little dinner...a little pool time...and we went right to sleep.

Day 2: the plan was to get to our rental by about 4 PM...should have been about 12 1/2 hours total driving according to my google mapping. So, we left about 9 AM. By my calculations, I should have about 7 hours of driving today. No problem. Until I get to where I-24 & I-40 split...quick - which way do I take? At the last second I change my mind and stay on I-40 to Knoxville. Right away I see this big traffic jam..but it's on the other side of the highway - doesn't affect me, right? Wrong...because about 25 minutes later I realize I should have taken I-24..but to turn around mean waiting in the traffice jam for a least an hour. No thanks! Stopped at a rest area and got some directions and a map from someone working there. Only thing is, these are smaller highways and slower speeds...adding over an hour to my drive. And then our directions from the owner were awful, adding another extra 45 minutes. I actually ended up calling my brothers-in-law and they came out to the entrance so I could follow them back. We were so high in the mountains, there were hardly any houses...no street lights...one lane roads, even going up and around tight turns - scary!! Thanks goodness my sisters had a big glass of wine poured for me when I arrived - at almost 9 PM!!

Oh, and the title of this post? Let me explain! On day 2 (yes, that really long day), as I was driving down the highway, I got hit by a broom...yes, a broom! It came out of nowhere. I think it hit the car in front of me, it hit my van - thank goodness it didn't hit the windshield or a headlight! It did hit the front driver fender and scratched that a bit and put a small bit of a dent in it. But, no major problems. I've told about a dozen people about this and for the first time today, one person asked what happened to the witch! Love it! I don't know what happened to her, but I think I found her broom for her!

Woo Hoo - We have one more high school graduate in the house!

2008-06-07T21:35:00.000-04:00

Well...as of this past Thursday, our middle child is now a high school graduate. Not that we ever doubted it would happen - she is very motivated! We are so proud of her.

The ceremony however was very long. It started at 6 P.M. A number of speakers of course...six valedictorians! Six!! And each and everyone of the six got up to speak. They did a good job of keeping their speeches short - thanks valedictorians! One main speaker...school board president...various others...musical performances. It was nice...but let's get to the reason we're here - our kids!

It was about 7:40 before the graduates started to go up to get their diplomas. We were done just after 8:00. It wouldn't have been so bad but we were sitting in the "crying corner". Several babies and little kids and they were miserable sitting in a hot place for that long - I don't blame them for crying! Plus, the people behind me were talking...not even trying to be quiet so others could still hear...that's simply rude.

Look soon for a Give-Away right here!

2008-05-12T07:05:00.001-04:00

I'm giving serious thought to starting a monthly give away on my blog. The serious thought part has to do with how I'd like to manage this....what my blog readers will have to do to be eligible...and what I'd like to give away.

When I've got all the details worked out, I'll post them here, in my Etsy profile as well as on Win Crafty.

Right now I'm thinking of having readers submit a hink pink or a hinky pinky....do you know what those are? They're actually kind of fun. Hinky-Pinky is an old-time word game. The object of the game is simple. Given a clue, you must guess the two word answer. The trick is that the answer contains two words that are equal in the number of syllables and those two words must rhyme. The title Hinky-Pinky implies the answers will contain two syllables. One syllable answers are called Hink-Pinks while three syllable answers are called Hinkety-Pinketies. Here are some examples:

CLUE: ANSWER
one who lives in basement: cellar dweller
ill young chicken: sick chick
sound slumber : deep sleep
bloody tale: gory story
cook who cannot hear: deaf chef
master of sailing ship: clipper skipper
seat for a rabbit: hare chair
loyal color: true blue
noisy mob of people: loud crowd
shining sun: bright light
clever prank: slick trick
clever detective: super snooper

So, start trying to come up with some original Hink Pinks, Hinky Pinkys and Hinkety Pinketies!

The Melting Pot

2008-05-07T18:31:00.000-04:00

Have you ever been to the Melting Pot Restaurant? Whoa, I love it! This love affair began a number of years ago when my sisters and I went to the Melting Pot in Asheville NC. Now, at the time, 3 of us lived in Michigan and 2 of us lived in Florida. We started doing a "SOV" weekend every other year. SOV stands for "Sisters On Vacation". We love our SOV time. We pick an interesting location between Michigan & Florida and spend about 4 days together. For us Michigan girls, the trip begins in the car on the way down. Lots of talking, lots of singing, lots of laughing!

Well, this trip, we stayed a couple of days in Gatlinburg, TN; then moved over the Great Smokey Mountains to Asheville NC for one night. And, that one night found us having dinner at the Melting Pot. It was great! We took our time (probably 3 hours overall) ordering and eating. We started with the cheese fondue...salads...main course...and ended with the chocolate fondue. Wow! Just Wow!

We also checked out some stores nearby, and found the neatest furniture store...if I ever win the lottery, I'm so going back there!

Well, a few months ago, our NAWIC chapter #194 did a new fundraiser. We were each given $20 in seed money to "grow". There was a great prize for the person who grew the most from their seed money - a gift certificate to a great restaurant... Don't get ahead of me now! Well, I wanted to try to win that. So, I made handmade chocolates and Kahlua Kits. We held a couple of mini-bazaars where we could sell. I sold most of my chocolates and Kahlua Kits. Then, for a later bazaar, I made my book thongs. They sold great! After the money was tallied, I was declared the winner! And, I got this wonderful gift certificate to (ok, you guessed it!) The Melting Pot.

Next weekend, I'm off to Orlando for a conference...followed by a couple of vacation days. Those vacation days will be spent at my dads, helping him go through years of accumulation and helping clean his house. Most of my sisters will be be helping as well. As a reward, I've suggested we take ourselves out to dinner at the Melting Pot!!

Mmmmm...can't wait!

That Is So C.U.T.E.

What's on your Needles?

Keeping the Kitchen Clean

Wisdom...things to remember and follow!

Creamy Brussell Sprouts

Resin...having loads of fun with resin!

Why you really shouldn't link your Facebook Fan Page and your Twitter Accounts

Wonderful inspiring day

My first resin button!

Future Buttons

5 Minute Mug Cake

How Do You Keep Your Wine Chilled?

a bunch of Wine Cozies

Just entered a give-away!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas to All!

My Poor Forgotten Bloggie

Look what I found on the side of the road for free yesterday!

What's on my needles tonight

Fortunately

How do You Store Your Fabric Stash?

Hot enough for you today???

Too much????

Which frame should I pick?

have you taken the Facebook plunge?

~~~I needle felted this weekend~~~

Penguins

What's On My Needles

Are you on Facebook?

Zipskinny

The Perks of Reaching the Age of 50!

Survived the Garage Sale!

FW: BEST IDEA I HEARD IN AGES

Who Says You Can't Play With Your Food??

Computer Dependency: Do We Rely Too Much on Our Computers?

THINGS I LEARNED IN THE SOUTH

60 USES FOR TABLE SALT

Giving Up Wine

Water Bottles...

Happy Easter!

Teaching an old dog new tricks!

Yarn Grafitti?

April Fools Day!

Another um interesting site to check out

The Places You'll Go...

My Near Escape From My Most Embarrassing Moment at Work

Is spring here yet?

For those friends who only forward things

Time Keeps On Slippin'

A Kiss

Winter in Michigan

Retirement...

Coupon time!

Brrr....cold weather means it's time for soup!

Alternate uses for coffee filters

A little something to drive you nuts

Winter continues here in Michigan...

Merry Christmas To All!

Did you miss your favorite Christmas Classic?

Tragic news...

Slightly Twisted Words

Wine Bottle Cozy - a work in progress

Birdhouses Galore!

I now Own This Hour on Own The Hour

Don't You Just Hate It When

1000 Markets has featured lil 'ole me!

Collapsable Light Box

Too Aquarius

Beneath The Tree update

Etsy West Michigan Gift Guide is Here!

1000 Markets

Sweet Figments Blog is hosting The Blog A Day Giveaway!

I've been critiqued!

Shuttered Mirror - my new display unit

Cozies: what are they?

etsywmi team

Etsy West Michigan Trunk Show: update

Sneak Peek: Wine bottle cozies

Are You a Yarn Snob?

First Box shipping off to college...

~I needle felted this weekend~