You Are 44% Weirdo

You're definitely quite strange, but you can act like a normal person when you have to. (But just because you can act normally, it certainly doesn't mean you want to!) You have normal aspects to your personality... but you usually don't choose to emphasize them.

Are You A Weirdo?

Win an iPod and a lot of books as Camy Tang Celebrates the release of her book SUSHI FOR ONE

Camy Tang's first book, Sushi for One, just came out. To celebrate (and to generate interest in the book) she is hostessing an awesome contest. The grand prize, first place winner, will receive an 8 GB iPod! Plus a lot of books (I didn't count them all ...)

For more information, and to enter, go here:
http://www.camytang.com/contest.html

You will need two things
- you'll need my email address to put in the contest entry form -- SuseADoodle at gmail.com. Please be sure to use that, okay?
- a Yahoo ID so you can join her Yahoo Group, Camy's Loft. And you will WANT to join her Yahoo group because every week she gives away books!

An author who whole-heartedly believes writers are readers too!

The contest runs till October 31, 2007.




The book sounds like a wonderful read. It is on my list of "GET THIS SOON!" Books and I've scheduled an afternoon to read it cover-to-cover. Want to know a little more about it? Check out:
http://christianfictionblogalliance.blogspot.com/2007/09/sushi-for-one-by-camy-tang.html
or
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0310273986
or
http://www.christianbook.com/Christian/Books/product?item_no=273981&netp_id=479128&event=ESRCN&item_code=WW

FAIR TRADE CHOCOLATE EVENT

Who doesn't like chocolate? There are very few people who don't. (They were probably given chocolate as a kid but were told it was calves' liver or something like that.)

Did you know that about half of the world's chocolate is produced with slave labor? For more information, visit http://www.stopthetraffik.org/.

If you like to cook and would like to win a goodie bag of Traffik-Free Chocolate, stop over here: http://rkhooks.net/2007/09/03/stop-the-traffik-chocolate-event/

If you participate, stop back here.

In the comments section leave your name and the url to your blog post that you use to enter r k hooks' event, using Traffik-Free Chocolate.

I'll be posting this info about the event at each of my blogs. Feel free to leave your comment and link at each one. (One comment entry per blog please, though.) From all of the comments posted, there will be a random drawing and I'll send out a chocolate-related thank you to three winners.

One view ---

http://www.faithchick.com/ had this list of questions (answer them in their comments section or send them an e-mail and maybe you could be the "faithchick of the week). I'm not looking to be the anything-of-the-week. They looked like good questions though, so I "borrowed" them to answer them here:

1. Who are you? What's your passion? What makes you cuckoo?
2. Where do you live? Where do go to church? What do you do?
3. Who inspires you? What energizes you?
4. If you joined us for coffee, would you have: a) venti mocha, b) frothy frappaccino, c) green tea with honey or d) soy latte with cinnamon?
5. What version of the Bible do you read most? What's your favorite verse?

(I tried to get the permalink for you to their post with these questions, but ... I'm NOT a techno-dope but this time, I failed. Couldn't find the permalink even after clicking the word "permalink." Oh well. It's their Aug. 29, 2007, post if you care to go see the original.)

Okay, now for the answers.
1. Who am I? What's my passion? What makes me cuckoo?

You know, now I am wondering why I wanted to even think about answering these questions. I'm actually shy and don't like to draw attention to myself and generally I'm not very self-revealing until I get to know someone well enough to know if they meet my criteria to be considered "trustworthy" with my foibles and failings and hopes and dreams.

So, who am I? A phobe of sorts. Isn't that awful? This particular blob of DNA-scripted humanity answers to things like Susan, Sue, Su, Suse (rarely do I acknowledge Susie, though), or even "Hey you." My passion is -- hmm -- depends on the season or the month or the year -- it changes but things tend to reappear. Right now I am a writer, devouring space on the hard drive even faster than I destroyed nice clean white surfaces of notebook paper the last time I went through a writer "stage." It can quickly change back to hand-built pottery, doodling-is-my-art, quilting, crocheting, learning a new language, etc. I am made crazy by lies presented as truth and driven almost to the insane by the ease with which the liars get away with it.

2. Where do I live? Where do I go to church? What do I do?

I live in rural western Wisconsin, between Amery, Osceola, New Richmond and Balsam Lake -- in Garfield Township, just north of Wanderoos.
We bought our house about a year and a half ago. I left almost immediately after that to go be with my mom who was diagnosed with leukemia. I've been back here about a year (give or take a little time for a few trips back east to move things from mom's to here to get the house ready for sale), and we are still looking for a church home. A reader of one of my other blogs has suggested a church to visit and a building that has been for rent for a while just hung out a banner for a new church. Those two are definitely on my list of places to visit -- soon.
What do I do? **snicker** Ask my siblings and they'll say "nothing." But I write and actually have one WIP that has a very good possibility of being published as a serial novella; just have to finish it. I am also involved in direct sales of rubber stamps and supplies; plus actively making things for sale at autumn, winter and holiday craft sales. And there is a good chance that come next spring I will leave the direct sales company and start my own Internet-based rubber stamp company. Nothing like trying to juggle when even a Klutz(tm) book can't succeed in showing me how ... LOL!

3. Who inspires me? What energizes me?

Hmmm ... one of my inspirations has been Madeleine L'Engle and I was very sad to read this week that she had died. I may not always agree with everything I've read that she wrote, but I found her writing open and refreshing and full of insights.
I am inspired by the beauty of Nature, the quirkiness of the personalities of the wild animals that live around me, the awesome diversity and complexity of God's creation. I am energized by friends and creative people plus creative projects that get me so involved that I lose all sense of time and don't even get hungry (How about a book for the next diet craze "The Creative Project Diet"?).

4. If I joined the FaithChicks for coffee ... well, it better be some place that sells something other than green tea, coffee in all it's permutations, Italian sodas or mushroom tea. Soy latte? What is that? Whirled up soft tofu with a sprinkle of cinnamon on it to make you think it's a lukewarm milkshake or something? Sounds horrid. **shudder** I would either order a hot chocolate IF it is made with frothed milk and chocolate syrup (preferably a hot fudge type syrup and not from the can from the company with a town named after it with a spa where they will let you take a bath in chocolate and ride rides at the amusement park bearing the same name) and not from a packet of dry powder (I can do THAT at home); or I would order a Coke or bring my own. Sorry, I get my "Christian drug of choice" in a non-coffee version.

5. What version of the Bible do I read and what is my favorite verse?

I grew up on King James. Then my dad bought a Bible, newly published translation, at the County 4-H Fair (for $2!!!). It was quite a few years later that I started using that Bible. It was New Berkeley Version. To this day it is my favorite. Unfortunately, while in college I was leading a small group Bible study on campus and no one had that version. They all had NIV. I bought a New American Standard instead. That is my second favorite translation. Both of those Bibles have disappeared over the years, so I now have an inexpensive New Living Bible for reading and return to the KJV for deep study. Still trying to get a new copy of the New Berkeley / Berkeley translations (NB is New Testament, I think, and B is the Old Testament -- they were released for publication at different times almost a decade apart).

My favorite verse is one my husband loves too (though his favorite is a different one): So often the story of the Rich Young Ruler ends at "It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of the needle, than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God." The story does not end there. It continues two more verses, and ends here: "...With men it is impossible, BUT not with God; for with God all things are possible." My hubby is right, when Jesus uses "BUT," we better listen to Him as well as everyone supposedly listened to EF Hutton when he was "talking." So, my favorite verse is Mark 10:27. I hope it is yours too!

Thankful Thursday

When I first discovered Thankful Thursdays, and then decided to try to remember to participate each week -- I had no idea it would be hard. Yeh, hard. Who knew? Of all the weekly prompts and challenges I've decided to try to keep up with, I figured this one would be the easiest thing around.

My life is blessed. Truly blessed.

So, what's the problem?

Me, I guess. **sigh**

I have this problem, built into my psyche -- and I don't know the best way to thwart it working so well in my life.

I tend to see the obstacles and not the open paths. I see the list of things that can go wrong and not the possible positive outcomes. It's as if every blessing has a hidden dark side just waiting to bite me. Or go sour. Or just turn-tail and run away. That's it. If I get too happy to have it in my life, it's going to go away. Better to ignore it and pretend it isn't there than to get too comfortable with it.

That just isn't the right way to see things, is it?

It is way too much like the response of the Israelites when the spies came back with the news of "giants in the land" -- and Jacob and Caleb said, "God can handle it." The Israelites seem to have forgotten about the crossing the sea on DRY land. They seem to forget His protection and love so quickly, so easily. They were easily overwhelmed by the enormity of the obstacles, or imagined obstacles, in the road ahead.

God calls us all, especially me, to trust Him. Trust that the road ahead is known to Him and He IS in control.

So, that's a long way to go to get to what I am thankful for.

And, funny, while I was typing this post, the phone rang and I almost ignored it. (Having said to "Zorba the Swede," [what my DH prefers I call him in my writing] that we should get rid of Caller ID since it works only about once in every hundred calls or so -- it actually worked this time and said it was my friend that I meet with weekly for chitchat and creative play.) I did answer the phone, and now 58 minutes later, we're off the phone.

And she brought up some of the things I was just writing about; you know, seeing obstacles instead of opportunities. Strange, huh? :-)

And, about trusting God when things get to be overwhelming. Hmm ...

See, I gave her a few books, on Creativity from the Christian perspective, for her birthday last week and she's been reading them. She had to read some good quotes out of them to me. (Maybe she'd trying to tell me I should be reading my copies of the same books?)

So, while I was thankful for friends in my last Thankful Thursday post, I am thankful again for friends. Friends who care and who are a gift to me from God.

We both know that God brought our lives together for a reason. We don't know the exact reason. But we know, "It's a God thing!"

I was a new student at the University of Minnesota. She was in the same art history class and sat right behind me. We got talking somehow and ... well, that was more than ten years ago. We didn't see each other for a few years after I left the U and moved from MN to WI. Then I got involved with The Angel Company(tm) and our Team met at a location only 15 minutes from my friend's house.

I'd been afraid to call her house because - well, I thought I had seen her about a year before that. We, Zorba and I, were buying plants at the nursery and there was this other couple buying plants. It was not her husband, but sure looked like her. Must have been her double -- she's never even heard of that nursery center. LOL. But, I didn't know it and was afraid to call her house and get her husband; didn't want to hear anything had happened between them.

So, I sent a note, Figured, if they had split, he would just send it back or burn it and that would be that. Got a call back, "SUE!!!! We have to get together!!! How soon can you get here?!?"

We got together.

My life is light on close friends. And almost as lightly touched by acquaintance-friends. So, a friend for me is a true gift and blessing.

The couple true-blue friends I do have are very special to me. I am thankful for them. THANKS, Sherry and Carol! And Annette is very special too. :-)

What else am I thankful for?

Well, did ya notice that I said Sherry called with quotes that went along with what I was thinking at the time?

Again, that's a "God thing!"

His timing. His presence in my life. How He hears me and "talks" to me to show me things I need to know about myself, others, the world around me, and mostly about Him. Things that help me learn to trust Him more and more all the time.

His patience with me. His love for me.

His faithfulness to me. How He has held me close through all these years, even when my faith was based on a wrong foundation, He held me fast, not willing to let me crumble as the foundation crumbled. He is holding me up while the foundation is being rebuilt that I might stand fast in Him.

It was a great book, and I identify with the title so well: Soul Survivor by Phillip Yancey. When there are so many things that could shake our faith in God and destroy our connection to Him, He holds us and shows us the errors and the truth -- if we are willing to look for the truth.

I am thankful for God's hands in my life, the gifts He gives, the blessings, the talents, the dreams, the calling and mission, the friends He sets beside me on the road of life; His willingness to be patient and kind to a stupid, dolt like me. (Stupid because maybe if I looked more at Him and less at the road ahead, I would see the Opportunities instead of the Obstacles ...)

Dream, Dream, Dream ... Never underestimate your gifts

Okay, this video is awesome (in my humble opinion) ... apparently Kay thought so too. She posted it at her blog (Loop de Loops in La La Land). Rather than figure out how to get the URL and then come back here and figure out how to embed the video, I figured, "Why not just send people over there to check it out?" So, go -- now -- (just be sure to come back, okay?)

Oh, when you get there, you may want to listen to some of the songs in Kay's playlist. But you'll need to pause it before you click on the video. The playlist is pretty dern good too ...

http://loopdeloops.blogspot.com/2007/09/dreams-can-come-true.html


Go on. I will be here when you get back. (I heard that muttered "drats" from the Peanut Gallery, but I don't mind.)






























Proof that anyone and everyone should follow their dream. Use their talent. Live life while alive!

Yeah, the opera snobs can get a little hoity toity about this guy and his talent and the fact he did it on a contest program. **snort** But, did you see the audience? And three very strong "yes" votes? Did you pass Kay's dare? (I didn't and knew he was going to do so well -- had heard about him and heard an excerpt on the classical music station I listen to in the car.)

So never, ever underestimate your talents, gifts and dreams. They are given to you to enjoy, use and share.

Your Personality is Very Rare (INTP)

Your personality type is goofy, imaginative, relaxed, and brilliant. Only about 4% of all people have your personality, including 2% of all women and 6% of all menYou are Introverted, Intuitive, Thinking, and Perceiving.

How Rare Is Your Personality?

You Are Not Prejudiced

Not only are you color blind, but you're also ethnicity blind, gender blind, and sexual orientation blind.You don't judge someone until you truly know them. And even then, you're probably reluctant to judge.You try to treat everyone equally. Everyone has a fair chance with you.Good job - there's not a prejudiced bone in your body.

Are You Prejudiced?

For what am I most grateful? Least grateful?

This is a "Monday Meme" -- and since it is "technically" still Monday for me, I'm jumping in with my first entry into this category. (My days start around 11 AM because my husband works second shift; I go to bed around 3 AM -- and I consider it still the day I woke up until I go to bed. Does that make sense?)

For more info about the "Sleeping With Bread" meme, check out this link: http://ltuande2.blogspot.com/ It is an interesting story behind the name of the meme.

What am I most grateful for? Right now, my husband and the life we have together and the love he gives me. He is a rock for me. And when I get upset about those things (below), he is the voice of reason, reminding me that my mom never intended bad things, she thought she was doing what was best because she loved me.

What am I least grateful for? Well, I know this sounds whiny and petty and really obnoxious, but the "trust" that my mother left me in her will. I'm pretty sure she had good intentions when she decided to do that, but it is extremely frustrating; makes me feel like a three year old instead of a middle-aged grown up; and there are days when I get so angry about it that I just cry in frustration at the bills we have, the repairs that need to be done on the old house we bought (with the understanding that mom said she would lend us the money to replace the windows and have the electrician come in to take care of a few things) and almost hate my siblings for how small and childish I feel when they seem to control my life instead of me having any real say. Hate is a strong word -- it is more like resentment, but it overwhelms me at times and paralyzes me because I know I am wrong to feel that way.

You Should Be a Film Writer

You don't just create compelling stories, you see them as clearly as a movie in your mind. You have a knack for details and dialogue. You can really make a character come to life. Chances are, you enjoy creating all types of stories. The joy is in the storytelling. And nothing would please you more than millions of people seeing your story on the big screen!

What Type of Writer Should You Be?

http://blogthings.com/whattypeofwritershouldyoubequiz/

A "PACK RAT" -- except that's too "nice" of a term ...

As I look at my kitchen table I groan, it groans and we both want to vomit. (Oh, sorry for the vivid imagery there, but it fits the best.)

The table wants to get rid of everything that is burying it, hiding its beauty and weighing it down.

I just want to see my table, the whole thing, just once.

I look at this mess and wonder why my husband hasn't just tossed me and all my stuff out into the front yard. Well, I know. He really couldn't do it. He'd put his back out, probably have a heart attack and fall down and get lost in the stuff.

It would be easier for him to leave. With all the stuff here, it might actually take me a few days to notice that he was missing.

**HUGE SIGH**

His birthday was earlier this week and I had hoped to have dinner at the table with him that night. Didn't happen. We're in the habit of dinner in the den in front of a movie on DVD or some brainless tv program on dvd or he goes to use his computer while I keep typing sat mine and eat dinner.

However, we are taking his parents to lunch tomorrow. We're going to some place, not sure where, that is around here and not where they live. Which means, there is a 503 chance in 100 that they will want to come here to see the house before we take them back home. Hmmm ... gotta find the table. By tomorrow. By midnight tonight.

And yes, I am taking a break from cleaning off the table to type this because, as I was tossing newspapers into two piles -- trash and probably-mostly-trash-after-I-chop-out-that-one-article-that-I-could-file-away-for-future-reference-for-use-in-a-story -- I realized that if I was going to write this, I had to do it now. Another problem with being a pack rat is the brain is a untidy as everything else. Once I have a great idea, if I don't do something about it immediately (or an idea, like this one, that isn't so great, probably mediocre at best), it gets lost in the plethora of stuff and when found again (if ever) is so unrecognizable that it is instantly trash and I have to wonder why it was ever stashed away in the first place. (Now, how was that for a run-on sentence!!??))

Why am I even writing this? Why would a sane person admit to having such a drastically awful problem?

Two reasons.

1) Every 12-step program teaches one very simple fact -- the road to recovery begins with a confession -- "I have a problem." And I HAVE and HAVE and HAVE a problem ...

2) I want a different term for the disease. "Pack rat" and "Magpie" are just too cutesy for the extent of the problem. What is worse than a rat, though? Anyone have ideas? I want it to be so awful that it will demand attention and a cure.

HELP!

You're Watership Down!

by Richard Adams

Though many think of you as a bit young, even childish, you're
actually incredibly deep and complex. You show people the need to rethink their
assumptions, and confront them on everything from how they think to where they
build their houses. You might be one of the greatest people of all time. You'd
be recognized as such if you weren't always talking about talking rabbits.


Take the Book Quiz
at the Blue Pyramid.

Shame I Ain't Planning to Go Back to College -- Could have used this info first time around ...

Your Scholastic Strength Is Developing Ideas

You can take a spark of inspiration and turn it into a full fledged concept. You are talented at brainstorming, visualizing, organizing, and independent thinking. You should major in: Natural sciences Computer science Creative writing Math Architecture Journalism

What Should You Major In?

You Are 4% Republican

If you have anything in common with the Republican party, it's by sheer chance.You're a staunch liberal, and nothing is going to change that!

How Republican Are You?

You Are 48% Democrat

You aren't a full fledged Democrat yet, but it's likely the party that fits you best. You probably consider yourself an independent Democrat. You usually support the party, but you also think for yourself!

How Democrat Are You?

But ... it's APRIL!

Your True Birth Month Is January

Loyal Social Logical Easily jealous Loves children Rather reserved Highly attentive Likes to criticize Needs close friends Ambitious and serious Smart, neat and organized Hardworking and productive Loves to teach and be taught Quiet unless excited or tensed Sensitive and has deep thoughts Knows how to make others happy Searches for the greatest romance Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds Romantic but has difficulties expressing love Always looking at people's flaws and weaknesses

What's" Your True Birth Month?

Your Linguistic Profile:

40% General American English 40% Yankee 10% Dixie 5% Upper Midwestern 0% Midwestern

href="http://www.blogthings.com/whatkindofamericanenglishdoyouspeakquiz/">What Kind of American English Do You Speak?

You Are Best Described By...

Farbstudie Quadrate By Wassily Kandinsky

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

Painted Threads: Ty's Big Night- The Origami Opening

PAINTED THREADS is listed on the Blogs of Note list at the Blogger Dashboard. WOW! You really need to check out this blog, and especially this post about an origami show that her son's work in part of.

Painted Threads: Ty's Big Night- The Origami Opening

Suse Aliases

Your movie star name: Nilla Wavers Harry Your fashion designer name is Susan Cardiff Your socialite name is Flamingo Cardiff Your fly girl / guy name is S Ber Your detective name is Zorse Absegami Your barfly name is Bugles Brandy Alexander Your soap opera name is Denise Fernwood Your rock star name is Milky Way Midnight Gazelle Your Star Wars name is Suschi Berton Your punk rock band name is The Arbitrary Boomerang

The Amazing Meganame Generator

Need to Take More Chances in Life

He He!

Well, I was surprised that I won the "Show Don't Tell Challenge." And I wrote that I was surprised in both my return email and in a comment back at Missy's site.

So, when she read them both, she was surprised by my surprise. She had to go back and reread the submissions and double-check that the original decision was the right one. She's sure it was right.

Hmmm ... maybe she is correct. I need to take more chances in life.

**HUGE GRIN**

A Winner! WOO HOO!

You may not believe this ...

I have been wandering around Blogdom, looking at what is out there and what people think, and also trying to figure out how they drive traffic to their blogs. Some participate in Wordless Wednesday (I did, over at Ant Thymes), or Thankful Thursday (I did, below, but didn't post a link-back to it), or other group effort in Blogdom. Some offer Blog Candy -- goodies, usually geared toward the creative types (and I will probably do this eventually over at one of my other blogs). And some have contests.

I found a couple interesting sites and blogs run by writers, wannabee writers and the like. One had a "Show Don't Tell Contest." She gave us a sentence -- a bland, dull, uninteresting sentence:

"She saw the dog and grew afraid."

The challenge was to rewrite the sentence into a paragraph or more and to show what was going on.

I wrote up a quick, first draft, sort of dumb entry. Later I came up with much better ideas, other storylines and much better edits of the entry. But, the deadline had come and gone and that was that.

Well, the winner was announced this morning.

Since I've set my home page to my e-mail account, that news greeted me as soon as I turned on the laptop and clicked onto the Net. WOW!

Then I thought about it. "I bet no on else entered the contest. Yeah, that's it. I won by default. Oh well, winning is winning after all, even if there is no competition."

Check out the challenge here:

http://incurable.hoyeya.net/?p=264


And Missy's reasoning for why I won can be found here:

http://incurable.hoyeya.net/?p=277

Kind of gratifying to find out I wasn't the only entrant. Wish more had played along, though. Maybe someday I'll get around to offering a writer's challenge ... or a photographer's challenge ... or a papercrafter's challenge ... or, or, or, or ...

'Til then, wander on over to Missy's site. Use either link above or the one in the sidebar.

Thankful -- Thankful Thursday

Last Thursday, I was wandering Blogdom and discovered "Thankful Thursday" -- well, I'm not sure that I found the home for it (like I did finally find the home for Wordless Wednesday -- you can see my first entry into that world over at my Suse "Ant Thymes" blog ...)

Thankful Thursday is a great idea. We really need more than one day a year to remind us to be thankful. Maybe everyday should be a Thankful Day. Until then, I like Thankful Thursdays.

This week, I'm a little bummed. Well, a lot bummed.

Bills are piling up and up and up. And the finances just aren't there right now. While we turned in the checks in time, they didn't get to the right office, I guess, and we received a notice that our health insurance has been cancelled. However, I am fairly certain that since it is their fault and not ours, it can be reinstated. It is one of those pieces of mail you just don't want to receive in any event.

However, a dear friend is facing losing her house because her husband was injured on the job. I wish there was so much more that I could do for her. She is blessing to everyone and always goes out of her way to help anyone else in need. She is an awesome example of what it means to be a blessing to others. My life is definitely made better for knowing her.

So, this week, and always, I am thankful for friends. Good friends and casual acquaintance friends.

Friends that I can have a good time with.

Friends that I can share my true feelings with.

Friends who can trust me with their deepest fears and feelings.

Friends who are encouraging.

Friends who are a blessing.

Friends who make me rich no matter what my material wealth.

Even the four-footed furry friends, who have adopted us into their families, who cuddle and snuggle because they know we need it more than they do.

Thank God for Friends!

Mid-level Nerd

EYE IZ ... a rubber-holic!

I think I have frightened one of my customers by admitting that I own far too many rubber stamps.

I generally buy on sale, so when I started an inventory and listed prices (for insurance and replacement information) -- I even frightened myself. This was about three years ago, and I got about one quarter of the way through the stamps I owned at that time.

I was making this list so that my friend who sells Stampin' Up!(tm) stamps and I, who sell The Angel Company(tm) stamps, would be able to share our stamps and not end up with each of us owning the same sets. I had just received a flat priority mail envelope, overstuffed with unmounted rubber stamps I had ordered from a half-price sale at one of my favorite on-line stores. So, I added these to the list too.

I was using Quattro Pro (the Corel Office Suite's spreadsheet/database program). I asked it to total up the value of what I owned.

I almost had heart failure. I knew my husband would definitely have heart failure and then come back and "get" me if he saw that number. So, I saved a copy of the list with the msrp prices, deleted the entire column from the file and re-saved it under a new name. Then I continued to add stamps to the list.

I never finished the list, because every few months I am adding to it ...

Well, on Tuesdays, I get together with a couple friends and we stamp together. We're making cards we need right now (or yesterday, if we forgot to make them last week -- like for my sister's birthday), cards to have on hand for just-in-case situations, and to hopefully sell at a holiday boutique or craft sale this autumn. Plus we are planning some non-card stamped projects, like calendars for 2008 that use a CD case as the frame.

Yesterday, we ran out of time to actually accomplish anything and so at the last minute we decided to stamp up some images to use at home to get some cards made during the week. The one gal started looking through some of my stamp sets that are stored in CD cases -- in a box I got from IKEA that holds about 20 CD cases. She thought this was a lot of rubber stamps to own. (She's brand new to the hobby -- I thought two or three sets would be more than enough when I first started, too ...) Then I told her there were more stamp sets in the other room and her eyes grew very large.

Yeah, she was shocked.

OOPS -- I don't want to scare her away, you know. She has all the potential of becoming a very good customer of mine ...

You Are Midnight

You are more than a little eccentric, and you're apt to keep very unusual habits. Whether you're a nightowl, living in a commune, or taking a vow of silence - you like to experiment with your lifestyle. Expressing your individuality is important to you, and you often lie awake in bed thinking about the world and your place in it. You enjoy staying home, but that doesn't mean you're a hermit. You also appreciate quality time with family and close friends.

What Time Of Day Are You?