Confessions, Sales and a Finance Lesson

OMG, is anyone else ready for this Winter to be over??? Hold up your hands, let's have a count...okay, never mind. I can't see beyond all those hands. It's been rough for those of us who have illnesses affected by severe cold (yes, I'm talking about my rheumatoid arthritis. I haven't hurt so badly in my entire life) and rough for all of us paying heating bills. Whew! And, no, that's not the confession I was referring to in this post's title. Actually, my confession isn't much of a confession; it's been so obvious. But, here goes: I've become a terribly tardy blogger. Here it is, the end of February and this is my first post of the year. It doesn't seem like it's been that long. I have had some depression with the pain I've been feeling the past several months and just haven't been able to get into blogging. I've also become terribly addicted to some of the games on Facebook; they help take my mind off things but now I have to conquer my Farmville and Mafia Wars addictions. Okay, on to other things like auctions and estate sales!!!! Take a look at this calendar from 1993! It's a wilderness calendar from the Sierra Club and it's almost like new, with mostly unused dates and beautiful photographs. And, as luck would have it, the 1993 dates correspond with this year, 2010! I love that there are so many ways to recycle and reuse, but look at what else was included in the same box lot: Yes! Similarly almost-unused calendars from 1994 and 1995. I'm now calendar-set for three years! (It's the little things, you know...) There were also several pages of this sweet stationary: Isn't this cute? Happy little peeps (baby chicks) on stationary that folds into its own envelope and stickers for fastening. It will be included in the March Giftaway. (Yes, we'll be doing that again!) There were plenty of other cool things at that last auction but we'll save those for another day. Meanwhile, here are a couple of little projects I've been working on: I love the picture of this lady flashing the City of Paris in front of her window. Okay, I just realized that's what she's doing. Maybe nobody can see into her room. But back to the project - I'm not finished with this altered bottle but am thinking that it might be a part of the March Giftaway, too. I lifted this lovely lady's picture from the net. She looks so serene so I decided she should be a sweet fairy. I fashioned little wire antennae for her, gave her some color and a set of wings and plopped her into the middle of this silk rose. She's become one of those items that I just enjoy looking at. My sweet friend, Vickie, over at Sand Flat Farm was sharing personal experiences about foreclosure sales and hard luck stories she's been handed in her business. She confessed she doesn't have a lot of sympathy for people who "can't" pay their bills but can somehow manage to continue getting manicures, drive flashy cars, etc. I completely agree with her; many people don't seem to be able to tell the difference between a "need" and a "want". Many of you know that I was in the mortgage business for over 20 years. You wouldn't believe (or, maybe you would) the percentage of people who literally DO live from paycheck to paycheck and are simply one paycheck away from being homeless. With so many people now enjoying tax returns, I'm reminded of a great number of people who have good intentions of how they will spend that money - pay off bills, catch up bills or put it in savings - but, when they get it in their hands, decide to instead "treat" themselves with an expensive night on the town, new outfits, etc. Why? Because they've decided that they DESERVE it. It's the same line of thinking they had as they loaded their charge cards with things they "deserved", yet couldn't afford when the bills arrived. I'll get off my soap box but have decided to later share some things with you that I learned during my mortgage career, specifically, about your credit report. I think most of you will find it interesting. At least, I hope so. Until next time, stay warm and be Blessed and be a Blessing. And don't forget to leave a comment to be eligible for the upcoming Giftaway!

Baking, Goofing Around and Shopping

We had our annual Open House at the Shop this weekend. This is one of the goodies I picked up for my self. She sits next to my monitor.

I thought this was just beyond cute and, for $3.00, couldn't pass it up! Do you think she looks like me?

Cookie baking filled a good part of one day this past week. These are brickle cookies that I made for my neighbors but they seem to be disappearing before I finish the rest of my cookies for the neighbors' cookie tray that I give them every year.

And here are a few of the tags I made. Some will go on the cookie trays, along with a little handmade ornie. Others will hang on gifts under our tree. The reverse of the tags have a stamped "To" and "From" on them. The above tags and the ones directly below are one and the same but the one above shows a little more depth and detail.

I'm not even half way through my shopping! Why is it that, when I was younger, I was usually finished early - sometimes before November 1! How are your lists coming along?

Finally, I have to show you this next photo before I finish this post:

I took it coming back from shopping the other evening. It was about 5:00 PM and it had been raining - hard! The corner of the building in this shot belongs to the gas station that sits next to a parking lot that I pulled into to photograph the rainbow. The attendant outside stood and stared at me, as though he was wondering why in the world I would take such a photo.

As I recall, rainbows were in the skies after almost every rain when I was a child. They seem like such a rarity today. So, as the attendant was wondering why I would take the time to capture this image, I was wondering how he could turn his back on such a jewel. I'm sure there's a moral in this for all of us.

God bless you all, and may you enjoy your rainbows.