Some people claim - it's a woman to blame!

Jimmy Buffett made news last night when it was announced he was released from an Australian hospital after taking a nose-dive off the edge of a stage while performing an encore at a concert in Sydney on Wednesday. He hit his noggin and was unconscious for several minutes. His sister reports he should make a full recovery and is on his way home. Now maybe we know why he stayed away from Australia for so long (20 years)!!

Let's get him back to Margaritaville, so we can nurse him back to health ourselves!

We love you Jimmy and wish you a speedy recovery!!


Speaking of the Keys, have you heard about the newest Florida Key this week - the new piano bar in Biscayne Bay?? Seems a baby grand piano (and its bench) suddenly appeared on a sandbar out in the middle of the bay. No one knew where it came from or how it got there. Best mystery of 2011 (so far) !!

My husband quickly hypothesized the thought that this was the ultimate in property distribution in a nasty divorce battle (War of the Roses style). He pictured one spouse taking the other's most prized possession and placing it out there for him/her to go claim themselves. (Let this be a warning to me, should we ever need to divide up our possessions!!)

It remained a mystery for several days while the media pleaded for someone to come forward and tell the tale. Surprisingly, several folks tried to take credit but only one guy has the video to prove it. Seems an enterprising 16-year-old wanted to make a convincing video for his art institute application. The plan was cooked up by him and a few friends at a New Year's Eve party. They hauled the piano from a family member's home (with permission, it turns out) and placed it on the bow of the family boat. (He did get Dad involved in this part of the stunt.) They then hauled it out to the sandbar and unloaded it there where he completed his filming.

The story lost some of it's mystique when we learned his Dad is involved in film production and the piano was an old film prop with no innards, making it much lighter to move. Once the mystery was solved, the Government ordered them to go back and remove it as it is a felony to litter the waterway. If removed within a given time (24 hours) they were waiving the fine and actual criminal charges. Last I heard, they were heading the boat toward the sandbar.

Proves even bureaucrats can take a good joke (occasionally) !!!

The Mid Atlantic was slammed by more snow than expected this morning but a group of strong, buff college men made a lot of folks happy as they awoke to the white stuff. Seems Coach Donald Hill-Eley, the football coach at Morgan State University (in Baltimore), ordered his players to go out into the neighboring community and shovel walks and clean off cars early in the morning as a good well gesture towards the community.

Morgan is a campus in the heart of a city neighborhood made up of many rowhouses (an old term for red brick attached townhomes). The only residential parking in this neighborhood is curbside and, anyone who has ever lived in this type of community knows, it's always at a premium. A few months back, the campus was doing some renovating and the closest parking lots were unavailable to the phys ed buildings. Students wandered into the closest neighborhood to park instead of using the lots farther across campus. As expected, tempers rose among the homeowners when they could not park within blocks of their homes. A resolution was eventually reached but there were still some hard feelings out there.

Amazing what a nice clean parking space can mean in a snow storm!! Went a long way toward reestablishing peaceful relations!

A week closer to the big day!

Wow! Another week has slipped past between posts. I've been so busy it seems almost impossible a whole week has rolled on by. Then, in going over all I've done, it seems it must've taken more time than a week!Oh yeah, winter snuck in this week, too, although it's not official until tomorrow.

Since I last posted, I finished several orders, sadly turned down a few as there just wasn't time to produce and ship those items in time for the big day, cleaned my whole house, began decorating (Yes, "began"), made a ton of candy (O.K., maybe just about 7 pounds or so - but it seemed like a ton!), entertained house guests (who, incidentally, got snowed in here with us for an extra night), traveled 200 miles (one way) for a 90th birthday party for a special man in our lives,, made three large stuffed toys for three special kids in our lives, made more candy, worked on another gift - ripped that one out (several times), worked on it some more, still working on it, bought our tree, and so much more.
Our trip to the birthday party took us into the mountains of Western Pennsylvania. The roads were clear but it definitely looked like a winter wonderland. I'd love to say it looked very different than it did at home, but we actually went a day later than planned because of the weather on the home front.
These are three pillow-pal type critters I made this week. These won't appear in the shop as they are licensed characters but they were what these little ones wanted. In case you don't recognize them, we're looking at Thomas the Tank, Babar and Queen Celeste. Since I had to create my own patterns, work out all the kinks and paint on the details, they did take some time. They open out flat to use as large pillows to watch T.V. or such.
Now, I need to get back to that other project or there's going to be one unhappy little 5-year-old come Christmas morning. Hopefully, I'll have a pic or two to share of that one by tomorrow. (Or, maybe of the bonfire when I really get totally fed up with all the mistakes I keep making and ripping out!)

In between stitches, I hope to make more candy (we give lots of gifts of homemade candy) and decorate the tree.

Hope your holiday preps are going smoother than mine!

Just another day in paradise, er. I mean, the ice palace!

As most of you know, this post-blizzard period is about as far from paradise as my mind can conceive.

I'm still doing quite a bit of reading and cooking as I am not one to venture out in the cold and snow if I can help it. The road leading to our house is still in poor shape with just a very narrow lane clear, allowing only one car in the block at once. This happens just past a sharp curve in the road at the lower end of a hill. It can be nervewracking to need to back up or sit and wait in this area. This is what we have AFTER the plows and front end loaders have worked on it. The last few days, the county has actually had someone out hand-shoveling the roadway here.

The last bit of road we need to use to get to and from the main drag is also on a steep and curving hill and, until this afternoon, was less than a lane and half wide at the peak of the hill. At that point, the snow piles are about 12' high making it difficult to see oncoming traffic as you approach the point where only one car fits. The Big Guy said they were working on that section today when he came in. Hopefully, we will have passing room there tomorrow.

All driving is complicated by pedestrians in the roadway as they simply have nowhere else to walk. The sidewalks along those stretches of roadway are owned and maintained by the county and are not in front of residential homes so no one has cleared the walkways. Although there has been some settling of the snow, one still needs to wade through snow that is well-over two feet deep if you are to attempt to use the walkways. For this reason, our school systems are still closed. Bus stops are impossible due to the piled snow, many residential streets are totally impassable and children cannot walk to their local elementary schools. For many folks, tomorrow will be the first day they return to their normal work routine.

Impossible as it seems, we dodged a bullet today and the snow they had predicted didn't happen! It did snow lightly for about two hours this evening but it didn't stick. So, while they are calling for some flurries through the night and a few snow showers tomorrow, we shouldn't pick up more than an inch or so from that.

I do usually love watching the Olympics but I have to admit, I'm having trouble getting into them this week. I think I have snow overload. I just can't stand seeing more.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, pro-baseball pitchers and catchers report to training camps this week!! Spring MUST be coming!! (Even with the home team record the Orioles have maintained for the last 12 seasons, we remain staunch baseball fans.)

I did manage to get some new listings up in my etsy shop, Splashin, this weekend. I'm trying out some mini-signs featuring cute sayings about all sorts of things. I've never put these in the shop before but they are a solid part of my show stock and have been for years. I believe everybody needs some sort of bread & butter item at shows that are priced low and have some appeal for everyone but this is the first time I've tried any "little" items in the online shop. I wonder if they will sell well enough online to make it worth all the photography and listing time involved. Only time will tell.

I'm baaack - I think.

I can't believe it's been most of a week since I posted here. So sorry. What can I say, I've simply been overwhelmed with the snow!! In less than 7 days, we were inundated with just shy of 4 FEET of the white stuff !! I'm up to my neck (or at least my chest) in this junk. (All of the pics I posted were from the first storm. The second dumped another 17 inches on us.)

Picture after the SECOND storm!

The bad news is: they're calling for more of this stuff on Monday. Hopefully, only a few inches. We've shoveled "flurries" in the past so I'm not so sure about believing these guys. As for us, we'll stock up on some groceries again and plan to settle in.

Realistically, we were lucky. We never lost power but our phone and internet service was interrupted for a short while. Inconvenient but not a big problem. I had more computer interruption by The Big Guy being home with me. The nerve of him. He expected to use the computer - often for hours at a time!!

I spent a lot of time reading, cooking, photographing stock for my etsy shop - Splashin, and even doing a puzzle. I've polished off nine books!!!! (Okay, nothing epic - mostly some Janet Evanovich and such. These are usually quick reads but it does give you a sense of accomplishment when you complete a book every day or so.) I made real meals for dinner each night (got to keep those shoveling men fed!).

I've had a whole pile of things to get listed in the shop and needed to take time to take photos and write up descriptions. I finally did that and will be adding to the shop on a daily basis for a while. (I don't add everything at once so as to give things a chance to get seen on the front page or In the new listings.) Listing in the shop can be very time consuming because of the background work. So, with that done, I should be able to roll right along with these new items.

What I didn't do was make anything new. I just wasn't very inspired. I find snow soooo depressing! I didn't just develop that opinion. I said that way back in the hot. sticky summer. I didn't even like snow when I was a kid!

So, that's what I've been up to. How about you?

There IS a morning after!!!

When the snow stopped, we did get about an hour of sunshine and a pretty sunset.

(Sorry about the screen effect. I was too lazy to go outside and take the shot!)

Then, today, the cleanup began. The men folk went out with snow blowers and shovels and began the job early today. Then, this afternoon, a county front end loader arrived to help. I may have a mountain in the yard for a while but at least we're no longer trapped!!

I HATE SNOW !!!

I've got to stop looking out that bedroom window in the morning!! It was even worse today!!

It didn't look any better looking out the front windows, either.Seriously, there were about 7" of snow there at 9:00 last night. At 6 a.m., The Big Guy measured 21". When all was said and done about 4 p.m., we had about 26" in my neighborhood. Some other nearby areas had 30." Not a bad total for only 26 hours of snowing! ? (Pretty much all of the snow from Wednesday was gone before this came down. The streets and sidewalks were clear and there was less than 2" on the grass.)

We have not seen a plow yet today. (One came into our court last night about 9 p.m. and cleared the first 6"off. The street behind that Hummer in the last picture was clear at that time.)Hopefully, by tomorrow night they will have at least run through the main street in the neighborhood and by Tuesday, they will most likely plow our street. Only 3 cars even attempted the small hill going by our house today. None made it.

I am NOT a winter person. I do NOT enjoy snow. I HATE the cold. (It's 12 degrees!) I AM NOT HAPPY TODAY.

We're expecting more snow Tuesday night.

I HATE GROUNDHOGS!!! (It's Punxatawney Phil's fault!!)

Uh Oh! Here it goes again...

You've heard the old song, "Shrimp boats a'comin', there's dancin tonight..."? Well, around here today, you'd think it went something like this: "Blizzard's a'comin, there's panic today!"

Up until last night, forecasters would only describe the oncoming storm as "substantial" and "strong". They likened it to the December storm when we received 19"-20" in less than 24 hours. Last night, they used numbers like 12"+. Today, the predictions for my neighborhood are running from 12"-17" to 18"-24". Now, a few brave weather folk are actually listing it as 24"+.

They're panic terms in these parts. Forecasts of under 6" around here send folks scrambling for bread, eggs and chocolate - all the necessities of life! Authorities are actually advising people to get their shopping and errands done "by noon" so they can get off the roads.

Citizens took heed. The stores were mobbed. People even made a run on the banks. I stood in line there this morning for 37 minutes!! (After 15 minutes, it dawned on me my routine errand could have waited till next week but by then I'd already committed to the wait.) I'd allowed an hour to go to the bank and stop in for a few groceries that had been on my list all week. I glanced across the street at the food store and knew I'd have trouble just finding a parking spot at that moment so I went on to my appointment.

In the afternoon, after my luncheon date, I again attempted the groceries. That same store had no available carts!! I didn't even try it there. I do need to make a 7 a.m. run for those few items I DO need. In a crisis, we will survive though. I'm just not that determined.

I do wonder about those people who rush out to buy a snow shovel. What did they do with the one they used last week?

While we still have a fair amount of the white stuff on the ground from the other day's 6" snowfall, the streets and most sidewalks are completely clear. The good news is, this mess is happening over a weekend. We have the option of hibernating!!

Stay warm, y'all !!!

That Darn Groundhog !!!

Woke yesterday to Punxatawney Phil seeing his shadow and then, as if to punctuate that pontification, look what I woke to today !!!!

I've gotta stop looking out my bedroom window first thing in the morning !!!

Baby it's cold outside !!

We hit a balmy 22 this morning - and then it started to snow - and then, the temps dropped, too.
Seriously, we were only supposed to get a dusting, if that. The Big Guy and our neighbor are out there now with the snow blower and shovels. It's still snowing but we're up to about 5 inches so far.

We had bigger plans but after we'd gone out to breakfast, The Big Guy said he just didn't trust the forecast so we scratched the original plans and headed back home. A few flurries started as we approached our neighborhood. They didn't let up all day.

So, we stayed in and watched T.V. and did sodoku puzzles. After a few old movies, we switched over to a food series. (I think it was on the Travel Network.) We saw some unusual stuff there. Some I'd like to try. Some made me cringe! The one that really held our attention was all about things FRIED !!



I've got to admit I HAVE tried a fried oreo. They are good ! They are also really, really rich! (We split one five ways two years ago. That one bite was enough!) I have never had a fried twinkie, though they do seem to get the most coverage.



We did have an opportunity to try fried mac'n'cheese a year or so ago. Good, but definitely overkill. I've seen fried mashed potato balls (with fancy toppings, like nachos) but didn't try them. Yes, I've even seen Paula Deen fry butter !



So, what new and different things did they fry on this show? The two that stuck with me were chicken fried bacon and battered and fried pizza ! I'm wondering just what kind of party evening led someone to batter a slice of pepperoni pizza and then dunk it in a deep fat fryer. Apparently, it's a big seller for the restaurant that sells them. (I can't believe there'd be more than one place doing this!)











As for the chicken fried bacon, can you say "heart attack on a plate"!?!?!

They start out with 6 strips of bacon in a stack, use fried chicken batter on it and then deep fry it. Of course, the plate isn't complete until they pour the thick and creamy, Southern-style country gravy over it!!!! (After all, that is the thing that makes chicken fried steak what it is!)

After an afternoon of such interesting food, I felt the need to make something decadent for dinner. No, I didn't find anything in the kitchen to batter and fry! I did whip up some Philly cheesesteak subs. (In some parts of the country, you'd call them "hoagies". ) The steak was grilled on a flat-top griddle but I did pan fry the onions. (Okay, I'll be honest, the bread and meat were just a vessel for the melted cheese and onions!)
It was good but I guess it was no chicken fried bacon !

SNOW !!!!

Winter won't officially arrive until about noon tomorrow but it's definitely made it's presence known along the Chesapeake this weekend !

It started snowing about midnight Friday and didn't stop (at all!) until about 10 p.m. Saturday night. We've got 19" in our neighborhood. Communities around us have measured out anywhere from 17" right on up to about 23". This is NOT the norm in these parts. Someone forgot to tell Mother Nature we ARE south of the Mason-Dixon line.

The Mid-Atlantic does not deal well with snow. I, personally, do not do snow. I'd prefer not to do winter at all if the facts be told.

I "lucked out" and was sick all weekend. What a fantastic excuse not to go out and shovel!!! Since The Big Guy had breathed his germs on me earlier in the week sharing a nasty intestinal virus, he felt guilty and did not complain about that. Between he and the neighbors, they have our cul-de-sac in fairly decent shape and I should not have any trouble getting out today. Normally, I'd attempt to hibernate until it was gone but I do need to do one final Post Office run. All of my orders have gone out but I still have some family gift shipping to do at a high expense today.
This mass of white stuff wreaked havoc in my life more than one way. This was supposed to be "candy making" weekend. Since my help (read "family") has about a a 90 minute drive on country roads in good weather, they canceled out on me even before the first flake fell. (That was before I got sick.) I, obviously, understood this move and accepted the fact that I had 25 to 30 pounds of candy making ahead for me, alone. When I got sick Friday evening I realized that was out for the weekend, too. So, here I am, late Sunday night, still looking ahead to hours and hours of candy making.

Looks like, once again, I'll be making and packing candy on Christmas Eve! So much for planning. This production weekend was originally scheduled for four weeks ago and kept getting pushed back for one reason or another.

Want to know the real clincher in all this? They're predicting more snow for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We'll probably be stuck at home anyway with all these packages of candy and the gifts I've rushed to make and then won't have any way to deliver that day! (Our Christmas Day run involves about a 200 mile round-trip run with five stops.)

---------------
One of the interesting side notes about this snow storm was the work done to pull off the Ravens v. Bears football game at M&T Stadium in Baltimore.

A crew of 750 folks made up of ground crew staff, volunteers and work details from a near-by prison, hand shoveled 25 million pounds of snow from the stadium seating area !!! They started shoveling at 1 a.m. Saturday morning and finished just before game time at 4:15 Sunday. (The snow was hauled off and dumped in the bay. Before you panic about the state of the bay, this was clean snow.)

As there were a few areas that simply weren't cleared, folks whose assigned seats were still snow covered were allowed to find open seats elsewhere in the stadium. Late in the game, they showed a picture of some kids up in the Upper Deck who had created a large snowman in the seat next to them and put a Ravens hat on him. I guess they needed to do something to keep warm!

By the way, the Ravens won!
--------------- Well, we're guaranteed a white Christmas. This stuff isn't going anywhere as it won't be warm enough to melt by then.

Stay warm, my friends !!!

Okay, so I didn't get those pics posted today. Maybe tomorrow. Today I was still working steadily on orders and calling local customers about pick-up and delivery appointments.

Why is it when you are so busy you barely have time to breathe, your mind goes wild with new ideas? Why does this always happen when the holiday is just around the corner and there's no time to make the items, let alone market them? I've been making lots of little notes that I hope still sound great next Fall when I start gearing up for the holidays of 2010. (There have been a few years along the way when I never found those notes again!)

In between new ideas, I've been struggling with the list of what I need to get made for our own gift-giving, the mounds of candy I still need to make, the cards that need to be addressed, the decorating to be done (I'm determined to get my window wreaths up tomorrow) and the long list of routine household chores that need to be taken care of in the next few days - just as soon as I get through all this painting and sewing.

Just to test how much I really can accomplish, The Big Guy had an eye doctor's appointment today which required him to be chauffered as his eyes would be dialated. So I had a forced break this afternoon while we took care of that. It was like a mini-vacation. I had an hour to sit and read while he was with the doctor. Then, we went out to dinner. I came home feeling rejuvenated and was able to finish base-coating the piece of children's furniture I was working on. It's ready for me to do the detail work in the morning.

Tomorrow, I'll have another forced break as we have plans to have dinner with friends, weather permitting. While we're not expecting anything like our Midwest friends and family are planning, we do have some frozen mess due to start in the early evening. I've made no secret here or anywhere else that I am NOT a winter person! If it's cold and wet, I try to hibernate. That is actually one of the best things about not working outside the home these last few years. I go out in it when forced but am not happy about it.

We've been lucky in our end of the world and have had two really easy winters but I believe the Weather Gods probably have a surprise in store for us this year. Last year was colder than normal but much drier so we had very little messy weather to deal with. In fact, all of the snow-driving I did last year, I did while on vacation. We hit snow on two out of three of our trips to the Midwest, a lot of snow on a weekend visit to the Pennsylvania mountains in November and even on our South Carolina winter getaway last year. The coldest weather we experienced last winter was in Tennessee, of all places!

We got our first dusting of snow this past Saturday. This seems to be the weekend that opens our snow season around here. It has snowed on that weekend for 6 out of the last 9 years! Not usually amounting to much but enough to wake us up and shout, "Winter is coming!"

I saw a plaque last week that I plan to make for myself this year. It state's my sentiments eactly - "Winter can't last forever!" I already feel that way.

Stay warm and dry y'all! (And think 80 degrees and sunny!)

Finally home!!!

We’ve finally made our way home! (A day late.)


A passing snow “event” prevented our setting out on Sunday. With accumulation forecasts varying from 1“-3’’ to possibly 15” (“give or take 50 miles North or South”) , we figured we’d just hang out with the family in a warm, dry house for an extra day or two. The Omaha area only got a light dusting that never really coated the streets but there were 10” amounts nearby and parts of the Interstate were closed in Iowa for several hours due to white-out conditions. Leaving Monday morning, we found lots of snow-covered scenery but clear highways.


Today, however, was another story. We drove in varying degrees of snow flurries, snow showers and light snow that created a white out effect but never really coated the roadways for, oh, about 450-475 miles! We left Elkhardt, Indiana at about 6 a.m. and within a half hour were driving in a light snow. We pretty much continually had some form of snow all the way to Frederick, Maryland!


This pic was taken somewhere in Ohio this morning and is basically what we saw most of the way home today!!


Our friends and family are now referring to this as "The Franz Syndrome." Supposedly, it is a new national weather phenomonen. Wherever The Big Guy and I go, the snow is sure to follow! We're now 0-3 in the roadtrip department. In November, we drove home from Omaha and hit snow from mid-Indiana through Western Pennsylvania and we even brought snow to the Carolinas earlier this year!!

Do you think anyone will let us visit in the future ?

Weather's got me down!

Let it snow , Let it snow, Let it snow--- Someplace else. Please!!!

_______

I'm practicing mental imaging - thinking of a warm, sunny setting and remembering those great, relaxing lunches in the park The Big Guy and I were doing weekly only a few short months ago. Unfortunately, I'm not feeling any warmer yet!

_______

Will somebody please take the proper precautions to assure us all that the groundhog won't see his shadow next week? We've had enough!!

_______

Okay, I'm generally a little grouchy today. My cold has progressed from a slightly stuffy feeling to major congestion and I'm losing my voice. I am not a happy camper! I don't feel inspired to paint today - or to work on promotions or clean house, etc.

This week's book review:

I did read a book this past week. (That's the one thing this weather is good for - curling up with a good book!) I really enjoy a genre I call "Murder Mystery - Lite" and I've dug through the archives and found a few of my favorite authors' early works. This week I read Diane Mott Davidson's first "culinary mystery," Catering to Nobody. Diane's introductory description of the trials and tribulations of finding a publisher to buy into her concept of a "culinary" mystery was almost as entertaining as the novel itself. Anybody familiar with Diane knows of her series featuring Goldie Bear, caterer and amateur sleuth extraordinaire. In this book, we are introduced to Goldie, Arch (her son), and The Jerk (her ex). Goldie's successor, Marla (The Jerk's second wife) and one of her various love interests, the big protective Deputy Sheriff, Tom. We get a feel for her home turf, Aspen Meadows, Colorado, (It's a real Peyton Place, or for my younger followers, Wisteria Lane.) and find she's a caterer who actually shares recipes. All of the books in the series include some tasty recipes. Give one a read and cook up something special while you're at it!

Yet another blurb about the CPSIA!

In an effort to comply with the general request that all of us bloggers speak about the CPSIA yesterday, I threw together a few thoughts and published them last night without a lot of consideration, much like Congress passed the new law. I wanted it to appear I had done something constructive. (I had, after all, already written and prepared yesterday's post - a long feature article about a great crafter and her creations. That posting had been carefully researched, written and advertised to run yesterday. I really hated to take away from it by jumping back on the CPSIA soapbox.) In the light of day, last night's CPSIA comments appear rather lame. Here, I will try to improve on that.

I'm to the point where I just want Congress to say, one way or the other, if there will be revisions to the CPSIA coming soon. "Just come out and make a definitive statement, will you?" Knowing how our government generally works, I'm not holding my breath. My mind keeps flitting to a scene from Best Little Whorehouse in Texas where the governor does "a little dance" the "two step" to keep from taking an official position. Can you picture a chorus line of politicians dancing on the steps of the Capitol? Now, that might be worth a drive to D.C.! I believe our only realistic reprieve may come from the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) in the form of exceptions, exemptions and a new enforcement time table. This is feasible and may actually occur in our lifetime.

As a crafter, I am not asking permission to produce dangerous and hazardous products for children. MY PRODUCTS ARE SAFE !!! I am only asking that small manufacturers, like myself, be provided with practical, manageable conformity rules and regulations that will not effectively wipe out America's cottage industries.

My merchandise is produced by using ready-made, commercially available clothing, which under this law, has already been certified by it's manufacturer - companies like OshKosh, Gerber, Carters, etc. - to be lead and phthalate free. I buy my blanks (the clothing pieces which I paint) on the retail market. I then embellish that garment with certified non-toxic paints produced by two American manufacturers who have also already certified their paints as safe under this law. (I have copies of their test results.) A child could literally drink a bottle of this paint without any health repercussions. (Of course, you'd want to be sure they were wearing disposeable diapers!)

This combination of two harmless components does not trigger any chemical changes in the garment or paints but it does create a brand new product. I, as the manufacturer of that new product, will now have to have that item tested by a third-party tester. Redundent? Wasteful? Expensive? Yes!!! Reasonable? No!!! Financially possible? -- Let's just ask. "Will you pay $75.00 (or higher) for tht cotton onesie for your next baby shower gift?"

Many opponents of the law have pronounced it as the death of "cute" creations. Maybe not the end of "cute" but definitely the end of "one-of-a-kind" productions for children. The testing process itself destroys the garment requiring at least two of any lot to be made. One to be tested - one to use/sell/give, whatever. Remember watching the Jetsons, Star Trek and other futuristic shows - everyone dressed the same. I guess they'd already passed a CPSIA in their societies.

The first phase of the law, effective 2/10/09, does allow me to certify that my products are made with safe, tested components. I can do that. Therefore, I will continue to make and sell my children's products after that date. The second phase, scheduled to kick in sometime in August, 2009, requires me to do the 3rd party testing. That isn't financially feasible for me. If the law doesn't have exemptions or changes made by then, I will need to stop manufacturing those items. My business will suffer while it goes through a transformation forcing me to gear toward grown-up sales.

The impact of this new law is far reaching. It pertains to ALL children's products whether they're made by Aunt Bessie ("the crochet queen") or Mattel. OshKosh is also just another American manufacturer who will need to comply. Of course, Mattel and OshKosh and the like don't produce one-of-a-kind or few-of-a-kind lots. They can afford to test one item in order to sell 15,000 identical pieces. (I'm sure you can count on the retail price reflecting the costs of such testing.)

Aunt Bessie, on the other hand, crochets for something to do. She makes baby blankets and preemie hats for her local hospital. She goes to Walmart and buys a hank or two of baby yarn for these items and lovingly spends her afternoons stitching with love. That yarn, as a component, is safe. Now, without altering the chemical properties of that yarn, Aunt Bessie will need to do 3rd party testing before giving that item to the hospital. The CPSIA pertains to "any distribution," not just "sales for profit." Did Congress mean to shut down all of the meaningful charitable work like this being doen by America's seniors? I hope not, but as enacted, that's what this law can do!

Let's work together to get this changed -- NOW !!! Contact your Congressman. Bombard Henry Waxman, the man in power, with letters, phone calls, voice mails, e-mails, etc. Ask for revisions to this law before the American craftsman becomes just another chapter in our history books.