A Creative Spirit (What do you do with yours?)

"She selects wool and flax and works with eager hands." Proverbs 31:13

Monday, September 24, 2007

An Obituary

My parents told me about Mr. Common Sense early in my life and told me I would do well to call on him when making decisions. It seems he was always around in my early years but less and less as time passed by. Today I read his obituary. Please join me in a moment of silence in remembrance, for Common Sense had served us all so well for so many generations.

Obituary: Common Sense
Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape. He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as knowing when to come in out of the rain, why the early bird gets the worm, life isn't always fair, and maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you earn) and reliable parenting strategies (adults, not children are in charge).His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a six-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job they themselves failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Aspirin, sun lotion or a sticky plaster to a student, but could not inform the parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims. Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar can sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility; and his son, Reason. He is survived by three stepbrothers; I Know my Rights, Someone Else is to Blame, and I'm a Victim. Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If you still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.
Author unknown

Tuesday, September 04, 2007

Scattergories

I snagged this off A Playful Yarn

SCATTERGORIES … and it’s harder than it looks! Here are the rules:

* Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the questions.* They MUST be real places, names, things … NOTHING made up!* If you can’t think of anything, skip it.* You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.* If your name happens to start with the same letter as mine, sorry, but you can’t use my answers!

My name: Tammy
1. Famous Singer/Band: Tony (Bennet)
2. Four letter word: Talk
3. Street:

4. Color: Tan
5. Gifts/Presents: Trinkets

6. Vehicle: Tahoe
7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: Thimbles
8. Boy Name: Tony
9. Girl Name: Theresa
10. Movie Title: Titanic
11. Drink: Tequila
12. Occupation: Telemarketer
13. Celebrity: Tom Hanks
14. Magazine: Teen Beat (they do still make that, right?)
15. U.S. City: Tulsa

16. Pro Sports Teams: Tigers
17. Fruit: Tangerine
18. Reason for Being Late for Work: Traffic jam

19. Something You Throw Away: Tissue
20. Things You Shout: Tada!

21. Cartoon Character: Tweety

Yes, Labor Day is a holiday, but.....

Our store was open and I had to work. That's the trouble with retail places. No big deal, I didn't mind. Besides, I got the next holiday off. Yes, that's right ~ I got the first day of school off!! The kiddos went back to school today, and you can hear the cheering of ecstatic parents resounding throughout the entire Wayne county area!

Yes, it should be a holiday. You see, I have teenagers ~ 3 of them. And lately, I've been hearing a LOT of "I'm bored". Well gee, if I got to sleep in until 10:30 a.m. and then had nothing more to do than just sit around the house and read, play video games, and hang out with my friends, then I'd be pretty bored, too! Yeah right! Seriously though, they are good kids. They do their chores ~ IF I make a list for them. They don't get into any trouble. But still.....it's great that they are back to school. This year two of the kiddos are Juniors and the youngest is in the 8th grade.

I'm just putting the finishing touches on the "Grace Jacket" that I've been working on. All I have left is to finish up the edging and then it will be ready for Audra (my mannequin) to model for you. I also whipped up a really cute dressy scarf that matches it perfectly. Pictures coming soon! Audra is relieved to come out of semi-retirement. Poor thing has just had to stand around in the corner unused for the past few months since I haven't made anything that she can model for us. Seems like all I've worked on this summer have been my stitching assignments ~ which is fine, don't get me wrong. I DO get paid for them. And I've even had one assignment that was knitting! But it's nice to have been able to make something that I wanted to make, you know? ;)