More on Common Courtesy

Another incident that makes me think common courtesy no longer exists is because of the experience I had during the Colorado Caucuses on March 1.

As required by caucus rules, my precinct members and I (approx. 50 of us) elected a caucus chairperson and secretary. Again, according to caucus rules, up to three people could speak on behalf of each candidate for the party after the initial vote. Individuals speak in an attempt to sway the other voters to vote for “their” candidate.

This is what happened.

We took the first vote after which a woman spoke on behalf of the candidate she was supporting. Next, a young man spoke his piece in favor of the opposite candidate. When he was finished, I raised my hand and asked the chairperson for permission to speak on behalf of the first candidate. After I took, my seat and second person spoke again for the second candidate. No one else seemed as if they had anything to say, so I again raised my hand and asked for permission to speak, and I did. Finally, a third individual spoke on behalf of the second candidate. Again, encouraged by the individuals who were in favor of the same person as I, I once again asked for the floor and again granted permission to speak. I ended with the rhetorical question, “I was just wondering how many of us are willing to vote for the party candidate, even if it isn’t the one we are presently supporting?”

At that moment, a young woman probably in her early thirties said rather rudely, “That isn’t any of your business!”

I looked at her and at the same moment as another member of the caucus, we both said to her, “You don’t have to answer.” In addition, I followed up with, “And you don’t have to be so rude.”

The young woman responded quite harshly, “Nobody wants to hear you talk all night. I have other things I need to do tonight as well.”

My response was, “This is the Democratic process at work. Apparently, you don’t know what a caucus is all about do you. If you are so busy, why did you even bother coming out tonight? I can’t help that I have a brain in my head that works.”

I probably shouldn’t have been so harsh with my words in return, but at that point, I’d had enough.

I later apologized to the group saying I hadn’t planned on being so long winded. As I did this, the mother of the young woman verbally attacked me again, by saying I was egging her daughter on. I ignored her.

At the end of the evening, an older man approached me and said I made a good point when I asked if we were willing to support each other’s candidates.

This is what I really think we need to do…

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Enough about that.  I have been pretty absent from my blog lately, and that is because I’ve been busy crocheting.  I didn’t stamp at all last week, because I had a sweater I wanted to get finished.  Well it is done so today was spent in my stamp room.  I came up with a few creations that I want to share with you.  I used the Birthday Blooms stamp set again.  I believe it is one of my favorites!

Here is the first thing I stamped today.

Watermelon Wonder Birthday BloomsI stamped the image for this set on a piece of 4″ x 4″ whisper white card stock.  I then measured 2″ from the bottom edge on either side of the flower.  Using the Stampin’ Trimmer I cut a straight line from the left and right edge at the 2″ mark just to the edge of the image.  I then used paper snips to fussy cut the top portion of the rose. I colored over the center of the rose with the gold colored Wink of Stella.  The remainder of the flower was colored over with silver Wink of Stella  The sentiment on this card comes from the Water Color Wings  set.

The second thing I stamped today was this set of 3″ x 2″ cards that can be used as gift tags and cellophane wrapped box for the tags.

Birthday Blooms 3x3 cards

Birthday Blooms 3 x 3 boxTo make the box, cut a piece of card stock to measure 5 1/4″ x 5 1/4″.  Score it on all four sides at 1/2″ and 1″.

I made the cellophane sleeve by cutting an overhead transparency to 3 1/4″ x 8 1/4″.  With the long edge of the clear sheet at the top of my scoring tool, I scored the transparency at 1/2″, 3 7/8″, 4 3/8″ and 7 3/4″.  I used two sided tape to assemble the box and to adhere the ends of the clear sleeve.  You can download a picture tutorial for the box here.  I’ve shared these instructions before.  BE AWARE…follow the measurements for the sleeve I’ve posted here vs. the ones in the downloadable link.  If you do, it will be less of a struggle to get the box into the sleeve.  I also used retired Pool Party Baker’s Twine to wrap around the box.

I hope you enjoyed your stop here today.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

 

Josie2

Birthday Blooms

If I had to choose a favorite stamp set from the current Occasions Catalog, it would be this one Birthday Blooms.  I’ve made more cards with this set since it first came out than any other.  The quote from William Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet “A rose by any other name would smell as sweet,” applies to this stamp set.  It doesn’t matter what color you make it, it is still beautiful.  Granted, both of my roses are water colored using blender pens  and Blushing Bride and Pink Pirouette ink.  The difference is in their embossing and in the choice of paper color I used.  Which do you prefer?  My preference changes each time I look at them, but one thing remains true of both; they are each beautiful in their own way.

On a different note, the items in the Sale-a-bration catalog changed a little this past Monday.  I’ve posted  a copy of the new brochure items in the side bar.  All of the items in the original catalog that appear on pages 1 through 15 are still available with any $50.00 purchase.  Those on pages 16 through 19 have been replaced with the new items in the brochure.  Be sure to check it out.

Black Butterfly & Rose

 

Silver Embossed Butterfly & Rose

I hope you enjoyed your visit here today.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

 

Josie2

 

Three Valentine Cards & Valentine Treat Tutorial

As I type this post, I realize that Valentine’s Day is only 2 days away and I haven’t shared any of my Valentine cards or my treat holder with you.  The cards were created over a month ago and put in the mail way in advance of the holiday, but I am very much overdue in posting about them.  I was busy this week in that I substitute taught one and a half days and I cleaned out two closets this week.  (I do feel I accomplished a lot.)

Anyway, here is the first card I made using the Bloomin’ Love stamp set, Bloomin’ Heart Thinlit Die, Sweetheart punch, and Love Blossoms Designer Series Paper.  When I cut out the heart with the thinlit, one heart was enough to make two cards since I only needed a small piece to peek through the punched out heart image.

Valentine-1

I made the second card with the Sky is the Limit stamp set from the Sale-a-bration catalog and the Happy Heart Embossing Folder.  Just a reminder that it will no longer be available beginning Monday, as new Sale-a-bration items will be replacing it.  If you aren’t familiar with Sale-a-bration, it is Stampin’ Up!’s biggest sale event of the year.  When you spend $50.00 on any Stampin’ Up! product you qualify for one free item.  This set is one of the free items until midnight on Feb. 14th.

I love this set because you could say it is quite masculine, and I thought this made a good card for my son.

Valentine-2

Finally, my last Valentine card happened quite by accident.  Someone once told me there were never any mistakes is stamping, just happy accidents.  So, this accident was a happy one.  I had cut out a vellum heart using the Bloomin’ Heart Thinlit intending to use it for a totally different purpose on a card, and this is what I ended up with.  🙂

Valentine-3

I hope you like the cards.

For the tutorial I promised, I have a cute little Valentine treat holder that takes only minutes to make.  I call it a Sweetheart Candy Slider Sleeve.  Isn’t it adorable?

Sweetheart Candy Sleeve-2

Sweetheart Candy Sleeve-3

Sweetheart Candy Sleeve-5

If you want the tutorial for the box, you can download it here.

Hope you enjoyed your visit here today.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

Josie2

I Still Worry

I still worry even though he is 28.

Colorado Springs got a lot of snow this week. We had a severe winter storm move in on Sunday, and it didn’t stop snowing until sometime on Tuesday. Fourteen inches of snow fell in my neighborhood. Some areas got more some less.

My son, Chris, who is now 28, just recently started working for a mobile medical company in town. He is a licensed EMT (Emergency Medical Technician). He is transporting non-emergency patients to and from appointments, etc. In a few months after his probation is complete, he hopes to begin working in an ambulance with the other EMT’s.

With this new job, Chris is making up for the five years between 21 and 26 when he couldn’t drive because of uncontrolled seizures due to epilepsy.   Now he drives EVERYWHERE! And that is a good thing.

This is what I don’t like…

First, regardless of the weather, if there is a patient that needs to be driven, he drives. Second, the hours seem to be brutally long.

This past Saturday he worked his normal 12-hour shift…longer actually, because he got to work by 7:00 a.m. and didn’t get back to my place until 10:20 p.m. He opted to spend the night here in town because he was “on-call” that night after his shift. When he arrived, he told me he would be driving to Durango, Colorado the next day to transport a patient. Durango is a 6-hour drive from here. It began snowing, and local meteorologists were saying it wasn’t going to stop until sometime Tuesday. Ask me if I slept at all Saturday night. I am sure you know the answer.

I got up the next morning to make his lunch; something I’ve never done for his sister or my husband. He is my son!  He told me he was wrong. He wasn’t going to Durango; it was Coaldale. It is a little town only 2 hours southwest of us.  “That’s better than Durango in this whether,” I thought.

I worried all day!

No I wouldn’t say worried, let’s say I AGONIZED all day. “Are the roads okay? Is he safe? Why do they have to release people from the hospital on Sunday?” I fretted. “They shouldn’t send people out in this kind of weather if it isn’t an emergency,” I contemplated.

My husband said I am worrywart. I know he is 28 years old. He is a man. But, I am his mother and mothers always worry about their children no matter their age.

The kid arrived home safely around 5:00 p.m. That night I slept like a baby!

Chris stayed here for all of Monday and Tuesday. The snow just kept coming. It didn’t look like it would ever stop! City offices closed early on Monday and didn’t re-open until Wednesday. All school districts in the area shut down until Thursday even though it stopped snowing on Tuesday. Some of the doorways on some of the school buildings were buried by the drifting snow. Snow removal has been a major hassle for the past few days. I was relieved Chris didn’t have to work those days.

But, he did on Wednesday. He arrived at work by 7:00 a.m. I didn’t see him again until he arrived home at 1:30 a.m. Thursday morning. It seems at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, after already working 10 hours, Chris and another person were dispatched on another long distance run.

I’ve never taught my children they are entitled to anything. I’ve always taught them they have to work and earn anything they get, but GEEEEES! That’s crazy! My son’s father phoned me at 9:30 to let me know Chris would be spending the night here again, because he was too tired to make the 23 mile drive to his dad’s home where he lives. At 11:00 p.m., I texted my son to find out when he was getting home. That was when I learned where he was and I calculated…he wouldn’t be home until 1:30 a.m.!

At 1:30 a.m., he arrived wanting food. So, I heated up some leftovers from our dinner, sat, and watched him eat.

He had to be at work by 7:00 a.m. the next morning. I again got up and made his lunch. I was fortunate in that I was able to go back to bed when he left.

Like I said, brutally long hours…but he seems cheerful and that is really ALL that matters.

So, on to my card.

I just LOVE this stamp set and these framelits!  A very dear friend of mine gave me a birthday card that is similar to this one.  The black and white colors, thread and embossed background and sentiment are different on the one I’ve made.

Black White Gold Blooms-3

Hope you enjoyed your visit here today.  Until next time…

Happy Stamping!

Josie2

After publishing I realized I forgot to include the Large Polka Dot Embossing Folder to the list of supplies I used.  Item # 133739