and the dog ate my homework

Maybe it's just my Catholic school upbringing, I don't know, but it really bothers me when people on not on time. Why is it OK for everyone to be late? I am signed up for a few different swaps and there is always someone who is late despite the fact that they were given ample time to complete the task.

There is a whole range of excuses the most common of which is "life got in the way". What kind of excuse is that? Did you not know you had a job, a family, a home a life that needed attention? Did you not take these things into consideration when you signed up?

My computer crashed and I lost the list of addresses. Hmmmm, you signed up in August, the deadline was October, it is now the end of December and you couldn't find a computer to use in all that time?

I've been depressed and have lost my muse. Yes, this was really posted on a website. This lady posts this excuse at least once a month and has yet to honor her commitments or seek help.

The holidays got in the way. Did you not know they were coming?

I think what irks me more than these excuses is the poster who says "Oh, it's OK, we will all wait". I am sorry, but it is not OK with me, and please don't speak for me. If I tried to use these excuses with the electric company they would shut of my power, if I turned in my school work late I flunked the course. Why is there now consequences to being late in a swap? How do you say in a post "No, it's not OK that you are late and I am tired of waiting" without being told how mean you are?

Heartstring Quilts

I sent the Chinese coins quilt top to Mary, and she responded the minute it got to her home. That has encouraged me to make more. I posted a note on the quilting section at HGTV for some scraps for Charity quilts. As expected, there was zero responses, zero, zip, nada, nothing. So I posted a request on the Heartstrings Yahoo site and I got an immediate reply from Deb in AZ. She sent some strings immediately and I received them them yesterday. I am so amazed, not only did someone reply, not only did she send them right away but she sent really nice fabric. None of that Walmart stuff here, but bright. cheerful, good quality fabric. I think maybe I have finally found a charity site I can stick with.

I won, I won, I won!!!

I am always whining about the fact that I never win anything. I have entered a ton of blog giveaways in the past month and I was about to give up. Guess what...... did you guess? I didn't win just one giveaway but two!!! Yes one from Gloria at Strawberry House and the other from Kate at Kate's Quilting and other fibre arts. Yes, that's two, two, two wins at once. Why, I am getting downright silly about it. Do you believe in the old saying good things come in threes? Or would that be just a bit greedy?

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday as I did. Lots of family, food and fun.

Stars

Another Arts in the Mail swap simply called Stars. Here is mine....................

I have received the first of 4, it's from Priscilla in Minnesota.

In the beginning of September 2001, we went on a weeks vacation to North Carolina, (yes we were on vacation when the towers were hit). The first two days we played tourist in Ashville (don't you just love that town?) We loved visiting the Appalachian Craft Center on the Blue Ridge Highway. We purchased several handmade objects including this ornament. It is made of pottery and was turned on a wheel. It is signed and dated on the inside and I have left the price tag so I would remember the name of the place where we bought it.

Mini

This little lady started it. Isn't she just too cute? I purchased her many, many years ago at the Promenade. This is an arts and crafts show we have here in Ft Lauderdale every year, I think in November (Haven't been to one in a while). There is always the most wonderful handmade stuff, paintings, sculptures, jewelry, etc. But there was this one year where I saw this little angel and that was it, we can go home now. She is made on a bell foundation. Her face and hands are fired clay and what a sweet expression. She has wings made of gold leaves and loops of cream ribbon. And, she stands all of 1 1/2 inches tall. Yup, she's the one that started this mini madness. She is just too small to be put on an 8 foot tree so I had to get a mini (18 inches tall) tree. She, of course could not be sitting there all alone, so I started purchasing Hallmark Keepsake mini ornament. Most of them I purchase after Christmas when they are 50% off. I do not like the tree itself anymore and I am considering replacing it with a nicer pre-lit tree. Oh well, maybe next year.