Don't box me in, People!

I promised serious opinions when I started my blog. I've mostly just given you cards with a bit of political humor thrown in the mix. This post won't be like that. So stop reading now if you don't want to know what I really think. I'm going to speak up as someone who is unabashedly conservative and tired of getting the bird and dirty looks because I have a McCain/Palin sticker on my car. Your guy won. Good for you. We live where we can vote for whomever we choose. Don't think you know everything about me or where I stand.

Let me start by saying, I'm not a racist. The accusation makes me mad as hell. That is what Janeane Garofalo and Keith Olbermann implied of those people who attended The Great American Tea Party on the 15th. The outrage has nothing to do with a black man being in office. And in case no one noticed, the head of the GOP is also a black man. I don't like Pres Obama's policies. I think he's more concerned about appearances and appeasing the world than protecting American sovereignty. I think his economic policies encourage laziness and bad decision making and punish hard work and success with higher taxes. The Freedom of Choice Act makes me want to puke. And I have no doubt that what has happened in Iraq over the last six years is in fact a war and not a contingency plan. I think socialized medicine is inefficient and a bad idea. I think Pres. Obama is more affable with Hugo Chavez and Castro than he is with House Republicans or even Vice President Biden. Let me clear up a few other things for you or at least give you my take on them.

Republicans are all rich people who don't give a crap about the poor. Another lie. I believe with every part of my being that it is my Christian duty to help the poor in any way I can. I believe, however, that that is a personal responsibility. The government should look after the whole taking each group into consideration. I should look after my neighbor. I don't think the best way to help the poor is through legislation. I think it is more about looking around at friends and family and lending a hand when you can and less about screaming about injustice and demanding DC do something. Communism and Socialism sound great in theory, but people aren't risking their lives to be smuggled into Cuba or China.

Republicans think taxes are bad. Nope, that one isn't true either. I think the IRS is a mess and the tax code is as well. Taxes are necessary though. What I do mind is the gross inefficiency in spending. Our government is serving up pork chops and ham for every meal and calling it stimulus. It's ridiculous. Our economy needs to be stimulated, but we are just finding more ways to spend money without addressing the way we spend what we already have. This would be like me applying for twenty new credit cards so I could finance all my family's wants without ever looking at what we actually need and what we already have.

Republicans hate gay people. This one isn't true either. I do believe marriage is between one woman and one man. Our Democratic president has gone on record saying he believes the same. Marriage at its inception was a religious institution, and I think a redefinition would infringe on religious civil liberties. Catholic charities has already shut it's doors in MA because, the law conflicts with the religion. This alone for me is reason to maintain the definition of marriage as it stands. I do however support civil unions and think domestic partnerships should receive the same tax benefits and insurance benefits as married couples. One is a government and monetary issue, the other is a religious issue. Separation of church and state isn't a one way street.

Republicans are all about killing the environment. Hi Pot! I'm the kettle. You're black. Our nation is disgustingly dependent on foreign oil. For me the jury is still out on global warming. I've heard from brilliant people on both sides make excellent arguments. What it boils down to for me is stewardship. We should take care of what we are given. We should recycle. We should walk more and drive less. Use the cloth grocery bags, it won't kill you. Buy local, organic produce. It tastes much better and supports the farmers in your own area. On the flip side of this coin, is the drilling issue. I do support offshore drilling. Why? Because it will make our country less dependent on countries that hate us. Why is it okay to destroy the resources in foreign countries far away so we can drive 50 miles one way by ourselves to work each morning in our Chevy Tahoe? It's not. If we care so much about our world, we should really care and not act like drilling is all fine and dandy as long as it's somewhere far away and it doesn't clutter up our shorelines or wreck our landscapes. We should take a little personal responsibilty and wear a sweater in the winter instead of cranking the heater to 73 degrees. We have to stop yelling about what everyone else is doing wrong while we continue to do the same thing.

I could go on and on, but I'm feeling like I've said my peace for today. Am I angry? Sometimes, yeah. I do support Pres Obama in his role as leader of our nation, but I don't have to like his policies, and you don't have to agree with me. Thanks to our first amendment, we are given the liberty to freely express our thoughts and views and opinions. So when we disagree, let's debate without assumptions and name calling. I can think you're a clueless idiot who has your head up your hiney, but I certainly won't be on the news saying that. Human beings don't fit into neat little boxes unless they're contortion artists, and even they don't stay long.

Talk is cheep!

So here is a card for you. I love this set. That fat little bird is just too cute. The idea for this came from a Target add. This was supposed to be my Mingle swap. In fact all the pieces are stamped and cut, they just haven't been assembled. A case of hives halted the process. But the MI Mingle was a blast without anything to swap. Now I have a couple dozen of these cards though so look for one in your mailbox. Might not be today. Might not be tomorrow. Might be the day after never. Okay, shutting up now.

- Real Red, Bashful Blue, Yoyo yellow, Green galore, Tangerine Tango, Night of Navy

Paper - Navy, Green

Stamps - Good friend, Petal Pizazz, cheep talk

Ink Galore, White, Yoyo yellow

accesories - real red grosgrain, orange rickrack, corner punch, dimensionals

Mingle Little Sis Gift

This is the little desk set I made for my MI Mingle secret sis. Although, it's not a secret at all. She asked me point blank to my face if it was me, and I fessed up right then and there. She received this yesterday. I hope she likes it. She didn't get the pic of Luke in it, but the pictures looked weird without something in the frame so I slipped that in there. I think I took it out before I mailed it. Didn't, I? Oh well. Who wouldn't want that sweet face on their desk? LOL. I made some of these desk calendar thingies last year for secret friend gifts, and I still had a bunch of the canvases left. It's something a little different anyway.


It's just an acrylic frame I doctored. The butterflies and bow are on the outside. I used BAsic Greay paper and various embellies.

These were fun to make. I really hope Lorie likes them. Now back to the grindstone. I may never do another swap. Mass productrion sucks. Have a hoot!

Raspberry Suite Color Challenge

So my friend Dawn
is hosting her first ever color challenge. This should be a lot of fun. She always comes up with uniquely cool combos. You should play along! Here is what I came up with. I should have been working on Mingle stuff, but I needed a card for a friend anyway so this will work nicely. I used a combo of PTI and Su products. The stamp set is Petal Pizzaz. So Happy Everything to you!

Mingle Madness

So I know I've been MIA. I have been tot he girl cave, but I'm going on a fun getaway this weekend with some girls to stamp. And I have had a lot to do for this - shoebox swap, secret sis gifts, roomate gifts, regular swaps, etc. etc. Somebody hand me a beer. No it's fun. I just can't share a lot of it. Next week though. I shouldn't even probably share this, but oh well. I am! I'm consumed by guilt that my three readers are bored with nothing to look at for over a week. It's my nametag for the mingle. I'm fairly happy with how it turned out. I used Lily and Billy. I chopped her head off and stuck her on Billy and then gave her a new hair do. I colored her with my copics. The fence and grass are hand cut. And I think that's about it, folks.



What I might look like as a cartoon?

I actually had an outfit like this as a kid except I wore a skirt with my boots. I wore it to pioneer day at school in kindergarten. My grandma said something along the lines to my mom that only call girls dressed like that then. You know in an above the knee skirt. I was sure to pass that information onto my classmates and teacher. Hehehe.

Okay, I hope you are having a great day. Have a hoot!

A day late and a dollar short - but it's pink!

So last week I thought I'd actually participate in Kristina Werner's color challenge. I mean pink and brown... How could I not? Well, I'll tell you how. I did make this lovely card with days to spare, took a picture, and all I had to do was add the little watermark and upload. Well, then the tsunami virus hit. You know that kinda cold/flu thing that you get and you think maybe 32 years isn't such a short life. I wanted to just evaporate. Good thing my kids are so cute and so needy, or I might just have done it. My will power is amazing. I'm pretty sure I could evaporate if I really wanted to. The force is strong in this one, I tell ya. I'm still not 100%, but I am feeling much better. So here is the "I'm challenged, but not participating in a darn thing" card. I'll try again this week maybe. I used PTI's Friends 'Til the End set. I really like this one. Alright, enough from me. Have a hoot!

Happy Mail - Warning! I'm biased to the right, but I'm giving out free cups of suck it up to those in need.

Today I received something interesting in the mail. The return address said "George W. Bush". "What is this?"I wondered. Then I remembered I had sent the former POTUS a card back in October to thank him for his service to our country. So he and Mrs. Bush sent me some lovely headshots. Totally made my day. Now we'll see if I can control the urge to make copies and give them to my ultra-liberal friends and familiy members as gifts. DH and I both laughed at the thought. We did decide to put them in frames and be sure to put them out for special guests like the family member who think indicting the former POTUS is a good idea. So thanks again, President Bush. You served us well for 8 years, and now I can use this kind gesture to tease people. Why does that make me so happy? I'm sick and twisted and a Republican with very liberal relatives who take themselves WAY too seriously. And NO the sick and twisted has nothing to do with being a Republican. I'm pretty sure I inherited the demented sense of humor from my Democratic side of the family. That's what they get for encouraging me to be a free thinker! Here's the card. I made a different one for Pres Obama to welcome him to the White House a few weeks later. We'll see if he sends me a headshot. I'll let you know. I have his next card all planned out in my head. It'll have a big ole hunk of pork on the front. I may even add some bling.

Want to hear another cool factoid? Under the Bush administration -If you sent them a birth annnouncement, they sent your child a sweet little official looking letter welcoming them to the world. I'm not sure if that's something every president does or not, but I thought it was cool and Caleb still has his presidential welcome.

I'll leave it at that for now. Unless you really want to know what I think... I have a few more opinions for another day. Have a hoot!