Teddy Talk: Creating, Collecting, Connecting

We were one of the unlucky people to lose their power during the nasty winter storm last week. I think there were about 500,000 people total to lose power. All of my family were affected, but not nearly as long as we were. It started last Thursday with freezing rain and finally the tree branches were so heavy with ice that they couldn't take it any longer. Thursday night we started hearing cracking noises and then crashes as the branches broke and fell to the ground. It was pretty scary especially for my little girl.  Just after midnight, a really huge branch fell onto the power lines connected to our house. All of the electrical service was ripped from the side of our house leaving us in the dark. We would need to have an electrician to come to repairs, but they couldn't begin their work until the downed lined were removed from our yard and disconnected. Finally on Wednesday morning, the power company came to disconnect the line. The electrician showed up on Thursday and did the repairs. Then we had to wait for the power company to come back. They finally showed up Friday afternoon. They spent an hour working and then left...but we still didn't have power! We called and on their computers it showed the job was completed and the power had been restored. I'm not sure what happened there, but they finally came back and at about 9 p.m. last night we had power!

We spent the first 2 days pretty much snuggling in bed because it was so cold. There was nowhere to go. Everyone we knew had lost power too. On day three, our neighbors offered to let us hook up to their outside outlets. So we got our furnace running again, two lamps and a 7-inch TV, with only 2 channels as we lost our cable too! And that's how we've lived the past week. Flash lights and candles. I have to say it was pretty miserable!

We ended up losing our big TV and DVD/VHS player. There were also damages to the gutters and siding, but we have to wait until Dec. 18 for the insurance adjustor to show up and assess all the damages before we can get replacements and do the other home repairs. We're thankful that we didn't lose any major appliances as it more of a pain to replace. And I missed the submission deadline for the Facebook.

So now I'm finally back to civilization and I've missed so much here that I'll never get caught up!

Thanks for the input. I've been looking around on the net pretty much all day, and what I really seem to like is the digital scrapbooking stuff. I've found some really pretty stuff but it's for personal use only. Personally I would label an avatar as sort of advertising, therefore commercial, so I can't use it. Soooo...I'm off to the store to see what kind of neat things I can buy.

If anyone does digital scrapbooking this site has some really pretty kits for free. www.shabbyprincess.com

I'm seeing everyone's new avatars and would really like to do a new one for myself. Just wondering where I can find all the cool design elements you guys are using in your avatars. I have Photoshop and am capable of using it, but I don't know where to find all the goodies! I've spent some time on google but pretty much came up empty handed. Can I get any of the good stuff free? The free clip-art sites aren't quite what I'm looking for. I found some neat scrapbooking stuff that is even free for download, but I'm afraid I may be infriging on someone's rights if I used it for other than personal scrapbook pages. Any ideas?  :hug:

Yvonne, what a gorgeous bear! Congrats on making the cover! :dance:

Jodi, you funny girl!

Well, I am doing pretty well with the gift buying. What I really need to do is get rid of my daughter for a whole day so I can sort through all the boxes and bags and get things wrapped. Then I'll know what exactly I still need to buy. Yes, it would have been helpful to keep a list, but too late for that!

I started decorating yesterday. It was such a warm, beautiful day that I started outside. This is the first year we've decorated outside and it was really fun. So today I have to find the other half of my Christmas tree and get working on that!

I believe the deadline for signing up is Nov. 30, so we should get the list sometime after that.

Krista, I love the polar bear so if it turns out you only enter one of them...he gets my vote! Good luck!

:crackup: Those were really cute.

Wonderful news, Daphne! Big congrats to your husband for landing the new job. Moving isn't much fun, but I love house hunting. Hope you have fun and find the perfect new home! :hug:

Oh, Sandra, how awful! I'm so sorry this has happened to you. What a nightmare that must have been. I hope you're okay. Please take it easy and give yourself plenty of time to mend.  :hug:  :hug:

:crackup:  :crackup: Thanks for the giggle!

Oh, Tracy, I'm so sorry to hear about your loss. It really doesn't take long to get attached to a sweet kitty, does it? I hope the other cats will be careful.  :hug:

Tracy, I'm glad to hear the kitties aren't pregnant, although it is sad to know they are so worm-infested that you thought they were pregnant. Poor babies. Well, now they have you so they are a million times better off. Bless your heart for caring for these kitties and giving them a home.  :hug:

Wow, Melissa, your booklet and display look fabulous! I must echo what others are saying! You should definitely think about a book sometime in the future or at least sell your booklet as a kit or something. You did an awesome job with so little time. You should definitely be proud of yourself. I'm glad to hear that you had a good time doing the open house. Congratulations!!

Wendy, your little cherub is adorable. I think you've done a fantastic job!

So nice to have you back, Kim! I'm glad to hear you're feeling better and you know what's going on now. :hug:

Wouldn't you be surprised if you found that in your shopping bags!

Wow, Gemma, you're really on the ball! 

I think it would be okay to send it sooner, that way the lucky recipient can enjoy it for longer!

What an adorable little skunk and the egg is so pretty!

Here's mine:

75% General American English

10% Dixie

5% Upper Midwestern

5% Yankee

0% Midwestern

Hmm...I seem to be missing 5% also...???

I'm not completely done but I've got an excellent start. I shop year round also, hitting all the clearance bargains! I have a really big family to buy for so this is really the smart way to do it. I need to go sorting through all my boxes now to see what exactly I need to get before Christmas. Usually the only things I need to get at Christmas time are for the hard-to-buy-for people, like my Dad and brothers.

Go for it, Paula. I'm ready to hang lights and get out the tree! I'm not sure why but the Christmas bug has bitten me early this year.

What a sweet little guy! He sure does look cozy.

Sent my email! It was lots of fun last year. :dance:

I haven't started yet, but the ornament idea I have is for a whole mini bear which would probably be in the 3-4" range.