My Kits are Free!

I let my store lapse, and all that went with it.  Life got hard, and designing came to a halt.  But, I still have kits that have either been retired, or haven't sold.  Now, they are going to be available to you for free!  This is prompted by a reply on my pintrist board, asking where she could get the kit.  So here you go!  And, thank you Julie L. for asking where to find the kit!

National Parks

96 elements including -

2 sets of vintage National Parks window decals you can customize.  

8 unique buttons

11 unique brads

5 unique flowers

6 unique tags

4 unique frames

And

54 12x12 inch papers including 26 unique papers with variations!

This kit is over 400mb.

I really love this kit.  I spent the better part of a month making it, and I hope you enjoy it.

National Parks 1  National Parks 2  National Parks 3  National Parks 4  National Parks 5

National Parks 6  National Parks 7  National Parks 8  National Parks 9

Be sure to download all 9 links!  This kit may disappear with out notice, so grab it while you can.

Hoarders and Tossers

I am not a hoarder.  I am a tosser.  That is, I do not form emotional attachments to objects.  I have items that are sentimental to me, and I have some beautiful items.  But, if I had to go without them, I would be happy with a photo of it.  Before I got my housekeeping skills "under control"  I had been known to run through a room with a paper bag, and put everything that was out of place in it.  I'd staple it shut, and date it.  If I didn't open the bag in 6 months, I would throw it away, unopened.  In the dozens of times I did that, I only missed 2 things, and at this point I can only remember what one of those was.  I am a tosser.

The joke is that people watch the show Hoarders: Buried Alive so they can feel good about their own housekeeping.   I just watched an episode, and I don't feel better.  I don't really understand this illness, but  I can  understand wanting to collect things. This woman, like most of the hoarding shows, didn't just collect things.  She kept everything.

What I CAN'T understand is why a hoarder keeps everything, including garbage.  Not just broken things, but honest to Pete garbage.  Uneaten food, dog poop, empty sacks, cans, bottles, taco bell wrappers.  I don't get it.  What is is about this illness that causes these people to live in filth?  No working kitchen, no working bath, no bed to sleep in.  Just layers of filth, and trash, and things.  I understand keeping things, but how about putting them in boxes, and throwing away the trash?  The whole thing made me want to cry.

Hoarding is a coping mechanism.  Most people who hoard are filling all the empty places, all the empty holes in their lives.  Dare I say, their souls?  Oh, I know, there are Born Again Bible Thumpers who hoard, I know a couple of them personally.  They, like many others with this condition have suffered unimaginable loss in their lives.  I don't blame them, I don't judge them.  But, I don't want them to live like that either.

But why?  Why did this make me want to cry?  Even though I am a tosser, I am always on the precipice of similar behavior.  This week, for example,  I spent my time collecting, of all things, digital representations of paper dolls.  There is a purpose for this, and I have already started to implement it.  I am making a smash journal, and have used some there.  I am also collecting public domain paper dolls, along with other public domain items to use in digital scrap kits.  I love the chase.  I love finding the perfect item.  I have almost 3 terabytes of  perfect items.  No, I don't hoard.

Now, we are back to being sad about this show.  Yes, it highlighted some areas that I personally need to work on.  But I really feel bad for these people living like this.  Uh Oh.  What is wrong with me?  I want to help these people escape the hell they have made for themselves in their dreary homes, to live in cleanliness and light. I forgot it's temporary.  Shouldn't I really be trying to help them escape the real hell, and live in light for eternity?  Now, that really makes me sad.

Huh.  I guess I live an ordinary, yet amusing life.

I think it's true.  I think nothing happens to me that doesn't happen to others, I just happen to think that things are funny, and since I have few filters, I end up telling everyone I know all my embarrassing secrets.  Yesterday, while at our small group, I felt something scratching my neck.  We were studying Matthew 11, and it was really interesting, but I couldn't help myself.  I had to check out what was going on with my neck.  My hand touched my collar, and it felt like a bee sting, or a nasty spider, so I did a discreet freak out.  I flipped my collar over, and got bit again.  By now I had every one's attention, and what was in my collar?  A #2 fish hook tied on a short piece of leader!  Because it was barbed, I couldn't pull it out.  How did I get a fishhook in my collar?  I had even ironed this top that morning!  All I can come up with is that I got the fish hook in my shirt while in the washing machine, or Bill (once again!) used my ironing board to gather his fishing gear.  Either way, I didn't notice the hook until we were in the middle of Bible study.  Oh yeah, that was lady like.  Nothing says Sunday Small Group like the host coming after you with a wire cutter!

  Since nothing really interesting, but the fish hook, has happened since my last post, I was going to look for another blog re-run.  There are some I like, but I ran into this video, and because I love it, and because it is powerful, I thought maybe I would just share this instead.

Old Blog re-run from April 2009

It's pretty embarrassing when they laugh at you at McDonald's

Ok.  If it were that we went to McDonald's, a lot, to eat, that would be one thing.  Or even if we knew someone working there.  But we aren't known for those kind of things.  Nope.  Every time we go through the drive through, we see people pointing and laughing, and here's why... 

Bill is always the driver, and I go along as his interpreter for the microphone.  He can't hear well enough to do this thing on his own, so I help.  Well...  most of the time.  We usually order ice cream cones.  That's how we portion control our ice cream.  Any way, we went there for sandwiches one day.  I ordered a cheeseburger, and Bill, with a very sincere and clear voice  ordered " a Big and Nasty."  I kid you not!  All we heard in reply was that big guffaw!  Poor man looked bewildered, and I am just about falling out of my seat I am laughing so hard.  Then a sheepish voice comes back over the intercom "I thought you were joking. You want a big and tasty?"  By the time we got to the first window, the gal was laughing so hard she was crying.  By the time we got to the second window, everyone was laughing.   I still laugh uncontrollably every time I think about it! 

OK.  That was 2 months ago, and still, each time we go there, they laugh and point at us!  Of course, all I have to do to get Bill laughing is to say the words Big and Nasty, so it isn't shocking that they all still think it is funny, too.  It's still embarrassing.

 March 2013 update:  They are still laughing at us.

Well now, how do I re-start blogging?  

I still live on Parker Street.  Yes, that is personal, but I am not too worried.  Seriously, how many Parker Streets can there be in the United States?  I actually have no idea, but I did find there are a lot of interesting things on Parker Street!  There is waste management, a co-op, a ministry.  There are bakeries, bistros, and diners.  There are apartments, Post Offices, universities, and even a public access television series called Parker Street.

 My Parker Street is a short, residential street with a fun mix of people.  Most of the homes are owned, but some are rentals.  Some are traditional, basic colors with basic landscaping, and others are almost neon colors with xeriscaping  .  There are children, most of them are noisy, and we have elderly people who complain about the noise.  There are upstanding citizens (like us!) and those who ride their Harleys INTO their house, and some who smoke pot on the porch.  We even have a young man, who we call "The Troubadour"  because he walks up and down the street playing his guitar and singing.  Loudly.  I like it.  One thing our homes have in common is that they are all little.  I mean seriously little.  Not micro, like some, but our home is 690 sq ft.  Believe me, that's small. 

I love our little home.  It's peaceful, aside from the noise of the neighborhood.  We know all of our neighbors.  We all know what each other looks like in our PJs, because we have congregated in the street for impromptu meetings about neighborhood events, usually late at night.  Even with the crime rate, we are happy here.  If we lost transportation, we are walking distance from anything we can possibly need.  If we lost electricity or gas, again, anything we need is right here!  Our church is technically in walking distance, but I have only walked there once.  I really prefer to drive the car. 

So, now you know about Parker Street.  What about NKL Scraps?  I am here to tell you that's me!  I have been involved with digital scrapbooking for many years, and enjoy it a ton!  But, like so many other things, I eventually decided I'd rather make my own kits than purchase them.  OK, I still purchase others, but I really do make my own!  I started to sell them at Divine Digital a while ago, and just when business started to pick up for me, Divine needed to close their doors.  Right now I am at Heartfelt Perfections, and hope to do well there.  I guess I am still getting set up, and getting my feet wet over there.  Business is not good for me, yet.  Which brings me to the actual point of this post!  Until the end of the month, everything in my store will be half price or $1.  And, I will be adding a new kit in a few days, too!  Here is an idea of what I have available.