tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7052810791267934782024-02-08T03:20:33.368-08:00FerretLady's CornerFerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-91568403048088965142010-07-09T18:22:00.001-07:002010-07-09T18:51:09.809-07:00Lost & Needing Help BadlySigh - I never was any good at keeping up with this blog. It amazes me now to look at my last post, life was just fine then, my sweetheart was here, shortly after that post he built me a wonderful lightbox so I could get better photos..... and now he is gone forever.<br /><br />To make this living hell even worse, today I found out that Social Security froze our bank account, as they were reclaiming the benefit check that had been deposited just a few days after Tim's death. So, on top of this unbearable grief for my darling husband, now I am sitting here with NO income, NO money at all other than $82 on hand, and utility bills that are due.<br /><br />Read below for more details - but I am desperate here & could use any help that any of my friends could give me. I will gladly consider any donation you can make as a loan & will repay you once I am able to.<br /><br /><form action="https://www.paypal.com/cgi-bin/webscr" method="post"><br /><input name="cmd" value="_s-xclick" type="hidden"><br /><input name="hosted_button_id" value="9T3DUEVY25NSE" type="hidden"><br /><input src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/btn/btn_donateCC_LG.gif" name="submit" alt="PayPal - The safer, easier way to pay online!" border="0" type="image"><br /><img alt="" src="https://www.paypal.com/en_US/i/scr/pixel.gif" border="0" height="1" width="1" /><br /></form><br /><br /><br />If I can squeek through the next 2 to 2 1/2 months, I will receive insurance benefits - but according to OPM, it will take about 3 weeks for the paperwork to get to me, and after I submit everything back to them, it will take about a month before payment is made. (IF the time-table goes as they told me... hopefully it won't take even longer than that.) And at some point after that, I will get a small survivor annuity from my sweetie's retirement plan. So - if I can just make it until I get the insurance, I'll have some breathing room to figure out where to go from there.<br /><br />I DID already pay my lot rent for this month, and the power bill --- but I still have about $150 in bills due for this month, if I just skip paying the medical insurance. Come Aug. 1st, I'm *hoping* that the park will let me slide on the lot rent for a couple months, until I receive my benefits, but there will still be all the utility bills due again. I'm going to call everyone, but based on past experiences, they don't really cut people much slack, no matter what. I've got some food on hand, and have applied for food stamps, so maybe I'll be OK in that area - it's just trying to get the bills paid for these next 2 months until I get the benefits - they did verify that the benefits are there - it will just take some time to receive them. I HAVE checked to see if there is any 'welfare' type assistance I can get, and food stamps are the only thing I qualify for - most programs are based on having children or other dependents in your care.<br /><br />Again, I would not be asking for help if I wasn't outright desperate here. I can NOT lose my home & what belongings that Tim & I had. (Nor can I very well sit here w/ power turned off, or water disconnected, etc) I know -- the internet is not a *necessity*, but especially since I can't drive, it is almost a necessity for me -- I've got to be able to have a phone & net access gives me contact with other people, which I really need right now. Again, any donations I get will be considered as loans & I will repay everyone once I have the means to do so.<br /><br />I just can't believe that they snatched my bank account & took every penny I had left in there (and put it waaaay in the hole, to boot). Just because Tim died a day before the beginning of the month......<br /><br />On top of all the grief & pain, now I've got to deal with feeling like a moocher too.... this is all getting to be way too much to deal with. Thank you so much for any help you can give.....<br /><br />IF you do make a donation, the paypal account is one that I've maintained for years now & used periodically when I had any kind of little online venture going, so the name will show up as 'dtrh enterprises' Sheesh, I was just trying to get cranked up to maybe start selling some crafts online again, when all of this happened. I'm going to try to pull myself together enough to maybe get something started as soon as I can, but I'm such an emotional mess right now, I don't know how much I can do in that respect just yet.<br /><br />thanks for reading.......FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-25332120180063102932010-05-31T16:30:00.001-07:002010-05-31T16:39:50.327-07:00New Design! Elegant Beaded Wine Gift Bag<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/TARHtmYPT0I/AAAAAAAAADQ/dCtOo0gJ6Ac/s1600/winebottlebag.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/TARHtmYPT0I/AAAAAAAAADQ/dCtOo0gJ6Ac/s320/winebottlebag.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477581895511265090" border="0" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/TARHQp1EqUI/AAAAAAAAADA/vN_4ngP_rHw/s1600/winebottlewrap.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 242px; height: 320px;" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/TARHQp1EqUI/AAAAAAAAADA/vN_4ngP_rHw/s320/winebottlewrap.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5477581398221302082" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Whew, it's been a while since I posted! I really need to get in the habit of keeping up with a blog!<br />It reminds me of when I was young - I never was very good at keeping up with a diary or journal either! I really do need to work on that.<br /><br />I finished a new design today that I'm pretty happy with. It's for a beaded wine bottle cover or gift bag - the pattern is for both variations. I'm working on putting the PDF together & getting it ready, so the pattern will be available soon. I really enjoy working with the beads - they add such a nice touch to even the simplest stitch pattern. <br /><br /> Let me know what you think!FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-57204372754656080272010-05-01T13:20:00.000-07:002010-05-01T13:21:52.912-07:00Trying to get back on my hooks, after my stash was stolen...<p><strong>April 2010</strong> -- I’m just starting to get back into crocheting again after having almost my entire stash stolen during a move. For hubby’s health, and to be close to ‘adopted family’, we made a rather drastic move back to FL last summer - we sold our house in AL, sold/gave up almost everything we owned & bought a small manufactured home in a 55+ community in central FL. We loaded our van full of personal items, and a (SUPPOSED) “friend” was going to bring his large van down a month later, bringing the remainder of our belongings. Well, “friend” disappeared with our stuff - we’re guessing he wanted the TV & electronics that he was bringing -- but unfortunately, 98% of my stash was boxed up to come in his van too. He’s vanished off the face of the earth, from what we can tell - no luck finding him or our stuff. Beh - and this was someone we’d known for quite some time & had gotten rather close with.</p> <p>I was so depressed about it, I didn’t even pick up a crochet hook for months now -- and I was so terribly ashamed to even admit to what had happened - there were some sweet ladies here who had sent me some yarn gifts in the past, and more than anything else, I was so ashamed that I had lost the yarn they’d sent me. But I do miss stitching, so I’ve been trying to get enthused again. LOL - I’ve got some coned kitchen cotton, a bag of fun fur & another small bag of mixed hodge-podge skeins that were in our van, and that’s the extent of my pathetic stash right now. Living on hubby’s social security doesn’t allow for much spending outside of absolute necessities - and the dollar stores here don’t seem to have yarn, at least I haven’t found any yet.</p> <p>If anyone has ANY extra yarn at all that they don’t want, I’ll gladly pay postage if you’d be willing to part with it. I mean, <em>anything</em>!! Cheap acrylic, fun fur, novelty weird stuff, kitchen cotton… anything at all, I’ll be thrilled to have it!</p> <p>And DON’T ever ever let anyone else handle your stash for you when you move, under any circumstances!! I had so much wonderful yarn - I still have to fight the tears when I think about it - so I just have to try NOT to think about it….. losing the other stuff he stole was bad enough - but (if we had enough $$), it was all items that theoretically COULD be replaced. I had lots of discontinued yarns and other yarns that simply cannot be replaced, and I’m fighting tears just writing this again, so enough out of me for now…….</p>FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-2885449065870449872009-04-08T18:06:00.001-07:002009-04-08T18:10:04.301-07:00Finally putting my stash on RavelryWell, I finally got a couple totes put up in my stash at Ravelry today. LOL - three totes down, and goodness-knows how many more to go. I'm still having trouble doing a lot right now, because of whatever the problem is with my arm/shoulder. It's driving me nuts! So I thought I'd finally get started on getting my stash info input.... whew, that is a JOB! But it will be SOOOOOO worth it once I have it done!! I'm going to try to perhaps do another tote or two later tonight, and maybe if I can make myself get three or four totes finished each day, I'll eventually get it all on there!FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-85871202886689336732009-03-26T15:02:00.001-07:002009-03-26T15:09:23.643-07:00Sigh... crocheting pain....Well, not sure what I did, but my shoulder is really giving me fits today. I sat down for just a moment, tried to add a few stitches onto a project & didn't go 5 minutes before my arm was in agony. I think I slept on it crooked or something, and got it aggravated again....sigh....<br /><br /> Actually, there is a good bit of housework & other things I *ought* to be tending to, so maybe this is just a way to force me off my plump rump & make me do something else.... Not sure if it will hurt too much for housework, or if the wider range of movement involved in housework will perhaps help it ... but at least I can TRY to get some laundry & other things done...<br /><br /> Would much rather be sitting back stitching though..... It's just a pulled muscle or pinched nerve or something like that - nothing that won't go away given a little bit of time. Frustrating, but nothing that will keep me away from crocheting altogether... I just hate being "forced" to take a break when I really don't want to! LOL!FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-57978359144497303512009-03-25T18:22:00.001-07:002009-03-25T18:39:53.393-07:00I did it, I actually knitted a few stitches!!!!As I mentioned before, I've been <span style="font-style: italic;">tryin</span>g to take a bit of a break here lately, to let my shoulder/arm rest. Shoulder is still stiff & gives me a good twang of pain if I move it in the wrong direction, but it's eased up tremendously from the way it was. <br /><br /> But of course, it's driven me nuts, so I've had to do a wee bit of stitching off-and-on!! I've added a few tidbits onto the background piece for my ocean wallhanging - that seems to be the easiest way to crochet & let my arm still rest, as I only do a tiny bit at a time, then stop to decide on another color/yarn/etc. Unlike getting in the middle of a solid project where I could stitch non-stop for an extended period of time....<br /><br /> BUT - what I'm so excited about -- as some of you might know, I've tried & tried to learn to knit, to no avail. I knew how the stitches were supposed to be done - but I just could not seem to manuever the yarn to DO it when I tried. Well, today I discovered that I was using the wrong method for me! I had heard & read repeatedly, that crocheters should use the Continental method of knitting, that it came much easier for crocheters than the English method. HOGWASH!!!! I could never manage to move a stitch from one needle to the other using the Continental method! <br /><br /> Yesterday, dear sweet hubby took me by Hobby Lobby, and encouraged me to get one of those "Learn to Knit" kits. I was hesitant, but as he pointed out, a majority of the do-dads included in the kit were items I could use anyway -- a needle guage (which can be used for crochet hooks as well...), stitch markers, stitch holders, a row/stitch counter, yarn needles etc. Almost everything in the kit could be utilized in my crocheting, other than the knitting needles & book of course.<br /><br /> Then I spotted two different sizes of BIG acrylic knitting needles on clearance for $1.25 / set. I thought perhaps a nice chunky fat needle might be easier to practice on, so I grabbed those as well.<br /><br /> Today, I sat down with the book, got some cast-on done, and with a rather skeptical frame of mind, tried to follow the instructions for doing the knit stitch (the book showed the English method) Much to my total surprise & delight, I actually did several rows of stitches!!! Very sloppy uneven stitches, to be sure - but they were STITCHES, nonetheless!!! I was SOOOO surprised & so happy! It is obviously going to take a *lot* of practice to get even tension & nice neat stitches, but at least I managed to move the yarn from one needle to the other, which I could never manage to do before, trying the Continental method! I think the big fat needles really helped too, rather than using normal skinny aluminum needles. <br /><br /> So, it's a *start*!!! At least now I feel that maybe I CAN learn to knit after all, it will just take a lot of practice before my stitches are nice enough to do a project at all. And I haven't even tried the purl stitch just yet - I only did a few rows of knit. I still need to practice at my cast-on, as it's still a bit uneven. But I am happy that I FINALLY managed to actually do some stitches, regardless of how sloppy they were! Practice, practice, practice..... and hopefully I'll be able to actually make something...FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-31581381704674600162009-03-21T13:01:00.001-07:002009-03-21T13:21:03.063-07:00I hate my eyes.... sigh....I managed to finish up a few shawls that were gifts, but have been having a little trouble crocheting for any long stretch lately. Due to my failing vision, I have to hold my work up pretty close to my face to see the stitches. I don't know what the difference is lately, but over the past few days, my right arm has gotten to hurting quite badly, and that's the only reason I can think of for it.<br /><br /> SIGH.... so I'm going to TRY to take a break for a day or two, and give the arm a rest to see if that makes a difference. My sweet hubby suggested that I put some pillows next to me to prop my arm on, perhaps that would help. <br /><br /> This vision stuff is frustrating beyond words. OK, I could deal with giving up some finely detailed work when it first began. I used to do some beadwork & counted cross-stitch, had to give those up quite some time ago. But for whatever reason, the vision problems seem to have accelerated over the past 6 months or so. I can't see clearly enough to do the precise cutting needed for quilting so I haven't done that in some months now. Drawing has been out of the picture for the last few years. It seems that little by little, all the things I enjoy doing are slowly being taken away, *frustrating**!!!! As long as I hold things up about 4-6" in front of my eyes, I can focus on it, but further than that, it's all a big fuzzy blur. LOL, when I'm on my computer, I'm sitting here with my nose literally about 4" from the screen, so I'm sure that exacerbates the problem, but what am I supposed to do - just not use my computer at all? Bah!!!<br /><br /> On a hopeful note, hubby's retirement reinstatement has just been turned over to the final leg of being approved so **MAYBE** within the next 6 months or so, they'll finally get that taken care of & we'll have our medical insurance again. At which point, one of the first things we're doing is getting the eye surgery I need, that will *hopefully* clear up my vision to some extent. (At the moment, I'm "legally blind" due to cataracts that keep getting worse all the time....) I've always been very near-sighted all my life. Had surgery on both eyes for detached retinas in the past, and had cataract surgery on my left eye already about 7 years ago - the lens replacement wasn't quite right though, so when/if we can, I'll probably have that eye re-done. But my right eye was always my "good" eye, so it wasn't a problem until the cataracts kicked in heavy on my right eye.... sigh, oh well, you gotta take what life throws at you & work around it as best as you can, I guess..... I just hope to goodness that maybe before too much longer, we'll have insurance again & I can get the surgeries done.<br /><br /> I'm going to try his idea of propping my arm up on some pillows to see if that eases the strain of holding that arm up at such a high angle while I crochet. I am NOT going to give up crocheting, no matter what it takes to be able to keep on with it.... that's my "mainstay" hobby & blind or not, I am not going to lose it too....<br /><br /> Sorry for the vent - just frustrated w/ this at the moment....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-80740962191120064052009-03-14T12:09:00.000-07:002009-03-14T12:20:26.677-07:00Just DO it!!!I've been such a silly goose lately. I came into a wonderful bunch of lovely yarns, gifted to me by some incredible ladies over at Ravelry. As opposed to my typical "big box store" or "dollar store" stash, these are all lovely fancy expensive "yarn store" yarns - the kind of stuff that I would never be able to go out & buy myself!!<br /><br />I've made a few little things - but for the most part, I have spent sooooo many hours scouring over patterns, project photos, etc etc etc trying to decide on WHAT to make! My biggest fear is "wasting" the yarn somehow -- either making a project that I won't use very often, or messing up on a project somehow, or ??? There isn't a lack of patterns to choose from out there - luckily, crochet patterns abound online, so I have plenty of choices... maybe that's part of the problem too, I'm overwhelmed with fear of wasting the yarn & overwhelmed by too many options as to what to make from it! LOL!<br /><br /> Enough is enough already though..... I need to start USING more of this lovely yarn. I do love making shawls - even though I already have several made up, sitting here homeless, that I still haven't figured out where they are going. I like to do charity stuff, but donating a hand-wash mohair shawl to a homeless shelter is not a very practical idea! LOL! I could try to sell a few things in my Etsy shop (haha - that's a joke - never did have luck w/ Etsy in the past) but that seems kinda wrong, to try to sell anything made from yarn that was *given* to me! <br /><br /> I think I'll make a few more shawls, just because I enjoy making them - then I'll just pay it forward - mark my projects on Ravelry as "free if you want it, just pay postage" or something like that - giving first dibs to my wonderful "yarn angels" Yep, that might work.<br /><br />I AM going to finally get up the nerve to pop my first attempt at felting into the washer today, I will, I will, I will!!! It's been sitting there waiting on me, & I've been afraid I would mess it up during the felting process, as I've never felted before.... If it turns out, I definitely will do a few more bags, I could USE a few nice bags/totes/purses, so that would be a truly practical project....<br /><br /> Still tinkering along w/ my seascape idea too - that one will be ongoing for a long time, I'm sure, but it's fun to mentally plan what I want to do with it, and toy around with different ideas, seeing how things work out....<br /><br /> OK - I'm going to tear myself away from this computer today & STITCH more!!!!FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-50474726422647450822009-03-12T12:22:00.000-07:002009-03-12T12:40:08.401-07:00Tiny start towards my seascape project!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/SblhXxpXNCI/AAAAAAAAAC0/ayw3FvuSsUY/s1600-h/seaweed2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 313px;" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_xthfnT5-Wzs/SblhXxpXNCI/AAAAAAAAAC0/ayw3FvuSsUY/s320/seaweed2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5312384296551920674" border="0" /></a><br />Well, I got a small start on my seascape project! It's only one little bit of seaweed (or coral?) but hey, it's a *start*!<br /><br />The yarn is a gorgeous "Dusty Olive" colorway of Malabrigo - a small tidbit I had left over after making a few other items. The photo doesn't show the lovely colors - it's a deep olive green with bits of lighter tan/pinkish/greenish bits in it. It's really beautiful yarn , but my photography skills leave much to be desired!<br /><br />LOL - I don't know if I'll be able to pull this project off & create anything even resembling what I'm picturing in my mind - but I'll have fun trying, and we'll just see what the end result it. I have a feeling this will be an ongoing project for months.....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-84008019756186160032009-03-09T11:59:00.000-07:002009-03-09T12:21:05.051-07:00Gorgeous yarns - ambitious project idea...I was the incredibly lucky recipient of an amazing amount of luscious yarns, by some wonderful ladies at Ravelry. I'm still juggling things around, trying to get everything organized * just so*, moving older "cheap" yarns out of some drawers and re-sorting stash to keep track of all the new goodies. Maybe I'll finally get stash photographed & listed on Ravelry, after meaning to do so forever!<br /><br />The tough part - trying to decide what to make! I don't want to "waste" any fancy yarn on the "wrong" projects! It's mind-boggling, so many yarns, so many potential projects to choose from...<br /><br />One thought is that I want to make something that will be used and/or seen the very most - not just another dozen scarves that will be tucked away until winter or something *too* fancy, that I'd only wear once in a blue moon, I want to come up with something that will be used frequently, or seen all the time, to be able to appreciate the beautiful yarn constantly!<br /><br />I love the ocean & everything connected with it. I miss the gulf coast of FL soooo badly. LOL, we of course were never wealthy enough to actually live right on the coast, but no matter where you live in FL, you can get to the coast in little time so we used to try to spend time over on the central gulf coast area as much as we could. <br /><br />We have a couple nice bits of artwork in our home that reflect seaside scenes. The other day at Ravelry, I stumbled across some photos of freeform crochet - and there was a mural done in crochet/fiber work that just blew me away. And I had also just received the most beautiful turquoise handspun - gorgeous color that made me think of water/ocean.<br /><br />Hmmm..... it might not come about, but what I would LOVE to do is create a piece of artwork to go in our home, reflecting the colors/feel of the ocean & shore life that I love so much. I'm not sure if I could do an actual pictorial mural, or if it would have to be more of an abstract collage style piece, but I really want to give this a try. Along with crocheted sealife and yarn sculpting, I could incorporate some small shells & other genuine items from the ocean into it.....<br /><br />LOL - I've got this vague vision in my mind of what I would LIKE to create - I need to firm up the ideas to more specific elements & see what I can do..... **IF** I could create something like I'm envisioning, it not only would be something to remind me of the ocean, but it also would be a way of using some bits of these beautiful yarns, in such a way that they would be on constant display & be seen/appreciated ALL the time, not hung in a closet or tucked in a drawer.<br /><br />I'm excited about this idea - and very very leery about whether I can pull it off or not. I know it's likely to be something that gets dabbled & tinkered with for months, but *hopefully* I can do something along the lines of what I'm visualizing...... I think it could be a lot of fun & I'm going to start looking around for specific ideas/inspiration for individual elements of the piece....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-4506128114427552732009-03-09T11:28:00.000-07:002009-03-09T11:31:37.424-07:00Trying to bring some focus...I obviously have not kept up with this, nor made any rhyme-or-reason of the few posts I have made....<br /><br />I'm going to try to keep this up better & perhaps have a bit more focus to my entries. Since my main passion is my crafting, I ought to focus on that I suppose.... maybe if I link this to my Ravelry account, it will give me the incentive to post more often....<br /><br />Sigh... but how many times have I thought I was going to keep up with some sort of blog or journal - LOL, I just never do it. Let's see how it goes this time....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-37884266453617105752008-12-05T16:44:00.000-08:002009-03-09T11:28:19.413-07:00Incredible HP Giveaway!!!!This contest is unbelievable!!! Fifty blogs altogether are each giving away a fantastic HP prize package - get this, there are FOUR computers plus all kinds of other goodies in this prize! The idea is that the winner is supposed to share the prize with other people (or a charity, organization, etc) Anyway, what a great idea -- the winner gets some fantastic stuff but there's so much of it that others can benefit as well!!!<br /><br />I've just entered over at Jake Ludington's Digital Lifestyle. You can find this contest & enter yourself at<br /><br /><a href="http://www.blogger.com/%E2%80%9Dhttp://www.jakeludington.com/life/2008/official-hp-magic-giveaway-announcement/%E2%80%9D">Jake Ludington’s HP Magic Giveaway</a><br /><br />Thanks, Jake & HP!!! Good luck to all who entered! (Crossing my fingers, hoping I win!!!)<br /><br />Later note -- LOL, quite obviously, I didn't win or you would have heard me shouting about it! Oh well....... Haven't been doing sweeps as much lately, I try to do a few here & there but it is time-consuming & I just haven't done it as much lately...FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-61253088533637432922008-11-29T21:47:00.000-08:002008-11-29T21:54:35.850-08:00Some neat blog contests I've run intoHere are some great blog contests I've found & entered!<br /><br /><a href="http://accidentalmommies.com/because-its-christmas-kids-charity-giveaway/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i323.photobucket.com/albums/nn458/AccidentalMommy/Because%20Its%20Christmas/becauseitschristmas.png" alt="What's That Smell? Because It's Christmas" /></a><br /><br />All kinds of great prizes here..... multiple opportunities for entry, good odds to win! I entered for a darling set of "All Star Buddies" - cute little sports plush toys from<br /><br /><a href="http://www.allstarbuddies.com/">ALL STAR BUDDIES</a>FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-75421522970984386722008-11-29T21:35:00.000-08:002008-11-29T21:43:43.526-08:00Sweepstakes funSheesh.... I had meant to keep this going & typical me, it got put aside & forgotten...<br /><br />Well, I'm back into sweepstakes again, so that's as good a reason as any, to try to start up this blog again...<br /><br />Haven't done too badly. I initially looked at a sweeps list for the first time on Oct. 10th, did some entries off-and-on, but mostly spent a lot of time getting organized, figuring out what kind of sweeps I wanted to shoot for, etc. So, I probably didn't really get going on a regular daily basis until about the 20th.<br /><br />To date, my wins are:<br /><br /> 5 downloads from Rhapsody<br /><br /> Wonderful large box of gourmet truffles and a box of handmade caramels from Katherine Anne Confections<br /><br /> Nabisco DSRL prize pack - cooler, glasses, headband, jersey, etc<br /><br /> Birdseye Steamfresh-for-two meal <br /><br /> $50 best buy gift card<br /><br /> $25 East Bay gift card<br /><br /> $5 Chevron gas card<br /><br /> $5 Kmart gift card<br /><br /> Tshirt from the Burger Debate sweeps<br /><br /> Collection of fat quarters (fabric for quilting)<br /><br /> Irwin Quick-Adjust wrench (hubby loves this win!)<br /><br />So.... I'm still hoping for a big win - esp. a nice vacation! But maybe it will happen someday....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-705281079126793478.post-25676707652686980062008-04-06T14:42:00.000-07:002008-04-25T12:27:05.893-07:00Bureaucratic goose-chaseUpdate at end of article - this would be hilarious if it hadn't been such a hassle....<br /><br />Last week, we got another reminder of how efficient government services are.<br /><br />I have not been able to drive for app. 8 years or so, due to failing vision. So, when we first moved here from FL, we didn't get around to getting a state ID for me here - no urgent need for one, actually. I'm a wee bit old to be carded for beer or cigarettes, and we go everyplace together - so it was one of those things that got put off without much thought.<br /><br />Recently, I started my embroidery design business & we decided to open a separate bank account in my name only for the business. But my prior Florida ID has expired in the meantime, and of course, the bank wants ID to open an account. So, no big deal, we think - go get an AL state ID. We had stopped there once before & were told we needed to bring our marriage certificate, birth certificate, and old ID. So, we show up with those documents. The clerk doesn't even want to see any of those items, she only asks me for my social security card. <br /><br />This is where another one of OUR mistakes came into play. Somehow, in the years we've been married, we never updated my name on my social security card. I had my *original* card with my maiden name, and my card with my prior married name on it - but I don't have a card with my current married name. Number is the same, of course - just the different last name.<br /><br />So... of course, that caused a problem. Regardless of birth certificates, ID, and other documents we had with us - the only thing they were concerned about was the fact that my last name on my social security card wasn't current. I cannot get a state ID until my social security card reflects my current last name. OK, so far, this is understandable, I suppose. Although it would have saved us a trip if they had told us that the *first* time. And of course, it would have saved us sitting around waiting for almost 2 hours each time, before they told us we didn't have what they wanted.<br /><br />So.... off we go to the Social Security office, to see about getting my card changed. We think we must be prepared well -- we have both of my birth certificates (German-issued & American), we have my consulate papers proving I was an "American Citizen Born Abroad", we have our marriage certificate, we have my old FL ID card, both of my previous social security cards, and misc. other odds & ends that we usually carry with us. <br /><br />Luckily, the wait at the SS office wasn't as long. We give the clerk all the different documents we have, and tell her what we need to do. She looks over everything we have & tells us she needs proof of identity before she can change the last name on my card. Say what?? Here's my birth certificates, here's the consulate papers, here's our marriage certificate, here's my previous social security card -- for the heck of it, here's my bank card, library card & anything else in my wallet with my name on it. <br /><br />"I'm sorry - we cannot accept a birth certificate as ID, nor any of these other items. I need your drivers' license or state ID"<br /><br />"But that's what I'm TRYING to get - they said I have to change my social security card in order to get my ID!"<br /><br />"I'm sorry - I don't make the rules - I have to have a drivers' license or state ID before I can do anything to your social security card."<br /><br />"Let me get this straight --- you need my license/ID before you can update my SS card --- but they will not give me an ID unless I have the updated SS card -- and you will not give me an updated SS card unless I have the license/ID -- is this what you're saying?"<br /><br />"Yes, we have to have a drivers' license or state ID as proof of identity."<br /><br />"Can you tell me how I'm supposed to get an ID, since they will not give it to me unless you update my SS card??"<br /><br />"I'm sorry - I don't know how you can get it then, but we have to have either a drivers' license or a state ID We must have proof of identity in order to change your social security card"<br /><br />"And my birth certificate, consulate papers, marriage certificate etc -- NONE of this is proof of identity?"<br /><br />"No ma'am. We need a drivers license or state ID for proof of identity. We also need proof of age, something showing your birthday"<br /><br />"Uh, my birthday is right there on my birth certificates?"<br /><br />"We can't accept a birth certificate as proof of identity or proof of age, sorry"<br /><br />After some more moments wasted in a hopeless circle of nonsense, it was finally decided that if we brought in our marriage *license*, that would suffice as proof of both age & identity. (Say what????) Of course, the marriage certificate that we had with us was useless, it had to be our marriage *license*.<br /><br />So, back home we go, call the courthouse where we got married & go through the procedure to get a copy of our marriage license. (We were never given anything but the certificate when we got married) Luckily, those folks were on the ball & we got the copy of the license back within just a few days after mailing a check to them.<br /><br />Answer me this though ---- whenever I got a drivers' license in the past, it was always required to show one's birth certificate as identification. The information on your drivers' license (or state ID) was essentially copied directly from the birth certificate. So, how can the drivers license be proof of identity, if the birth certificate is not? It's the SAME BLOODY INFORMATION!!!!<br /><br />And we kept getting the same excuse at both places - "Well, ever since 9-11, they are stricter on needing proof of identity" <br /><br />Yeah.... I feel so much safer now -- a terrorist would probably throw up his hands in anguish & leave the country out of sheer frustration if he had to go through this! Right.... criminals are going to have the access & means for false identification of any sort they want - it's only the honest citizens that are put through all this trouble, just to get a simple ID card. I can't even remember the last time I ever used my old ID card for any purpose - I'm prone to say 'to heck with it' and not bother going through any more rigamarole. But we've already wasted lots of time so we'll probably give it one more try. If we get to either place & they come up with yet another excuse as to why none of my identification proves who I am or how old I am, I'll likely start screaming at someone..... the whole thing is such a big joke......<br /><br />UPDATE: Well, we got our marriage license, so back to the social security office to try again to simply change my last name on my SS card. Spent the obligatory time sitting around waiting forever, then finally got to see a clerk. She wasn't very interested in our marriage license after all, but since she was willing to change my card, that was the most important thing. After looking over our *other* documents (that had been meaningless on our prior visit), she asked me which way I wanted my name on my card. <br /><br /> All my life, my social security card, bank info, credit info, etc etc etc has always been under "Nickie". My drivers license was under my 'real' name since it went by my birth certificate, but since I first had a social security card, it was always under 'Nickie". So, when the clerk asked me how I wanted my name on the card, I told her, "I would prefer 'Nickie', <span style="font-weight: bold;">if it is OK to have it that way & won't cause any problems</span>". She told me that was fine, she could put it under Nickie if that's what I wanted. <br /><br /> So, finally we leave the SS office, armed with an official letter showing that I had changed my name on my card. We thought we could *finally* get my state ID. Another 20 mile drive back to the other end of the county to the only driver license office in this area. Another lengthy wait. Finally, we get to see someone, and as before, we have a mountain of documents with us, to hopefully cover any questions or issues. First, the lady gets hung-up on my consulate papers, the Certificate of US Citizen Born Abroad. She initially doesn't want to accept it, because it's a different type of form than the one she's used to seeing. Duh, maybe the forms have chanaged over the years, I don't know. Once we convinced her to actually *read* the document, instead of just glancing at it & saying she didn't recognize it - she finally grudgingly agreed that it was indeed an official document proving my citizenship. <br /><br /> She isn't interested in seeing anything else other than my social security card at this point. We give her both my prior cards, and the document from the SS office that shows I have changed my last name on my record. She could care less about the last name, but goes into a fit that my *first* name doesn't match -- it says my (real name) on my birth certificate and says "Nickie" on my social security card. This cannot be accepted. (Why no one said anything about it before??)<br /><br />So...... out we go, getting pretty irked by this time, another 20 mile drive to the other side of the county again, *another* wait in line to see someone at the social security office. We got the same clerk as before, and told her what the folks at the driver license office told us. She just semi-laughed, and said, "Oh, I knew they wouldn't like that, I knew it would be a problem"<br /><br />BITE MY TONGUE seriously at this point..... If you knew it was a problem, why did you even ask me what name to use, why did you do it in such a way that you KNEW would create a problem, even when I specifically mentioned that I didn't want the name to cause any problems??????? I would assume that the person handling the change to the card would know what was acceptable or not - and when SHE basically told me it was OK to have 'Nickie' on the card, I figured she knew what she was doing!<br /><br /> We kept our cool & didn't say much of anything though. Finally got everything changed over AGAIN, to the name that's on my birth certificate. Then a mad dash back to the other side of the county AGAIN, to the driver license office, to try to get there before they closed for the day Luckily, they did allow us to go straight in to see the clerk, no waiting this time. I think we were both getting peeved enough, that we might have caused a scene if they had told us we had to wait several hours again. FINALLY, got my state ID this time, though I was hot, frustrated & generally out-of-sorts, so my photo looks worse than a criminal mug-shot. <br /><br /> And to finish things off, shortly thereafter, we received the actual social security card in the mail. Guess what, they sent me a card with "Nickie" on it, instead of my (real name)!!! Who knows, maybe we'll still get yet another card with my other name! LOL, at this point, I really don't care anymore. We got my state ID after putting almost 150 miles of driving back & forth, about 11 hours total waiting in lines, and being told a different set of requirements by every different person we talked to at both offices. Such efficiency....FerretLadyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07953671498058483408noreply@blogger.com0