Cow Pouches Are Just Plain Fun

Since I haven't been able to make much new stuff lately I've been busy restocking my eBay store. I love these cow pouches--they're just fun! They measure about 4" x 6" and are made with soft, furry, plushie fabric. The patterns vary a bit from pouch to pouch, but each one looks like the side of a cow. The heavy fabric and white drawstring closure make these perfect to hold a small gift or special surprise.

Got Tarnish?

I hate it when I'm rushing to get ready for something, dig through my jewelry box for the perfect piece of jewelry to wear, and discover it's tarnished. If it's tarnished badly enough no amount of rubbing with a polishing cloth will get it sparkling again, and the chemical silver cleaners smell horrible and can damage many pieces.

I've finally got around to restocking my supply of 3M anti-tarnish strips. This paper is treated with activated charcoal to protect silver, nickel, copper, bronze, brass, tin, and gold by absorbing sulfides and other pollutants that naturally occur in the air and thereby prevent tarnish from forming.

They won't clean something that's already become tarnished, but a piece in a jewelry box will keep jewelry tarnish-free for about 6 months. They're non-toxic, leave no stains or residue, and emit no gases or fumes. They work nicely for silverware chests, too.

$5 for a pack of 10 strips in my Etsy shop.

Torture, Ed Sullivan Disease, and a Giveaway

My right hand doesn't work correctly, and the pain and fine motor control has been getting a lot worse over the last couple of months. Enough so that I finally broke down and made a doctor's appointment. This has snowballed into many appointments and tests, and the past two weeks have seemed like near constant medical events. We've determined that I have some arthritis, miserable but common so no big deal.

They're still trying to figure out the rest of the puzzle, and at one point a doctor mentioned Ed Sullivan disease. It's real name is Ankylosing Spondylitis (try saying that three times fast!), and it causes your spine to curve and your neck to stiffen to that you have to turn your torso in order to look right or left. I don't think I have that, and besides, I don't want to spend my remaining days saying things like "rillly big shew."

Yesterday's tests were, officially, valid medical tests: a nerve conduction test and a needle EMG. The doctor seemed like a pleasant, soft-spoken sort when he introduced himself. As he started sticking needles in my hand and zapping me with electricity, I swear he morphed into Jack Bauer. I keep having flashbacks to the scene where Bauer rips a lamp from its electrical cord so he can use the exposed wires to shock some poor guy into confessing some horrible crime or other. (If you don't get this and haven't seen 24, it's time you visited Netflix.)

I left the doctor's office totally and completely traumatized, and with the knowledge that I'd give in to torture before it even started. After sleeping for 14 hours I'm still feeling the effects and am about ready for a nap. But let's move on to the happy part of this!

I love how you've all jumped in and left opinions on my Little People post! I feel like spending more time reliving my childhood right now, and it seems as though many of you are ready to join me. I have (left over from my years working in publishing) an extra autographed copy of Marianne Gingher's How To Have a Happy Childhood. It's a sweet little gift book I worked on some years ago, just the thing to bring back memories of a simpler and less-tortuous time.

To enter my Happy Childhood giveaway, leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite childhood toy by September 18. Earn an extra entry by blogging about this giveaway, linking back to this post, and leaving a second comment directing me to your post. Make sure you leave some way for me to reach you if you're the winner. Open to bloggers and non-bloggers world-wide. On September 19 I'll use the randomizer thingie and choose a winner. I'm off to take that nap now. Good luck!

I Love Little People

When I was about 8 years old, my younger sister got a bunch of Fisher Price Little People. I wanted a set of my own, but by then I was way too old for preschool level toys. I satisfied myself by playing with my sister's people when she wasn't around and complaining that she always got all the "good" toys.

As I grew older I continued to complain, not because I was jealous, but because it was fun to tease my parents. At some point during my late twenties my mom gave me a pack of Little People. These were not the original style, but the new updated models, and they just weren't the same. Not to mention the fact that my fingers were no longer small enough to fit inside and wear them as tiny puppets.

I am so excited about finding the Play Family House shop! There are photos of Little People scenes on greeting cards, photo prints, and framed "portraits"--and they all make me smile! I think I'll send one to my mom just because I can; after all, she was too old to have her own set to play with, too.