Not so Wordless of a Wednesday

** Warning: This will be long!**

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First off, Kels over at Authenically Me: Living a Life of Love, sharing how she joined in on this fun alphabet game circling other blogs. You get given a letter and then have to list 10 things you love that begin with that letter. She gave me the letter "P". At first I was totally befuzzled on what if I could even think of 10 things that begin with the letter "P" that I love, but once I sat down and thought they came rather easily and quickly. If you too would like join in on the phone, leave a comment on this post and I'll assign you a letter. :o) Ok, now for my list, in no particular order.

1. Purple - my all time favorite color! I love all shades of it. Have made it a prominent color in Emma's room. And especially love buying her & myself for that matter, purple clothing and little things.

2. Peas - I have always loved peas. But on my new diet they are on the top of the list of things to eat, so I find myself stocking up even more on these things when going to the grocery store. Yummy!

3. Pumpkin - They help to symbolize my favorite season of the whole year. I love going to our local PumpkinFest. Out to the pumpkin farm to pick ours. Carving them. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin rolls, homemade pumpkin spice cake with home made cream cheese icing, am I getting you hungry yet?

4. Photography - I think as with any parent, who can resist not taking pictures of our little ones? Since having Emma my photographer skills have improved, and I love just taking pictures in general. Not just of her, but of the beauty around us also.

5. Popcorn - Love the fluffly kernels, butter goodness, with some cheese flavoring.

6. Portraits/Pictures/Photos - I love taking Emma for her portraits, not a bigger joy. Love surrounding my home with photos of our loved ones. There is not a bare space of wall without some kind of picture or photo frame. Pictures/Works of Art - nothing more to really say about that.

7. Pajamas - Who else is addicted to buying pajamas. I love them. Over the years I've changed my tastes, but there's nothing better then coming home and getting into your comfy pj's and curling up on the couch.

8. Pulse - To be alive and living well.

9. Pages/Paper - So much can be said on a page. Whether it be a blank page waiting for you to take your pen and write out your heart. Books. The beautiful pieces of art Emma creates on a piece of paper. My scrapbooking pages that help to share a story.

10. Pillow - I love pillows. Especially nice soft ones for our couch. Love curling up with them. Bed pillows have to just right. Amazingly, I can def. tell a difference between the hubs pillow and mine, we sleep on them differently so have different fluffiness. Yes, pillows are a great thing!

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Bloggy Rant: I'm going batty over hear with Word Verification! I totally understand why some poeple might feel the need for it due to spammers. But it always takes me at least 3 tries to get the dumb thing right, even though I could swear I'm typing it in correctly. Seriously, there is nothing more frustrating! Just had to get that off my chest.

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I found this great scrapbooking board called Making Memories for You from stubling across Ivon's blog, Crop with Style. They are having an open call for guest DT's (two paper and one digi) for April, and to be published in their ezine. These women on this board are extremely friendly and talented.

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And lastly, as I logged into blogger, I was skimming through the blogs I follow their little summaries and this topic kept popping up. I found it interesting and very informative. Copy/Paste/Pass it Along!

It is a Blog-in. Help pass it a long. As parents and concerned citizens I’m sure most of us at one time or another have been confronted with the question of lead poisoning. But have you asked yourself what your government is doing to protect your children from lead contained in toys? The answer? They're banning toys, taking books from schools and libraries, hurting low income families, killing entrepreneurial spirit and risking putting the economy in an even greater depression than we've seen in decades. I'd like to introduce you to their solution: the CPSIA.Do you know about the CPSIA? No? Then I ask you to take a few minutes to find out about it.The CPSIA stands for Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, a new set of laws that will come into effect on 10 February, 2009 and will impact many, many people in a negative way. Make no mistake, this is very real. View it for yourself. If Forbes, the American Library Association and numerous other media are paying attention, perhaps you should too.

How will these new laws affect you? Well, here are a few examples:

To the Parents of Young Students:Due to the new law, expect to see the cost of school supplies sky rocket. While those paper clips weren't originally intended for your student to use, they will need to be tested now that your 11-year-old needs them for his school project. This law applies to any and all school supplies (textbooks, pencils, crayons, paper, etc.) being used by children under 12.

To the Avid Reader:Due to the new law, all children's books will be pulled from library and school shelves, as there is no exemption for them. That’s okay though, there's always television. Our children don’t need to learn the love of reading after all.Article from the American Library Association http://www.wo.ala.org/districtdispatch/?p=1322

To the Lover of All Things Handmade:Due to the new law, you will now be given a cotton ball and an instruction manual so you can make it yourself since that blanket you originally had your eye on for $50 will now cost you around $1,000 after it's passed testing. It won't even be the one-of-a-kind blanket you were hoping for. Items are destroyed in the testing process making one-of-a-kind items virtually impossible. So that gorgeous hand-knit hat you bought your child this past winter won’t be available next winter.

To the Environmentalist:Due to the new law, all items in non-compliance will now be dumped into our already overflowing landfills. Imagine not just products from the small business owners, but the Big Box Stores as well. You can't sell it so you must toss it. Or be potentially sued for selling it. You can't even give them away. If you are caught, it is still a violation.

To the Second-Hand Shopper:Due to the new law, you will now need to spend $20 for that brand new pair of jeans for your 2-year old, rather than shop at the Goodwill for second hand. Many resale shops are eliminating children's items all together to avoid future lawsuits.

To the Entrepreneur:Due to this new law, you will be forced to adhere to strict testing of your unique products or discontinue to make and/or sell them. Small businesses will be likely to be unable to afford the cost of testing and be forced to close up shop. Due to the current economic state, you'll have to hope for the best when it comes to finding a new job in Corporate America.

To the Antique Toy Collector:Due to the new law, you'd better start buying now because it's all going to private collection and will no longer be available to purchase. “Because the new rules apply retroactively, toys and clothes already on the shelf will have to be thrown out if they aren't certified as safe.” http://online.wsj.com/article/SB123189645948879745.html

To the American Economy:Already struggling under an economy that hasn’t been this weak in decades, the American economy will be hit harder with the inevitable loss of jobs and revenues from suppliers, small businesses and consumers. The required testing is far too costly and restrictive for small businesses or individuals to undertake.

To the Worldwide Economy:Due to this new law, many foreign manufacturers have already pulled out of the US market. You can imagine the impact of this on their businesses.If you think this is exaggerating, here is a recent article from Forbeshttp://www.forbes.com/2009/01/16/cpsia-safety-toys-oped-cx_wo_0116olson.htmlAnd for those of you prepared to be stupefied and boggled, The New Lawhttp://www.cpsc.gov/about/cpsia/cpsia.html

Did you know? If this upsets or alarms you, please react.