I Did A Really Dumb Thing This Morning...

Coffee brewed on the stove must not have the same special powers that a cup of coffee out of the ole' pot does. I am so used to a morning routine. Get up at 5 am, wander about considering whether or not to set the alarm for 6 am, most likely do that very thing, wake up again at 6 , start making JOdy's lunch and breakfast. I am so used to getting my fave coffee mug down, putting sugar in it and then dumping an obscene amount of vanilla caramel powdered creamer on top, that this morning while I was mixing a big pitcher of Kool-Aid for the kids that I suffered a brain glitch and must have mistook the pitcher for my mug (how I wish I could drink 2 quarts of coffee without repercussions) and dumped vanilla caramel coffee creamer in with the Kool-Aid. It was....interesting....to say the least. The creamer clobbered on up to the top and I was left wondering if there was any other place for me to go but a mental health facility. I'll spare you and not post the recipe, okay????? Unless, of course you think you might like this sort of drink...

Old School Perks...

Well, it was bound to happen. After 10 great years together...it's over. My trusty coffee maker has...sniff...died. (What? You thought I was talking about my marriage for a second...didn't you? NOpe...he's still hanging around :) I can not describe the sense of loss I feel this morning... I got that coffee pot at Big Lots my senior year of high school in anticipation of flying the coop. It went with me everywhere I moved , stuck with me through thick and thin, good and bad times and it has pumped out thousands of cups of coffee...maybe hundred's of cups. Together we've made it through many early mornings. She's been faithful.

I knew it was coming. Last week I went to turn her on and...nothing. After praying (Hey, don't laugh...God wants us to take everything to him...right?) I flicked the switch several times and she roared (sorta) up. As the week progressed, it took more and more flicking. Well, this morning I went to fire her up , like so many other mornings before, anticipating another cup of coffee with vanilla caramel creamer. Flick. Nothing. Flick, Flick. Nothing. "COME ON GIRL...Perk for momma one more time." Flick. NOthing. Smack. "Oh, sorry girl, didn't mean it. It won't happen again." Flick, Flick,Flick, Flick , Flick, AARRRHGGGGGH, Flick , FLick, flick, flick. Nothing. Nada. Lifeless. Well, now what? Guess I'll go old school. So, I took out my filter with my Dollar General Knock-off Arabica inside, tied it with a twist tie and dropped it in a pan of boiling water.

Being the sentimental tight wad that I am, I probably won't go out and buy another coffee pot anytime soon. Oh how I will miss her "perkiness" in the mornings...

Update!

Well, when the people come out in protest in mass numbers, this is what you get...It ain't over yet, but it is a glimmer. Though the commission can't change the law, they do have control over how it is enforced. Let's just hope they keep their word and use their heads. However, on a sadder note, one aspect I hadn't even considered was the publishing industry and those who sell books for children 12 and under. Apparently from some things I've had emailed to me, this crazy law might just affect them too. I sure hope not, because I order almost all my books through half.com which is made up of private sellers. We'll just have to see how this thing plays out.

Relief for Second-Hand Stores

Get a Load of This!!!!!!!!!

My sister forwarded this email to me. Here's the text. People, this is bad news for us. If something is not done about this law, not only will the majority of our children go around naked, but it will have such horrendous economical repercussions. I can't imagine why Congress would pass such a broad law...isn't our economy already in shambles?????? Read and then go call your congressman!!!!!!!!!

From: HSPassport@aol.com Subject: [HomeschoolPassport] Holy Cow! No More Second Hand Stores? Check out this CPSIA law about to go into effect....To: HomeschoolPassport@yahoogroups.comDate: Tuesday, January 6, 2009, 9:22 PM
I can't believe I didn't know about this. Thanks, Susan, for passing this along. I used to own a children's consignment shop so this hits especially close to home. But, more importantly, as a mother of 3 children that buys EVERYTHING second-hand, I can't believe the repercussions of this were not considered by those who claim to represent us. This is WRONG on so many levels. I sure was hoping to find this on snopes.com, but alas it looks pretty real to me. If anyone has an opinions or updated information on this, please let me know. If this is news to you, maybe you should do your own research and look into contacting your congressmen. I know I am drafting a little something here myself...-G
New safety rules for children's clothes have stores in a fit

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A Goodwill store in Los Angeles is among those that will be required to pay for private testing for lead and phthalates of all clothing for those under age 13.
Some owners say the cost of testing for toxic lead and phthalates will shut their businesses. The law goes into effect Feb. 10.
By Alana Semuels January 2, 2009
Barring a reprieve, regulations set to take effect next month could force thousands of clothing retailers and thrift stores to throw away trunkloads of children's clothing.The law, aimed at keeping lead-filled merchandise away from children, mandates that all products sold for those age 12 and younger -- including clothing -- be tested for lead and phthalates, which are chemicals used to make plastics more pliable. Those that haven't been tested will be considered hazardous, regardless of whether they actually contain lead.
"They'll all have to go to the landfill," said Adele Meyer, executive director of the National Assn. of Resale and Thrift Shops.The new regulations take effect Feb. 10 under the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act, which was passed by Congress last year in response to widespread recalls of products that posed a threat to children, including toys made with lead or lead-based paint.Supporters say the measure is sorely needed. One health advocacy group said it found high levels of lead in dozens of products purchased around the country, including children's jewelry, backpacks and ponchos.
Lea d can also be found in buttons or charms on clothing and on appliques that have been added to fabric, said Charles Margulis, communications director for the Center for Environmental Health in Oakland. A child in Minnesota died a few years ago after swallowing a lead charm on his sneaker, he said.But others say the measure was written too broadly. Among the most vocal critics to emerge in recent weeks are U.S.-based makers of handcrafted toys and handmade clothes, as well as thrift and consignment shops that sell children's clothing."We will have to lock our doors and file for bankruptcy," said Shauna Sloan, founder of Salt Lake City-based franchise Kid to Kid, which sells used children's clothing in 75 stores across the country and had planned to open a store in Santa Clara, Calif., this year.There is the possibility of a partial reprieve. The Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is responsible for enforcing the law, on Monday will consider exempting clothing and toys made of natural materials such as wool or wood. The commission does not have the authority to change the law but can decide how to interpret it.But exempting natural materials does not go far enough, said Stephen Lamar, executive vice president of the American Apparel and Footwear Assn. Clothes made of cotton but with dyes or non-cotton yarn, for example, might still have to be tested, as would clothes that are cotton-polyester blends, he said."The law introduces an extraordinarily large number o f testing requirements for products for which everyone knows there's no lead," he said.Clothing and thrift trade groups say the law is flawed because it went through Congress too quickly. By deeming that any product not tested for lead content by Feb. 10 be considered hazardous waste, they contend, stores will have to tell customers that clothing they were allowed to sell Feb. 9 became banned overnight.These groups say the law should be changed so that it applies to products made after Feb. 10, not sold after that date.That would take action by Congress, however, because the Consumer Product Safety Commission's general counsel has already determined that the law applies retroactively, said commission spokesman Scott Wolfson.The regulations also apply to new clothing. That won't be a problem for large manufacturers and retailers, industry experts say, but it will be a headache for small operators such as Molly Orr, owner of Molly O Designs in Las Vegas.Orr has already produced her spring line of children's clothes. She says she can't afford the $50,000 it would cost to have a private lab test her clothing line, so she's trying to sell her inventory at a steep discount before Feb. 10. After that, she is preparing to close her business."We have a son with autism, so we are all about cleaning up the toxins that our children are exposed to," she said. "But I think the law needs to be looked at more closely to see how it is affecting the economy i n general."Thrift store owners say the law stings because children's garments often come in new or nearly new, because children typically outgrow clothing quickly.Carol Vaporis, owner of Duck Duck Goose Consignment in New Port Richey, Fla., said her store stocks barely used brand-name clothing from places such as Limited Too and Gymboree."We really provide a service to the community to help people get clothes for their children they otherwise couldn't afford," she said.Families have been bringing more clothes to consignment stores, where they get a chunk of the proceeds, to earn a little cash this winter, she said. She plans to contact her congressional representatives and senators to ask them to amend the law but says there's not enough awareness about the repercussions of the law to force anything to change.Many retailers and thrift stores appear to be unaware that the law is changing. Of half a dozen Southern California children's thrift stores contacted by The Times, only one had heard of the law. Organizations such as Goodwill say they're still investigating how the law will affect them because there is so much confusion about what will be banned.Cynthia Broockman, who owns two consignment stores and a thrift shop in Virginia, recently stopped accepting children's products for resale. That raised the ire of a man who was trying to sell his son's castoffs there and had not heard of the new rules."I think it's not understood by people how sweep ing and far-reaching this is," she said. "The ripples that are going to go forth from this are just astonishing. "