Absence < Presence

I have a high tolerance for pain.

I've had several surgeries, an ankle injury so bad in 2001 that the TSA TO THIS DAY pats that ankle down every time I go through the magic look-at-you-nekkid machine, and I get four allergy shots a week. None of that is NEARLY as big a deal as two bouts of the ABSENCE of pain I've had recently.

Three years ago, as detailed here, I made the mistake of picking up something I thought was a pistachio shell, and received a near-deadly sting, which left my arm BOTH numb and tingly for many months.

The numbness was the most uncomfortable and disturbing thing I've ever endured. So much more uncomfortable than pain, and I never got any break from it during the time it took for the toxins, which can be deadly, to fade out of my system. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy. DO NOT PICK UP THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE PISTACHIOS WITHOUT YOUR GLASSES ON AND YOUR FULL ATTENTION TO DETAIL IN PLACE.

Right now, I'm experiencing something similar. I caught a weird cough in Ohio earlier this month. No sore throat, no fever, nothing but a cough. And by the time I got to Shreveport on the 8th - I had mysteriously lost my ability to taste and smell.

AND I STILL CAN'T.

Absence of a sense is WAY worse than the presence of pain, believe me. I can't wait until it comes back. What's unnerving about not being able to smell is that you can't identify threats - I don't know if my food is spoiled, if there's dog poop in the neighborhood, if I've left the gas on. If you wanted to commit a perfect crime, first, infect someone with this ailment. Then, delete your browsing history for my blog, and then serve your victim some three year old milk or something. They will never be the wiser.

Actually, you shouldn't do that. That's mean. You'll get in a lot of trouble. I've been reading lots of non-fiction crime books lately and one guy said something like "criminals make 20 mistakes and only remember 19". No such thing as the perfect crime. Behave yourselves. I mean it.

ANYWAY - what brought all this to mind is that my neighbors are moving :(. Good neighbors are hard to find, and I will miss them and their pets. They were good, nice, quiet and drama-free neighbors. It's always scary to get new ones. What if they like to have loud parties? What if they have a barking dog? What if they are pyromaniacs or politicians? These are all the things I worry about - especially the politicians.

So that's another example of how the absence of something can be much worse than the presence of something. So cross your fingers for us, and for our current neighbors that they get new neighbors as awesome as us :).

In preparation for whoever will move in across the street, I thought I should make a card to welcome them to the neighborhood. Homes in our neighborhood sell lightning fast, so I know I don't have much time, and if I don't do it now, I'll be showing up at their door after they've lived here for three years with a welcome gift.

THE CUTEST host set of them all is in the new catalog and was perfect for the occasion. It's a builder set, so it's perfect for the MISTI, and all the little bibs and bobs that you can build the houses with are so adorable.

InLinkz.com

First, I stamped and masked the little lime green car, which I really hope my neighbors have, with Post-It tape. Then I stamped the houses so that the masked car would be in front. If I had been smart, I would have stamped the tree too, and masked it so that it was a little in front of that left-most house. Next time I play with this set there will be a lot more trees, as our neighborhood is very shady. With trees, I mean - not full of suspicious characters. Hopefully our new neighbors don't make it that kind of shady!

Each of these stamps has layers that you can stamp in different colors, and to me it ends up looking like a children's book illustration and I love it. And guess how many stamps come in this set?

sixty stamps

Yes, sixty! Great stamp set.

You can earn this one for free with your very first order in June - so don't miss out. If you want to do a Facebook party to earn this and other freebies, just contact me with the form on the right.

I'll be baking cookies for my new neighbors until then. :)

PS - Remember, if you want a starter kit, you do not have to wait until June to get all the new goodies - you can pre-order on May 2nd. The kit gives you a 20% discount, and is truly no strings attached. You'll be able to attend my team events in June and September, and will have access to my private FB group for challenges and inspiration. Check it out here.

Have a great weekend - I'm getting Google Fiber installed tomorrow, so I'll be able to post cat memes EVEN FASTER from now on!

Loveyameanitbye.