Wednesday, December 21, 2011

Fish Training 101



A friend shared this cute video of Jackie Chan with his trained fish - pretty amazing! Kinda makes me wanna get my OWN big ol' fish and teach it tricks! ...Nah. I'll stick with li'l horsies.





Hey! Speaking of fish... 
What do you call a fish with no eye?
"FSH"!

What do sea monsters eat?
Fish and Ships!

How do you keep fish from smelling? 
Plug their noses!


I found a LOT of fishy-fun things at Onlineauction.com ... here are a few:

Exotic Tropical Fish Book from crittercache!

Fish Catches the Sportsman from yogissportsden

Elegant Glass Fish from Annimae!

C.J.Banks Embroidered Fish Cardigan from plusizeglamor!

Articulated fish necklace from tjintx!

Tropical Fish Wine Glass Charms from MythRoans-Dream-Compass!


Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Great finds at http://ola.com

Vineyard Blessings Lisa White Tuscanny Style Pitcher





I saw this on a seller site at http://ola.com/store/goldi and I think it is one of the most beautiful pitchers I have seen.


Also found this at http://ola.com/store/latherupsoap



 Homemade Soap Vegan Citrus Cedar All Natural


Also found this at http://ola.com/store/latherupsoap





And this from http://ola.com/store/oldturtleheart



And I found this from http://ola.com/store/callmemomo



And I also found this unique recycled bag purse from http://ola.com/store/draggontagger


And after you visit these sellers you can stop by my store at http://ola.com/store/chateycathey
to see what I have to offer. You may want to watch these sellers for end of year sales.


The United States Postal Service

 The United States Post Office can trace it's roots back to 1775 when Benjamin Franklin was appointed Postmaster General by the Second Continental Congress. It is one of the few agencies expressly authorized by the United States Constitution.

The cabinet level office was formed in 1792 from Franklin's operation and was transformed into it's most recent form back in 1971 under the Postal Reorganization Act.
On December 5, 2011, the USPS announced it would close down more than half of their mail processing areas, eliminate 28,000 jobs, and stop the overnight delivery of first class mail. On December 13th, they announced they would hold off closing their 252 mail processing centers until mid May 2012.
At issue is the loss of revenue by the USPS and the rising costs. The Postal Accountability and Enhancement Act of 2006 (PAEA) (HR 6407) forces the USPS to fund, in advance, 75 years' worth of future health care benefit payments to retirees within a ten year time span. This was enacted in December 2006 and is a requirement that no other government organization is subject to.

Add this to the rising costs for salaries and the huge decline of first-class mail, and we have an institution that is slowly disappearing.

With our ever increasing use of electronic mail and the rising costs, it is becoming seriously uncertain as to how the USPS system can maintain it's current level of service.

In 2011 the USPS announced it's intention of setting up village like post offices in grocery stores and the like and close down 3,700 small post offices around the country. This would create a substantial savings and really wouldn't be too hard to deal with. The closing of half of the mail processing centers, on the other hand, might inconvenience everyone more than they can imagine. This will create a slow down of all mail delivery and completely eliminate the next day delivery for first class mail.

 
Recently, on December 7th, I shipped a package to a customer in North Carolina. This was going parcel post because it was much less expensive that priority mail due to the weight. I live in Iowa and the expected delivery date, according to the USPS website, was December 13th. That's good, right?

I received a query from my customer, asking if I had shipped the item on December 18th. I checked the tracking number and this is what I found. The package had been sent December 7th and sent to the sort facility in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and remained there until December 16th when it departed that facility. The next mention was it was being processed by a sort facility in Charlotte, NC on December 20th, which is today. The expected delivery date still shows December 13th, 2011. Perhaps Iowa's sort facility was already closed! (Really, this doesn't happen often!!)

My whole point in writing about this situation is:
 1) please be patient with your seller as they may be experiencing difficulties beyond their control through the mail system and
2) think about supporting your USPS system!! It's not going to hurt sending someone a handwritten letter once in awhile and buying some stamps to mail it and it might even bring joy to someone that day!!

Our postal system has served us long and faithfully. Yes, they have not made some of the wisest decisions, and yes, they are in the hole but imagine this . . . . . no more mail, no more newspapers, magazines, no more Christmas cards to save, birthday cards, get well cards!!

There are some changes that need to be made and they are working through them. I, for one, support USPS and no, I don't have ANY relatives or friends who work there. I just know that this is an institution that we would be lost without.

Please support the USPS.

Thank you!

We ship USPS and if you would like to browse through our store and purchase an item or two, we would be delighted!! I believe the majority of sellers here at OLA.com ship USPS and support their services.


Merry Christmas!!

Monday, December 19, 2011

Old Man Winter

 Old Man Winter is just getting started, shaking his ugly head, making things miserable outdoors for a lot of us. What better way to spend those cold, snowy days that creating something fun and useful?

Here at OLA.com, we have wonderful ideas for crafts of all sorts!!

Maggiemaybecrafty has these 10 Bookmark Blanks as well as lots of other things to add!!

Uneekbouteek has dozens of different patterns including this cute Jonell's Transfer Loop Embroidery Pattern!

For something very simple, Amber_2431 has a great Creating No-sew Scented Sachets booklet as well as other enticing booklets!!

DustyCorners has this wonderul All Angels Welcome Painting Book and so many more to choose from!

MajikMerlin has dozens of wonderful ceramic molds like this New Mold Duncan Easter Basket Cookie Press Mold!


Whatever your fancy, come on over and check out the crafts and hobbies at OLA.com and spend those cold, blustery days having some fun making something to be enjoyed for years to come!!


Thank you!!

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!

  ~ FleaPirates  at OnlineAuction.com ~


A Little Act of Kindness..Fleapirates Style..




A few months ago, Fleapirates asked in our Onlineauction.com chat room if anyone had any Scrabble tiles available, as she was going to make pendants out of them. I found a Scrabble game at a yard sale and sent them to her to use. She has made some amazing ones... and what a great way to "re-purpose" something!  Well, I got a little package in the mail from Flea, and opened it, and was DELIGHTED to see she had taken some of those tiles and put my horse's pictures on them!! 2 of my favorite little man, Minion, the miracle baby, and one of his  Mom, Jazzmine.
I just think this so cool - I can show off my little "family" everywhere I go. What a fantastic Christmas surprise this was!!
So, I thought I'd showcase just a few of the fun/unique/clever items Fleapirates has for sale!

Wow! A Victoria's Secret DOG!

I would soooooo get these if they were my size! Ladies Privo by Clarks Mary Janes!

A purple sparkly snowflake Scrabble tile pendant!

I just think this is so elegant! Dahlia with Rhinestone Scrabble tile pendant!

I priced these at the Nature store near here.. TREMENDOUSLY expensive... but not if you get them from Fleapirates! Artesania Vicuna Llama baby!!

This is just a small sample of Flea's wares.. there are more Scrabble pendents, books, DVDs, collectible stamps, pottery, and so much more! Take a looooooong peek at Fleapirates Plunder!


Sunday, December 18, 2011

Beautiful Necklace Bracelet and Earring Set NWOT

Beautiful Necklace Bracelet and Earring Set NWOT just listed in my OLA.COM store. Perfect for that little black dress and the upcoming holidays or anytime.



Please stop by my store at http://ola.com/store/chateycathey to see what other new items I have listed. Thanks and please leave a comment as they matter to me.

Merry Christmas to everyone. May you all be blessed knowing the reason for the season.