Here's the View Out Back!

Facing generally north the highest point visible from our place is Saddleback Mountain on the far right and I do a bit of zooming in on it.

Pam Hoffman
Introducing Mambo:

He's the old man of the house - almost 17 years old! Big and long - everything's long on him. All his whiskers were black - now a few are getting white. He's VERY social. Expect to be found if you are here! :)

Video on Blogger

Well, I know what happened earlier and you may want to know too.

Blogger seems to have updated their 'editor.' Seems that they ALSO volunteered me for the new one.

I certainly don't REMEMBER changing this setting and I certainly don't WANT the new 'editor' because you can't upload video, adding photos is real screwy with it and I don't like how some of the blog posts appear on the blog when it's in charge.

I found out when I mentioned it during a Mastermind call earlier today and the guys went into 'fix it' mode...

They tested it out and LO, they had the editor I'm used to.

And my lovely boyfriend actually found the setting where they made the change...


Oh, I may have found it myself.. eventually.

I might not have either. Not crazy about arbitrary changes when there isn't a real need and certainly when it happens without warning. Perhaps I just 'missed the memo'...

The real point of this post is to let you know that if YOU want to go back to the editor you remember, you can.

Here's where you find that "Global Setting" in a screen shot:

Just click on the radio button for the editor you prefer then [SAVE SETTINGS] button and Voila! You'll have the editor you prefer.

Seems odd that at the height of the importance of having video on your websites, blogger offers you a 'simpler' editor that won't allow you to add it at all.

I don't get it.

Pam Hoffman, geeky girl by day, crafter by night!

Our View Out Back...

Well I WAS coming in here to post a video I took of the view out thru our backyard...

Seems that blogger has been changed more radically than I thought.

Any idea how to hang video in my blog posts thru blogger now?

Inquiring minds, you know...  ;)

Pam Hoffman

January 4th Picnic

I realize that it is quite cold in some areas of the country (i used to live there!) yet here, in Southern California, we're having some GREAT weather. Not too hot, not too cold.

So we went on a picnic!

Very close to us is the Laguna Niguel Botanical Garden. It's one of our favorite places to get out for a picnic or a walk. The stuff planted there is just amazing.

While our visit today was much shorter than usual, we did enjoy a section we don't often get to.

We took in parts of the Girl Scout Tree Grove









Isn't this bird house adorable?

I thought this was just so picturesque, Jeff took the actual photo!

Seems like something is always in bloom around here...

Where do YOU like to get away from your life for awhile?  Have a special picnic spot?  What's the weather like by you?  Maybe this isn't even an option!

Pam Hoffman

How DO those seed pods work?

"Hi My Name is Pam and I'm Fiskateer #3198..."

OK, while this ISN'T quite an addiction and I don't REALLY need a 12 step program (unless you know of a way to do MORE crafting in 12 steps!) it sometimes FEELS like it!

Are You a Fiskateer?  Do you WANT to be?  It's a lot of fun!

First off, they send you a very nice 'thank you' for joining package...

Scissors engraved with my #3198! 
[Well worth the wait!]




THEN you are part of a local network (Cheryl is our lead, i'm in Southern California) and you get invitations to all sorts of fun events.  I've been to 2 of them locally already and missed one that was really fantastic.

I went to a "Spring Fling" a couple years ago - met Laurie there (from the Crop in Orange) and Cheryl & Jeannie & Jim, a husband/wife team of crafters.

Cheryl, our local Lead:

Lots of goodies, even edible ones...

And last summer I went to a Family Fun picnic and saw LOTS of fun people I'd been communicating with online, in forums, hadn't seen since the Spring Fling, at my local cropping group and it was fabulous.

Me creating the Make-n-Take in the Pavillion!

And the PRIZES!  Lemme Tell You, you WANT to be at these events for a chance to win some Fiskars and associated company prizes.

Are you salivating yet? ;)

So, let's get you started!

First thing, we need to get you over to the Fiskateers Website [just click on the link]...

It may seem a little confusing.  Just let it settle down then click on some of the people you see there if you'd like to get to know them better.  These are the Fiskateer 'Leads' and they organize the events in different 'regions' I suppose it is.

If you want to read the blog, you can click on that and if you have any questions, there's 'a Fiska-What?' link to learn more.

If you want to just JUMP RIGHT IN! by all means, click the "How to Join" link and you'll see '1,2,3,4' steps in a journaling box, the 5 Leads across the bottom and away you go!

Send email to any one of them and they will write you back with a link to get you going and you can do a lot on the website while you wait for your scissors (assuming they are still sending them out - ask when you write them maybe...).

Are you already a Fiskateer?  What's your number?

Pam Hoffman

Another view at the picnic! ;)

p.s. while doing research for this article, i found Fiskars TV - and an episode with Lead Wendy Jo!!

Christine Said I Could Give You This...

I'm studying  this right now...

How to Sell Handmade Jewelry Online and Actually Get Results. Weekly Lessons in Online Marketing from Zero to Profit

and in week 3, Christine made a point to mention that I could GIVE IT AWAY if I kept it intact.  Better yet, click on the link for the whole shebang!

We could study together!  I'm learning a whole lot already.  pam

*Disclaimer: I am an affiliate for Handmade Results. I get paid if you follow the link from here to there and make a purchase.

Happy New Year!

Welcome 2010.

Be it ever so goofy...