Put a Lid on the BLUE BIN! That NOAH Guy is back again...

AS MINDLESS as Yesterday WAS... "Ditto!" for TODAY, *plus* MORE RAIN! Which, was
"Scheduled" -- It's "PAPER" Recycling this Week... It ALWAYS Rains on *Paper Week*! Just one of those Local immutable UNIVERSAL CONSTANTS...

Soooooo. WELCOME to *MY* Life - when I'm NOT occupied with CROCHETING and/or CREATING and/or *SHOPPING*!

I *need* some CHOCOLATE... How about You Guys?

"CHOCOCHERRY" - done in CHOCOLATE and BURGANDY.

...Mmmmmmm....YUMM.......!!

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I'm sensing a Trend...

ANOTHER, boring, DULL Day! Thankfully, there was NO Precipitation -- THAT'S supposedly on TOMORROW's Menu! In any case, the Temps were slightly "up". A *melting* of the Laneway ICE SHEET may have occurred....

Meanwhile, I caught up on some READING - something that I don't get to do when I'm CROCHETING. Oh, and the Latest DIGITAL Issue of My STYLE AT HOME popped up in My E-Mail. Which means, I should be getting the HARDCOPY some time This Week.

Until THEN....

...How about imbibing some "IRISHMINT"? -- Done in JADE, JADEGREEN, and with HUNTER in the Trim.

***************************************************

Such an "exciting" Day...

NOT!

However, it was Cloudy. A bit Warmer, but still Cold. That ICE on the Laneway, really does enjoy being where it is!

I know the Feeling... I wasn't in the MOOD to do anything, either. I probably, should have walked over to the FUTURE SHOP to pick up My Earphones, and MAIL a Letter... Instead, settled on a bit of Laundry and mending a "run" I discovered in a Sweater.

Luckily, MOTHER actually DID have the necessary "Tool" that I required. AND, that it was WHERE it was "suppose" to be! -- The REPAIR went flawlessly.

Also, figured out one more *new* thing about HTML coding... Which puts Me up to about a
"handful" of items that I now "know"! Hmm... At this Rate, I should be able to spell My Name out of Breakfast Cereal Letters by the End of the Century!

Anyway, I "managed" to FIX that Widget Button on The SIDEBAR, so that it CLICKS into My PHOTOBUCKET Site. YAY!

Whatever... Here's a Pic to keep You Guys from getting Bored...

THIS is "VANILLAPISTACHIOCHOCOCARMEL" - done in IVORY, PISTACHIO, CHOCOLATE, and TAN - Who is now living in a "Matching Room" with the First Grandchild of one of My Second Cousins...


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You Are WHAT You BUY...

WHICH, makes Me either "YARNFUL" *or* "CRABBY"!! Then again, in MY Case, "BOTH" pretty much sums up My Day!

WALMART went and brought out MORE Colours, AGAIN..! -- Do You have *any* idea how DIFFICULT it is for Me to come up with *new* NAMES for These Things!? Seeing as, I'm really not that fond of the ones that They are originally given... Most of the Time...

Anyhoo... Found MORE of the GUMMI GRAPE. And, it looks like IT's part of the Rest of this LOT. Let's see... That Pinkish one [TOP] is rather close in Shade to My SHELLPINK - I think I'll call it, SHELLBUD. The Mix [RIGHT] with the GUMMI GRAPE and SHELLBUD... I'm going to go with GUMDROP. And, the [BOTTOM] Greenish one - GRAPESEED. Actually, the Green should be *more* Green!

Hmm....This last one [LEFT] is tough... Okay. "For Now", let's try SHELLWOOD. [..don't ask...] -- Besides, ALL Yarn NAMES are Subject to Change Without Notice - especially, IF I come up with something BETTER!

At any rate, I picked up 14 BIG BALLS total. A "few" more than I probably should have...
There goes My CRAFT SALE "Profit"! -- I'm going to have to hire STEPHEN HAWKING to do the
"Dimensional" Math for Me. I'm sure with a tad bit of tweeking, We can find a "Reality" where this LOT, *will* FIT into THE ROOM!

And, YES... I'll admit it - I "suffer" from O.C.Y.B.D. - Obsessive-Compulsive YARN BUYING Disorder!

I should probably get T-Shirts made... Hmm... I may be on to Something here... MUST do some
"Research"...

Meanwhile, I'm thinking... that SHELLWOOD will be perfect for LITTLE PRINCESS BIG-RED's future BLANKET... I might even use the GRAPESEED instead of LIME. -- I'll have to Colour Match them with the Pictures later...

As for the REST of My Day...

• NEEDED to go to the Bank. Why is it that Everyone in FRONT of Me has 10 Minutes of Stuff to DO!?
• Big 2-Day SALE at OLD NAVY! And, of course, the DISCOUNT Coupon was for YESTERDAY!  But, hey, I got some *wicked* Reindeer PJ Bottoms!
• After dumping the Naval-ware into trunk, went down that STRIP MALL to fetch MOTHER from BOWRING... As We left, the "cha-ching" sound of "Something" BREAKING was heard... Was **NOT** Us!!
• Quickie Stop at THE MALL - No new FACTORY ENDS. Got the needed SALE Item at The Pharmacy.
• Hauled out to a certain Grocery Store. FOUND some of FATHER's Fav Yogurt - We had thought that it had been discontinued...
• Skirted the EDGE of the *new* It-has-to-be-THE-Stupidest-Place-to-PUT-it! ROUNDABOUT! Yeah.. just WAIT until the FIRST really good Accident in a Snow Storm *during* Rush Hour!
• WALMART - See ABOVE. And, My much needed Fav JUICE!
• Despite the GLARING Sunlight, encountered squally headwind on Highway heading back Toward Home... A good thing that the Car was so weighted down, as I could almost feel it LIFTING on Me a couple of times!
• Another Grocery Store.
• Back at THE MALL - where, just across from TICKET WICKET GUY, We met the Sweet and Lovely "Pre-TEENish" BRIANNA! Maker of Many CREATURES... She was selling Them for a Dollar Each for Charity... I chose THIS Guy... I'm calling Him "CRAB-BRI".

• Then, finished up with the Grocery Store there. Their Young Awesome-CHOCOLATE-Samples-DEMO-GUY became My *new* BEST FRIEND!
• Finally, as the SUN set, We arrived HOME! With MANY trips on the VERY *slippery* Patches of the "..don't worry, it'll Melt.." ICE to unload the FULL Trunk!
• I never did get around to picking up My Replacement Earphones at FUTURE SHOP...

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'Tiss the Season...

TO BE SHOVELLING....

yeah, yeah... I know! A lot of You have ALREADY been There, been DOING That!

Anyway... We had FREEZING RAIN and a smattering of SNOW last Night. Enough to put a half inch of ICE on Our Laneway beneath an inch or two of SNOW. FATHER insisted that it would MELT. Eventually...

And, oh yeah, BTW, "...We're going out to do Groceries..." -- Where'd I put My "Shovelling" Clothes...?

I had to get the Task reasonably done, as the LAST thing I need right now, is having one of the Elderly PARENTAL-UNITS slipping and breaking "something"! -- It doesn't help that Our Lane faces NorthWest. The accompanying CLOUD Cover only enhanced the ambiance...

So, I spent well over an hour - pacing Myself - with the scraping and chipping at the ICE SHEET. And, flashing the odd passing PLOW-SALT-TRUCK GUY with the Evil-DON'T-You-even-THINK-about-Dumping-that-Crap-IN-My-Lane "Glare"!

And, of course, the SUN peeps out AFTER They pull out! I spent another hour trying to help the
"melting" process along... I just HOPE it works, I have MUCH running around to DO, Tomorrow!

Meanwhile.... just to keep You Guys occupied... Here's another of My "BABIES" in My "ICE CREAM"
Collection...

"STRAWBERRY-CARMEL" - Done in IVORY, CONCH, and TAN.

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..psst! ..DON'T Tell....

MOTHER & FATHER that I got Them THESE silly little Ornaments for Christmas! -- HE has this Thing for POLAR BEARS, and SHE, BIRDS... I probably paid waay more than I should have, but, it's a cute little Shop... And, I thought they were "different"...

I had to go Downtown Today... While there, managed to find a little time to checkout the RIDEAU CENTRE really quickly. -- I actually walked away WITHOUT buying Anything!! BTW, the Next Door *new* OTTAWA CONVENTION CENTRE is shaping up nicely! "Suppose" to be OPEN in Late Spring...? Can NOT Wait!!

Also squeezed in a Banking "visit" over at THE BIG MALL. And, a quickie "hello" with My BANKER-DUDE. I escaped that Retail Blackhole sans Purchases too!

I was BUS-ing it Today, so I didn't want to Load up... Besides, all of the GOOD "SALES" aren't until Saturday! I had "considered" dropping by My Fav FACTORY ENDS "Supply" Store over at THE MALL - [haven't been there in over a week!] - however, My Last Bus Connection was right There, and it was getting late... Just HOPE that I didn't MISS any GOOD Packages!

I HATE it when THAT happens!

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Well, I'm Bored...

SO, how does some Yummy FRENCHMINT sound? Hmm...? Why not... Cause, there's absolutely NOTHING else going on around HERE, Today!

"FRENCHMINT" - done in CHOCOLATE and JADE

Personally, I'm more of the Chocolate-Fudge Type... But, that's another Blanket, for *another* Day!

BTW, to My AMERICAN Readers -- HAPPY THANKSGIVING!  Be SAFE!

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"Decor Mag" Day!

COUNTRY LIVING - December 2010 / January 2011

• P. 34 - No Contest! Of course, the BLUE & WHITE BURLEIGH COW CREAMER! I *love* Their STUFF! - [SEE 03AUG2010] And, I wouldn't say "No" to the Brass STORK PAPER CLIP, either...
• P. 35 - The GOLDEN STAG NESTING BOWLS Measuring Cups are interesting...
• P. 41-43 - These Antique NUTCRACKERS are entertaining... And, if I were to leave that SQUIRREL one on Our Porch, it's doubtful that Our "live" ones would *ever* get a CLUE!
• P. 46 - Ooo... I like that JEWELRY CASKET...
• P. 51-53 - The sand-filled Little Bottles MENORAH is a super idea! And, I'll have to show MOTHER the SEWING PATTERN STOCKINGS - the Tape Measure hanging loops are a great touch.
• P. 65 - The Old CHRISTMAS LIGHT BULBS in a JAR... Now, THIS is an Idea that HOARDERS would love!
• P. 84-93 - I'm having a ROCKWELLIAN Moment with the Exterior Photo of this Farmhouse and Barn! Although most of the Holiday Decor is quaint and homey, I'm not so big on that particular RED & GREEN Combo in the Dining Room. I'm also not a Fan of PAINTING OVER such great Millwork - especially, in that Shade! Not keen on the Busy Wallpaper, either. But, I DO love the Hallway WRITING DESK though.
• P. 96-99 - YUMM!
• P. 100-105 - Overall, a cozy Neutral Palette that's Aesthetically Subtle.
• P. 106-111 - The GREEN FEATHERED TREE are cute. And, the BUTTON WREATH - I'm liking this a lot...
• P. 122 - ONION PIE...? -- I *don't* Cook or Bake, but, I'm saving THIS Recipe!
• P. 124-128 - YUMM-FEST!!  Duh..!? BROWNIES!!!

I really WISH that They would LOSE the Dozen-plus Pages of Pharmaceutical Adverts... This DOUBLE ISSUE was THIN enough as it is!

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"Member of the Week"...

SO. Apparently, that Monthly Horoscope prediction of Mine purporting of Wondrous-Awesome-Once-In-A-FULL-Blue-MOON-Spectacular "Fortunes" for this past Weekend, has germinated into the Following "GOOD NEWS" -- I, have been "selected" as This Week's *MEMBER-OF-THE-WEEK* over at the WE ARE CANADIANS Artisans Site!

Check it out:  http://wearecanadian.spruz.com/

WOOHOO!!

Now, whether or not this very unexpected "Honour" - [THANK YOU, TANYA!!] - will result in an *increase* in Site VISITS, is yet to be seen. But, hey, it can't hurt, "EH"?

Whatever... Please, TAKE the Time to have a LOOK at all of the OTHER really Talented and Skilled [and much more deserving!] Members in this Amazing COLLECTIVE of CANADIAN ARTISANS!
-- See? WE can do Lots of COOL Stuff, *besides* "Snow Shovelling"!!

Meanwhile, the OTHER "Excitement" for The DAY, was The POWER going OFF for over 3 Hours!! And, of course, it HAD to be a COLD, WET, DREARY Day... *NOT* helping The Coughing any...
-- Just saying...

Anyway, JUST to be on the SAFE SIDE, I'm going to POST This EARLY!

***************************************************************

**ADOPTION** Announcement!!

YESTERDAY, at the CAIRINE WILSON Secondary School CHRISTMAS CRAFT SALE, My Beloved "RIPTIDE" was "ADOPTED"!

At first, this NICE LADY and Her DAUGHTER were "checking out" One of The OTHER KIDS - "THE GRAPE PUMPKIN" - as The DAUGHTER had this Thing for PURPLES... However, THEY were looking for a WEDDING GIFT for Friends... "TGP" was on The Rack, so I had THEM come around The Table to have a looksee at WHAT was there, as well...

Then, THEY noticed "RIPTIDE"...

The *REST* - as They say - is History... THEY made some mention about "The Friends" living
"Up North", but not exactly WHERE...? And, silly Me, I *forgot* to ASK! -- Meanwhile, I packed Him into a Purplish BAG with Lavender Tissue for The DAUGHTER!

Anyway, I'm gonna MISS Him! He was One of My FAVOURITES! And, the only One using My much coveted PEACOCK... The other Colour is SEAFERN.

OH! BTW, I was "notified" of some rather unexpected GOOD NEWS earlier... However, I'm saving it for Tomorrow! Because, TODAY's Post is ABOUT My "BABY"!!

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I survived!!

IT WAS A DARK AND STORMY MORNING.... At least it was WHEN We started out on Our way to the CAIRINE WILSON SECONDARY SCHOOL CHRISTMAS CRAFT SALE.

As predicted, I never did get ANY sleep Last Night. Although, it was a bit more restful than the previous Pre-Craft-Show evening. In fact, there was a "moment" around 4a.m. when I almost, slipped into Slumber... WHEN SUDDENLY...

aarrrggghhhhhhhh!  The ^%$%^#$^ LOW BATTERY BEEP on My Bedroom SMOKE DETECTOR started! - Really? - Like IT couldn't just *wait* a FEW hours?!  Well, at least it's not going off too often...

Anyway... I got up at 5:30. Fetched the Saturday Newspaper from outside the Front Door. Still DARK out, not as COLD as I had expected, a bit BREEZY... Perhaps, The Weather will hold up...?

Just after 7a.m., I open the Door once more to head to the Garage to get the CAR out - MOTHER is still a few minutes shy of "ready"....

Sooo... THIS  is looking *SPECIAL*..! Uhhh... WHAT'S with the GALE-like WIND?!  Oh, hey. Spitting RAIN, too! THIS couldn't have WAITED another Half Hour..?!  I'm already a few Minutes behind "Schedule", as MOTHER searches for a warmer Coat.

You could SEE the SQUALL LINE move across the GATINEAU and over the OTTAWA RIVER... LUCKILY, it wasn't such a wide swath, and despite the 20plus m.p.h. GUSTS, and heavily spitting DROPS - that could have easily turned to FREEZING RAIN - I *managed* to cross UNDER it, at the right spots and made it Safely to Our Destination!

Double LUCK! It settled down JUST as I pulled up to the Curb!  WooHoo!

We managed to SET UP on TIME for the 9a.m. OPENING! And, as One ENTERS the Larger of the Two ROOMS [a double GYMNASIUM], THIS is MY STUFF!!

So. Let's take a TOUR of TABLES 1 & 2, shall We?

As We ROUND the POLE RACK of MOA-BOAS, We spot, the "top" of the ever-mysterious AUNTIE SHAN's Head!

NEXT... a Close-Up "Visit" to WASHCLOTH WORLD!  -- It may not seem like it, but there's about 250 odd WASHCLOTHS there.

NEXT, a Visit with MOTHER's HAT "HERDERS"...

   

And HERE'S Her Latest Bunch of BUTTON BUDS! -- Most of THESE were Sold!

Rounding off Our TABLE TERRITORY - MADAME Q's vast array of CUDDLY CREATURES and other Retail Riches!

AS for the Rest of the Day...

• Rumour had it, that The Weather cleared up nicely.
• Although, the Customer Traffic was steady, I think the NUMBERS are likely down 30%.
• One of the "Kind" People who RE-TWEETED My Notice of THE SALE, dropped in to say Hi!
• My MOA-BOA Customer from the Last CRAFT SALE came by as well - Proudly WEARING her Purchase!
• SOLD a BLANKET!! -- "RIPTIDE" -- More on that, Tomorrow.
• Happy Dance!!
• Today's MOABOA Sale - made of the XMAS Colour - was acquired as a GIFT for a NUN!
• Made a "nice" Profit. Enough to cover the NEXT Round of YARN Purchasing! -- FINALLY!!

Meanwhile... I'm trying to stay awake long enough to FINISH This.... The exhaustion is catching up to Me! I'll be vegging ALL day Tomorrow!

****************************************************

The CAR is Packed...

NEED SLEEP TONIGHT!! I didn't get much the Night before My LAST CRAFT SALE. And, THIS Event is always especially, ARDUOUS!

Meanwhile, I was going over My INVENTORY...*forgot* to whip up a couple of WASHCLOTHS in that New GUMMI GRAPE Colour!

Anyhoo, just have a few more THINGS to SORT OUT, and it's off TO Bed! -- BTW, while I'm doing
THAT... IF You Guys *KNOW* ANYone in the OTTAWA Area, TELL THEM about THIS CRAFT SALE!!
I *want* to SEE **many** CUSTOMERS!!

***********************************************************

Counting down the Stitches...

HUH.

Looks like that whole "TWITTER" Thing *does* WORK! -- ...okay.. so it took TWO "Tweets" to get "it" done... No matter. The GOOD NEWS: My missing November Issue of COUNTRY LIVING is "IN THE MAIL"!!

Until then... The COLD is just coughing and sniffling right along nicely....While, back at the AUNTIE FACTORY... *another* MOA-BOA in CAPRI and TIDE DYE.

Hmm... PHOTOBUCKET has been messing with Their Interface again... Not sure if I'm liking it yet...


**********************************************************

"The COLD" is back...

SORTA... For Days, I've been going through the "Tissues" and, the odd whiny Cough... But, last Night, it was annoying! AND, messing with My Asthma. Not good. -- BTW, the WHOLE Day of RAINING hasn't "helped", either!

I sooo do NOT *need* THIS for Saturday!!  ..aarrrgghhhhhh[cough!]hhhhhhhhhhhh!!!

Meanwhile... that October Issue of CANADIAN HOUSE AND HOME *finally* showed up! AFTER Two Phone Calls! -- The Last Operator was quite helpful! Perhaps, it was because We happened to have the SAME First Name [just slightly different spelling]...? Whichever, THANK YOU!

Now. IF I could only GET a proper Phone Number for the COUNTRY LIVING Subscription Department...?  I'm MISSING the November Issue! -- Just sent Them *another* "Tweet"...

Okay. So...

CANADIAN HOUSE AND HOME - October 2010

• P. 35 - "PIPING" - Yes, it looks great! It's also a PAIN to DO!
• P. 40 - Ceramic Artist ANDY BLICK - Loving the Textured TILES.
• P. 50 - LEATHER BASKETS - Sweet!
• P. 126-130 - Some rather intriguing BEDS... All very Stylish in their own way, although, each seem to have the odd little "con" about them, that makes Me hesitant in Personally choosing any of them. -- I'm just a tad FUSSY that way...
• P. 152-153 - I'm Lusting over the BLUE & WHITE Dishware Collection in the Cupboards...
• P. 186-190 - "FELTING"... Looks like Everybody is doing it! I've gotta find Time to give it a try Myself!

Well... have CREATING to DO!

*******************************************************

Made MORE Stuff..

TODAY...

Two MOA-BOAs... One in GUMMI GRAPE. The Other, in BURGANDY, POMEGRANATE, and RED.

************************************************************

The "Pillage" LIST

THERE was a LIST of STUFF for Today! - A Task in TIME TRAVEL Management...

It was going to be BUSY enough, with MOST of the "Things" that I had PLANNED on doing, however, the Other Day, MOTHER elected to toss in a "BONUS ROUND" - The VALUE VILLAGE Half Price Sale!

Ah.. the VILLAGE PILLAGE... Where, FINDING "Parking" - not to mention, even trying to Drop Anyone OFF - is like a DELETED Scene from ROAD WARRIOR!

Luckily, My errands were nearby... I could MAKE this work...

• - Called up MRS. CLEAN - who enjoys this "Event" with MOTHER - She's good with the 15 Minute Notice.
• - The MAIL that I was hoping for Arrives just before Leaving the House!
• - Sweep up MRS. CLEAN.
• - Make My DROP-OFF of The GERIATRIC GIRLS.
• - Take nearby "back way" into THE BIG MALL... I'm on THE CLOCK.
• - Head to First Banking Stop - Hoping that My "regular" strapping young BANKER-DUDE is available... There's a "slot" in 10 minutes. This works.
• - Head to Other Banking Stop. Momentarily SHOCKED! 2 of the 3 TELLERS *are* AVAILABLE! -- Nuts! Left My CAMERA in the Car!
• - Back up to BANKER-DUDE... Hmm, He has a *new* Office Spot. Much brighter and pleasant.. We chat. I am introduced to the mention of the Recent Phenomena of the "MAN SHOWER". I sense a whole new "Marketing Sector" opening up for Me...
• - I "mention" My next "Sale" Appearance... I may have a "future" Customer here...
• - Next stop, nearby Grocery Store - Get particular FOOD ITEM that I'm in need of.
• - Head BACK to The "VILLAGE" - finally "find" Parking. Not crazy about "location". May have to "hurry" The GIRLS along...
• - Find MRS. CLEAN - she's ready to go through CHECKOUT. MOTHER, not so much, yet...
• - Find a few moments to do My own perusal... Oooo.. There's this cool metal-wire WHEELED-BASKET piece that would look GREAT on My Sales Table! Alas, NOT Half-Price. Regular Price not "doing" it for Me. Will be good. Won't buy it.....
• - FINALLY leave. Then, end up being at MRS. CLEAN's House for longer than I would like. Still have MORE to DO!
• - *I* stay Home long enough to EAT something, then off again...
• - Manage to hit a few more Stores and get My LIST Items. Back within the Hour.

Started a couple more SCARVES Tonight. Should get at least One done Tomorrow. Staying Home!

*******************************************************

WHAT I MADE...

TODAY!

A MOA-BOA in RED, BURGANDY, and POMEGRANATE.

Have to go to Bed now... Busy Day later...

***********************************************************

ATTACK of the GIFT CARD!

..ahh... The SILLY THINGS I Buy...

We were over at MICHAEL'S - again... Got My Primo-Parking Spot - again! -- I'm almost beginning to suspect that My GIFT CARD has one of them fancy-secret GPS Chips in it or something..?  As The Space is always EMPTY when I arrive...

Whatever. We ended up doing the Forage of Novelty Items once more. -- Hey! FAIRY-T!
I *got* some STUFF for You! But, can't "say" What, or it'll ruin the Surprise. And, You'll have to WAIT until I can book that next RAFT over The POND!



Meanwhile...
I. Have. A. New. Friend... SPLURGE BLOB!

He's PURPLE. And spongy and bouncy. And feels really COOL! And, when You SHAKE Him, He LIGHTS UP and TINKLES!!  And, He tried to Jump INTO My Cart... HOW could I Resist? Huh?

Yo!  NO "Comments"! -- *MY* GIFT CARD, remember? Besides, I had to USE the 40% OFF Coupon for SOMETHING!

Anyhoo... HERE are some STORY-BOARD Pics of some *THOUGHTS* I have - IF - I ever get around to doing some wacky VIDEO... You know, WHENever I have NOTHING better to do...

Unsuspecting CUTOUTS encounters MYSTERY "PURCHASE"

CUTOUTS cower in fear as MYSTERY "PURCHASE" begins to *GLOW*...

CUTOUTS succumb as MYSTERY "PURCHASE" unleashes its hypnotic RETAIL POWERS...



CAST MEMBERS relax between Takes ON SET...


THIS is *WHAT* happens WHEN I get "Bored"....  Gonna go CROCHET now....

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