bright...the rose plate was the first item that called to me when I found out I had your name...go ahead & break it (if you can)!...it was a $1 bargain! But I can feel your pain...I want to try mosaicing a pot...and bought some little blue plates 4 for $1 about a mo. ago...I have them on my counter now...can't make myself "break" them! Other pcs. of broken pottery & such I've always added to a small rock garden...figured someone would dig into it some day to replant & find my broken treasures! Am glad you like the altered art card...was fun to make & one of my fav pics of statuary. Enjoy JT...I smile so much when I see all the pics of her travels & LOL! Jeanne S.

I am in this debate. Don't know if I will bother. I always put a letter together. Now days as stated all the social media has made the need for letters/cards obsolete. I do not participate in social media but it seems most of the people I would write are. Snail mail I guess is just not the thing these days. Yet another change that I do not appreciate.

Steve, Are you maxing out on your HELOC, or is there more available on it? I assume that it's based on the value of your home. If the value of your home increases, perhaps you can arrange some increase in limit. Which might not be adviseable, as a number of knowledgeable analysts believe that current house prices in at least several areas of the U.S. are much too high - some are using the term, "bubble". Could a rather drastic revision in your area be in the cards? If it decreases, no doubt your lender will be reducing the maximum that you can draw. Which will quite likely include that, should your maximum reduce to below what you've drawn, the lender will want to see some immediate money. You haven't said anything about whether, in the ordinary course of things, you are planning to have the "credit" card balance paid off by the deadline on the 0% rate. Or whether, going into emergency saving mode, you could manage to do so - or about how willing you (and your family?) might be to alter your current lifestyle so drastically. I assume that the (currently non-existent) interest on the "credit" card debt isn't deductible. What are the chances that you could roll the credit card debt into another 0% program sometime between now and the deadline? I assume also that you have committed to adding not another cent to that balance owing between now and then. I feel rather uncomfortable with your suggestion that you are looking at " ... throwing around ... " what appears to many of us a substantial amount of money, namely $5,000. Do you frequently " ... throw (money) around ... "? Not that that is any of my business, whatsoevr. But for a number of years as a personal financial advisor I sought to convince my clients to use money wisely - making it work for them, rather than someone else. Just my $0.02. ole joyful

Halyna - I would say yes if you order Friday, they would ship that next Monday or Tuesday. Looking at my earlier orders from them, I have ordered on a Wednesday and they shipped the following Monday. I have ordered on both a Saturday and a Sunday and they have shipped that following Tuesday. However I expect if you order on say a Monday, they probably won't ship out that next shipping day (Tuesday) and would probably hold it until the following Monday to ship. Plus the timing may be dependent on holidays and/or weather... but otherwise they are pretty good about shipping quickly.