checked off my list

Okay, the heat is on. Literally, I turned on the heat on in my house yesterday, earlier than I ever have before, I think. And figuratively, I'm beginning to feel the Christmas Crunch. The school's Winter Boutique fundraiser starts next Monday, classroom Winter Parties are on the seventeenth, and I have a few patterns to test, a couple special orders for scarves and other gift knitting to finish up, plus throw in a dance recital that the girls have been rehearsing for since this summer.

But, for now, I've got it all under control. And with the help of Cardstore.com, I have one thing checked off my list. A few weeks ago, I was approached with an opportunity to check out their website, and receive a complimentary order of a few custom cards to see what I thought of their product and their service. Well, their selection is huge, but I finally managed to settle on one of their holiday cards, a photo postcard.

I was away for the Thanksgiving weekend, so I'm not sure exactly how many days it took to arrive, but I placed my order on the evening of Sunday the 21st, received a shipping confirmation on Tuesday, and the package was here by the time I was able to get my mail on Saturday the 27th. And that's with a no-delivery Thanksgiving holiday thrown into the mix. All the cards are pristine, not a dent or fold or bend in the bunch, even though I've got a teeny postal box that my mailman decided to cram full with three days' worth of flyers, credit card applications, bills and holiday catalogs.

I'm not being compensated any more than the 14 free cards I already received, but I've got to say that I was impressed and more than happy with the whole photo editing and card customizing process. My crummy photo in the low light of my dining room doesn't begin to show off the quality of the paper or printing on the cards. For today only, you'll be able to receive 20% off your order and receive free shipping if you use the code CYBERSALE at checkout.

I just might have to go back and do that myself, because 14 just doesn't seem like enough...