Dealing with disappointment

For those folks who are not following me on Twitter, here it is: I did not win the contest. I will not hear Martha's keynote address at the International Antiques Fair, and I will not have a formal meet and greet with her afterwards.

I will, however, still see her at Macy's when I have my book signed on Friday. So for my fellow Martha fans who will be in the same line, I'll see you bright and early on Friday morning! And if anyone is interested in waiting in a line outside and then inside of the State Street Macy's, just let me know. I'll do my best to tweet throughout the day.

I am working through my disappointment. It is especially rough because I don't think the winner had a winning list...

Here's the announcement for the winner:

Don't worry Henrietta-Martha fans, I saw all of your Craftaholic submissions, and per usual, I fretted for hours over which one to choose. Most made me giggle, many rang true, and all conveyed a genuine love for one Ms. Martha Stewart.

In the end, it was NOT AMANDA's submission that won me over. Her willingness to dig in the trash for Michael's coupons and play hookey from work in order to meet Martha was too passionate to pass up. NOT AMANDA and a friend will listen to Martha speak this Friday at the International Antiques Fair---and say hello to her after! As for the rest of you: Stay tuned for yet another Martha-related contest in the near future.

And here's the 'winning' list:

1. I have formally been diagnosed with Craft ADD
2. I have dug in the garbage looking for Michael's and JoAnn's coupons.
3. I'm sure I will discover a fantastic craft someday using all those plastic grocery store bags.
4. I begin Christmas crafts in January. It's a good thing!
5. Even in this economy, I would risk calling in sick on Friday to meet the craft guru, Martha Stewart.

I'm going to let that list sink in for a minute. Take your time.

Really? REALLY?!?

Riiiiigggggggghhhhhhhhtttt.

First of all, there's no such thing as Craft ADD. Anyone who really crafts knows you have to focus on your project: I've never met a true crafter who had ADD when it came to their craft.

Second, as another entrant pointed out, a true crafter would never let those coupons go into the trash in the first place.

Third, Martha would never make a craft project out of plastic grocery bags. Martha is very eco-conscious and advocates using reusable grocery bags. There are instructions for a few on her website--I like this super-cute one.

Number four is the only legitimate reason this "winner" can be called a Craftaholic.

Finally, as I pointed out in my comments to Henrietta, all of the entrants were willing to miss work (or whatever they had planned for Friday) to meet Martha.

So, I'll be dealing with my disappointment in my usual fashion: shopping and chocolate. The silver lining is that I will meet Martha on Friday.

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. And lemon squares. And lemon cake. You can find the recipes here. ;)