Cheaper Than Camp

The Businessman is home! He is home and today is my official Starbucks day and the world is right.

My kids are discovering all sorts of wildlife in our yard.



What's that? Where? Oh. Hello Gorgeous!



After finding this beauty, the Businessman took my kiddos down to the pond and collected some tadpoles. I haven't taken the kids there because I wanted the Businessman to have this moment there are snakes there. The boys brought home a several tadpoles, and even more salamander larvae. So, we're observing some critters for a bit and then we'll let them go back in their pond, where nature is far better suited for their care than I am. Though they are cute, though not so photogenic.

In researching to discover what kind of critters they caught. I learned there is only one species of salamander in Colorado (the tiger salamander), and two pages of snake species not including the venomous ones.

You can imagine my joy.

What I Made:

At the dollar store I bought a package of brightly colored paperclips. They kept Vicious occupied for 45 minutes.



We made special necklaces for daddy, who proudly wore them all evening.

T-Shirt Necklace

Today begins the countdown. I have no idea when the Businessman will be home, but I know it will be today.

Almost makes me want to pack the kids up and go away on a daytrip so we're not here when he finally gets back. I'm sure he misses his children (as much as I miss my waistline).

I'm in better spirits today, thanks in large part to Ben and Jerry, My Big Fat Greek Wedding, and the knowledge that I consumed less than half of one, and all of the other in one night.

What I Made:

The T-shirt necklace is all over the internets these days. I first found it here. It's ridiculously easy to make one yourself, especially when you see the pricetags some of these are fetching.



This one started as a cheap green T-shirt I got at the craft store when I got the rest of the tie-dye supplies. I tie-dyed the shirt and then cut the strips per the tutorial. The kids loved stretching the loops to make them curl and hide all their raw edges.


I like the way the colors sort of mottled once all the slicing and curling was done.

Squish

I made an impulse purchase this morning. Actually, I found out about the sale yesterday, for an item I saw a month ago, that I never knew was for sale. I slept on the idea of depleting my PayPal account and woke up this morning hoping no one else had the same idea.

His name is Squish.

A few months ago, a reader became a steady commenter and I started reading her blog and we exchanged comments back and forth. She makes lots of gorgeous jewelry, which I have all sorts of places to wear--like the gas station, gym, and hardware store.

Corvus announced a sale this week at her store and I, for all my talent in the math department, never equated that the beauties she was blogging about were making their way to her Etsy Store.

The woman is living my dream and I didn't even notice.

Anyhow, I bought Squish and when she saw I was buying him, she offered to ride her bike to my house to hand deliver.

She lives about four states away.

Kidding!

Now I have a face to the name and you are all free to browse her Etsy Site and buy her other stuff so she can get a new camera, pay for college, and become successful.

Please buy the X-Wing Fighter. My PayPal can't take anymore.

What I Made:

This is Penelope, the first of several spider pins I've made. I thought she was cute for a first attempt but--though they are not up to retail standards--the younger spiders are prettier, have longer legs and better craftsmanship.

I hear you, Penelope, I hear you.