Three Things: Birthday Edition

1.
My husband got in touch with his craftsy side for my birthday this past weekend. I have asked him in the past if he could drill holes into Scrabble tiles so that I can use them to create collaged pendants, so he decided to surprise me with the results as a birthday gift.

He strung together Scrabble tiles to spell "BELOVED," and added other beads to create a necklace for me.  How sweet is that?

Now he wants a proper drill press for our next gift-giving holiday (our anniversary, in May), though he says he thinks I'll end up using it more than he will.  He is very encouraging of me introducing power tools to my art and craft-making supply list!

2.
I also had to share another gift he gave me for my birthday, this one to encourage my jogging efforts.  I've been wanting to have fast-paced motivational music playing while I jog, so he got me an iPod Shuffle.  Have you seen these things?  They play tons of music, and are the size of a postage stamp.  It really is unbelievable how small this little thing is. 

3.
After all the gift-giving, including sweet cards signed by my girls (both are writing their names now!), my husband took me to The Melting Pot (yum!) and then on to Briggs Auction in Booth's Corner.  We've been going on occasion on Friday nights since before we had kids, maybe even before we got married.  Even when there isn't too much of interest up for auction, I find it to be a relaxing, kind of soothing environment.  The people-watching is fascinating, and I love listening to the auctioneers' voices.  There wasn't too much that caught our eye on Friday night, but we came away with a few fun things:

My husband was quite excited about this little jar of marbles.  He had no idea that I have a whole huge jar of marbles down in our basement.  Neither of us realized how much the other one likes marbles!  See, we are still learning new things about each other.

We also bid on a box of picture frames.  I have visions of all the ways I can alter them to make them more interesting!

We also bought two crazy decorative wood chickens, but I didn't take their photo.  I was amused that we both kind of liked them, though the auctioneer actually laughed at my husband for bidding on them, and no one offered a counter-bid!  It made it even better that we were alone in the world together liking them!

All in all it was a fun way to usher in the last year of my 30s.  Time to live it up!

Three Things

I have Five Things posts, so why not Three Things? Sometimes there are only three things to talk about!

1.
I am in the throes of a babysitter search.

I’m just looking for a few hours a week, when I can grocery shop alone (the value of which should not be underestimated!), get a cup of coffee (ahhhhhh!), maybe even sit in front of the sewing machine and actually work on a project (!).

To make the search easier (ha), I joined SitterCity.com. It’s kind of “eHarmony for the babysitting set”. Only the stakes feel higher now. When it’s a matter of dating, you know enough to schedule the test date in a public place, and if the guy turns out to be a wacko, you walk away—a couple hours lost, but no harm done. But with a babysitter, you must determine wacko status well in advance of exposing your children to her care.

The pressure is on!

Having said that, the experience has been mostly positive. Twenty-two applicants in two weeks, many of whom live right in my own township. Most are college students looking for summer work; many assure me availability into the fall. Lots of nursing students and elementary ed. majors.

I was ready to hire one applicant who lives less than a mile away, but she backed out when she determined she needs work four days a week to pay for rent on her new apartment. Hmmmm, I was offering five HOURS a week, she needs four DAYS a week. A little forethought might have saved us all some time there.

My “second-runner-up” (only behind the first girl because I had to pick someone) is now my frontrunner, and I feel very positively about her. The “test date” with the kids is coming up soon. After that, I just hope I can count on her reliability.

I’m a stay-at-home-mom; aside from a few (very few, she thinks with a sigh) date nights, I’m not used to entrusting my children to the care of others. No one does it quite like Mom, right? But I think Mom is going to do it that much better when she gets a little mini-vacay on a weekly basis! Playing the babysitter version of The Dating Game is worth it for that!

2.
Participating in a second postcard swap, this one hosted by Danielle at A Love Affair With Paper, has brought two beautiful pieces of art to my mailbox last week. I was hoping to receive all four that would have meant full participation, but I think the two I received are a worthy exchange for the four I made. Look at these beauties:

First, from Danielle, the swap hostess:

I have told her that it includes all of the elements I love: a vintage photo, a scrap of music, a text stamp, and a meaningful quotation. It’s a beauty!

And from April in California:

Don’t you think she could illustrate a children’s book in this style, a la Eric Carle? It is so charming, and I love the way she uses elements like masking tape and a paint sample to create her composition. Check out her blog here! Not only does she share her own beautiful artwork, but she shares amazing links to inspiring blogs and web sites every week.

3.

Need I say more? How cute are these little boys? I traveled to Atlanta this past weekend to meet my two little twin nephews, nearly four months old.

I just hope these adorable boys bring you a little smile as you move forward into your week!

Happy Tuesday!