I was looking through some old craft magazines from the seventies and eighties today for some crafting inspiration. I want to say that I got some cool ideas, but that would be a lie. I mostly found some really horrible craft projects and a surprisingly large number of full page cigarette ads. I had to scan this "LITTLE STINKER" ad that was in the back of a magazine from 1975... it makes me laugh and I thought I should share.
I was so excited to wake up to find one of the Black Swallowtail Butterflies had emerged from it's chrysalis. I've been watching over each chrysalis for the last two weeks and growing more and more impatient by the day. This is the first one I have ever seen change completely from caterpillar to butterfly... three more to go. I mistakenly thought this one was a male and named it Buster, but after reading more about the markings, I think it is actually a female - I'm still not completely sure. Male or female, Buster hung out on the branch for a while, pumped up his/her wings, and then just flew away.
Here's an update on the butterfly caterpillars that I found last weekend. As of today, all but four have vanished. I think that they may have been picked off by some birds or some other insects... they disappeared kind of fast and they are nowhere to be seen. Of the four that remain, all but one have formed their chrysalis and begun the change into a butterfly. From what I have read, they should begin to emerge as Black Swallowtails within the next two weeks. This has really fascinated me as if I were a little kid. I can't wait to see the next stage!
Last year, my backyard was infested with Gypsy Moth caterpillars. For about a week, you could barely walk on the deck without an accidental squish beneath your feet. It was not a pleasant time for me. They were falling out of trees and were everywhere you could possibly imagine.
That being said, you can imagine my horror this afternoon when I noticed several caterpillars in my parsely plants. At first, my instinct was to remove them as quickly as possible, but then I noticed that these were not the same as the caterpillars that I had remembered from last year. Knowing nothing about them, I looked them up online and identified them as Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillars.
I guess the moths get a bad rap, because all of a sudden, these little guys were welcomed into my garden and encouraged to eat away at the parsley plants. I've never seen a butterfly chrysalis in my yard and have never seen one hatch, so I guess I am encouraging them to stay so that I can have a show. There are about ten caterpillars out there now and I'll keep you posted if and when they continue to develop.
I am excited to say that I just booked my first vacation in about three years! Since buying my home, I haven't been able to do anything except stay here in it. I won't be going anywhere crazy exotic this time around, but at least it will require an airplane trip and it won't be work related! So, in a little over a week, I will be in Key West, sitting by the pool at the Ocean Keys Resort, and basking in the sun... ahhhh. I can't wait because the weather in NJ has been amazingly horrible. It's literally been raining for WEEKS. I am considering starting construction of an ark as a "just in case" precaution.
Here are some ocean creatures I made today while dreaming of my vacation...
PS - don't forget, there are three more days to enter my blog giveaway!
Basically, it's been raining here in NJ for the last three weeks. We may have had a break of sun now and again, but overall it's been pretty dreary. As I woke up to yet another rainy and overcast day, I was happy to have received an email from my brother suggesting I check out awkwardfamilyphotos.com. If you are having a lazy Sunday, or having trouble getting back into work mode on Monday, it is a perfect site to browse and waste some of your dreary day away. Enjoy!
Behold the place that usually houses my car! That pic is about half of my two car garage filled with stuff to be sold at my garage sale tomorrow. You would normally find me playing the role of "buyer" role at a Saturday garage sale, but this week it is my turn to sell. I decided it was time to get rid of things that have been accumulating in my basement and in closets throughout the house. It feels really good to empty out those storage areas... now I just need people to buy it all. There are some small furniture pieces, some kitchen items, some craft supplies, some clothes, and let's see... about 8 sets of drinking glasses! Why so many glasses? I wish I could tell you. I don't care about making money; I just want it all gone. Wish me luck!
I don't know how it is possible, but until a few days ago, I had completely forgotten about the existence of Mr. Sketch scented markers. I remember that my fourth grade teacher used to have some and would break them out every once and a while for us to use... probably when she needed a little mental break because all the students would just start grabbing markers and smelling them over and over again. Imagine twenty or so nine year olds in a blissful scent induced state (some with color marks at the tips of their nose).
I found this box at the rummage sale I went to this past Thursday. They're pretty amazing because they must not have changed the chemical combination since the early 80's... they smell exactly the same as I remember from when I was younger. I've spent the last few minutes smelling them and trying to pick a favorite: a toss up between the melon (pink) and the cinnamon (brown). The worst of the bunch: mint (smells like Listerine) and lemon (smells like bathroom cleaner).
Jealous? Want your own Mr. Sketch markers to bring you into a nostalgic state of sniffy bliss? Well, you are in luck because they are still being made and you can get some here.
