my early birthday present

I've been told that I have an uncanny ability to "spoil" my birthday/holiday gift surprises because I always do one of the following: buy myself the thing that's already been purchased for me...go into the garage for the first time in a year only to discover my "hidden" present....or....become single-mindedly obsessed with an item and hint about it unceasingly until LGK just takes me to the hardware store and says "fine".
so now....I have this



and I can make my own holes in my bottle caps at my own table wheneverIdamnwellplease!! (no more trips to the mil's to use her drill press!)

today, Thursday, is my day off this week (one of 4 days off as a matter of fact! I'm looking at a 4 day weekend!!! except for Saturday which is market day so it doesn't count)
so I'm determined to be productive this "weekend" (especially since I'm hoping we'll take the day "off" on Sunday and go see the new Indiana Jones movie...the young master is (no pun intended) "jonesing" to see it very badly)
anyway, washed the car today (and vacuumed out "most" of the pistachio shells) did a little bit of South-County shopping with Molly (we like to support our local bead store beadmecca and the quilting shop...Molly needed buttons for eyes on her sewing projects)..and I got to work on my "palchemy" projects. As a memeber of the "trashion" street team on etsy, we're doing a supply exchange. Drew at fairytalefibers sent me a selection of old German maps, some findings, brochures and stuff....Molly and I
have been working on collage cards (that we cut out of old cereal boxes) and I'm rolling beads out of the map tonight.