I have seen my future…and I am frightened.

BTW – did I tell you that I’m a knitter now?  I’m making some of my Christmas gifts because I have less money and more TIME nowadays.  But right now I’m exclusively working on gifts for women (Mom/Sisters/Friends – act surprised when you get your knitted Christmas gift from me.  What could it be?  What could it be?!).  Because that’s the irony of homemade gifts.  They’re mostly for women.  Made by women.

It’s hard to find gifts-you-can-make for men.  But I have an idea and I have my eye on a loom at the fabric store that will allow me to make gigantic men socks for Father/Husband/Brother for Christmas.  (Guys – you act surprised too!)

And lucky day!  I have a Veteran’s Day coupon good for 60% off one regularly priced item at Jo-Ann Fabrics (I’m a Preferred Customer naturally).  Loom here I come!

So I…along with all of the other crafters in the Western Hemisphere…were at Jo-Ann’s today using our 60% off coupons.

Is it just me, or do all the other crafters seem to be wackiest of wackadoodles?!  These women actually KNOW what all those weird, reminiscent-of-torture-device knitting needles are actually FOR!  Which is something to be admired.  But it’s the greasy hair and absolutely no fashion sense (ill-fitting dark velour sweatsuit sprinkled with dandruff and cat hairs anyone?) that has me concerned.  Oh!  And the fact that they’re all a good 20 years older than I.  Not a man in sight.  Surprise, surprise.

Is this what my future holds?  20 years from now, will I have stopped dyeing my hair (and washing it?  Thin AND greasy??  One or the other, Ladies.  We don’t need both)?  And stopped dressing like I care??

I care now!  And even for a trip to the fabric store where I knew it would be just us gals, I was dressed super cute – gold dangly earrings and jeans tucked into boots I’ve gotten tons of compliments on because they have a Ralph Lauren brown edging on the top of the black quilted leather (can you say Kohl’s 30% off coupon combined with Kohl’s cash?  Score!!) along with a deep purple, slouchy shirt with a gold colored rose-shaped applique all down one arm and on left hand side of it.  Totally cute, right?

But THEY were looking at ME like I was the wackadoodle.  Was it because they were all stunned by my beauty and the memory of what it was like to be a fresh-faced, enthusiastic crafter with a coupon?!  Or were they trying to figure out where I got the gold rose applique and how I ironed it on to my shirt?!?  (psst!  I bought it this way.  At a boutique.  Back when I had money.  Are you kidding me?  You’d never find something like this at a craft store!)