Who says crafts are pricey???

Bleah....  it's Saturday and instead of whiling away the hours with stitching and laziness, we decided to run errands.

The last of those errands was a quick stop at Hobby Lobby so I could run inside and grab some labels for my growing collection of beads and other small cross stitch embellishments.  As soon as I said the words "Hobby Lobby" Steve cringed and looked like he was going to grab his wallet and run for his financial life.  See, he thinks it's impossible for me to walk into a store that sells cross stitch supplies and not walk back out at least $100 lighter in the pocket.  This is, of course, prepostorous.  There have been many occasions where I've visited that store and picked up only the one skein of floss I need.

Turning around and going back in for the extras, or that new fabric, or that new chart, or those new colors... well that doesn't count cuz it wasn't the same trip.

Anyhoo!

Here we all go into Hobby Lobby.  I make a beeline for the beading section in the hopes of finding labels designed for the little bead containers sold in that aisle with Steve and the kids trudging along behind me sporting expressions ranging from "Wow!  That looks like I could break it into a gazillion pieces!" to "That's so cool.  I want one of those." to "I wonder if I should just declare bankruptcy now and save some steps..."

Once there, I am dismayed - but not surprised - to find they don't carry labelling of any kind for craft storage containers, but there ARE some really pretty strings of beads and treasures that I just want to look at for a minute while I plot out what I could turn them into given unlimited funds and time.  A constant monologue of "we can't afford this", "I don't really need this", "that can wait til another time", "I'm going to behave myself and set a good example of thriftiness and sacrifice for my children" scampers through my head while I run my fingers over beads and mumble to myself about how pretty they would look in that project I'm going to be starting for Sarah this fall.

If I get one or two bits at a time scattered over the weeks to come, it won't be so bad, right?  Of course not!!  We'll just add this strand to the cart.  Oh, and that one's on clearance!  Oh wait, these are ALL half price today!  Woohoo! 

Fifteen minutes later, I look down at the cart and about keel over.  How in the world did it end up half full!!  I know I didn't really pull that much stuff off the shelves!  Did I?  Maybe.  It's possible I suppose.  Okay... time to head for the register before Steve has a heart attack in the beading aisle.  We'll just skip my birthday this year and call it even.... 

Yeah, that's it.

As I'm fleeing toward the front of the store I hear Steve telling me to wait and my crafty little wings wilt a bit.  Now, if I really want all this stuff I can just dig in my heels and explain that to this man who seems to enjoy spoiling me rotten whether I deserve it or not.  But as I'm gearing up to justify to myself why I should deplete our play money in such a way Steve gives me a sheepish grin, adds an instruction book for beadwork and metalcraft to the cart, and continues toward the registers.  A nagging voice in the back of my head points out that inhaling and exhaling are kind of necessary in one's daily life, and I remember that I'm supposed to be going with him.

About $160 later, Steve has a new hobby.

*cackle*