Arachnophobes BEWARE!

Hi friends,
OK, before I share today, I want to warn those of you arachnophobes out there you may want to look away today! Uh huh, you guessed correctly--well, kinda sort of. This mystery pic from yesterday is a ....
Tarantula!!!
MY tarantula actually. Her name is Rosie and she's a Chilean Rose Tarantula. She's 9 years old. Yup, the same age as my son (Hee!) Since she's a female, she can live to be 30 years old! Amazing, isn't it? (No, she's not dead;) This is her molt (shed skin).

The reason I was happy is because shedding is a good thing. It means she's growing & is healthy! I was surprised when I looked in her cage to see 2 tarantulas! I was not expecting her to molt yet! Molting is a very dangerous time for a tarantula, but it is an absolutely AMAZING thing to see. I wonder if it hurts?

Here she is on my hand so you can see how big she is:
BTW, she's bigger now and I don't have a tiny hand! I'm not holding her- the real her- right now because she's a little vulnerable & may be a bit grumpy :(

When tarantulas molt they shed just about everything--->including their fangs:See those suckers! They're BIG!!! The red part is her "mouth" and her fangs are right in front. (No, she's never bitten me!) But I hear it's as painful as a bee sting.

You may be wondering why I would have such a creature- right? Well, long story long, I was afraid of spiders for no real reason. I took my son to an insect fair where a breeder was showing different kinds of tarantulas. The keeper had a tarantula crawling over him & little kids were holding them as well. He asked me if I wanted to hold one & since I didn't want to look like a big chicken, scaredy cat in front of my son, I reluctantly agreed. He put it on my hand & everything I was afraid of was squashed! It was nothing like what I thought it was. I hardly felt her on my hand. (It was light as a feather.) She moved slowly & didn't jump around. The more I listened to him explain away tarantula myths, the better I felt. I decided that to complete my instant therapy session, I should take one home. So Rosie came home with us that day! Everyone that comes around is totally fascinated by her---but no one wants to hold her for some reason? Just a friendly admiration from afar :)

Because the molting process can be a dangerous time, but an AMAZING one as well, I thought I would make Rosie a special card to commemorate her big event. Here it is:

a closer peek

Too bad you can't really tell where I added little drops of Stickles 'cause that makes it look so super cool. It looks like morning dew on a spiderweb! I ran the black CS through the embossing folder & traced all the lines with a silver gel pen. As for the sentiment... she IS absolutely fabulous!

Here I added a flocked Rosie (she's brown and pink- she's totally on trend with current fashion colors!)
If you're still here with me- I salute you! Speaking as a former arachnophobe, I know it can be hard to believe they can make good pets. But she's awesome!!! No, I don't cuddle & hug her, but that's why I have him, Sir Fluff.
Awww, look at that sweet little face :) Gotta love your pets!

Congrats for making it to the end! Woo Woo- you are fearless! :)
Thanks for peekin' at Rosie Posey today :) I've got to get my kiddos ready for their first day of school-FINALLY! I feel like I've been back to work forever & they're just getting started! So...Gotta go!