Thankful for the little things.....

This week has been kind of crazy...and it's only Wednesday.  A few weeks back, my parents loaned out their brand new (well..used but new to them) Honda Pilot.  My parents take EXTREMELY good car of the vehicles, however doesn't it figure that the person opened the rear, driver side door into a tree.  Yes, I said TREE!  So...off to the body shop then went to find out that it would cost $800 to fix it and on top of that, my mom would be out of a car for a week.  Now..if I were out of a car for a week...it would give me an excuse to clean things up around the house, but since my parents live  in an absolutely spotless house...my mother would loose her mind.  In addition, she watches my daughter and my niece while my sister and I work full time so being stuck in the house with two rammy toddlers would be a nightmare.  So...my hubby and I decided to loan my mom my car for the week.  I'm currently driving my husbands truck while he drives his motorcycle.  Unfortunatley, he is unable to help pick up our daughter after work (since she obviously can't go on the back of a motorcycle) so I've been left to do the running around.  Granted, I don't mind, but when I'm running late from work and I have to pick her up and then rush home to get dinner done by a decent time...it's stressful to say the least, especially after a long day at the office.

All of that being said...I have to say that my husband has been AMAZING this week!  On Monday I came home to find him cooking in the kitchen.  I tried to help but he said.."no, you just go relax and spend some time with Bella."  Whoa!!  That almost never happens.  I'm usually the one in the kitchen cooking dinner while he sits and unwinds from his day.  Then yesterday, I got caught at work for an extra 45 minutes and I came home to dinner just about on the table, the trash had been collected through the entire house and was already out to the curb, some old branches that came down during a storm were out at the curb as well.  Then he says to me "Why don't you get out of your work clothes and get comfortable."  Who is this wonderful man?  I mean....I know that my husband had this side to him, but sometimes we just get so carried away with the things around us that we forget to do nice things for each other.

So...since I was feeling so relaxed and stress-free, my husband and I quickly bathed our daughter together  and took a family outing to his soccer game.  You see, Phil loves when I bring her to the games, but most of the time, there is just too much stuff to do so I don't go.  But...since he was being so helpful, I was able to go to his game and watch him play. 

The point in this long story is to say that I am so thankful for a wonderful husband who, without asking, makes dinner for his family and gets the chores done quickly so we can have time together as a family.  I'm thankful for a husband who takes the time to put his family first and let us know how important we are to him.  I'm thankful for feeling loved and taken care of. 

I'm so thankful for the little things that make life so much better.

And so the sewing begins.......

A few months back, well about 4 to be exact, I decided to start sewing.  My mother has sewed for as long as I can remember, so growing up, I would make a little something here and a little something there.  I always admired her gift, but never thought I would take on the art itself.  Well, now that I have a child of my own, I'm realizing how much cheaper it is to make these things yourself then buy them in the store.  In addition, my wonderful sister is due to have her second child (a boy) in January, and I thought this would be the perfect opportunity to start sewing simple little things.

So....off to Joanne's I went.  I bought my very first sewing machine with the help of my mommy of course.

My first project was this little stuffed animal holder that attaches to a crib.  I didn't really like it, but considering it was the first project I did on my own...I didn't think I did such a bad job.

Then....I started sewing a new diaper bag for my sister (pictures will come when it's finished.)  It seems I like to work on several projects at once...so part way through the diaper bag project, I decided to make something for my daughter Isabella. About 15 years ago, my dad had bought me a little bunny that sat in a wicker chair.  It was just something special that he had hand made for me.  He even took the time to make sure the fabric used for the bunny's dress matched my bedroom.  Well...now that the bunny has been passed down to my daughter, it needed a new dress. 

So....I sewed this..

Front

Back

I have to say...I was pretty proud of myself with this one.  I didn't have a pattern and it was the first time I had to sew buttons.  Granted...is it the best sewing job in the world....no.  But...does my daughter love it and carry it around the house.  You bet!

So....here's to the start of a very relaxing hobby for me.