good bye Debbie Downer

& HELLO Delightful Daisy!

I have such wonderful crafty friends, several people that care about me so very much! Friends that worry about me and our family. I don't think I realized just how much they worry about until our year got really hard with the kids and school and they saw me falling apart at the seams. This year was a hard one, I won't lie! Through their concern and advise I have realized just how much I bitch and complain. I realized today that I never tell them the happy parts of my life.

I don't want to be that person, I don't want to be a Debbie Downer that is always in crisis. Enough drama already. Tonight I am going to start a doing a little weekly gratitude post.

Recently the highlight of our week has been the Wednesday mornings park day, we have been joining a great group of homeschoolers at the park for RECESS. During the "school" year the kids spent an hour participating in organized games. But for the summer we are just letting them run free.

Maddie has a couple of girls that she is growing increasingly fond of! And tadpoles to bring home and watch grow. Aidan has really been handling the outdoor play nicely and is playing with kids of all ages for the first time in a long while. I know these things seem simple and basic but they can be hard for Aidan to do with grace.

But for me it is the MOMMA'S! I have met a bunch of friends that are dealing with the trials and tribulations of homeschool life. It has been great to know that I am not alone in my struggles. It is really nice that there are several Mom's with girls that are going through the crazy Tween stuff too. We sit there and talk about it all! Which math program is working, to which child refuses to do anything with out attitude, to how our husbands drive us crazy. Basic girl talk!

So that is what I am grateful for today. That and the fact that I have friends that will risk really ticking me off by telling me that something has to change. That solutions are there for me to explore. I am grateful that I have something nice to share!

xoxox!

la dolca vita

I can tell you have thankful I am for such a wonderful bunch of clients, friends and crafty peeps in my life! Everyday I am hearing some of the most wonderful things about my work, here is just one comment that made my day..."Know that you are a-bustle this time of year. Your stuff will make for many a classic smile when the gift wrap falls away."

I tell you all this not to gloat but to say that I am truly honored to be your apron maker, your friend and your blog buddy. Thank you from the bottom of my heart.

I am glad you are here with me on this crazy wonderful ride called the good life!

Love, Kelly!

impressionism

I love this wacky photo that I took while the kids and I were goofing off today. Maddie saw this and told me it looked like an impressionistic painting! Wow, she is learning, we recently wathced a video about Monet! LOVE IT. I was checking to see what our VMFA has to offer in the way of impressionism, they have one Monet, IRIS. The And this is coming up in late February, Landscapes from the Age of Impressionism. We have to check that out too!



Today the weather was great! 73 bright and sunny in the morning! We went out as the sky was getting dark and stormy. One of my favorite times!


We had a great day together, playing Uno, Legos, Dance party revolution, and Karaoke on the Game Cube!


My MIL is the best! She told me that I was not to worry about Thanksgiving at all this year, she knows that I am busy. Isn't that great! She wouldn't even let me bring anything. I had to make something so I forced a pumpkin cheese cake on her! It was yummy! And it has super low weight watchers points! The whole family liked it! Now that is a rare treat! I see a regular desert! I was so easy too.

Today I was thankful for a simple day!

Happy Turkey Day!

gratitude

So today as I work for the 11th day in a row without a break, I have been having a great pity party. I have listened to all my library Audio Books, I have watched my Netflix movie 3 times, and I have no desire to see any of the DVD's that I own ever again. So, bored to tears, I go over to my handy dandy "Janet-my-best-neighbor-and-terrific-friend" for a chat and some entertainment, and guess what she gave me to watch? The 20th Anniversary Collection of The Oprah show. The funny thing is, I gave this to her a few years ago for Christmas. I had forgotten all about it.

I warned Janet that I was too stressed out to watch the sad and troubling parts. Well, I did and I am a better girl for it. My life is dreamy and now I remember that! So after the deep cleansing cry for all the sad stories I now feel renewed and GRATEFUL. A good cry always helps me!

So tonight I am grateful...

• that children forgive us parents our short comings!
• that I have a husband that will go to the fabric store for me when I need him too.
• that I have the best friends; that they love me, care for me and look out for me, and always help me to see what is best for me!
• that I have found a stitcher to help me out!!!!! I can start sleeping again soon!
• that I have a great MIL with a fab sewing machine and that she trusts me with it.
• that I have great customers that understand that my machine is "wonky" and that their orders are coming!

But most of all, I am thankful for this pile of packages to be going out tomorrow! I am also SUPER grateful-thankful for my Bulgarian friend, Yassen that has waited so very long for me to figure out the tricks of international shipping. I am so blessed to have his support! And, his humor has me in stitches! Today he told me that he wanted me to take my package right into the jerk of a postal worker that told me it was not possible to track an international package and show him that he was WRONG! Yassen, your two new aprons are on the way! I promise.

Thanks everyone!

OK now leave me a comment with 2 things you are grateful for!