Mama, can I help you?

Some days when I am in a hurry, stressed out or simply don't have time the words "mama can I help you" can send chills down my spine. This afternoon I was trying to get a little bit of work done for an upcoming show and Sweet Pea decided that she needed to help me. So she came upstairs with me and I thought, ugh, as long as she plays in her room I can still work. A few minutes passed and she wanted to sit on my lap and sew with me. The mama in me melted and wanted nothing but to scoop this precious little bean up and hug her until tomorrow... however I know that I have a deadline and no product equals no sales.

We made a compromise I grabbed a scrap bin and set it up at the foot of my chair (ahem.... remember I do not have a large sewing space so I'm giving up a lot to loose my foot space!) and she decided to use a manual air pump for an exercise ball as her sewing machine. As I was sewing along I realized that we were working together as she happily chirped along about her work, her "fa-bic" and her "hot sewing machine".

This is the reason that I am working so hard to make beebee buttercup and Bumps to Babies successful. This is the point of being a WAHM. She is one of the reasons that I happily sacrifice sleep, free time and reading for pleasure, for working, website maintenance, and administrative duties! These are the kinds of days that I hope she remembers when she grows up.

Find of a lifetime: The Perfect Picnic Basket

I have been on a quest since I was about 6 years old for the perfect picnic basket. It all started with a green, red and yellow plastic basket with decals on the side. I was so in love with this thing. I used to pack a snack and juice box and take the long, downhill walk to sit under the apple trees in my parents back yard. The trip never lasted long because a) my basket didn't hold much and b) I never thought to bring a blanket and didn't like sitting on the ground with squished apples (in my defence I was only 6!).

Now a little older, and hopefully a little wiser, every time I pass a store in the summer I can't help but look to see if they have picnic baskets. I am fully aware that picnic baskets are not hiding out there, and certainly there have been a lot of great contenders but nothing that really fit the bill and met my expectations. Until today.

Lady Bug and I were walking through downtown Fergus after dropping Sweet Pea off at pre-school and there it was sitting in a window all by itself. My perfect, extra-roomy, insulated, canvas picnic basket! Did you notice the matching cloth napkins? Fabulous! I would have loved to put it to use today but as we were walking into the store it started raining... so another day - soon!

Words cannot even express how excited I am about this here little treasure. The 6 year old in me cannot wait to take my girls out (with a blanket to sit on) and enjoy some meals under an apple tree (or pear tree, maple tree or open field).