Thoughtfulness

I am so blessed. I have such loving, wonderful people in my life. Yesterday, I went to my parent's house to help my mother with her new Etsy shop, LynniputionCrafts.etsy.com. We have been talking for some time about setting it up. My mom has always been a very talented artists. I remember when I was little, she would paint pictures that I thought, and still think, are amazing. She has this special way that she signs her art, a swirl with an S and an L.

I remember her being obsessed with Georgia O'Keeffe and going to local schools and teaching about her and art in general. She also had a shop when I was little, I would go there on the weekends and hang out. She made jewelry, beautiful leather goods and more. I was always so proud of my mom's talent, and unfortunately it just occurred to me that I don't think I ever told her how proud I was.

Now, as an artists myself (well, I don't think I really call myself that, but you know what I mean) to have my mom tell me that she loves something that I have made just means so much to me.

So, yesterday, she was really excited about giving me something that she had made for me. My dad told me it was going to blow me away, and he was so right, and by the way, he is a really good artist himself. He would never say that because he is a very anal engineer, but his pencil drawings and watercolor work is really amazing. He gets every little detail. When we were in Paris, we drew the Eiffel Tower together. It drove me crazy because he had to have every detail just right. I was done long before him and ready to venture on. When we drew the Arc de Triomphe, I told him we had 30 minutes, and that was it. Do you know he still works on those drawings, even though they are perfect in my eyes, and that was over ten years ago.

So, back to my mom. She is a pro at aging things to make them appear to be older then they really are. She has always loved her cup of tea (you would think she was a Brit, the way she drinks so many hot cups per day). She uses her tea leaves to make a perfect aged effect.

This is what I unwrapped yesterday...

She had found this picture of the Eiffel Tower in a book, taken during the Paris Exhibition in 1900. She enlarged it on acid free paper and aged it to the beautiful color it is now. She also found this old frame, and made it gold to frame it in.

I really thought it was an old picture she found. I can't believe it isn't authentic, and very old. I absolutely love this picture. I could just look at it all day.

I just cried and cried when she gave it to me. My mom is so good at reading me, and knows when I need a pick me up. She had made this for me as a Mother's Day gift, but couldn't wait to give it to me. She was very proud of how it came out, and proud I am as well.

To have a person be thoughtful, to think of you and to take the time to make something so special, just for you, it is a great gift in itself. My mom is really good about doing that. She is amazing, as is my father, and they are two of my best friends.

The back of the picture has some info about the Exhibition, as well as a yummy recipe for Parfait au Chocolat. She even took the time to age this page as well.

So, I just had to share this special gift I received. Thank you so much mom! As usual, you make me feel so special and your love for me is so clear. You're the best, and so are you dad!

I have decided that it is time to move some of my Eiffel Tower items from my craft room to the mantle. Do you know it is still bare since removing all of my Christmas Santas. I have got to get on the ball with putting stuff away, and putting stuff back.

This is a tapestry that I recently found. I want to frame and mat it and hang it over the fireplace. I am also going to put my new gift there as well.

Okay, now, this is silly, but it is another note about being thoughtful, and how amazing my husband is to me, all of the time.

After watching the movie, "A Kiss Before Dying" this morning with Robert Wagner, from 1956 (I love laying around watching an old movie while waking in the morning) I ventured down the stairs. My husband thought I had been asleep, but I never sleep while others are awake and my girls are playing, laughing, having fun. I am a very lite sleeper and any noise awakens me. He apologized for not bringing me a cup of coffee, not that I expect it, thinking I was still asleep, but just that he thought of it was great in my eyes.

I decided to have an english muffin with some butter. Actually, not butter, but I Can't Believe It's Not Butter. This is the spread I love to use. He would rather I use butter, for health reasons, but I really like my I Can't Believe.

I was completely out, and had put it on our grocery list. Another thing that my husband always does is the shopping. I love this, because I can't stand doing it. He even takes the girls with him, which is a task in itself. But they all have a merry adventure. He is an amazing Papa!

So, I thought to myself, "I wonder if he got me any ICB" knowing her really doesn't want me to put it into my body. I then thought, "well, even if he did, it will be frozen" because we keep it in the freezer until I need a new stick.

I open the freezer and this is what I see.....

A new box of ICB, that has been opened. I think, "now why would that be open when he doesn't even use ICB and doesn't want the girls to have it either".

I look in the refrigerator to see an unopened stick of ICB. Why is this something I am writing about you ask? Because, this was just so thoughtful of my husband. He actually took a stick out for me and put it in the fridge so that it would be ready to use when I needed it.

I think he thought I was being a smart a-- because I kept going on and on about how thoughtful he was. And I meant it.

My husband does this kind of stuff all of the time. He is very thoughtful about the littlest things, and it just means so much to me when he thinks of me.

He buys me cheesy magazines, puts milk in a waiting cup for my coffee when I am ready for it, just so many little things, that are just so thoughtful when he thinks of them. It means the world to me. Do you understand where I am coming from with this?

The ICBINB has now been opened....

And my muffin was perfect.

Thanks honey! Thanks mom, thanks dad!

I am so blessed!

Remember to be thankful for all of the little things today!