lately

I just love peonies and these beauties are growing in my backyard! I have two vases full of them and they make my house smell incredible. I think they're just gorgeous.

And I can't believe it's Thursday. This week has absolutely just flown by. I'm not complaining though. I have a much awaited weekend planned. We'll be celebrating my soon to be sister-in-law's bachelorette weekend. It'll be a great friend filled weekend.

Plus this week I got to see my momma! It was a delayed mother's day for us. Although we didn't get to celebrate with the boys, we got to spend the day together which always includes shopping and food. We've been in search of the perfect mother of the groom (and bride) dress for her. I think this may be the hardest dress to find. They need to be the right balance between personality and femininity. The search is still on.

And remember that super secret mother's day gift I told you about? Well, I finished it and gave it to mom when I saw her.

Thanks to my mom's pre-purchased fabric, she finally got her apron. It ended up looking pretty good, which is nice because my sewing skills haven't been fine-tuned in a few years. It was a great feeling to see the project from one pieces of fabric to a completed project. I remember why I enjoyed sewing so much, minus the two or three stitches I ripped out. I plan to make one for myself, as well, sometime in the future. I'd be overly optimistic to say that it'll happen before September though.

My mom taught me how to sew. She and I used to spend many hours in the summer working on sewing projects. I can't say that I loved it when I spend my days inside cutting, pinning and sewing. However, I will say that I am really thankful that my mom made me do it. I guess she knew that it was for my own good. Much to my surprise, I am realizing more and more these days how much my mom did for me that I may not have appreciated at the time, but I sure am glad she did. Turns out, she's been right all along. I'm very thankful for a mother who has had the patience to handle a strong-willed child and who allowed me to be who I am. So, thanks mom for being such a great mom.