I always write when I’m emotional. And this morning, I’m feeling just that.
I have just turned over my cross-stitch hobby kit to my middlechild. Out of nowhere, the thought just came that it’s time. A decision was made. She will have my cross-stitch kit.
A few days ago, we were [again] at National Bookstore to pick up a book I had them keep for me. It was a book I saw during their warehouse sale. I thought of getting it for my friend and partner, as I know that her family is into Star Wars. But knowing that they also frequent the bookstores and are avid collectors, I did not buy it outright. I first wanted to find out if they don’t have a copy of it yet. But she took a long time replying to my text message [like I texted her about lunchtime, asking if she would like to have this Phantom Menace book, and she replied early evening that yes, her husband and son would love to have it]. So suffice it to say that I lost the opportunity to buy that book for her. But, persevering soul that I am, I called up NBS to ask if they still have a copy. Alas, hardbound Star Wars books on sale go in a flash, so no, they no longer have a copy. But because I’m social that way, I was able to make a teeny-tiny request of them calling their other branches to see if there are other copies lying around, and if they can have one reserved for me. So a few days ago, I received a call from NBS, telling me that they have found a copy for me, and that they have it reserved, waiting to be picked up.
But that’s not what this entry is about. 🙂
On that trip, my son asked for a fresh supply of clay and some popsicle sticks for his project. You know that feeling of being unfair to the other child when you buy something for one? I had that exact feeling. I just felt that it was unfair not to have something for Bea. So I asked her to choose one from the shelf, as we were on the arts aisle. She picked a cross-stitch kit.
And here is that kit now. Still unfinished, but you can see that for a first project, she’s doing a great job at it. Not to mention that she’s enjoying the craft.
So why choose today to give her my collection?
Well, today, I’ll be meeting up with former officemates at the mall. As is my routine, each time I need to be out of the house, I ask my kids who would want to go with me. It’s my way of involving them in my activities, and at the same time giving them the opportunity to go out and socialize.
This morning, my favorite middlechild joined me in the bed for a cuddle. I always have that time in the morning, before getting up, of cuddling with any one of the kids. This morning, it was Bea.
She knows about my afternoon out with girlfriends, so I asked if she wants to go with me. Surprise, surprise! She did not want to go. When I asked why, she said she’d rather stay home to finish her cross-stitch project.
And so I got up, opened the drawer where I keep all my hobby kits, and showed her my collection of cross-stitching books, aida cloths, skein threads, patterns, finished and unfinished projects and in between, told her stories of how I chose a particular pattern to work on, how I got into the hobby, where I got my first crosss-stitching book, etc. Most of my projects have dates on them, dating back to 1994. And then I showed her how I use old magazines to tape each pattern on, so that individual patterns that I buy are organized and kept like a real book of patterns, and how I make markings either on the cloth or on the pattern as a technique in making my life easier. 🙂
We spent half of the morning just talking about the hobby. And while I’m writing this post, she’s busy finishing her first project.
I don’t know if her interest in cross-stitching will last, or if it is just a passing fancy to match the crochet projects of her older sister. But whether this is just a phase or a life-long passion, I commit to support and encourage her all the way.
Meanwhile, I still have my quilting and sewing kits left in the drawer, waiting for the next set of hands to own them.
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Marge, also known as The Happy WAHM, is a virtual assistant who turned her passion for entrepreneurship into a worthy endeavor of offering complete business solutions to CEOs and business owners around the world. She turned her back on a thriving corporate career to become a hands-on mom and created a lifestyle that allowed her to build a homebased career, homeschool her children, and still have time to pursue her passion for arts and crafting.
She only posts her content on her website, TheHappyWAHM.com. If you see this content on someone else’s site then it is NOT by any means authorized.
