As you all know by now, my bed rest has required me to rely on other people.  I have been so blessed and so thankful for each and every act of kindness that has been demonstrated, so I decided to make hand crafted thank you cards.

Keep in mind, I am not a super-crafty person.  I can picture how I want them to look in my head, but my hands just don’t have the talent.  The perfectionist in me goes crazy when the projects aren’t just ‘so’.

Yesterday, since I have nothing but time on my hands, I really spent a lot of time folding the paper perfectly, measuring everything out, and attaching each item in the exact way I imagined.  Most of them turned out pretty good.  Some of them leave some talent to be desired, but that’s what gives them the ‘hand crafted’ look, right?

While my hands were furiously working, my mind was wondering.  I started thinking about how things are rarely homemade any more.  When I first started staying home, I really tried to make all of our dinners and desserts completely homemade.  I kneaded bread, made homemade salad dressings, and even thought about putting in a garden.  Then I got real.

Although I may never be Better Crocker, or Susie Homemaker, I still love and appreciate the time some of those things take.

For example, my sister-in-law, husbands grandmother (whew – that’s confusing) makes beautiful quilts.  When I was at Sandy’s house the other day we were talking about the quilts because there are so many around her house.  Sandy shared with me that she was going to ask her grandmother to make one for Caterpillar, just as she did for Monkey.  I told Sandy if she would be kind enough to make one for our living room, I would gladly pay for it.  Sandy then explained that her grandmother (in-law) just gives them to people, because she loves knowing that someone appreciates the craft.

I get that.  We have two quilts in our living room now.  One we call the ‘black blankie’ and one has no name.  The black blankie was named by Monkey, when she used to confuse black and white.  There is no black on the black blankie.  This blanket has been washed over and over and gets softer over time.  It is everyones favorite blanket, and is reluctantly given up to Monkey – who asks for it by name.

The other blanket looks like black blankie, but isn’t the quality.  It’s itchy, and with every wash it becomes more faded, and thinner.  I have felt like the no-name blanket lately.  I have been put through the wringer, and I am scratchy.  I am fading out, and have no choice but to let others set me aside.

The more I thought about this, the more I realize that I am also hand crafted.  God created me, in his perfect timing and I am exactly how He wants me to be.  And just like a hand crafted quilt, some people may not appreciate the craft, but the maker takes joy in the creation.

Hmmm.  All this from a couple of scrapbooking supplies.  Man, I need to get out of the house.