I'm missing this guy

I have a picture of the 3 girls sitting with Lee in the airport when he was going back to Afghanistan after R&R. They looked so sad. So when Lee went back after R&R this last time I told them "Look sad" as I took their picture in the airport. Amelia looks like she's flicking me off though. She's fake crying if you can't tell.

The main reason I started my blog was to show the things I make and inspire people to want to come buy from my Etsy site. Oh and to show other things, too. I have lots of ideas in my head. I would like to do a whole series on birthday parties I've thrown my kids. And add more favorite recipes and things. But I do a lot of sewing and have neglected the business part of it all lately. I am working hard on designing a new business card and building a website with help from my brother, Jeremy. It is really busy and crazy and I love learning new things and trying new things.

Which brings me to this guy I really miss. So I'm talking to him on the phone this morning and he started asking me if I thought of trademarking my name, AMKstitches and my logo. And I told him that I am interested in having a new logo and blah, blah blah. So anyway, as usually happens, Lee is thinking of ways to help me and encourage me. I used to teach a children's performing group and he encouraged it and supported me. When I wanted to quit, he supported me in that too. And when I wanted to start a sewing business and spend lots of money on a new machine, oodles of notions and stacks of fabric, he still supports me! When he's home, he watches the kids and makes dinner and cleans and while I sew. He has helped set up my blue room with shelves, pegboard, hanging spool racks. He's found me things for my craft fair set up. I know he also will say he hopes I will make a lot of money. But we both know, it is mostly just supporting my fabric addiction!

He tells people what I do and is really proud of me. He recently sent me a box of ACU's so I can make more bags. One of the sweetest, touching things he did was send me an email telling me that he had told another soldier about my business and how I had always wanted to try this and how now I do and how proud he was of me and how cool he thought I was. Later, the other soldier told his wife and she decided to go back to school to study interior design like she'd always wanted to do. Hearing what I was doing, helped her out and Lee wanted me to know because he was so proud of me. I don't know what touched me more, that Lee spoke so lovingly about my accomplishments or that it actually inspired another woman to work for her dreams. It's something we all should do. We all have a dream and we all have a way to get there. But a lot of things can hold us back. It wasn't what I did that inspired the woman, but what Lee said that inspired her. I am really blessed to be married to someone who has always encouraged me to go for my dreams. I am remembering when a friend and I had a brief stint called Sela's Sweets and Lee worked to help perfect our strawberry lemonade recipe. He is a sweet, good man and I love him so much. He's my best friend in the world and I miss him.