She did WHAT?!?!?!?!?

That was my husband's reaction to the events of yesterday...

We had a pretty rough morning. Belle was ultra-clingy, ultra-whiney, and ultra-tantrumy...NOT FUN! So when Bee went to sleep at nap time, I decided that we needed to do something to get the day back on track.

I had recently purchased a set of patterns from googooagogo.etsy.com. She has a Pick 3 option, and I knew I wanted the Tuesday Top and the Peasant Top, but I couldn't decide on a third. I ended up picking something that was totally impractical, but looked like lots of fun...and I am so glad I did!

I bought this Matryoshka Doll pattern. It looked easy, quick, and more than a little whimsical...perfect for Belle:)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/50589935/the-fat-quarter-matryoshka-doll-pdf

I pulled the pattern out, cleared off the table, and cozied up next to my cranky 3 year old. We picked out two fabrics and some felt that matched (Belle is WAY into matching things right now, so I didn't even have to offer guidance on this part). We held the pen together as we traced the pattern, shared the scissors to cut out the 3 main pieces, and then flipped through the embellishments options to pick the best additions to our doll. Belle selected every piece that you see, from the color and size of the heart to the number of petals on the flower (I added an extra without permission the first time and was quickly instructed to draw it again). She insisted that there be a strawberry, but we were running out of room on her tummy, so we had to move it to her necklace. We then selected trims and ribbons and placed everything exactly where Belle wanted it.

Here's the part that stunned my husband...Next we cuddled up on the couch with a needle and embroidery floss and set to work on the felt embellishments. Belle likes to pull the needle each time I make a stitch, so we worked for a while that way, before she asked to make a stitch. She held the needle with my hand on top of hers and we managed to sew most of the way around the flower. We continued sharing the stitching responsibilities in various ways until all of our embellishments were finished. YES, HONEY...SHE DID THAT!

The pattern is so simple that Belle was able to stand right beside me as I spent less than 10 minutes putting the doll together. Then she helped to stuff her and even used a funnel to add some rice to her bottom to give her a little weight (It made me laugh that we were adding basmati rice to a matryoshka doll...but that was all we had in abundance in the pantry). I stitched her bottom closed and handed her off to Belle.

It was an immediate attachment! She named her "Belle" and no, not after her own onscreen moniker...short for Tinkerbell. I don't know, but I think I see a little resemblance...HA! Needless to say, "Belle" has gone everywhere with Belle since she was finished. They have slept together, eaten together (yes, "Belle" needed a plate at breakfast this morning) and played together. She even took her to our workday at the community garden today.

And with the funk diverted, I had my happy Belle back...and that makes for a happy Mama:)