I Don't Need Confetti To Fall From The Ceiling

The moment is here. After spending a year working on various 6-week projects for a client, I'm done. It was the last week. Final project. Final deadline. I completed the deadline yesterday. Unfortunately, less than a half hour into my celebratory happy dance, a creepy, overzealous solicitor scared the crap out of me. I spent the remainder of the afternoon making a DIY Dog Mom Project sign in record time to translate what 'welcome' means in our Bodacious Dog Mom household.

Today was a new day. 

I needed to do something positive. Something that made me happy. In addition to lots of extra play and snuggle time with the kids, I got housework done. Then, I finished up a DIY Dog Mom Project that I started at some point last week.

I seriously don't remember when I painted and distressed the frames.

I had a few plain wooden frames leftover from when we made the DIY jumbo wooden dog bone photo collage. The kids wanted to make Lisa a Valentine's Day gift.

This time around, I wanted to use black and white photos. The only problem was that I didn't have too many colors that coordinated with black and white. Eventually, the kids and I decided on a dark navy blue. I gave the frames 2 coats of paint. Then, I distressed the frames.

Today, I added some light brown stenciled pawprints and a coat of satin varnish. I already had the photos printed and in my possession. After the photos were in the frames, I needed to glue the frames together. For this project, I used the hot glue gun. The high setting works great on wood projects and I don't have to wait around for the glue to dry.

By the time Lisa arrived home from work, the frame was wrapped and the kids and I made Lisa a Valentine's Day card. We put glittery heart stickers on the plain white wrapping paper.

Lisa was very surprised. She loved her Valentine's Day gift from the kids.

She also had her own surprise for me. A new stemless wine glass and a bottle of my favorite wine. It was Lisa's way of congratulating me for a job well done and to celebrate a new milestone in my life.

In my world, I don't get promotions, raises, perks, holiday parties, and bonuses. Often times, when I go above and beyond for a client, it's not recognized or compensated for.

Often times, like today, she'll arrive home from work with a surprise...those just because gifts. It's her way of letting me know how much she appreciates what I do for her, us, our family, and our home.

In my world, it's all good. I don't need confetti to fall from the ceilings when I hit a milestone. I don't need the raises or promotions or pats on the back.

We made the decision years ago to extend our rescue pup family and that was possible because I'm a Work at Home Dog Mom AND because of Lisa's job. We gave up vacations and weekend getaways. And, our date nights are often at home with the furry kids. We work together as a team. We love our life.

Being a Work at Home Dog Mom has been one of the greatest journeys of my life. It was worth stepping down off the corporate ladder. It was worth giving up the all-expense-paid-luxury business trips. It was worth shedding a few clients. I wouldn't trade my life for anything or anyone.