I remember the days when times were tough and money was more tight than today. I would have considered us poor. We lived in a little old house that used to belong to Nicks grandparents. He and his father did a great job remodeling the inside and we made it our first home. I actually loved that house but hated where it was. It sat on about 10 feet from the road on the corner of a busy intersection. It was not safe to play outside or even enjoy the porch out front. However, there was a lot of love and memories in that house and you could always get a whiff every now and again of his Italian grandmothers cooking through the walls.
We both worked and it took my whole paycheck to pay for daycare and insurance. The only reason I worked at the time was to have insurance. I still can’t say I would have rather been a stay at home mom. I needed an outlet, and my daughter needed to interact with other children. It all worked out.
Every Easter, I have always created my daughter an Easter basket. When she was little I refused to go out and pay lots of money on the fluffy stuffed animals and throw away toys that we simply could not afford. One year I found a piece of scrap material to line her basket to match her new dress. With enough scrap left over I created a matching bunny. This was my first time doing anything like this but I wanted her to have a rabbit doll.
I cut out shapes of each limb. By needle and thread, I sewed and stuffed each piece together and attached it all together. It was not perfect or pretty but she was tickled to have a bunny that mommy made.
The rag bunny is still around. She didn’t take it with her when she moved out. I bring it out every year and add it to my Easter decorations. Sometimes it sits on the bed or in the rocker. Sometimes its added to other decor. This year its sits on my mantel. It brings back memories of her being little and how sometimes the simplest and cheapest gifts can be the best.
