Happy Mother's Day!

 

How can it possibly be that the second Sunday in May is tomorrow? 

Since Mother's Day is tomorrow, but my Sunday post will be a Scripture one, I'm popping in for a moment today to wish all of the moms among my readers a very happy and blessed day!  I hope that you get to spend time worshiping in your local church and that you also get to enjoy other pleasant times -- perhaps celebrating with some of your children if that is possible.  

I'm just sharing a few simple thoughts from previous Mother's Day posts, but I hope they will be a blessing to someone.

Being a mother is a privilege but such a challenge as well.  I surely made many mistakes along the way, but am thankful for God's guidance and oversight over my mothering efforts.  I'm blessed to have not only children and grandchildren, but several "children of the heart" as well -- one of whom I see often and talk with every week.  I'm thankful for the privilege of being involved in all of their lives.

For those who are hurting today ... and I know Mother's Day can be difficult for many reasons ... please know that God sees and understands, and wants to comfort and bless you today.

As I've mentioned in past Mother's Day posts,  I really think that we need to celebrate all ladies on this special day, because even though some may not have borne children of their own, we all have had opportunities to nurture others in one way or another.   In fact, God's plan is that older women will teach the younger ones many important things and will nurture them in the faith.  I frequently remind the ladies in my Sunday School class that each of us is older spiritually or physically than someone else.  Teen girls can be an example to younger ones, for example.  My own daughters were so blessed as little girls to have teen girls to look up to -- and those teens set a very good example indeed.  History repeated itself, and as teenagers themselves, my girls found themselves being looked up to by littler girls.

So wherever this finds you today -- if you are a mom, a grandmother, or a nurturer -- a most blessed Mother's Day to you!

Maybe, a hodgepodge

 

Yes, it's just possible I may fit in time for a Hodgepodge post and link up with Joyce at From This Side of the Pond.   May and motherhood are the topics this week.  Here goes!

1. May Day! May Day!...last time you shouted for help? Or maybe just asked? 

I asked my husband to make some sandwiches last night for supper, as we had just returned home from several days working out of town and I had an important document to complete and email before leaving for church.   That was the most recent (and very undramatic) call for help!

2. What's something you may do this month? 

I may find a day when my walking partner and I can get back to walking on a weekday morning.  Rain, and work and other commitments on both our parts made our walks quite sporadic in April.  So far May hasn't worked out either.

Bloodroot ... the earliest blooms in the wildflower garden

3.  'April showers bring May flowers'...is this true where you live? What's blooming? What's your favorite springtime blossom?

Actually, the first day of May was gorgeous but the rest have been showery -- more like April.  Daffodils, forsythia, dandelions, bloodroot -- that's all I see blooming around our yard,  Further south,  where we have been helping out at a camp, there are tulips, some azaleas, violets, hyacinths, and possibly more in addition to the others I mentioned.  My favorite springtime blossom?  Good question.  Maybe violets.

4. What's something you learned at your mother's knee?

The importance of keeping my room clean.   I'm glad she can't see my bedroom today ... one dresser is stuffed full of vintage paper goods I'm working at selling, and two huge covered boxes of kids' books stand nearby, ready to list and sell.  Ironically, they all came from her house!

The book below is illustrated by the inimitable Marjorie Cooper, who also illustrated many, many delightful greeting cards back in the day.

5. Share a thought about motherhood. 

Once a mother, always a mother.   I find my motherly instincts are still there whether the "children" in question are my grandkids or younger friends.  Below is a scan of a fun Mother's Day card I received from one of my daughters many years ago.

6. Insert your own random thought here. 

 After several weeks with no Etsy sales at all,  I forgot to put my shop on vacation for the few days we were away this week.  When I got back, there were two nice orders.  Got those out this morning.  Below is one of the cards that sold.

And that wraps up the Hodgepodge for this week!  Why not head on over to From This Side of the Pond and snag the questions to answer on your own blog? 

Happy Mother's Day!

  

A sweet card (no longer available) in my Etsy shop

How is it the second Sunday in May already?  2021 continues to speed by, sure proof that time flies whether or not you are having fun.

Since Mother's Day is here, I'd like to wish all of the moms among my readers a very happy and blessed day!  I hope  that you get to spend the day doing something you enjoy and perhaps celebrating with some of your children if that is possible.  

Being a mother is a privilege but such a challenge as well.  I surely made many mistakes along the way, but am thankful for God's guidance and oversight over my mothering efforts.  I'm blessed to have not only children and grandchildren, but several "children of the heart" as well -- one of whom I see often and talk with every week.  I'm thankful for the privilege of being involved in all of their lives.

For those who are hurting today ... and I know Mother's Day can be difficult for many reasons ... please know that God sees and understands, and wants to comfort and bless you today.

As I've mentioned in past Mother's Day posts,  I really think that we need to celebrate all ladies on this special day, because even though some may not have borne children of our own, we all have had opportunities to nurture others in one way or another.   In fact, God's plan is that older women will teach the younger ones many important things and will nurture them in the faith.  I frequently remind the ladies in my Sunday School class that each of us is older spiritually or physically than someone else.  Teen girls can be an example to younger ones, for example.  My own daughters were so blessed as little girls to have teen girls to look up to -- and those teens set a very good example indeed.  History repeated itself, and as teenagers themselves, my girls found themselves being looked up to by littler girls.

So wherever this finds you today -- if you are a mom, a grandmother, or a nurturer -- a most blessed Mother's Day to you!

Friday five with a Mother's Day vibe

  Since Mother's Day is coming up Sunday, I thought it might be fun to talk about five things with a Mother's Day theme.  Going through old cards and photos, as I've been doing so very often lately, has really made me think about family in general and mothers in particular.  The four-generation photo above, taken at a wedding, shows my grandmother, great-grandmother, my aunt Dot, and one of Dot's children.  So here goes with a Friday five concerning some mom-related blessings:

1.  My mother and mother-in-law.  Both very different women, but great role models in their different ways.

My mother was the brownies-in-the-oven-after-school type, which I know not everyone was blessed to have.  She was a fabulous cook and baker, and supper was amazing almost every night (except when liver was served).  As I've mentioned before many times, she was also a wonderful seamstress who made many, many of my dresses, jumpers and skirts over the years.  (I've got a whole post about that in the works.)  Our house wasn't pristine, but it was comfortable and decently neat.  I'm guessing the photo below was from Easter in 1960 or so.

With seven kids, my mother-in-law baked multiple loaves of bread a few times a week and sometimes an entire loaf would be devoured before it cooled, according to my hubby.  He and his siblings remember with great affection certain foods that she made.  She's still with us, in her 90s, but not cooking much any more.   She was more of a casual housekeeper and thought nothing of spending the day swimming or hiking with her kids rather than spending it at home.   That's my mom-in-law at right below, along with her sister Alice -- another delightful lady!  Photo from a few years back now.  I know I have better ones, but this was the easiest to find.

2.  My grandmothers couldn't have been more different, but they were both a blessing in my life.  My maternal grandmother lived next door to us and I was in and out of her house all the time as a child.  It was spotlessly neat and clean, even the guest rooms, and she was also a wonderful cook and baker.  She was a homemaker par excellence (and her aprons always matched or coordinated with her dresses!)  but she was also an astute businesswoman and always dressed up to go to town.  In the photo below she looks harried and a little sad.  She was widowed in her early 50s.

My paternal grandmother was a snappy dresser and it seemed as if she always wore heels.  When she occasionally stayed at our house, I remember hearing her tap-tap-tapping around overhead.  She was a practical nurse and lived in a succession of different apartments or rooms in my childhood, so when we visited we would often take her out to eat or to visit relatives.  She usually looked quite glamorous and I often thought of her as looking like a fairy godmother.  She always got us nice new pajamas for Christmas and she sent the interactive type of greeting cards for kids that included an extra like paper dolls or a maze or puzzle.  I have found one that even had a magic slate incorporated in it.  That's her below with another grandchild, I think.  For sure it is not me.
 
My husband's maternal grandmother died the same year we were married, (if I'm not mistaken, and I may well be) but she was a delightful country woman through and through and I learned much from her.  She enjoyed cooking and I copied many of her best recipes.  She used to make a simple but fabulous cream cake and frost it with a sort of maple fudge or penuche frosting.  Scrumptious!  I can almost taste it.  (Below, she is sitting with my hubby -- with whom she shared a birthday -- and his two older brothers.)

 My paternal great-grandmother was elderly, living in a little upstairs apartment, when I was a child.  This older photo shows that she was pretty proud of her chickens back when my dad was growing up.

My maternal great-grandmother usually looked rather sad and serious, but below is a rare smiley photo of her.  This was taken at my grandmother's farm.  I remember her, barely.

3.  My aunts were terrific role models and they all blessed my life in different ways.  My aunt Joanne was definitely my favorite and she made the biggest impression on me.  That's her below with my cousin Gary and my brother Tim.  She was a busy mother of six but always had time to spend with an older niece.  She was a wonderful mother and aunt and a fantastic grandmother, always sending care packages to her grands and sisters.  Her oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are legendary in our family.

My great-aunt, Bessie, also had a huge impact on my life.  Bessie enjoyed cooking and she loved entertaining her church ladies' group.  She was also a prolific crafter and I think was probably the biggest influence in my life as far as crafting is concerned.  She loved crosswords and jigsaw puzzles and the Boston Red Sox.

4.  My own experiences as a mother and grandmother are still ongoing, obviously.  I am one of those very rare women who doesn't enjoy the baby stage.  Once they are potty trained and can hold a conversation, I do much better.  By the time they get to what I call the golden years -- roughly between age 7 and 12 -- they are pretty much just plain fun.

 

5.  Seeing my daughters as mothers has been an amazing blessing.  They are both much better mothers than I was, and I'm blessed to see the great job they and their husbands are doing as parents.

 
There's my sentimental Friday five!  Hope you enjoyed it!

And a very happy Mother's Day to all!

Mother's Day Medley

So it's Wednesday again, and time for the Wednesday Medley hosted by Terri at Your Friend from Florida.  This week's Medley has a Mother's Day theme, so why not head over to Terri's and get the the questions to answer them on your own blog?  You'll have a ready-made Mother's Day post!

Here we go:

1. Where did your mom grow up? 


She was born in Vermont, I believe, at her grandparents' home, perhaps.  Her father had a portable sawmill business and his family accompanied him to the job sites.  When my mother was a baby, they lived in a very old house on one of his jobs in a remote part of New Hampshire, and I  have often heard the stories of how the baby cried at night and didn't seem to be thriving.  Turns out a rat was getting into her crib at night and drinking the milk in her bottle.  I have no reason to doubt this story, though it seems unbelievable in our day.

Later, her family moved to central New Hampshire, where they farmed and did maple sugaring in addition to a sawmill and lumber operation.  The photo above is of my mother and her three sisters on a farmhouse porch.  From these humble beginnings, my grandparents were able to send all four of their daughters to college.  Pretty amazing.

2. Tell us about her siblings, if she has/had any. Did you have a favorite aunt or uncle?

My mother was one of six children: four girls and then two younger boys.  Interestingly, all four girls became teachers, at least for a time.  

Although all of my aunts were special women, my favorite aunt was my aunt Joanne, the fourth sister in line.  I learned so many things from her!  The photo above is Joanne in 1957.  She was an amazing mother of six and was an incredible example to me as a mom and later as a grandmother.  She was a truly wonderful person who impacted the lives of many.

3. What is ONE of your favorite memories you can share with us of your mom?
Hmmm ... well, one thing I've been reminded of as I've been clearing out and selling items from my childhood home, is how lovingly she sewed clothes for my sister and me.  I've come across scraps of fabric from favorite dresses, and loads of sewing patterns from the 1950s and 1960s.  It was a blast from the past to think about clothing that I had, and a real reminder of my mother's love for us that at the start of a new school year she would sew whatever outfits we wanted.   The dress at right below was one of mine.  I can still remember the lovely fabric it was made from!
 

4. Please share a picture or two of your mom with us.
  
 
 Both of the above photos are from the late 1940s.  I think the top one would have been during her college years and then the second photo from her years as a teacher.

5. Let's not leave out the grandmothers. Share what you will.

My maternal grandmother was a completely amazing woman.  I learned many things from her, but probably the things that impacted me the most were her adventurous spirit in cooking and baking and her love of holidays and  seasonal decorating, especially for Christmas.  I think that I also inherited my camera-phobic tendencies from her.
 
6. Do you have any special plans for Mother's Day? 

I really don't, other than going to church.  However, another local church is having a Mother's Day luncheon and has invited our folks to join them.  I think my hubby and I will likely attend that, which should be very nice.  It was kind of them to ask.

Images at top and bottom of this post are cards from my daughters in years gone by.

 And there is the Mother's Day Medley!  Happy Mother's Day to my fellow Meddlers!

Happy Mother's Day!

I'd like to wish all of the moms among my readers a very happy and blessed Mother's Day!  I hope you get to spend the day doing something you enjoy and perhaps celebrating with some of your children if that is possible.  Being a mother is a privilege but such a challenge as well.

For those who are hurting today ... and I know Mother's Day can be difficult for many reasons ... please know that God sees and understands, and wants to comfort and bless you today.

As I mentioned last year,  I really think that we need to celebrate all ladies on this special day, because even though some may not have borne children of our own, we all have had opportunities to nurture others in one way or another.   In fact, God's plan is that older women will teach the younger ones many important things and will nurture them in the faith.  As I like to remind the ladies in my Sunday School class, each of us is older spiritually or physically than someone else.  Teen girls can be an example to younger ones, for example.  My own daughters were so blessed as little girls to have teen girls to look up to -- and those teens set a very good example indeed.  History repeated itself, and as teenagers themselves, my girls found themselves being looked up to by littler girls.

So wherever this finds you today -- if you are a mom, a grandmother, or a nurturer -- a most blessed Mother's Day to you!

Marvelous May Hodgepodge

 Wednesday again, and time to think about the Hodgepodge at From This Side of the Pond!  Joyce asks the questions (and she's reducing the number to five!) and bloggers answer on their own blogs, then link up.  If you've never joined in, this is a great time.  Five questions are far less intimidating than seven, so why not give the Hodgepodge a try this week?  Here goes with my effort:

1. Share a favorite memory of your mother or share a favorite something from your own life as a mother.

 This is a difficult question.  One of my most favorite memories of my mother was how much she loved blueberry picking.  Some of my happiest childhood days were spent with the family picking low-bush blueberries on a ledgy mountaintop or high-bush blueberries in a cow pasture.  My mother taught us to always wear a belt when blueberry picking so we could hang an empty lard pail from it, and thus have both hands free for picking berries.  When the lard pails were full, we emptied them into larger buckets.  And one of my last, best, memories of my mother was a  day when she was much older and we took a jaunt together to some high-bush blueberries we'd learned about. 

If you're a mother (or stepmom) tell us how your experience as a mom differs from your own mother's experience.

 My husband has always been a hands-on type of dad, even from the newborn stage on.  My dad was not so much, although I remember him washing the dishes almost every night, so he did help.  He also oversaw our tooth-brushing every night, and he administered quite a bit of discipline.  He was also great about letting us kids help with things that he was doing.  But I always had a good bit more help with the kids from my husband than what my mom had. 

2. In May we celebrate teachers (May 9) and nurses (May 6) both. Most every family has at least one in their midst, so tell us something (or a few things) you appreciate about the teacher or nurse on your family tree.

These four little girls all grew up to become teachers.

My mother and her three sisters all ended up being teachers, although they all stepped away from teaching to raise families.  My youngest aunt did go back to teaching later on and would travel from school to school teaching handwriting.  All of my aunts taught me many things by their examples of being wonderful homemakers, fantastic cooks,  and dedicated mothers.

3. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna salad...which would you go for if all three were on the menu? 

Chicken salad, hands down, though I enjoy all of them. 

On bread or a bed of lettuce? If you answered bread, what kind of bread would make it the perfect sandwich?

 Either way is good, although of course lettuce is healthier.  But if I was going for the perfect sandwich, I would pick a croissant with plenty of lettuce, perfectly ripe tomato, and mayo. Or just lettuce, mayo, and sliced cranberry sauce would also be wonderful.

4. Do you have a desk? 

I do -- two, in fact: a computer desk and what I call my "crafting desk".

My crafting desk in a rarely seen, cleared-off moment.

Is it organized?

One is slightly more so than the other: the crafting desk, which is smaller.

 If so, share your secret to keeping it that way. 

I'm hoping to read others' secrets to doing so.

If you don't have a desk, where in your home do you take care of family paperwork and business? 

I do my dad's paperwork and business at my crafting desk as it usually has more free space on it.  My hubby does our paperwork and church paperwork (he maintains the checkbooks for two of the church accounts) at the dining room table.  I work on my Sunday School lessons and writing projects at the computer.

Where do you normally sit to blog?

 At the computer desk as, logically enough, that's where the desktop computer is.  I don't own a laptop and -- although I can blog using my tablet -- I prefer a larger keyboard.

5. When I was nine years old.... 

 

So this must be the thought question.  (Joyce promised she was still going to be making us think, even with fewer questions.)  Hmmm .. at nine years old I would have been in the fourth grade.  One of the few things I remember from that year is that, sadly enough, it was the year I learned to tell time.  Although I was a fast and early learner in some areas (like reading, for example), I was a pathetically slow learner in others.

6. Insert your own random thought here.

A house I pass frequently (on my way to/from the grocery store, etc.) has glorious grounds and plantings.  Here's what it looked like Monday in a part of their yard:

 I thought the juxtaposition of colors just beautiful.  Hope you've enjoyed today's Hodgepodge.  Happy Wednesday!

Happy Mother's Day!

Image from Free Pretty Things for You

I hope that all of the ladies I know will have a very happy Mother's Day tomorrow!  I think that we need to celebrate all ladies on this special day, because even though some may not have borne children of our own, we all have had opportunities to nurture others in one way or another.  I liked what my friend Stephanie wrote in her Mother's Day post found here: "Whether you're a mother, a daughter, a sister, a wife, a grandmother, an aunt, or a friend, may this day be extra beautiful and special for you.  Let us celebrate in quiet gratitude that we are women of God."  I so agree with Stephanie's thought, and that is my heartfelt wish for each of you.  Do check out Stephanie's post; it is beautiful.

On a related note, I read another fantastic post concerning Hope When Mother’s Day is Hard, by Holley Gerth.  The lovely graphic below is by her as well.  I love this thought!

I'd also like to share a few of my favorite Mother's Day cards with you.  Some are vintage; others are favorite cards I've received.  

Love this quote from Louisa May Alcott

 I've mentioned in a  previous post how my youngest daughter took time to send me the above card in the midst of a cross-country move.  It's a favorite and I love the sentiment.  The gorgeous artwork is by Shelly Reeves Smith.

A Mother's Day beach picnic looks like fun!

Love the details in the picnic card above.

"My mom, my friend" -- love this!

As you can see, I scanned a snippet of the envelope along with this cute card above.  The flower stem and bow are actually made of ribbon.

"Just a note on Mother's Day" -- vintage card.

I like how the musical note looks as if it is made from lace or a paper doily. Very sweet.

This is a card my hubby and his siblings signed for their mom one year.

The pretty hydrangea card is one I received from my daughter and her hubby.

The artist is Marjolein Bastin, of course.  Her work is unmistakable.  

A card I gave to my own mother many years ago.  Sort of cute.

Hope you've enjoyed these cards and links and that you'll have a blessed Mother's Day!