~mother's day gifts~

I know you're hoping to see a wonderful, handmade,

sentimental gift idea and I'm sorry to tell you....

but you won't find it in this post. 

For my Mom; we went in on a nice big gift with my sibs.

For my Mother-in-law; I give her this.....

Race For The Cure-2012.

She died 19 years ago of breast cancer.

I met my husband a month after she died.

It's weird to say but the circumstances seem to be

that if she wouldn't have died, I wouldn't have met him.

In a way, her death brought me life.

So, in her memory I walk this each year to 

celebrate her life, her legacy, her love and her fight.

How appropriate that it falls on Mother's Day weekend.

 

If you've ever had the opportunity to participate in the

Susan G. Komen-Race For The Cure, you know how

inspirational and emotional it can be. This year I walked

it with my good friend, Lynsie, and my little lady :)

It was a good turnout this year.

Emotional. Empowering. Inspirational.

HEARTBREAKING.

As you are looking at my pictures keep in mind,

women in the pink t-shirts are cancer SURVIVORS.

 What other time do you get to walk thru the busiest 

streets of downtown Salt Lake City? It's amazing....

the sea of people. Gets me every time.

 

 There are so many touching posters, t-shirts and messages.

This is personal for so many people that participate.

Including me:

 These are the ones that just kill me.

Kids walking with their mothers...who are 

SURVIVORS!

 This little guy's back bib says 

"I walk in celebration of MY MOM."

I snapped this picture right as him and his Momma

(who is in a pink survivor's t-shirt) let go of hands.

They had been walking hand in hand.

Like this older girl who proudly walked with her Mom,

hand in hand.

Again, her bib says she is walking in honor of her Mom.

 This was another one that got me.....

A survivor, "In memory of MY MOM."

and

"In celebration of MY LIFE."

I raced "In memory of Momma Jeannie."

And we did it hand in hand......

"Your Mother is always with you.

She's the whisper of the leaves as you walk down the street,

she's the smell of bleach in your freshly laundered socks,

and she's the cool hand on your brow when you're not well."

 

"Your Mother lives inside your laughter and she's crystallized 

in every teardrop.  

She's the place you came from, your first home;

and she's the map you follow with every step you take.

She's your first love and your first heartbreak,

and nothing on Earth can separate you.

Not time...

not space....

not even death."

 

~author unknown~

 

Tomorrow my husband will carefully choose the

most beautiful flowers in our garden.

He will arrange them and fill them with greens

from the trees and bushes. 

It will be a beautiful flower arrangement.

We will take it to her grave.

His Mother's Day gift to her. 

Next door, Across town, in a different state or

in your heart.......

may you all have a wonderful time celebrating,

remembering and loving "Mom." 

Wherever she may be.....

Happy Mother's Day.

~wardrobe overhaul~

Back in the days before I became a stay-at-home

momma, I had a REALLY NICE wardrobe.

I worked in a doctors office and I took full

advantage of the dress code. 

I was always in slacks, skirts or dresses.....

even when I went out.  I seldom wore jeans

and in fact, I only owned two pair!

Those were the days when I could spend money

on clothes and not think twice about how practical

it was or if I would be able to wear it with 

anything else. The shoes...well-let's just say

my motto was, "The higher the heel, the better."

I didn't care about comfort and I LOVED

dressing up. I would spend so much time

preparing my outfits each day for work.

It brought me so much pleasure.

It still does......I just don't get to do it much anymore.

After I had my first baby I got rid of most of

my nice clothes within months of giving birth.

I tried them on, they didn't fit the same way they

had before, so I got rid of them out of frustration.

This has been something I have regretted so

many times since then. I didn't allow my body

enough time to recover before getting 

rid of the clothes. The clothes I got rid of

were nice and most of them were classic

pieces that I paid a significant amount of money

for because of that very reason....

timeless pieces that would last.

Now-a year after my last baby, the clothes I did 

keep are fitting me again and I am soooo

mad I don't have the others still.

The chances that I will be able to afford clothes

like that again anytime soon are very slim.

Motherhood and days at home have changed my

wardrobe. Yes-most of what I wore before would

not be practical for my everyday life here with the

kids BUT I could have changed the way I wore

them and what I paired them with. Looking at me

most days now does not convey how much I 

love fashion. It's actually what I went to

college for.....did you know that? 

Although I love sewing clothes and crafts for

my kids and home, I especially love sewing clothes

for myself. I RARELY do that anymore.

So...now I get to the whole point of this story-

my wardrobe is in dire need of an overhaul.

After the holidays are over I am going to make

it a project of mine to get my wardrobe back

to a place that I am proud of. I want my closet to be

a place I go to feel happy and inspired.

Because I don't have the spending fund I did in the past,

I'm going to be doing much of this as 

DIY projects. I will be sharing these with you all

in the month of January. 

30 Days of "momma's makeover"

Some of them will be new pieces I make from

scratch, others from pieces I have re-fashioned.

After months and months of kids, home and

Christmas projects...this will feel like a

breath of fresh air for me. 

If you have anything you want to share 

during this time let me know.....I'll gladly share

the floor with you :)