Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day to my very best friend in the whole world....

My Mama.

My mother has been right by my side through thick and thin, good times and bad, joy and sadness. I can't imagine not talking to her every single day. She makes bad days good, and good days even better! She's not only my best friend, but my daughter's best friend, too. We are so incredibly blessed!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MAMA! We love you more than anything!!

I would also like to wish a Happy Mother's Day to all the moms, soon-to-be moms, hope to be moms, moms who have lost their children, single dads who also serve as moms, friends and relatives who are raising children whose moms couldn't, step-moms, foster moms, adoptive moms, stand-in moms, and fur-baby moms out there!

Sewing with Mama

I had the best time this morning!

I spent the whole morning with my Mama, working on my kitchen curtains.  I had my last curtains made by a wonderful woman in Georgia, but Mama really wanted to help me with these.

Back in the day, my Mama was quite the seamstress.  She could sew ANYTHING.  She made clothes, quilts, bedding, doll clothes....anything that could be sewed, she could do it.  But since her diagnoses of R.A., she just hasn't physically been able to do it anymore.  

Fortunately, since her second "retirement" in December, she has been feeling much better and has had very few flares of the R.A.  She's been chomping at the bit to start some new projects.  She called a couple of weeks ago and said she wanted to help with the new curtains.  I was so excited!

The curtains I've picked are very simple.  Basically, they are just rectangles hung in a swag pattern by curtain rings:

Isn't this kitchen incredible??

I thought this was going to be so simple to do....then I realized the pattern of my main (front) fabric runs in the wrong direction for a valance.  

So, Mama and I came up with a plan, and spent the morning cutting panels and panels of fabric.

At least we had a great view!

 It would have been MUCH easier if the print on the fabric would have been even.  But each run was at least 1 1/2" off from side-to-side.  We laughed so much trying to get our measurements to work.  We were convinced we were both loosing our minds and just lost the ability to measure correctly.  Finally, after we got to the last panel, we realized the pattern was wrong, not our measurements.  

 

Thankfully, the tiny check fabric was super-simple to cut and it won't have to be pieced together because we can just use the length.

Once we got the panels cut, I set up a super-special surprise graduation gift for Chelsea:

 

My Mama has dial-up internet (that's all that's available) so we had to figure out how to get everything set-up so she can use it any time she wants to.  (Her iPad isn't compatible with dial-up).  I hope she will be thrilled!

While I was working on the computer, Mama started piecing each of the toile panels together.

 

We stopped for the morning right after this.  Mama said she would work on them some more a little later....code for "You are getting on my nerves. I will work on this when you LEAVE!"  HAHA!

After we stopped working on the curtains, we just sat and talked about any and everything until it was time to get the kids from school.

This has to be one of the the best mornings ever.  I am so blessed to still spend quality time with my Mama!

The Jar of Love

Yesterday was my precious Mama's 76th birthday!

My mama, on the left, and one of her best friends since childhood, Mrs. Betty, on the right.

Now I don't know about all of you, but it is impossible to shop for my mother.  She's not picky at all, but she refuses to tell us anything she would like.  As a matter of fact, this year she actually threatened me and told me that we better not get her anything this year.  If we did, she would be very upset with us.

Well, goodness knows we don't want Mama to be upset with us!

On the other hand,  I can't let her birthday pass without doing something special for her!  After all, she IS my Mama!  So, I tried to figure out something special I could make or do for her.  I searched the Internet for ideas and here is what I finally came up with:

The Jar of Love

I took a jar, decorated it, and filled it with 76 curled strips of scrapbook paper.

On each strip of paper, is one reason why I love my Mama so much.

 

Some strips are funny, some are serious, some are fun memories from my childhood.... 76 special and unique things about my Mama!  

I loved doing this.  I laughed and cried while coming up with the list.  It sure brought back a lot of good memories for me.....and I hope it does for her, too!

I LOVE YOU MAMA!  I hope you had the best birthday ever!!