Happy 60th Birthday Mom!

Happy Birthday to my beautiful Mother.

Today she is 60.

She won't be embarrassed I told you, nor should she be!

Isn't she beautiful?

Everything I am I contribute to my loving Father in Heaven

and my Mom.

I'm so thankful for her!

Here we are together last year when she turned 59.

I'll be 40 this year. . . 

I remember when she was 40.

I hope I am as good and strong and beautiful

at 60 as she is today.

Love you Mom.  Looking forward to our celebration later!!!

Connor's Cards and an Update!

Cards for Connor was a huge success.

Of course I had dreamed of more,

but in the end I am so pleased.

Thanks to my friends and their friends

for helping me with donations and evenings of fun!

So far, my efforts have raised $1105. 

18 women participated!  YOU ROCK!!!

Connor is still a long way from his goal, but he's not worried.

For this class I focused on the inside of the cards as well as the outside.

I did this in honor of Connor, who is

truly beautiful from the inside out.

If you can make a donation, please visit his web-site here.

Hope you enjoy Connor's Cards.

Strawberry Fields Forever

By popular request!

This is another handout for my Beehives.

This lesson was on Righteous Traditions.

The lesson reminded me of one of my favorite

childhood memories - making Jam.

My mom LOVED fresh berries!

She tried to grow our own, 

but we only ever ended up with a handful.

Still she wanted to preserve the tastes of summer.

We would travel to the fruit stands and buy

OH SO EXPENSIVE flats of fresh fruit.

At home we would wash and prepare 

the sweet, red fruit.  (Raspberries too!)

This week I took Mikensee out

and we bought all the supplies.

Strawberries were only $1/lb!!!

We showed up at my Mom's and

announced our plans.  My 18

year old sister (18 tomorrow!)

had never made fresh jam.

We had a great day and while

preserving a taste of summer

we preserved a righteous family tradition!

TIP:  If you'd like to see this (or any image on my blog) larger, click on the image!

Mother's Day . . . the unusual holiday

It sure seems to me that Mother's Day

 is an unusual holiday.

Maybe when I am 

older it will make sense.

Every mother I know

hates Mother's Day

It seems to be the day

above all others

that we feel inadequate,

unqualified, and at best

tired.

Mother's Day should never, ever, ever be

on Sunday, the day that we rush about

to get children fed and dressed

in their Sunday best;

arriving at church frazzled

from the morning's drama.

(or at least in my world.)

Then we come home to hungry children,

tired children, restless children,

and we wonder if or when

this will ever really be a holiday for Mother's.

I am, however, grateful for my mother.

I owe everything to her.

I wouldn't be me without her.

I tried to liven up her day with a special surprise

at work Saturday night.

She's a night house nursing supervisor

at a very big hospital

and she works the graveyard shift

which meant no Mother's Day for her.

She was sleeping.

This was her card (also a card I used for Cards for Connor)

which I will be posting the results of soon, I promise.

And this was my dinner - the one I made.

and bought

and cleaned up.

 and these are the

reasons I "celebrate" Mother's Day.

which I guess in the end

make this unusual holiday,

the one worth celebrating.