A Special Mother's Day

I just came home from a cute little Mother's Day celebration at my daughter's school. The Moms are asked to stay longer in the morning to be presented with a gift handmade by the children and partake of morning snack of juice and muffins.  They had roses on the picnic tables and they sang a little song to us all... My daughter was sooooo excited I wasn't doing the whole drop off and run routine today..lol! And so the Mother's Day recognition begins....

Here's the gift she made....

This year is especially meaningful!

You see, as Mother's day is on the 9th this year, so does my Little Girl turn 4!  I get to celebrate being a mother on the very day I became a mother.... very emotional, to say the least :)

My husband and I had been married for 7 years (and dated for 5 before we married) by the time she came along...So it was both an adjustment...and a miraculous wonder!

My family jokingly called her Noname, because hubby and I couldn't agree on a name.  We didn't even settle on one til we saw her face....

Her sweet little rosey cheeked face...  We named her Magdalena Rose...Maggie for short :)

As you can imagine...I was so excited by the whole pregnancy experience.  A special arrival (and one my parents had given up on..lol) deserved a unique introduction.....and seeing as I had my own handmade greeting card business at one time, I got to work! 

I made her baby announcements by drawing out the celestial designs in black ink and photocopying them onto cardstock then hand colored each one with markers.

The writing around the outside says:
Starlight twinkles in her eyes...
Moonbeams kiss her cheeks...
Sunlight dances in her hair...

Then inside says:
Our precious girl is here!

What an intensely wonderful journey the past 4 years has been!  I've never learned more about myself then by taking care of someone else who's so much like me!  Let's just say, I  thank my husband daily for loving me ;-D  We just look at eachother sometimes while he's shaking his head stating matter-of-factly, "She gets that from you, y'know..."

"Yes, I know... but luckily she's cute, too!" I reply with an impish grin :)

Happy Mother's Day to all of you....may your children inherit all your good qualities...but if some of the more challenging ones slip in there...may they choose to learn from the lessons you have already experienced...

Hey, we can dream, anyways!
Smiles all around,
Cameron

Pillow Talk

Romance is in the air....well, if not romance, than the crispness and clarity that follows a rainy day, at least. Indeed, it is a beautiful day to be in love....and with a National Holiday dedicated to it, quickly approaching, that air can be knocked right out of you when the Big Day comes and you've nothing but an embarrassed smile and a foil wrapped chocolate heart you saw at the supermarket checkout line in your hand ( yes, that's been me ).

Let me, then, share with you a little token I made for my True Love a few Februarys passed.

It was 2006, I was 6 months pregnant, home on disability and had blown thru quite a bit of my savings while,"nesting", let's just say :) I was feeling even more incredibly mushy toward my better half on this Valentine's due to my condition....and the thought that no better gift could ever be given than the 2 of us becoming a family. How could I do something different than a simple card, flowers, a home-cooked dinner..... Actually, in looking back, my husband probably would have preferred a home-cooked dinner than the girly little pocket heart I hand-sewed and ribbon embroidered! Though I know he wouldn't have told me otherwise in my fragile state! I was so proud of this little pillow. I created it using all stuff I had around the house already, made it for the sole purpose of declaring love and presented it to him, complete with cheesy poem written on a handmade card!

I've included it here (get those eyes ready to roll!):

My love for you burns bright and true,

Growing stronger day by day.

My heartbeats pound at merely the sound

of your voice calling my name.

My soul sings out that I have found

my one and only Mate.

Forever in time, I'll be yours, you'll be mine,

Our bond will ever remain.

I told you it was cheesy....but I think it's okay to be a bit on the overdone side for Valentine's. And, although he can't store his keys in the pocket or use it as an oven mitt when he bbq's....it sure looks pretty hanging near my ( I mean my child's) art nook, I adore that it serves as a reminder of an exciting time in my life filled with such anticipation, such connection....to my Sweetheart, to my body and that little person growing inside me.

I've recently thought of another use for this sweet pillow pocket. I think it would make a wonderful Tooth Fairy pillow where our daughter could put her tooth before bed instead of under her pillow. Thinking of the small "gifts" she'll receive from the T. Fairy has me giddy already!

So, February, I'm waiting for you, dare I say, even ready for you to arrive! I've got a few more tokens of affection up my sleeve, and I'm anxious to give them......though, I should probably consider cooking a meal for my husband one of these days!