My Mom, My Hero

Good morning, gang!  I have to give a shot out to my Mom today.  She has been my rock recently, and has helped me in so many ways I don't know how else to say Thank You!

Do you know how many times a week I hear "you sound just like your mom!" or 

"you look just like your mom" (now, this is NOT because I look old, but she looks super young, ok…go with me on this…).   We are reading the same book right now, we have some of the same hobbies, and both feel much better after a little run and some healthy fruit!  Apparently we have a lot of the same mannerisms (I bet she likes to hear that since she'll occasionally tell me "you're in one of your moods."  haha!  But even when I'm in one of "my moods," aka-lack of sleep from being up on call all night long  she never gives up on me!  

Don't get me wrong, she does the annoying mom stuff like:

(This take PRIORITY for her!  We call each other all the time, however, when she doesn't answer, I love to tell her I could be dead on the side of the road by the time she calls back.  When I was younger, and she would call back I would play nasty little jokes her on and tell her I stuck myself with a needle at work and they aren't sure what disease I have contracted so I'll be in employee health for a while…poor mom!  See what I mean, she never gives up!  However, she still hasn't learned to call right back!  

I mean, when you need your mom, you NEED your mom!

The past 9 months have been more than difficult on me.  But I always know I can pick up the phone and call my mom at any time of day or night.  

She sat there and talked to me while at work, while making dinner, while trying to sleep.  I'm sure my dad was ready to throw the phone out the window on many occasions.   Sometimes I get upset with her advice, but I know she's right.  I'm way better off now and the best is yet to come.  I have to pick up, move on, and smile.  

She used to always tell me to find a guy who treats his mother well; its a sign of how he will treat you.  

We have also learned over the years, stay away from the guy who is controlled by his mother, it will set you up for a disaster.

She knows how to fix a broken heart, how to cure the flu (with Hershey Kisses and Diet Coke, duh!), how to teach me to be a better woman each and every day.  She used to do things for me when I was younger:

However, now she teaches me as we go so I will always be prepared.  You should see how much I've learned in one weekend!  I wanted to get someone to wash my windows.  My mom reminded me, I'm not a millionaire and need to stop pretending I am.  She's so right!  So, she came over and helped me wash my windows.  Now, I was not thrilled as she hung outside the top window washing, the nurse in me sees way to many risks associated with this task!  But the windows we cleaned look BEAUTIFUL!  And now I know how to do it and can do it all on my own!  

Then, I was going to take my screens to get them rescreened.  Now, my mom was all about that, until she heard from her friends that they do it all the time.  Mom LOVES a new challenge and had to try this.  We hung out at Lowe's, got all of our supplies and actually rescreened my window screens.  Ahhh….a nice cross breeze now!  (More to come on that this week).

I was going to get some plants that were already in a pot at the store to put on my front door step.  WAIT A MINUTE!, she says!  So, early in the morning Bax and I were over my parents who let us borrow their beautiful flower pots (FREE!) and fill with their dirt half way up (FREE!) and then we went to a nursery and picked out some beautiful flowers.   Oh, and while we were at Mom and Dad's, my mom dug out some of her Hosta to plant in my front yard, (Again, FREE!).  They have a ton, don't think I'm taking much from them.  She was probably glad to get rid of some.  Now the deer will eat them at my house instead of hers!  :)  PS…can I tell you how happy I am to have deer in my backyard instead of nasty rats downtown in the alley?!  LOVE my new living arrangements in every which way!

So, then we went to Lowe's and got some soil for the pots, a flower for the back deck,  and all of our screen supplies and we went to work yesterday.  However, I have to say, I didn't break a sweat, minus running around after Baxter who loves running all over the backyard down by the stream.  My mom is the hardest worker you will ever meet, and she worked like no other yesterday, all for me.  For her daughter that she has given and given to day in and day out recently.  Who knows why she does this for me.  I owe her, BIG TIME.  She'll thank me when she's old and sick and wants someone to take care of her!)

Oh, and did I mention that I wanted some bigger decorative pillows for my guest room?  I showed my mom what I wanted, we went to get the fabric at the store (which of course, my mom had her coupons ready to save us some $$$), and the NEXT morning, my mom stopped by with a surprise for me…she had finished it already!!! It looks GORGEOUS in my yellow and blue guest room!  She can do just about anything…pillows, curtains, bedskirts…this woman is the true stay at home mom who did all this when we were younger, but continues to do it as a full time employee now while just completing her first Half Marathon with my sister!!!  AMAZING or what?!

Not only did she do all that for me, but she also bought us each a lesson on needlepoint, which we attended this weekend.  This past year, she made my dad this awesome needlepoint belt with crabs…it's so cute!  And I've wanted to make Christmas stockings, and now with my new house I would eventually like to redo a cushion on a chair and do some needlepoint pillows, so she bought us the class (even though she really didn't need to go), so we could spend time together and learn together.  It was great!  I'm almost done my little project (more to come this week) and I can't wait to start on the next project…a collar for Baxter!  

Do any of you feel like this???

Please tell me yes.  She loves to say "if it were a snake, it would have bitten you" to my dad and I when we swear we can't find something anywhere!  She knows just where everything is!

Thanks, Mom for all you have done, are doing, and continue to do for me and with me.  I appreciate it more than you will ever know!

Here's to sunny days ahead! 

XOXO