Mother Knows Best

In "first time behind the needle" I mentioned a future elaboration on my mom. Well, here it is. It's only fair to give credit where it's due. I learned from the master. Now, she would never say that in a million years, but it's true. My mom, also known to some of you as Mrs. Ginger, or Gran, is crazy, resourceful, tidy, creative, hard-working, silly, beautiful, loving, supportive, clean, hilarious, quirky, spunky, stubborn, crafty, encouraging, caring, thoughtful, and smart...to name a few. She taught me how much fun (and cheaper) it is to imagine and create...making up scavenger hunts for us...drawing on the napkins in our lunch bags...teaching me how to draw the dancing hippos from my sheets...melting old broken crayons in muffin tins to make a giant rainbow one...turning my hideous splatter paint t-shirts into something I actually wanted to wear. Learning to sew has been a very nostalgic thing for me. The sound of the machine is part of the soundtrack to my childhood. When my beloved Heidi and Cindy dolls had to go in for "surgery," she even made them hospital bracelets!
She did all of this (for my brother and me) while working full-time. But finally, FINALLY, after 20-something years, she quit! As a result, this Christmas was garnished with the fruits of her spare time. Behold the grand-baby tree:



















She made all our stockings too!















It was a Christmas for the books. And so good to see her relax. We don't miss work mom a bit!
Thanks for listening to me brag about my Momma. And Mom: thanks for being you! I love you!