I love that we set aside one day out of the year to celebrate the strong, inspirational women in our lives - our mothers. I can stand at the greeting card aisle for hours and walk away with seven cards I want to give my Mom because they each say something that uniquely applies to her.
When I stroll past stores, trying to choose just the right item to gift her with, I have a similar problem. I always see gobs of things that I want to give her and narrowing it to just one or two is nearly impossible. I think because we are so like-minded, it makes it so much fun to shop for her. I know exactly what she likes and what she'd want.
Except for that year I bought her grape cluster earrings. No seriously, they didn't just resemble a grape cluster in shape, they were earrings that were made to look like an actual grape cluster!!! What. Was. I. Thinking? I mean, they were big, bright and purple, for crying out loud. They even had the green stem and leaf at the top.
They looked sort of like this, only WAY bigger. I'm talking, like 3 X's the size and without the yellow rim. Heaven help me.
My Nana owned a dress shop in the quaint town where they live and that is where I picked out the earrings. Nana urged me to get a different pair (that I'm sure were much more classy), but I was dead set on those. In my heart, I just knew that my Mom was going to LOVE those earrings. Nana just smiled as she gift wrapped the earrings and I sat in wild anticipation for the day to arrive to give them to Mom. I was beyond thrilled for her to see them. I longed for pierced ears so that I could one day wear earrings as gorgeous as those.
I asked her over and over when she was going to wear them and I vividly remember the day she did. She wore them to Church with a beautiful purple dress and told me time and again how everyone complimented her earrings all day long. Bless her heart, she is just the best Mom. If I remember correctly, she went out and bought a purple dress just so she could wear those earrings. I'm sure finding a dress that shade was no easy task. Oy. (Sorry, Mom.) I was beaming with pride and I'm sure she did everything she could to cover her ears with her hair that day.
I wonder if she still has them? They were simply horrific.
Luckily for her, I have become a much better shopper with age. This year, she's getting banana earrings.
;)
And so now, I must know! If your Mom has no idea who I am and does not read my blog, tell me what you're getting her for Mother's Day this year! I'd love to hear of the thoughtful and fun gift ideas floating around out there. And tell me about the WORST thing you ever gave to your Mom! Come on, guys. It can't be as bad as mine.
When I stroll past stores, trying to choose just the right item to gift her with, I have a similar problem. I always see gobs of things that I want to give her and narrowing it to just one or two is nearly impossible. I think because we are so like-minded, it makes it so much fun to shop for her. I know exactly what she likes and what she'd want.
Except for that year I bought her grape cluster earrings. No seriously, they didn't just resemble a grape cluster in shape, they were earrings that were made to look like an actual grape cluster!!! What. Was. I. Thinking? I mean, they were big, bright and purple, for crying out loud. They even had the green stem and leaf at the top.
They looked sort of like this, only WAY bigger. I'm talking, like 3 X's the size and without the yellow rim. Heaven help me.
My Nana owned a dress shop in the quaint town where they live and that is where I picked out the earrings. Nana urged me to get a different pair (that I'm sure were much more classy), but I was dead set on those. In my heart, I just knew that my Mom was going to LOVE those earrings. Nana just smiled as she gift wrapped the earrings and I sat in wild anticipation for the day to arrive to give them to Mom. I was beyond thrilled for her to see them. I longed for pierced ears so that I could one day wear earrings as gorgeous as those.
I asked her over and over when she was going to wear them and I vividly remember the day she did. She wore them to Church with a beautiful purple dress and told me time and again how everyone complimented her earrings all day long. Bless her heart, she is just the best Mom. If I remember correctly, she went out and bought a purple dress just so she could wear those earrings. I'm sure finding a dress that shade was no easy task. Oy. (Sorry, Mom.) I was beaming with pride and I'm sure she did everything she could to cover her ears with her hair that day.
I wonder if she still has them? They were simply horrific.
Luckily for her, I have become a much better shopper with age. This year, she's getting banana earrings.
;)
And so now, I must know! If your Mom has no idea who I am and does not read my blog, tell me what you're getting her for Mother's Day this year! I'd love to hear of the thoughtful and fun gift ideas floating around out there. And tell me about the WORST thing you ever gave to your Mom! Come on, guys. It can't be as bad as mine.
I got my mom a little Coach heart locket key chain & I'm going to put a picture of her grand kids in it, hope she likes it : ) she is a wonderful mom so I'm sure she will sport it even if she doesn't.
ReplyDeleteThe worst thing I ever got my mom was Love's Baby Soft perfume from K-mart. I was so excited to give it to her. I just KNEW she would love it. I laugh every single time that I see one of those bottles. She must have had to try not to crack up as she sprayed herself with it.
ReplyDeleteThis year I sent my mom a very expensive edile arrangment! We live miles and miles apart, so I thought it would be an ideal gift. Its normally a couple dozen roses in a pretty vase but getting something pretty that you can also eat is more fun!
ReplyDeleteI got my mom two new coffee mugs that have a bird attached to the top of the handle. Well, the description doesn't sound too exciting but let me tell ya...they are cute. My mom has always been the "hint giving" kind of lady. I always thought I would never be like that but now I know. I'd rather drop the hints then having my boyfriend wander around blindly.
ReplyDeleteSince I have lived away from home since I was 17, my mom and I have developed this tradition where I buy her potted flowers (not cut ones) and she takes care of them all year and calls me to tell me how they are doing. One year, maybe about 3-4 years ago I bought her some potted azaleas and I didn't know how big they got, so now my mom has an azalea BUSH in her sewing room window!!!! It still flowers every year though so she's keeping it :) My mom is an avid outdoor gardener, but normally just plants veggies, so filling her house with potted flowers is great for her in the winter time :)
ReplyDeleteI went with the standard flowers and a photo gift from the new grandson. Being on the other side of the world makes gift buying difficult!
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ReplyDelete(Sorry--something messed up with my earlier comment, so I deleted it!)
ReplyDeleteThe grape earrings crack me up!! The worst gift I ever gave my Mom was a brooch made out of melted wax (craft day at school!). The thing was seriously six inches tall with a fake plastic diamond glued right in the middle. Yikes! The best gift was a custom six-pack of Jones Root Beer with our pictures on the front. This year she's getting her first pair of Tom's, which might become the best gift! ;)
Every time you tell a story about your mom, I want to be the kind of mom she is. This brought tears to my eyes. Praise God you were blessed with such a wonderful mom, and that you don't take her for granted.
ReplyDeleteI got my mom a card and a wonderful set of ferns/plants for their new deck. She doesn't wear jewelry and is literally the hardest person in the world to shop for! Not to mention, I live about 600 miles away so anything I get for her has to be delivered or mailed. That makes Mothers Day an even bigger challenge. I'd much rather be there and take her out to a great lunch and girls day. That would be the best gift for her :)
ReplyDeleteCabin Fever in Vermont
My lovely mother is gone so no gifts anymore but I do remember the worst gift I gave her. One year I fashioned little cups out of the flat seals for canning jars. I made three of those little cuties with a pair of pliers, very carefully bringing up a bit of the edge all the way around. She received three of those packed into a box with tissue paper. She acted impressed and actually used them as little catch-alls for safety pins and thumb tacks and such. I was in the 3rd grade and quite the craftsman!
ReplyDeleteI got my mother TOM shoes. They are hip...she is hip! Perfect match. Oh and gift card for flowers incase the above fails..ha
ReplyDeleteWorst gift was probably those cheerio necklaces or noodle necklaces I would make her. But she would wear them when she and my dad would go out to dinner together (at least until she left the house, I'd imagine, lol!). This year I got her a beautiful soap dish made out of an old faucet....similar to this one
ReplyDeletehttp://www.wildwings.com/DirectionsWEB/webcart_itemBuy.php?itemid=4270681680
In my Kindergarten class, we were given plates to draw a picture on for our moms on Mother's Day. They were presented to the moms in some kind of parent teacher conference. The other plates had pictures of Moms, pictures of flowers, pictures of families, etc... and what did I draw on my plate? A green faced witch with the tall black hat! My mom was so mortified! I have *no* idea what was going on through my 5yr brain. But my mom still brings is up, 33 years later.
ReplyDeleteAs for this year's gift, I ordered a personalized recipe box from personalizationmall.com that says "Rhonda's Family Recipes". And from the same website, I ordered some personalized recipe cards that say "From the kitchen of Rhonda" with her picture. I hope she completes the cards and once she's gone, I'll have a box of her recipes written in her handwriting and has her picture on the card. We sent the same thing to my husband's mom.
I'm getting her a frame that says "Grandma" with an ultrasound picture of her first grandchild :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story! My sister and I still laugh that, imeediately after our grandparent's house burned completely to the ground, we gave them a candle for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteNot appropriate - but we were 4 and 6.
I bought my mom a really cute top. It is purple but not to worry it's tasteful. Bad gifts? Well there was the year I cut up a bunch of (family) photos and glued them all to a sheet of paper and then called it a collage. Let me tell you, it was ugly.
ReplyDeleteYour Mom is so sweet! I can't remember the worst gift, but this year - I asked her what she wanted, usually just pick it out. She wanted bubble bath and foot oils...so that's what I got!
ReplyDeleteAnd on your previous post about Levi - I bawled for you. I often wonder if Mama's love their babies as much as I do...and I think you do. You reflect a lot of love.
My sis and I are getting my mom a Kindel. She already knows because she was going to buy one herself! I don't remember what the worst gift was. Probably something I made out of paper!
ReplyDeleteooohhhh this is a good question! I don't actually know what the WORST thing I ever gave my mum was; but I'll be sure to ask when she comes to TX this weekend. I'm sure it will be good for a couple giggles!
ReplyDeleteAs to this year I decided to give my mum a beautiful magnolia jewelry holder from an online retailer. Though she is a Yankee by birth her heart is rooted int he deep south and I thought it was time she had a bit of that spirit and beauty to take home with her. Hopefully she'll like it.
Last year, for my mom's birthday my brother and sister and I got together and took pictures with our families. We each hold one letter in our pictures and the three together spell out "MOM". This year, for Mother's Day, we're updating her pictures. She'll love it!
ReplyDeleteI think the worst thing I ever gave her was "breakfast" in bed. The eggs were full of shells and a bit runny, the toast was cold and burnt, and my sister and I left a HUGE mess in the kitchen for her to clean up! She rarely eats breakfast, but she managed to gag down the mess we presented her with and smiled through it all!
I got my mom a kindle. My father got one for his birthday and she sent an email out that if anyone wondered she would love one too!
ReplyDeleteLove your blog!
tina
Whitney, I lost my Mom right before Christmas, this past year, so the pain is still fresh, needless to say,I am not looking forward to this weekend...but, she loved plants for the yard. One of the last plants I got her was a beautiful hydranga. As one of the other ladies posted, I am so glad that you appreciate the things your Mom does for you, and you don't take her for granted.
ReplyDeleteMy mom once had a shelf full of teacups that were given to her from her mother, & I broke all of them by bumping into the shelf when I was 13. She didn't get mad at all & I'll always remember how patient & kind she was, even though they meant a lot to her. Every Mother's Day, I give her a new teacup to replace another one I had broken.
ReplyDeleteMy mom just started a new job after being out of work for a year and a half so she is tired all the time now. I am getting her a gift certificate for an amazing pedicure/foot massage treatment as well as a face, neck, shoulder massage at the local spa.
ReplyDeleteThe worst gift that I can think of at the moment was a necklace (they used to be called chokers) it was black velvet and had big huge-I am sure very fake- pearls and "diamonds" in a cluster in the front. I thought it was gorgeous and my Grandma helped me buy it. I remember her wearing it ONCE. to be fair she never got rid of it though. :) it still sits in her jewelry box and is missing most of the "jewels" on it.
Every mom would LOVE a photo pendant of their kiddos (or grandkiddos!) You can see them at sassyandsouthern.com!!!!!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog!!!