January 18: Mommy Dearest

Happy Birthday to the BEST Mom!

It was really her birthday yesterday, but we celebrated today 
(once Mike got there with the potatoes).

I don't know a more talented woman. There isn't a craft out there that she hasn't mastered. She crochets, knits, and has been known to do a cross-stitch project or two. All of these are things she has tried to teach me, but I don't think I have finished one project yet. She also sews. My scrapbooks are filled with pictures of the dresses and Halloween costumes she made for me and my siblings when we were young. Another talent she has is scrapbooking. She was scrappin' before scrappin' was cool and, as my brother would say, she over-documented our lives in our scrapbooks. She never missed an important event. My mom is also an incredible quilter. She says it is her therapy. She has at least a half-dozen quilts to display in her home for each month of the year.

While her talents are wonderful, it is what she does with her talents that really amazes me. She's made dozens of quilts and other items to donate to the Festival of Trees. She makes quilts to give to her family all the time. Her cards and other scrapbooking projects are given out to friends. The time she spend creating these crafts just shows how much love she has for people. I appreciate all the wonderful things she has made for me, they are among my most prized possessions. I know everyone who benefits from her talents feels the same way.

I could go on and on about her craftiness, but it isn't my mom's best quality. The thing I love most about my mom is that she loves her family more than anything. She always puts us first. It's always been that way too. When I was young she helped me with school projects, listened to me practice the piano, chauffeured me around to all my extracurricular activities, and loved me when I was a tempermental teenager. Now she helps me with school projects, listens to me vent, invites me to dinner all the time, and loves me now that I'm a tempermental thirty-year-old . I know she would do anything for me and I appreciate all her love and support.

I am the person I am today because of her.

I love you, Mom!

PS 31 days...