Me and My Mama

Funny thing, as I get older, I seem to remind myself a lot of my mother! But you know, that's a compliment to her. Even with all of life's ups and downs, I thought she did a GREAT job of being a wife, mom, worker, homemaker, and anything else. She's been gone eleven years now, but I still think so very, very often on how she did things in life and around our home. Like I said, I see more and more "familiarity" in the way I do things as a wife, mom, worker, homemaker, and everything else.


This picture above shows an afghan and a baby blanket, both in the same general pattern (Ripple), but very different looks. The baby blanket I'm working on is just for something to do to keep busy sometimes when I just want to relax awhile. I don't have a reason, I just liked the yarn, and wanted to make one. The crochet hook is one that used to belong to Mom.


Mom did a lot of crocheting. She also could quilt, embroider, sew, cook etc., but for something to keep busy with handwork, I think she mostly crocheted. And not just regular yarn, but she also did that lacey, doily-type crocheting, with the tiny, tiny hooks and the tiny, tiny string-thread! My eyes would go out just watching her do that, but she was good at it.


This afghan in the above photo sort of has a story. She made two afghans one time, but was being sneaky. She was making the "Navajo" pattern, supposedly for my cousin, for her graduation or something. Well! She fooled me. She was working on two at the same time, keeping them at about the same place, and one was for me as well. What a nice surprise! I still have it, too. Anyway it used the black, red, gray and white yarns you see in the afghan above. The blue is WOOL, and it used to be a sweater. I remember that sweater when I was just a little, little girl. So who knows how long it's actually been around. But Mom unravelled it at some point, then used it with the leftovers of these other projects, and made this ripple afghan. I wouldn't trade it for the world!


So to see these two projects together here on the couch, using the same pattern, is sort of a sample of how my dear mother still influences my life.


Then, you see that amber glass of icy Dr. Pepper? Well, that's another thing similar! Mom used to drink coffee in earlier years. But after a gall bladder sickness at one point, she couldn't stand the stuff anymore. So in later years, she drank iced tea. We had a pitcher with this same knobby pattern and amber color when I was growing up. I found a set of these particular glasses at a second-hand store and gave them a home. So, having such a glass, with an icy drink in it, also makes me think of her. And back then when I was still at home, if we'd go for a ride in the evenings, she'd take a glass of iced tea with her. What do I do now? If we go for a ride, I take a glass of iced Dr. Pepper or Pepsi with me! I have become my mother. But to me, that's a rich blessing and I hope it continues.