Friday's FIVE!

(This photo was taken in 1962... My Grandma Alexander is in the pink bathing suit...and my beloved Mother is the hot babe in the Blue bathing suit.... The cute little girl in the middle is ME!)

This is Mother's Day weekend.... and while I am about to celebrate my 28th year as a mother...

I also celebrate the love and devotion of my own wonderful mother. This weeks Friday FIVE! is a celebration of all the things she has done for all of us... but especially 5 of the favorite memories I have of my own mother. I will have a very, very difficult time limiting this to just 5 memories as my mother has always been so special in my life. I'm sure I will come up with many, many more than five - and I'm sure that after I have posted the 5 favorite memories....I will think of many more - but for now, these are the top five that I'm thinking of tonight.

1. Mom used to stay up very late - sewing dresses for me. She is the ultimate seamstress and I had the prettiest dresses in school to prove it. She would sew miles and miles and miles of piping on my dresses. I shared her love for sewing and I remember many telephone conversations and fabric store visits where we would share the experience and sew these dresses for my own daughters. She taught me so much about a needle and thread - she taught me the appreciation for fabric and colors - patterns and detail. I love that she passed this on to me - and that we shared our love of sewing together.

2. I have always struggled with my weight. The mother of friend of mine had lost weight going to Weight Watchers. In 1973 - I was 15 years old and tired of the battle of the buldge. I wanted to join Weight Watchers too. As a minor - Mother was able to come with me ... even though she was very thin and didn't need to lose an ounce. She came along as my support. She took the time to come - just for me. She also would prepare all of the food that was required on the Weight Watchers program at the time - which included fish 5 times a week ... and liver once a week. Mom prepared the liver in every way possible. She made Tuna burgers - and egg salad. She had frozen blueberries ready for me every day after school. The program worked - and I lost over 70#. It was a very exciting time and she was so devoted - and I couldn't have done it without her. I think fondly of those days....

3. After I married and had children of my own - I continued Weight Watchers, and later went to work for Weight Watchers. I was the discussion leader for a Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening class. My Mother and I would go to lunch every Tuesday between the classes. Sometimes we took the girls with us - sometimes a neighbor watched them. The time together with my mother was priceless. It was a much needed day out as a young mother needed to connect with her own mother. I cherish that time... I have so many happy memories with my Mom and my young daughters during that time.

4. My mother did a wonderful job caring for her own parents and she was a very, very devoted daughter. After Grandpa died, when it was time to sell my Grandparents home - Mother and I went to their house to begin the 'clean out' process. It was a sad time - but we rolled up our sleeves and dug into it with open minds. We laughed alot that day - and we cried a lot that day as we poured over items in their home that brought memories to both of us. Mother was in the bathroom cleaning out drawers - and I was in the living room going through books. Suddenly, I was startled to hear her scream from the bathroom... Her scream though, was because she was finding cash in bandaid boxes stashed away in Grandpa's drawers in the bathroom. At the end of the day, we had found several hundreds of dollars hidden in many obscure places. My grandparents lived the depression - and Grandpa wasn't going to be without money. Mom and I laughed and laughed and laughed over this ... and the laughter helped us put away the tears.

It was a sad day that turned out to be a wonderful happy memory.

5. A few years ago we had a wonderful girls night out! Mom, Katie, Betsy and I all went to Indianapolis to see Tim McGraw and Faith Hill at Conseco Fieldhouse. We ate at at the Restaurant in the balcony of the fieldhouse and had a wonderful time (and lots of beers and wine) We were right on the railing - and had an absolutely wonderful view of the concert.

We decided to give up our seats for the great view from the restaurant - it was just too much fun being served our drinks and staying right where we were. It was an enchanted evening of three generations of women enjoying an evening of great music and food and drink together.

These are just FIVE of my favorite memories - certainly not my only memories - and not necessarily the very, very best memories - just 5 very happy, very happy wonderful memories I have of my wonderful mother this Mothers Day weekend. I have many, many, many wonderful memories with my mother - and I'm so blessed that she is still a very active part of my life.

I'm so lucky to have been influenced by my mother. I am also lucky enough to have been influenced by many positive women in my life including both of my grandmothers, Grandma Alexander and Grandma Pence as well as many other women in my life - including all of my Aunts, Aunt Barbara, Aunt Ginger and Aunt Margaret. I'm also thankful to have been influenced by my former Mother-in-Law, Dubie and my current Mother-in-Law, Jan. Janyce Ward, a close family friend was also a very positive maternal figure in my life.

So - I raise a toast this Mother's Day weekend ... to all of the Mother's in my life....

and especially - to my own dear Mother - that I cherish with all of my heart!

Happy Mother's Day Mom - I love you heaps and heaps and heaps and.....

XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXO