Mother's Day for me

July 1972, Newport News, VA

Here's a picture of me and my mom. I was three years old and we were living in the first home I have any memories of, vague memories, but still. I wish we had pictures of this place. We had a Danish Modern teak living room set that we continued to have all the time I was growing up. However, in this apartment, it was upholstered in black and white leather or vinyl. How Mod can you get, right? My dad is saving the chairs for me; unfortunately, the couch came to Richmond with me years ago and suffered from a freak termite invasion. Another story, another time.

My favorite memory of me and my mom is of another July nine years after that photo. July 29, 1981, my mom woke me up at 5AM so we could watch Lady Diana Spencer marry Prince Charles of England and become Diana, Princess of Wales.* I remember we had waffles for breakfast. I hate that I can't be 100% sure if we had them with strawberries and whipped cream but I really think we did. I think I still had to go to school after that but it was sweet that she scheduled time for us to share something we had been looking forward to.

The morning was a great memory but has always been linked with sadness. Even though when I was a kid I devoured any information on Diana Spencer and the event I could not understand why she was marrying him. He was soooo old compared to her and I had already been highly disappointed with Charles when he famously answered a reporter asking if the engaged couple were in love with "Whatever 'in love' is". Years later, of course, the truth was revealed, but in 1981, even little 12 year old me knew she should have wanted more out of a future husband than that!

My mom passed away twenty years ago. During the time we had together we collaborated on lots of crafty projects. We pretty much tried everything that came across our paths. From knitting, macrame, all types of doll house and doll construction, to even trying Panamanian Mola embroidery. After I moved onto sewing my own clothes, my mom spent her time making her own clothes, quilting, and trying her hand at watercolors. My love of crafts and sewing obviously came from her influence. It is rare that I don't view the multiple crafty/sewing blogs I read and not think of her and I truly miss what our relationship could have been now.

Happy Mother's Day to you all!

*I always hated when people would call her Princess Di/Diana because it wasn't her title!