Wonderful Friends

One thing that I always liked about my mom is that no matter who you were...

Or what your background...

She would always welcome you into her home with open arms...

I'm not saying she was perfect or she didn't hold grudges if you crossed her,

Because she did...

She was a very protective person of people close to her, and boy, don't make her mad...

She always gave the best hugs...

No matter how long it had been since she saw you...

Here she is back in the late 80's or early 90's with her younger brother Robbie.

And I have found that in my life this sort of thinking:

To welcome first...

Ask questions later...

Has allowed me to meet so many wonderful people that have become wonderful friends...

A bit naive maybe, but still, there is always some caution up front...

There is such a great human connection in this world if you open up enough to let it find you...

And for me, in recent years it has really focused around the bead world...

This is because of doing bead shows almost every weekend for years,

Traveling to different parts of the country to do shows,

Having dinner with friends, or coffee and donuts in the mornings with friends...

And by friends, I mean other vendors, show promoters, bead artists, customers, bead shop owners, magazine employees, and many others...

It's like a big family reunion every time we would meet up.

And going to my mom's house, especially during the holidays, that's what it felt like!

Friends, Neighbors, Family... Everyone was family really...

And now, since I'm home/studio bound and not doing shows anytime soon I feel like I'm discovering a great new group of friends in my life through blogging and keeping in touch through technology.

And I've got to say how excited and proud I am to be able to work with such amazing artists that are donating their time and talent to the My Mom Etsy shop!

It's like a weight has been lifted by these artists...

These Friends of mine...

These wonderful people that are becoming more like family every day...

They are stepping up to the plate right there with me,

And helping me reach my goals...

To make a permanent place for the memory of My Mom Pattie out there in the world...

To help make a difference little by little,

Which is the only way to get something larger accomplished...

To the other artists wanting to donate materials - Right On!!!

You guys are great too, and an unexpected part of this.

And I promise once Riley arrives and I've got more brain power to dedicate to the My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop, we'll get a place for you guys too.

For now, contact the Jewelry Designers directly if you don't mind, to help out more immediately! They are really amazing and talented...

I can't promise they can use everything someone offers them, because this is all about donating time and effort, and there are some limits to be set.

You can always make something, sell it, then donate the proceeds to My Mom Pattie...

Hmmm... I should talk to my accountant about that one...

Just want to make sure things are done properly!

Anyway - lots to do before my Dr's appointment for Riley this afternoon...

I just wanted to say THANK YOU for everything you are all doing to help out with me reaching my goals!

I can hear mom humming along and singing to her favorite Christmas tunes right now...

She's got a huge smile on her face, and warm welcoming hugs for everyone!

Which of course, should make everyone smile or just feel that much more loved...

Thanks!!!

A Dream of a Shoppe...

As long as I can remember...

My mom used to talk about one day having a small shoppe in Historic New Castle, DE.

My mom rented a home in this small town for a while when I was in High School.

And I can honestly say that it was my favorite place to live so far here in Delaware.

Here is a print that I bought for my mom for her birthday before she got sick.

As far as I know, it is still hanging in her dining room - which is actually no longer hers...

But to me, when I think of the place where she last lived and put her decorative mark...

She is still there in my recent memories...

Especially around the holidays!

Check out this video that my mom took a few Thanksgivings ago with the big old Turkey and her little pup Dino. She spoiled that pup (had to spoil someone - she was "hoping" for grandchildren...). Don't worry, he got some of the cooked turkey later that day...

I wish I knew the artist's name...

It has it on the print, but with this photograph, I just can't read it...

I know the woman artist was alive when I bought this from a small shop, but the shop has since closed... And she has a series of drawings like this of the various unique places around Old New Castle. As soon as I find out, I'll update this with her name...

Anyway...

With Thanksgiving being tomorrow...

Without mom here...

We are settling into new traditions, while remembering some of the old...

The Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade will be on the TV, even if nobody is watching it consistently, which means it's turned up loud so we can hear it, while we are hanging out in the kitchen making cookies for that night and my favorite thing to make: The Mashed Potatoes...

As a kid - I loved peeling all those potatoes (and shucking the corn in the summer... weird, I know!).

Every year mom would call us when "Santa" arrived for the Parade...

Which of course meant Christmas was officially here...

It's like a month long decorative celebration, good feelings, eating, and finding happiness in your family, faith, and friends...

Maybe this is why too that both times with me being pregnant,

The babies have been due around Christmas...

I still swear that mom has got something to do with the timing of my pregnancies...

Chloe was due December 26, but arrived 3 weeks early...

Riley is due January 13, and if he happens to be an early arrival, that puts him at Christmas...

Well, Christmas and New Years...

I believe that having these two babies around this time of the year is a great way to make it that much better...

To help heal a bit more by having even more to celebrate...

Give me any reason to celebrate - and I'm happy!

Speaking of Celebrating!

One more thing to celebrate:

In a way, mom has gotten her specialty Shoppe...

The My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop...

This picture above is just one of the items for sale...

Winterberries by jewelry designer Marie Dodd...

All of the items in the shop are handmade creations from various artists that are donating their creative talents, time, and materials so that I can collect monies to then donate to various non-profit organizations.

So make sure to stop by and pick up a few items for someone special this holiday season!

Or, treat yourself, because purchasing something from this shop will go towards helping someone else.

Right now, that someone else happens to be small, feathered, and in need of rehabilitation:

Tri-State Bird Rescue, Room Dedication for My Mom Pattie in their new expansion.

Appropriate because my mom always would take in sick or injured animals,

and with her no longer here to do so, it would be nice to have a permanent place in her memory where sick or injured birds can be cared for.

Thank You Mom...

Got To Have Jewelry...

Got To Have Jewelry???

The My Mom Pattie Etsy shop is now up and running!

All monies collected from the sale of items in this shop will go to a non-profit organization or charity in memory of My Mom Pattie.

See the blog side bar for the current non-profit...

One thing my mom LOVED was her jewelry...

I used to tease her by calling her Mrs. T...

Because she sometimes wore so much gold jewelry she could give "The A-Team's" Mr. T. a run for his money.

I never really had a thing for jewelry growing up...

Well, nothing extravagant anyway...

Give me silver, and make it simple - I would wear the same thing forever...

Now I'm a collector of artist made jewelry and beads...

I still may only wear certain things on a regular basis,

But I love the pieces I've got!

This picture is of Chloe last night looking at and reaching for some of my earrings.

Don't you just love the faux fur winer coat? I couldn't get it off of her...

Notice she is going for the bright colored clay earrings?

They are from my friend Jen of Jangles...

I've started Chloe her own collection of beads, unique small treasures, and artist jewelry (mostly earrings and bracelets) so when she is old enough, she can have her own stash, then one day she can have my pieces too.

And of course, she will have some of my mom's old costume jewelry too to play dress up with one day. Actually, my Grandma Neal has some really funky older 60's and 70's clip-on earrings, big rings, and necklaces that I think Chloe will love! Can't wait to play dress up with her and those things! I'm sure we'll have some really funny pictures...

I also can't wait to get her ears pierced...

Just not sure about when to do that exactly...

Dave isn't thrilled with the idea of it so early purely because of dealing with infections, possible rough-house pulled out damage, and dealing with a grumpy little one trying to sleep on them.

I see his point entirely, but if it were up to me alone, they would already be done...

Make sure to stop by the My Mom Pattie Etsy Shop often to see about the new artist made pieces being put up for sale. Your support is greatly appreciated! The more things we sell, the more we can help out in the community... Spread the word if you can...

Chloe as Ernie, A Connection?

Here is a cute and funny picture I snapped the other night of Chloe holding up an Ernie balloon to her face. She was playing peek-a-boo from behind it...

Wasn't she clever to "hide" behind a balloon?

I love that you can see her little feet (socks in hand).

Not like it's cold or anything around here (yeah, right - hitting freezing temps very soon!)

But then again, it's probably refreshing to run around in bare feet for a bit...

Besides, when Daddy playfully asks her where her socks are every time she takes them off, then follows up with a chase around the house and a swooping up of Chloe and tickle and kissing attacks... kind of makes me want to take my socks off to0 and run from him...

Although not so pretty figuring I'd be just waddling fast with my pregnant belly and all...

Funny to picture though...

Anyway - to the connection parts...

I love seeing connections - even if they are something that I alone see...

They are special, and I believe they really do help with healing and keeping memories alive!

There are so many little things that Chloe does that are SO my mom through and through.

Things that she likes, things she does, things she says, points to, or is very interested in...

Things that I myself really don't pay attention to, but Chloe notices...

Dave, Teren, and I see a lot of things that she does that my mom did - and we can only stop and look at each other with gaping mouths and silent amazement...

And that Chloe never actually met mom outside of my belly...

We spent a lot of time with mom over 9 months in the hospital with she was sick...

We were with her when her spirit and soul left her physical body and moved on...

And I still believe - that whatever happens to you when you leave your body, that a piece of my mom went right for Chloe and I.

I know this because of the sense of overwhelming peace and calm and love I felt after she took her last breathe...

And if that is "greedy" of me to think that, well, so be it.

Then I'm greedy and a bit self centered...

But I know the connection I had with my mom...

We had an understanding as only she and I could have...

Just like she had a connection with any other person in her life, and that connection can only ever be understood by those two people.

Oh, my... There I go again... a little off topic, finding myself defending my thoughts about relationships in life...

Back to the point of the picture and the connection it has with mom:

It's funny that I posted a picture of mom and Big Tony in their home made Sesame Street Halloween costumes recently.

And mom had on the Ernie costume...

And that Ernie happens to be one of Chloe's favorite characters from Sesame Street.

She likes Elmo and Cookie Monster too - but Loves Ernie!

And that a recent new friendship via blogging and beading, Marie Dodd, mentioned the 40th anniversary for Sesame Street in a recent blog post this week...

And that Mary Jane is one of the artists offering to help me out with finished jewelry for the My Mom Pattie Etsy shop...

Still have to figure out what significance that 40 has...

There is always something with numbers too...

Such a small wonderfully connected world...