You Taught Me

You taught me to eat

You taught me to walk

You taught me my ABCs

You taught me to swim

You taught me to shuffle cards

You taught me to snap

You taught me to be a good friend

You taught me how to cross stitch

You taught me to eat spaghetti with a spoon

You taught me to bake

You taught me to study

You taught me how to grieve

You taught me how to work hard

You taught me how to let go

You taught me to not take myself too seriously

You taught me how to sew

You taught me how to manage my money

You taught me to make my own decisions

You taught me confidence

You taught me empathy

You taught me how to be a loving wife

You taught me patience

You taught me how to put family first

You taught me kindness

You taught me how to be a good mother

You taught me love

But most importantly, you taught me about Jesus.

Happy Mother's Day to the best Teacher in the world

My Kitchen is Filled

When I got married I was 22.  I had lived in a dorm room or an apartment by myself since I had left for college.  I didn't cook and I didn't bake.  When I registered my mother almost had a heart attack.  My registry was horrible.  My mom tried to convince me to put more things on it and that indeed I would want these things later in life.  I didn't agree so I didn't change it. 

Each year after that my mom would give me things for my kitchen.  I didn't use them so I donated a bunch of them each time we moved (which was 4 times in 6 years).

Then I started cooking.  And baking.  And we started the tradition of our Christmas party.  And I didn't have anything.  Regret set in big time.  So I've slowly been accumulating some but my kitchen has been lacking.  My mother has given me things for Christmas and birthdays and I haven't donated them (and she never once has said I told you so because she is so full of grace).

And then recently my friend Joy started selling Pampered Chef.  After going to a few parties, I decided to host a show.  And we all know that I'm an over-achiever and a tad competitive.  So I decided to really go for it.  I have to say that it wasn't hard at all. 

The order came in today.  This is all stuff for everyone else.  It's over $900 worth of stuff. 

And here is my stuff (with the exception of 1 gift that I purchased).  I got $434 worth of stuff for $100!  And I feel like my kitchen is mostly filled.  I'm always up for cool kitchen stuff and what an easy way to get a ton of stuff for free and super cheap. 

I can't wait to cook dinner tonight!

The Name Has Passed

When I was a little girl, my mother used to call me Tracey Pumpkin. Most times it would come out as Tracey Punkin. It's always nice to have a nickname. It was something super special to me because I was the youngest of 3 girls.

When we had Ainsley, my mother started calling the baby her Ainsley Punkin. It is such a sweet place in my heart that she passed that name and love on to my child.

In addition to our Friday lunch date, I took Ainsley to the farmers market to pick out a pumpkin.  They had a pumpkin house and a couple cut out faces.  She had a blast running around.  My heart was full of the love that my mother passed to me and that I can now pass to my Ainsley Punkin.

 

The Examples

This Mother's Day is obviously special for me. It's my first one. I must say, I am enjoying motherhood more than I could ever imagine. I think it's because I have 2 wonderful examples of what it is to be a loving mother. My mothers are both very different and I feel blessed to have them in my life.

My Mother in Law (or should I say Mother in Love), Lonnie has shown me many things over the years. She has shown me how to be a supportive and encouraging mother. She supports her children in everything they do. She encourages them to dream and to follow through with those dreams. She encourages them all to be who God created them to be. She affirms their decisions and gives unconditional love even when they make decisions she doesn't agree with. She is very accepting of the women her sons have chosen to share their lives with. She has embraced both Jenny and I as daughters. She is down right a lovely person. I realized that I need more pictures of her because my most recent picture of her is with Ainsley right after she was born. Oops. Sorry.

Lonnie - I love you!

My mother has shown me how to exude grace as a mother. She encourages me constantly to look to the One who made us. She loves with such a nurturing spirit. When I think of my mother, I think of warm hugs and gentleness and of course homemade chocolate chip cookies. She is an example of how to love a child with Godly discipline. She is never quick to anger and is always slow to speak. She has shown me how to train children in the ways of God. She has shown me how to love a husband the way that God calls us to love husbands. All three of her daughters follow Jesus and I believe it's in a big part because of her influence. In my head, my mother is synonymous with Love.

Mom - I love you!

Happy Mother's Day to all the Mothers in my life!