Throwback Thursday | Birthday Edition

While I don't usually participate in #tbt (Throwback Thursday), today is my birthday, so I thought I would share a childhood birthday photo.

Granted, it's not the most flattering photo of me--my eyes are closed and all--but it made me smile.

There I am blowing out my younger sister Nichole's candle, probably because I was four and Nik was one and my parents asked me to do it.  (Sometimes, I wish pictures could talk and tell you all the little details surrounding the event.  Oh wait, that's called video! HA!)

Clearly, I had already blown out my candle and I'm sure I was game to blow out another.

I love Nichole's wide eyes and joyful expression.

I love that we're both wearing our pajamas. (I'm not sure if this was in the morning or evening.)

I love that we're celebrating together.  (There were many years where we had joint parties because our birthdays are only eight days apart.)

I love that the cupcakes are homemade. (Man, a cupcake sounds really good right now!)

I love that this photo screams '80s! (It was taken in 1982.) From the couch to the table to my hairdo. The graininess makes me cringe, of course, but it certainly adds to the "antique" (or should I just say "old?") feeling of the photograph.

Both of my younger sisters were born in June. In fact, we're all born within 10 days of each other. (Yes, apparently my parents had a mating season! HA!)

Happiest of birthdays to you, Nichole and Katie!

As for me, I'm grateful for 35 trips around the sun, and looking forward to the year ahead.

A Lovely Gift for Mother's Day

Last Mother's Day, my two sisters and I collaborated on this gift for our mom.

It's a glass jar filled with 101 slips of colored paper.

Each slip of paper contains a reason why we love our mom. (There's a different color for each sister: Red for me, green for Nichole and turquoise for Katie.)  

Here's a look at what I wrote on eight of the 34 strips.

Mom, I love you...

• Because you taught me the value of thank you notes.

• Because you made me beef broth in the elephant cup when I was sick.

•  Because you took us on airplane flights--many times flying all by yourself with two or three kids.

• Because you assembled lots of photo albums with pictures of us as kids.

• Because you embrace new technologies.  New iPhone? Bring it on. A new computer? Yes, please. A Kindle reader? Definitely.

• Because you love to read, and you passed that love onto me. I enjoy words + stories today, in large part because of you.  

• Because you reminded me to move my elbows off the dining room table.

• Because you exposed me to lots of different types of music and artists: James Taylor. Earth, Wind & Fire. Dan Fogelberg. Willie Nelson. The Beatles. I remember listening to some vinyl records from your collection, lots of cassette tapes, and of course, CDs as I got older. 

The Process | First, I brainstormed as many reasons as I could, trying to be as specific as possible. I typed up the reasons in a Word document, and then went back a few days later, and chose my favorite 34 and neatly wrote them on red paper. After cutting the paper into strips, I folded them in half and placed them in the jar, which I bought at Beverly's with a 40% off coupon.  Score!

My sisters sent me their strips as well, and into the jar they went. I added some ribbon and a handcrafted tag, and it was ready for mom.    

Inspiration | I found this idea on--where else?--Pinterest.  Here's the original link, which contains a few other Mother's Day gift ideas.

While this gift is intended for kids to make for their moms, I'd argue that it's an awesome idea for adult kids, too.  Because I think moms of any age--whether they are in their 30s, 60s or 80s--would love to receive a Mother's Day present like this.

I know our mom did!

Your turn: What handmade items have you created to honor your mom on Mother's Day?