My Sewing Room

When we built our new home, my sweetheart built me a beautiful sewing room.  It's a big room, 21' x 16', it has 2 skylights, lots of shelving on the one side, with high ceilings and a high   narrow shelf on 2 walls so I can display my treasurers.  He also built me a long counter along the back wall so I would have a place to do special projects.  I have a "L" shape desk that my sewing and serger machines sit on.

Now the problem has been that this room was not only filled with bins with yardage and crafts supplies on the shelves, but it also had boxes and boxes of "Stuff" all piled on the floor and all around.

This room also has my computer station in it, so to me it is MY ROOM...... it should be my sanctuary, but instead it's was FRUSTRATION.

I would go into my room to work on my computer, or do some mending, or even do some sewing, but it wasn't pleasant because of this mess.  I would look around and just wonder to myself "What am I going to do?" and then I would just walk out and shut the door!

The first of June my sweet daughter Ann came for a visit, she was going to be here for a week.  She was excited, she loves to organize and file things, and then she said, "Mama, lets work on your sewing room, I'll help you."  I asked her if she really wanted to do that and her answered was "YES" it would be fun.  "FUN" I thought, all I could think of, was how would we make any sense of this mess??  

So we started.... The first thing we did was get some fresh boxes and then we started sorting,  going though things, putting like things together, getting rid of stuff and etc.  In the evening we sat in the sun room and she filed papers and sorted more stuff, while I shredded papers and made decisions of where something needed to go.

When the week was over we had made some progress, but there was still so much more that needed to be done, but it was time for her to leave and go back to her home and her family.  Oh, how I wished she could have stayed for another week but I was so grateful to her for getting me started.

For the next few weeks I kept on working, and little by little things began to take shape.

Last Sunday at Relief Society, the sister that was giving the lesson asked if anyone had any good news they would like to share.  I almost raised my hand... I wanted to SHOUT "My Sewing Room Is Clean" I can see my floor, my counters are clear, my shelves are organize, my computer station is neat and tidy, my sewing machines are free of clutter.

My Sweetheart came into my room the other day and told me that my floor looked like a dance floor, he then took me into his arms and twirl me around my room.  He then said the room looked mighty nice.

I have a comfortable upholster rocking chair in this room.  This chair was my Mama's.   It was in her bedroom and I remember her sitting and relaxing in this ole chair.  When you sit and rock in it, it makes a clicking noise, I like to think it is singing to you.  I enjoy just going into my room now and sitting in this chair, rocking back and forth.  It brings me peace.  My mother's picture is on top of one of my bookcases, as I sit in her chair and look at her picture, I say, "How do you like my sewing room now Mama?  It's pretty comfortable, isn't it?"  

Over the door I have a sign that reads, "Surround yourself with the things you love."  I do love my sewing room and I love my husband for loving me so much that he wanted me to have this beautiful room.  It's clean, it's organize and it is my sanctuary.

Mama's Birthday

Today is my Mama's birthday.

She was born June 27, 1911 in Centerfield Utah, 100 years ago.

My Mama has been gone now for almost 5 years and I miss her so.  She was not only my Mama, but my best friend.  I could talk to her about anything.  She helped me with my children, and was with me for many wonderful experiences I had in my life.  We laughed and we cried together, we talked and we shared.  She was my Mama...

I remember her coming to my homes and helping me with my decorating.  She would help me paint my walls and help me wallpaper them too. 

I went to her homes and sewed curtains and drapes for her many windows.  I would sew and she would press and then we would hang them together on the windows.

We were a team..

When I was growing up and it was wash day, she would wash the clothes and hang them on the line to dry.  I would go out to the line and take them down and bring them in and together we would fold them.  When it was time to wash the windows for spring cleaning.  She would wash the inside of the windows and I would wash the outside of the windows.  After dinner and time to wash the dishes, she would wash the dishes and I would dry the dishes and put them away.  We were a team...

We took trips together.  The ones that had the most meaning were the ones we took to North Carolina to visit my daughter Marta.  Marta would show us a perfect time by taking us to historical places and special places of interest. We walked all over Washington DC at one visit and she loved every minute of it. 

One such visit was when my granddaughter Cara was getting married.  We spent days preparing for this beautiful wedding.  Making divinity candy, polishing silverware, arranging flowers, sharing, laughing and having such a good time, 4 generations together.  Mother never went to bed early, had to stay up late with the rest of us, fearing she might miss something.  She sure was a trouper.....

After the death of my father, mama seemed to lose the zest of living, she missed him so.  She had depended on Daddy for almost everything, he not only was the love of her life, but he was her rock.

I became her caregiver at this time.  My brother Butch and his wife Diane also helped with Mother's care.  We would take turns fixing her meals and spending the nights. 

I took her shopping, payed her bills, cleaned her home and did her laundry.

It was during this time I started to read to her in the evenings after dinner and the dishes were done.  We read many books together.  It was during this time that she would share special times with me.  It seemed that many of the stories we would read would trigger a memory.  I started to write these things down that she would say.  She started to say she would like to have a record of the books we were reading and so I started to compile them into a book. I would write about the book we were reading and what she would say. I would write her thoughts and her feelings, she enjoyed this very much and seemed to enjoy my writing and my comments.  This became our story time and I titled this "Story Time With Mama."  Every night after dinner she would say to me, "are we going to have our Story Time tonight?" and I would answer, "Yes, Mama, we are going to have our Story Time."

As I would tuck her in bed in the evening, she always would wrap her arms around my neck and give me a kiss, she would tell me that she loved me and thank me for taking such good care of her and them she would say, "Thanks for my stories."  I would reply, "Your welcome, mama, I love you, good night."

Tonight I'm thinking of my mama and I'm missing her.  Yes, she would be 100 years old, but no mater how old your mama is or how old you are, a girl always needs her mama and she always needs to feel that love that only comes from her mama...

Tonight before I go to bed I'm going to read a short story, so close your eyes and it will be our special time, for it will be "Story time with Mama."   night, night mama,  I love you....    and Happy Birthday