The Best Laid Plans...

"You are absolutely NOT to come down here for my birthday" she said. "It's only a day, and I will be fine on my own." "You were just here and your brother needs a vacation - I FORBID you both to come!" That's what my brother and I have been hearing for the last month. My brother lives a few doors down from our mom in Florida, but has been out of town for over a month. I visited for 10 days at the end of July. At last we told her, "fine, if that's what you want, we'll stay away, we'll respect your wishes" (yeah, right). I spent the last week lying to her, my dear mother, trying to cover working a little extra to get caught up before leaving and then telling her some whoppers to cover for why I couldn't talk to her yesterday while I was jetting my way across the country.


We just got in the most adorable Glitterville Birthday Hats and as soon as I saw them, I knew I had to save one for my mom. This glittery piece of fun is not exacely packable, so I had no choice but to carry it across the country on my lap. If you want to know how to begin conversations with just about anyone, carry one of these gems through an airport and onto a plane. Everyone wanted to know the story behind the hat! I'm thinking of marketing them as a new dating tool - great icebreaker!

My brother had arranged for my mom's best pals to take her to dinner, really throw her off the scent!! We even had them seat her with her back to the door, so we could really flabbergast her! We march in, me looking quite festive with her party hat on my head, show up at her table and say "surprise"!!! She looks at us and said "I knew you wouldn't listen to me and I've already made up the bed in the guestroom for MJ (Curtsy Mama)". So much for surprises!

She probably would have been just fine on her own, but we wouldn't have been. Our family's not very big, but we always try to be there for each other, that's what families do.

As to her birthday gift, my brother Tom, my son Josh, Danielle and I made her a jar with 80 little scrolls of paper, each tied with a bit of ribbon. Danielle decorated the jar, so it looks amazing. On each of the scrolls are a memory, thought or reason why we love this very special mother and grandmother. We also bought her a magnetic board and 80 tiny magnets. I will mount the board in her bedroom before I go home and for the next 80 days, she can open a scroll, read why we love her and then clip it to her board as a reminder.
XOXO
Curtsy Mama
Mary Jo