May 6, 2016

Mother’s Day Memories

Martie Big Creek Farmhouse Remodel Madre, Mother's Day memories 10 Comments

What a week!  We’ve had a million things going on, but at least it has all been fun. Even in this busy season, with the school year winding down and a slew of activities on my calendar, I’ve been wrapped up in Mother’s Day memories. That’s partly because we couldn’t have gotten through this week (or most others) without Madre’s help. With that special holiday coming up on Sunday, and the fact that I have a super-amazing Mother, it’s hard not to reflect on Mother’s Days past with a warm, fuzzy feeling in my heart.

Mother’s Day Memories

Like the year Madre decided that all she wanted for Mother’s Day was for Jimmie and me to clean out our old room.  I was pregnant with Pooh, it was especially hot that day, and our old room was in the un-air-conditioned attic of a 100-year-old house (which I now live in).  Madre had finally realized that there was this whole other room she was not utilizing in her home!  She marched up the stairs with the intention of creating a little sanctuary for herself, and found out quickly that we, her fully-grown daughters who had started homes of our own, had left the majority of our junk in this room.

“I don’t want presents, or cards, or flowers….just come empty this room!” she exclaimed to us both.  “I want to put my computer up there, and I want to play my mandolin while I sit in the window seat, and I want your junk gone!”

Jimmie was happy to help!  I was dreadful. Not that I didn’t enjoy spending the day sorting through old yearbooks, stuffed animals, and love letters from old boyfriends. Jimmie stretched out on the nasty old carpet, and I…I was sitting in a chair looking like Humpty-Dumpty with my enormous belly (I was 7 months along at this point, and Pooh was a 10-pounder) gaping out between my thunder-thighs.  I remember the point when Madre said, “Well, looks like you have all this boxed up! Jimmie, come with me and help me move some lace doilies in the nice, cool downstairs and Martie can stay up here and vacuum the carpet in this 500-degree inferno!”

Ok, maybe my Mother’s Day memories are a little skewed, but I do have such fond memories of pushing the carpet around like the skin of a Shar Pei with the vacuum (because it had long since come loose of its staples and glue).  A couple of times I think the carpet, padding and all got sucked up into the brushes and I had to stop and pry it out…that was a fun day.

Truth be told, Madre was most likely outside manually tilling a garden, stacking firewood, or moving boulders with her bare hands (remember the photographic evidence of similar events in a post last week?), while Jimmie tried to keep up.

More Mother’s Day Memories

A couple of years later, Madre had a similar request.  Thankfully I wasn’t pregnant this time, and the country hams that had once hung down the sides of my body had returned to being arms.

“Come over and give me a few hours of your time, that’s all I need!” We should have known that Madre did not mean we would be sitting lazily on the porch sipping mimosas and reminiscing.  Oh, no…we raked leaves, pulled weeds, and planted flowers!  She wanted grunt labor!  Gotta love a woman who can get sh*t done, ya know?  She outworked Jimmie and me 10 to 1, no doubt. It’s one of those Mother’s Day memories that makes me admire my Mama even more, because she really did just want to be with us (and prove that she’ll always be stronger, faster, more energetic than us).

Did I ever tell you about the time she painted the entire house, inside and out, in about a month? She did the trim on the outside twice, because the first color she chose didn’t please her. Yep, that’s my Madre.

What’s In Store For Mother’s Day ’16?

Madre is now 72 years old, and still works circles around me.  She has planted our little hillside garden, created a container garden on her back deck, and helped me plant flowers in the beds outside my back door.

She mows her own horse pasture, walks 2.5-3 miles, 4 or 5 days a week (to my 3), and can’t function without a “project”. She takes care of this place, rides and cares for her horse, drives a mile to feed a neighborhood cat every day, drives the 4-wheeler with a drag on it through the field while Coach picks up rocks, stacks firewood (still)….when Madre wants to do something, she does it.

This year, Madre got a pretty Mandevilla for Mother’s Day.

Jimmie and I have learned not to ask her what she wants, because we get less sweaty and sore if we just tell her what she’s getting. Although, I fully expect to help her plant it this weekend, which will lead to a whole slew of other projects, I’m sure.  I’m super-thankful to get to do those projects with her, and I’ll look forward to making many more Mother’s Day memories with my amazing Mama.

Would you please share some Mother’s Day memories in the comments? I’d love to hear your Mom stories…the funny ones, the sweet ones, or even the sad ones.  I’ll respond to each comment!  I could tell stories on my Madre for days, but we all have a weekend to get to.

If you’ve already lost your Mother, I want you to know I’ll be keeping you in my prayers this weekend.  I invite you, also, to come and share mine…Madre is pretty awesome, and she definitely has enough energy to go around!

Happy Mother’s Day!

X,O,X,O,   Martie

 

 

This post is linked up with Sweet Inspiration and Over the Moon!