Aunt Ida's Handmade Potholders

  As my mother is an avid writer and "compiler" of information I recently asked if she might consider writing something for my blog. Not only did she graciously consent, but she sent me a bunch of stories to use as well!
  This story is about Aunt Ida's potholders- a treasured staple in our kitchen for as long as I can remember.

 

The following was written for us by my mother:   

 

"Aunt Ida was born in the early 1900's.  She had 6 sisters, including my mother, and 2 brothers.  She turned out to be the maiden aunt who stayed home and eventually looked after Mother. "

  "Aunt Ida worked in a factory for Stanley Works.  She always had to be busy.  She couldn't sit still, except to watch her Boston Red Sox Baseball Games. "

  "She sewed, embroidered, canned food, made jellies and relishes.  But her staring role was making pot holders out of scraps of material left over from her many sewing projects."
  "I found one pot holder where she patched together the same patterned material, so she could make one more pot holder. She wasted nothing"

  
  "She passed away about 5 years ago and I still have many pot holders that she made.  I will not be using those pot holders as they are vintage prints and are so colorful and they remind me of Aunt Ida."

~Thanks Mom for the blog and for sharing some of these cool potholders with me!

Clippings From Home

  I am one of those adult children you hear about the receives the magazine and newspaper clippings from their parents. 

If you have never been the recipient of these little treasures then allow me to share my most recent experience with you!

There is no better day than when you walk to the mailbox after work only to find mixed among the junk mail an envelope addressed to you in your mother's handwriting.

   Since I have moved to Florida (13 years ago) every piece of mail I get has a Disney character sticker on it- as evidenced here. Happy looking piece of mail, huh?  

Today's catch included 2 pages from magazines and one newspaper page neatly folded into an envelope.

Attached was a sticky note reading: "Just some reading material! Love, Mom" 

 

  Usually the contents will reflect interests from previous phone conversations- This one includes some online classes I may be interested in and an article on Julia Child- I have an avid interest since the movie "Julie and Julia". On a recent visit my mother even brought me a Julia Child cookbook that used to belong to my Grandmother- I love it!

The last page? How to get crafty and make some arrow earrings. 

Don't think this sudden onslaught of curious mail just started. On, no. This goes WAY back to my childhood. My mother was possibly one of THE BEST Moms out there. She would save cereal box tops and send away for all sorts of things in my name so I would have mail. The best one (as a child) was the arrival of the H.R. Pufnstuf record! I was in love with Jimmy and his magic flute!

The best mail as an adult? A single picture and caption about a dog with 17 puppies. The attached sticky note simply read "And you think you've got problems!!!"

You never know what will be in the envelope, but I always make sure I bring it in to the house, sit down and get ready to enjoy!