little one

see that little girl on the far left? the one looking at the camera with a huge smile, hamming it up?
that's my mom.

things I remember fondly from my childhood:
- giant stacks of fresh, white paper and a gallon bucket of crayons.
- constantly-in-flux home decor. furniture being stripped and repainted, reupholstered.
- swerving through traffic to get to the sad, beautiful table on the side of the road, the one with only three functioning legs and lots of potential. i still have that table.
- wall paper. up, down, up, down. gallon bucket of crayons for coloring all over the walls before the old wallpaper was torn down.
- paint stores, antique malls, wallpaper catalogs. get it?
- wardrobes for our dolls, party dresses for us - all hand-sewn by her, although i have no idea when she did all of this stuff!
- dinner at 5 o'clock every night, do not be late! sometimes there was even dessert, maybe a cobbler.

i could go on, but i think we see where i get my obsession with the handmade life.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MOM! i love you :)