Momma with her firstborn (me 😃). This is her favorite picture of us.
Meet Butterfly 🦋 (AKA my mom), a nickname that has stuck with her since her flower power hippie days!
This year we are celebrating 🥳 70 years of my mom’s life!
As a creative birthday surprise, I decided to honor her here by sharing this article with all of you. I’ve kept it a secret from her so she’ll come to read this new post, just like you have but she will have an extra wide eyed expression when she sees that the subject is all about her!!!
Y’all join with me please and shout out, “SURPRISE! Happy 70th birthday!!!” Now, don’t be shy, y’all really go for it!!!
Without a doubt, living through 7 decades is truly worthy of a rip roaring celebration! So, woohoo 🎉!!! Happy Birthday to you, Momma! Oh, the stories you could tell! But alas, this is my space, so….oh the stories I can tell, about you!!! 😉
(NOTE: Being an election year, just as an added piece of interest here, in that 70 years there’s been 13 Presidents who have held office in the White House.)
My mom has passed down to me some wonderful pieces of herself! For one, there’s music! It definitely runs in my blood!
I grew up watching my mom sing Acapella with her 2 sisters and with my grandparents (her parents). It’s a wonderful family inheritance to always carry music in your heart! I learned old hymnal songs like “He Touched Me.” And I also learned some good ole Sons of the Pioneers songs like, “Cool Water!” Momma personally taught me how to sing too, so sometimes, as a kid, I would join in with the 3 sisters and that gave me a special super power over my brother, who couldn’t sing! 😂 Sorry Kirk!!
Another delightful attribute of my mom’s passed along to me was a love for our family history. Although, I must say, I’m not nearly as sharp minded as her at remembering all of the finite details. Thus, I have dubbed her “The Highly Esteemed Keeper of Memories!” She’s also endowed (by me) with the title of, “The Holder of Sentimental Treasures!”
Once, on a visit to her home, I followed her from room to room, taking notes as she proudly described to me in great depth and detail, every significant item held within her fortress of collections. Such as, my grandmother’s cherished cobalt blue glassware.
Like her, I treasure the history behind these family keepsakes, so as my mom shared their stories, I diligently jotted down her every word to ensure that these mementos will forever keep their significance.
Of course a love ❤️ for old family heirlooms walks hand in hand with a love ❤️ for thrifting and antiquing! That too, is something momma and I share a common interest in.
Momma lived her dream and owned an antiques and collectibles shop that she cleverly named, “The Social Butterfly.” Her little toy poodle, Seven, was the adorable store mascot.
Now retired, “The Dog 🐩 and the Butterfly,” 🦋 (this sneaky little reference to a favorite old song that momma also used to sing 🎶 is intentional) still surround themselves with tokens of affection in their haven of familial remembrances.
Collections both new (meaning vintage) and old (antique) adorn and perfectly blend into the decor of momma’s home. It’s such fun to wander through her house especially on the expertly guided tour, led by the beautiful Butterfly 🦋 herself!
So many other things that my mom and I share in common, writing, photography, design but what we have most in common is our love for each other. ❤️
Momma loves gardening and being in the garden with her 4 doggies, watching her Cardinals (for my English readers that’s red birds not a priest), Hummingbirds, Blue Jays and of course butterflies 🦋 all in lively activity. This is a picture of some of her beautiful flowers in the garden and her butterfly mural painted fence in the background.
Momma’s favorite thing to collect is Brooches. She has all sorts (dogs, lions, birds, etc) but this picture is specifically of a few of her butterfly 🦋 brooches. She has beautifully sorted and catalogued all of her collection. It took her weeks but doesn’t this photo look like a picture from a magazine??!! Many of her brooches are inherited, some are gifts from friends, some she has bought herself on thrifting/antiquing expeditions and lots are gifts from me, her adoring daughter!
Momma and Seven (her fur baby and best friend).
The Grand Opening of “The Social Butterfly,” my mom’s Antiques and Collectibles shop.
I’ve always admired my mom’s beauty and fashion style. In this picture she’s wearing a sequined butterfly shawl that I bought for her!
Leave a Reply