Personalized Mother's Day Gift Ideas

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Show mom some love this Mother's Day with these personalized gifts from Etsy!

Sterling Silver Family Necklace

Sweet, one of a kind piece to show off your beautiful family wherever you go.

Custom Family Portrait

Like the different take on a family photo. :)

Personalized Cutting Board

Perfect for all the mamas who spend hours on end cooking up meals for their families. Now that I have teens, my kitchen time is slightly less than it used to be. ;)

Handwriting Bracelet

Wow! To have jewelry in a loved one's handwriting - how special.

Fingerprint Heart Necklace

Perfectly unique, yet simple. Love this idea for a sweet mom!

Personalized Family Tree Necklace

What a neat necklace. Mine would need 3 leaves. How many would your necklace tree need?

Dog Return Address Stamp

Other breeds and animals are available. Farmhouse animals, too!

Personalized Recipe Box

I don't know about you, but I still have some recipes that I keep in a box. This would make a super cute place to keep all those handwritten recipes.

I love shopping for unique gifts on Etsy! I hope you can find that perfect something for the special women in your life. 

This post contains affiliate links. I make a small commission for clicks or purchases made through the links.

May ~ So Much to Love About Spring (and other stuff)

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Fairy garden love

My daughter and I started a fairy garden several years ago. It's so fun to make it different each spring and fall.

Regular garden love

Love the bench my hubby brought home from his outing at Merchant Square in Chandler. :)

Mother's Day celebrations

Breakfast and shopping with my mom and sister.

Flowers and chocolate from my sweet kids.

Celebrating our 19th anniversary

Peach picking and peach cooking

Apple picking from my own trees

Son officially taller than dad

Oh, this dog!

Going to the dog park has become a regular part of our lives. We go several times a week. It's nice to have a place where Kylo can run and sniff and play without constantly being told "No!" for something or other.

For the most part, Kylo plays nice, but he's still so young and can be annoying at times. ;) Here, though, these 2 dogs are having bunches of good fun.

One thing I just don't get is when people bring their small dogs to the big/active dog side and then get upset because your big/active dog is acting like a big/active dog. Hmmmmm.

I dared to try the pool again, and this time it was a success! Kylo didn't drink gallons of water and played a little less crazy.

Poor thing just plain tuckered out on one of his longer walks with Shiloh and me. We let him rest for a bit, and I even tried carrying him. That boy's gotten heavy!!!

Goodness, the sweetness of this girl and her doggie make me melt. :)

Memorial Day weekend Sunday drive to Sedona

The drive was beautiful.

But there was lots of traffic!

So green and peaceful and lovely in this spot.

I know. A silly car selfie + a cute little photo bomber.

Kylo is such an awesome car rider, thank goodness. :)

When he wasn't sleeping, he was enjoying the car ride. The only times he was a bit difficult were when we had to take bathroom breaks or get food. We'd take turns staying in the jeep with him, but he'd still whine and try to pace a bit waiting for whoever was gone to get back.

Too bad we weren't able to hike any trails due to overcrowding and no parking. Memories: trying to find somewhere to eat our subway lunch and ending up in a Wal-greens parking lot; Venti frappuchinos + one puppuchino. ;)

Big Shoes to Fill

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I don't know what it is about babies wanting to slip on their parents' shoes, but it's so stinkin' cute to watch them hobble across the floor without losing their balance. Trying to walk in my mother's too-big shoes, and even on the wrong feet for goodness' sake, wasn't exactly easy.

My mom's shoes aren't so big anymore, in fact, they're almost 3 sizes too small for my big ol' feet. But, wow, I had no idea just how difficult it'd be to figuratively fill her shoes.

I've been so blessed to have been a mommy now for almost 16 years. Besides my wedding day, the 3 happiest days of my life are August 12, January 12, and June 22. Being a mom has been one of the greatest joys of my life, but some days are really hard. Over the years, I've often thought, If I can be half the mom that my mom was, I will have succeeded.

I never doubted my mom's love for me, and that's something I'm extremely grateful for. I truly hope that my children never doubt my love for them, and my prayer is that their love for me will cover all my flaws, or multitude of sins, as 1 Peter 4:8 puts it.

I love my mom and am feeling blessed to live so close to her now. I love my kids and am so blessed to be able to spend my days with them. Thanks, mom, for being such a wonderful, loving example of what it means to be an awesome mom!

~Happy Mother's Day~

Mother's Day Gifts for Moms Who Love to Read

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My kids know that I LOVE to read. In fact, last year my daughter filled out an all about mom page in Sunday School, and guess what she wrote in the what-does-your-mom-do-for-fun blank?

Yes, read.

I'm a real thrill seeker, let me tell ya. ;)

If you have a mom who loves to read, too, consider gifting her with one of these inspirational books!

Moms Who Changed the World by Lindsey O'Connor

I've had this book for years and have read it several times. It's such an encouraging book about what a difference moms really make in the lives of their children. All of the moms portrayed in the book raised kids who made a lasting impact on the world . . . John Ruskin, George Washington, Augustine --just to name a few.

Such a blessing to learn from these dedicated mothers!




A Mother's Legacy by Barbara Rainey and Ashley Rainey Escue

This book is special not only because it celebrates the gift of motherhood but because it was given to me in March 2001 by one of the authors (Ashley) with a sweet note. We were in the same Young Married Sunday School class at the time and I had just announced I was pregnant with baby #2. Ashley wrote that she hoped the Lord blessed my firstborn son with a brother so they could be friends. :) Even though I ended up miscarrying that baby, the Lord did bless me with another pregnancy and a healthy baby BOY in January 2002!

This book will bless you with the memories of legacies, lessons, and love that only a mother can give.


One Thousand Gifts by Ann Voskamp

This book isn't specifically about moms, but it's written by a farm mom with a brood of six children. Ann dares readers to live fully by living each day deeply rooted in gratitude.

I'm only half way through the book and all I can say is, "Wow, just wow." Ann writes in a way that makes you feel like you're actually thinking her thoughts. She makes you want to fully surrender yourself to the Maker of the Universe and embrace everything He gives.

I've been inspired to start my own "one thousand gifts" journal. So far I'm on #50. This book is truly a treasure that I think any mother would love!

*Add a cute bookmark, a fun drink, and a fun snack and you have the perfect gift for moms who love to read!

Linked to WFMW

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Spoiled Silly!

Pin It Now! Let me tell you, Monday morning was rough after being spoiled senseless the past few days with my 15th anniversary and Mother's Day back to back. Still in a euphoric daze, I wasn't prepared for the sound of alarm at 7-something this morning, "Mommy, mommy! The toilet is overflowing!" Should I even mention that it was overflowing in the bathroom that I scrubbed to an immaculate shine yesterday? *Sigh*

As I mopped up the spreading sea with every single beach towel in my hall closet, I tried to reflect on all the wonderful memories of the past few days. It was hard. I was mad and kind of throwing a bit of a tantrum. Of course our Bible passage that we read after I finally got everything cleaned up was about forgiveness, wouldn't you know it? Boy did I need some!! I apologized for overreacting, and my kids forgave me. Beautiful example of God's gift of reconciliation. :)

 I totally didn't deserve what my kids did for me on Mother's Day, but I am so grateful for children who love me and want to bless me! I am always so touched when my kids show their love by saving and spending their hard-earned money on me.

Shiloh surprised me with pink teacup roses. My heart felt as if it would burst! I loved seeing the excitement in her eyes in giving the gift. A perfect way to start Mother's Day!!

While I was shut in my room finishing a review, I heard a little knock on the door, and Lincoln surprised me with my favorite Starbucks treat - Green Tea Frappuchino! Such a sweet boy. :)



After dinner, my oldest, Mullin, surprised me with a beautiful card and another one of my favorite treats - m&ms! How thoughtful! 

Flowers, Frapps, and m&ms - do my kids know me or what?

I also consider myself blessed because I have a husband who makes Mother's Day special for me as well. He brought me freshly juiced juice as I was getting ready for church, he prepared a delicious pork roast meal, and he even made dessert from scratch - Hot Fudge Cake. Yum!

Thank you from the bottom of my heart Mark, Mullin, Lincoln, and Shiloh for making this a Mother's Day I will cherish forever!

May 10, 2009

Pin It Now! Celebrating our 12th anniversary. We went out Friday night to The Cheesecake Factory.

Celebrating Mother's Day. Kids brought me breakfast in bed. Daddy made home made waffle sticks.

Love my Solar Garden Fairy and Starbucks card!! Hmmm, I will have to think of a name for my sweet fairy.

So glad I can spend time with my mom on Mother's Day! :)