Lessons My Mother Taught Me

It's appropriate at this time of year to think about lessons we learned from our mothers.  Lucky for me, my mom is still with us.  Here are a few things I learned from my mother that I'd likely pass down to my own daughter if I had one.

1) Learn to sew, needlepoint, stitch, whatever.
My love of needlepoint came through my mother, probably from her mother.  She taught us all how to cross-stitch at an early age which morphed into needlepoint for me.  My two sisters also know how to sew and stitch.  I have stitched the canvas below (this is not my pillow though) and this is something that both my mother and grandmother would like.

Birds of a Feather Needlepoint Pillow

2) Buy good quality furniture
We never had much excess growing up like we do today.  My mother wasn't and still isn't into having a lot of "stuff" but she always said buy good quality furniture and it will last a lifetime. She has most of the furniture now that she bought when I was a toddler. I've followed in her footsteps.

3) Create a "home" not a house
I love having a home and have taken great pains to make my house a home.  My mother instilled this in my family.  Home is where the heart is.

4) Look Polished
My mother is not a clothes horse but when it matters she looks like she walked out of Town & Country.  She wears her clothes and jewelry well when she needs to.  It's a combination of posture, grace, dignity and looking nice.  I hope I have that too.

5) Read
I'm always amazed that people don't read books anymore.  I can't imagine what I'd miss without reading classics and the things I learn from reading.  Right now I am reading this. I knew nothing about fashion in the 70's and Yves Saint Laurent and Karl Lagerfeld. It's fascinating. My mother is a voracious reader.

We owe our mothers a lot.  Aren't we lucky to have them?