Proud Daughter Moment

Let me take a moment to brag about one of my very best friends. She is a very good friend, and the one I've had the very longest. She has always been there for me, even on days when I am mean. She taught me how to read, count, and tie my shoes. She made me sandwiches and watched "I Dream of Genie" with me before sending me out the door to catch the bus to kindergarten. She is the one who named me Kelsey Marie and rocked me at night when I was a wee crying baby.

My mom is one of my very best friends. And it's always been that way. When I was in high school, my friends would sometimes give me a hard time because I would ditch them to hang out with my mom. I would get a call to go out on a Friday or Saturday night and my reply would be: "Sorry, my mom and I are watching a movie tonight," or "Maybe another time. I'm going to scrapbook with my mom and eat cookies." I would often get joking remarks along the lines of, "Yeah, Kelsey would rather hang out with her mom than us." But really, I know they respected me for it. They knew how absolutely awesome my mom was. Who wouldn't want to hang out with her, really?

I am so grateful that I had a healthy relationship with my mom through my teen years. I am also grateful we could be friends without her setting aside her "mom role" to be my "girlfriend". You know those moms? The ones where you're like, "Ugh. I know you love your daughter, but don't act like you're in high school too." Yeah, my mom was a healthy balance. I knew after a date with a boy I really liked, that she would be anxiously waiting in bed to hear about my date (and I would always excitedly tell her if I got a kiss or not). On the other hand, I knew if I came home after a date and missed curfew, that she would be waiting, watching the clock, ready to lay out the consequences since I chose to break the rules. I am so grateful for that. I am so grateful she never worried about me being mad at her when I needed to be disciplined.

Besides being my friend, she has also been my number one supporter. Always. She rarely missed a volleyball match, basketball game, or track meet. And even though she still never understood the rules of basketball, she was still always there, in the bleachers, cheering for us to "put it in the hoop and not be mean to anyone". And after every game, she was there to give me words of encouragement. She is also the one that took my dream of going to Africa seriously. And then she even traveled with me, even though she is a huge home body. Those weeks of sleeping on our rickety cots and listening to the hyenas laugh at dawn brought us even closer together.

My mom is an example of a loving mother to everyone. When we are out in public, little kids I don't even know will rush up to her, hug her, and she will endearingly ask how they are. My mom is truly one of the most compassionate people I know. She loves others purely and completely, expecting nothing in return. She often puts her own trials aside in order to take care and listen to those around her who are hurting. I don't understand how she does it. She constantly takes on the burdens of others and still goes about her day with a smile and positive outlook on life. My whole life, I watched her bring in homeless and hurt animals that she cared for and nursed back to health. She sees the big picture and knows how to brighten the lives of all those who are in her reach. Whenever I'm having a bad day, my first thought is, "I just want to see my mom. She would know how to cheer me up."

I am sure my mom is already dizzy with embarrassment as she reads this post (she doesn't enjoy the spotlight) but I am going to embarrass her even more. Recently, my mom started a new hobby. She is full of hobbies. She is one of those creative and capable people who just seems to be able to do everything. But her most recent hobby is creating jewelry. A couple weeks ago, we spent an afternoon together and she taught me how to make a leather strap bracelet. I was amazed by all the pretty things she'd made and it was really piling up.

"What are you going to do with all this jewelry, Mom?"

"Oh, I'll just wear it or give it away," she said.

And she wasn't kidding. She actually posted a facebook status that said: What one word inspires you? Tell me and I'll make you a surprise.
She ended up with over 40 replies and has been faithfully working on those 40 something surprises. But I've been on her about selling her jewelry.

"Open an Etsy shop," I say.
And she says, "Oh, that's silly. No one will want to buy it."
I say that's lies.

Well, today my mom surprised me with the news that she created an Etsy shop for her lovely hand-made jewelry. And since I know she won't say anything about it, I thought I would share the news with all you lovely readers. Check out her shop at Millie Made. Cute name, right? Her name is Camille, but my dad often calls her Millie. You can also like her facebook page by clicking here. Who knows, maybe I can talk her into doing a giveaway on this here blog. Would that be fun or what? Here are some pictures of some of my favorite things she has in the shop at this very moment:

beauty bracelet

faith bracelet

a necklace. . .

with a hidden message on the back

and a bracelet. . .

with a hidden message inside

All orders can be specially made with your choice of word or message. Thanks for letting me brag up my mom for a bit. Usually you hear about moms having "proud mama moments" over their kids. Well, right now I am having a proud daughter moment. So proud of that sweet lady. 

Let me know if you would be interested in a giveaway so I can work on sweet talkin' her ;).