Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Birthday Giveaway!

On this day, seventy-three years ago, a baby girl was born. The youngest in a family of five, little Lavina took the spot of 'baby' in her family. Thirty-six years, one month and twenty-two days later, another little girl was born and little Bethany Ann took the spot of 'baby' as the youngest in her family of six. I don't know the numbers but I could actually back up and tell of another little girl born who took the spot of 'baby' in her family. That little girl was Katie, and she was Lavina's mother!

Lavina's first grade picture

As you may have figured out, Lavina was my mother and today she would have been 73. It was always special to me that my mom was also the 'baby' in her family. Probably mostly because I could count on her to stick up for me when it came to the "spoiled baby" conversations. I always loved to hear her come back to people who said that the baby in the family is always spoiled, "Well, it wasn't my fault!" she would tell them.☺

For the past two years since mom's death, I have done a little giveaway for her birthday. It's been a fun thing for me, especially getting comments from people I had no idea were reading my blog!

This year I am, again, filling a brown envelope and sending it to one lucky winner. Several of the things that will be included are ---


* A little collection of some of the articles mom wrote for a column in the Calvary Messenger that she edited for many years. It's nothing fancy but it's special to me.




* A Little Lavina paper doll for the little girl in your life who needs a gift from you. Or maybe to stick in your drawer for that special something for little people to play with when they come to your house.


* A CD with my daughter, Jasmine, playing on the piano. Again, it's nothing fancy or professional, just a recording we did ourselves and it has to be played on a computer. Mom always took an active interest in the things her grandchildren enjoyed, so it seems fitting to include this in the package.

* Anything else I decide to slip in the cracks!

For a chance at this birthday giveaway, leave me a comment telling something you share with your mom -- a character trait, a physical similarity, likes/dislikes, anything!

And, if your mother is still living, be sure to let her know how much you love her today!

17 comments:

  1. My Mother and I are also the youngest in our families! Mom passed away when I was just 29 and I've never gotten over missing her. There is something special about mother/daughter relationships.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

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  2. I share the love of sewing with my MOM. She loves to sew comfort tops and I sew tee shirt dress' and we donate both to CAM! I love my MOM for all she has done for me supporting our move from PA to ohio, to helping me thru drug with draw when I was wee! You see am adopted!:) Thanks for sharing about your mom and reminding us what a treasure we have and tend to take for granted! Tina

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  3. My mother and I resemble each other in looks though she has fewer white hairs at 76 then I do at 47!

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  4. I was very blessed to share my birthday with Lavina. Missing her today!

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  5. :) Your mom always took up for me when people would say only children are spoiled... even though it happened only a couple of times, I remember her saying that can't be true because Sierra isn't :) haha. Something I shared with my mom is the love of teaching, mentoring, and loving children who other people tend to shy away from... mostly for behavior reasons. She was always amused when I told her stories after a day of teaching or at church in Philly. While she did most of her giving and loving behind the scenes... I know of many young people who benefitted from her love and genuiness.

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  6. Thanks for sharing about your mom. My mom passed away ten months ago at age 65, and this is the first Christmas that I will ever remember without her. She had 5 children and I am the only one of them that favored her with same hair and eye color, the other 4 took after Dad with blue eyes and blonde hair! Nancy Sommers

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  7. Some years ago I sat down at my Mom's old Singer sewing machine to sew her a dress. It was the same machine she had taught me to sew on. While I was sewing, seeing my hands holding the fabric in place grabbed my attention. They looked just like Mom's hands did many years ago when she held the fabric in place for me! -Edna Mast

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  8. Twice recently someone told me I look like my late mother. I considered that a compliment. Maybe starting about the age I am now, Mom used to run out of steam about the time supper was over. I've learned that trying to do things that demand a sharp mind sometimes doesn't work so well for me after supper.

    I wish I was more like she was in some ways--a master pie baker, gardener, etc. She also had the gift of hospitality which she could hardly lay down even when she was hardly able to host people. I would like to develop that gift more.

    LRM

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  9. My mom taught me so many things, cooking, canning, cleaning, and sharing after a meal. She was very strict with us and I really see the wisdom of that. I am the youngest and so was she. And I married a youngest! She is 84 year old and not in very good health. I want make her last years as pleasant as I can. She is the last parent my husband and I have. So it seems very hard to think of not having her with us.

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  10. My mother and I are both second-borns. I've often been told I look like my mother. She has never looked her age, a trait I hope I'll be blessed with! Blessings, Bethany, as you honor your dear mother's memory!
    -Sharon Mast

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  11. My mom and I are both nurses, we both love babies, we both love to garden, and both of us are worn out by being around a lot of people. I think I am very much like my mom.

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  12. We both like to sew and have company. When I was a teenager, I used to think it was terrible if she invited people over short notice. Well, I'm VERY much like that now! And our youngest daughter shares her birthday! I'm so glad you have good memories of your mom! Carmen

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  13. I love that you do this for your mom's b-day! Something I have in common with my mom is her voice - I got it from her! She has been gone for over 20 years now, but I still carry her words with me and I'm pretty sure that my children are hearing her voice through mine! Here is a poem I wrote years ago that tells about her voice:

    My Mother’s Voice


    One part of my anatomy

    I didn’t get by choice,

    But now I’d never do without –

    It’s called My Mother’s Voice.


    This special part is in my head,

    Located by my ear.

    Although my mother’s far away,

    I hear Her Voice quite clear.


    It says, “Be sure to make your bed

    At least by 7:30.”

    “On laundry day get out the bleach

    When dishcloths are grey-dirty.”


    My Mom’s Voice says, “When you have guests,

    You cater to their wishes;

    But when it’s you who is a guest,

    Step up and help with dishes.”


    “The rumpled towel on the bathroom bar

    Instead should hang there straight.”

    “When eating, it’s nice to be able to face

    The design right-side-up on your plate.”


    “The open ends of the pillowcases

    Should be at the edge of the bed.”

    “In all these things have common sense

    And simply use your head.”


    Do you think that it’s by heredity

    A Mom’s Voice comes to be?

    I wonder if my children will

    Inherit one from me!


    ~ Danette Martin

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  14. My Mom and I both enjoy new cookbooks, good food blogs, and trying new recipes, and if I could ever make pies and gravy as good as Mom, I would feel like I had arrived in the cooking dept! I also enjoy sewing like my mom, although it must be admitted that I am nowhere near as particular as she is! Thanks, Bethany, for hosting this give-away in honor of your mother. It's a good reminder not to take my mother for granted, but to let her know I love her!

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  15. What a great way to honor your mom on her BD! My mother has been gone for 21+ years. Not a day goes by yet that I don't think about her;sometimes an "inside joke" I'd like to share with her. People tell me I sound like my mom and that's okay with me.

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  16. Such a neat idea and I to hope to leave a legacy behind that will bring my daughters joy.

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#1. If you leave a comment and it seems to disappear, that's because all comments go straight to my email and I publish them later.
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