This month, I’m joining Kenzie at Chasing Happy for “The Thankful Project” ~ 28 days of expressing gratitude in our lives! I love this idea.

I hope you’ll start counting your blessings with me. I’ll aim for “Short & Sweet” posts (& lotsa pictures), but there is no stinkin way I can condense today’s post [about a person I’m thankful for]. So bear with me ~ I’m starting with a bang! 🙂

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Nov. 1 | I’m Thankful For – My Mom

Many people have impacted my life, but the one who’s shaped it most would have to be my mother, Darlene! I know we all think our moms hung the moon, but mine actually did 🙂

She has MANY outstanding qualities, but here are my Top 5 Favorite Things About Her:

1} Beauty, Brains, & “Brawn”

[OK technically this is 3 things, but I couldn’t pick just 1!]. Growing up, people called her “Barbie & Martha Stewart rolled into one” ~ and that she is. Not only is she beautiful, tall, blonde & blue-eyed, but she’s one of the hardest-working women I’ve EVER seen!

I used to think every woman worked so hard (and honestly, many women do!), but as I grew up, I realized what a special woman she is. “She surpasses them all” in her daily tasks & goes above-and-beyond every time.

She rises early for coffee & devo time, then she’s up & at ’em! All day everyday she cleans, cooks (wonderfully!), laundries, and takes care of others before herself. No task is too small for Darlene to tackle.

When I picture my mom, she’s in motion: Standing up, vacuuming, sewing, decorating, polishing silver, jumping up from the dinner table for the upteenth time to grab something for us… She even used to tape her favorite soap opera so she could fast-forward through the commercials & iron as she watched. (If only DVR’s had been invented then…)

My mom is what I call a “Beautifier”. She knows how to make beauty out of things beaten with the ugly stick (& so she did with me lol)!! Magic, that’s what she does. You have only to visit her house to see what I mean. This lady turns the ordinary into something lovely every time. I wish she lived nearby to help out my homemaking-challenged self! She did all the flowers & arrangements at my wedding (with some help from other creative ladies) — incredible!

But don’t let her good looks & happy demeanor fool you: She’s VERY smart & competent. This lady can balance a budget better than most accountants! In fact, she was the bookkeeper & office manager for my dad’s business for years, & his company is much better off for it.

2} Loves & Fears God 

My mom’s best attribute isn’t her work ethic, though. She says her role model as a wife was none other than the Proverbs 31 woman. When she was first married, she read this passage DAILY & prayed God would make her into such a woman.

[Um, I think He heard her.]

The last few verses of Proverbs 31 say it all:

Her children rise up and call her blessed;
her husband also, and he praises her:

‘Many women have done excellently,
but you surpass them all.’

Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain,
but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.

Give her of the fruit of her hands,
and let her works praise her in the gates.

3} Happy & Amazingly Creative! 

Yes, she is a worker bee, but she’s also supremely crafty (SERIOUSLY – she makes doll houses, curtains, nursery linens, prom dresses, ornate Halloween costumes, bathing suits… & did I mention her cooking?). Her creativity is incredible!

You’d imagine such a busy woman would be a lil grumpy, but you’d be wrong! My mom is a very happy, positive woman. One of the things I admire most about her is her great attitude & outlook on life: She’s been through so much, yet you’d never know it because she radiates joy every day (& more as she gets older).

She doesn’t focus on the negative for long, and she’s encouraged me to do the same {still working on that}. Bouncing back from life’s trials has to be one of the best traits a person can have because many things don’t go according to plan. My mom (and dad) have this trait in spades.

People are drawn to them because they’re always looking forward to possibilities, new opportunities, adventures (let me tell you, my mom is QUITE the adventurer!), and the like. They don’t dwell on the past or their problems.

4} Incredible Wife!!!

Good grief ~ I think my mom wrote the book on being a great wife! Whenever I consider ways I can bless my husband, I have only to look at my own mother. She has it going on.

Growing up, my sister & I learned how we should be treated by men through my mom: Let them pursue you (no boy chasing!), don’t sit on their laps, don’t go in their rooms, etc. She taught us how to be ladies & value ourselves, while also enjoying makeup & cute clothes & lots of girlie things.

Now as a wife, I find myself often referring back to the lessons my mom taught me. I “innately” know how to treat Brian (my hubby) because of her example. She lived it daily in front of my eyes – including how to submit to & respect your man (even when you disagree with him). Brian owes much thanks to her 🙂

5} Loves Her Kids & Grandkids 

In between being Wonder Woman / Wife Extraordinaire, my mom makes time to invest in her kids. She’s spent many hours talking (or pretending to listen? haha) to us on the phone, on long car rides, or when we were hurting. She is our biggest cheerleader & the first person there for us when we call.

And, with all due respect to your grandma, I’m pretty convinced no one can touch Bam’s status in the heart of her grandkids. I believe she sneaks them lollipops & cookies when no one’s looking because my nieces & nephews ADORE her!

This woman has groupies – in the form of 7 fun, energetic little people. She gets mobbed when she walks in the door. They cry for her when they’re sad [again with the cookies!]. She lulls them to sleep with her magic Bam tricks.

I don’t know how she does it, especially after raising the 4 of us, but she seems to have endless energy to devote to the next generation – & she does it all with a smile on her face. I can’t wait to see her love on our future kiddies, too. They may not wanna come home!

So thank you, Mom! I love you & am so thankful to have you as my mother! 🙂
Love, Summer