Remembering Mom and the trinket box...

Remembering Mom...

My sister and I get together regularly and we frequently go for a walk,
followed by a bite to eat and then we do some thrift shopping.

Mom told us, before she passed away,
that she wanted us to make time for each other...
it was her wish
that we both see each other weekly
just as we had done when Mom was alive.

We would all get together for an "outing."

Shop, then go for lunch, tea, or dinner...
it may have been a pot luck at mom's condo or a light meal out in one of Mom's favourite spots...
The Oak Bay Marina or The Oak Bay Beach Hotel.

Mom loved her jewelry and she had a large citrine ring that was designed by local jeweller Tony deGoutiere. Mom wore this ring a lot...it was a "signature piece" not unlike her opera length baroque pearl necklace that Dad had given her one Christmas.

My sister was given the ring by mom...my sister had it made into a pendant as she felt the stone was "too big" for her hands.

I cannot remember if I wrote,
that Mother,
before she went into Hospice,
asked us to go to her bedroom and get her jewel box?

She had us sit close to her chair in her living room and she alternately handed us an item from her jewellery collection until only costume pieces remained...
she said we could do "whatever we wanted" with them.
Some we kept, some we gave to family, and others we donated to charity.

My sister and I cried throughout the entire process...
we weren't really "ready" for this...and today as I look back,
I cannot help but think how much strength it must have taken Mom to do this...
she did not cry.

Mom was a very determined woman, a no nonsense kind of gal,
whose years of nursing had helped her come to terms with her cancer diagnosis and prepare her for death.

I miss mom,
I think of her fondly...everyday....many times in a day.

So when this wee trinket box caught my eye...
I knew at once I had to buy it.
The stone reminds me of the ring...

 Mother's Day 

is going to come and go

the second one without Mom.

Memories will keep me company.

 I will wear some of Mom's jewels

on Sunday in her honour.

Hope that you have a lovely Mother's Day!

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Birthday #63, the anniversary of Mother's demise...same day as it happens...

I had a rocky start to my birthday on March the 3rd...

coffee and cats were involved.

One of the cats knocked over the cactus in the bathroom and ripped all the leaves off of the plant...

it was Mom's cactus.

It is now in the compost.

The other cat "messed" 

on the carpet downstairs 

so I had to haul out the cleaner and wash the rug.

By that time I was REALLY ready for my morning coffee...

the espresso machine had other ideas!

It was not working.

My husband kindly offered to go out and buy me a latte...

bless his heart.

But after three tries, and a few cuss words

(I do not usually swear)

 I was able to make a cup.

I sat in my chair in the living room and thought about Mom.

I recalled the events of her last day with great detail...

I relived the feelings that I felt on that day.

A few salty tears rolled down my cheeks

 I spoke with friends on the telephone.

I wasn't sure 

if I would be able to go out of the house...

But I managed to pull myself together.

 leisurely showered 

got dressed.

On the agenda

shopping and lunch with my husband.

After lunch 

we went to Black Goat Cashmere on Government Street 

where I tried on a few sweaters...

In the dressing room...stripes are the theme.

OOTD

Saint James Top

Black Calvin Klein skinny ponte knit pants.

(see the black goats on the curtain)

My husband bought me the most luxurious cashmere sweater

it is really a jacket...

the cost of which,

 was, well, a wee bit more than I thought

let's just say that it is an investment piece and will be a workhorse in my wardrobe...

like so many other classics it will never date.

I am so happy with it and I know I will wear it often.

Flowers wired from our dear friends in France.

Here's the sweater...

thick cashmere and oh SO SO SOFT!

The silhouette is loose and the coat has a "swing style."

I wore it to the grocery store when the temperature was 6 degrees and was so very cozy and warm!

You can button up the collar or leave it open...its like a built in scarf!

This is going to be my "go to" sweater for the foreseeable future...

I have mom's grey cashmere waterfall sweater and the black V neck cashmere that I received from my husband for Christmas...

I do not own any other sweaters.

Chester likes playing in the bag.

Fast forward...

Besides writing this post 

I managed to wash the love seat slipcovers

 the bathroom towels

iron the linen

meet a friend for lunch

take mom's income tax stuff to the accountant 

(for the last time)

buy a roller ball of lavender essential oil for better sleep

(I swear by this stuff now...)

buy a big ball of Bernat cotton yarn that I will knit into dishcloths

run and empty the dishwasher

make a salad to go with our dinner

read a few chapters in my current book.

So enough about my day...

how are you doing and what is new?

~ Be Well and Be Kind ~

Week three...being proactive by getting back into healthy routines.

What I kept...

Going through Mom's things took time as we did not want to rush the process...
there were a few surprises, but for the most part, it was what we might have expected from an organized woman
whose attention to detail was evident in everything she touched.

My sister and I donated most of her clothes...
I saved a grey cashmere sweater and have been wearing it most days.
It feels like a cozy warm hug...
it is as if mom has her arms firmly wrapped around me.

I also brought home some small red spatulas...the kind that one uses when scraping out the last of the mayonnaise or mustard out of a small jar. I don't know what moved me to keep them but they are a practical tool that I will use regularly and take up very little room in our small bungalow.

I kept her recipes in the vintage recipe box.

One afternoon in the coming week I will make a pot of tea and peruse her collection.

It could be like a trip back in time...

she had a large repertoire 

that ran the gamut 

from jello whips to apple pie and meat loaf.

                             Mom had oodles and oodles of knick knacks!
     She wrote a note that specified she was leaving me her antique Maling bowl...

                a blue and white porcelain plant pot finds a new home here
                                   

Mom's condo is listed on the market.

I'll miss sitting on the deck with mom sharing a chat and a cup of tea.

There will be so many things that I will miss...

our telephone calls

walks

shopping trips

laughter

these memories will help to comfort me

 The Humble Bungalow is scented with the heady fragrance of lilies.

(I remove the stamens as they stain everything)

On the horizon...

I plan to return to the practise of Yoga

 am looking at local studios and their schedules.

It really helps with relaxation and I feel energized after the sessions.

Walking is back in my daily routine but having been away from it for almost a month my muscles were reminding me of that saying...

"use it or lose it!"

Thankfully bath salts and soaking in the tub have been helping.

I've got the urge to buy something bright and colourful.

My wardrobe of greys and black feels like it could use a punch of colour.

I haven't felt like shopping in quite some time and this might just well be what they call "retail therapy!"

The days are getting lighter

there is birdsong outside the window

spring flowers are emerging

 simple joys

one delights in

that can temper the sadness

 enfold one in a firm embrace

almost as cozy 

as Mom's cashmere sweater...

There is a sense of relief after these busy few weeks.

The pace has slowed and I was able to indulge in a few quiet days

that were spent at home

getting domestics under control

teas and cafe cremes were sipped 

while gazing out the windows

and

flipping through several French magazines

Cote Sud and Campagne Decoration.

Speaking of France...

I have been wearing the samples that I ordered from the new musc collection

by 

 Sylvaine Delacoutre

The Dovana scent is lovely and may be the fragrance that I order

it has notes of iris, neroli, vanilla, and ambrette.

You might like them too.

I am not affiliated with Sylvaine and have received no remuneration for this mention.

Her website is here.

Hope that your weekend is ticking along nicely.

Thank you for stopping by...

XO