Questions to ask yourself when choosing a Mother's Day gift

It seems that no sooner has Valentine’s Day been and gone that the shops are putting up their displays of cards and gifts for Mother’s Day,  the next celebratory day in the calendar.  And one that many of us will be on the lookout for the perfect gift for. 

If you’ve not registered the date yet, it’s the 31st March, and it’s one that we don’t want to miss isn’t it?

Getting our cards and gift choices right for our mum is important, as while we recognise what mums do throughout the year, often we don’t always take the chance to show it.  It’s the one day of the year that getting it right is important, we know that the others are too, but on Mother’s Day and all that it stands for it’s especially important and that’s something the Card Factory can help with, and not just with the perfect card - although there’s plenty of them to choose from!

YOUR CHOICE: MOTHER, MUM OR MUMMY…

FLOWERY, CUTE, CHIC OR FUNNY…

The photos above are just a few of the Mother’s Day cards on display in the relatively new Card Factory shop in Hunstanton, these are just a few - I told you there was plenty of choice…  It’s the first time I’ve been in there, but it might have been there longer than I think as with everything else going on last year, we didn’t get up to Norfolk as much as we’d have liked, or as much as normal.

But it got me thinking, what are the questions we should ask ourselves so that whatever we choose for our mums matches their personality and style.  Your mum might be highly creative, pay attention to detail, feel energised when she’s around other people and regularly helps others in need, dealing with stress well, or more likely displays some of these personality traits on a daily basis, often without a second thought

1. What does your mum want? 

   If you ask her, no doubt, she’ll probably say nothing, unless there’s something she really does want.  In which case, my advice would be, get that.  But even if she says nothing, all is not lost.  Consider her hobbies, is there something that she’s mentioned in conversation lately, could that have been a hint, think back (but not too far).

2. What does your mum deserve?

   Gestures don’t always need to be grand, or expensive.  Thoughtful is always better than lavish. Perhaps it’s the thing that mum mentioned, perhaps it’s something that you’ve made yourself, perhaps it’s something that will make her smile or perhaps it’s something sentimental that reminds her of you.

3. Does it feel right for your mum?

   You know your mum, you know her likes and dislikes, her humour, her hobbies and even her favourite colour, so you’ll know if it feels right for your mum.  Sometimes you’ll find the perfect gift straight away, and other times it takes a little more time, but you know when it’s right, it’s right, and your mum will too.

What other questions or advice/tips would you add to the list?

* This is a collaborative post but as usual, all words, thoughts and images are my own. 

An abundance of alliums

Sssshhhh, it’s almost starting to feel a little spring-like. From my desk I can see daffodils bobbing away in the wind, which at times has been a bit too windy to really be spring, but even so, I’m amazed by the number of people that stop and take a photo of them. Perhaps it’s because they edge a busy road into Greenwich town centre and are unexpected, or perhaps like me people are just welcoming signs of spring.

In my garden my snowdrops are out in full force and while we’re a while away from alliums, when I spotted these photos from my visit to the Chelsea Flower Show last May, I knew it was time to share them here, as a reminder that we will have alliums again in a couple of months.

I can’t help but like alliums. They clamber for our attention, growing on their single tall stems and then burst in a ball of fluffiness. Since I’ve learnt they’ll grow in our garden, I think I’ve liked them even more. I have them planted alongside the patio and if I’m honest it’s not the best soil, or even the deepest but like so many other plants they do their best and I’m grateful for that.

Every year when they start to flower, I remember how striking they are and then wonder why I’ve not bought and planted more. I really should.

Of course in autumn, the last thing I’m thinking about is alliums, but again I really should, as that’s when they need planting.

I’m sure though that I’d be bamboozled by the variety and choice available and if you need a visual representation of how that might look, just look below.

The alliums in the pavilion at Chelsea are always on my route, even if I have to track them down, which honestly isn’t a problem or even that hard. They’re the type of plant that really has impact, even when they’re a little bit haywire, or sputnik-like.

Or it seems, trying to camouflage themselves as thistles, although I do quite like these, what do you think?

Reflecting on my week #70

As it was turning colder I thought I’d look out my fluffy slippers - I know, how rock and roll? But could I find them? And so I’ve come to the conclusion that in a spate of tidiness and uncluttering I’ve got rid of them, that or put them somewhere very safe. But neither of these were good for warming my feet, and so some replacements were sought. They arrived this week, and are quite bright.

BRIGHT, BUT EVERSO TOASTY

As soon as I saw this neon pink and electric blue colour combination I knew they were for me. I’m less sure about the double fluffy pom pom, the two previous iterations had a single pom pom in the centre, but they’re definitely doing the job.

They also reminded me of a dress I once had, which I loved, and was much better than my description of it will be. Bear in mind it was the 1980s and fluorescents were a thing. This dress was these colours, with a diagonal strip of about a centimetre, it had a square neck and buttoned up off centre from the neckline to the hem. I think I bought it in TK Maxx and wore it with bright blue stockings, yes not tights. I had a cerise coat - with shoulder pads (obviously) that I’m sure was also around at the same time. I loved that dress, but I’d forgotten all about it until I saw these slippers. But my, what’s come of me - from a sassy dress, to brightly coloured slippers - oh my days!

But happy memories.

There’s been more post this week to, and the promise of more to come. Our 2017 photo book arrived and it was great to see MOH’s reactions to the photos I’d chosen. One thing that was clear though was that he remembers different details of our trips away; he’ll remember what he ate where, whereas I have no idea what I ate, but I’m much more likely to remember the decor. But the book, like the year, was a big success with us both. Now I need to work on 2016 and 2018, and editing photos from both years - which I’m sure my laptop will approve of.

The post that’s promised is a competition win, which when I received the email I had no idea what the prize was. But looking back it’s a set of Emerald patterned Fat Quarters, which I can’t wait to receive. I’ve no idea what I’ll do with it, but at the moment it seems that every time I’m on Facebook I see another variation of Pat Sloan’s Oh My Stars quilt, so that might be a contender.

Habit tracking

Using the app seems to be working - I’m drinking more water, taking lunches to work more and using it to encourage myself to walk to and from work every day. Which I’ve impressed myself with, especially as my work days this week seem to have been long with quite a few later-than-I-should nights, which in turn has meant little domesticity during the week and a blitz over the weekend.

I think I might also need to set up a new habit to watch some of the many, many episodes of Salvage Hunters we have recorded. It’s a recent discovery, and wow - how did I not know about this show before. We’re both hooked, and just have the 30+ episodes to watch…

And I’ve finally opened the Bendicks Bittermints that somehow got missed at Christmas, be warned, they may not last long - and it’s almost a miracle that they’ve survived this long.