Order, Comfort, Style & Joy
How DearBook can help
Our first "spotlight," I am sharing how my mom, Mary Belle, has brought order, comfort, style and joy to life, and how she uses DearBook. (DearBook is not just for moms with kids still in the home! It's just as helpful for grandparents to organize and record. These memories made are priceless and I feel it's so important to keep them regardless of what stage of life you are in.)
Order:
Mom has become more organized thanks in part to a favorite concept she learned in Stephen Covey's Seven Habits of Highly Effective People. A quote from Covey's book says, "To begin with the end in mind means to start with a clear understanding of your destination. It means to know where you're going so that you better understand where you are now and so that the steps you take are always in the right direction." Mom uses this for the smaller stuff in life (throwing a party, packing for a trip) and the bigger things. When planning a dinner party, she thinks of how she would like it to unfold in the end and then works backwards.
DearBook helps Mom stay organized when thinking of gifts for others. It makes Christmas shopping much easier - every time she thinks of something someone else would like, she jots it down or tears out a page in a catalog and keeps it in her DB. Mom also keeps special notes from her grandkids, Christmas pictures from friends and even obituaries of those who were close to the family. I've even seen Dad say, "Here Mary Belle, put this in the DearBook." It becomes an automatic place to keep all the special stuff that previously had no specific place to be kept.
And, when using DearBook, Mom plans in pencil and records in ink!
Comfort:
Mom (and Dad agrees, too) says her best advice when entertaining is to think about the comfort of your guests. They always make people feel welcome, and this carries over to how they treat everyone, regardless of whether or not they are "entertaining."
Traditions were a big part of our lives growing up, and these created such comforting feelings. Just to name a few: Mom would serve strawberry shortcake for breakfast on Valentine's Day. In anticipation of Easter, she makes a sugarplum tree and has an egg hunt which my sister and I, along with our husbands, still participate in. It gets quite competitive!
My parents lived with my grandmother for several years, and when it was really cold, Mom would her mother's nightgown and slippers in the dryer to warm them up for her. (When Mom was little, on cold nights her mother would wrap her children's feet with a small blanket warmed by the fire. This was before central heat!)
And, something she has done for my family was to surprise us with a delicious lunch for our long trip back to Florida: chicken salad sandwiches on good bread, chips, fruit, tea with lemon and mint, and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies. We loved it and still remember it!
Mom is great with details, the little things which are often what are remembered most.
Style:
Some of Mom's style tips: Mom has me hooked on Le Pens, which can be found in stationary and art stores. They are perfect for writing notes to people or addressing envelopes for invitations. (She also likes picking special stamps for invitations.) Choose an ink color that coordinates with the stationary or invitation. The pens are inexpensive which makes it easy to build a collection of different shades. (DB tip: You can also use different colors when writing in your DearBook.)
Over the years, Mom has enjoyed building a collection of entertaining supplies including a few sets of china, different colors of linen napkins (sometimes she'll use a different color at each place setting), tablecloths, placemats, glasses, candles and lots of other seasonal pieces. And she doesn't just use them for special occasions! (One of mom's quotes: "Life is short. Use your silver.")
Mom has fun thinking about how she's going to set a table, and she sets it a few days before the event so it can be tweaked if needed. For a dinner party next weekend, she's thinking of using white (tablecloth and Nantucket china), gold (napkin rings and chargers), and green (napkins and glasses). With a green plant as a centerpiece, it should look great!
When shopping, Mom is always reminding us to buy something you'll keep forever, don't just buy to quickly fill a space or because of the price. Look for quality. And something I love is my parents move things around a lot. They'll try different furniture and accessory arrangements. They would let me change my room around when I was little, which I do with my boys now.
Joy:
In the upstairs bathroom at their house, done mostly in black and white, Mom bought towels in red, green, blue, purple, and orange and had each member of our family's first names stitched on them. Each is hanging on its own towel hook - they look great, help us keep our towels straight, and make us feel pretty special. And when Emily and Reed got married the other week, she had a pair made for the bath they use.
One of our favorite recipes of Mom's (This one came from her friend and neighbor, Sarah Ramage):
Breakfast Casserole:
6 eggs
2 cups milk
6 pieces of bread, torn in pieces
1 lb. sausage, cooked (we use Jimmy Dean's hot sausage)
2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
In a 9 x 13 greased dish, place bread and sausage on bottom of pan. Pour milk and egg mixture on top. Let sit overnight. Before baking, sprinkle with cheese and bake at 350 degrees for 30 - 45 minutes. Great with grits, fruit, biscuits. This recipe works great when having overnight guests.
Some of Mom's favorite books: The Mitford Series, by Jan Karon; Miss Julia Series, by Ann B. Ross; An Affair with a House, by Bunny Williams; and she loves the catalog, Wisteria. Other things that bring Mom joy: simple things like her dogs, cats, feeding the birds, and looking through home interior magazines.
