Things my mother taught me

Common Courtesies - Even among the members of your own family, don't make the mistake of assuming that you can be late without phoning ahead, or that you can borrow something without asking. Also, Never arrive home with a treat unless you have more spare to share around.

Things My Mother Taught Me

To do things to the best of my ability -
"If you are going to do a job, do it properly"!

Things my mother taught me

I usually share things that have been passed on to me from my own mother but as my husbands mother passed away just 4 days ago I thought I'd ask him to what he believed was the most important thing she had taught him. He didn't hesitate in saying - that

"people are different"

- my husband lives by this moto of tollerance & I try to ascribe to it when I can. Thank you Vilai for instilling this virtue in my husband, you will be dearly missed.

Things my mother taught me

The healing power of the sun - to this day my parents will not allow me to sleep in - even when I am on holidays. When I was living with my parents my mother would enter my bedroom in the morning, throw open the curtains & start singing: "Let the sun shine in, face it with a grin. Smilers never lose & frowners never win"...." so open up your heart & let the sun shine in." Now that I'm an adult l can appreciate the benefit of exposure to sunlight & know of the many healing properties of the sun - of how light therapy can be used to combat depression; how it can also help fight bacteria & fungus & how it is essential for the body to synthesize vitamin D. Almost every living thing needs a little sunshine.

Things my mother taught me

To be upfront and to not play with peoples emotions. To never scheme or invent drama just to keep your life "exciting" or to "keep a man on his toes"- for he will soon tire of you, as will others. Games are meant for little children.

"Never idealise others. They will never live up to your expectations. Don't over analyse your relationships.
Stop playing games.

A growing relationship can only be nurtured by genuineness"

- Leo F. Buscaglia -

Things my mother taught me

To give of my time & my money to causes that I believe in & am passionate about. For my mother this has included working with young mothers - teaching them to sew & looking after their children at "playtime" and also the sponsoring of overseas missionaries. I still remember how excited my mum became when she & her friends had raised enough money to purchase a motorcycle for a young minister from the Phillipines. Thank you mum for fostering a spirit of Charity within me.

Things My Mother Taught Me

To take care of my belongings;
to not be wasteful.

As a little girl I remember bathing my dolls
and grooming them carefully,
I would dust down my ornaments
and wipe them gently clean.

I have been able to pass on
a few of my old toys to my daughter
(she finds much pleasure in them,
they are like a museum of my
childhood to her- little connections

to her Mother's world)
and I have kept a few for myself.

My Mother was also
able to pass down to me
the only doll she ever owned.
As a child I felt sad that my Mother

only ever owned one doll; for I
lived in a world of plenty and
could not imagine how I would
feel owning only one doll.
I named the doll after my Mother,

Desley Josephine.

Desley Josephine was an example
to me of my Mother's success
in taking good care of her belongings -
this made me want to look after my many dolls.
I still own this precious old doll,
which My Aunt Norma Jean
bought for Mother in the 1950's.
~

Things My Mother Taught Me

To Love
To Laugh
To Dream
To Cook
To Sew
To Knit
To Tinker
To Garden
~

Things my mother taught me

Creamy potato mash - the best mashed potatoes you'll ever have - guaranteed!

1kg of pink eye potatoes
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup grated cheddar cheese
1 large knob of butter
& extra salt (for boiling)

Peel the potatoes, cut into pieces & place in pan of salted boiling water. Boil for about 10-15 minutes (until tender & cooked through). Drain off all the water and then add remaining ingredients & mash together until creamy & smooth with no lumps.

serves 4 - Enjoy!

Things my mother taught me

To never hate, it takes so much energy to hate someone or something. When we chose to hate we become angry, bitter & hostile.

Things My Mother Taught Me

To Always...
Be honest;
Embrace the feelings of my heart completely;
Be brave when it comes to the matters of the heart;
Stand up for my beliefs;
Not cave in to peer pressure and passing fades;
Listen to my inner voice.

Things my mother taught me

Those old world manners, which have served me well in life but have also been the cause of bitter disappointment with fellow mankind.

Things my mother taught me

To treat others as you yourself wish to be treated. If you want respect, be respectful. If you want kindness, be kind.

I have made a ceaseless effort not to ridicule, not to bewail, not to scorn human actions, but to understand them.

-SPINOZA-

Things my mother taught me

With Christmas time approaching what better excuse do you need to get in the kitchen & do some baking. Rum balls are one of my favourite treats at Christmas and they are so easy to make - you simply can't go wrong & they taste GREAT!

Ingredients:

400g condensed milk
225g crushed sweet biscuits
1 cup coconut
1 ½ cups cocoa
60 mls of rum (or to taste)
1 cup chopped raisins

& extra coconut to roll

Mix all ingredients together, roll into balls & then roll in coconut - leave in fridge to harden. Package them up in noodle boxes & give them to a neighbour or a friend, but don't forget to tell them about the rum!

Things my mother taught me

Never go to bed with anger in your heart. If you have quarelled with someone say sorry even if you believe you are in the right - winning an argument may bring you short term satisfaction but will not lead to any lasting happiness or reward.

Things my mother taught me

From an early age my mother taught me of the reality of marriage, that for a relationship to last you have to be willing to do two things - to forgive & to compromise. My parents have been married for 45 years, have had their ups & downs but are closer now than ever.

"Love is an ideal thing. Marriage is a real thing."

-GOETHE-

Things My Mother Taught Me

To be polite, very polite: listen when I am spoken to, say hello and goodbye to guests, excuse myself from a conversation if needed, wait patiently for others and never cause a fuss.

Things my mother taught me

To never be tardy & always be on time, if not a little early - with everything!

"People count the faults of those who keep them waiting"

-French proverb-

Things my mother taught me

Natural skin exfoliation is part of any good skin care regime. Regular use of an Exfoliant helps to keep your skin looking and feeling younger, smoother and healthier. Here is an exfoliant that you can whip up in seconds using ingredients from your kitchen cupboard.

my mother's recipe:
2 tablespoons of baking soda
2 tablesppons of oatmeal

& honey to form a paste - add a little water & you have your first application. If you don't fancy getting sticky you can always use
sorboline cream/lotion to form the paste (I use Cetaphil cleanser)

massage gently over face & neck & it's great for your hands as well!

I always make just enough for one application because it is so easy to do & that way it is always fresh too!

ENJOY!

Things my mother taught me

To match my lipstick with my outfit -

I remember being about five when my Mother first put lipstick on me for a special party - a very soft pink, close to my natural lip colour. I remember feeling the creamy texture and my Mother saying, "Now rub your lips together to make the colour sit just right".

When I was 15 my Mother took me to the cosmetics floor of a major department store and introduced me to the many collections of beautiful lipsticks - I was allowed to pick one to take home. My selection was Rasberry Glace by Clinique. My Mother continued to indulge me in all things cosmetic and taught me how to mix the lipstick palette to get just the right shade to match my outfits!

The way to do this:

1. Paint your lips with one coat of lipstick, the closest in colour to your frock as you can find!

2. Choose the next colour from your collection that will add just the right shade of colour to tint the first coat of lipstick to match your outfit perfectly - add a second coat using this shade. Sometimes a third colour is needed to achieve the desired shade - simply add a third coat!

3. To look extra dashing, finish with a top coat of clear gloss.

4. Remember to rub your lips together to mix the colour and smooth your lipstick across your lips to make it sit just right!

These days I can pop on my lipstick without looking, own far too many shades and consider this my favourite cosmetic of all time.