Mother's Day

Did you know that Mother's Day is Sunday? It kind of snuck up on me! I thought it would be fun to take a closer look at Mother's Day-since it started right here in my state!

We all know that Anna Jarvis founded Mother's Day to honor her own mother, Anna Marie Jarvis. The Jarvis' lived at Grafton, WV.



The story goes that Anna's Mother, Mrs. Jarvis, was teaching a Sunday school class on mother's in the bible and ended the class with a small prayer,
"I hope that someone, sometime will found a memorial mothers day commemorating her for the matchless service she renders to humanity in every field of life. She is
entitled to it."

That prayer stuck with Anna and when her mother passed away in 1905 Anna swore that her Mother's prayer would come true.

She started a ceaseless campaign in 1907 to make the holiday a national one. That year, on the anniversary of her mother's death, she went to her mother's church Andrews Methodist Church in Grafton, WV and passed out over 500 white carnations to the mothers at the church, since carnations were Mrs. Jarvis' favorite flower. This turned into the tradition of wearing a white carnation to honor a deceased mother and a red one to honor a living mother.

In 1911, every state of the union of was celebrating Mother's Day, although it didn't become official until 1914 when President Woodrow Wilson made it a National Holiday to be celebrated on the second Sunday of the month of May.

In the end, Anna was sorry for starting the holiday because it had become too commericalized and not what she intended at all.


At my house, the tradition is flowers. I always get my Mom a hanging basket of her favorite flower, tuberous begonias. So what is your Mother's Day traditions? Do you want flowers or jewelry? Or are you like me and just request a day of peace-no bickering or fighting? No laundry that HAS to be done? We want to know.



And for all of the mothers out there-this is for you.

What Are You Reading in May?

Here we are, a whole month later and I've only posted two blog entries since the last one. I am a bad blogger! I was determined to at least get five entries posted in April and fell far short of it. I even had them plotted out in my head, and started one only to get sidetracked by fighting children, barking puppy, and a quarreling hubby. Life, it interfers.

Anyway, here we are at another What Are You Reading? post.

I've been on a re-read spell. Some of my old favorites were needing re-read.

What I just read-A Heart So Wild by Johanna Lindsey
From the back of the book: Courtney Harte is certain her missing father is alive, lost somewhere deep in Indian territory. But she needs a guide to lead her safely through this dangerous, unfamiliar country, someone as wild and unpredictable as the land itself. And that man is the gunslinger they call Chandos.

Courtney fears the enigmatic loner whose dark secrets torture his soul, yet whose eyes, bluer than the frontier sky, enflame the innocent, determined lady with wanton desires. But on the treacherous path they have chosen they have no one to trust but each other-as shared perils to their lives and hearts unleash turbulent, unbridled, passions that only love can tame.

What I am currently reading-Vows by LaVyrle Spencer
From the back of the book:A captivating woman with blue eyes and big dreams, Emily was engaged to a man whose touch left her aching for something more. Tom, the handsome new man in town, was her father's rival in business-and challeneged her heart's destiny with a single, stolen kiss. Whenever they met, sparks flew. Until she showed him how tender she could be-and he showed her how true passion could feel. Until they both realized the importance of taking vows with someone you really, truly love...

What I am reading next-Texas Loving by Leigh Greenwood
From the back of the book:The freedom of the range, the bawling of the longhorns, the lonesome night watch beneath a vast, starry sky-they got into a woman's blood until she knew there was nothing better than the life of a cowgirl...except the love of a good man.

Born and raised on the Broken Circle Ranch, Eden never expected to fall head over heels for the heir to a British earldom. As the youngest of the Maxwell clan, she was used to riding her mustang across the plains, not a carriage through Hyde Park, adn she'd sooner have coffee from a chuck wagon than tea in a society drawing room. But there was one thing London offered that was not to be found in all the Lone Star State: A man who captured her heart and thrilled her senses. Now the only challenge was convincing him to try love, Texas style.

So, as you can tell, there are two older books, both among my favorites and a new one to come. How about you, Readers, what are you reading?