Show Mom how much you love her!
With Mother’s day approaching, our siblings have a tradition for our mom. A fresh spring cleaning and redo of her front porch! Kathy and I do all the work and Jennifer (Show Me Decorating San Antonio team) and Tim (our talented,woodworking, welding brother in Amarillo) participate by helping pay for all the goodies! We plant beautiful new flowers in her pots and front flower beds! We love to give her a great 1st Impression! Mom always tells everyone that she gave us all her creative talents. While she really does not lack for creativity, she is very happy to let her girls take over and do! We are truly the creative, independent, business women we are today because she always let us, encouraged us and allowed us to create, experiment, paint, wallpaper and redo our home as we grew up! So mom, this one is for you! Happy Mother’s Day!
“Finished” Front porch
Mom’s front porch “before”
Pots “before”
Lisa Frost Flowers and Butterfly banner was our inspiration
The front porch loaded with all the plants, pots and new doormat, let the work begin!
New light fixture is installed
When we assed the porch, we discovered that the current light fixture was too small and not the right proportion. Thank goodness Mark was on hand to assist with the electrical! We also took in to consideration when purchasing and planning the pots and plants, the sunlight that the porch receives. Hint “look at houses that face the direction yours does and duplicate the plants that are thriving. With our drought, the pots and flower beds closet to the front door are priority for color and impact. These can easily be maintained with hand watering. ( I collect water in containers in my shower to keep my entry beds watered)
Ceramic pots are easy to maintain and do not allow the hard water residue to collect on the outside of the pot as do the clay pots
Knock out Roses, geraniums, petunias and moss rose have been hits for this front porch. We matched the pots to the Lisa Frost Flowers and Butterfly banner and complimented them with flowers in red, yellow and purple.
A Knock out Rose was planted to the right of the doorway for color and balance with the other side.
The Texas A&M stepping stone matches the burgundy pots and shutters and adds interest to the flower bed. For more information on the Knock Out Roses, check out P. Allen Smith article on growing Knock Out® Roses.
We purchased our supplies with one trip to @Lowes!
The new porch light looks perfect and now to add a bench with pillows for comfort and color. We like to treat the front porch as a small outside room. Mom and Dad can enjoy their morning coffee or watch the grandkids play basketball!
Iron Bench adds seating and completes the outdoor room
Happy Mother’s Day!
Kathy made 1 final trip to @Hobby Lobby to find the perfect bench and pillows to complete our outdoor porch makeover! The butterfly garden stake is a compliment to our Lisa Frost Flowers and Butterfly banner! Come and enjoy a cup of coffee!
MOTHER’S DAY CONTEST
For your chance to win a lisA fRosT banner, leave a comment below about what your mom has taught you. Share with your friends for more chances to win! Drawing will be held on May 1, 2013 with a random drawing!
Winner get’s to pick a banner for their mom or for themselves…
ENTER NOW BY COMMENTING BELOW-WHAT DID YOUR MOM TEACH YOU!
Tips:
top 10 ideas for creating a great 1st Impression!
Clean and trim up the yard, trees and flowerbeds, keep well maintained.
Spruce up the front door with a fresh coat of paint.
replace the door’s hardware and kick plate
replace worn light fixtures and update with a finish that matches new hardware
Place a new welcome mat at the front door
pots of flowers or plants
clean your windows to sparkle and shine
place new house numbers in clear sight
enjoy!
Happy decorating Y’all,
Becky and Kathy
Show Me Decorating 
My mom is the best!!! She has taught me to never giveup on my dreams! I have been going to college on and off for 20yrs and I finally graduated!! I would not have been able to do it without her support!! SHe has taught me to take pride in what I do and to take nothing for granted!! I love her!!
My Mother taught me that her love was unconditional. She loved me no matter what! It was not dependent on the good or bad choices I made on a particular day. She just loved me and demonstrated that love in so many ways.
Her love was not dependent on how tired she was. When I was growing up, my mom was a Southwestern Bell Telephone operator. She worked very long and late hours. She was never too tired to spend time with me looking over my homework, reading to me and letting me know she loved me.
She taught me how to cook and how to use meals as an expression of my love for my family. I remember sitting on a stool by the kitchen counter helping my mother make meatballs, oatmeal raisin cookies, pancakes, meatloaves, and many other dishes. I still have that love of cooking for my family and others today. She also showed me how taking a meal to a family in need could be a blessing.
Most importantly, my Mother lived (and still lives) out her faith in God. She and my Dad taught me to pray, read the Bible to me and lived according to the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness and self-control. Through their example I came to know Christ at a young age and I am forever grateful.
My mom never let me leave the house without cleaning my room. She has called me home from a friends house to clean up.
Beautiful porch! Such a wonderful gift! My mom taught me to love everyone for who they are! Happy Mother’s Day, ladies!
Jennifer
Wonderful idea for Mother’s Day! Learned from my mother “Quality over quantity – always.”
Beautiful banners, love the flowers! I learned from my mom endurance and courage to keep going no matter what…she also taught me to NEVER leave the house without your make-up….!!! lol
My mom taught me how to cook and how to love one another and most of all how to be a good mommy to my newborn daughter! This mothers day will be my first!
My mom taught me how to make holidays special by creating a theme for dinner, decorating on that theme, making yummy foods and desserts and putting out the best crystal and china. Than we would all dress up and laugh and eat and joke. I still remember sipping Shirley Temples at age 7 in our formal dining room on holidays with my 6 brothers and sisters who are now scattered all over the country. We all still cook the same foods at holiday times and we all love to celebrate and make traditions our mom had and pass them down to our kids, and now watch our kids do the same with our grandkids. It is very rewarding to get a Mother’s Day card from your strong, silent type son, that says, “Mom, thanks for always teaching us to find the fun”. sniff…
My mum taught me everything she knew. She gave the most unconditional love and would give the shirt off her back for a stranger. She made every birthday and holiday very special there was never an event we didn’t celebrate. My mum was extremely talented in so many areas but one of my favorites was her ability to cook, bake and teach. She loved to share her knowledge of cooking and because of her I am also a very good in the kitchen. I even went to the extreme and catered my own wedding for 70 people that went off without any issues. Whenever someone we knew was in trouble or needed help my mum was there she would open her home up to my friends that needed help or support and today I do the same. I am very much my mother we’re like two peas in a pod she was my best friend and I could tell her anything without ever being judged. I never had children of my own but if I did I would not change anything about the way I was raised and carry on my mum’s tradition. Unfortunately, she passed away 7 years ago on New Year’s Eve but she is in my heart forever and I am reminded of her daily by the actions I take. I was given a blue butterfly that was seeds to plant in her memory so whenever I see a butterfly I am reminded of my mum and therefore I would pick the banner with the blue butterfly in her memory.
My Mom taught me that God is above all and family comes next. She taught me committment in all you do – especially marriage. She believed in hugs and kisses – treating others as you want to be treated – honesty – cleanliness – how to be sentimental- how to make the most of what you have and what you are – She taught me that “everything is God’s will” – Mom lived a long full life and I miss her terribly – but by her example I know I will see her again!
It’s difficult to think of what my mom taught me, because she simply taught me SO much! Some things she taught me that I really enjoy doing as an adult are crafting and baking. Mom majored in Home Economics in college, and she was an excellent cook and baker. I didn’t inherit her love of cooking, unfortunately, but I sure do enjoy baking. She taught me how to follow a recipe, how do to both simple things like creaming butter and sugar and more complex things such as boiling sugars in making candy, and how to take advantage of fresh, seasonal fruits in baking. She gave me a treasure-trove of recipes from her many aunts and cousins, and, of course, her mother for me to use. Secondly, Mom was an avid crafter, experimenting with many different types of crafts. She attempted to teach me how to sew (which wasn’t too successful), and she sewed all my clothes when I was young. She taught me crewel, needlepoint, crochet, and knitting. She helped me follow directions on many store-bought crafting kits when I was a child, as I tried different techniques (yes, we tried those very painful Christmas ornaments using styrofoam, pins, and sequins… time-consuming and tedious!). I have settled, these days, on scrapbooking, cardmaking, and papercrafting, while Mom enjoys quilting, knitting, and sewing. I am thankful for Mom and the MANY skills she has taught me! Thanks for the opportunity to write about this… brings back lots of fun memories and an appreciation for my mom:)
My mother taught me how to love, she did this by showing me.
She has always been a kind and supportive mother, and now that I have a 4 and 5 yr old myself, I strive daily to show them how much they are loved. I also show my children how much I support them in all the things they do.
My mother taught us to make birthdays and holidays special. If we don’t decorate and celebrate each other, then we lose the special. Thank goodness our whole family knows the importance of our Mother’s specialness.
My mother and my grandmother taught me so much throughout life that it is impossible to pinpoint one answer. I think that all of those little life lessons and words of wisdom intertwined with love and faith to give me the strength that I needed to get to this place in my life. The lessons have not always been pleasant, the outcomes were oftentimes painful, but through them all, I gained invaluable strength and comittment that allows me to not be discouraged and give up on myself and others. As I walk through my days without my mother, my grandmother and even my own daughter, I am not haunted by who is not here with me, but I am blessed by the memory of their voices, their laughter. I welcome the future, embrace the present and respect the past, realizing that all of their gifts in my life have lead me to this place that I am today.
My mom, bless her soul, is no longer with me. However, you never forget what you mother taught you. My mom loved flowers, anything bright. One of my favorite memories is with my brother. We were about 5 and 10. A small nursery opened down the road from our house and we walked there and picked out several little pots of bright flowers and took them home to mother. My mothers favorite saying was “cleanliness was next to Godliness”. And she meant our bodies, conversation, the house inside and out. I could use use a mop and broom at a very yound age. She was special and I still miss her.
Lona
My Mom taught me to be a strong independent woman. Love of God, family, country and life. Her mantra was the “Golden Rule”. She was always there for me and encouraged me in every challenge. She was artistic and creative, encouraging me to enjoy the same. I have wonderful memories , she made everyday special!
My mom taught me just because you might be poor, you don’t have to be dirty.
My Grandmother was the one who taught me the most, she lived on a dirt farm in Muleshoe, TX. I always was so happy and excited to go visit and stay with her. She has a beautiful yard with soft, green grass and lost of vivid, colorful flowers. She taught me how to garden, cook and sew. She raised 13 children on as close to nothing as you could get. I was married with a child of my own before I realized how poor my grandparents were actually, they always seem so rich. They were happy and used what they had and made do. I miss her everyday and I’m still amazed that no matter how many came to visit at Christmas or another holiday, she always made you feel like you were so special and that she was so happy to see you, even though she had 75 other people at her house, (she did have 13 children, 75 grandchildren).
Long ago, when I was about in eighth grade, I asked my mother what she’d think if I started smoking. She thought for a minute and replied: “I’d think you were crazy”. Those few words stayed with me; am happy to report I never became a smoker!