Wednesday, September 30, 2009

Debbie



Debbie, a.k.a. Mom: Silver Leaf Necklace

I'm choosing my mom first because she is the first woman to have really influenced me, and impressed me by the way she lives her life. So let me tell you a little bit about her, and you'll see why:

Recently my mom has moved in with me, my husband, and our 1 year old daughter. Yes, this is a full house. But no, I don't believe I'm crazy. It has been nice having my mom in our home; she helps us out so much! My mom watches my daughter 2 1/2 days a week. She also helps watch other grandkids throughout the week, volunteers at their schools, watches their various sporting events, and celebrates their birthday with a special outing. She works at the Jordan River temple every Friday morning at 5:30 am! She cooks for us almost every night and provides a good political challenge for me and my husband.

My mom is the oldest of 10 children, then had 10 children herself (I'm lucky number 7!). Family is at the center of her life; as I'm sure you've already deduced, there isn't anything she wouldn't do for her family. She has lost two sons, her second child died at 1 1/2, and the brother just younger than me at age 8. I can hardly stand being away from my daughter for a day, how she has dealt with the loss of two speaks wonders of her personal fortitude. She also lost my philandering father about 15 years ago. I love my dad tremendously, but I still think he's a scuz for what he did. Despite these loses, my mom lives a gracious life. She seems truly thankful for her life and her experiences.

My mom works so hard at everything she does. I credit her for teaching me that if you're going to do something, you might as well do it right. I know from things she's said that she doesn't consider herself creative, or particularly talented. I would wholeheartedly disagree. How much creativity does it take to clothe and feed 10 children on a fireman's salary? Or keep them all entertained during summer days and long winters? My mom seems to always have something up her sleeves to go do with her grandkids. And if I ever need an idea on how to do something (like tying leather cord), I can always get an answer from her.

My mom is also a spiritual force to be reckoned with. Sometimes this is amazing, such as when you hear her bear testimony of the things she believes. Other times it can be a bit domineering, like if you disagree with her on something. But I suppose we're all that way when it comes to things we're passionate about.

I think that's a great way to sum up my mom: passionate. Whatever she touches in this life, she will leave her mark, and it will great.



Don't forget to check back tomorrow to see who the second necklace goes to.

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Check Out My Bling!



YES I'M STALLING

So I have several people that I'd like to give a necklace too, and I haven't quite decided for sure who the five will be. I will for sure make a decision tonight and write about them tomorrow though. Unless you'd rather read my giant lizard story?

Alright, so today I'm going to show you the five different necklaces I've purchased to start this out with. I got them at JoAnn Fabrics and I just tied some leather cord to them. My mom showed me how to tie the cord so it can be tightened and loosened depending on long you want it to hang. Thanks mom!


I know, adorable right! These are each made completely of glass. But they are pretty thick, maybe 1/4 inch or so. I've posted larger images of each below. Sorry they're so crappy, I had to use my phone because I couldn't find the cord that connects my camera to my computer.






Yes, I purchased five gorgeous pendants, and tied them lovingly with leather cord. And I'm giving them all away. Man, I'm so generous! ...But wait, what's this? A sixth necklace? Where did this come from?


I couldn't help myself. He was just lying there, looking all tempting. I'm keeping this little charmer for myself. I won't even feel guilty as each of these were only $3.99! I only spent a couple bucks on the leather cord too. So not a bad deal I'd say. Here is a picture of the full necklace with the leather cord.



The two little knots are what allows the length to adjust.

So check back tomorrow to read about the first woman I admire. Well, the first I'm going to tell you about anyway. I'll then post about four more women, and hopefully they'll let me know about when they wear the necklace, and who they passed it onto.

Have an awesome day!

Monday, September 28, 2009

Totally Unrelated

Just an FYFI (for your fashion information) I went to Old Navy this morning and they were having a killer sale. Besides regular things marked down all clearance items were an extra 50% off! It was awesome! It was worth being late to work for because it was like I had first dibbs, nothing had really been picked through yet.

Love it!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

This Is the Beginning



AN INTERESTING STORY:

Earlier this spring a co-worker and I went to a closet sale where Co-worker bought a necklace. The host of the closet sale pulled Co-worker aside and told her about the necklace she purchased:

A friend had given it to her and said she was to only wear it once. Host wore it to a fundraiser gala for breast cancer, of which disease Friend was fighting. Host kept her promise and wore the necklace only once, so she was now passing it on. Friend has since lost the fight.

I don't know what made me think of this the other day but I did. I was thinking of the three women who had already had possesion of the necklace. I thought about their different stories and different lives, all connected by one small, really insignificant thing.

Here are the main things I know about each woman:
Friend- Died from breast cancer
Host- Works at a parks and recreation department, and sold enough clothes from her closet (to benefit the National Ability Center) to fill a small boutique.
Co-worker- Runner and cyclist, she's in love but won't admit it.


MY EXPERIMENT:

So I've decided to start my own necklace, five actually. I'm going to give a necklace to five different women, who I will introduce to you in subsequest posts. My goal is to have them tell me about their experience while wearing the necklace. Whether they went on a date with their husband, maybe something embarassing happened to them at work, or they just managed to keep their kids from killing each other that day. After they've worn the necklace then they'll pass it off to another women, introduce us to her, and so on...

I'm excited to first see if women are interested in even participating in my experiment, but I'm more excited to read about the women who wear each of the necklaces and what happens to them.
Is this a good idea, bad idea? Let me know. You can post here or email fivenecklaces@yahoo.com.

Who knows, you could just be a reader, but maybe you'll end up participating too.

P.S. I'll try to post everyday so check back often.