Mother's Day and Sugar Scrub

I'm at home with a sick girl today so I thought I'd write a "little" post about Mother's Day.  I know, I know, Mother's Day was a few weeks ago but it really seems to be the trend that I write about things that happened 2 weeks ago.

So here goes!

Let me start with the fact that I totally missed teacher appreciation day at school.  I don't know how that happened but I guess I had my focus elsewhere that week.  So I decided that I would make some lemon sugar scrub for the teachers, my Mom and MIL for Mother's Day.  This actually worked out well and the girls took the gifts to their teachers on the Monday after Mother's Day. Not too late!  Adrianna helped me make the sugar scrub and I failed to get pictures of her doing that.  Another example of my absent mindedness.  But here are the finished products!

Don't they look pretty!

I got the sugar scrub idea from Pinterest.  I have pinned several different versions of the sugar scrub but didn't follow any one version by exact directions.  The ingredients I used were:  Sugar, Olive Oil, and lemon juice.  I started by measuring ingredients but found that I needed way more sugar than called for.  I ended up filling the jar up to about an inch from the top with sugar then adding olive oil (again, no measuring) and about 2 Tbsp of lemon juice.  I basically went by looking for the consistency I wanted and feel.  Adrianna's job was to stir it up then we put the top on and tied some twine around it.  We had so much fun making these that we made 3 more for the ladies that I work with for Mother's Day gifts for them.

If you want to see the sugar scrub versions I went by from Pinterest, you can click my "Follow me on Pinterest" button to the right.  I think I pinned all of the sugar scrub ideas to my "make" board.

For my Mom, I decided that I would make her a set of 8 cotton dinner napkins and embroider something pretty on them.  I decided on a Celtic knot "S" for her last name.  I started by cutting my cotton fabric into 16 - 13"x13" squares.  I transferred the "S" onto 8 of those and got busy.  It didn't take me long to hand embroider those and as soon as I finished I sewed them all together.  The only problem was I didn't have matching thread for my sewing machine and I wanted a pretty border around the edges.  No problem, just hand stitch the border.  That's all fine if you didn't wait until the week before the big day to even start on these things.  I searched ideas for hand embroidered edging and decided on the fly stitch.  It looked pretty and is a fairly easy stitch.  It is an easy stitch but as I found out, very time consuming.  So with all that being said, I was able to complete 5 of the napkins to give to my Mom and am still trying to finish those other 3.  I'll get them done, I promise. 

The finished product!

All eight five napkins wrapped and ready to go!

Mom loved the napkins and was understanding about the ones yet to be finished!  She and my MIL also loved the sugar scrub :)

To celebrate Mother's Day, we went to my Mom's to hang with the family and cook out.  We were excited about a spur of the moment visit from my sister and her family!!!  But before they got there, my kids had to test the pool out.  Just to put this in perspective, it was not a pretty day.  As a matter of fact it was a gray, cloudy, rainy, overcast day.  Also, the pool temp had not warmed up yet.  No stopping these girls . . .

After they turned blue, we made them get out.  I'm joking!  They weren't all the way blue.  We had a great time.  After lunch, we had ice cream and played outside in the sprinkling rain. 

Noah and Isaac getting their ice cream.  This is the best picture I got of them.  They aren't still long enough!

Mom and Ava also played their instruments for us as Clara danced . . .

Mom playing the Mandolin and Ava playing the Violin

My niece, Clara, dancing

Badminton, anyone?  In the rain?

Or how about a game of air hockey?

Me, Mom, Jenna

We had a great time at Mom's for Mother's day.  I forgot to take a picture of the gift Adrianna made me.  I'm actually wearing it in the above picture.  It's a medallion with her finger print pressed into it and strung onto a necklace.  She made it at school and it is so precious!  She also made me not one but TWO cards :)

This says "You are the best Mother.  You are nice.  You cook good."

Awww, so sweet!  She thinks I'm nice and I cook good.  Those are such great compliments!!  Ava also gave me a card and some flowers she planted.

I took this last picture with the iPhone app instagram.  If you have a Droid or an iPhone, this is an awesome camera app to have!  I'm a little obsessed and like to document my life in instagram photos.  You can follow on instagram, search @nataliebg. 

So that was Mother's day.  It was a great day spent with my family :)

Natalie