pieces of home

One year for Christmas, my mom bought a mound of quirky little gifts and we played a version of Yankee swap where you actually wanted to keep your gifts. That's one of the things I like best about my mom; she is a brilliant gift giver. Normally, I accept gifts with a polite smile, then tuck them under my arm to open later, out of sight of the giver. But my mom's gifts are always perfect. These little bottles were part of that mound of Christmas gifts. My sisters and I all have some. They're so cheery lined up in a sunny window where they catch the light. They were the right size to tuck away in my luggage for the road trip back out here. I can look at them now, and see a little piece of the Midwest on my windowsill. A stolen bit of my mother's gift-giving nature and a portion of my sisters, who have matching bottles. I know better than to try to recreate what I've known as "home" for the past 21 years of my life, but I do need little reminders. 

The kids helped me unpack my "treasures" and they looooved these. Alayna & Will thought they needed some flowers, so they went out and picked some. Yup, I'm back.