Our #1 arrives back at the shed late tonight,
she cut her vacation short so we could have a few extra peachy days together.
i am tres excited to know i have been given five extra days of us living together at mossy shed.
on friday she is taking me out to see 'her seattle',
from taking the bus into the city,
to the places she likes to visit
i will see it through her eyes.
before she left for the east coast over a week ago
we thrift store frequented like never before.
going to all our favorite ones,
reminiscing about our besty best finds
and both agreeing that thrifting will never be quite the same
without our thrifty buddy by our sides.
as i am tippity tapping this, she has just called from the airport,
waiting for her flight to say
"i have had such good luck mum and i had to call and tell you.
first i found $3 on the ground,
then everyone was really stressed out at the airport desk,
so i told the man not to worry i would come back with my question later.
but he said go ahead, so i asked him if i could change my middle seat out
and he said yes, as i asked so nicely.
then just now i was sitting on the floor reading
and a nice lady comes up and offers me her coupon for a free salad
as she was not going to use it!
so you see, i had to call and tell you mum,
because you are right after all,
i do have good luck, i just have to look for it every now and then.
anyhow got to go, catching my flight soon, i love you"
and i know it will be the same,
when she lives on one continent and i on another.
she will still be wanting to share things with me,
tell me regular everyday stuff.
it may take a little bit of creativity due to time differences
and her college life
but it will be okay in the end...
and the silver lining that keeps the clouds away,
ten years on from leaving old blighty and my family,
i am sending back a piece of me in the way of Our #1
she is thinking as any mother would, it is a wonderful gift to give ~ Tif
65 comments:
You just make me cry. What a lovely thing to look back on your blog will be.
Jacqui
Oh now, you've made me all weepy! What a lovely post, such beautiful photos...thank you so much for sharing.
Word verification is: wyfungi
do you know why fungi?
Dearest Tif,
You have put the biggest lump in my throat that I am sure will be there for the next few days......your pictures were beautiful - both mum and child.....now I am going to go call my daughter......
Vickie in Seattle
Oh, that was lovely. Gives a bit of a tug on the heartstrings!
so so sweet. as someone who lives far away from their family there is so much truth and beauty in this post for me!! thank you for posting this :)
what a beautiful post, thanks for sharing
Oh Tif, what a lovely post. You are both so lucky, lucky. #1 for having you as a mum and you for having brought into the world #1 as such a wonderful daughter.
I wish you both every happiness in the whole wide world. If only others could put just one millionth of a per cent of the happiness, the love, the positive feeling that you and your family put into this world, well that would make this an even more wonderful world for us to live in.
I hope hope that you and yours find happiness every day.
Such a lovely warm post - my three little ones are growing at such an alarming rate, just thinking of the time when my little chicks will be flying the nest makes me panic!
Oh & those photos - what a sweet little thing, & you look just beautiful :)
She is a cutie-petutie your #1.I wish all the best to her on her way to the independent life and to you too sending a child on a long journey .I hope I will have this kind of relationship with my only-one when she grows up.She is only 7 and pretty strong willed.I wish us to be friends and share the little things in our lives as you ,guys do.
i know how you feel! i've had to let go of 2 so far and 3 more to go! oh dear. you have a sweet friendship with her so her heart will stay close even when she's across the pond, and that's such a comfort. xo.
I tell you this from experience...when you must set them free they come back to you closer and more often and they never stop needing you. Only by them flying on their own will you be able to see all that you put into that precious child...All of the mothers that are reading your words are knowing the feeling of your heart right now....Have a great time going to all 'her' places.
my oldest lives in the UK and I am in the US; as long as they are at the end of the mobile when you call you don't worry as much...but our flights over are a bit cheaper than yours as we are closer!
As long as you can reach them by mobile, it is OK; my oldest lives in the UK...
What an amazing post! It brought tears to my eye.
Such a touching post! I too send my #1 off to college in three weeks time. ahem. where did it go.
~the seeds you have sowed within her...the thoughts and beliefs instilled will always remain...though miles apart her heart and yours will always remain connected! the photos of you two are priceless moments to savor...may your days coming be filled with only l♥ve and laughter...warm wishes and brightest blessings~
Oh Tif, I'm wiping away a tear again. Only instead of reveling in the tales of a young boy's shananigans, it's because of the beauty and sadness in your words. I know your pain, as I try not to think about my #1 leaving home in a few short weeks. Like you I feel proud and happy for her bright future, but sad for the little girl that has become a woman. Those pictures are beautiful, as are you and your little girl.
The watermelon pic did me in. My only girl...with 3 big brothers turned one last week and can't get enough watermelon, how I hope she grows to love thrifting with me one day...I really love and hate this post
your 90's hair is amazing in those pics!
and did you use a plan to build your coop or just go for it? it looks a lot like the plans for the one we're making.
have fun in seattle!
xo m
Hey Tif, what a lovely post . Enjoy your extra 5 days, I'm sure you will have lots of fun and create some wonderful memories to recall in quiet moments. New adventures to be shared via phone, email and letters in the future.
'Tis hard letting go but the ties that bind are never broken, just stretched somewhat.
oh tif, your struggle to let your daughter go is a good reminder to me to not only enjoy, but be grateful for every moment I have with my 2 sweet girls. My baby is now at the "pull everything off of every shelf, empty the cabinets and eat every wrong thing in the house" phase. Its positively maddening at times! But I meet an older women today with 2 very grown kids and she gave me a lovely word of encouragement. "little kids little problems, big kids big problems." She said issues such as kids eating crayons and potty training is nothing compared to seeing your child drive off in your car.
Anywho, you are a lovely soul and I enjoy every word you write and every photo you share. Do you think you could write what life was like for you as a young mother? Have you always created gorgeous things and had an amazing house? (please tell me no. Please tell me your house was a wreck, and you only started creating when your kids were older.)
Much love to you as you walk through this.
oh how this post tugs at my heartstrings!
Straddling both worlds like that it will be a fantastic experience for her I'm sure, and the homecomings will be so much fun. Beautiful girl and a beatiful mama.
aaaahhhh, so sweet tif! you have obviously raised a delightful child who will continue to do you proud! and i am just old enough to think just how wonderful it will be to be able to communicate via email, FB, etc on a very regular basis! enjoy these days with all the little mossy ones...
What a lovely story and such a beautiful girl, like her mum. xoxo
So very special, what a beautiful relationship you have...
What a beautiful sentiment Tif. You two are so very lucky to have each other.
you two are so alike. in many many ways. the only good thing about no.1 going to blighty is that it's done now. i think the anticipation is sometimes much worse than the actual event. it will feel empty for a while but time will fly as it always does nowadays and you'll see her again soon.
i'm sure you'll get excitement sending and receiving some specal packages over the next few months too.
sending you love from london. xxx
Dear Tif, hang in there. Sending you lots of love. This must be soooo hard. My son is only 2 and I an already dreading him leaving home! xxx
what a sweet post. i can only imagine how it must be to let your first child go free into the world ...what an odd & magical thing it is that we have babies just to raise them as new adults to go off & make their way in this world & that loving them doesn't mean being able to hold on to them forever (i'm feeling sentimental in my own way -my baby girl just turned 5 & i see how fast they grow ...& i hope we are always as close as you & yours are)
I moved to NZ from Europe over three years ago and its been a much easier transition than expected. Skype with webcams on both sides are great. Proper chats and a tour via laptop webcam of the different houses I've lived in (four real ones already - ouch!) as well as running off to find something to show off, be it crochet or furniture. Leaving the country isn't quite as permanent and out of touch as it was. Promise!
Hello Dear Tif
I have been lurking around your blog for a few weeks now (a crochet blanket is already in the works) and I really love your journal! It is very inspirational, thanks so much for sharing your ideas and thoughts.
Todays post was wonderful... you have a lovely daughter, and reading about her made me want to be a good daughter, and also a good mother all over again (I am 25, love my mom, and don't have kids yet... but someday...)
keep being lovely!
Greetings from switzerland, Annika
What a lovely post. And a love gift you are sending old blighty and your family.
I'm sure she will be treasured (as all the best gifts are) and returned to you at a later date (as gifts usually are not!) older, wiser and a tad more 'english'.
Sue xx
What a very moving post - I'm sitting here sniffing away and dreading the day I have to wave my number 1 off to her own future.
What a lovely heart warming post and such beautiful photos too.
I know how hard it is to let go and how delicious it is to have time together. I hope you both enjoy yours.
Sniff snittity sniff, oh this did bring a lump to my throat...I have all this to endure in a few more years. You really live up to your name Dottie Angel. x
What a beautiful post with very special photos ... Thank you for sharing
Ooh, Tif, what lovely photos. Thanks for sharing them with us. If I can speak for Blighty (Speak for England, Arthur) we will welcome your No.1 back home and take care of her, I trust.
I get phone calls and text messages from my two all the time and the call or text either starts or finishes with the words " I just had to tell someone". Mum is always the "someone"!
Believe me Tif, they're never far away! :)
Vivienne x
Oh, Gosh..! You got me all teary on this Thursday morning.. :) My 17 year-old is growing into an adult, and I do admit it will be hard to see him leave the nest some day.. But also, one feel proud that they turn into such beatiful human beeings.. <3
LenaE
Such gorgeous photos Tif!
Such gorgeous photos Tif!
My family are as close as close can be and somehow we have ended up stretched across four different countries across europe and we still keep our closeness vibrant, dropping txts or emails when we know people aren't near a phone. Then phoning or skyping whenever we can. You'll be okay, although I know how hard it still is.
as a mother too...I have a tear in my eye...so touching <3
wonderful!! wonderful!
Well, thanks Tif, now I am crying into my cardigan sleeve. What a lovely girl, no wonder you're going to miss her. Chin up, old thing.
Tif, a beautiful post as always. You had tears building up in my eyes. It's so wonderful that you have such a great relationship with your daughter - I love the idea of her showing you "her Seattle". Have a lovely special time before the off! Jane
oh tif, enjoy these last few days.
your bond is obviously so strong, a little pond in the way won't stop you communicating with each other regularly.
you've given her roots and now she must use her wings.
thinking of you! x.
p.s come to london for tea & cake?!
Oh your post made me cry, and what beautiful photographs.
Love
Lyn
xxx
By the way - you are both absolutely beautiful. :)
Such a lovely post... brought a tear to my eye. Must be nice to know you've done such a wonderful job with her.
Sending lots of love your way.
you always know just the right thing to say and for that i thank you all kindly... to allow me to share my feelings and to be understood is a wonderful thing. i count myself most fortunate in so many ways today :)
and rachel, i will indeed fill you in one day on my life as a mother of four young children and i can assure you i was not the perfect mother, nor kept the perfect home... many days i would rather have stayed under the duvet than face the day ahead, but saying that, i know my heart was in the right place and i would not have had it any other way :)
The photo of miss #1 at the end is so darling. Your relationship reminds me of the one I have with my mother<3
ah, you made me misty and mine are just 3 and 1... good job, mama!
this completely made me cry. especially the photos.
aww what a lovely post! so, she's going to uni in england? what an adventure that will be!
This made me cry, Tif. So very lovely, so moving and magical. And of course you will find every possible way to keep up to date on two sides of the pond. Don't you find that often it is the people who live furthest away that we are in contact with most often??
Wishing you so much happiness and fun with your first born over these few days.
Denise x
PS: When you come over to Blighty this summer, if you venture to Somerset or Bath and fancy a cuppa (or some thrifting!), do let me know !!
Hi,Tif.I feel your pain.When my eldest went off to the army I sat on his bed and cried my heart out.Then when both sons went off to Australia foe a year I was inconsolate.But your work is done here,Your daughter is the finished article full of little bits of you and she is now able to spread the essence of dottie angel wherever she goes.Do you know too that they are like boomerangs.They go they come back they break your heart they come back again....such is life and we have to love it Anne xxx
Very lovely post Tif, loving those photos of you two - how precious!
beautiful photos and words. I would be so proud of your number 1.
Oof. I need a hanky.
It's so lovely to see pictures of you all in your shiny place at the moment x
Such a bittersweet time in your life. I feel emotional reading this post as it reminds me of when I first moved 500 miles away from my own family.
Love the old photos, it's fun to see a glimpse of your past. :)
~ Jennifer
My #1 went to college 2 years ago and now my #2 will be going this fall--I'm so sad for you that she is so far away. Mine are only 1 hr away for now. This was a beautiful post.
Oh goodness, I am such a pansy. My daughter is 18 months old, napping away, and here I sit crying thinking that, yes, some day she's going to up and leave and I am going to miss her so hard. My only hope is that by then my children will have driven me so crazy that I'm looking forward to some peace and quiet!
Post a Comment