Our Mom

Our Mom was raised in a different time when things were not as plentiful as today, so she was a saver of everything. Then World War 11 came along and everyone saved, as things were even scarcer being the troops had to have cloths etc.. We had to save tin foil, rubberbands, and just about everything you can imagine. I remember the big balls of string that we save. At xmas we used the same paper and bows from year to year, so we couldn't tear open our wraped gifts, but open very careful in order to not tear them. Actually that wouldn't be such a bad idea now that everyone is thinking green. Everything was rationed and when we wore a hole in our shoes we put in cardboard or what ever so we could still wear them. Mom and Dad made what they could for xmas, but on occasion we did get something bought from the store. Mom was really big on regifting up until the day she died. One year she gave my son a stappler that my dad had appropriated from his job which was an OK gift. and the same year she gave my other son old flash bulbs for a broken camera she had given him many years before. She was big on anything cheap and some things were very useful. Bars of soap were a biggy for her, and she did make nylon scubbers that were great. The thing I loved that she made for my kids, were PJ's and they loved them, but that was many years after the war. During the war it was hard to get fabric so we appreciated anything that we could get. I remember buying curtain chintz for a skirt that was stiff, but it was the only thing available, but it made a pretty nice summer skirt. Mom sewed everything she could when she got hold of the fabric, or took old cloths and revamped them. I remember she even made jeans for the boys. Times were a lot harder then and she did the best she could, but sometimes i had wished she wasn't so thrifty. Dad on the other hand was not so thrifty and he would go out and get nice gifts. I still have a really nice compact that he bought for me. On Valentines Day Dad would buy us girls a heart box of candy and Mom always got a giant heart box. After Mom moved to OR. near me she was still saving, and she had empty bottles, jars and little bitty boxes that she saved, plus string, rubberbands, etc. All this we found when cleaning out her home. To this day I have a little of that saving inbreaded in me, and some of it is good, but having to move so many times with the navy I do clean stuff out a lot where I don't think Mom ever did.