An Apron-Wearing Momma

My beautiful friend Amberlee is a mother to four young children. She has three sons and recently had her first daughter.

I featured Amberlee in January on My Dear Trash when she came to my home with a bundle of potted-flowers.

She pulled weeds and pine needles out of my front-yard flower beds and planted a Garden of Eden.

She did this as a gift for my baby Eden, who at the time was a few months away from being born. The flowers have been a symbol of her love for me and my daughter.

Amberlee is a happy girl who celebrates life through all sorts of outlets: cooking, sewing, sharing, and loving, but something that sets her apart is she’s an apron-wearing momma.

I know aprons might be a thing of the past, but her apron is not what you expect. Her apron has style, flair and presence. It’s downright gorgeous. I’ve seen her wear it over blue jeans and a t-shirt; I’ve seen her wear it over an elegant Sunday dress. When she has her apron on it’s because she’s working, serving and loving.

Last year Amberlee brought me a home-made gift. It was an apron; my very own apron.

My apron has followed many paths; working in the yard, cooking in the kitchen and taking care of children, but I’m not the only one who wears it. This apron has become a symbol of service and good luck at a variety of My Dear Trash benefit garage sales.

Just ask the lucky one’s who have been graced with its fancy fabric and sequins.

Linda Call Benefit Yard Sale

We raised 2,000.00 to help pay for Linda's funeral expenses.

The apron has a large pocket in front, perfect for holding all the $1.00 bills I collected.

Garrett Tanner Benefit Yard Sale

We raised $500.00 to help pay for Garrett's physical therapy.

My sister Becky and our friend Ashley rocked the apron look.

Leah Lowe Benefit Yard Sale

We raised over $2,000.00 to help pay for Leah Lowe's expenses while she goes through cancer treatment.

Here's Kelly and Lora sporting the apron look.

The below poem was sent to me by my own apron-wearing momma. Isn’t my mom beautiful! Here she is directing our annual Easter egg hunt.

I don't think our kids know what an apron is.

The principal use of Grandma's apron was to protect the dress underneath because she only had a few. It was also because it was easier to wash aprons than dresses and aprons used less material. But along with that, it served as a potholder for moving hot pans from the oven.

It was wonderful for drying children's tears, and on occasion was even used for cleaning out dirty ears.

From the chicken coop, the apron was used for carrying eggs, fussy chicks, and sometimes half-hatched eggs to be finished in the warming oven.

When company came, those aprons were ideal hiding places for shy kids.

And when the weather was cold grandma wrapped it around her arms.

Those big old aprons wiped many a perspiring brow,
bent over the hot wood stove.

Chips and kindling wood were brought into the kitchen in that apron.

From the garden, it carried all sorts of vegetables.
After the peas had been shelled, it carried out the hulls.

In the fall, the apron was used to bring in apples that had fallen from the trees.

When unexpected company drove up the road, it was surprising how much furniture that old apron could dust in a matter of seconds.

When dinner was ready, Grandma walked out onto the porch, waved her apron, and the men folks knew it was time to come in from the fields to dinner.

It will be a long time before someone invents something that will replace that 'old-time apron' that served so many purposes.

Grandma used to set her hot baked apple pies on the window sill to cool. Her granddaughters set theirs on the window sill
to thaw.

They would go crazy now trying to figure out how many germs were on that apron.

I don't think I ever caught anything from an apron - but love...

The end

Thanks for the apron, Amberlee. I had no idea it could mean so much.

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