Well in the manner of all Mothers, mine is prone to blowing things out of proportion. If I allow Finley to go up the stairs all by himself he will, of course, fall down and break his neck. If I decide on a whim to drive out of the zone marked safe on my Mum’s internal map (within ten miles of her house), I am being “bloody ridiculous”. If I contemplate going out two nights on the run, her pursed lips say it all. If I even consider taking up internet dating I will be setting out to meet all manner of lunatics and if, oh God forbid, if, as happened the other night, I fail to answer the phone at nine o’clock at night, there is absolutely no doubt whatsoever that within the hour she will be required to identify my blood splattered body. Bless her silly heart, she worries about things that never, ever, never, enter my naive little head. But oh the aggravation. Take the evening phone calls… Now that I have adapted my little life to reflect my circumstances, my nights have taken on a pattern I do not like to disturb. Call me set in my ways, call me a titchy bit mental, in fact call me Shirley Bassey if you want to: but don’t stand between me, my prawn salad, my glass of merlot and a lavender scented bath. Just don’t. Or you will feel the full force of my thirty four year old wrath. Most people take heed. But not she. There I was gently drowning my cares away in a room full of steam when in a distant land I heard the phone ring. And ring and ring and stop. So I breathed a sigh of relief and shaved my legs. But no sooner had I defuzzed my right knee, than it rang again. And rang and rang and stopped. Then even before I’d had a chance to draw breath and clean my ears, my mobile started ringing in an urgent fashion it reserves for harrying calls from my maternal parent… There had to be something wrong. I jumped out of the bath, left a trail of footprints from the bathroom to the bedroom, tapped out her number and DEMANDED to know what the heck was wrong?? Aaaah silly me. How dare I? I mean really how dare I?? Was it fair to have her worrying at nine o’clock at night? Where the hell had I been? Why- if I carry my phone around all day everyday cannot I not have the foresight to take it into the bath just in case she decides to ring to check whether my back door is locked? I mean really!! Just how selfish can I be? Lordy. Frankly I have three things to say about this… 1) You are never too old to be told off by your Mum. A thirty something daughter is no match for a raging, worried, fifty-something Mummy. But I love her regardless. 2) All the BrocanteHome, peace and quiet, calm your nerves and chase away the blues rituals in the world won’t make a jot of difference if you cause your Mum so much grief in the middle of the night that she considers sending out a search party for you. Best text her before I get in the bath tonight… and… 3) I have a date on Wednesday night. He’s lovely. And yes I know that’s nothing to do with anything but I wanted you to know, and above all else I want you to promise me you won’t tell my Mum… She’ll only worry. God help me if he keeps me out after 8.30pm.
Create your own Brocante Life Book, plan Christmas, set up routines and rituals or live life the BrocanteHome way with my guided workbooks and planners.
All of a sudden I’m grown up and anyone who knows anything about interiors knows that grown up means WHITE. But I’m kind of thinking that white might be going too far. Its such a responsibility and lets face it, haven’t we got…
Oh dear. I am more in love with her by the day. Scooters, Peppa pig, Â ban homework campaigns, gorgeous crockery cabinets et al. This interview made me smile in a world where family ties are deeply under-valued and the medias’ obsession with…
Some days are made of nothing. They taste like nothing and they smell like nothing. Days like these aren’t meant to go down in the portals of your personal history. They are passing through days rich in teeny moments of nothingness we…
My oh my oh my. Another scrumptious blog to die for. Go swoon right now. Other Things To Do At BrocanteHome Browse the Bookstore Discover a curated list of books to enhance and support life the BrocanteHome way Browse the Bookstore Life…
I must have been very wicked in a former life or else the universe is really rather keen to only lend me animals when it believes I need them, and is just as quick to remove them from my arms the minute…
Have you seen Cath Kidston‘s new line of scrumptiously old fashioned "Toiletries" (Love that word- its so deliciously vintage all by itself isn’t it??)… Lets face it, the woman can do no wrong. Wonder what she’s like? Please let her be as…
13 Comments
Well, I was just 40-something and my married daughter just 20-something when I couldn't reach her one night and my imagination took flight. I called her friend and almost started a search party. After my daughter was located, the friend said, "If I'm ever in trouble, I want you on my side!"
Oh my… you must be my daughter… i as well am a forty something mom with a beautiful blonde 25 year old daughter, that i wart the crap out of when i can not fnd her… i know she hates it too .. but i know deep down when i dont call — she calls and ask Mo, where have you been?? you haven't called me all day!!!
Moms…*sigh* Years ago, I got this book: http://www.sendamy.com/AmysAnsweringMachine/ where the author relates all of her mother's worry filled answering machine messages. It is hilarious, and I highly recommend it. You'll be able to relate. I sure could. Have a *wonderful* date. Incidentally, Internet dating isn't so bad. Met my wonderful hubby online. And he turned out not to be an axe murderer.
Oh sorry honey I am on your Mums side! I have a 17 year old who is taking to partying in a big way, thank God for mobile phones! get a cordless phone and take it up in the bathroom, you have no idea what it is like to be a Mum with an over active imagination! Good luck with the date(but ring your Mum when you get home) Ha ha !
Tuesday 9.15pm phone rings its Alison, hi dad wheres mum? she is here why,she hasn't rung me Wednesday 5.20pm Mobile rings, Hi mum, where are you, just going for some shopping Thursday 4.50pm mobile rings, hi mum, where are you? in the car for a drive, I am at your house and Finley is going beserk cause your not in. Friday 6.00pm mobile rings , Hi mum, where are you? SHALL I GO ON? Love Dad
Your use of ephemera is really striking and effective. The images, especially this one, and the other old paper examples on your blog really make it visually exciting. It dovetails with what I'm trying to do. Great work.
Maybe we were seperated at birth because we have the same worry wart mother and I'm almost 50! Does it ever stop? I swear I won't grow up to be this way!! I promise myself and my daughters!
I think your mum and mine must have gone to the same finishing school! Good luck for Wednesday! I hope you have a great time! (and don’t worry we won’t tell her!)
{"id":null,"mode":"form","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"USD","currency_symbol":"$","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":300,"top_media_type":"featured_image","featured_image_url":"http:\/\/brocantehome.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/tipjar-2.png","featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"BrocanteHome","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"BrocanteHome","form_subtitle":"Help Me to Keep BrocanteHome Online","currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you so much: helping me keep Brocantehome online really means the world to me.","payment_confirmation_title":"BrocanteHome","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Well, I was just 40-something and my married daughter just 20-something when I couldn't reach her one night and my imagination took flight. I called her friend and almost started a search party. After my daughter was located, the friend said, "If I'm ever in trouble, I want you on my side!"
Hurrah Alison!!!
Teehee…my mom does the same to me! Have fun on the date!
Ooh let us all know how the date goes!!!
It's nice to be fussed over, although I know it drives you nutso. You'd miss it if she didn't, trust me.
Oooo, a date! How fun! Let us know how it goes 🙂 love, Susana
Oh my… you must be my daughter… i as well am a forty something mom with a beautiful blonde 25 year old daughter, that i wart the crap out of when i can not fnd her… i know she hates it too .. but i know deep down when i dont call — she calls and ask Mo, where have you been?? you haven't called me all day!!!
Moms…*sigh*
Years ago, I got this book: http://www.sendamy.com/AmysAnsweringMachine/
where the author relates all of her mother's worry filled answering machine messages. It is hilarious, and I highly recommend it. You'll be able to relate. I sure could.
Have a *wonderful* date.
Incidentally, Internet dating isn't so bad. Met my wonderful hubby online. And he turned out not to be an axe murderer.
Oh sorry honey I am on your Mums side! I have a 17 year old who is taking to partying in a big way, thank God for mobile phones! get a cordless phone and take it up in the bathroom, you have no idea what it is like to be a Mum with an over active imagination!
Good luck with the date(but ring your Mum when you get home) Ha ha !
Tuesday 9.15pm
phone rings its Alison, hi dad wheres mum? she is here why,she hasn't rung me
Wednesday 5.20pm
Mobile rings, Hi mum, where are you, just going for some shopping
Thursday 4.50pm
mobile rings, hi mum, where are you? in the car for a drive, I am at your house and Finley is going beserk cause your not in.
Friday 6.00pm
mobile rings , Hi mum, where are you?
SHALL I GO ON?
Love Dad
Your use of ephemera is really striking and effective. The images, especially this one, and the other old paper examples on your blog really make it visually exciting. It dovetails with what I'm trying to do. Great work.
Maybe we were seperated at birth because we have the same worry wart mother and I'm almost 50!
Does it ever stop? I swear I won't grow up to be this way!! I promise myself and my daughters!
I think your mum and mine must have gone to the same finishing school! Good luck for Wednesday! I hope you have a great time! (and don’t worry we won’t tell her!)
Ohhh, a date! Make sure you have your mobile diverted to voicemail! And have a fabulous, wonderful time- you deserve it 🙂