Passing the Torch

Well, my mom's funeral is finished. It was a lovely service, exactly what she had planned. She is now with those who have  gone before, and at 96, that means almost everyone.

She gave me these furs called Stone Martins, and I remember all well dressed ladies wore them back in the 40s and 50s. Nobody wears them anymore, so Doc suggested we hang them in the home office. I have a friend who did a mission in Australia, and he has a kangaroo hide hanging. I am not in favor of killing animals for their fur, but I gave it a shot, since these martins are over 70 years old.

May as well give the little guys a belated tribute. She also had a rosary made of olive wood, that a priest friend brought back from Israel for her. We ended up draping it over a Celtic sword in the hall.

I like how it looks. After the funeral, we went to Olive Garden for lunch. That was my mom's favorite restaurant, even though she is 150% Italian. At the luncheon, I gave every woman on both sides of the family some jewelry to remember my mom by.

My sister in law, Tawn, got a matching watch and bracelet in marcasite, and a black cameo set in sterling silver.

Her daughter, my niece in law, Brittany, got a woven gold ring.

My mother in law, Mimi, got a few things. She has always been so nice to both me and my mom.

First, there was a 14k three piece cameo set. It has a Y necklace with pearls, a pendant/pin combo, and a pair of cameo earrings. I also chose a cross of pearl and sterling silver, which came from England.

She also got a nice costume piece, this being a Joan Rivers 6 strand pastel pearl necklace. She immediately put it on.

My niece Benny, who is my mom's granddaughter, got a few things. First, a family heirloom - this cameo belonged to my mother's mother (so Benny's great grandmother.) It is from Italy.

I have this same garnet cluster necklace, so I gave the other one to Benny.

And finally, two necklaces with 14 k charms. One is August and one is November. Those are the birth months of Benny and her brother Matt.(my nephew).

Benny has a spouse, Taylor. I gave Taylor a couple of simple sterling pieces, because I don't know how much jewelry she wears.I wanted it to be something simple that she would wear.

So I chose a sterling rope necklace and a jade/sterling ring.

I also decided to give them a matching set of Italian Murano necklaces, one with a cross pendant.

For my brother's longtime girlfriend, Karin, I chose a matching necklace and ring of pink coral and pearls, from Maui Divers in Honolulu.Karin likes Hawaii.

For my daughter in Law, Ashley, I chose a couple of pieces that are cool and a little edgy, like she is

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I gave her a vermeil medieval style cross on a 14 k chain, and a pearl in an antique marcasite setting. It just so happens that pearls are her favorite, but I didn't know that before I chose it for her.


For my other daughter in law, Kim, I stuck to sapphires. They are tiny and delicate, like Kim.

I also gave her a heart of sapphire and diamond. I have the exact necklace myself.

For my grand daughter, Calista, I picked out two gold bracelets, along with 3 charms.

Since Calista is only two, these will have to wait for a while. But I did give her something to play with now:

A little wooden jewelry box stuffed with costume beads and other inexpensive goodies. She loved it.

Here are all the gift bags, wrapped up and ready to go:

So even if this may be a bit morbid, this is what I wore, along with some of my mom's beautiful jewelry:

This is a dress that I got at Saks, from a brand called Jax. It is thick black scuba knit with ivory Venice lace overlay.

I wore three necklaces with it. Two are sterling with diamond spacers.

The third one is a lacy Victorian medallion. All three are so pretty. I also sported some of her nice arm candy:

On my left arm, my own wedding set, along with two sterling bracelets. I love the big clasp on the one to the left. Such a classy touch!!

On my right arm, I have my mom's engagement diamond on top of my own diamond/sapphire band. I got a lot of compliments on the combination. Two more sterling bracelets finished this side off.


Today, I just went for a long run, followed by a stop at Dollar Tree for a few essentials. I got four TaeBo DVDs that I didn't have in my collection.

That was quite the score!!! I also found two T shirts that Elli doesn't have:

 Speaking of Elli, she was up all night barfing. As a long time dog owner, I know that they get upset stomachs and throw up frequently, but this went on and on, and the volume was so huge that it scared me. So I took her to Dr Lizardo this morning. She got an xray, and she has no surgical emergency (whew). She most likely got into something bad, or else she has a doggie stomach flu. she got three injections, and is now recuperating at home. Our hope (me, Doc, Dr Lizardo) is that she is back to her sweet little self by the morning.

 Tons of links with beautiful ladies, in no particular order. www.jolynneshane.com, www.poshclassymom.com, www.fashionshouldbefun.com, www.highlatitudestyle.com, www.happinessatmidlife.com,www.sydneyfashionhunter.com,www.shoppingmycloset.com, www.pastriespumpsandpi.blogspot.com.

Have a great day and I'll check in on Monday!!!