Carmen

Shopping for my mother-in-law is an impossible task. There are at least three times a year I have to do this, Mother's Day, her birthday, and Christmas. She is the warm-hearted matriarch of a family of eight but she totally intimidates me. Every time I see her she gives me the most sincere hugs and I feel honored that she welcomes me so lovingly into her inner circle. I think it only helps our relationship that she only speaks Spanish and my Spanish-speaking skills are so lack-luster. Maybe this is why giving her a gift is such a daunting task for me, it's the only real opportunity I can express my appreciation and love for her.
This year, for her birthday I made something for her: a pair of stone earrings and a matching beaded necklace. The end product turned out to be something super simple, not too many elements. I matched the color of the wooden beads to the stones of the necklace and I used these special silver rosary beads that I had be saving for years. However, it took me almost 4 days to make it perfect. Since giving gifts of the homemade kind is not within the family custom, my husband and I also gave her a blouse to compliment the jewelry set. I still think the sentiment translated.