“When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts.
A mother always has to think twice,
once for herself and once for her child.” — Sophia Loren

May Greetings to you!

May is a very special month for me. Not only do we celebrate our wonderful mothers, but May 22nd was my mother’s birthday. Now, my mom left this earth many years ago, but will always celebrate her memory in my heart. Now, I personally believe that every day should be Mother’s Day, because if not for our moms, well… you know… the list of what they do for us is much too long to fit in this letter. Let’s not forget our grandmothers either, for they’re the mothers to our moms! This month, Mulberry Cottage is full of fun things and special sales in honor of all mothers! You’ll find so many wonderful and special gifts to show her how much you love and appreciate her for all she does for you.

Saturday, May 2nd is our Garden Party! We will have a special free gift for the first 50 customers with a $25 minimum purchase. I know you’ll want this gift for yourself, but it can also be an additional gift for your mom! We’ll have refreshments and goodies to eat, and be sampling some of our favorite foods. Also, from May 3rd to May 9th we’re holding another Very Bradley raffle! Everyone who spends over $30 gets a free raffle ticket. We have not just 1, but 2 Vera Bradley purses to give a way. So there’s twice the chance to win! These bags will be a perfect Mothers Day gift, since we’ll draw the winners on Saturday evening. Along with the raffle there are lots of special sales to celebrate Mother’s Day. Some of the sales are on the calendar, but there will be some surprise sales that are not on the calendar. So you must stop in to find out!

Now let me tell you about some of the wonderful treasures at Mulberry Cottage we have for Mother’s Day. Just arrived are some beautiful tea sets and “tea for one” sets. I have also brought in a fun line of lounge wear. This line is so cozy and fun, especially if your mom is an animal lover! Also, a Lavender scented spa line from Greenleaf. If you love their sachets, you’ll love their lotions and soaps. And for you Vera fans, some new vibrant summer styles from Vera Bradley have arrived. These are going fast, so come in quickly so you can have your pick! Also just arrived are more Oil Cloth aprons, bags and tablecloths. Gosh! We just can’t keep enough in the shop, so don’t hesitate if you want one for a Mother’s Day gift! We also received some cute and fun aprons by Jessie Steele. There’s so much more that I could go on and on, but I want you to come and see for yourself.

I’d like to share a fond memory of my mom. Growing up, we lived in Covina Hills most of my younger years. We loved animals. I had many dogs, cats, rabbits… and a donkey! Yes, a donkey. His name was Peppy. (How I acquired Peppy is a story about my father which I’ll share next month.) I was 11 when I got Peppy. When I first got Peppy, we kept him in a corral in our backyard. Since our yard wasn’t big enough for grazing or riding, we had plans to board Peppy on a larger ranch up in the hills. But until I found the right boarding ranch, Peppy had to stay in the backyard. Now, donkeys are known for that very loud noise they make “HE HAW”. I thought it was very cute when Peppy made that noise, but our neighbors didn’t like it when he did it at 1:00 am! Donkeys will do that when the moon is full. Well, that’s where my wonderful mom comes in. It’s a full moon and there goes Peppy, baying at the moon. My mom tells me that she and I are going to go camping! Where else, but in our own backyard with Peppy! It was so much fun! We pitched our tent and got sleeping bags. And every time Peppy would start to bay, we would get up and talk to Peppy to reassure him and feed him some hay. This went on each night until the moon was no longer full. Now, how great is that! She knew how much I loved Peppy, so she was there for me so Peppy could stay at home with me until we found him a proper boarding ranch. My mom and I had many fun adventures. I will cherish those memories forever. Thank you mom I love you and miss you!

I’ve asked the girls to also share their memories of mom. I’d also like to congratulate last month’s raffle winner, Jeanie Ely who won a Vera Bradley backpack in Purple Punch, and the lucky finder of a golden ticket in our Wee Forest Folk Easter promotion. There was only a 1 in 75 chance of winning, and Yuka Inamasu won a very exclusive “Chick with Kerchief”! We’ll be holding another fun contest on May 2nd and 3rd called “Match the Mother and Daughter”. Come into the shop and see how to win!

Love to you all, and especially to all you moms out there, have a very happy Mother’s Day!

Love,

Jamie