Do YOU know when Mother’s Day falls this year?

I thought it was always in March but this year, it’s landed on the 3^rd April, unless you’re reading this a country other than the UK, where it might be the 8^th May.

The History behind Mothering Sunday

The UK holds the prestige of being the first country in the world to dedicate a special day for mothers, from as early as the 17th century. 

Mothering Sunday was also known as 'Refreshment Sunday', Pudding Pie Sunday (in Surrey, England) or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'. It was a day in Lent when the fasting rules were relaxed, in honour of the 'Feeding of the Five Thousand', a story in the Christian Bible.

The occasion has a long history, which dates back to as far back as the year 1600. During that time, the poor used to send their children to work as domestic servants or trainees in the homes of higher class people. Once in a year, these children were given leave for a day, so that they could visit their Mother Church as well as their own mother. The day coincided with the middle Sunday of the fasting period of Lent. It was known as 'Refreshment Sunday' or 'Mid-Lent Sunday'.

The children would visit their Mother Church and then head straight to meet their own mother, with some fresh flowers. While the boys would present their mother with flowers, girls would go a step further by presenting them freshly baked handmade cakes, which were also called ‘Simnel Cakes’. With time, the holiday came to be known as 'Mothering Sunday'. The custom of Mother's Day was halted when the world underwent Industrial revolution, but steeply bounced back after World War II.

So why is Mothering Sunday (or Mother’s Day) on a different date each year?

Mothering Sunday is not a fixed day because it is always the fourth Sunday in Lent (which lasts from Ash Wednesday to the day before Easter Sunday). This means that Mother's Day in the UK falls on different dates each year and as Easter is ‘late’ this year, so is Mothering Sunday.  For at least the next 6 years it will be back in March again!

However, regardless of which date it falls on, the emotions remain the same – a day to express our gratitude towards our mothers.  It is a wonderful opportunity for everyone (not just children!) to let their mother know that she is loved and very special.

So, if you are lucky enough to still have your mother with you, why not give her a Little Box of Big Thoughts to make sure she knows how much she is loved and thought of.  As one of my customers wrote to me about the box she gave her mum:

For more information on our Little Boxes of Big Thoughts, please click here.

Julie

“To the world, you may be just one person

but to one person you may be the world”

note: Some information for this month’s blog was found on http://www.dayformothers.com/around-the-world/uk.html

Happy Valentine's Day to you all...

Well, here we are at episode 3 of my blog... and, given the day I’m writing this, I firstly wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentines Day. 

I was lucky enough to be given not only a card this morning but also some lovely small presents.  For my part, I used one of my own products – the Little Box of Big Thoughts – to give my husband something really personal, rather than expensive. 

I got the idea from one of my customers who gave one to her husband. As she says…

My husband is in the Army and is currently on operations abroad.  I bought him the Little Box of Thoughts before he went on his first tour two years ago and he has taken it with him now. He looks at them often and I think they are such a fantastic idea!  My husband also left me a box this time he went away and I regularly look at them! Thank you so much. 

Well, I’m glad to say that it went down just as well with my other half, and the great thing is that I can keep adding to it with new cards whenever I feel like it. 

But they don’t just work with partners – I created the set initially to give my father on his 75^th birthday (and I have to tell you that he said it was the best present he had ever been given in his 75 years!) and I have had customers use them to give their children, best friends and siblings and even at a Wedding.  As another customer emailed me:

What can I say but THANK YOU!  Just a few simple words on one of the cards in the Little Box of Thoughts had my best friend rolling with laughter at her wedding which gave a magic photo opportunity. 

So, why not think if there’s someone in your life who deserves to be told how much you love them.  And do let me know if you’ve used the cards for anything unusual yourself... I love hearing from you!

All the best,

Julie

14^th February 2011

Hello again!

Well, here we are at episode 2 of my blog... and I can't resist mentioning a customer email that arrived a day ago:

"Just a quick note to say thank you so much for the lovely Memories book - it arrived on Tuesday so got to me wonderfully fast.  The packaging is exquisite and I need to do nothing but hand it over to the birthday girl - and the inclusion of the archiving pen is a really nice touch - thank you so much for that.  I know she will love it and it makes my life easier too - I'm useless at wrapping gifts!"

You can imagine how thrilled I was to receive her email.  As a very small, family run business, we really pride ourselves on the 'personal touch' and getting an email like this really made my day.   

As she says, Memories books can make perfect presents for friends as well as family members, so if you get stuck trying to think of the right present for a friend, why not have another look at our new range of books?  We can wrap up the books, create beautiful gift sets and even send them direct (with your message hand written on a tag) if you would like.

Anyway, do let me know if you have any comments, whether about something you love, or something you'd like us to do differently... I love hearing from you!

All the best,

Julie

Well, here I am at the start of a New Year with lots of good intentions to keep, and one of them is to finally start writing a blog for my website.

So, here's the first episode - and I do hope you like it!

I thought it would be good to start with a reminder of why on earth I started this website/business ... and this was brought back home to me when I read an excerpt from the new book I've just launched on the site - (Your Legacy of Love, by Gemini Adams)...

"If one of your parents died, what would you prefer: to inherit their wealth, or a letter saying how much they loved you?"

Over 90% expressed a wish for the loving letter

And having thought about it, I couldn't help but agree with them.  Luckily, because my parents completed the very first of my Memories books, I have lots of their stories written down in their own handwriting, including some wonderful messages of love and you can imagine how priceless they are to me (hence the name I chose for the business - Priceless Treasures).

So, why not make it your New Year's Resolution to tell everyone you love that you do (love them, that it!)...  We've got lots of products that make it easy, including our Little Boxes of Thoughts, and the new Wishing Scrolls boxes. 

Happy New Year to you all

Julie

Date: 21/01/2011