Lessons from my Mother in femininity.

Let me start out by saying that I love my Mother. Dearly. And Mother's Day, naturally, causes me to reflect on all the wonderful lessons I've learned that wonderful woman in my life. And for kicks, I thought I'd share my parents wedding photo:Teehee. So young.Having a good laugh at my Dad's expense (a white suit Dad?!) is not the point of this post. My sweet, feminine, loving, maternal, and rockin' Mother is.She'd be mortified if she knew I was writing a blog post on her. Sorry, Mom. It's the nature of the biznass. And truthfully, the post isn't really about her, but it is about an impact she has had on me. A specific impact with regard to femininity and dressing like a woman.Truth be told, I've been known to dress manly-esque. It tends to be the nature of farm life - jeans, muck boots, flannels, etc. And dare I say, some days I even find myself dressing in the inevitable-dress of our culture: sloppy bun, yoga pants, tank top, no makeup, no attention to personal hygiene. Eeek. But while watching Edwardian Farm on YouTube over the past few days (or anytime I read The Parisienne Farmgirl who seriously knows how to rock some traditional, modest fashion), I find myself constantly drawn to the wear of the woman at the time. What appealed to me most was the femininity that it expressed.My Mom is that way.Not that she doesn't wear jeans or anything like that, but she always looks so feminine. Soft. Pretty. If she wears a flannel she rocks some beautiful earrings and lipstick. Know what I'm sayin'?She always does her hair. Always has her makeup done. Always brushes her teeth. Always looks put together.Now please hear me: I'm not here to say that we should all wear Edwardian period clothing and all have to wear makeup. I hope that's not what you hear.I just think I'm discovering, for myself, dressing more feminine and putting myself together can really make a difference in my day.I have been making an effort to get out of bed before the kids, taking extra time to wash my face, put on my makeup, getting fully dressed, and pulling my hair out of my face before the day begins (instead of waiting till late morning to get on top of it). I've also been wearing some of my sun dresses, along with some sweet new aprons a reader sent me, now that the weather is welcoming to them. I cannot believe the wonderful affect this has on my attitude. I feel like I'm on top of the day, instead of the day being on top of me.My Mom was very much this way. Except for Saturdays, I hardly remember her not being ready by the time we woke up.I think it is an important topic to be addressed because without a doubt, how we dress affects how we feel. And ideally, I'd like to feel organized, put together, and womanly.After spending a few minutes in a local thrift store, I walked away with two pretty new skirts for $7.50. I didn't find any of the long, jersey fabric ones like I was hoping for, but I think it's a good start to a skirt collection none-the-less.Now that summer is here, I'd love to try and find a few more skirts and sundresses to wear around the farm. Ones like this or this. It's a great alternative to shorts, which I despise. I'll blame it on the Scandanavian-white-thighs that moosh out of them whenever I sit down. Skirts hide the moosh. I like that.Plus, they're just as cute with BOGS as they are with dress sandals.Worn easily to milk the cow in......or garden in......or wear to a social gathering. Just cute, all the way around.I also can appreciate the modesty of a longer skirt. I may sound old-fashioned for saying this, but I can't understand how the shorts they sell at stores now-a-days can even be considered shorts. They are underwear. Let's not fool ourselves. I heard a quote the other day that said "Dress as you would want other woman to dress around your husband." I like that standard.But this isn't a debate on modesty, proper dress, or old-fashioned regulations - strictly from a personal standpoint, I enjoy feeling like a woman. And beautiful skirts and feminine dresses help me to feel that way.I also love that many of them enhance the womanly figure. We were blessed with hips, curves, and waists - it's exciting to see that enhanced rather than shoved into a pair of skinny jeans like some sort of sausage.Stuart thinks I may be watching too much Edwardian Farm.I say that there are wonderful things to be learned from the past. Perhaps how woman cared for themselves, and took pride in their femininity, can be one of those things our culture revives.Now. The real question has become How can I convince my Mother to sew me up some long skirts? It is, of course, partly her fault I began this femininity business in the first place. She's such a gem. A beautiful, feminine gem.I love that about her.