Lessons from Baba

On September 30^th, our beloved Baba said goodbye to this world and went to be with the Lord and the love of her life in heaven. Marie Ozurovich was an amazing woman and I am so grateful that I was able to spend the last 4 years getting to know her. She taught me some lessons about life and inspired me and so I thought I would share them with you.

Lesson #1: Believe in your family.

            Baba loved her family with all her heart and it showed. You could tell after just a few moments of being in a room full of Ozuroviches that Baba had to be one special lady. She could quip back with witty comments, show tenderness and genuine care to those who she knew needed it and let’s face it, she survived a house with 4 boys and that alone makes her deserve trophies and awards! These 4 boys all became outstanding men who have raised amazing children of their own now and you could tell that Baba was so overwhelmingly proud of them. I am grateful to be a part of this legacy.

Lesson #2: Love your Husband with all your heart.

            Baba met the love of her life when she was 16 and his name was Andy. She was head over heels in love with him until the day she left this earth and I have no doubt in my mind that she is still head over heels in love with him. I never got to meet Andy or Djedo as he was called by his grandkids but boy do I wish I had. They were soul mates. Companions for life. I am sure they had their hard times in marriage as everyone does but they persevered and enjoyed life together. They traveled and celebrated and everyone that knew them loved them. I pray that Matt and I will persevere and travel and celebrate and enjoy life together in the same way. 

Lesson #3: Take pride in who you are.

            Baba took immense pride in her Croatian heritage and she taught that pride to her whole family. They have lamb barbeques, prepare Croatian treats for the holidays and talk about Croatia at every family get together. Matt was lucky enough to visit Croatia with Baba in 2008 and I can tell by the way he talks about the trip that being there with family instilled in him this same sense of pride. I know that Matt will teach our son this pride and this makes my heart happy.

Lesson#4: Always have a full plate and a little room for dessert.

            I am pretty sure the first thing Baba said to me was “Did you get something to eat?” Followed by “Do you have a plate?” and “Did you get enough to eat?” She always wanted everyone to be fed and provided for. This could come from raising a house full of boys but more likely is that Baba cared for us and food was the best way for her to show it. Baba also had a sweet tooth and so there was always a little dessert. Rostule or Struedel anyone?!?

Lesson#5: Be passionate about something.

            Baba loved the Dodgers. To say she was a huge fan would be an understatement. She proudly displayed an autographed ball and an Andre Ethier bobblehead and if the Dodgers were playing, she was watching. Baba loved the Dodgers so much that at 90 she made the trip from LA to Arizona to watch spring training. She couldn’t see well but I believe that she soaked in everything about that trip; the smell of the grass, the crack of the ball against the bat and the memory of being there with her granddaughters. I hope at 90 I am so passionate about something that I will travel hundreds of miles to enjoy it.

Lesson #6: Be generous.  

Baba was generous in so many ways. She would give anything to her family if they asked or even if they didn’t. She was generous with her time, her money and her love. She was so welcoming to me as I became part of this family and I am forever blessed by that. I pray that someday I am remembered for my generosity as well. 

           

So those are just a few of the lessons I learned from this amazing woman. 

Baba, I miss you but I have hope that I will see you in eternity. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs. Ozurovich

A Little "Sprinkle"

I know, I know...It's been over 2 months and I am finally posting my second blog post. A lot has happened since my last post and so my next few posts will try to catch you up on what we have been up to.

On September 29th, my wonderfully crafty and fabulously organized friends, Kimberly and Karla joined with me to throw a baby "sprinkle" for our friend Kristen. Kristen was expecting a beautiful baby girl and seeing as all of us have little boys we took the opportunity to throw an incredibly girly shower. We hosted an afternoon tea and it was just lovely.

I made the invitations to reflect the "sprinkle" theme with patterned parasols in girly colors.

Karla borrowed some vintage linens, tea pots, cups, and saucers from her mother-in-law and I just love the shabby chic look! Soooo girly!

We filled Kimberly's apothecary jars with sweet treats for everyone to take home. Those meringues back there- they are from Trader Joe's and holy moly- they are good and you can never go wrong with a little salt water taffy!

Karla hand dipped pretzel rods in chocolate and they were delish! Love the sweet and salty combo.

I made a garland from paper circles and I just love it! It was a Pinterest idea that actually worked and I bet you are going to see it in a few more posts down the line.

Those hydrangeas are from Kimberly's garden and wow did they look pretty with the roses I picked up that morning!

I also made onesie and umbrella shaped sugar cookies as part of the dessert table and Kimberly made those super cute mini cupcakes. Can we say sugar overload?!

Overall I think Kristen really enjoyed herself and it was just so nice to have friends together to celebrate this tiny new addition to our circle of friends. Kristen had baby Leilani in a movie worthy delivery on October 26^th and mommy and baby are doing well. I just wish them so much joy and happiness as Kristen and her husband, Alex, now feel their family is complete. 

Thanks for stopping by! 

Mrs. Ozurovich

A Goal

I wish  I could be one of those stay-at-home moms that has a clean house , impeccable kitchen with the smell of homemade deliciousness  lingering in the air. One who is always dressed in the cutest outfits and does the most amazing crafting projects in her spare time . But let's get real. 

Most of the time my house looks like this.

My kitchen is less than impeccable and I don't think my yoga pants and t-shirt counts as a cute outfit (especially because it usually has spit-up or pureed broccoli stuck to it somewhere). 

As for the most amazing crafting projects, at least there is stamp club. Three to four hours a month dedicated to beautiful cards and girl-time.

Mostly I spend my time hanging around with this little guy. 

We walk to the park, chase the cat around the house (poor Skippy) and go to the pool. I love watching him. Sure, I could get things done while he plays on the floor but then I would miss all of those funny little moments like when he learned how to turn the pages of a book or when he realized that he could grab the edge of the coffee table and stand up to get the cat. I just love this time with him.

All that being said, becoming a mommy really does change you in ways you didn’t even know could be possible and sometimes it can feel like I have lost who I am as Laura in the craziness of everyday life. In an effort to get back to feeling more like myself, I have decided to  do something I have always wanted to do. I am learning to quilt!!  Woo hoo! I know this won’t help with the impeccable house part and I probably will quilt in my yoga pants and broccoli stained t-shirts but it is something for me to learn and I am excited.  About two years ago I bought this fabric. I love it!

 

 

  

Since I bought just random amounts of this fabric I am going to make it into this lovely pattern. 

 

I also joined a quilting club so that I could have some motivation, guidance and more girl-time and my first meeting is next Monday.  With any luck,  will have some progress to show you after that!

Thanks for stopping by!

Mrs. Ozurovich