"It was nice to know that - even though I'm married and not trolling for men - I was still good-looking enough to attract a second look.  That's when I realized they were staring at my daughter."

 

That's when I realized they were staring at my daughter.   It was gross and awful on oh-so-many levels. 

My first reaction was maternal. What were these guys thinking? I was tempted to run up and poke out their eyes. These guys had to be at least 30, maybe even 35, and they were gawking at a 14-year-old! 

It was then that I turned and saw my daughter with eyes anew. Somehow, when I wasn't looking, the beautiful blond little cherub child whose hand it seemed like I had only recently stopped holding had turned into a beautiful young woman. A young woman whose self-assurance belied her junior high status and who, although oblivious to the stares, was clearly going to be getting them for many years to come. 

It wasn't until we got to the car that I fully processed what had happened. I was no longer the cute one. I was the matronly, invisible mother, and all the matching sweat suits in the world wouldn't turn me back into a skinny head-turning stunner. 

My daughter is 16 now, and I've become quite used to the gawking, although if the droolers look over 20, I consider it my motherly duty to give them an evil glare. 

However, it's also my motherly duty to show my daughter that, while male heads may not whip around the moment I walk into a room, I'm still happy with the way I look. 

I may not have her washboard abs or long blond hair. But looking great at 45 is different than great at 16, just as looking great at 60 or 70 will be different than 45.  And just because most men aren't as immediately biologically drawn to older beauty, doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. 

It's odd and a bit unsettling to see your sweet daughter reflected in the eyes of men. Just as it's odd to realize that the world now looks at you in a different way. 

However just as the drooling men can't possibly comprehend my daughter's most beautiful qualities, they don't see mine either. 

Because as my husband and her father will tell you, truly beautiful women are never invisible to the people who love them, no matter what their age.

 

We were humbled and amazed at the number of volunteers, over 600 attended, and the thousands, actually millions, of hours they had served.  During the awards luncheon, Lisa discovered that the volunteers at her table alone had contributed over 75 years of volunteer working time.  That's not just 75 years of volunteering, that's the 75 years of 40 hour volunteer work weeks!  One woman had volunteered over 72,000 hours in the course of her lifetime of working in hospitals. 
 
So next time someone asks you to volunteer for something, you might want to think about the little lady from Texas who gave her community 72,000 hours of service.

 

 
She's never crocheted a banana cozy or stitched felted food, but our favorite editor must be channeling a twisted inner Martha because she has found some of the goofiest craft items we've ever seen.  
 
Marian peruses the recently purchased items on Etsy.com (where you can buy such delights as crocheted bacon) and she posts photos and commentaries about them on her blog.

Reader warning:  totally useless, totally hilarious, and totally addictive. 
 
Here are just a few of Marian's choice finds.