My own Big Martha

Martha Stewart's mother was also named Martha. They called her Big Martha. Martha Stewart has often spoke about how her mother impacted her life by teaching her skills that later became very important in her quest for world domination, such as cooking and sewing. Big Martha made many appearances on her daughter's show, cooking favorite family recipes and still teaching Martha a thing or two in the kitchen.

The photo is of Little Martha and Big Martha. View more of Martha's scrapbook here.

I don't have a multimedia empire, let alone my own show, but I do have my own Big Martha. My mom is my original Martha Stewart. From decorating to shopping to entertaining, my mom has been my inspiration for years, and a continual launching pad for all of my aspirations.



I look back in amazement at my childhood birthday parties--my mom has mad entertaining skillz. She always went out of her way to decorate the cake, decorate the house, plan games (with prizes!) and make sure that everyone was included. While the mere thought of hosting 32 screaming 2nd-grade girls for a sleepover might cause many parents to pull out their hair, my mom did it with enthusiasm and style. And for those who might wonder, those 31 guests were not my idea. My mom thought it would be unfair to leave any of the girls out from the two second-grade classrooms in my small elementary school, so she invited ALL OF THEM!




I could go on and on about my Big Martha's can-do attitude, her natural leadership skills and her amazing generosity--she gives constantly of her time and talents to anyone in need--but I'll stop before I say something really sappy and then we're both crying over our computers at work, embarrassing ourselves in front of our coworkers and causing the keyboards to short circuit. We just hate that, don't we, Mom?




So here's to my own Big Martha (just 'Marty' for all who know her please, lest 'Big Martha' catch on as a nickname and I get in major trouble). Thanks for all the inspiration over the years, and for the pushing I sometimes need to follow my own aspirations.

Happy Birthday, Mom!