This year the kids and I are building Mommy a pair of oak spice cabinets, complete with decorative spindle railing, custom etched glass doors, and pegs on the bottom so she can hang strings of dried peppers or what-not. The spindled railing is designed to be removed for easy cleaning. It will hold at least 48 bottles of spices, 36 inside and 12 on top. Actually, I had drafted this up for Mother’s Day about 8 years ago and picked up the material here and there, tweaking the design a little once in a while. This year I finally got down to brass tacks and decided this was the year to build it. (After 8 years, my wife is SURE to be surprised…) I cut the pieces out to make two kits that the kids (ages 7, 9, and 10) and I could put together as a project. My wife likes Mexican décor, so I did a little research and found a cute chili pepper wearing a sombrero to etch on the glass panels, along with “Emporio (wife’s name) de Especies” (Wife’s spice emporium). So far, the cabinets are stained (I have a couple wood staining fiends for daughters…good thing I got some gloves for them to use!) and assembled, including the door frames. Currently, the cabinets are awaiting the final coat of polyurethane, after which I need to install the decorative spindle railing and door hinges. The final work should be complete this Saturday: staining, polyurethaning, and installing the decorative railing; custom fabricating and installing the door knobs; installing the inset door hinges; and finally installing the etched glass. The back of the cabinets say “Happy Mother’s Day 2009” and are signed by all the kids and myself. My kid’s Godmother wanted to know if I intend to include all the spices, too. The Answer: NO! If I bought her a bunch of spices to go with the cabinet, I’d end up buying stuff she already has or stuff she doesn’t use. I probably WILL buy some spices…but I ain’t about to attempt to load up both cabinets with 96 bottles! Of course, the standard dinner and a card will come with the package deal. (I’ll post pictures later.)

Im baking her a chocolate cake. Can never go wrong with chocolate cake and of course a card.

Wow, nothing as extravagant as yours, just a card and a phone call, my mum lives far away :0)