Another Feather at imogene + willie

Sunday, May 19th

1:00 pm – 5:00 pm

jewelry, treats + more

on repeat, tryin to get the sun to come back to nashville

-jonathan

good rainy day movie for this coming weekend:  little fauss and Big Halsy.
less for the story line.  more so to gawk at the style of lauren hutton and robert redford.

love
c

technologies such as basecamp, google docs, and outlook task lists makes knocking out “to-do’s” more streamlined and efficient, i suppose.

but, when i really want to make something happen, i get a pen out of my pocket and grab my moleskin.  it is always within arm’s reach.

i recently went through my old moleskins from the past 10 years.  i found about 200 bucks in cash tucked away in the pages…. and found a lot of “to-do’s” over the years that i haven’t quite gotten to.

nevertheless, there’s nothing better than just writing something down.

love,

carrie

We had the pleasure of meeting Mikael Kennedy a few weeks ago in Nashville, and are continually blown away with the art that he creates. Eight of his polaroids from this Passport to Trespass series are in a group exhibition titled Scenes from the South, showing in New York until June 1st at the Howard Greenberg Gallery.

if you are from henderson, kentucky – you’ll get this.

anywhere you go in the world, you meet someone connected to henderson.
and more so, everything good starts in henderson.

that’s the opinion of anyone that grew up there or lives there.
we’re all pretty proud of our special hometown.

but there is a fact (almost) about one thing in particular that started in henderson:

mother’s day.

however, that’s debatable!

judy jenkins, our revered hometown newspaper columnist, has been writing for the paper since matt and i were kids. judy wrote the below article for the the bicentennial issue of our local newspaper back in 1992. it tells the story of a hendersonian named miss mary towels sasseen, hailed as the national originator of mother’s day. but, philadelphia’s miss anna jarvis thought she deserved the acclaim!

happy mother’s day, courtesy of mary towels sasseen and the land of all things possible…..henderson, ky!

FIRST MOTHER’S DAY

Local teacher introduced the idea.

The girls loved it. The boys hated it. The girls rummaged through the boxes of buttons, lace and ribbons and thought their young teacher’s idea was the best thing since licorice.

The boys begrudgingly went through those trinket-filled boxes, too, but their motivation, instead of enthusiasm for the teacher’s brainstorm, was fear of getting a bad report card or having to take an unfavorable note home to their parents.

What their teacher had thought of – and enlisted the students’ help with – was a special Mother’s Day observation in that spring of 1887 to let moms know how much their children appreciated them. The bright trimmings were to be used on handmade cards intended for those mothers.

That youthful Henderson teacher, Mary Towles SASSEEN, is hailed by Kentucky as the national originator of Mother’s Day and a state marker at the site of the old Center Street School recognizes her founder’s status.

The commonwealth, however, hasn’t yet convinced the rest of America that the local teacher – and not Philadelphia’s Anna JARVIS - is the creator of the annual Mother’s Day observation.

But Milwaukee believes it, or at least did in 1934 when the Milwaukee Journal noted that SASSEEN deserved credit for the holiday. The newspaper pointed out that in 1893, SASSEEN published a booklet of Mother’s Day ideas. That booklet was distributed 14 years before Anna JARVIS announced plans for a Mother’s Day and 21 years before Miss JARVIS persuaded a U.S. senator to introduce the bill that resulted in the national observance.

Efforts have been made by a number of Kentuckians – including Miss SASSEEN‘S cousin, the late Susan Starling TOWLES - to right that perceived wrong, but the struggle has resulted in nothing but files of correspondence at the local library and the Henderson Co. Historical Society.

Accounts indicate it was Miss SASSEEN‘S dedication to her own mother, as well as a firm belief that mother “is the star around which all civilization revolves” that prompted the pretty red-haired teacher to introduce the notion.

According to Miss TOWLES, who was the local librarian, boys were embarrassed by the display of affection for their mothers and especially by the teacher’s request that the students “kiss Mama before school and before going out to play.”

Nevertheless, the Mother’s Day concept caught on and Miss SASSEEN began promoting it in addresses to organizations throughout the state and beyond. Following her visit to Springfield, Ohio, that city in 1894 formally observed a Mother’s Day in all the public schools.

Perhaps if Miss SASSEEN‘S race for state superintendent of public instruction in 1899 had been successful, her Mother’s Day proposal would have become an annual observance in Kentucky schools and attracted more national attention.

But it was rare for a woman to achieve state office (or any office) in that era and the teacher lost. Thirteen years later, a journalist looked back on that race and wrote of Miss SASSEEN, “She was not elected but in the South it takes a woman of unusual ability and moral courage and conviction to stand out and above the rest of her sex.”

For most of her life, the Henderson instructor who came from Revolutionary stock and was related to several members of the Transylvania Company was single. It was in 1900 – only six years before her death – that she wed for the first time, becoming the wife of Judge Marshall WILSON.

The couple moved to Florida, where she was to die on April 18, 1906, a date remembered not for her passing, but for the legendary San Francisco earthquake.

Bicentennial Edition, The Gleaner, March 28, 1992
Written by Judy Jenkins

Happy Birthday to the one and only Brian Awitan!

Wishing a very happy day to our cute-as-a-button Debbie!

-Matt

How do you say farewell to your family?

My time at imogene + willie has been so much more than a job, and this team of people have become like brothers and sisters deep down in my heart. What Matt and Carrie have built is truly special, and has meant so much to me both personally and professionally. I can’t help but get a little mushy on my last day… it feels as if I’m leaving home to head off to college. I’ve spent my final week trying to document the moments and memories that I want to take with me. And a few of the things I’ll miss the most:

Matt’s voice when he talks to the doggies. Judge Juji! And his endless support, belief and encouragement in me.

Carrie’s loving open arms. And nurturing, sweet soul.

Jonathan’s countless emails full of ideas and inspirations. And his kick in my ass when I need it most.

Jessica’s perfect envious hair.

Erin’s family home in Muscle Shoals. And sweet memories that were made there.

Joe and our shared love of Justin Timberlake.

Brian and that one time he told me my face looked like Christie Brinkley’s.

Ian’s attention and care for detail.

Kristen’s infectious smile. And those curls!

John Christian’s badass handlebar stache. And his delightful smell.

Alex’s big bear hugs.

Jay always giving me a hard time. But only because he loves me… right, Jay?

Destiny’s perfect green salsa.

Debbie’s heart for the team. And her ability to brighten my day.

Juan teaching me Spanish. Muchas gracias amigo!

Nestor’s crazy jokes and famous ballroom dance moves.

Gloria’s peaceful, kind spirit.

Allen’s enthusiastic and warm greeting. Every. single. day.

Mercedes’ contagious laugh.

Patricia’s quiet and gentle demeanor.

Lale when she rests her head in my hand.

Juju’s love bites.

To my sweet team (and best coworkers in the entire world)—thank you for your crazy love and generous support, for carrying me through the most difficult times, and for being my biggest cheerleaders as I step out into this new journey. I love you all.

See you again soon,

Elise