The story was that her biological mother died in a mental hospital. Now I know that the story was true. Yesterday afternoon, I found her death certificate, she was only 40 years old and it says that there was some type of damage to the brain as well as a gastric ulcer. Who wouldn't have an ulcer living in a mental hospital, especially in those days? Her name was Katie.
Even worse, the certificate says that she was divorced. As I researched her husband, I found that he had been married prior to their marriage and there were a number of children. What happened to this family? He then married Katie and had 4 children with her. What I have always thought was that due to the time frame of my grandmother being adopted, her mother may have suffered from postpartum depression. It was common in those days for women who suffered from postpartum to be placed in a mental institution.
Her 2 sons ended up in an orphanage in Houston where they were labeled "inmates." Children who were only 9 and 12 years of age labeled "inmates." The youngest of the 2 died when he was only 12. What could have happened to him? Quite honestly, I don't want to know.
Katie died on November 10, 1928 and was buried on November 11th. Just thrown into a grave. Most likely, there was no one there to mourn her passing. Her husband married soon after their divorce and went on to have a number of children with his 3rd wife. He abandoned his family, and then just went on to have another.
What shocked me was to find out that Katie is buried in Houston in a cemetery that while living in Houston, I drove by each and everyday. It was just blocks away from where I lived.
Since this is still all so new to me, I am trying to process the information. When I was a child, my grandmother showed me a picture and told me that it was her biological mother. The woman in the picture was so pretty. Sadly, that image is most likely lost to time. But, Katie is now in my heart, no longer abandoned. On my next trip to Texas, I will visit her grave site, pay my respect and say thank you. She suffered greatly, but because of her, I am here and I have a lovely life that I share with a husband who would not abandon me if I lost my mind.
I now need something beautiful to think about :)
When I was doing the research for last Monday's Inspiration post, I saw the Carolina Herrera white shirt collection. The white shirt is her signature garment and she wears it so very well.
Carolina began doing a white shirt collection in 2013. I've attached the video below where she and her daughter talk about the collection. It's only a little over 3 minutes long, so not long and well worth the time spent.
Below I've posted shirts from that collection. Take note of how well they would fit into a wardrobe today as they did in 2013. Truly timeless.
Love the sleeve below!
This is by far my favorite. Love the asymmetrical front tied neckline and the sweet sleeve treatment.
Since 2013, Carolina Herrera has been doing a collection dedicated to white shirts. You can see the 2017 collection HERE.
I think that every wardrobe should include at least 3 white shirts, something with sleeves, maybe something with a small sleeve or sleeveless, and then just something funky and fun. At the moment, other than white t-shirts, I only have 1 in my wardrobe, and on a regular basis when I go to get dressed, I think about the other 2 white shirts that I REALLY need. Hmmm, wonder if I could make them? ;)))
The only issue with a white shirt is that it needs to be white. Sadly, this is not a garment that you can wear for years on end as they tend to become yellowed, or at least lose their vibrancy when washed repeatedly. So I would recommend dying the shirt after a season or 2 if you like the style and then making something new.
Enjoy this last day of July.
Rhonda