Monday, November 03, 2008

The Story of the Mum

First things first... Does anyone know the final football score of the #1 Texas Longhorns vs. #7 Texas Tech? Hmmm.... That would be TEXAS TECH 39 - Texas Longhorns 33 - GO RED RAIDERS!!!!! We won, We won, We won... Happy Dancing....

Okay, enough of that.

I have just today learned that this high school football thing and all the hoopla we make of it is apparently just a Texas thing. I thought that everyone made a big deal out of high school football. WTH? There are traditions and rules that we all know and we faithfully follow them, never daring to stray and I just assumed it was this way everywhere. I've been recently told, NOT.

First, there is homecoming and the MUM. The mum is major source of pride, one without a mum is a loser. Boy asks girl to homecoming and then presents her with a mum. The girl presents boy with miniature mum that is worn on the arm. Mums can cost anywhere from $50 to several HUNDREDS of dollars. As is everything in Texas, the BIGGER the BETTER. We mothers of male children take great pride in making sure OUR mum, the one we allow our male children to give away to the girl, to be the BEST and the BIGGEST mum. The beauty of the mum is directly related to the standing in society for the MOTHER, no mother wants HER mum to be the ugliest...

Normally months and months are spent in preparation of making the mum, but last night at exactly 5:42 PM, C3 informs me that he is taking a girl to homecoming and he needs a mum. When is homecoming you ask? Uh, that would be this WEDNESDAY! SCREEEEECHHHHHH! WTF?

So I get my old mum box out (the box that has been under my bed with mum stuff for the past 12 years) and see that I don't have enough stuff to make the mum. Luckily when BFF moved this summer she left me her box of mum stuff, grab it, but there is only ONE flower (yes artificial mums are used). I can't do a single mum, that would be humiliating for the girl, that would mean that the boy and the mother don't really LIKE her. Grab purse and car keys and run to the nearest craft store. BRAKE! The nearest craft store which thankfully is open until 7:00 PM, is now the nearest SCRAPBOOKING STORE! WTF? I quickly ask where the mum stuff is located and they all sneer at me like I am a complete idiot! Hello, mum season is over since this is the LAST game of regular season! What to do?

Okay, I've done this before, what can I use in this store to make it work? I will punt. I will make the BEST mum possible with whatever I can find. I picked and plotted in my head and grabbed and stuffed and loaded myself down and I DID IT! I made the coolest last minute mum ever.

For those of you that don't know what a mum is - here it is, in all it's glory, made in 3 hours last night with my handy glue gun and my trusty stapler...

The Mum...



In sections...






Not my best work, but it will do.

So here are a few of the 'rules' that must be followed for Homecoming and Football, for all you nay-sayers and doubters (and you know who you are):

1. Mum must be measured to girl so that the ribbons touch floor but do not drag on the floor while pinned to her chest (and strapped around her neck because it could very possible weigh more than her).

2. Mum must show the individuality of both girl and boy, for example girl in this situation plays soccer (notice soccer ball stickers on white ribbon to the right?).

3. Mum can be a single, double, triple or heart shaped but BIGGER is always BETTER.

4. Seniors only may wear the traditional white & silver mum. But ONLY seniors. If a senior boy asks a lower classmen girl to Homecoming, she is NOT allowed to wear the white & silver mum.

5. The mum is worn proudly through the halls of the school during the day of football game, then proudly paraded, boastfully at the game and then again to the dance.

6. It is imperative that girl wearing the mum must find and come to say hello to the mother of the boy that gave her the mum, so the other mothers can gawk and be jealous of the craftiness and beauty of said mum.

7. Girls can NOT wear the boy's coordinating football jersey to game. This right is reserved for mothers of senior boys ONLY (this was really for those naysayers...).

So there you have it, the story of the mum. More pictures later of the big event later...

8 comments:

Gully Girl said...

Do I see feathers and garland in there? Wow. Just wow.

I can't wait to see what everyone else says. :)

Anonymous said...

Holy hell, I am STILL in awe. Seriously. Awe struck. My guess, the only people that are going to know this whole 'mum' thing are going to be Texan girls or maybe Oklahomans?

I am pretty sure I would be annoyed with this big huge thing on my chest, but I guess Texans are bred for this sort of thing? Pagentry and whatnot? :)

tracy said...

Holy shit!! That is an awful lot of work and rules for...well I'm not sure what for...tradition?? But I have heard how much Texans get into their football!! I know Alabama people do too, because I watched that MTV show. Haha! Anyways, nice job!!!

Tracie said...

She has to WEAR that all day?

Seriously?

Nope ain't never herd nothing 'bout that them there happ'ns before.

But you did do a very lovely job putting it together!

Jane! said...

Wow! I was imagining a single flower. Well you did a fabulous job and I bet you are excited for her to come thank you. Personally, I'm hoping that little tradition never catches on around here, although something about it just screams You-tah... any excuse to run to the craft store. Which btw, are all open 'til 9pm here in scrapbookland.
Go Kat!

Jaysey said...

Wow. That might be the strangest high school tradition I have ever seen/heard of...no offense to your hard work at creating that thing that will no doubt make that girl very happy.

Becca said...

Wow she must feel special to wear that all day! You are very creative! That is a tradition that I had never heard of before!

Lulu said...

Sniff, sniff... I did NOT enojoy watching my boyfriend (Colt McCoy) and his team lose!!!