A/N: Pippin tries as hard as he can to find the grandest present of his
mother, who does so much to help all those that she loves. However,
everything he tries ends up in a mess and causes her more work than she has
time to do.
Chapter 1
Flower Pot for Mother
After the long winter months, the Took's were relieved when finally the days began to get longer and the sun warmed the temperature outside. The gray clouds were now replaced with a bright blue sky. The leaves began to sprout on all the trees and everyone began preparing for Spring-cleaning, both indoors and out.
Pippin had trouble sitting at the kitchen table with his sisters trying to complete their morning studies. Pippin wiggled about in his chair and tapped his fingers on the cover of his book. His eyes wandered everywhere except on the pages he should have been reading. His eyes darted towards the window and he knew it was going to be a warm sunny day. The minutes seemed more like hours as his anticipation grew. His mother, Eglantine was helping her daughter memorize a few paragraphs from her history lessons. "Pippin, keep your eyes on your work and turn around in your seat." His mother encouraged him.
Pearl, the eldest sister, marched into the kitchen as she snarled at her brother, "You stay out of my bedroom, you little sneak! Mother, he has done it again. He has taken all my best ribbons and tied knots in them to make long string. Mother could you iron them for me, I promised the Bolgers to watch their two children while they do their spring shopping and I am running late as it is."
Eglantine, took the ribbons and place them on top of a basket of clothing that she has not yet been able to get to in order to finishing her ironing. She took the iron from the fireplace, placing it on the ironing board and began ironing the ribbons.
"So what year did the first Thain come into office, Pimpernel?" She asked while she ironed and trying to keep up with the history lessons. Pimpernel answered her correctly. She shifted her eyes toward Pippin and asked him, "Who was the tenth Took that was the Thain of the Great Smial?" Pippin snapped back towards his book and scanned it quickly trying to find the answer. "Pippin you should of known the answer as this was yesterdays assignment."
"I know the answer, just a minute! It was..um...." Pippin's finger found the paragraph in his book about the Thains, and read, "Isengrim, he was the tenth Thain of the Took line." Pippin proudly said to his mother.
"That is correct Pippin, but you must stop looking out that window and keep your eyes on your lessons. I will be asking you tomorrow of the events you should be reading now." She scolded.
Pevinca howled and screeched as she sat on the floor mouthing her fingers. Pevinca was not quite right in the mind when she was born. She had always been a very odd duck, never growing out of her toddler stage, even though she was 12 years old. Pippin was the youngest at his 10th birthday last month, but he was not the baby of the family. Pevinca was and would always be. Pevinca grabbed her Spring sweater and struggled with it. She managed to get one arm into the sleeve and stuck one of the buttons that was attached to her sweater into her mouth, chewing on it. Pevinca was being taught how to button her spring sweater that her mother made her during the long winter month and practiced with her daily how to button her sweater. However, the lessons were going slow, and she made very marginal gains with this skill. Elgantine finished with a set of ribbons and left them on the ironing board. She approached Pevinca and took the button out of her mouth and prompted her to put her arm into the other sleeve. Pevinca howled again with frustration as she tried to manipulate the sweater.
"Mother, she is never going to learn how to do that. Why do you insist that she must put on her own sweater? Wouldn't it be easier just to do it for her?" asked Pippin.
"No, Pippin it would not be easier, because Pevinca needs to learn to do it by herself. Someday, I know she will be able to." Elgantine said proudly of her daughter.
Elgantine placed the button in Pevinca's one hand and the button hole in the other. She encouraged her to put them together. Elgantine pulled the button through the hole. She gave her daughter a hug and tickled her to make her laugh.
The door open and Paladin walked in carrying a beautiful hand decorated flowerpot for his wife.
"Why Paladin, what have you done?" Eglantine eyes lit up as she saw the flowerpot she had been admiring. She watched the hobbit women, at Hobbiton yesterday, unpacking some of their wares. Every year all the women folk of the Shire would meet in Hobbiton to sell or trade the craft items that they have made during the long winter months. The children made crafts as well and gave them to their mothers as gifts to celebrate the coming of Spring and festival.
When they were setting their wares on the table in preparing for the upcoming events. Eglantine saw this beautiful flowerpot that was hand painted in beautiful floral patterns of pink and red. The dark green leaves only accented the beauty of those flowers all the more. She told Mrs. Brandybuck how much she had loved it. Paladine now carried it in his arms.
"Esmeralda Brandybuck told me that you made such a fuss over this pot, that I had to do some fast talking in order for her to sell this to me before the craft fair opening in the next few days. Anyway, I thought that since, Milo Burrows has asked me to go fishing this afternoon, that this would soften your response. Would this be too wicked of me to offer this as a bribe?" Paladine teased her.
"Why of course not, my dear! I will be glad to accept this in any fashion." She wrapped her arms around Paladin to give him as kiss.
"You should have waited for the picnic during the Spring festival, when all the children bring their mother's a gift. Maybe you could have purchased this for Pippin to give to me. That would have made old Lobelia Bracegirdle raise an eyebrow." Eglantine informed him.
"I think Pippin already has his ideas for that day." Paladin smiled at his son.
Pippin flashed a brighten smile towards his mother. Eglantine raised her eyebrow towards him, wondering what it could possibly be.
"Have you canceled your meeting this afternoon with the Hilda Bracegirdle?" she asked.
"No I haven't, I plum forgotten about it. Would you be a dear and see to her on my behalf?" Paladin looked at his wife with pleading eyes.
"Yes, of course, but honestly Paladin, you are as bad as your children when it comes to a warm spring afternoon." Eglantine looked at him sternly.
Paladine grabbed his fishing pole and headed towards the door.
She took her prized flowerpot and placed it on the table, admiring it. Eglantine mentally began planning what type of flower would compliment this pot.
She returned to her ironing, Pearl came out of her bedroom ready to leave for the Bolgers. "Mother have you seen my shawl, I thought I have put it in my closet, but I can not seem to find it?"
"Let's try to find it together as my iron is in need of heating again."
Eglantine peeked out from the doorway of Pearl's bedroom telling her children, "Pimpernel, finish buttoning your sister sweater and take her out to play. Pippin put all the books away before you go out."
Pippin hearing that the lessons were over with rushed to gather the books from the table and put them away. When he grabbed the stack of books he piled, two slipped from the top and landed directly on his mother's new flowerpot, sending it crashing to the floor in tiny pieces.
"Now what has happened?" Eglantine yelled from the bedroom and rushed into the kitchen. She was shocked to see Pippin on his hands and knees trying to pick-up the tiny pieces of broken clay from her beautiful flowerpot that she loved.
"Pippin, what in heavens name happened to my new flower pot?" she shouted at him.
Pippin stood with his head lowered to the floor. "I'm sorry mother, I did not mean for this to happen. A couple of books slipped as I tried to pick them up and it hit the flowerpot. I am so sorry."
Eglantine, even though she was so disappointed at seeing her beautiful flowerpot now completely destroyed, looked at her son, and said, "Pippin what ever am I to do with you, boy! You need to pay more attention to what you are doing. There is nothing that can be done about the flowerpot, but you will clean up this mess and I expect to see your bedroom just as clean before elevence meal."
"Yes, mother, I promise." Pippin told her.
Eglantine felt awful about her flowerpot, it almost brought a tear to her eye. Maybe at the craft fair she could find another that she would like.
Pevinca came into the kitchen crying, she had fell running after Pimpernel and torn he petticoats. Her knee was bleeding and so was her elbow. She picked her daughter up in her arms and placed her on the table giving her a kiss. She poured some hot water that was boiling in the fireplace into a bowl and added some cool water to make it warm. Getting a fresh clean towel, she soaked it into the warm water. Eglantine cleaned out Pevinca's wound and wrapped a linen bandage around her knee and tied it tightly. "That will fix your hurt knee, but please be careful. I do not want to see you get hurt again." Elgantine, carried her daughter into her bedroom and got another petticoats from her drawer. She took off the torn ones, and her mother helped her put them on. Pimpernel led her sister out to play again.
"This time you watch her a little more closely, Okay Pimpernel?"
Pimernel nodded as she clutched her sister's hand leading her outside.
"I finished cleaning the floor, mother and I will see to my room now." Pippin left the kitchen.
Elgantine looked around the kitchen and everything was a mess and she still had to finish the ironing, mending and fixing elevence for the children. Then somehow fix herself up enough to meet with Hilda Bracegirdle. Only to turn around and prepare the noon luncheon. What a day this was turning out to be?
Pippin felt so badly about breaking his mother's flowerpot and he noticed how much it hurt her in losing it. He looked at the small beaded bracelet he was making her for the Spring festival, but it was not as grand as that flowerpot.
Pippin only had a few coins in his bank, but not near enough to purchase another pot. His mother was the kindness woman that he had ever known. She constantly helped everyone she knew and spent all of her time caring for those that she loved. She deserved a grand present. If he did not have the money to buy one, maybe he could make one for her.
There was plenty of clay down by the riverbank, but it was a good distance away from Tookland. Pippin knew he would get into some trouble missing elevence and maybe noon luncheon also, but it would be worth it, if he could get the clay for the pot. He hurried in cleaning his room and told him mother he was going out to play.
Pippin grabbed an old linen bag and took off in a flash heading for the riverbank.
Chapter 1
Flower Pot for Mother
After the long winter months, the Took's were relieved when finally the days began to get longer and the sun warmed the temperature outside. The gray clouds were now replaced with a bright blue sky. The leaves began to sprout on all the trees and everyone began preparing for Spring-cleaning, both indoors and out.
Pippin had trouble sitting at the kitchen table with his sisters trying to complete their morning studies. Pippin wiggled about in his chair and tapped his fingers on the cover of his book. His eyes wandered everywhere except on the pages he should have been reading. His eyes darted towards the window and he knew it was going to be a warm sunny day. The minutes seemed more like hours as his anticipation grew. His mother, Eglantine was helping her daughter memorize a few paragraphs from her history lessons. "Pippin, keep your eyes on your work and turn around in your seat." His mother encouraged him.
Pearl, the eldest sister, marched into the kitchen as she snarled at her brother, "You stay out of my bedroom, you little sneak! Mother, he has done it again. He has taken all my best ribbons and tied knots in them to make long string. Mother could you iron them for me, I promised the Bolgers to watch their two children while they do their spring shopping and I am running late as it is."
Eglantine, took the ribbons and place them on top of a basket of clothing that she has not yet been able to get to in order to finishing her ironing. She took the iron from the fireplace, placing it on the ironing board and began ironing the ribbons.
"So what year did the first Thain come into office, Pimpernel?" She asked while she ironed and trying to keep up with the history lessons. Pimpernel answered her correctly. She shifted her eyes toward Pippin and asked him, "Who was the tenth Took that was the Thain of the Great Smial?" Pippin snapped back towards his book and scanned it quickly trying to find the answer. "Pippin you should of known the answer as this was yesterdays assignment."
"I know the answer, just a minute! It was..um...." Pippin's finger found the paragraph in his book about the Thains, and read, "Isengrim, he was the tenth Thain of the Took line." Pippin proudly said to his mother.
"That is correct Pippin, but you must stop looking out that window and keep your eyes on your lessons. I will be asking you tomorrow of the events you should be reading now." She scolded.
Pevinca howled and screeched as she sat on the floor mouthing her fingers. Pevinca was not quite right in the mind when she was born. She had always been a very odd duck, never growing out of her toddler stage, even though she was 12 years old. Pippin was the youngest at his 10th birthday last month, but he was not the baby of the family. Pevinca was and would always be. Pevinca grabbed her Spring sweater and struggled with it. She managed to get one arm into the sleeve and stuck one of the buttons that was attached to her sweater into her mouth, chewing on it. Pevinca was being taught how to button her spring sweater that her mother made her during the long winter month and practiced with her daily how to button her sweater. However, the lessons were going slow, and she made very marginal gains with this skill. Elgantine finished with a set of ribbons and left them on the ironing board. She approached Pevinca and took the button out of her mouth and prompted her to put her arm into the other sleeve. Pevinca howled again with frustration as she tried to manipulate the sweater.
"Mother, she is never going to learn how to do that. Why do you insist that she must put on her own sweater? Wouldn't it be easier just to do it for her?" asked Pippin.
"No, Pippin it would not be easier, because Pevinca needs to learn to do it by herself. Someday, I know she will be able to." Elgantine said proudly of her daughter.
Elgantine placed the button in Pevinca's one hand and the button hole in the other. She encouraged her to put them together. Elgantine pulled the button through the hole. She gave her daughter a hug and tickled her to make her laugh.
The door open and Paladin walked in carrying a beautiful hand decorated flowerpot for his wife.
"Why Paladin, what have you done?" Eglantine eyes lit up as she saw the flowerpot she had been admiring. She watched the hobbit women, at Hobbiton yesterday, unpacking some of their wares. Every year all the women folk of the Shire would meet in Hobbiton to sell or trade the craft items that they have made during the long winter months. The children made crafts as well and gave them to their mothers as gifts to celebrate the coming of Spring and festival.
When they were setting their wares on the table in preparing for the upcoming events. Eglantine saw this beautiful flowerpot that was hand painted in beautiful floral patterns of pink and red. The dark green leaves only accented the beauty of those flowers all the more. She told Mrs. Brandybuck how much she had loved it. Paladine now carried it in his arms.
"Esmeralda Brandybuck told me that you made such a fuss over this pot, that I had to do some fast talking in order for her to sell this to me before the craft fair opening in the next few days. Anyway, I thought that since, Milo Burrows has asked me to go fishing this afternoon, that this would soften your response. Would this be too wicked of me to offer this as a bribe?" Paladine teased her.
"Why of course not, my dear! I will be glad to accept this in any fashion." She wrapped her arms around Paladin to give him as kiss.
"You should have waited for the picnic during the Spring festival, when all the children bring their mother's a gift. Maybe you could have purchased this for Pippin to give to me. That would have made old Lobelia Bracegirdle raise an eyebrow." Eglantine informed him.
"I think Pippin already has his ideas for that day." Paladin smiled at his son.
Pippin flashed a brighten smile towards his mother. Eglantine raised her eyebrow towards him, wondering what it could possibly be.
"Have you canceled your meeting this afternoon with the Hilda Bracegirdle?" she asked.
"No I haven't, I plum forgotten about it. Would you be a dear and see to her on my behalf?" Paladin looked at his wife with pleading eyes.
"Yes, of course, but honestly Paladin, you are as bad as your children when it comes to a warm spring afternoon." Eglantine looked at him sternly.
Paladine grabbed his fishing pole and headed towards the door.
She took her prized flowerpot and placed it on the table, admiring it. Eglantine mentally began planning what type of flower would compliment this pot.
She returned to her ironing, Pearl came out of her bedroom ready to leave for the Bolgers. "Mother have you seen my shawl, I thought I have put it in my closet, but I can not seem to find it?"
"Let's try to find it together as my iron is in need of heating again."
Eglantine peeked out from the doorway of Pearl's bedroom telling her children, "Pimpernel, finish buttoning your sister sweater and take her out to play. Pippin put all the books away before you go out."
Pippin hearing that the lessons were over with rushed to gather the books from the table and put them away. When he grabbed the stack of books he piled, two slipped from the top and landed directly on his mother's new flowerpot, sending it crashing to the floor in tiny pieces.
"Now what has happened?" Eglantine yelled from the bedroom and rushed into the kitchen. She was shocked to see Pippin on his hands and knees trying to pick-up the tiny pieces of broken clay from her beautiful flowerpot that she loved.
"Pippin, what in heavens name happened to my new flower pot?" she shouted at him.
Pippin stood with his head lowered to the floor. "I'm sorry mother, I did not mean for this to happen. A couple of books slipped as I tried to pick them up and it hit the flowerpot. I am so sorry."
Eglantine, even though she was so disappointed at seeing her beautiful flowerpot now completely destroyed, looked at her son, and said, "Pippin what ever am I to do with you, boy! You need to pay more attention to what you are doing. There is nothing that can be done about the flowerpot, but you will clean up this mess and I expect to see your bedroom just as clean before elevence meal."
"Yes, mother, I promise." Pippin told her.
Eglantine felt awful about her flowerpot, it almost brought a tear to her eye. Maybe at the craft fair she could find another that she would like.
Pevinca came into the kitchen crying, she had fell running after Pimpernel and torn he petticoats. Her knee was bleeding and so was her elbow. She picked her daughter up in her arms and placed her on the table giving her a kiss. She poured some hot water that was boiling in the fireplace into a bowl and added some cool water to make it warm. Getting a fresh clean towel, she soaked it into the warm water. Eglantine cleaned out Pevinca's wound and wrapped a linen bandage around her knee and tied it tightly. "That will fix your hurt knee, but please be careful. I do not want to see you get hurt again." Elgantine, carried her daughter into her bedroom and got another petticoats from her drawer. She took off the torn ones, and her mother helped her put them on. Pimpernel led her sister out to play again.
"This time you watch her a little more closely, Okay Pimpernel?"
Pimernel nodded as she clutched her sister's hand leading her outside.
"I finished cleaning the floor, mother and I will see to my room now." Pippin left the kitchen.
Elgantine looked around the kitchen and everything was a mess and she still had to finish the ironing, mending and fixing elevence for the children. Then somehow fix herself up enough to meet with Hilda Bracegirdle. Only to turn around and prepare the noon luncheon. What a day this was turning out to be?
Pippin felt so badly about breaking his mother's flowerpot and he noticed how much it hurt her in losing it. He looked at the small beaded bracelet he was making her for the Spring festival, but it was not as grand as that flowerpot.
Pippin only had a few coins in his bank, but not near enough to purchase another pot. His mother was the kindness woman that he had ever known. She constantly helped everyone she knew and spent all of her time caring for those that she loved. She deserved a grand present. If he did not have the money to buy one, maybe he could make one for her.
There was plenty of clay down by the riverbank, but it was a good distance away from Tookland. Pippin knew he would get into some trouble missing elevence and maybe noon luncheon also, but it would be worth it, if he could get the clay for the pot. He hurried in cleaning his room and told him mother he was going out to play.
Pippin grabbed an old linen bag and took off in a flash heading for the riverbank.