Mother's Day is traditionally celebrated by giving mom a day off.  But at this weekend's Women Build event for Habitat for Humanity, moms and their friends celebrated the day by getting power tools and heading to work.

Around 50 participants volunteered in three shifts at the Habitat for Humanity house on Minot Avenue, doing roofing, framing, landscaping and insulation work.  The event was cosponsored by Lowe's, which donated a $5,000 gift card to the event and provided clinics for participants on proper techniques and handling power tools.   The nationwide event encouraged women to take a different twist on Mother's day and become comfortable with construction techniques so that they could take a larger role in Habitat efforts.

"We want to get women involved, get them comfortable working," said Christine Halle, the office manager for the Buzzards Bay Area Habitat for Humanity. "This way they have the confidence to come out and work, see that they can do it, and come back to help another weekend."

And the community was well represented this weekend.  Food was donated by Q'doba, Red Robin, and Cosi, and landscaping supplies and plants were donated by Eden Florist and Landscaping.   Most importantly, new volunteers from all over the area came to do landscaping, roof a shed, build a side deck and insulate the doors and windows in the house.

It was the first time at a "build" for Katie Meszaros, an employee in the paint department at Lowe's who was helping to frame the roof of the shed.

"I loved it," Meszaros said.  "I'm definitely coming back,  I like that I can help the community in this way."

Mannela Sousa and her daughter Diana were helping clear brush in the side yard.  Diana had signed the two up to volunteer to get her mother involved in helping the community.

Mannela joked that the yard work wasn't her idea of fun, necessarily, but "I'm glad my daughter signed us up, it gives us a chance to be together, too."

Diana shot right back with a rather unenthusiastic, "yeah," as if to say that might not be her idea of fun, before laughing.

Other volunteers may not have been new to the build site, but were furthering their skills.

Jesilyn Isabelle is a senior at Upper Cape Voc - Tech who is studying carpentry.  She had been working on the roof of the shed Saturday, but she was doing the build along with classmates who were doing rough plumbing (all the plumbing behind the walls) work as a way to gain real-world experience.

Allison Baxter has been volunteering at the site since construction began in November.  She was kind of an example to the new women in the group of somebody who came without much knowledge about carpentry and has since become very involved.

"At the beginning I wasn't very comfortable with the tools, but I'm learning," Baxter said.  "I have a healthy fear of the nail gun though."

One woman at the build, however, said she was fine just using a hammer and nails.

"I did all nailing by hand," said Jennifer Howlett, who will be living in the 3-bedroom, 1,000-square-foot house with her two sons Xavier, 10, and Latroy, 14.

So Howlett may not have a Mother's Day of rest.  But having a sorority of volunteers come help build your house is a pretty good way to celebrate the holiday.