Well I think this is going to be a Mother’s Day for the books! We are all so used to our holiday rituals and now what are we going to do? So many of the flower shops are low on flowers or just don’t have any! The local bakeries are at capacity with orders from all the people who thought about Mother’s Day last week, so there aren’t any many choices there…….and, well let’s face it…….you have been doing all the cooking and planning over these last few months of the pandemic! And even the school kids are empty handed when it comes to bringing that cute little craft their teacher thought up home to you!
So what’s a Mom to do? What’s a daughter to do? Well I have a few thoughts for you! The number one idea is to set the table! If you have a few family members or a small little crowd of kids and grandkids….set the table Saturday night. It will make everyone feel like the day is special.
I took on the challenge of setting the table at our Northern Arizona home. We don’t go there often and there are lots of people that come through and stay at our home. For this reason there aren’t very many amenities such as matching dishes, cutlery, centerpieces or even glasses. But I wanted to see what I could create with not much at hand and no going to any store to purchase anything. So I drug the patio table out under the pink blossoming tree (I don’t actually know what it is) and put the only tablecloth I had on it. Then I found 4 plates that were the same color, 4 mugs that were the same color (there were not 4 glass glasses in the place and who puts brown mugs out for Mother’s Day?) and mix and match cutlery. I added paper towels as napkins and tied them with a ribbon I found in the garage.
For the centerpiece I scavanged some empty bottles I had purchased at Goodwill last year and set out my two beautiful candlesticks and candles. But what to put around them? I went out and cut pine and aspen branches from trees in the yard and arranged them around the bottles. You could use any kind of bottles you have at home…..think soda and condiment bottles. I was soooo tempted to go out buy flowers but I resisted. I then realized that the beautiful pink blossoms from the tree would be beautiful scattered among the greenery. When thinking of branches in your yard try to find ones with different colors and textures. It makes the garland look more full and lush!
I don’t have four chairs that match so I placed two of each at the table. I added some old candles in mason jars to hang from the tree over the table. That just made it so dreamy as the sun went down. I was wishing I had some cute little votives to flicker along that greenery but that wasn’t in the house! I did add a lavender wreath to two of the chairs for color. I had those hanging on the wall in the kitchen!
You know I love to add tags to everything so oh my oh my was this a challenge! I didn’t have any paper in the house expect a white lined note pad. I just couldn’t do that. I finally scavaged around in closets and drawers and found an old gift bag. I cut the tags out and wrote Happy Mother’s Day on them and then used the handle of the bag for the paper tie.
Now comes the meal! You might be a breakfast or brunch kind of Mom, maybe this year you are a dinner Mom or just maybe you are a fast food kind of Mom. No matter what winds up on those dishes it will be perfect. You see it doesn’t matter what you eat, it just matters who you are eating it with.
I hope that you have a wonderful meal with someone you love. This year it might not even be your family, but make it count! Spend time thinking and talking about what Moms really do for all of us. If your Mom is no longer with you, think of something special to remember her by today. If your Mom is far away reach out with a call so she can hear your voice or see your face. If your Mom is sitting at the table with you give her a hug and tell her you love her!
If you are a Mom remember that you have the most rewarding job in the world! You are loved and you are special! Happy Mother’s Day!
Blessings,
Carrie
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