Tribute to Mother

Happy Mother's Day everyone.  Today in honor of my mother we set up a table on the patio using her china and silver.  I used one of my beautiful garden statues as a back drop and brought in a tiny crystal chandelier.   The candelabras are a pair I picked up at the flea market a few years back.  I wanted to light the candles but my daughter said "You're going to burn the house down.  Are you crazy?  You could start a fire," maybe that's not such a good idea.

Although I do not share very much about my personal life, today I would like to share a little bit about my mother.  My mother was born in March of 1930 virtually six months after the stock market crashed which launched the great depression.  Her playpen was a used picket fence stuck into a corner to keep her penned in.  She was the middle of three children.  When she was 16, her father committed suicide, an act that I think affected the rest of her life.  At 18, a week out of high school she married my father.  At that time average middle class women did not attend college, they got married and raised a family.  It turned out to be a marriage of great abuse.  In 1953 my mother gave birth to her only child and decided she needed to leave and boarded an airplane with $3 in her wallet and a three-month old infant.  She had no job, no home and virtually no where to go.  I cannot believe the fortitude that took for her to do that.  She ended up living with my aunt, worked by day and went to night school to learn bookkeeping skills.  She eventually became an accountant, although never got her CPA.  She raised a child by herself back in the day when women were not single parents.  She was a pioneer for sure.  My mother never purchased a piece of property, never had a savings account, and never remarried.  She never accepted a drop of government assistance either.  She was too proud.  In spite of all of that I feel we lived a gracious life, one of appreciation for what we had, and I never felt deprived.  I learned early on it is not material goods that make a person happy.  We must make our own happiness with what God grants us.  I do not share this story to make you pity my mother or myself.  It is a story of how strong women can be and how inspite of adversity we can still be proud and happy individuals.  Mother passed away in June of 2002 at the young age of 72.

The name of her china pattern is Royal Rose.  The maker's mark says Grant Crest Fine China Made in Japan.  I know it's from the 1950s.  I can remember this china way back to my early childhood.  Back then there were no dishwashers (at least we didn't have one) so we used this china every day.  We also used my mother's sterling silver every day as well.  Her pattern was Old Master by Towle.  Mom was a firm believer in why have it if you are not going to use it.

The napkin holders came from Bullock's.  I have had these for 25 years.  The place mats are from Home Goods.  Aren't the ruffles fun?

Mom used to make us little tea sandwiches without the crusts.  Some would consider that fancy, but my mother just liked making everything pretty.

I think that's why I like to do tablescapes, and I love to entertain.  Have a wonderful mother's day everyone.  I did not share our story to make anyone sad, but rather to help all of us, including myself, keep life in perspective of how so very blessed we all are no matter what our circumstances.

I'm partying at...


Mondays          The House in the Roses       Le Chateau des Fleurs        The Graphics Fairy
                                      Metamorphosis Monday
Tuesdays          Knick of Time       Tutus and Tea Parties       Coastal Charm  
                                      Boogie Board Cottage    A Stroll Though Life
Wednesdays     Savvy Southern Style         Ivy and Elephants        Faded Charm Cottage            
                                     Fine Craft Guild      
Thursdays        Embracing Change     The Shabby Creek Cottage    No Minimalist Here 
                                     Between Naps on the Porch Tablescape Thursday
Fridays            French Country Cottage       My Romantic Home        Miss Mustard Seed
                                    At the Picket Fence     Potpourri Friday     Common Ground
                                    The Charm of Home    Decorating Insanity
Saturdays        Funky Junk Interiors

Sundays           It's Overflowing