Celebrating Mothers With Peonies

Happy Monday and welcome sweet friends! This coming Sunday, May 10, is Mother’s Day which is always a special day for our family!

“Charm is deceitful, and beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭30‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

Our picnic table next to the woodlands is often used in springtime for tablesettings while we wait for the garden to fill in and bloom. I have used this area for many Mother’s Day tablescapes. We recently purchased a new picnic table because those pesky squirrels have been chewing on our older one and would often spread out their meal and never bother to clean up the mess! It was moved a half mile through the woods to find its new home by the river. In case you missed our first picnic, you can see it here.

Mary and I welcome you to the May edition of Monday Morning Blooms. Our friend Lidy is unable to join us, but will return next month. You will find Mary’s link for flower therapy near the end of this post!

The table was set in memory of my beautiful and beloved Mother. She was a Godly mother and a wonderful example of the Proverbs 31 woman. Oh, how she would have loved the peonies! Long-time readers will probably remember the many blog posts that I have shared about her legendary gift of hospitality. This table is also in honor of my beautiful daughter-in-love! She is a loving wife to our son and a fabulous mother to our four precious grandchildren ages 10, 7, 5, and 15 months. She amazes me as she juggles homeschooling, all of the children’s activities, and keeping their home with love and grace!

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭27‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

The Karl Rosenfield peonies have bloomed prolifically this year. As I was thinking about a container that would be large enough to fill with an abundance of blooms, I had to look no farther than my kitchen island. The very large and heavy Italian pasta urn provided the inspiration for the blue and white setting. The topper that I used is probably the most unusual one ever. While cleaning out my closet recently, I discovered a blue and white caftan blouse that had been long forgotten. As I was about to place it in the donate box I suddenly had a crazy idea. It was a perfect rectangle that could serve as a table topper!! Tip: Shop your clothes for tablescapes! Under the topper is a Pottery Barn bee tablecloth. The rich color of the peonies definitely stand out against the blue and white background!

The bee cloth is round and I normally wouldn’t use a round cloth on a rectangular table, but I found it interesting with its floral border.

The Churchill ‘blue Willow’ dinner plates belonged to my Mother. The Noritake cobalt blue ‘Sweet Swirl’ iced tea glasses are discontinued, vintage pressed glass that features a distinctive spiral pattern. I read that they are highly collectible, info that I did not know!

After my Daddy passed away in March of 2025, my brother and I began the process of sifting through all our beloved parents had left behind. The discoveries we uncovered flooded our hearts with memories. I found this beautiful Mother’s Day card that I had given Mother along with many gifts, cards, and handwritten notes! So many pictures that I had never seen, but one stood out among the others…a photo of my Daddy and Mother while she was pregnant with me. I can’t begin to explain the emotion of seeing my young parents with Daddy’s arm around Mother and the happiness on their faces.

A few days after I had photographed my table, the Sarah Bernhardt peonies began to bloom and each day are providing more gorgeous pink blooms!

Last Wednesday April 29th was the nineteenth anniversary of Mother’s home-going and also Wyatt’s 5th birthday. Nineteen years later, I still miss her terribly, but she left me a lasting example of how to live life well. From a very young age, I remember every Sunday lunch included our family, friends, and those who needed to feel loved…a single mom and her children with financial needs, a widow that was all alone, or someone who was going through difficult times. My parents’ home was small by today’s standards, but that never prevented her from sharing her gift of hospitality. She always said, “If there is room in the heart, there is room at the table.”

“She opens her hand to the poor and reaches out her hands to the needy.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭20‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

My love of setting a pretty table was inspired by my Mother. She never used a paper plate, napkin, or a Solo cup. She prepared the most delicious Southern food I have ever eaten. Mother was famous for her cakes, pies, cobblers, and cookies. Mother’s three grandchildren still talk about her food and enjoying every meal at her table. Mother’s Red Velvet cake once sold at a charity auction for $1,000 dollars. Her hands were always busy. She made beautiful quilts, ceramics, porcelain dolls, and many hand-crafted items that she gave away. People far and wide were the recipients of her lovely handiwork.

A smaller arrangement of fragrant Festiva Maxima peonies with privet from the yard’s edge.

I never remember hearing my Mother complain. She was beautiful inside and out. She would get up very early, make her coffee, and “fix her face” as she described putting on her makeup. She was then ready for her prayer time, Bible reading, and preparing breakfast! Unexpected guests would often show up at the door. That was never a problem because she always had a dessert, or perhaps two or three ready to share. She loved people and people loved her!

It has been a joy for me to share stories of my Mother to Ella Mae, Emma, and Wyatt. I will share those stories when Daniel is old enough. They speak of Nanny as if they knew her. It is very important that we pass down the stories from generation to generation! EM, EK, and WL spent so much time with my Daddy, known as Pawpaw, that they will have their own precious memories to share with their children one day!
The way that Mother and Daddy lived their life impacted so many people and generations. It is a reminder that the way we live our life matters…every single day that we are given will echo into eternity!

“Only take care, and keep your soul diligently, lest you forget the things that your eyes have seen, and lest they depart from your heart all the days of your life. Make them known to your children and your children’s children—”
‭‭Deuteronomy‬ ‭4‬:‭9‬ ‭(ESV‬‬)

After thirteen years of marriage, God gave us a son, and I became a mother! Being a mother is one of life’s greatest blessings. I thought nothing else could come close, but now I am grandmother of four…two girls and two boys! Blessing upon blessing. All gifts from our Heavenly Father!

“Her children rise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her: Many women have done excellently, but you surpass them all.”
‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭31‬:‭28‬-‭29‬ ‭ESV‬‬

You have a special invitation to join Mary as she shares gorgeous flower therapy!

Mary ~ Home Is Where the Boat Is

I know many of your mothers have passed away, I understand that loss that no one can fill. Many of you don’t have children of your own, but you have made a positive impact on precious children that have been a part of your life. And perhaps there has been a woman other than your mother who has blessed and encouraged you. Let us take the time to recognize and celebrate these ladies!

Wishing you a joy-filled week and a lovely Mother’s Day!

Linking with: Pieced Pastimes, Between Naps on the Porch,Katherines Corner, Follow The Yellow Brick Home,
Life and Linda