Happy Monday! I’m sharing Things I Learned from my Mom, and setting a garden table in honor of her. She loved nothing more than to come over every Sunday to visit us and the garden. Please join me today in our back garden at FrenchGardenHouse as we celebrate Moms.
Welcome to Monday Morning Blooms! On this Monday Morning Blooms, Mary, Pam and our special guest Jennifer and I are celebrating moms! If you haven’t met Jennifer yet, you will love her as much as we all do. She’s incredibly talented, and one of the sweetest out there! You will be smitten with whatever she has planned for all of us today. Be sure to visit her and Pam and Mary to, just click their links at the end of this post.
Please join me in our back garden that is just beginning to bloom with roses, hydrangeas, and all sorts of beautiful flowers. Let’s sit at the garden table, drink some French champagne, or sweet iced tea, and I’ll tell what my Mom taught me over the years.
How pretty is this fresh cotton tablecloth strewn with flowers? Part of the bright and cheerful cotton tablecloths in our Spring Collection, this one is especially dear to my heart because my Mom loved blue and yellow. When she moved into her little condo to live closer to us when she got older, I re-decorated her living room with bright florals in blue and yellow. She loved her room, filled with sunshine and blue!
This little table in the garden is set up in her honor, although she is no longer here. {She IS in our hearts and memories though! of course.}
The antique Spode blue and white foot bath is the perfect cooler for a variety of French champagnes and rosé. I always try to use the antiques for a variety of occasions and this foot bath is no different! It’s held ferns on our fireplace, folded towels in the guest-bathroom, and now ice for drink bottles.
For the flower arrangement, I used a favorite antique morning glory pitcher. Our local Trader Joe’s had these beautiful blue hydrangeas, creamy pink butterfly ranunculus, and white ranunculus. And how excited was I when I noticed that our tall hopseed bushes had these incredible bright chartreuse green blooming branches?! Pretty darn excited! What an exciting color! So pretty. But for the concerned frown my head gardener Mr. FrenchGardenHouse threw my way I would have cut all of them.
Small white enameled plates to serve fruit tarts are part of this setting, as are some art deco Mother of Pearl handled fruit or dessert knives.
My Mom was a force. She immigrated to the states by herself with me in tow when I was 8. She left behind a very large, happy family, a great circle of friends, and a very successful life. She was adventurous! You can read more about her here >
She was hard working, fiercely loyal, loved to read more than cook or decorate, and taught me many things, many of those I didn’t realize until years after she was gone. {isn’t that always the way?} It’s probably due to her inability to even hammer a nail in a wall to hang a picture that I began developing my decorating skills at the age of 8. She was a no-nonsense European, with all sorts of rules that I fought in my teens.
She didn’t like any of the boys I dated, until Mr. FrenchGardenHouse came along, whom she loved instantly.
Things I Learned from my Mom
Some of the things she told me again and again growing up {some proved to be more true than others}
1. Family matters most, family always comes first.
2. Work hard, give all your effort even when no one is looking. Be trustworthy and loyal.
3. Get up early, make your bed, and put on nice clean clothes, it matters what you look like.
4. Large earrings, blue eyeshadow and chewing gum make you look trashy. {!I don’t agree!}
5. Always have good manners, and eat with your mouth closed.
6. Don’t hang out with boys that smoke, or drink, they are no good.
7. NICE matters.
8. Be respectful and kind to those who need your help.
9. Don’t complain, just do it! It’s quicker that way.
10. Read, and learn as much as you can, no matter how old you are.
Thanks Mom! Your life lessons have proven to be true {with the exception of #4- I don’t dislike gum and big earrings}
For all of you blessed enough to be with your mother on Mother’s Day, look after her, cherish her and remember all the little sacrifices our Moms have made for us throughout the years.
To all mothers who work tirelessly to support and care for their families, Happy Mother’s Day! We collectively honor and salute you!
VISIT FOR MORE INSPIRATION:
Our special guest JENNIFER at Celebrating Everyday Life
and me, Lidy at FrenchGardenHouse
WHAT KIND OF ADVICE DID YOUR MOM GIVE YOU THAT YOU’VE FOUND TO BE 100% TRUE? {Or NOT?}
A BIENTOT
Shop for the best in French Antiques, furniture with the patina of age, vintage accessories to delight you and your family & friends, and French Country utilitarian pieces. Treasures that make your home fresh, beautiful, inspirational and above all uniquely yours. Visit our shop FrenchGardenHouse.com
Sharing with Pieced Pastimes
Welcome to our back room.
Can’t argue with that, the rules you’ve learned from your Mom are still very up to date and still apply
They do, although that one about eye shadow, gum chewing and big earrings are the exception, aren’t they?! Having no doubt a Dutch Mom yourself, you know of which I speak. : )
Good Morning Lidy, I adore your table set in your garden with your beautiful pitcher of flowers…swoon! Your pitcher makes the perfect vessel for your gorgeous blooms, and your tablecloth is such a cheery foundation for a spring table or Mother’s Day celebration. I so love pieces that are multi-functional like your handsome footbath. I enjoyed reading what you learned from you mom. I can’t imagine having the courage to move to another country without knowing another soul, especially with a child (you!) What a special and brave lady. As always, it’s a treat to have a virtual seat at your table and join you for some flower therapy. Happy May and Mother’s Day <3
Good morning Mary! Such a joy to join you, Pam, and Jennifer this beautiful Monday Morning Blooms! Wishing you a stellar week ahead, dear friend! xo
Lidy, I would love to sit in your garden at the beautiful table you have set. There is something very special about a garden setting. I love the floral tablecloth, it is perfect for dining alfresco. The antique Spode footbath is a showpiece for certain. Your charming mix of flowers is lovely. Hydrangeas and ranunculus are two of my favorites. I enjoyed reading about your mom and the important things she taught you. She was definitely adventurous to leave her home and move to another country with an eight year old.
It is always a pleasure to join you for our special Monday Morning Blooms. Happy May!
Thank you for joining me in the garden today Pam. It’s always a blessing to get together, isn’t it? Wishing you a blessed week ahead, dear friend! xo
What a sweet post. Went back and read the post of your moms life. She was indeed a strong women. My mom loved pretty things. She was a seamstress and us two daughters had pretty Clothes and pretty slips with tucks and lace. She loved to read also . When we were young she read many of the classics to us. That was a blessing as we entered school come book report time. She didn’t have much but she she knew how to stretch a dollar. She made us work. All of these things we carried throughout our life.
Alice, she sounds just like my Mom. She also sewed all my clothes, until I went to High School and learned how to sew there. She promptly pronounced they were teaching it all wrong and showed me her own ways around the sewing machine. I remember buying a piece of fabric on Thursday so I could wear a new dress on Saturday for a date, after making the dress myself. Life lessons fondly remembered. xo
P.S. I love the photo of the two of you walking down the street. It’s precious. She looks like she has some serious spunk in her walk, as does her daughter!
Love, Janet
Janet, she was spunky alright! : ) xo
Lidy,
Loved hearing about your mom. And reading all the things she taught you. She was a precious lady and wonder example of selfless love and devotion. We should all take note and cherish the times with our own mother. What special memories!
Thanks for sharing your mom and your special talent with us!
May the Lord richly bless you.
Thank you so much, Paula! I pray the same for you. xo
So beautiful Lidy, the setting, the table, the flowers and your thoughts! Blue & yellow always brings instant cheer and that antique blue & white foot bath is stunning! I love your combination of flowers, ranunculus are a personal favorite. Your memories of your mother are so sweet, and I had to chuckle at your list of what your mom taught you 🙂 I hope you have a very special Mother’s Day and a blessed month of May!
Thank you so much Jenna! Happy May to you, friend. I hope you have a very blessed Mother’s Day too! xo
Wow, Lidy, those colors just sing to me! I bet your mother loved her space you designed for her. That footbath is monstrous to hold so many bottles – love it! And I love the linens. Just a beautiful way to enjoy any day in spring, but especially Mother’s Day. I love your list of things you learned from your mother. It’s so funny when my siblings and I remember things our mother used to say and do, and how we follow in her footsteps. I’m thankful for it all! Happy May!
Rita, thank you! I agree, I am always amused about what I remember my Mom saying and did, and how {qulle horror!} I do many of those very same things. Although I am sadly an only child, I am sure that my girls will reminisce about the funny and/or strange things I’ve said to them when they were growing up. {They actually very closely resembled my Mom’s list!} Wishing you a beautiful month of May, friend. xo
Lidy, your tablescape is gorgeous! Oh, those linens are spectacular! They are delightfully cheerful and eye-catching. Your floral arrangement is perfectly beautiful, too. I love the white ranunculus and the blue hydrangeas together. Your Trader Joe’s sounds like a great one. How beautiful your footbath is filled with French wines and my favorite French champagne. Your blue and white bistro chairs and the lime green pillow makes your spring garden pop with enchantment. Happy Mother’s Day to you. I love your list of things you learned from your mother. I think mothers know right away the best match for their daughters.
Bonnie, thank you for your visit friend! Wishing you a beautiful and bright May! xo
Your tablescape is so lovely. The foot bath is stunning. Blessings to you.
Thank you so much Renae! Wishing you a beautiful May!
Bonjour, Lidy,
I can see why your Mom liked coming over and enjoying that very lovely garden. The table setting’s are so nice, love all the blue’s and special touches you always add. Happy Mother’s Day to you Lidy, wished I lived closer to meet you in person. Happy May~~~~Always, Jean~~~~
Bonjour Jean, thank you so much for your visit! I wish you lived closer too. Happy May! xo
Beautiful on so many levels, Thank you!
Thank you so much. Wishing you a gorgeous garden May!
Such beautiful table settings, any one would love to share conversation and fellowship at these Mothers Day tables! Thanks for your efforts and sharing with all of us. Always happy to read Monday Morning Blooms terrific for all the moms everywhere!
Oh, Lidy, how I loved reading this post about the things you learned from your mother – even though I was wow tardy in getting to read it! Thank you for sharing it.
It brought back so many wonderful memories of things that I learned from my mom as well.
It also reminded me about one of the things I learned ABOUT my mother, but it wasn’t until after she and my dad both passed and I was going through things preparing to sell their home. I found my mother’s autograph book from her high school years (remember when those were popular?) where her friends talked about her and their time together on the girls high school basketball team! I thought what? My mother played girls basketball it made me smile and laugh out loud! It would have been circa 1932! Oh how I wish she would have told us those stories while she was still alive. I’m sure she was a force to be reckoned with!
I’m sorry this comment is so long… Thank you for taking the time to share your mother with us.
Dear Sharon, thank you so much for sharing that! I loved reading about your Mom and her basketball team! It’s so true that we don’t really think of our Moms as people…at least not until we get older, isn’t it? xo