Hello Dear Friends!
I hope you all had a great weekend!
Welcome to another wonderful Monday Morning Blooms
when I share great bloom inspiration along with my Bloom Friends,
Lidy, Mary and Pam.
Our common theme today is Mother’s Day.
You can find the links to Lidy, Mary, and Pam’s posts
at the bottom of this post.
Today, I present A Mother’s Day Bouquet and A Tea for Mom.
If mom was visiting, she would love sushi vs. finger sandwiches
and petite desserts. I must say that I would too!
We in our family are so blessed to still have my mom with us.
She is almost 97 and as she says “I’m still kicking” 💃
She is a joy…I attribute my strength to her
during my “lump in the road”.
I wrote a post about my mom years ago…
I actually addressed it to my maternal grandmother
who I have never met, as she passed away when my mom was 16 years old.
You can read this post here: Dear Grandma
As I stated above … my mom’s choice would be sushi
for our “tea party” along with her favorite tea.
Now this time I really had to put a large
sticker on the sushi container for my hubby…
“DO NOT EAT THE PROP” !!
I found this great book on Amazon. “The Book of Tea”
written by Okakura Kakuzo, first published in 1906.
I discovered that he was born in 1862 in my birthplace
of Yokahama, Japan.
I have not had the opportunity to read much of this book;
however, what I have read thus far is truly most informative in the aspects
of art and history.
(The doll is a gift from my mom)
I found a quote in this book that I loved …
“When a tea master has arranged a flower
to his satisfaction, he will place it on the tokonoma,
the place of honor in a Japanese room.
Nothing else will be placed near it which might interfere
with its effect, not even a painting unless there be some
special aesthetic reason for the combination. It rests
there like an enthroned prince, and the guests
or disciples on entering the room will salute it with a
profound bow before making their addresses to the host.”
The power of the flowers 🌸
The flowers that I placed in the blue and white
Japanese bowl today are:
🌸Pink double peony tulips
🌸Pink country roses
🌸White godetia
🌸White hydrangeas
🌸Chamomile for filler
“Me and Mom”
“When you are looking at your mother,
you are looking at the purest love you will ever know.”
Charley Benetto
I chose the color palette of pink and white as
one of her favorite flowers is the Cherry Blossom.
She often speaks of the beautiful cherry blossoms
in her native Japan.
White hydrangeas fill the petite blue and white vase
in my favorite bird design.
The white china tea set is the one I purchased
while visiting Japan with my mom. Luckily the set
was packed well in a beautiful wooden box that fit
perfectly in my suitcase.
Mother’s Day can definitely be very bittersweet.
For many of my friends, they have an empty seat at the table,
as their beloved mothers are no longer with them.
I love being a mom and grandma. I shall never take
for granted each moment that I spend with my family.
and try to see my mom as much as I can even though
we are 600 miles apart.
Now is the time to visit my wonderful Flower Friends
for amazing Mother’s Day flower inspiration.
Their links are below their beautiful images.
Pam 🌸 Everyday Living
Lidy 🌸 FrenchGardenHouse
Mary 🌸 Home Is Where The Boat Is
And Me! 🌸 Housepitality Designs
I wish you all a most beautiful Mother’s Day celebration!
Doing the things you love with the moms in your life that you so love!
You can follow more of my home
on INSTAGRAM Here: housepitalitydesigns
Shirley, I love your pretty flower arrangement and tea in honor of your sweet Mom! Such beautiful chopsticks and pretty tea set too! I love the quote you shared about the power of flowers from The Book of Tea. Such a sweet photo of you and your Mom, she’s such a pretty lady and so glad she’s ‘still kicking’! 😊 I’m swooning over that beautiful bird pillow on your sofa too! As always, it’s a treat to start my day and share blooms with you. Wishing you a wonderful week ahead and Happy Mother’s Day. ♥
Shirley, your post is so sweet in honoring your beautiful Mom. I love the photo of the two of you when you were only a baby. The tea in honor of your mom is so special with the white tea set from Japan, The Book of Tea, sushi, and lovely chopsticks. The flowers in pink and white complement your coffee table set in your stunning sunroom. The photo of your son and granddaughter is a keepsake forever. I know you are so grateful to still have your Mom and that as she says, “still kicking” plus the inner strength that she has passed on to you. It is always a joy to share Monday Morning Blooms with you, wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day ♥️
Love the frame . Where is it from ?
What a touching post, Shirley. It’s good to see your Mom again. I’d not seen her in pics in a while. She just keeps in getting younger and sweeter! Please tell her hello from me!🙋🏽♀️👋🏽👋🏽👋🏽
I like the bit about placing an object in a solitary position to thoroughly appreciate its beauty. I read that over several times. For me it has several meanings, each unique unto itself. Right now I’m thinking how my Mom is gone and that her absence represents being placed alone in her beauty. I miss her SO much.
Your tea party with your Mom was beautifully placed, and I hope hubby didn’t rain in your parade by pilfering the props!
Gorgeous flowers as always! Have a fantabulous day, and my best to your gorgeous Mom!
Shirley even with the “lumps in the road” you are truly blessed. Your son and grandaughter are amazing and your beautiful mom still with you to celebrate life.
I love the tea party set for your mom. What a beautiful honor to thank her for giving life to you and her whole heart forever. The flowers are gorgeous. Have a beautiful week and a wonderful Mother’s Day. xoxo Kris
Your post brings tears because I miss my mom. It was so good to see that photo of the two of you and your 2 sweeties! Your display is a true work of art!
What a beautiful setting. I love everything about it. I enjoyed the quote from the book too. Wishing you and your Mom a Happy Mother’s Day.
Everything one of your tea time settings are so lovely.
Your post today is absolutely beautiful, brings back great memories of my Japanese art teacher and friend for over 20 years. Happy Mother’s Day to you and your mom. Lost my many years ago but I have so many wonderful memories
Of her. Hope you are well after your bump in the road. Always enjoy your Monday posts. It’s like a fresh delivery of flowers to enjoy.
Shirley, what a beautiful and heartwarming post to honor your Mom. She is so darling, and blessed with all of you taking such very good care of her. Your tea set is wonderful, I love the little lids on the cups to keep the tea warm. And that you brought it back after your trip to Japan with your Mom is of course more than special. All the things you admire about her are some of the same things people who know you admire about you. I wish you a lovely Mother’s Day, dear friend. Xo Lidy
What a beautiful post Shirley and loving tribute to your mom…the flowers are gorgeous and such a fabulous sushi tea tray! Happy Mother’s Day!
Shirley, this is perfection! Your flowers are gorgeous and the tea vignette is perfect for you and your mom. I Love the photo of the two of you and the framed one when you were a baby. How clever to serve tea with your lovely tea set. Sushi is so pretty and the chopsticks are very pretty too. This is magazine worthy. Have a lovely Mother’s Day.
What a beautiful post! I sure hope your sweet mom is reading it! I hope you are doing well Shirley. I miss our talks. We need to catch up soon. Big hugs and happy Mother’s Day to you .
Shirley, this is such a beautiful tribute to your dear Mom who “is still kicking”!!! Thank God! She seems SO sweet, just like you! The flowers are just gorgeous! When I saw the pic of your son and “sweetie”, I gasped, he is the IMAGE of your husband! Same EXACT smile. Your sweetie is growing up so fast too. Have a beautiful Mother’s day, I hope your family spoils you!!!! You deserve it. XO
Shirley, I’m happy to read that your mom is still doing well. I know your love spending time together. She is an amazing lady. Fun to see your son and your precious “sweetie”. She is all grown up! Your tea looks inviting, though I’m not a sushi girl. I’ll opt for a tea sandwich please. Ha! Ha! Happy Mother’s Day!
Such a lovely post, a beautiful way to celebrate your mother. Lovely sushi set and tea and well everything really. I have a half sister who is Japanese, I met her for the first time in 1999. We ( mum and brother) didn’t know that my father had been married before let a lone had a baby. It was a joy to met her. I wrote about it years ago. I hope you’ll link up to the TFT blog hop tomorrow and share this beautiful post. Hugs!
While it’s Thursday, I am enjoying your Monday Morning Blooms, Shirley. I am so loving your tribute to your mother and her culture by utilizing all the things which would set the tone for her best memories of her homeland. It’s beautiful, and in your sunroom, which I dearly love. Your florals are lovely, but it’s the tea set and doll which have captured my attention! And I love the updated photo of your son and Sweetie. Happy Mother’s Day to you and your mom!
Dear Shirley,
I love everything about your Mother’s day testimony…especially the lovely words about your mother and family and the letter to your grandmother. The stunning bouquet, table set for tea and beautiful soft blue, white and chiffon colors take everything over the top! Swoon!
Can I ask where you purchased your sofa? It is a sofa begging to be sunk into and I absolutely love the color! I have been looking for a new sofa for a long time and would appreciate any suggestions or information you can give. Happy Mother’s Day Shirley!