"IF" Mom came to lunch

It would look something like this.    I say "if" because it would be a very rare or special occasion to have my Mom over for lunch.  Most of the time I would go to her house, although that has been really difficult now that I am working again.  

I would go to her house because she has reached the privileged age of retirement that has allowed her to decline most all invitations prior to 1:00pm.  I guess after many, many years of getting up to drive 30 minutes to work everyday to arrive at the hospital in the wee AM hours of the morning she has decided to no longer do mornings.  Seriously!

So lunch would generally be out of the question unless it was of course a special occasion such as a holiday.  I know you are thinking well it is a holiday, this is for Mothers Day.  But let's be quite honest here, if I do NOT have to work this Sunday I do plan to be with my mother, only it will be in a delicious restaurant somewhere.  After all, I am a mother too!  It will not be a fancy schmancy restaurant either because that is not what my mother prefers.   She is more comfortable in a casual setting with her family.  She loves places like the Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Steak Houses and BBQ style restaurants.  She is not the fru,fru kind.  So with that in mind this is how I would set the table for her.

It would be a casual setting filled with just a few things that I think she would take pleasure in seeing.

I would have wanted to bring in some fresh flowers from outside because I know how much she would love them.

The only thing I have blooming abundantly right now are my Oakleaf hydrangeas though.

And I know my mother would stop me from cutting these.  Why? Perhaps because they are so large and the arrangement would be too large for a table set for two.    Naw, that's what I was thinking.  She would want me to leave them on the bush because they are so beautiful there and would have a longer life on the bush and I can still enjoy them out there.  Yes, she would think that way!  I know this because  my mother a very in depth thinker.  You see, she is a retired psychologist.   

She would be tickled to see these flowers just as well.  I know this because she has asked me several times where did I find these?    Were she really coming I might be seriously prompted to go and buy a sweet little bushel of fresh flowers from the grocery store and she would love that as well.

One thing is for sure, she would surely notice and comment on the flowers on the table whether they are fresh or faux.  In fact she would notice every little detail on my table.  That is after I got her to finally sit down.  

She would most definitely use the salt and pepper so I've pulled out the nicer ones that coordinate with my dinner plates.  Besides, I am sure she would notice if I left them off the table.  She would think that a table without salt and pepper is not properly set.  I think that's more of a generational thing though!

I would hope she would notice that I've set her place setting with an extra cup just for her.

 My mother enjoys coffee any time of the day.  So this very large mug of coffee would be here just for her.

I'd have to set out some cream (milk) and sugar too.

Okay, so it's not really sugar either.  But I assure you she would want this.  She is the one who got me started on Sweet N Low years and years ago.  My mother is diabetic and now prefers Equal but she will take the Sweet n Low all the same.

I think she would recognize the trivet I pulled out for her coffee mug to sit on also.  This was from a client of hers that was an artist.  She bought me a set of these along with a painted cutting board too.  She was always buying things from her clients who were artisans.  She really treasures handmade things.

She would find this quite charming.  I'm not sure what she'd think about the nest in here because it would have disturbed nature.  I may or may not hear about that thought but it would most likely have been there.  LOL!  All in all though, she would find this cloche quite cute and creative.

Creative because, she would recognize one of her mothers silver chalice/dessert cups that she gave me several years ago.  I don't think she would find the tarnish quite as charming as I do, but she might.  I remember spending many a years cleaning silver and brass with her.  Whew!

I know she would love the place settings! She likes color and patterns as much as I do.  She does not use it as abundantly as I do in her home but she loves that I do.  She says that to me all the time, that she knows how much I love color.

She would definitely recognize the tea glasses as well.  They were also her mothers!  This would make her smile and I could tell from the look on her face that she would be reminiscing about her own sweet mother, Grandma Millie.

I think she would recognize my wedding stainless but might ask if this was it.  Then she would get that reminiscent look about my wedding.  She and her friends did all the catering themselves for my wedding (it was their tradition among friends) and so my wedding was a very wonderful and happy memory for her.

She would chat on about how much she likes my new dishes.  She would probably even turn them over and inspect then as she has done every time she see's them.  She was thrilled when I won them!  She had even purchased a few for me that same year for Christmas since I had already started collecting them before I won more.  She has a huge set of the white Pfalzcraft that she absolutely adores.   So my love for white dishes has come partly from her.  I am sure she knows this and so treasures this small connection.

I bet she would also adore my newest yellow checked plates.  I used them during Easter and she commented on how cute they were too.

She would notice the napkin rings and comment on how pretty.  But, I would have to tell her why I chose those.  Because they remind me of you Mom, just like you they are full of pearls of wisdom.

So this is how lunch might look if we were to plan a specific date at my house, or if I were able to arrange everything perfectly and make it all work out.  But life is busy and I don't dwell on the what if's.   I have learned so much from my mother constantly and one very important thing I know is to accommodate and appreciate those whom you love the most.  We may not have time for lovely luncheons and weekly visits but we always make time to show our love and appreciation somehow.

So, I hope to be dining with Mom on Sunday somewhere!

How about you?

I am joining two fun filled tablescaping parties this week at

Tablescape Thursday

and

Let's Dish

Have a beautiful day everyone and wishing you in advance a ....

Very Happy Mother's Day!