Mother's Day Garden Greatness

I am a mother of two lovable children who mean the world to me.  However, at this time of year with Mother's Day quickly approaching, I can't help but also reflect on the precious memories I had with my own mother. Mom passed on many years ago, but I can definitely say that I had been truly blessed with a loving mother who, in addition to being my mom, later became my good friend.

What also reminds me of my mom besides this special day of the year that celebrates all moms is all of the planning and debating that takes place regarding what to plant in the garden each season.  My mom was an excellent cook and did a great amount of canning and freezing.  She was raised on a farm and was one of thirteen children in her family to work the family farm which grew vegetables and raised dairy cows for milk. And although she and my father decided to have a large family of their own too, the yard just didn't seem big enough like the childhood farm to grow everything which was needed. Instead we made frequent trips to the weekly farmer's market for additional bushels of fruits and vegetables, bundles of herbs and flowers and large quantities of farm fresh eggs and chickens for roasting and making soup.

As I write this post, I swear I can smell the fresh scent of dill and vinegar for canning cucumbers into pickles and I can hear the "pop," "pop" as the mason jars are lifted from their bath water, cooled and sealed shut.

As I reflect on these cherished memories, I decided to honor my mother and the memories and make my Mother's Day tablescape in this week's post a representation of the healthy, simple, homesteading life of my mom.

What goes well with a hardy bowl of Mom's Homemade Tomato Vegetable Soup for a Mother's Day lunch than some Dilly Cheese and Cucumber Butterfly Sandwiches filled with garden fresh dill, cool cucumbers and juicy tomatoes.

Of course, it wouldn't be a garden without some flowers too.  These cool and refreshing flowers are made with watermelon with cantaloupe centers.  They are great to eat as they are or can be dipped in a marshmallow cream cheese dip.

There are visitors in the garden.  Bumble Bees and ladybugs are out and about making the back yard colorful and busy.

And perhaps some delicate Pecan Bird Nest Cookies made with local farm fresh butter and filled with chocolate eggs for dessert.

Lastly, I came across the following poem one day and decided to save it and share it in this specific post since I felt it was so appropriate for Mother's Day and Father's Day.  For me, this poem reinforces what I already experienced myself watching my own children grow up.  It can only reaffirm my belief that I was very fortunate to have witnessed their entire cherished upbringing and loved and delighted in every minute of it. Their growth into adulthood was inevitable and I couldn't stop the time that went by all too quickly as they developed from child to adult.  But as one of many parents in the world who watched their children mature and leave home for a life on their own, I realized that I will forever be among many others who also yearn for "just one more day of last times."   Happy Mother's Day........

The Last Time 

(www.shareably.net)

From the moment you hold your baby in your arms,

you will never be the same.

You might long for the person you were before,

When you had freedom and time,

And nothing in particular to worry about.

You will know tiredness like you ever knew it before,

And days will run into days that are exactly the same,

Full of feedings and burping,

Nappy changes and crying,

Whining and fighting,

But don’t forget….

There is a last time for everything.

There will come a time when you will feed your baby

for the very last time.

They will fall asleep on you after a long day

And it will be the last time you ever hold your

sleeping child.

One day you will carry them on your hip,

then set them down,

And never pick them up that way again.

You will scrub their hair in the bath one night

And from that day on they will want to bathe alone.

They will hold your hand to cross the road,

Then never reach for it again.

They will creep into your room at midnight for cuddles,

And it will be the last night you ever wake to this.

One afternoon you will sing “the wheels on the bus”

and do all the actions,

Then never sing them that song again.

They will kiss you goodbye at the school gate,

The next day they will ask to walk to the gate alone.

You will read a final bedtime story and wipe your

last dirty face.

They will one day run to you with arms raised,

for the very last time.

The thing is, you won’t even know it’s the last time

until there are no more times, and even then,

it will take you a while to realize.

So while you are living in these times,

remember there are only so many of them and

when they are gone,

you will yearn for just one more day of them.

For one last time.

Author Unknown

www.bellebebes.co.uk