Mother's Day at the Watering Can

I had such a sweet little plan for an early Mother’s Day this year.

The idea was simple - take my 90-year-old mom to a workshop at The Watering Can, along with my sister and sister-in-law, and spend a relaxed, creative afternoon together. It was meant to be a day that mom would enjoy with her daughters and we would all remember for a long time - plus we would all come home with a beautiful arrangement!

If you’ve never been, The Watering Can feels like a bit of a hidden gem in Niagara. It’s a beautiful flower market, along with a greenhouse and cafe.  It's a whole experience. You can wander through tropical plants, pick up fresh flowers, grab something sweet to eat, and even take part in a workshop like the one we signed up for. It’s all set right in the heart of Southern Ontario's beautiful wine country, which makes it feel even more special.

Unfortunately, the plan didn't pan out like I had envisioned. 

My mom wasn’t feeling well a couple of days prior which required a hospital visit, some tests, and a prescription for an antibiotic. It’s never easy seeing someone you love, especially at 90, not feeling their best and it required us to adjust our plans.

On the day of the workshop my sister and I made the decision to still go to the workshop, while my sister-in-law stayed with my mom. It felt a bit strange heading there without them, but we would complete our projects and take theirs to them the following day to complete it with them.

The workshop itself was fun. We just followed along with the teacher, chatting and laughing as we went.

We started by making a little high-heeled cupcake. It was as adorable as it sounds. Neither of us are experienced bakers - especially in cake decorating - and they looked like a hot mess, but it was still a lot of fun to make. Unfortunately, they didn’t travel well at all, so they never made it to Mom’s the next day. 

Next, we put together a small cut flower arrangement. It wasn’t anything elaborate or overdone, which I  really liked. Simple, but really pretty.

But the real highlight was the final project - a live plant basket filled with tropical plants. Neither of us had ever done anything like that before, and we had so much fun figuring it out as we went. It wasn't a difficult arrangement which was great for two newbies.  We didn't have to try and figure it out.  We just followed along with where the teacher told us to place the plants.  The end result was a beautiful, colourful basket.

We left with dirt under our nails, big smiles, and two extra kits in hand.

The next day, we brought everything over to my mom’s and helped her and my sister-in-law make their own arrangements. I'm sure it wasn't the fun experience for them that we had, but it was still nice to spend that time together.  We still had a lovely day that was still memorable.

I missed having all four of us together at the workshop. It would have been such a perfect outing for Mom - she would have loved every minute of it. That part still makes me a little sad but I also know that we still found a way to share the experience with her.

 And that matters.