Gift of Flowers

Happy Sunday Everyone!

Gift of pale pink gerber daisies!

Just had to share this photo of some lovely flowers I was given for a "just because" gift.  Am anticipating a fun (but long) evening -- family friends from Mexico are in town and spending the afternoon/evening with us! Also a chance that my sister and her son Baby K shall visit...

Plant these flowers!

Hello!  In CA (at the very least) there is a declining bee population.  A friend of mine shared this fun list of flowers we can all plant to help the bees!

(Specific Herbs, Perennials, and Annuals that can help save bees)

Flowers for a birthday

A gift of assorted goodies topped by adorable tiny purple flowers for another December birthday! Happy Birthday to a family member of mine!  (Also yes - I reused a Christmas gift bag.  New gifts that were wanted and appreciated though so yay!)

Oh, I have been wanting a good roast beef dip (on a good french roll of course) so I went to The Hat yesterday and picked up a late dinner for myself - yum!  Difficult to believe tomorrow is already New Year's Eve!  "Another summer's day has come and gone away; In even Paris and Rome, and I want to go home; Let me go home" (Michael Buble) ... Lots of holiday songs in my head, particularly "Silver Bells"!!  If I am not concentrating on something (or don't have background noise on) that has been my mind's "go to" song this entire month : )

Planning on staying in for New Year's Eve and instead of going out to the Rose Parade (although we have had GREAT weather this Christmas week - low to mid 70s!) I think I shall watch the last minute prep and the parade itself on television.  Also the ball drop in Time's Square (in case that was not a given). Looking forward to what everyone is up to and hoping to catch a few more people before this year comes to an end... also, of course, go to at least one more bookstore and make another trip to the library!

P.S. No news from my sister (so none of my nephew, over a month now) and also only have one day left until two of two weeks waiting for test results to return... They would not hold colposcopy results over New Year's - would they?  *sighs*  I need to learn patience and how to just relax/let it go

Hello March!

Another month... Loved the photos I put in yesterdays blog, that particular plum tree has been in my backyard for years! This looks to be a busy month, starting with a baby shower today. Hope the first two months of the year went well -- and if they did not that this month turns things around!

Waiting

Waiting, do not know, some are sick, some are healthy... I am currently in-between

Just thinking

Just thinking today - also drinking lots of water

Flowers in her hair

This image was on a friends F.B. page a few days back and I saved it for two reasons.  One, I love the silhouette including the flowers in the hair!  Secondly, the quote is something I need to remind myself of on days that are not so good.  "My worth and value is in who I am, not what I do."  (Have been having difficulty with working in recent months and I have been quite hard on myself considering the main reason is my health, particularly health issues that I cannot control any more than I already am.  I really need to remain pleased that I have not had to return to a hospital, that I am attending appointments, and currently able to do things like go run errands or take a short walk or go hang out with a friend. It is wonderful but frustrating that so many people I know are on different, seemingly "better" roads than I am. While I am so very pleased for them, I cannot help thinking that in comparison, I fail. Daily.) So -- a different mindset, a more positive mindset, is needed on almost a daily basis.  I try and thankfully many days I do succeed.  However there are still many days that my mind is not able to be convinced and I am working on a daily battle with myself that I do not always win. I do make sure to put something on this space which in and of itself is starting to concern me because I do not know who reads it, nor who might in the future.  Feeling a bit alone and lonely.  Later tonight there is a brand new episode of "Downton Abbey" to transport me back in time for an hour and I shall have tea, curl up with a blanket, and enjoy it fully!

Frost Flowers

This photo was taken by an old friend of mine of our college campus.  We received our bachelor's degrees about half a decade ago, I moved back to southern CA and she eventually found a great guy and is working on the campus. I LOVE how she was able to capture the frost, and at the same time I wonder how I can be so cold during this cold snap when I have visited places that are much cooler!  It was a lovely day today though, warmer (although with a chilly breeze) and I was able to visit our weekly farmers market (mostly browsing). Hope everyone is doing well and hopefully I will be in a much better mood starting today!  (The past week -- well, I will just say I have been in a negative place in general, although I have had good moments)

Polar Bear in flowers

"Her hair was up" (borrowed story)

Her hair was up in a pony tail, Her favorite dress tied with a bow. Today was Daddy's Day at school, And she couldn't wait to go. But her mummy tried to tell her, That she probably should stay home. Why the kids might not understand, If she went to school alone. But she was not afraid; She knew just what to say. What to tell her classmates Of why he wasn't there today. But still her mother worried, For her to face this day alone. And that was why once again, She tried to keep her daughter home. But the little girl went to school Eager to tell them all. About a dad she never sees A dad who never calls. There were daddies along the wall in back, For everyone to meet. Children squirming impatiently, Anxious in their seats One by one the teacher called A student from the class. To introduce their daddy, As seconds slowly passed. At last the teacher called her name, Every child turned to stare. Each of them was searching, A man who wasn't there. 'Where's her daddy at?' She heard a boy call out. 'She probably doesn't have one,' Another student dared to shout. And from somewhere near the back, She heard a daddy say, 'Looks like another deadbeat dad, Too busy to waste his day.'


The words did not offend her, As she smiled up at her Mum. And looked back at her teacher, Who told her to go on. And with hands behind her back, Slowly she began to speak. And out from the mouth of a child, Came words incredibly unique.


'My Daddy couldn't be here, Because he lives so far away. But I know he wishes he could be, Since this is such a special day. And though you cannot meet him, I wanted you to know. All about my daddy, And how much he loves me so. He loved to tell me stories He taught me to ride my bike. He surprised me with pink roses, And taught me to fly a kite. We used to share fudge sundaes, And ice cream in a cone. And though you cannot see him. I'm not standing here alone. 'Cause my daddy's always with me, Even though we are apart I know because he told me, He'll forever be in my heart' With that, her little hand reached up, And lay across her chest. Feeling her own heartbeat, Beneath her favorite dress. And from somewhere here in the crowd of dads, Her mother stood in tears. Proudly watching her daughter, Who was wise beyond her years. For she stood up for the love Of a man not in her life. Doing what was best for her, Doing what was right. And when she dropped her hand back down, Staring straight into the crowd. She finished with a voice so soft, But its message clear and loud. 'I love my daddy very much, he's my shining star. And if he could, he'd be here, But heaven's just too far. You see he is a British soldier And died just this past year When a roadside bomb hit his convoy And taught Britians to fear. But sometimes when I close my eyes, it's like he never went away.' And then she closed her eyes, And saw him there that day. And to her mothers amazement, She witnessed with surprise. A room full of daddies and children, All starting to close their eyes. Who knows what they saw before them, Who knows what they felt inside. Perhaps for merely a second, They saw him at her side. 'I know you're with me Daddy,' To the silence she called out. And what happened next made believers, Of those once filled with doubt. Not one in that room could explain it, For each of their eyes had been closed. But there on the desk beside her, Was a fragrant long-stemmed rose. And a child was blessed, if only for a moment, By the love of her shining star. And given the gift of believing, That heaven is never too far.


Take the time...to live and love. Until eternity. R.I.P. Brave Soldiers everywhere xxx Please like and share if you support our soldiers ♥

Flower Centerpiece

 I love centerpieces, and this one came from an early holiday gathering -- since it was able to be brought home (every now and then centerpieces are given to certain people, this particular event anyone could grab one)... I took two different angles to try and give a good look at the "basket" which has great holiday colors!

Aside from fresh flowers, this particular dinner centerpiece included fresh pears and large pomegranates, along with pine branches cut and placed around the very bottom, sticking out like a skirt.  There are also some bunches of fresh berries that helped make it more festive!


Hoping everyone is doing alright and sending out prayers

Raindrops on roses

Raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens
Bright copper kettles and warm woolen mittens
Brown paper packages tied up with strings
These are a few of my favorite things

Cream colored ponies and crisp apple strudels
Doorbells and sleigh bells and schnitzel with noodles
Wild geese that fly with the moon on their wings
These are a few of my favorite things

Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes
Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes
Silver white winters that melt into springs
These are a few of my favorite things

When the dog bites
When the bee stings
When I'm feeling sad
I simply remember my favorite things
And then I don't feel so bad


(This song/these images were just begging to be put online today -- yesterday/today/tomorrow there is, once again, finally rain where I am!  So lovely!) 

Funeral flowers

I have had a lot of thinking going on inside my head but for some reason I can not seem to get the words to come out of my mouth - or through my fingers onto the screen - in one coherent sentence.  Suppose that my thoughts have been more scattered than usual the past couple of months.  I have found that I cannot always recall a memory (even ones that used to be very strong, or have large emotional ties).  Rambling is not enough. Words are not enough (since I cannot force them into something that makes sense).

When I was in elementary school, I was an alter server.  I attended more funerals than any of my classmates. I also attended more weddings - as an alter server. Somewhere along the line I moved on to being a Eucharistic Minister as well as a Lector (Catholic Girl Here).

I wonder if those occasions, the ones growing up that I was not attached to the funeral/wedding... I wonder if that is where I learned to love flower arrangements.  This particular photo was from a family friends funeral recently (and though it may seem a bit too callous, I would not be able to say her passing was unexpected because she had been on a very rough road for...well, most of my life).

When I really think about it, flowers tend to fall into very specific categories for me.  Nature (mostly mountains)... Yards/Gardens/Gardening (selected by people particularly to suit their wants/needs)... Decorative centerpieces (ceremonial occasions such as a holiday, bringing life into a room in a house, galas/fundraising events, that sort of thing)... Of course the Rose Parade in Pasadena CA every New Years Day (or Jan. 2nd if it fell on a Sunday that year, as it occasionally does)... I suppose courting/birthday/just because flowers have a category... Then I am left with funerals and weddings.

No idea why this particular rant felt the need to be typed out but since it is one of the few items I have been able to write (well, ramble on) about I am going to make it a post.  Flowers, wherever they are found, are beautiful.  They might not necessarily match (if they are arranged/in an arrangement) -- but they remind me of fingerprints -- all unique. Some chosen in sorrow, some chosen in joy... some with care and some without.  But nature is always around us and flowers are often a beautiful way to express whatever emotion/occasion exists at that moment in time.

(Today I am happy, sad, worried, lucky, blessed, thankful)