love flowers?

 

i love flowers. always have and always will. from the earliest time i can remember i have

loved flowers-probably more than most. when i was a little girl my favorite person on the planet (other than my own family) was my auntie dar. she was a florist & occasionally she would bring my sister and i to the greenhouse

 with her and it was like heaven there.

 

i can still shut my eyes and remember what that walk-in cooler smelled like.

it was the smell of miniature carnations that

i remember loving most. they were spicy and sweet. 

 

then there was my grama. she was the most impressive gardener i've ever known. she

kept two huge gardens weedless and in tip top shape & she always had

fresh flowers on her table when they were in bloom-  she let me

pick whatever i wanted.

i remember loving to cut the tiny little blossoms off moss roses

to put in tiny little vases. they only lasted one day- but what a

glorious day that was.

 

when i was about 15 i got my first job at a floral shop.

 i must have helped make about 200 corsages

 that spring and my future became clear.

 i loved the simple act of choosing flowers,

cutting the stems, wrapping, taping and arranging them

in a way that would look pretty.

 

i went on to floral design school and loved

every single part of it.

i graduated and got married and worked in several different

shops while having my babies but then i decided that staying

home and being with those precious babies was the only

way i could be truly happy- so i took a leap of faith

quit my job and started doing art fairs.

 

i exhibited at them for 21 years.

that's a long time- but the joy of being my own boss,

working at home and watching my kids grow up

was one i wouldn't trade for anything.

 

occasionally those floral design skills still come in handy

- like this Christmas when i helped out with a wedding.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 my favorite flower has changed over the years. it was roses for

  long time but now it's ranunculus. i don't think they were

              introduced as a cut flower in the united states until about 10 years ago,

 how could i have missed their exquisite beauty?

they are only available in the spring-which makes them

 even more beautiful to me. so pay attention:

  if you are a girl who's getting married and you want a particular kind of flowers-

you have to talk to a florist and ask what

 time of year it's available. 

 *on another note. i did the flowers for my own wedding & i would

 not recommend it to anyone.

 i was a stressed out mess who almost didn't make it to her

     own wedding- and i'm not even kidding!

   i was the last one to take a bath and there was no

    hot water left- my hair was still wet when my sister- the beautician-

  was trying to curl it AND i did my nails in the car on the way to the

    church!!!    *sister hit a bump &

 i smudged every last one of them.

  (oh and then there was the contusion beneath my right eye from

   a run-in with a candelabra- nice).

     seriously elizabeth- control freak or what??????

 

whew- i rambled on and oooonnn, but i'm laughing at myself today,

*laughing is good.

so is smiling

and i really like when people whistle too.

you don't whistle when you're sad.

 

happy valentines day! 

                                   xo                                   

 beth