Labor of love...

It is Labor Day and what a day it has been... I woke up at 8:00 am and finished my Facebook snooping for the day by 9 am. I rolled out of bed and headed down for a breakfast bite. On my trek down the stairs I regretted not getting fresh berries at Trader Joe's yesterday along with the rest of my weekend scores.I open the fridge and there is my old friend in it's plastic container... sliced mango. I haven't had sliced mango since I was a single lass living on my own. Anywho, I chopped up a few pieces up and threw them in some TOO sweet vanilla yogurt. Then I finished my book "Water for Elephants." Quite an adventurous tale! I had a quick nap. Quite a busy day. But this isn't about today, no, this is about yesterday.

On my way home from my darling sister's house in the AM I drove past Trader Joe's and there was a bright blue sign advertising 5 Gladiola stems for $1.99. I don't know what those are... but I probably need them, I thought to myself. Later in the day I had to go to the Target to get Chicken some litter. This is the first time I have gone in to the Target unsupervised in over a year. I should know better... I ALMOST walked directly to the kitty litter like a good girl should... but then something came over me and I veered to the left. I completely avoided the women's section. Phew! In to the men's department... got the Mustang Man some skivvies. Somehow I ended up in the shoe section... and the rest of the trip was a blur. But I did score these sweet boots!

I had to get to Trader Joe's! At this point I was sure they were out of these so called flowers. It was such a deal! Me and Vanda squeal into the parking lot. (Vanda is my car's name). I fly inside looking for this deal. Voila! There is a lady taking her time, picking and choosing... by this point I am in full shopping mode, I linger in the produce section waiting for this inconvenient lady to quit blocking the flower special. This is when I found the sliced mango. She finally looks like she is moving so I close in. I get four bundles of them! When my Darling Sister comes over I will give her these because they are her wedding colors, and just yesterday she told me she loved these flowers, what luck this is what they are, and they are on sale! I got harvest colors for myself and purple and white for her.

I didn't intend on them staying in that hurricane, just a holding spot... but I think they look lovely in there anyhow.

I know it is early for pumpkin place-mats, but when there are no actual seasons, there are no rules. (New law declared by me.) The stems are so tall... a little too tall for this vase, but I am the only one sitting at the table this week, I can manage.

I think they are just lovely.

Easy as 1-2-3

I had some lovely guests over for a Saturday night bbq. I needed to spruce the place up! What better than fresh flowers. I didn't want to go to the store, so I went outside to my bougainvillea bush a snipped a few pieces off. The colors are so vivid and are a great contrast with the cool colors that make up my abode. After the snipping, I needed a shallow vase... which I did not have, so I improvised. I grabbed my short wine glasses and filled with them with water. Oh what fun wine glasses can be! The bougainvillea weren't enough, so I ran down (well, Mustange Man drove me in his Mustang) to my local market to get some carnations! I know, I know, they aren't anything but a filler flower, but I think they worked exquisitely!

I had some left over carnations so I thought, I know the dudes are going to be outside, why not give them a little floral funness!? Initially the arrangement looked a little drab, so I used the stems from the first group of carnations to add some height.

 

I am not sure they enjoyed it as much as I did... but I think it is lovely.
Today when I arrived home from the 9-5 the bougainvillea was all droopy, so I pulled it all out and have a single short wine glass with an abundance of lovely carnations. And I think they are divine.