2009

It's out with the old...and in with the new.
Some say you get to start all over...wipe the slate clean. Some folks get excited cause they get to write in their new Day Planner. As you begin 2009 remember your family and your friends their what's important. 2009 will bring trials and tribulations but keep your faith, say your prayers before your feet hit the floor in the morning and always tell those that you care about that you love them....May the new year bring you many of God's blessings.

Oh, the feeling.....

Annie and I headed out the door this morning about 7:30. I was explaining to her that she won't feel a thing till this evening when the medicine wears off. You see Annie had some female matters that needed to be taken care of. Living in a house with three males, there is no place to hid.....
As we entered through the door the Vet Tech greeted Annie with a rub on her back and talked about how much she had grown. Annie was not interested in anything she had to say. Annie just tucked her head in under my jacket as if to ignore her hoping she would go away.
We talked for a few more minutes and I was given instructions on when to return and what to expect. I gave Annie a kiss on the nose and told her to be a big girl and that I would be back later in the afternoon to get her. I gently handed her to the Tech and Annie gave me that look, Please, don't leave me......
I arrived back about 4:30 and was told that she did great and had been sleeping on and off all afternoon. We went over the instructions again and she said, "I'll get Annie for you--she came back empty handed! Seems Annie wanted nothing to do with her and has become very frightened, would I like to come back and pick her up. I rounded the corner and there she was all curled up in the corner of her pen scared to death....I called to her, Annie...sweetie, it's momma, it's ok now were going home. Oh, the feeling...she looked at me and it warmed my heart. That's my mamma's voice--Annie was a happy little girl, she had been surrounded by strangers and then she heard my voice and felt my touch.
Those of you who love your dogs as I do mine know the feeling I'm talking about.....
.....the one absolutely unselfish friend that man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him, the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous, is his dog.

The New Year?

There are just a few days left in 2008 and with that in mind what are your plans for 2009?
Did you live up to all of your plans in 2008? Are you even going to make a list of goals for 2009?
I'm not talking about losing weight or trying to save more money. I'm talking about YOU...what are "you" going to do about yourself. I see so many people who frown on life. Who bitch about anything and everything. They can't find a positive thing to say about anyone or anything. Always a negative person. I can't imagine waking up each day thinking negative thoughts. You can't have a conservation with them cause of their attitude. I find myself not wanting to be around them. I want to be around people who love life and are excited about their day. Maybe I'm getting older, and yes I know I'm changing. I see things differently than I did a few years ago. Now don't get me wrong--I'm no expert and I don't hold a Ph. D in Psychology. But look in the mirror...are you satisfied with your self. Michael Jackson had a song about the man in the mirror.
Are you happy with how you live each day. Would you want to be your friend?
Life is short...and we are only on this earth for an allotted time. Make sure you are the best that you can be. In 2009 work at being a better person, work on that attitude....not everybody is your enemy. Wake up each day thinking positive. You might be surprised how good life can be!!

Merry Christmas....

The stocking were hung from the chimney with care in hopes that St.Nicholas soon would be there.....
May the true meaning of Christmas fill your home with warmth....
Merry Christmas from,
Thomas, Sherry, Bristol, Lily, Sgt. Major Bogie, BB and Annie

Holiday Baking...

Well, I think I'm done...I think! I've baked goodies for the last two days. My puppies love it, they all set at my feet just waiting for a sugar cookie to drop. It amazes Thomas when he walks into the kitchen to see them all lined up in a circle around me patiently setting all looking up at me. Maybe Santa will bring me a camera and I can take pictures for you.
Tomorrow I will make my rounds to deliver my cookie goodie boxes. The weather man says the ice will be melted my morning. Others I will try to give them a call and wish them a Merry Christmas.
We are all too busy this time of year and time gets away from us and before you know it Christmas is over.

Mom's Fruit Cake

It just wouldn't be Christmas to me if I didn't make my Mom's Fruit Cake. Now, not everyone likes Fruit Cake....I must admit you have to acquire a taste for them.
Ever since I was seven or eight I would always help Mom in the kitchen when she was making her cakes. The recipe calls for ingredients that you normally don't keep on hand. So I got to make the list of ingredients needed. I never could figure out how they made those green cherry's. Mom use to tell me, "they make them just for fruit cakes." That's good cause I just can't imagine finding one on my ice cream sundae.
There are a couple steps in preparing the batter, but it's not as hard as you would think. It does take two hours for it to bake. But the hard part is wrapping and storing it for a couple of weeks. It needs to age to bring out the moisture and that incredible taste.
Mine have been wrapped for five days now. I unwrapped one awhile ago and cut a small slice. The aroma...mmmm and the flavor....oh, my.....
these are going to be good. In another week they will even be better.
Give me a call, I will bring you a slice over!!

Precious stories...

With both of my parents in their early 80's I try to visit them every day. Now that I moved my floral business to my home I have more time to spend with them. The other afternoon Daddy and I was in his shop. Daddy had his feet propped up relaxing in his favorite chair and I was holding down the swing. I ask him about how him and Mom met each other. Daddy said the first time he laid eye's on her his heart melted. "Prettiest girl in town" he said with a big grin.He begin to fill me in on the first few months they were dating. He said one evening after about six months of dating he popped the question...He ask her if she would like to get married. Mom said, "Nope, I'm going to see the world, ask me when I get back." Daddy said ok. He walked Mom to her home on Jackson Street. She ask him if he would be coming by her house tomorrow. Daddy informed her if she wasn't ready to get married there was no need of him coming back around. She just looked at him and said, Well, Ok. A few days later after not hearing from Daddy. Mom set down and wrote him a letter. She sent it to Daddy via his sister. In the letter Mom told Daddy how much she adored him and she could never find another good man like him no matter where she went in this world. Three weeks later they were married. Daddy said he would give anything if he still had that letter.
I would too, letters like these are precious memories of our past.
To set and watch Daddy's eye's light up telling me the story of how him and Mom fell in love is a day that I will cherish. After 62 years of marriage they still hold hands.

Everyday Blessings

Thanksgiving......a time to reflect on the things in life that you have been blessed with.
I had a lady come into the store a few years back that stated, "everyday that her feet hit the floor was Thanksgiving." We enjoyed a good laugh and we talked about our blessings.
Tomorrow would be a good time to set down and make a list of all the things that you have been blessed with. You might be surprised how long your list is!

Sarah Danielle.....

Wednesday November 19 my Sarah turned, "30". Sarah was born on a Sunday at 5:21 in the evening. She weighed 5lbs and 120z. and was 18 inches long. She had black hair. To me she was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. All I wanted to do was to hold her close and look at her.
I spent some time with Sarah this morning and what a beautiful lady she has become. She was so excited to see me, when she opened the door her comments were, Yes, my birthday cake......Even when Sarah was at Ball State she received a birthday cake. BSU has a program where they would deliver everything to her dorm, cake, plates, napkins and even balloons.
There are no words for how proud I am of Sarah. She brings so much joy to my life. Happy Birthday Sarah!!

Got a pretty handy husband.....

Was reading my friend Dan's blog the other evening and seen there was a survey for men titled, "100 things every man should know how to do."
So I had Thomas come into the office and take the test.
Now Thomas is very handy and can pretty much fix anything. If he can't fix it he fiddles with it, thinks about another way to fix it. When he was finished, I tallied up his numbers.........."86"
Wow!! I got a pretty handy husband........

November 11

Today is the eleventh month, the eleventh day and at eleven o'clock this morning you should have taken a moment to reflect and remember all the veterans.
To my Daddy, United States Navy- stationed on the USS Stidka....
Daddy was out in the South Pacific when the admiral came on the loud speaker and said, "Men, I have just received word that the Japanese have just bombed Pearl Harbor and we are heading to the Island for assistance."
To Daddy and all the Veterans, I thank your for your valiant service

My thoughts....

For the past month I've read opinion polls, blogs from the associated press, numerous articles, blogs of my florist friends and my close friends.
They all have different opinions on who should be elected president. Now most of you know that I was born a Democrat. But I have been one to jump the fence a time or two. There were times I voted for the person and not along party lines.
I have come to the conclusion where some folks just couldn't bring their self to vote for a black man.....I don't really care what color the person is.
I was raised to look past the color of a mans skin. I don't care if Obama is a little green man from mars. If he has the ability to lead this country out of the mess that we're in, then I will support him. From what I've read, he thinks things through, he's not hot headed, doesn't rush to a decision and he doesn't define himself as a black candidate, but as a United States citizen.
Is the road going to be easy, No...look back in history--to Abraham Lincoln at his road blocks, to FDR who had the reins during the depression and just a few years back George Bush had to deal with 9/11.
Being president is not an easy 9 to 5 job.
I've read John McCain book, "Faith of my Fathers". He's truly an American Hero. I have the utmost respect for him for his courage during the Vietnam War. Being held as a POW for over five years. Could he lead our country out of this pit that we are in? Many labeled him a Bush man...
this country can't go through another four more years.
In September the unemployment rate was 6.1, October it was 6.5. Just the other day GM was wondering if the government could bail them out if they continue in a downward spiral. Where does it end?
Now to Michelle's wardrobe.....we all have our own dress codes. She doesn't seem to be the type who spends $2500 for a nice suit and that's just the cost of the jacket and not the skirt. She told Jay Leno that she shops at J. Crew. I have spent enough money at J.Crew for my daughters that they should give me my own stock. I see nothing wrong with what she wears. I think they all looked great on Tuesday night. I'm sure the news media will keep us posted on all her outfits...
These are just my opinions, just like you have your opinion...that's one of the great things about living in the United States of America!

Pulling out your winter coat...

I pulled out my winter coat and hung it on the coat rack buy the back door. Now keep in mind that this is the coat that I do my feeding in. On occasion you might find me wearing it to the Dollar Store or just to run errands. It's a nice coat with a hood. I bought it at a yard sale a few years back for $5. Sunday afternoon when it was time to go feed, I grabbed it and headed out the door. I reached my hand in the pocket......and what was in there....four one dollar bills and 39 cents. Whoopee I hollered Thomas looked and said are you OK? Sure am..I just found money!!!
You know that feeling -how many times have you found money hidden in pockets after a long period of time. Maybe just to find a dollar but hey, it's still exciting. I can't wait till I put on the rest of my coats, wonder what's in those pockets. I'm not going to look, I want to be surprised.

preparing for winter...

It's getting to feel like winter. Daddy and I worked outside a little today. Getting the animals all ready for winter. I took straw and made new nest for the chickens. In the summer months I just use shavings. Seems they too are feeling the chill. They aren't laying as many eggs as usual. I told them they better get on the ball cause it ain't gonna get any warmer!!!
Daddy was commenting on the trees how they are finally turning colors. Out in our neck of the woods the trees are ablaze with burnt orange, bright yellow and burgundy. But with the heavy frost that we've been getting they won't last long.
I loaded up my Airplane plant today. I've had it in the shop for over eight years. There wasn't any room at home for it so now it has a new home at the schools Greenhouse . I told Linda to take very good care of it. I also left a few other plants that were outside in my pots. The kids can take cuttings from them and sell them in the spring.
I made an Apple Crisp for dessert this evening and I think it's almost done......

been busy

A lot has happened since the other day when I was on here. For one I had a birthday.....thanks to all my friends who called and sent me cards. That was just awesome!!
I've been visiting the chiropractor for the last few days. I'm getting better though. Have to be there in the morning also and then we will see how things are.
I'm glad to see the rain. It started raining at my house about 4:30 this morning. We do need the rain but I'm sure the farmers would rather be in the fields trying to finish up.
I'm going to spend the afternoon teaching a friend about floral designing. She has owned a shop for a couple of years with just silks and misc. items and now has a demand for fresh arrangements. So this afternoon will be fun. You know me anytime I get to surround myself with flowers is as Martha says, "It's a good thing"

in the early morning

It was still dark when I pulled into the parking lot of the flower market in Louisville this morning. As I approached the door you could smell the fragrance of fresh flowers. As you first enter the building you are a bit overcome as to which direction to go first. Roses had arrived during the night from Ecuador. The array of colors and the scent is just amazing.
But, I remember that I have a list and I have to stay within my budget.
These days I don't keep a lot of fresh on hand. Just the basics.
As I make my way back across the Kennedy Bridge it's still dark and I'm thankful that I got an early start and I'm not stuck in the traffic jam. I put the truck on cruise, find me a good radio station with some morning news and head my way back to Uniontown.

Sarah's Rottweiler

My oldest daughter Sarah has three Rottweiler's, three of the biggest babies. They have a ferocious bark but deep down they are Sarah's babies. It all started back when Sarah was at Ball State. Sarah would come home on weekends and play with my Rottie, "Ruger." In her neighborhood there had been a lot of burglaries. She said she needed a vicious dog for protection and besides she just loves Rotties. So when she came home a few weeks later a puppy was waiting on her with a big red bow around his neck. She named him, "Ace." Ace was known as the Rottie of Ball State for his many walks on campus. He would weight in at about 180lbs. Ace did scare away a man trying to break into the house one night.....Go Ace!!!! Sarah and Ace would attend agility and obedience class once a week and he would mind better than some kids. Then she rescued Lizzy from a terrible family and that made her two. So Ace and Lizzy became parents. Sarah kept one puppy which made her three Rotties. About six months after selling one of the puppy's she got a call that one of the pups was locked in a house cause the owner had been arrested and placed in jail and everyone was afraid to go into the house. So what do you think Sarah does.........she walks in the door picks up the pup and takes her home. Bless her heart--the man had not been kind to her. Sarah took her home gave her a bath and a good warm meal and named her Emma.
Ace passed away a few years back of a heat stroke. Monday Sarah called me crying, Emma has cancer and it's in the final stage. Sarah noticed a small knot on her back Monday morning. Tuesday the knot had doubled and test showed cancer. It just came on with no warning and this morning Emma passed away. So that leaves Sarah with Lizzy and Scooby. Losing a dog is heartbreaking. People bond with their dogs just like bonding with your children. So keep Sarah in your thoughts for the next few days.

Dreaming of a bigger penis????

Have you seen the adds.......Dreaming of a bigger penis? I can't believe these advertisements are on some of the web sites. How about the lady with the big eyes....."Add inches right now!" and then it goes on to say,
"Surprise her with a bigger penis"
There are a lot of things that I could say and comment on....but I will just keep them to myself. Come on folks....think about this. People are worried about the Lion's Den in Uniontown which I might add is about a mile from my house. Worried about what our children might see or hear from this business when all they have to do is get on the computer and see an advertisement to make your or your boyfriends penis bigger...what's the difference? Turn on a soap opera in the afternoon and watch them get it on under the covers.
Some of you men who read my blog, buy the pills and let us know what happens.....just remember to take measurements before and after. We need proof (pictures???) to see if this stuff really works!!!!!

Good Monday Morning.....

I began my day as usual...walking the dogs. After that its always the same-- make the bed and do the usual things to keep the house in order. I set down at the computer with my bowl of Cheerios to check my mail and catch up on the morning news and read my friends blog.
Now, Lily loves Cheerios. I keep a foot stool by my chair for her to set on. As I'm reading my best bud Shelley's blog, a picture of Libby comes up. Lily starts to growl......I look around and she is staring at the picture and getting really upset.......I have to laugh...I ask Lily if Libby is upsetting her and she just keeps growling. It was one of those moments that you just had to be here to appreciate it. Better watch out Libby all six pounds of Lily will be keeping an eye on you!!

Empty.......

Over the past week I have been spending a few hours a day in the shop. Going through stuff and organizing product. I have filled a few trash bags with what I call junk. We all have items that we just keep for no reason. Just never know when we might need it.
The front room is almost empty except for a couple of cabinets. I called my friend Linda and told her I had some odds and ends of silk stems and did she think one of her Ag. class could use them. As we were loading her up she said she wanted to see the front room.......Wow--is all she said for a few minutes.....she just stood there.....it's all gone, she stated. Now, mind you Linda had never seen the show room empty. She was over whelmed, I told her no tears. As we were standing there we noticed a lady had driven by the store a couple of times real slow. Then she pulled up and came to the door and was looking in the windows. Linda unlocked the door and let her in. She stated that she always loved looking at my windows. She said, "Your windows were always spectacular, I loved driving by at night and looking at them." I explained to her I couldn't make ends meet any more with the economy the way it was. She said she would miss my beautiful windows!!
I was stopped the other day coming out of the post office. A gentleman thanked me for his mother's beautiful casket spray. It was so elegant, Mother would have loved it. He ask me now that I had closed the store if he could still order flowers....well, yes you can but I'm only doing funeral work from my home. That was fine with him.

The Debate

I just finished watching the debate. There was more talk about small business and how they as the next president was going to help us. In my opinion, I'm considered a small-small business. How has the government helped me in trying to keep my shop open? They have hurt me and others more than they've helped. 1) by letting CEO's of major company's bring home paychecks totaling over 70million dollars (then they ask for a bail out). 2) by making it harder to get a line of credit. 3) letting gas prices skyrocket. Just today I saw an interview of a business owner saying the bank was putting a hold on his line of credit, and he didn't know how he could say afloat after 30 days. I've ran my business for 14 years without a line of credit. I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about coming up with money for a payment.
I believe that the vast majority of our law makers don't have slightest ideal what a small business owner goes through each and every day. The worry, the stress, the what if's. Waking up in the middle of the night knowing that your accounts receivable is over $2500 and your customers are not in a hurry to pay for the goods that you delivered on time as promised. In most business your customers will pay for the goods as they receive them. But floral shops are a bit different. 95% of my accounts receivable are from my customers within a 10 mile radius of my shop. Yet they fail to make their payments on time. Even though their invoice stated--accounts over 30 days will be charged a $2 late fee. Right now I have some accounts that are over 90 days. I continue to send out invoices and make phone calls and it falls on deaf ears. You would be surprised by those folks who will finally pay their bill but fail to include the late fee...what about the envelopes, paper, ink, stamps and my time to continue to mail invoices when it takes months to collect.
When I started this blog I ask what or how the government was going to help the small business.....well, I believe that helping a small business starts with the community--being respectful and paying your bill on time and supporting them and not driving out of town and paying more for goods and services. When what you were needing was right in your community. Yes, there is a lot that the government can do to help the mom and pop shop's stay afloat. They are the backbone of this country.

Quietness of the country....

Howdy folks.......those of you who live in the city don't know what peace you are missing by not living in the country. The noise of the traffic, noisy neighbors and I'm talking loud neighbors and the ones who are always watching what you are doing. Out here in the country we don't really care what our neighbors do. But now when they leave for a period of time, we really keep an eye out for strange cars and pay more attention to what is going on. I've never lived in town. I have slept at the store before when I was swamped with funeral work or it was Valentines Day. But then I was to tired to worry about the noise.
I don't think my chickens, ducks, pigs and my turkey would care to live there either, I just can't see them being welcomed. They wouldn't care for the noise neither.
So I think we will just stay in the country....
By the way I have brown eggs for sale!!!!!

I'm Back.....

It's so nice to have my Internet back!!!
Thomas and I got my office set up at home and we got everything hooked up and waited. Waiting for Tuesday to get here for my hook up-- seemed like eternity. Well, today is Thursday and the phone tech called and said someone(always blame it on someone else) had hooked up the wires backwards (at the tower on Hwy.31) and that was my problem. Try it now he says......yes....I'm finally back in contact with the world outside of Uniontown.
It's been over a week now since I closed my flower shop and my customers are still calling....they want me to keep doing flowers...they say, "can you work out of your home" or "who's going to take care of me, your the only one I trust" or "maybe, you can just scale down and still take care of your best customers." I have made a few deliveries this week--from my home in Uniontown.
I kept the store's phone number, just had it rolled over to my home number. I want to thank everyone for the calls and the thoughtful cards they mean more than you know. I will be purchasing scrap books to keep them in. I want to go to the shop next week and take them all down from the back room and add them to the books too. Now, I have to catch up on my emails!!

winding down

Won't be long now......tomorrow is the last day. The cooler is pretty much empty. Some of the displays are sold in the front room and folks will pick them up by the end of the week.
Sarah and Sandra went through all the Christmas items upstairs and got what they wanted.
My little brother Gary has a shop in Little Nashville (Brown County) and I will be at his store on Thursday and Friday setting up displays. The majority of my items will be placed in his shop for his customers to buy.
Another chapter of my life is coming to a close.
So if you don't have nothing to do tomorrow stop by Mountain Memories
for one last time...........

Finally Friday....

Finally it's Friday.....those are wonderful words to say and to hear.
Thomas and I don't have much planned for the next few days. I've been trying to get our new office ready. Started painting last night and hope to finish it this weekend. Maybe if all goes well we can move in the furniture and the rest of the stuff next weekend. At least that is our plan.
Only a few days left in the flower shop. I have gotten a lot of calls from my customers the past few days. They were a little worried as to who would take care of them and give them the outstanding service that they are accustomed to once I close the shop. I told them not to worry, I'm trying to stay local in hopes of another florist hiring me. Some folks said I should take orders from my home and just scale down and only do funerals and wire orders. Well, that's a thought. We'll see.......
Everyone one have an relaxing weekend...........

Busy Day....

Yesterday (Tuesday) was a very busy day. With the passing of Gerald "Red" Reynolds we were swamped. Crothersville needs more folks with the sincere quality's of "Big Red."
I started the day about 5am and headed to the flower market in Louisville. The phone started ringing as I walked in the door and didn't stop till about 6:30pm.
I called my friend, Linda Maxie and she came over and helped out. Later in the day Denise came by and gave us a helping hand. This was really a blessing cause school was out due to the storm and electric being out around town. I made my last delivery about 6:45pm.
Will I miss funeral work and being swamped....YES
When I opened my business 14 years ago I knew I wouldn't make tons of money. Being a florist is one of the most under-paid professions. We give so much away...and I'm not talking free product. It's the things that each one of use should be giving away daily. If I have to tell you what they are then you are not giving them away.........

getting blowed away...

Thomas and I was out running errands yesterday afternoon when the wind started getting really bad. We couldn't get thru the "S" curves on our way home. A transformer pole had snapped. So we took a short cut and came out by the New Hope Church. Then down by Swifty Farms there were phone lines down, we looked at each other and said at the same time we need to go check the store. Driving past my church, Uniontown Baptist, we lost two shutters and our speakers on the roof. Driving farther we saw trees down and siding off of houses. Sarah calls and says, there's no electric in town and that with the luck I had with my cooler freezing up I better go check things out. As we drive up we notice shingles loose and some siding on the eves were missing. I tracked down the siding
so that my cousin Steve can put it back. The shingles were just lifted up and that will be easy to fix.
As we head home we wonder whats going on there. I told Thomas now I know how people feel during storms as they head home--what will they find...will home still be there. As we pull in the lane we notice that the gravity wagon as moved about 40 yards and had been headed for the house when my Snowball bush stopped it. Whew!! Thomas notices shingles blowing up and coming lose (another job for Steve) and that the hog house roof is gone. Now this is a small house just big enough for our four pigs. Thomas built it with a flat roof that can be opened. The wind had lifted it up and laid it down in the hog lot. The hinges were still on the house with the screws still in tact. We chased down our down spouts and headed inside.
Being a Daddy's girl I headed up to Daddy's. He's already been on his roof trying to save his shingles. On the west side the shingles have just peeled back and he can't set still for worrying about roof damage. I explained that's why he has insurance. He wants me to phone Steve so that he can get on his work list. After a bit Daddy's says lets get on the roof, I have to keep them from peeling all the way back, or I'll loose my whole roof. So.....what do you think we did...there we were, both of us on the roof....wind blowing like crazy. There we set, I have my arm around Daddy telling him to stay low or we are both going down. After about 10 minutes he had one board nailed down and Daddy says OK lets get down. We wait for a pause in the wind and make our way down. As we were coming down Mom says, "You two are just plain crazy"....
Daddy's wants to come into town and check things out. Finally we make it back home and just wait for the wind to die down. After watching the news were blessed that we just had only minor damage.



.

frozen flowers

I felt pretty good when I left Friday evening. The casket spray was done and all the orders were designed and ready for delivery to Adams Funeral Home for Saturday afternoon.
As I set on the back porch before work I was glad I had the orders filled and that it was going to be a pretty smooth day.
I got to the shop, opened and did a bit of paper work and went to the cooler, opened the door and........I could not believe my eyes. I looked at the temperature gauge and it said 20 degrees.......Shit.... and then I lost it...all of my flowers were frozen. The water in the buckets were frozen. The lily's on the casket were frozen. My entire cooler was frozen over. Not just frozen but....FROZEN. Have you ever seen frozen flowers? They ain't pretty!!
I just stood there and cried and I got this knot in the bottom of my stomach. I pulled it together enough to call the flower market and said, please tell me you have"Stargazer Lily's" and Red Freedom Roses left.....Yes he did... so I gave him the rest of the order and he said he would have a driver up to me in about an hour.
I called Thomas and he came down and checked a few things out and my line had frozen during the night. He pushed a few buttons and turned a few knobs and looked at the outside unit and he said a few choice words.
As a florist you try to be prepared for anything but, you are never prepared for a frozen casket spray on the day of the viewing.
All the orders are now done and I'm ready to make my way to the funeral home. I took pictures of the mess so that I can turn them into the my insurance agent. I think I will keep a few for myself so that I can put them in my "Mountain Memories Memory Book"........

community support.....

I opened the Tribune today and was reading the articles about the Crothersville Sesquicentennial Queen pageant.
In the picture the two queens are holding arm bouquets of yellow roses....Hummm
This is the Crothersville Sesquicentennial and I own the only flower shop in town......I don't recall designing flowers for the queens......
The Sesquicentennial had no problem asking me for a money donation to support there cause. Don't you think they would want to support the business in town? Where did they order those flowers from?
I'm closing my business on September 23, and I know times are hard for everyone, especially family's. But when you see something like this it's just a slap in the face. Support your local business....Yea right!
Am I pissed....damn right I am.

How do you let go?

How do you let go of something that is part of you?
When is the best time to let go?
Can you let go and walk away?
We all have an inner circle of friends and then we have a inner circle of those friends. Those in my inner-inner circle know that I have been stressing for quite sometime. Stressing over the economy and how it's effected by floral business. I've had many sleepless nights. Setting in the swing on the back porch in the wee hours of the morning, setting at the kitchen table going over numbers time and time again.
We all are given a gift at birth. My gift was floral designing.
On more than one occasion I have spent the night in my shop designing flowers for a funeral and majority of the time the deceased was a very good friend. Each design had to be perfect. I thank Mark and Leslie for allowing me to place the flowers upon the casket. This lets me make sure that each flower is in it's proper place. So when the family views their loved one everything is perfect.
Over the years many of my customers have made me promise them that I will place flowers on their casket and they have told me in great detail what colors and which flowers they want. I will keep my promise.
I will stay in the floral business, I could end up working for another flower shop....working my 8/9 hour days and going home and let them stress about being the owner!!

BALL STATE.....

As I get my day started here in the flower shop, I try to spend a few minutes each morning to read my email's and to see what my friends topics are on their blogs. I enjoy reading Mike from the Pines blog. I have enjoyed his feast on many occasions.
This morning his blog caught my eye when I seen the words ...........
BALL STATE. As many of you know my oldest daughter Sarah is a graduate of Ball State. Sarah holds a double major in Science.
I can still remember the day I loaded up the Expedition and headed north. Sarah was in Mysch Hall, top floor last door on your left. I remember most everything of moving that day. Standing out in the court yard waiting your turn for a cart to load up the heavy stuff. Unpacking all the clothes and hanging them up trying not to let my tears be seen. Sarah was so excited--she was ready for collage-- she had been since the middle of her senior year of high school. As we finished up and she walked us out a million things was running through my head, Sarah don't forget to do this and remember you have to get this done, and make sure you do this.....MOM!!! I know I have made a list of all the things that I have to do for the next few days--I'll be fine. Sarah was beaming grinning ear to ear. Pulling out of the parking lot Sarah blew me a kiss and patted her heart and said , "I love ya ma." As I laid in bed that night I wondered what Sarah was doing, about 12:30am the phone rang......Hey Mom, was you sleeping? I love Ball State and I don't think I will ever come home.....Sarah never came home for 6 weeks. I was broken hearted but it was good for both of us. The counselors will tell you that if the students won't go home for a few weeks it will make the adjustment easier. Sarah and I talked at least 2/3 times a day. In the design room at the shop I still have the Ball State map and all of her schedules still up on the wall. There is also a banner hanging out front.
So to Mike...life will change and home will never be the same... there will be days that you'll want to turn off the grill and head north. GO CARDS...

Preachers sermon....

Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest, at least that's how the Bible reads...Sunday is also suppose to be a day to re-charge your battery for the coming week. To sing his (Jesus) praises, lift up your hand in praise for the things that you have been blessed with and to hear uplifting words so that you can get through another week and be able to deal with what is placed on your plate.
There has been a lot of tension in my church for the past month. It's all because our pastor believes that the Watch Dog protesters do no wrong. The protesters have abused our church and taken advantage of the building and the congregation on more than one occasion ( I could give you examples but I'm not). The church members that live in and around Uniontown know what really goes on. We have seen things with our own eyes and heard things with our own ears. Our pastor lives in Louisville and most of the time he only spends 4 hours a week in our community.....
A good pastor is not suppose to take sides. He's not suppose to divide his flock into two groups. I also believe he shouldn't use the pulpit for degrading certain members or use it as a platform to gain votes for the upcoming vote. Our pastor has become lost in his own little world.
Would he have preached and spoke as he did yesterday if Jesus had been setting in the pew? My church is small and we are all very close to each other but the past few weeks the pastor has made ripples and after yesterdays so called sermon a few people walked out saying they wouldn't be back until the pastor is gone. Me--I'll out last him and I've given him my opinion at least twice (after comments were made about Thomas) in the past few weeks. I pray for my pastor that Jesus will show him the path that he needs to be going down and for wisdom to see outside of the box that he is in. I ask that as you read this that you will also lift up my church in prayer.........

24 years ago today

Today is Sandra's birthday.....I took a birthday cake to her office and surprised her this morning....She called me while I was on my way and ask why I hadn't called her yet, have you forgotten what you did 24 years ago today??? No, Sandra, you never forget stuff like that.
Sandra came 18 days late and she wasn't your normal delivery. The nurses went as far as to put me on an elevator to get Sandra to turn.
I let them know they were wasting their time-- she was stuck.....they had a surgeon on stand by out in the hall and it took two doctors for the delivery and if I remember there was five nurses. But--I delivered her all 7lbs and 6oz., 22 inches long at 12:21pm on a hot Sunday afternoon.
I wanted a finger and toe count as soon as possible and as the nurse laid her on my chest she stated that she was perfect and beautiful!!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY...Sandra Denise

Indiana State Fair

Thomas and I spent Sunday at the Indiana State Fair. We couldn't have chosen a better day to go and the weather was perfect. The news was saying last night that it might have been a record crowd. Yes, there was a ton of people, but Thomas and I had no problems enjoying our selves.
We made it through the buildings and some of the barns.
I think I was beaming when I entered the building with the logo......
"Ball State" Inside this building is the Orchid display. These orchids were amazing. I would have liked to clip a few blooms and bring them home for some of my arrangements.
We stopped at Cheeseburger Paradise for supper and we had a great meal. They had opened the doors that leads to the patio dinning which made one great big room and with a light breeze coming through made our evening meal that much better. I told Thomas all we need now is a view of the ocean. He stated yes and a two week vacation on the beach....

Adventures at Shelley's

My puppies and I adventured to Shelley's house last evening for a photo session....Shelley got some really great pics but we're going to have to go back for more ....I think it's just an excuse by Shelley to play with the puppies again!!
Sgt. Major Bogie, Bella, BB and Annie love to ride in my big truck. Annie likes to to set on the console so that she has a good view.
I had all four in my arms as I walked up onto the porch. Perry came to the door and couldn't believe I had all four in my arms. We had been there less than five minutes when Shelley and Perry already had there favorite picked out and they both chose Bella.
I had ask Shelley to take some shots of their color pattern so that we could email them to a breeder in Tennessee. Angie (a breeder of Dachshunds)
has done extensive research on color and patterns. I wanted to be correct when I filled out their papers.
Polly and Carl came down for play time and they two picked Bella as their favorite. They like Shelley would have taken all four, but puppies are just like babies--they grow up.
We finally made our way home and got settled in and they were all asleep in no time. As they dozed off I thought I heard Belle bragging---"I was the favorite".

You got a friend.....

The singer, "James Taylor" has always been a favorite of mine. He wrote a song back in the 70"s titled, "You Got A Friend". That song has stuck with me ever since I sung it at camp one year for talent show night.
Being a small business owner in a small town gets to be a challenge with the economy these days. Some days it's a struggle just to keep your chin above water. This week has been no exception, it's been a challenge.
I have been blessed with a couple of girlfriends that are angels and their friendship is priceless. One of my angles had a feeling she just had to call me. We spent better part of an hour and half on the phone just talking and her trying to lift my spirits. At one time she too owned a business so she knows what I go through. The next day she came into the store all bubbly bearing gifts. She states that these are pick me up gifts--guaranteed to make you smile. One of the gifts was a daily desk calendar with daily verses. The verse for that day was....
***If there is a lesson in life to be learned from a trying
experience, it is: Don't let the problems that are
out of your control get to you. Instead of panicking,
look at the humorous side. Every woman should
attempt to do this, no matter how stressed out she is.
We have to take life in stride, one step at a time. As
long as we can laugh and stop treating difficulties
as disasters, everything will be just fine.
Life has a way of placing things where they need to be on a day when you need them!!

Getting back to normal??

Sunday afternoon Thomas and I went to the fair grounds to help Linda with the FFA landscaping. Linda and I talked about what was on our agenda for the rest of the week and I told her I would have withdrawal from not being with her and Denise everyday. After loading all the plants on the truck Thomas and I made out way to the Family Arts building and picked up my blue ribbon for my chocolate cake-- from scratch and a white ribbon for my blackberry cake-- make and bake with butter.
Monday morning was a--OK, lets get back to our normal daily routine....
I made my way to the flower shop, checked in with the Brownstown shop and organized the flower orders for the day. Then it was off to Salem to
judge flowers at the Washington County fair. I've been a judge for the past few years and really enjoy it. They were also judging cakes, pies and cookies and I got to sample a few of those in between judging. Yummm...
It was nice to be able to set on the porch and play with my four puppies last evening. I haven't been in a hurry to sell them.....it is going to be very hard to part with them.....but I'll still have Lily and Bristol.
Well, the phone is starting to ring..so it's back to normal!!

Another day at the fair....

Yesterday (Wednesday) was a perfect day at the fair. We were blessed with awesome weather. I finally got to go through all the buildings and see all the neat things. The newest trend for signing up for all the free stuff is-- using your address labels....yes the same one's we address our mail with.
No more writing your name hundred's of times, or waiting on your turn to use the ink pen. Just peel and stick!!
I finally made my way to the sheep barns to Denise and the rest of the Maxie clan. Denise won the Grand Champion Sheep in 4-H. Now that is a big deal...Denise works very hard with all her animals and she gives 110% at being the best she can be.
Tonight is my floral design show at the Horticulture Building. So if you have the time drop by at 7:30 for a beautiful design show. I usually have about 25/30 ladies (and men) in attendance.

Fair time....

Saturday was a busy day for me. I had to register my food entries into the Family Arts Building and then be back at the FFA building at 5pm to judge the students entries. I enjoy looking over the students work and reading their essays. The photography entries were awesome this year. After that was all done I helped Linda water the outside floral gardens, then it was over to the Sow and Litter contest. Dillion Maxie was so proud of his little pigs!!!! They were four days old and oh so cute.....Then he entered the biggest boar contest which he placed second in. Over 1,000 pounds--that's a lot of bacon and pork chops...
I have watched Dillion over the years at the fair and he has become the man to beat when showing pigs.
Sunday evening I attended the Queen Pageant. I just made it through the gate when the rain came. It was really coming down for a while. The contest had to stop a few times due to lighting and the heavy rains. But mother nature was always two steps behind the fair organizers. They were on top of things and by 10:30pm we had a new fair queen. The Crothersville girls looked very pretty. In my opinion we had the winner..but I wasn't judging that....
On my food entries I received first place on my- made from scratch
Chocolate Cake and a third place on my-make and bake with butter with my Blackberry Cake.
Its back to the fair tonight. The Maxie's are showing pigs at 5pm. I'm sure there will be more Blue ribbons tonight.
Oh, and make sure you read Denise's post in the Tribune today on her "life at the fair"

Puppies in a basket

Yesterday was a fun day....the puppies were scheduled for their first set of shots. It was fun loading them up in the truck. They actually enjoyed the ride over.
As I walked into the vets office all eyes were on my gorgeous baby's. I had placed them in a basket which made them even more attractive. Once we made our way to the receptionist desk we were swarmed with the ahh's and ooh's. The puppies--Annie, Sgt. Major Bogie, BB and Bella were eating up all the attention they were getting. Of course the receptionist had to take their pictures and that made them even more excited.( I'll post pics as soon as I can figure out how!) The vet commented on how healthy they were and how their markings were just unbelievable. She stated that they were spoiled rotten and I had to agree with her on that. All in all it was a fun day and yes I was a proud momma and yes I was beaming and smiling ear to ear.The hard part is going to be....selling them :(

Bristol

It was a crazy day at the shop the phone rang all day for funeral orders in Brownstown, Crothersville and Austin. A bride and groom came in about 4pm today to check to see if their tux's had arrived and then ask me if I had time to design their wedding flowers!!!!! I knew they were getting married months ago and we talked a little and I told them to just let me know....well, they let me know alright. Really it's not too big of a deal. I knew her colors were pink and I ask if she had a favorite flower. I told her no problem. They will be ready. She said, "Whatever you want to do"
(my kind of bride)
But the best part of the day...............
I went to Brownstown to check on some things at the shop there and stopped by the house about 6:30 to check on Bristol......He seen me and got out of the chair and gave me kisses and laid his head on my shoulder....Thomas said he started feeling better this afternoon. About 3am this morning he woke me up and wanted to cuddle. I knew he wasn't feeling good. So I rubbed his back and tried to let him know that he was going to get better. There have been a lot of prayers for Bristol the last few day....Thanks to everyone!!
Well, I need to call it a day. I have the orders for tomorrow organized and the flower list is ready for the call to market in the morning.

Prayers for Bristol

Sunday about midnight Thomas and I headed to our vet with Bristol. He was not his normal self and was in a lot of pain. Had no appetite. Bristol is a very active Dachshund and has only been sick one other time when he had strep throat.
We took xrays and thought he might have gotten a hold of something but everything seem to be OK. There was a bit of cloudy matter around his pancreas and that seemed to concern the vet. Doc Brown was the vet on call and he did an excellent job. He took all of Bristol's vitals and even a stool sample. Those of you who know Bristol knows that if he had been feeling his normal self he would have never stood still for that procedure. Bristol was given 4 kind of pills and three shots and we headed home about 2am.
The pain shot put Bristol on a real tripper. He was all zoned out this morning at 5:30am. I woke up and was scared into tears--he was laying up against my back stiff, chilled and his eyes were glazed over. I pulled him up into my arms and checked for a heart beat and Praise Jesus he was still alive. We called the vet again and back to Brownstown Thomas headed by his self ( I had funeral work to get done.) We said our prayers for healing for Bristol before he headed out.
Upon arrival Doc Brown said he was drugged up. The pain shot had really messed him up. We are going to see how the next 24 hours goes. So when you say your prayers tonight lift one up for Bristol.

cleaning closets....

Thomas and I have been talking about cleaning out one of our closets for quite some time now. Well, yesterday was the big day. Now this closet wasn't that bad. We didn't get in it daily. We had keep it tidy and we pretty much knew what was in there. We just needed to throw away stuff that was no longer needed.
Ever run across old pictures that you haven't looked at in years? Well, Thomas opened this one box and it was full of pics that he had taken at the races (late model, when he worked for Tader). Then there were pictures of all the deer's that he had killed and there was pics of Sarah and Sandra when they were little girls. We did find pictures of some of the old iron bridges that are no longer standing. Back when gas was less than a dollar we use to take Sunday drives with the girls. All of these drives did pay off for Sarah when she and her friends were running around she knew her way around Jackson County and they always thought she was cool cause she knew all the back roads and knew them by name. These pictures are priceless cause they are part of history. Kids now days have no ideal what a iron bridge is. Thomas packed these up and put them in a safe place.
The closet is all organized now, we threw away the stuff we no longer needed. After the trash was packed out guess where Thomas headed.....to the lazy boy with his box of pictures!

Tranquillity.........

The other evening I needed to make pew bows for a wedding this weekend. It had cooled off outside so I decided to head out to my screened in porch. I set down in the swing and had all the necessary items to make the pew bows. I had made 3 or 4 bows when I looked to either side of me and there was Bristol and Lily. There they were just laid back relaxing.
The three of us swinging and enjoying the peace and quiet. In their minds everything was perfect. To me it was too. We had shut the screen door on all the worlds problems. We were in our own little world....the ducks were wondering around the back yard, there were two deer grazing in the field, momma bunny and her new babies were playing in the yard. The smell of honeysuckle was in the air and the sun was setting.
Bristol, Lily nor I had a care in the world.........

time flies

Seems like forever since I've set here and let you in on my day.
So much has happened the past few weeks. The most heart breaking was losing my uncle...my hero (besides my Daddy). There is not enough time or pages to tell you just how special and proud I was of Uncle Boyd. In a nut shell--he gave the Marine Corp 32+ years of his life, wonderful husband and father of four. He is an example of what a Marine is and should be. I miss him and even though I didn't get to spend enough time with him a piece of my heart feels like it has been broken off. When I would phone him he would always answer, "is this my punkin?" Camp Lejeune has to be a lonely place now.
I salute you... Sgt. Major Boyd Brummett, USMC Retired

The Red White and Blue Festival has come and gone. Things went well, better than I thought they would. I had more jobs dumped in my lap but----I am woman....did you hear me roar??? This was my 25th year to be part of the festival and when it comes to the festival there is not much that I can't get done. Most of the time I can do it blind folded. Your thinking--well, is she bragging--No, I have done it so long that I can do it in my sleep.

Miss Lily's puppies are growing. They are six weeks old and fun to play with. Miss Lily was at the vet yesterday (Monday) for surgery...it was determined that there will be no more puppies for her little body. Lo and behold she is a hell of a lady....seems her and Bristol was doing the nasty while she was nursing the puppies. The vet just scratched his head and said that's not normal. But Bristol being the stud that he is..... The vet said she was about 3 weeks along. It was determined that Miss Lily might not live thru another pregnancy so we decided to abort the litter. Lily is a very precious little girl.
Lets see has there been anything else......well if you count the folks who toss aside responsibility, kids who have no ideal of what respect is, drama queens, grown adults who try to stir up trouble and make up stories just to start trouble, folks who don't pay their bills on time and the normal idiots who try to sell you stuff on the phone. Other than that I think that brings you all up to date.
I need to water the flowers outside the shop and take Miss Lily home. Her and I are going to kick back in the swing on the back porch and let the world pass us by for a few hours........

My Cousin

It's goes like this...Daddy and Hubert are brothers. I am Daddy's daughter and Dale is Hube's son. Dale has a son Steve. Dale passed away a couple years ago. He left us to soon. Dale and I had always been close since we were kids. I can't recall him ever calling me by my name...it was always "Sis". I can remember going over to his house and playing with Steve when he was a baby.
Dale and Steve built my flower shop and we had many days when all we did was laugh. I cherish those days and I'm glad that I took pictures.
I have one pic on the wall of Dale and Steve smoothing at the concrete on the front porch.
Steve and I have become even closer since Dale's death. We text each other a few times a week just to make sure each other is doing ok. We've even talked to each other on our cell phones for over an hour trying to solve each other's problems. He dropped by the other afternoon to pull up all the poison ivy from around the store. I had tried to pull some up and was trying to be ever so careful, but all I have to do is walk by it and I get a rash.
We all have cousins some just rate higher than others.
And Steve, well he is at the top of list.........

Lazy Sunday afternoons....

Sunday afternoon naps are the best......
Thomas and I took advantage of a lazy Sunday afternoon. We had done a few things around the house earlier that afternoon and had come in side for a snack and a cool glass of ice tea. We both went and "kicked back" as Thomas calls it. He found his way to his lazy boy and I to the couch. A few hours later I awoke and found Bristol was stretched out with Thomas and Lily was at my feet. We all had been lazy for the afternoon.
Seems we don't get enough of these days. But Sunday is suppose to be a day of rest. I sometimes have to make deliveries on Sunday afternoons to the funeral homes. So this past Sunday was a much welcomed day.

It's been a while

Wow, it seems like ages since I've had the time to set and blog. I miss reading my florist friends blogs and my friends Scott, Shelley and Dan. Got to keep up with where Scott is...it's always interesting and uplifting.

Lily and her babies are doing great. Their eyes opened this week and it won't be long till they are bouncing out of their basket for play time.

I rushed home last night to mow my grass (that's the hot topic on the blogs) the weather man was saying rain after midnight. I like to mow!! It's a stress reliever for me.. hop on the John Deere and relax. If any of you know my Daddy his yard is perfect. Not a blade out of place and never a weed to be found. He mows is yard twice a week and everyone around always comments on his neatness. He has a Toro push mower. He has pushed mowed his yard for over 50 years. (Cardio workout) This is one reason he's so healthy. I follow in his footsteps except I ride. Thomas won't mow, says he can't please me and I'm too picky. Well, I am my Daddy's daughter!!
Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend. I'll try not to be gone so long from now on........

Finally Friday

It's been a looong week. I haven't caught up from all the sleep I lost the week of Prom or Mothers Day. I've been trying.... sleep specialist will tell you that you never make up for lost sleep. I believe them.
Miss Lily is doing wonderful. She is a protective mother. One little whimper and she is running to see what they need. Sandra and her boyfriend Aaron was out the other evening and we set and talked till 10:30pm. I had thought all day that I had no meetings to attend and I would be able to turn in early...wishful thinking. But I enjoyed my time with Sandra and Aaron. So now it's Friday evening and I'm thinking about going to bed early.....enjoy your weekend!!!

Lilys babys......

It's 2am and Lily can't sleep she has been stirring for about an hour now. So we get up. We set down in the lazy boy and I rock her...nope she don't want to rock. She don't want to set, she just doesn't know what she wants to do. Then come the shakes and panting and racing heart. I know that this isn't right. So we call our favorite vet at 2:35am. We leave him a message and he calls right back. Sounds like she needs some sugar. So we follow Doc's orders. It's now 4am neither Thomas or I have had any sleep. Not even Bristol. Bristol tries to console Miss Lily and he just gets growled at....sound familiar guys?????. I'm trying to rest with my eyes wide open and trying to tell Lily just focus that's what they told me! She gives me the --focus hell look...so by now I am thinking what is on the calendar at both stores. I decided to get dressed and head for C-ville and do what needs too be done.
Lily and I head over and sure enough she is ready. We had to wait a bit cause there was a dog that was in an accident and they had to tend to her.
While we were setting there Lily was quietly setting in my lap bearing down and she wasn't waiting, her time was now. I unfolded her blanket and sure enough there was a puppy popping out his head. I tell the vet tech she's ready let go. They rushed her back. They reassured me she will be fine and they will be back with updates. It is now 8:15am. I call Thomas with an update along with Sarah, Sandra and Coleigh. The wait begins......
I over hear the Vet tell the receptionist to make sure Mrs. Bridges is comfortable and if there is anything she needs. Twenty minutes later the girls come out....we have our first puppy and she is fine. I ask, How is Miss Lily, she is fine too. Ten minutes later....you have four healthy big puppies. Now I can breath. They bring me the first puppy....and let me hold it. I have two boys and two girls. Lily is doing fine we will just stitch her up and monitor her for a bit. Every one is healthy and now we can relax. I get updates every twenty minutes and by now I have seen all four of them. We just might have a Double Dapple just like Bristol but it's still to early to tell but he has more black in him . Bristol's color variation is very rare.
So all this afternoon I was working with Lily getting her use to her babies and helping her get back to normal after the surgery. Now the fun begins.......

Make it stop......

Make it stop......that's what I kept hearing today. Our wire service orders come across the computer ( we have two, FTD and 1-800 Flowers) and every few minutes the printer would light up and print another order for us to fill. I kept telling the girls...hey, don't complain that's your pay check. They would just look up and smile.
We have been rather busy today. I had four drivers lined up for the day and we tried to get most of the orders delivered today. Makes it easy for tomorrow. But it's Mothers Day and we won't be caught up until the last one is delivered. Last night as I was working they were still printing out. I think the last one came across about 10:30pm. So here I set on a Friday night designing flowers for tomorrow. Plus I have corsages to work on for the Austin Sunshine Dance. I need to fill the front cooler with cash and carry designs and have some ready to go over to our store in Brownstown first thing in the morning. There are about 50 balloons that are going out about 11am for a party and there's 24 corsages going to a Scott County church in the afternoon and that's just half of it. Am I complaining....no way. I love my job--yes it's long hours and yes some days it's hard work. But in my opinion I have the best job around-- florist ..... we sometimes complain about the stress and overwork, but we thrive on the very things that would make most sane people run wild in the streets. Heart, hard work, artistic sense, love of people and commitment are what it takes to succeed--just in case you ask!

Miss Lily Belle

Lily and I made our way to the vet late this afternoon. Lily has to set in my lap when I'm driving. She's been that way since the day I bring her home. She will set in her basket in the passengers seat for a minute or two then here she comes. Every now and then she will set beside me and the arm rest. But now days I have to raise the arm rest since her belly is so big.
We get to the vet and all the girls are making over her and telling Lily they know just how she feels. The vet tech takes her back for her ultra sound. Within a few minutes she comes back and ask if I'd like to see the pictures....sure. There they were..... four little babies. But they are too big for Lily to have on her own. This is where Bristol would have gotten the big head!!! We discuss our options and decide that we need a c-section. We set a date of Monday May 19 at 8am. I ask if I could watch through the window and the tech says she will make a note of it for the vet. She ask how my stomach was and I informed her I had helped Daddy deliver many baby calves. Miss Lily wasn't to worried about it. Guess she takes after me. I don't let to much worry me. Life is just to short to be stressed out all the time.

Miss Lily Belle

Miss Lily is to the point where she can't jump up on the couch any more. She won't even try...she looks up to you with sad eyes.....and you can read her mind--I just can't jump up there my belly is too big....Thomas weighed her over the weekend and she was up to almost 10 pounds. Now mind you she only weighed seven pounds to begin with. Her belly is almost to the ground. I set with her in the evenings and rub her belly and you can feel the puppies moving around. My heart goes out to Lily and I try to make her as comfortable as possible. We go Thursday for our next ultra sound. We only have maybe 10/12 days left.
Doc says we will be able to see how big they are and determine if we will let her have them natural or have to take them.
Bristol has a hard time understanding why she don't want to play any more.....he takes his nose and rolls the ball to her and she just lays there. Men they just don't understand pregnancy.....

Derby Roses

The Garland of Roses placed on the Kentucky Derby winner is designed with Freedom Roses
from Ecuador. These are the same roses that we carry at Mountain Memories. I chose this brand a few years back after trying out a few others and found these roses to be the best for vase life (that's florist terms.) The girls that sew these roses to the blanket are my friends and we have talked in great detail on how they only choose the perfect rose. There are almost 500 roses placed in a tube and then placed ever so carefully and stitched in. My friend Carol the head designer takes the blanket to Churchill Downs and stands guard with it until its time for the Downs officials to take it. Carol also designs the Lily blanket for The Oaks on Friday. So the next time you see red roses at Mountain Memories remember they are Freedom Roses.

Take a deep breath....

Well, Prom '08 is over and the eighth grade formal is finished too. It was a rather interesting event. But nothing new. Same complaints just different parents. You have the mother's who say, Thanks for making my baby look handsome his tux fits perfect and the flowers were awesome. Then there is the mother's from hell. Well, his pants is an inch to short and the sleeves could be a tad longer, the buttons on his shirt needed to be a bit tighter and the tie wasn't quite the shade that we ordered.This is where you take a deep breath...you pause for a moment and try to remember how your Daddy always told you--Now, Sherry be nice....you say, I will be glad to make alterations on the pants and the jacket, you need to use the studs that were provided to button the shirt and that will give you a snug fit. As for matching the tie and vest, you did bring in the dress and lay it across the swatch and that is the one you decided was the right color--remember you even took it out side to see how it matched up with natural light. All the while you are smiling and then they say-- well, I think it will be all right he does look rather handsome maybe I'm being just to picky....... Hello......... are you listening to your self.
Being a florist I hear the same complaints every year and you just let them roll off your back and forget about them. Everyone wants everything perfect...Folks we don't live in a perfect world.

Miss Lily and her babies

Well, Miss Lily had her ultra sound and we seen four babies maybe a fifth one not for sure. We'll go back in 10 days for another one. By then the puppies will have grown and we can get a better look at them. It was exciting setting in the room waiting for the vet to come back with the news.......he walks in the with picture and it was awesome to see. How tiny they were. When born a Minature Dachshund will weight only 6 to 10 ounces, just tiny little babies. Stay turned for future developments........

Miss Lily Belle

Lily Belle and Bristol had some time alone awhile back.......now Miss Lily is going for her ultra sound today. How many puppies can fit in a seven pound dog? Bless her heart she is getting so big. It's hard for her to jump up onto the couch these days. It's at the point that she looks at Thomas and me....."I need some help." She came to work with me today since our vet is located in Brownstown. She is setting on my lap as I type. I'll keep you posted!!

George Bush

Blame it on Shelley....my best bud. She got me started. GEORGE BUSH....in his little bitty mind every thing is hunky dory. When was the last time he pumped gas in his limo and paid with it from his own money. Oops...he's an oil man. He never worries about the price of gas. We the tax payers of this great country pay for the gas in his limo and every thing else that he might need.
He lives in his own little compound where everything is handed to him. I remember reading his Mother's book years ago on how they struggled to make ends meet when her husband started is company and worried as the week went on how they were going to make payroll. Barbara Bush talked in great detail how they would rob Peter to pay Paul. Now little George is living in the big house and the economy is running wild and he's not educated enough on how to get a handle on it. Ronald Regan did away with most of the unions. At least with them you could write a clause in your contract and receive a cost of living increase each year. But unions are a thing of the past. (Don't get me started on union's. Daddy was vice-president of his union)
My heart goes out to the young couples just starting out with small children. Between the babysitter, house payment, grocery bill and gas to get to and from I just don't see how they make ends meet. But turn on the news every night and George will tell you everything is just great. Take off your blindfold George........

Up and running....

My new store is up and running. I had a great turn out and was welcomed with WIDE open arms to the town of Brownstown. It's really different from home (Crothersville). They have rules that you must abide by in keeping their town looking top notch. No trash laying around here. Now.... before you get on your soap box and say something stupid like I'm a trader or something. Let me explain.....we all know that Crothersville needs to be cleaned up. People need to have more respect for their property and the downtown area. Crothersville has been this way for so long that I don't think people would know how to act if the downtown area looked spotless. Weedless sidewalks, clean buildings are just a few things that come to mind. People have to want the change and it won't happen over night. People have walked around blindfolded far to long and to some it looks just fine.
From a business owner....it's not fine and you need to take off your blindfold grab a broom and have some respect for our community.

A "Chain"

My friend Cindy was in the store the other day with her son Jake.
Jake was picking out his tux for the eighth grade dance at school. Cindy and I was talking about the opening of my new flower shop in Brownstown and she made the comment, "your a chain." Wow, I hadn't n thought about it that way. Guess you could say that......Mountain Memories Flowers & Gifts now with two locations to serve the folks in Jackson County.
Tomorrow (Saturday April 19) is our open house. Everything is pretty much ready. I just have a few little things to prepare. It's been an exciting past few weeks with a lot of late nights.
So if your looking for something to do on Saturday stop in and see us. Were located at 104 S. Main Street just a few doors down from the hardware store. Main Street is also US highway 50.

It's a girl thing...

Wow....hasn't the past couple days been just amazing. We have been waiting for Spring in our little town for quite some time. My arbor at the flower shop is coming alive. Now you are probably wondering what the weather has to do with my title, "It's a girl thing".... with the spring and with the weather getting warmer us ladies are able to wear our sandals and flip flops and you just have to paint your toe nails.....can't be seen without your polish...."it's a girl thing"

Going to market.....

I rose this morning at 5am....grrrrr. With a few funerals today, I needed some extra special flowers for the family's floral pieces. Going to the flower market.....it's wonderful.
The drive down I-65 was pretty smooth not to much traffic, and getting across the Kennedy Bridge was breeze. As I drove into Louisville, people were making there way to the offices from the parking garage across the street from the flower market. I kinda felt sad for them... setting in a cubical all day long. Here I was surrounded by beautiful fragrant flowers. Some folks say I have the best job in the world (follow me around some days and you just might pull your hair out.)
The flowers at market were gorgeous, most of them had just gotten off the plane from South America just a few hours earlier. Where do you start....I want one of everything....but then you look at your list and you say to your self..."Stick to the list"..... Why is it exciting you say to yourself..well, 85% of the time the flowers are delivered to my shop. You only see what you have ordered. Plus with the price of gas you tend to stay close to home and let them bring them to you. Rising at 5am was well worth it.
Coming home and crossing back over the Kennedy Bridge I realized the second reason why I rose so early....the south bound traffic was backed up at least 3 miles just waiting their turn to cross the bridge.
Daddy always said, "Early bird gets the worm"

Expanding

It's official.....I'm expanding. I will be opening Mountain Memories of Brownstown on April 19, 2008.
I had thought about it a year ago when some residents from Brownstown had approached me and ask if I had ever thought about coming to their town. Well, I never gave it much thought then about three months ago I was ask again. I began to look into it. As any business owner knows location is everything. You have to stand across the street and see what your customer sees. Is there ample parking...is it visible from the street....the list goes on. The time was right and things just fell into place. So for the past two weeks I haven't gotten a lot of sleep. Any free time that I have (which is not much) I have been painting and cleaning carpets and moving things in.Then when I get to sleep I wake up thinking of all the things that need to be done. So wish me luck and make sure you stop in and see me......

My new baby chicks!!

As many of you know I raise chickens and have been for the past few years. One of my girlfriends who owns a BIG farm tells me," they stink" and that's why she doesn't have any. Well--show me an animal who doesn't stink. But, any way back to my chickens. I recently purchased 12 baby Rhode Island Red chicks. They are so cute and they are getting their tail feathers. I go out every morning and talk to them so that they will know my voice. I have in the past done the incubator thing and it takes precise temperature and pretty much around the clock care. It is rewarding and awesome to watch a chicken hatch. They will peck at the shell for hours till they make their way into this world. The best part is you can hear them peep inside the shell. Many of you are wondering....do I put my chickens in the pot for supper... NO...but there is nothing like a fried egg sunny side up! I do have a few roosters for sale if any one would have a need for a few. In the chicken business you just need a few roosters to take care of a LOT of hens.....
That's another story on another day. Well, I have a pile of flower orders setting on my desk that needs to be designed and delivered to the funeral homes and I have rambled on long enough. I'll keep you posted on my chickens.

Remembering.....

Two dozen eggs, newspapers on the kitchen table and old T shirts. Dixie cups of yellow, pink, purple, green, blue and two little girls who couldn't wait for the eggs to cool so they could dip them and make beautiful Easter eggs. The whole afternoon was spent preparing for Easter morning. Their new dresses were pressed, the white patten leather shoes and white lace socks were all laid out. They talked about putting their baskets out for the Easter Bunny. The two little girls would talk about the best places to hid their eggs after church services. These two little girls are grown up now, but they still get Peeps in their Easter baskets.
This Easter season spend some time with your children and color some eggs and make some memories of your own........

poor attitude

It's been raining for over 48 hours around home and to be honest I am over it. It is hard to make deliveries. You have to check to see if the road you going to take is open or if the back roads are passable. Around here if the major roads are closed you know the back roads are too.
I had a meeting last night and when I got out I had my phone in hand and when I shut the truck door the sleeve of my coat caught the door and I dropped my phone....Sh@*! I knew when it left my hand that it was going to land in....WATER!!. I picked it up went in side and began to take it apart and dry it off. Everything seemed to be working--till about 10pm and it started acting up. This is where the poor attitude comes in...
I walk in to my wireless provider about 9:30 this morning. The man at the desk says, how can I help you? I explain to him what had happened to my phone and he ask- why did you drop it. At this point I want to shake him and say loose the attitude..you know the kind no smile or no eye contact. He tells me there is nothing he can do. He hands me a number and says, call this number and pay your $50 deductible fee and you can get a new one in a few days. I had to have a rather curious look on my face and I ask him, you can't assist me with this. No, he replies, we don't do that. It's at this point that I realize that he needs to hear and to take notes (in great detail) at my good friend, Scott McKains motivational speeches on customer service. His actions reflects the company that he works for. I later called to talked to the assistant manager and explained how this man needed to brush up on his customer skills and if I had been a first time customer I would not have came back.
I take great pride is pampering my customers......their needs are my first concern. I have been ask to design some unusual things for my customers. One of my customers husband had passed away and he had been a horseman all his life. She ask if I could design his casket spray with horseshoes.....Yes, we can... then she ask can we put his cowboy hat in there too? Why certainly. You should have seen this spray is was awesome!!

FINALLY FRIDAY!!!

Wow...I made it to Friday.
This week has been one that has had my mind working over time. Should I or Shouldn't I....I think I should and it will be a awesome choice. ( now I got you thinking.....) I will let you know my choice in a week or two. I can't sleep-- keep tossing and turning..what if this and what if that...I wake up thinking about it and go to sleep thinking about it. I have pondered so much that I think I can't ponder another thought about it.
If I choose it, it would be such an asset. Wow...just think about it.
I know your thinking---has she lost her mind, what's going on with her?
Just keep checking in from time to time and you will find out what has been consuming my mind this past week......

Finally Friday!!!

Just like the mail......

Just because it is snowing the deliveries must go on......I started my Friday as usual. Had my normal 8am date with Miss Wanda and we watched it snow and snow and snow. I figured, well it might be an early day and I could go home and curl up on the couch with Lily Belle and Bristol and read my new book that I purchased a few weeks back. "How exciting" to be home early on a Friday. It was quiet till about 11:30am then they all decided to come/call at once. One caller was on the road in Missouri and needed flowers sent to his mom. The other caller needed flowers to lift her friends spirits. Funeral flowers was needed by one lady. She was the lucky one, I had just cleaned off the side walk. The wedding tuxes needed to be picked up. I got everything ready and loaded along with the two dozen eggs for the lady across town. The caller from Missouri wanted to let me know, that if the snow was to bad for me to hold the order till Monday. I informed him I drove a Ford with four wheel drive!!!
He got a kick out of that and told me, "I was his kind of woman." Now as I set here I am just about ready to head home. I've never been one to be afraid of driving in the snow. Don't bother me a bit. Just like the mail the deliveries must go on. Everyone have a good weekend and see ya on Monday.......

I want to laugh!!!

Setting with my Daddy at my Aunt's funeral service the other day the preacher rose with a few of his friends gathered their musical instruments and began to sing. Daddy and I were both patting our foot keeping time with the music. The preacher began talking about my aunt. Naming her family members and saying a few nice things about her. Then he began to preach to us....telling us we need to live our lives the best that we can so that we'll see her once again in heaven. He told us stories of his bad health and a few other things that had nothing to do with my aunts life on this earth. I wanted to hear funny stories...how did she spend her day..what were her hobbies. I know she liked to quilt, tell us about that. Tell us about her childhood and the funny things that she did when she was a child living in the hills of Eastern Kentucky. She grew up with she seven brothers they must have tormented her. I know there are funny stories...I have heard them. But I want to hear them again. Tell me about raising her children and the fun times they had. I want to laugh.....When someone dies it should be a "celebration of life."
Sermons on hell and how you live your life should not be allowed on the day of a funeral. Lets reflect on the good things that she did while she was on this earth.
So if you get the chance to attend my funeral you better be wearing your "Depends" cause you are going to need them.

Setting down at the table Thursday evening with Lily on my lap I opened the days mail. There was the usual junk that comes every day and then the always present bills that seem to find there way into your mailbox. I came upon a card from a person that I didn't know but recognized her name from an order from Valentine"s Day. It goes as follows......
For my Birthday on February 14, I received three floral arrangements. Yours has held up and still looks pretty. The other two had slow deaths. Thank you!! I'm still enjoying your flowers.......
To me this card is priceless. This is why I pamper my flowers the way I do.This is why I work 12/14 hour days. I take great pride in floral designing. To me it is not a job--it is my passion.
Each floral arrangement that leaves my shop is given special attention.
I design each arrangement as if I was going to send it to my own Mother.
If it's not good enough for Mom..it's not good enough for my customer's.
For those friends that wonder into the design room, they will find one wall that is covered in cards and letters just like the one I received. But...there are a few arrangements that haven't held up do to circumstances beyond my control. Maybe they were not hydrated properly at the farm. It looked great when it was packed and loaded on the plane. Maybe the plane was to cold or to hot. Maybe there was problems with customs and they set to long. I'm not making excuses when flowers don't last beyond a few days. There are just so many things that can go wrong from the time it leaves the farm to when it arrives at my shop. So--this is why I pamper them when they arrive. I see to it that they are fed and keep cool and have a cozy place to rest after their long trip.

Cleaning up after other people

I do not have time to clean up after sorry butt people!!
I was working in the design room and kept hearing this large truck. But it's not unusual to hear them in town. I knew it was to early for the beer trucks to be delivering next door at my father-in-law's tavern so I walked around and pulling out of the side street was a Value City Furniture delivery truck. So I walked around back and there by the dumpster was 2 mattress and a box spring and empty boxes and plastic bags. "Do they think they can just pull up and dump their junk free of charge." Now mind you Rumpke will not pick up mattress (at least not till spring clean up) so what am I to do with them till then. Our town is full of junk now as it is. So I give Value City a call and she assures me that her drivers NEVER dump off old furniture.....I explain to her that I heard their truck behind my building and seen it pulling out of the side street and there are tire tracks from a large truck by the dumpster. After being put on hold for a few minutes she explains to me that she had talked to the warehouse manager and sure enough they were dumped.....and they will be driving back up and picking up their junk!!!!! She stated that the delivery driver said no one was around to ask permission to leave them...well duh..so you just leave them where ever you want. Some times you just want to slap them...and say hello anybody in there. Come on show a little respect for other peoples property..