It seems like it was just yesterday when I began preserving flowers along with designing dried florals into arrangements for the home or office.  The preservation began, over 12 years ago,  by saving a friends flowers from her moms’ funeral.  I used to watch with interest when people would come into my shop.  They loved looking at flowers that were hanging to dry over head.  (Yes, I used to hang flowers for my clients before the silica gel entered in on the scene.)  Anyway, customers literally loved looking at all the pretty flowers drying and would reach up and touch them.  I would explain about them all while they listened and then watch them quickly jerk their hands away and jump back if I mentioned that the flowers were from a funeral.  You would think they would get some kind of disease just “touching” the funeral flowers!  (more…)

Posted by: Anne on Thursday, June 18th, 2009 at 2:38 am
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ABSOLUTELY NOT!!!  Not unless you have a true death wish for them.  My first encounter, with frozen flowers from a clients’  freezer was several years ago.  She had put all her childrens’  flowers in the freezer throughout the years.  They looked beautiful all those years…………right up until the day they were taken out and given to me.  My client wanted me to make some kind of arrangement with all of the flowers to treasure.  That was back in the day before I owned a digital camera…….I’m not sure many of us owned one then…………and I would have taken a picture just to keep in my files – possibly to pull out for a blog such as this one.  I brought the beautiful flowers home with me only to have my heart sink when they thawed!  THEY LOOKED HORRIBLE…..EVEN BEYOND HORRIBLE.  And how was I going to explain it to her when I wasn’t sure that something I did or did not do may have been the cause for this nasty state of things? (more…)

Posted by: Anne on Wednesday, June 17th, 2009 at 9:32 am
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This little girl is 29 years old today.  I don’t know what happened.  It makes no sense to me the way the years fly by like this and now the time brings only memories to my heart and mind.  This picture captures beautifully my daughter back in the day….a ball in one hand and the bottle always hanging out of her mouth.  She never held that bottle with her hands – it always dangled just like you see it in this picture.  And when she went to bed at night she still had it dangling out of her mouth like that while both hands were twirling her hair.  Ahhh, how I wish we had digital cameras back then – the stories I could have captured in pictures would have been by the 100’s I’m sure!!!

I didn’t want a girl!  Shameful to admit, I know, but the honest truth.  I wanted a house full of little boys.  Her dad and I had the name picked out just in case we had a girl.  You know, back then it was rare that anyone knew what they were having – you had to wait ’til it was time.  Anyway, we liked our girl name a lot……..and we got a girl……….so there you have it.  It took me about a week to get used to having a girl……….but once my heart took over I was never to be the same.  I can’t begin to tell you how much this child has filled my heart the last 29 years.

It seems that she must have been the perfect child by the way I’m speaking here.  She was!  She was perfect for me.  Just what I needed.  Emily was fiesty – quite the opposite of her wimpy/doormat of a mother.  I loved that about her.  She had her own personality that was NOTHING like mine and that was the best part.  She was a tom-boy through and through.  And no one got in Emily’s way – especially in our family………brother and step-brothers paid quite a price if they pissed her off!  We laugh about it now……..but it wasn’t too funny back then!

I can’t imagine having gone through this life without my Emily.  Not a day goes by that I don’t think about her and miss her terribly.  I’m in Pennsylvania – she’s in New Mexico – is there anything to like about that?  She’s a rock for me – yes she’s my child – but she’s my best friend in only the way mom’s and daughters become when they get older.  No gift could ever surpass this love/relationship between me and my daughter.  I have thanked God over and over and over again for giving me a girl.  He knew what was best for me all along and I have never looked back with regret!

My Emily is now a new mother.  She wanted a house full of boys too!  God has dealt her the same hand He dealt me.  Miss Cailyn Grace is now the life which envelops Emily’s heart (and mine too, once again!).  Emily,  may your heart be filled with all the joy you have given me the last 29 years.  I love you more than you will ever know.  HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

My Emily Anne and new baby Cailyn Grace

Posted by: Anne on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 4:19 am
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I am honored when I am brought flowers to preserve from a funeral.  I admit that I get caught up in the stories of the families of the loved one who has passed on.  I’m the type of person that will look at all your pictures even if I don’t know you.  I love pictures…………I don’t care who they belong to.  (more…)

Posted by: Anne on Friday, June 5th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
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My friend Brenda and her sister Karen are hosting a girl’s night out this coming Monday at Steamers in New Castle and it would be great to see you there!!   (more…)

Posted by: Anne on Thursday, May 28th, 2009 at 7:09 am
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