Joy....

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Do you know Cherry Brandy?  
Sounds like a famous country singer, but she is actually this lovely rose...
Introduced in Germany by Rosen-Tantau/Tantau Roses
in 2004 as 
'Cherry Brandy'
hyyc
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----------------------
Do you know 
Billy Button 
or 
"Button Balls" 
as some of his friends call him?
I have seen these little guys around for years, 
but have a new appreciation for how perky they can make an arrangement!


Billy's real name is


 Craspedia Globosa
 and 
he is oh so happy bobbing above flowers 

Next time you are picking out some flowers, 
check out these new friends of mine!  They will make your day just a wee bit brighter.


AND Rememeber:


The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Isaiah 40:8


Flowers definitely brighten my day and make me smile, but knowing God and reading His word bring true joy to my life.


Joy to you,
xo
Harriet

Divine Indulgence...

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Whether or not you're a fan of 
Valentine's Day,
it's just around the corner
so we might as well 
embrace it!

from my daughter's file of "furry friends"
Flowers, of course, are a classic Valentine's Day gift
and you'd think that I would be focusing on which flowers
to gather for your hunny...
sweeticedtea.wordpress.com
but 
this post is about
my love affair with 
CHOCOLATE!
photo of CACOA from nakedwithcooking.com
Dark chocolate is my absolute favorite!
if you're going to "spend" calories on sweets...
(some may say "waste" calories but that's such a dirty word!)
than you might as well get the GOOD stuff!
topatlantaluxury.com
So, my friends, I have three words for you...

eatthelove.com

While I was in Atlanta, I stumbled 
upon this glorious little chocolate shop 
in Virginia Highlands.
Just a step off the street and into this chocolaterie 
and you truly feel like you've been 
swept up and away to Paris!
cacoaatlanta.com
The European-esq chalkboard menu was so luxurious 
against crisp ivory shelves
and the glossy marble counter tops
made the dark, savory chocolate leap off the counter tops...
luxecrush.com
don't look over the adorable "hermes orange" packaging, either...
The uniqueness of this little shop is in its "message to the world":

We hope our message of love is translated 

through our product; 

because at Cacao Laboratoire, it is our mission to compose a 

product inspiring you to give love, give chocolate.

So, here's to inspiring you to embrace Valentine's Day
and 
GIVE LOVE!

It's "Tussie Time"!

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Tussie Mussie, that is!


How much do you love those words together? 
I just love the way they roll off the tongue.  
Say "tussie mussie" a few times aloud.

A Tussie Mussie, is a small bunch of flowers that are held in a little special
"vase for the hand," if you will.

Here is one I just made with hot pink spray roses and greenery.


These little bundles of joy are great for mothers of the bride and groom to carry and
they're precious for flower girls and/or bridesmaids to carry, too!


I think they may even make sweet Valentine's gifts for daughters and sweethearts.  
Let's start a trend!

Many moons ago women would a carry tussie mussie to squelch their own or others' stench when personal hygiene was non-existent and the plague
 was running rampant with stinky bacteria, etc. 
... No need to go into details, on that!


Word Detective


There is an entire language surrounding flowers and I don't just 
mean their botanical and latin names. 


 Some three hundred years ago, suitors gave their ladies carefully selected arrangements of tussy mussies.  Each flower had a different meaning, emotion or intention attached.  


Women would receive their tussie mussies and then look in their Tussy Dictionary to determine what the suitor was trying to say.  


(Basically, nothing much has changed over the years... we're still trying to figure
out what the men in our lives are really telling us.)
.......



Let's translate...  
If you receive a tussie mussie with the following:
Lilac 
You are your partner's First Love
(Lucky you!)

Rosemary
Remembrance
(Not sure if you want to receive, alive?)

Salvia
"I Think of You"

Pansy
Thought, love


What would all of these flowers say, combined?

Bright Star


I will let you ponder on this.


My interpretation is:
Someone might be trying to remember if they love you or 
they can't stop thinking about you, their first love!


We have to remember that 300 years ago when the great tussie mussie first
became popular, global transportation had not yet begun (clearly.)  


So, truthfully,
a combination of all of these flowers 
-- which bloom in different season -- 
would not have been possible.  


That would make decoding a little easier, huh?

simplemom.net


So, this Valentine's Day... 
pay attention to what your suitor is saying
with his floral arrangement!

There could be some subtle undertones in those flowers you receive.