Sunday, November 17, 2013

It Has Been a Very Busy Week.....

here at Casa Kenju and I am happy to have at least one day to relax and do as little as I can possibly manage. 

On Monday I went to physical therapy, on Tuesday I took mr. kenju to the doc and to his pipe smoker's club and spent the day in-between by cleaning the house because, on Wednesday, I hosted my book club here  (along with the author of the book we read) and on Thursday, I had to prepare for a weekend wedding, and on Friday, I did the wedding flowers and delivered them on Saturday.  Whew!   When am I going to start remembering that I am in my 70's?  I often bite off more than I ought to be chewing, but I thank God for the ability to do what I do - no matter what it is. 

All members of a book club ought to be able to experience the presence of an author they have just read at the discussion meeting. I cannot explain how immeasurably it adds to the experience of reading when you are able to ask questions and discuss the novel with the author. The book we read was titled "Sister India"; written by local author Peggy Payne. This was her second book; the first was "Revelation" and the third is "Cobalt Blue." Peggy is delightful and she was a great addition to our meeting - no matter what was discussed. Of course, we all shared food and beverages, as usual, and it was all delicious. I got to show off my new home as well, and it seems to be a hit with the ladies. 

The wedding flowers were for an old friend I have known for almost 30 years. This is the third wedding I have done for her family, and I was very pleased to be asked to help with this one. I learned, however, that I should never attempt to do another one by myself - no matter how small it is. They all involve filling, lifting and carrying 5 gallon buckets of water - something I should not be doing any longer. I did enjoy the actual designing, though, especially the wrist corsages I made for their grand daughters. My bride asked for something fun, wild and crazy and I had a good time choosing ribbons and accessories for them. The wristlets are three stretchy pearl bracelets, so I added some pearl buttons to the base of two ribbons on each corsage. The colors she chose were orange, lime, magenta and cobalt blue  (a synchronicity, that....lol) and bright, happy colors are so much better  (in MHO)  than baby pink and white - which we see in so many weddings. She asked for orange lilies, blue delphinium, roses and something to cascade - and I used Hawaiian lime green dendrobium orchids - my favorites.

She wanted to carry her bouquet atop a clutch purse that one of her granddaughters had made for her with duct tape. The bouquet had to be somewhat flat for that purpose, as well as the fact that they wanted to be able to lay it on the table at the reception, and use it as a centerpiece  (but with no vase.) My "flat on the bottom" tear-drop-shaped bouquet filled that order.
I made six boutonnieres, all somewhat different and four wrist corsages with wild and crazy colored ribbons to match the colorful flowers. How fun it was!! Advance photos on Facebook brought lovely comments from the bride's daughter and others. 

The altar vases were filled with all the wild colors too. It is probably a good thing that the chapel is mostly white. The red carpet is reflected in the brass vases. 

I did not see the bride before the ceremony and I always hope to be able to, if for nothing else than to get her approval on the flowers. If something is wrong, there is always the possibility of correcting it before the wedding. Additional comments on Facebook indicate that she was well pleased, so I am happy with a job well done. That is always a good feeling!


7 comments:

Arkansas Patti said...

How nice you were able to get feed back via FB. The flowers were lovely but then you always come through.
I am not much for book clubs but to actually meet and talk to a published author has always been a high light for me.
Glad it was a success.

LL Cool Joe said...

Wow you do sound like you've had an incredibly busy week! I admire your stamina. The flowers are excellent. I love the unusual colours you put together but how they always work! Glad you got some positive feed back on Facebook.

Granny Annie said...

Well you already know my feelings.

Anonymous said...

I love the colours, just right for this time of year.

sage said...

I've read Revelation--it must have been a dozen or so years ago. I'm pretty sure I was living in Utah at the time.

Pat said...

'I learned, however, that I should never attempt to do another one by myself'
You are perfectly capable of doing a wonderful display of flowers for a wedding but - regardless of age you must have staff to help.
Here endeth...

Ginnie said...

As always your floral arrangements are outstanding.

I've been to three gatherings where the author was present and found them fascinating.