New Hair and New Trials

As some may know, for about a year now I have tried selling my hair online on auctions. I had several interested buyers and one serious buyer, who at the last minute backed down.

I figured that if I was going to cut my hair short for my next cut, why not at least try to get money for it? I was going to re-list my hair this week after reading an email telling me that my auction had ended, for the umpteenth time. But then I thought, "why re-list? I could just get rid of it now!" No one could tell me not to. After all, it is my hair and my choice. I made my decision somewhat on Monday. I repeated my decision in my head over and over again. Wednesday I told my husband I was going to get it cut. No auctioning it off! I could not wait any longer. Saturday morning I was grumpy. When Nathan asked what was up, I said, "I want my hair gone, it is too much!"

"OK! Make and appointment and I will drop you off and you can instant message me from the phone when you are done." We share a cell phone and have not been able to afford two phones.

A friend of mine suggested a small place behind our Hardees in town. I found it on Google Maps and dialed the number. The owner and beautician set aside 11:30 AM for me when I described that I needed a shampoo, cut, and style. I had printed off my picture nearly a year ago of Reece Witherspoon from the movie Sweet Home Alabama and took it with me. After kissing Nathan goodbye, I entered the little hut of shop with a bounce and a beaming smile. This was it; no turning back!

My hair went from a total of approximate 25 inches, from roots to tips, to around five or six inches in an hour when it took me over two years to grow it to the length it was. I messaged Nathan with exclamation points and waited for a response.

Ten minutes rolled by and Nathan did not respond. Twenty minutes later I called our next door neighbor and asked if he was in town and if we was had he seen Nathan's car parked in our lot. He said it was when he was there a while ago and that he had walked up to our apartment to give us some jalapeños. Nathan had not responded to his knocking. I began to worry. Was he still alive? I had sent several messages by this time. Should I walk?

I no longer cared how my hair looked. I just wanted to know that Nathan was still alive and well. I decided to walk home but could not cross the river. My legs shook when I tried crossing the bridge. I began to feel dizzy.

I turned back and sat at McDonald's to think. My phone beeped and meant only one thing to me:"Low Battery!"

My phone vibrated, which meant that Nathan had messaged me, and I sighed. Surely he had seen my messages. "Are you done?" Well, apparently he did not see my previous messages. At least he was alive. I messaged him back, with no response. Another five minutes passed and he messaged again, "Are you there?" My question to him had been no different only fifteen minutes before. No matter how many times I messaged, whether I logged off or back in again, he still asked me questions as if he had no idea I was responding.

I had to think fast. The more I waited the closer it was to a dead battery. I began to wish I had a pocket of change, a pay phone, and memorized phone numbers for when it died.

The first person I thought of was my mother. I called her and asked if she would log into gmail and chat with him. This was something she was familiar with. She tried gmail and called me back to tell me he was not logged in. My phone was beeping out low battery reminders every two minutes, or so it seemed. I stepped her through signing me into Meebo told her what to say to Nathan. His name did show up as being "online." She typed word for word what I had asked her to say and was telling me something when my phone died. I had no way of knowing if he got the message.

I refused to give up then. I could not walk home as I told him through my mom that I would be at the Dollar General. I could not borrow a phone to call anyone because all my contact numbers were in my dead phone. I could hitch hike or ask someone to give me a ride to downtown Main Street. There was still a good possibility that he did get my Mom's message. It was best to sit at the intersection of the street by Hardees and Main Street. Staying there would be true to my word of meeting him at Dollar General.

Eventually he would think to get me. Nearly two hours had passed since I last saw him. Did he really think a hair cut would take that long? I sat down in the dirt at the corner of the Dollar General parking lot, thinking that it would be best to sit on a soft area, if I was going to be sitting for a while. I knew he would come, it just was a matter of time before he did show up at that intersection. I prayed and just sat there watching traffic. A calmness spread over me as I sat and just enjoyed the warmth of that day. Any other day and it may have been cold! God was on my side.

In ten minutes of watching and praying, I did see his car. Nathan was on his way! I jumped to my feet and waved. He made a hand gesture to the parking lot! He saw me!! I would have no need to cross the street and walk to the hair shop where I may be too late if he turned around and headed back.

What happened next, I cannot explain. I broke down and sobbed as he pulled into a parking lot. I don't know why I cried or why I became hysterical. God had answered my prayers. I do not remember the ride home at all. It is a blur in my memory. I may have tried explaining to him why I was crying or what I had been thinking or that I had no way of getting over the bridge safely on my wobbly legs. I really do not remember. The only thing I do remember is this: Nathan asked me the question that pulled me back to earth, "well, do you like your hair?"

I do not remember how I responded to that. I am sure it was in the affirmative. I do like my new hair style. Nathan led me to the bedroom to sit and talk. He left me alone and I cried some more. I needed reassurance that I really was home at last. That it was not a dream.

He came back with the Oreos I had hidden in a kitchen cabinet. I smiled weakly and told him I really just wanted to be held tightly. I ate an Oreo anyway and held onto him tightly while he patted my back in gentle strokes. I began to tell him, between tears and sobs, what had happened while I waited for him. What I had thought, what I felt, and how I called my mom. Nathan told me he had received the message from my mom that my phone was not working and dying and that I was at the Dollar General waiting for him.

I felt better, but needed to rest. After a short rest, Nathan made me sit with him and watch an episode of Stargate SG-1 while we ate lunch. I was not very hungry, but did eat to please him. I did enjoy the episode, curling up under a blanket, sitting in our living room in his arms, and not having my hair snagged every time he moved his arm.

From that point on, I had a better day and played around with my hair enjoying the short length. I laughed much, danced to music while taking care of house work, hugged Nathan every time my path took me to where he was, continued to count my blessings, and remembered to call my mom to thank her for rescuing even from another state!

God was watching me. I never lost hope. I knew Who was sovereign, in control, and a mighty God. I could handle this trial again if I had to. Even if all that remains is to sit and pray. I cannot help but think of Christ's disciples and the one task He asked them to do at the Garden of Gethsemane: "Watch and Pray."

Being stranded could be far worse. I have it easy living near downtown. Maybe next time I will have my pocket Bible in my purse. I had moved it just that morning to make room for a brush!

Romans 8:28 remains my "motto" for every situation. Meaning, it is the verse I keep close to my heart when anything has occurred that is not according to my plans.

"28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose."

Things That Go Bump in The Night

It was a calm and peaceful night. A man and wife were sleeping sound, the cats were curled up purring at their feet. The wife was enjoying a beautiful dream when she heard a shout and felt the bed shift. It was with heavy eyelids that she opened her eyes in time to see the silhouette of her husband's body soaring overhead. She did not cringe nor scream because she was still unsure if this was part of her dream.

CRASH!! The tap lamp on the bedside table flickered to illuminate the explosion of events. Her husband cleared the edge of her side of the bed, landing into the wicker end table and crushing it beyond recognition. Books slid off the broken table, bouncing into each other on their way down. Pens were flung in many directions. Though in reality it lasted merely seconds, the wife felt that the event was never ending.

Concern swept over her as she tried helping her confused and bewildered husband up onto the bed to check for cuts, scrapes, or her fear: broken bones. Finding the tap lamp on the floor she shed some light on that corner of the room by their bed, to see again the mangled state of her end table and various objects that had rested on the table now all over the floor in heaps.

She did not care about the table though. Her only interest at that hour lay in her husband's health.

He lay with his head in her lap mumbling apologies and sounding sincere. "Never mind about the table, dear, are you hurt?"

"No. I'm fine. I am so sorry! I can fix it." It was obvious he was still in a sort of sleep-like state. The old table had seen its last days, as it was broken beyond repair.

Her husband's back had a scratch and his hand was scraped a little, other than that, he was fine. Tucking him back into bed beside her, she turned off the light, and marveled that he did not sail through the window, which stood directly beside the location of his crash landing.

They slept for the remainder of the night, awoke to a new day, and lived as though nothing out of the ordinary happened the night before. To most, this would be horrifying. To this couple, every night is a new adventure and a mere obstacle they encounter in their life together.

The Crash Site

Location of Window

Beyond Repair

A Replacement

*not the end*

Essay

I am currently writing an essay on William Faulkner: his life, work, and awards. It is no easy task and is a tedious process when I must pay close attention to at least twenty different grammatical forms while composing. With all the guidelines I have to take into account before I finally submit the essay, I feel there is hardly any room for my own writing style. Sometimes I wonder if some rules are just for political correctness. I realize some of it, like the citations, are for legalities. Most of my teachers keep saying things like, "When you are in a university,...."

My mind is currently swimming (or drowning) with these terms, phrases and rules: ellipsis,... flagged quotation,... son of citation machine,... publishers,... copyrighted,... date in which you obtained the website,... fifth space indentation,... L7 (in my writers handbook),... see page 389 for the rules on what to do in case there is no page number, author, or publication date,... MLA formatting,... May, June, and July are NOT abbreviated in MLA format citation all other months use only three letters and a period....and most importantly, after all rules are stated, DO NOT MEMORIZE THESE RULES. I believe it is a little too late for that.

I am so OCD about it all that I am afraid to forget a rule. Yes, yes, I hear my teacher's voice telling me, "Do NOT worry about the grammar until AFTER you have written the first draft." Well, I guess should have written my first draft before she said that in class. :-) Truly, I am one who has become paranoid about forgetting a punctuation mark, how to quote in text, and whether I will find an author of a citation or not. And what is that rule about URLs? One cite mentions that website citations require URLs while our writer's guidebook tells us an URL is not required. Another source tells us it is up to our instructor.

Ok, for real, I just need to take a chill pill and throw all rules out the window and just get it down. Haha! "Good luck with that one, Dorry!"

Ok, back to work...after a coffee break! ;-)

A Present from Australia

Last night was perfect. A dear friend of mine from across the world sent me a most lovely, thoughtful, and perfect gift for my birthday. I did not expect anything from her.

Sometime in February and March, I had to give up eating gluten and wheat. Karen sympathized and knew how much I was saddened by this. I had bought a $30 bread machine the previous springtime season and was in love with making breads and baking home made gifts.

Giving up gluten myself made it hard to enjoy baking when I wanted to taste it, make special breakfast breads for toast with our eggs, and rolls to accompany our dinners. I gradually stopped making it altogether to avoid eating bread and gluten. I had looked into getting a grain mill and making rice flour to make gluten free breads when I found how cheap it is to make rice flour. All I would need is a bag of rice!

My dreams of baking gluten free were dashed when I found that the mills were not conforming to our budget and too big for our lack of kitchen storage. My bread maker has stood sadly in the corner next to my KitchenAid stand mixer collecting dust together. I often would couple the two together and make four loaves at one time. I knew I was going to miss those days of baking.

Karen, bless her heart, really hurt for me that I had to give up my favorite kitchen art. In the meantime, She and everyone around me were plotting a birthday surprise. She told me I would receive a card instead of her previously planned care package she kept speaking of to me on aim. She had no money to send a gift like she had wanted to after all. I never wanted much from her to begin with and was eager to receive a card, handwritten all the way from my dear Australian friend!

For a week and a half, Nathan and I planned to have our friend Jake over for our favorite pot roast night. I wanted to make it very special. I meticulously, as always, set about planning the order of how I would make it all, set the table early (but not too early that the cats would have time to play all over the table), and even pulled out my handmade table runner. I had not suspected a thing at all.

Arriving merely seconds before Nathan did, Jake brought with him a package in blue, red, and yellow paper with "happy birthday!" block lettering all over it.
I asked him, "um, what is that?" I was unprepared for his (now obvious) thought through and careful answer with a broad smile to go with it,
"A late birthday present from Karen New."
I remember shouting a little unnecessarily loud, "WHAT?!? but HOW? You have got to be kidding me!? You knew?" I was quite taken aback and in complete disbelief.
He smiled. I may have screeched or squealed as I took it out of his hands, I can't quite remember. He never said "for you" so I still had doubt. Nathan's birthday after all is only four days before mine.
"For me?" I think he laughed and Nathan entered.

As I set it down on my kitchen table, I had a feeling I was supposed to wait for a special timing of hers to open it. I ran to my laptop to leave a message on her Facebook wall still in disbelief and shock.

For a moment it lay there forgotten while I finished preparing dinner, eventually transferring it to the dining rook while I mashed the potatoes and whisked the gravy some more.

Dinner was a hit, the package lay on the dining room table and, momentarily, I would look at it and wonder why Jake and Nathan did not give me a sign of some sort, motion me to the box at least, and ask me if I wanted to open it or why it was still wrapped. This box was perfectly square, wrapped very neatly (Jaker style), and beckoning my fingers.

For the moment, however, I enjoyed dinner with the boys. A meal meant for an entire family that lasted mere minutes for only a setting of three.

Sarah called me then. Apparently she had tried calling several times while we ate, likely a bit frustrated that I did not hear the phone ring nor answer it. I finally heard it ring and upon answering, received frantic tones of "Get on Skype, Karen wants you to open the present!"

Wait, WHAT?!? I hung up with her shortly after she accepted my apologies and love, pulled out my laptop, logged onto Skype, and had everything set up while Nathan brought out my camera. I was a bit nervous at this time. What was I supposed to do when I opened this gift? Cry? Look shocked? Would I look shocked? What if I already guessed what it was during my fits with the potato masher and gravy whisking? If my guess is right can I still sound believable? I think she would have liked it if I cried. I can't fake a cry though!

With the Skype successfully working and set up and with Karen and her babies watching me, I opened my package and saw the first words of "KitchenAid" and nearly died! I knew what it was. An attachment for my stand mixer that would grind away my multiple bags of rice I had put away when I found out I could not afford a mill. I am pretty sure my jaw dropped. I know I screamed/squealed/screeched a bit. I never expected anything from Australia for my birthday to begin with, but even though I wondered about a mill, when Jake showed up bearing the gift from Karen, I never guessed it would come in this form!

Nathan proceeded to film and take pictures of me, Jake, and Copper, who positioned himself in the "head-of-the-house" chair (which he quite looks like he belongs there, too). Words can simply not describe the gratitude and love for Karen that I feel now. She gave me a most delightful gift. Not just in the present, but in the thought and concept of what she knew meant a lot to me. She not only gave me a mill, she gave me bread and future gifts to those with whom I love and want to share my baking.

Here are some photos Nathan took during the surprise. I now know why he took them and why Karen wanted to see me open the "pressie."

setting up the Skype video call to Australia and glaring at Nathan a bit

"All set, Nathan?"

peals of enthusiasm

disbelief and shock that she did this.

~~~

Today, after taking care of my morning chores, I emptied all bags of brown rice I had pushed to the back of my shelves and ignored all these days. I cried while watching the rice trickle down into fine dust and collecting in mounds in a bucket under the mill. I cried not because of the process or the gift, but that God had arranged such a bizarre meeting that occurred nearly two years ago and a friendship that is lasting and forever!

As the tears rolled down my cheeks, I asked "why? Why Lord do you see fit to bless me?"
Without Karen's perfect planning, with Jake's, Sarah's, and Nathan's assistance, I would not have enjoyed fully that night I will remember. I wished I could have hugged Karen and Sarah while I did hug Jake and Nathan for the planning.

Thank you Karen! You gift and friendship mean so much to me! God has blessed me in knowing you and I look forward to meeting you in person one day. I only hope I do get a chance before I die, but I know I will be worshiping Christ side by side with you in heaven even if it is never possible to fellowship together on earth during our lifetime.

Today...

Today is finally here. Today is the day I delivered our last car bill to our waiting mail box. All too excited and eager, I had to snap these photos.


I feel like celebrating! I have been waiting three years for this moment and now it is finally here. Do I feel any different? I have to say I think my expectations for this moment is not quite how I had imagined, but I definitely have trouble believing this day. Just a few moments ago the mail car drove down the dirt road to make its rounds and take away the anticipated last bill. I eagerly wait for the online statement to tell me it has been taken out of our bank account. I feel like shouting and squealing. It feels great to be debt free and fully own our car!

This is the month I have been waiting for.

I should be getting our last car bill in the mail any day now. I have trouble believing that this is the month we pay it all off. "Can it be real?" I keep asking myself. Never have I been so eager to get that bill in the mail than right now.
Nathan teased me this morning on aim, telling me he wants to get the car he has been drooling over every time we pass the Dodge-Chrysler-Jeep car dealership. The one that is red with white stripes and has only two doors. He claims it will take six years to pay it off and that it will be a good economy car for just two people. I did take him seriously. I also got a little bit upset when he said that in two weeks he will test drive it. After going on for a few minutes, he finally said he was only teasing. It is one joke I never laughed at.
He does still, however, desire to test drive it for fun during our stay-cation. So when people ask me what we did on our vacation for fun, I will definitely tell them that we found a new hobby: test-driving red cars with white stripes.
We are hoping this will help us save money for a deposit on a home. I also pray I may be able to sell items I have made or find a part time job. For sure, with the car paid off, we will finally be able to afford for me to get my driver's license (insurance is expensive for first time drivers).

Five Bags

I still cannot believe I have finished these and that they all turned out well! They are sling bag purses. I am going to design larger ones eventually for market bag/tote bag size. I also hope one day to find a one-hole hole punch and add snaps to the design instead of velcro. I think it may sell better if I do it that way. I would add magnet clips, but it costs around $3-$5 per magnet fastener whereas around 10 snaps come in a package at wal-mart for about $2. For now, velcro works well and is easy to add to the design.




These bags I worked on in an assembly line, cutting out the fabrics per bag on day one, sewing the lining and outer shells, adding Velcro, and basting and pinning on day two to get it ready for finishing, and then early this morning between breakfast and saying goodbye to Nathan I added the bottoms to the bags and was finished. Even though they are complete and tagged with labels, I am at a disadvantage. I do not know what to do with myself. I could design more, but my hands cannot take any more. They have had all they can take these past three days. I have always had cramps from knitting and crocheting, but never from sewing. Maybe five at one time was too much. But then again, my #2 bag motto is "there is no such thing as too many bags!" My first one: "you do not hold a bag, you wear it!"
This one is my favorite. I am going to make another one just for me.

This one turned out nicely.
I have been using this fabric for a long time now and I think this may be the last of it! Hooray!!
I took this fabric from an old skirt. It looked ugly as a skirt, but I like it better as a handbag. The first one I made was with this material and is my current purse. I can match it with anything.

I wished there was more of this material. It is the cutest one in my opinion and would look great as a market bag.

I hope to make more once my hands have healed.

Sew Cuffs onto Capris from An Old Pair of Jeans

Tutorial

I recently was given a bag full old jeans from a friend of mine. She thought I might fit into them, but they ended up being too long for my legs. Instead of hemming them, I thought I would add style to it by converting them into capris and adding cuffs. I have been wanting to try this for a while now. I found it to be very easy, fast, and relaxing. It was a nice break from the usual routine.

I hope this makes sense...



What you need:

small amount of leftover fabric
blue jeans or old pants
thread
pins



Instructions:

Mark where you want to cut your jeans/pants to your desired capri length.

Lay the pants flat and draw a straight line at your marked position and cut across. Trim them if you feel they are lopsided.



Measure the circumference of the cut edge. Add 1/2" to your measurement. Decide on a width of your choosing adding in 3/4" for seam allowances. Mine was 16" long by 4" wide.



Turn your capris inside out and pin the right sides of the fabric strips to each leg making sure to match raw ends together all the way around. I like to place the ends of the fabric lengths are as close to the inside seams of my capris.



It should overlap where the two ends meet. Pinch the width ends of the fabric together and pin. Sew a 1/4" seam along the pinched width ends to close the gap.



Sew a 1/2" seam around the capris. Fold down and press. Fold up a 1/4" of the bottom of the cuffs and press. Flip the pants right side out and fold the cuffs up all the way. Press the folded edge. Sew a 1/8" seam at the fold of the cuff before sewing an 1/8" seam at the top to set the cuff in place.

You now own a "new" pair of capris that no one else has! How does it feel?

The Method to My Madness

This morning,-doesn't it always occur in the mornings?-I felt stir crazy and did not feel like sewing. I don't know, maybe I needed a break from sewing or maybe it was my hair being loose, my feet bare, or the fact that I was still in my pajamas. Whatever the cause, I needed to do something and I could not sit still. I was tired of Facebook and the internet. Tired of sitting, tired of working on homework, and just plain tired of the ordinary.

I began pacing and trying to come up with an inspiring and colorful new bag to sew or sew one from my list of "musts," but found that nothing I appealed this morning. And besides, the room was terribly messy with too many chairs and objects I had to step over or around. Why can't I seem to be organized with all my fabrics and supplies?

A light bulb of inspiration turned on at that inquisition. There must be some place I can put ALL my material and tools! I began to reach far into my mind for some brilliant idea of a place or nook I could keep all my fabrics. At the time, they were all scattered and in several rooms. Our chairs, table, end tables, coffee tables, dresser drawers, closets, multiple tote bags, and a china hutch side door were all hosts to mounds of fabric and sewing supplies.

I did not used to be in this predicament. The only fabrics I owned were scraps as I did not sew often and when I did sew, it was only to make a small something or a pillow: the only objects I could master. Then in March, I became infected with a bug. A tote bag bug. And then it became a problem.

This is what I did to solve my problem and satiate my hunger to do something.



To put things into perspective for you: Scrabble, our small cat demonstrates just how small of a place I used to keep the majority of my fabrics before I turned into the tote bag monster.


Here is what I did with my china hutch, side-door nook. Cute, isn't it? These are only a portion of the machine sewing books people have given me. I use these more frequently to gain ideas, learn techniques, and be inspired.


And here is where I put my stash of fabric. That's right! Inside my dining room "pantry" where I keep extra pots, pans, dishes, and tea sets. I did not think I would ever finish. But here it is!

Look! Look! My mess is hidden! I am completely thrilled!!

It feels great to be able to look at ALL of my fabrics in one time and in one location. Now I am able to see what I can blend together in a pattern instead of marching around in circles before giving up and just making something with whatever I touch first.

One day I would like to have those stack-able white metal shelves meant for dishes and pantries, maybe for my birthday? They are expensive to get in one go even using Wal-Mart, Big Lots, or the Dollar General as my supplier.





"Why are you cast down, O my soul?And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him For the help of His countenance."
~Psalm 42 :5

our third

As I sit here next to Nathan who is sound asleep and snoring (somewhere around 2:00am), I think to myself, "is this real?" I am in constant awe of all the blessings God has bestowed on us these three years. I still find myself marveling that God chose him for me. Why me? I love him so much, even with his snoring, teasing, and picking on me. He is truly a blessing. Nathan and I both agree that we cannot talk about our daily life or events without using "us" and "we" or "our." Our lives belong together and we do pray God grants that we remain alive together in marriage for many years to come.



To celebrate our anniversary, Nathan took me to the Jarrett House of Dillsboro, NC and kept it a secret until arriving there. I was truly amazed and had no idea we would be dining there! The food was amazing, southern style, and delicious. The style being simple made us feel at home. We found ourselves talking over the food and praising the restaurant and all the work that was put into it. I was truly pleased. It was expensive dining, but an anniversary calls for out of ordinary and going all out once in a while.

(the porch at the Jarrett House. Sorry no indoor shots, I forgot to bring the camera in amid all the excitement and squeals as Nathan pulled up next to the sidewalk and I hopped out. I beat him to the restaurant from our car!! A first!)

Last year we ate at a barbecue restaurant in Dillsboro and though that seemed like the lowest, I truly enjoyed sitting in a booth that had Harrison Ford's and Mickey Rooney's signatures on menus laminated and mounted on the wall beside us. The style was very simple and southern at the Smokehouse, but that is barbecue style for you and even still, I remember having a great time. All you need for a good time is a wonderful person with you. And truly each anniversary has been wonderful and we look forward with anticipation and secrets to each one.

Nathan, after dinner, still had a secret up his sleeve. We drove all the way to Asheville on that beautiful day. Not knowing where we were headed I sat back, talked my head off like usual, and took some pictures of the lovely scenery and the tall overpass just before reaching Asheville. I wasn't sure we would be stopping in Asheville, Waynesville, Cherokee, or beyond all, but as we came to the Builtmore Park exit I guessed we would be visiting either some shops or the theater.

(Nathan enjoying his sneakiness and surprise. )

(Somewhere in the direction of Asheville, as I was guessing aloud and taking photos. )

(A freak of a tall bridge over the highway near Asheville. )

We do not go to see movies often, well to some standards, and so it was a special occasion that we did go to the very nice Builtmore Regal Cinema. The tickets, though $10 per adult for later than 6:00 showings, were worth every moment to be there comfortably next to my hubby and watching what we had been waiting for: Iron Man 2. Call me crazy for wanting and hoping to see that film on our anniversary, but really, being comfortable, non formal, and having a great time is all that really matters when I am with Nathan on a date.

We really did have a great night! I hope I never forget all these great times of our first years together.

(what is it with cats and cameras?)

Here is a picture of the bouquet of flowers Nathan gave me for our anniversary (the small pot of flowers beside the vase was a mother's day gift from my father-in-law. He gives to everyone on Mother's Day, even the non mothers). I have no idea the name of the flowers and neither does Nathan. Anyone?