Thursday, February 28, 2013

SENDING FLOWERS.....BRINGING FLOWERS.....Let's Talk

I love not only to get flowers but I
Love to Give Flowers.....as I think most women do...
Here are some of my tips for both sending and
bringing that I have found to be very very
Useful in this day and age when everyone
even the Florist tries to pull a fast one on you...
And some suggestions that I have found to be
Useful when bringing flowers to someone....

This is a long..... but I feel Helpful Post....
So you all know the drill....go pee and get a cup of tea or
Coffee....
See these gorgeous Flowers in the above picture....
They are even more beautiful in person as the
ever thoughtful Daughter sent me these this year
on our Anniversary....They were Huge...
So I placed an Order the other day with
1-800-Flowers for them to deliver this same
arrangement to a friends mother who is in Hospice...
I wanted her to enjoy them sooner then later....
I stopped by the other day to spend a few minutes
and there were the flowers next to her bed....
HALF SIZE...........
and missing all but one piece of Lavender.....
Of course my friend said how beautiful they were as
most people would do.....But....I knew something was wrong.
These were not cheap flowers...well over $100.00
I called 1-800-Flowers when I got home and
expressed my displeasure with what had been delivered....
I have to say they do have great customer service and they
always take care of problems if they come up.
The women listened to me and did say that a lot of times when
flowers are delivered to hospitals the nurses will take some out
before delivering them to the patient...
Not in this case I told her....Someone from the family has
been beside her since she was admitted last week.....24 hours
A day...
Upon further questioning of what exactly was delivered she
saw a note on the order that the florist sent an e-mail to them
saying they did not have enough flowers for the arrangement
But would go ahead and send them anyway...
Nobody Told Me this......
So we got the problem resolved....But had I not stopped by to
See her I never would have known and my friend would have
thought I sent cheap skimpy flowers....
SO.......
When sending flowers where you are never going to get to see them......You can do two things to prevent this
from happening....
#1......ask the person after they are delivered to take
a Snapshot of the pictures and e-mail it to you so
you can make sure what they got is what you ordered....
This works well with close friends and Family..
#2.....If you don't want to do that and you receive a Thank You..
e-mail the person a picture off the Web of what you sent with
a note that says....."Glad your enjoying the flowers...Just making sure what I sent is what you received".....
Last week I sent daughter's Realtor Flowers just for Her
Being so helpful to us....and She..... in her Thank You e-mail she
included a picture of the flowers.....I thought
"What a Great Idea"....
Here is a big No No when your sending Birthday
Flowers to an adult.....
Stay away from the Cute-sie things like the
Birthday Dog....even if the person loves Dogs or
Has a Dog....But Especially if the Adult has a Small
Child.....aka: Miss B.....
Of course as soon as these were delivered this year on
Daughter's Birthday two thing occurred....
#1.....Again costly and very small in size compared to
This picture on the Web.....Daughter called to say
"They look like something that you would find in the
Florist Cold Case at the Shop Rite...."
It had half the flowers as pictured and well... it was
just disappointing.....Hey...she's My Kid....she tells it
like it is...
#2.....Sophie immediately took them to her room
thinking they were for her....

I called 1-800-Flowers.......
A lovely gentlemen offered to re-send the same flowers...
that was a bit pointless.....so He let me go in and pick out
another arrangement....more Adult appropriate....
And the next day....They were kind enough to deliver them
Right to Her Office...
The Dog had been delivered to her apartment so Sophie was able
to keep them and Daughter was happy....
I was Happy when the Customer Service Guy
Followed up the next day to make sure they
were delivered and that she was happy...He even called Daughter to
say he was sorry and to make sure she was Satisfied...
This is my Favorite arrangement to send for Any
Occasion.....Getting Older....Feeling Sick....Getting a
Divorce....Just to Perk someone up....
"When Life Gives You Lemons"......
1-800-Flowers.....#1 in Customer Service for sure....
Here's a little brief Chat on Bringing Flowers to a
Hostess....
I go crazy when I'm in the grocery Store and I see a man
And yes....it's usually always a Man....standing at the
check out with a skimpy little bunch of flowers
Or worse yet the Lone Rose....
Looking like it's the next best thing to a float at the
RoseBowl Parade....
See these Gorgeous Flowers in the picture Above....
Neighbor Bill DOES NOT.....fit the man I just described....
Bill dropped off these beautiful flowers before our
Dinner Saturday night and it was such a big bunch
that I was able to make this large arrangement for the
Entrance Foyer....All I did was add the feathers....
Bill knows how to pick out Flowers....
The Single Rose.....the small bunch of carnations....
Are not going to cut it....something that when the Hostess
puts it into a Vase they fall out to the sides....You know
The Look....
Buy a good size Bunch to fit a good size vase....
or Just bring Candy......and don't sample any first :)
And finally.....if you aren't sure if the Hostess
Or Friend is good at arranging flowers or you wish to keep
it Simple.....Nothing is nicer or classier then Roses....
2 Dozen in this bouquet is the perfect amount to
make a wonderful Bouquet....
So that's that.....What do you enjoy doing....
Giving or Receiving....
And Remember sometimes it's nice to send or give Flowers for No Reason...
You'll Make someone's Day......
Photo's courtesy of 1-800-flowers (where they always correct problems and they do it with a smile)

Monday, February 25, 2013

FLOWERS FROM FRIENDS.....AND A DINNER FOR 6.

We decided to have a little dinner party
Saturday night for two of our neighbors who
were kind enough over our holiday
vacation to not only keep an eye on our
House....
But one took care of the pool maintenance
While the other took down our
outdoor Christmas Decorations...
It was time to Thank them so what better way
then with Food...
Neighbor Bill surprised me Saturday
morning with these
Flowers....
instructed by wife Susan on what to buy :)
They are beautiful.....
arranged in my Pottery Barn Frenchy
Vase.....they look gorgeous in the entrance
Hall....
When neighbors #2 showed up Saturday
Night.....they brought me these!!
We usually don't eat in the Dining Room......
But I got inspired to set the table on a dreary
cold Southern Day...
I had found that flower pot a few weeks ago
at TJMaxx....and although not a fan of
potted plants I knew I could use it for something..
So I did this fresh flower arrangement in it...
Inside is a Tupperware container to hold the water,
The black and white Buffalo Check
Place mats came from
Old Time Pottery here in Marietta...
they were $1.00 a piece....
Not a fan of butterflies.....
But I loved the post card theme on the
pot....I think I paid $7.00 on the clearance
Shelf...
All of the glasses on the table came from
every Bloggers favorite haunt....
The Dollar Tree....
Don't you love the twisty shape of the green
stemware....
I served tomato and mozzarella with basil
in those...
The candles are the fake ones that feel
just like wax and they flicker when you
turn them on....
A gift from a friend I think she said she
found them at Costco...
So that was My dinner party for 6......
counting 2 lucky people that moved a year
and a half ago into a neighborhood where
you could have won the neighbors in a Lottery....
Where's the food pictures???
Well, we were so busy talking and eating that
I forgot to take pictures of the food....
On the Menu.....
tomato and mozzarella with basil and
Balsamic vinegar and olive oil.....
Minestrone soup
Or
Tossed salad with Italian dressing....
Lasagna with veal marinara sauce...
Meatballs and Sausage and peppers...
Garlic cheese toast....
and for the Finale'
Juniors New York Cheesecake with
whole fresh strawberries and shipped cream.....



Monday, February 18, 2013

WEEKEND IN GREENVILLE......... a little town review

We recently had the chance to go back to
Clemson S.C. for a friends 65th.
birthday party.....we decided to leave a day
earlier and spend some time in Greenville...
We stayed overnight at the
Westin Poinsett....it seems this guy had
something to do with bringing Poinsettia's to the country?

I could be wrong about that as I didn't read his
little plaque....left my eyeglasses back at
the room..... but the statue was very
interesting....
A lovely old brick structure...Right on
Main Street...great location....not such good
service..
The morning after our arrival I stepped out
with my trusty Nikon leaving the Boss behind
and took some pictures....this is the facade of the
Westin....thank goodness for zoom lens...
the rooms with the balconies must be
lovely as they look out over Main St....
This old shoe shine chair....still in use....
sat proudly in the lobby....
Rooms were extremely plain in decor...
actually there wasn't any decor....
and those "Heavenly Beds" are just a lot
of talk....
We stayed at the Hampton Inn in Clemson the next
night and their beds were Heaven....
The day we got there is was pouring rain
but I had made a reservation before leaving
Atlanta to eat here....
Soby's....
it seems the owner is a graduate of Clemson who
came to Greenville back in the day when land
was cheap and started putting up
Restaurants.....
The company "Table 301"
owns 6 eateries plus a catering company
This place was fabulous...
Directly across the street from the Westin it
was so nice to run in out of the rain and have a
fabulous meal...
These scallops were better then the
ones I had at the Jules Verne at the Eiffel Tower
earlier in the year...
Paris vs. Greenville S.C.
Who knew???
Back to my morning stroll....
I thought this meter maid was giving this
Smart car a ticket....
but upon closer inspection
The Smart Car.....
is actually the Parking Authorities vehicle...
how cute is that...
I wonder how she gets in an out of that
thing....
There were a lot of Fountains in town...
This one is in front of Symphony Hall..
a beautiful clock stands tall on Main....
along with brick sidewalks and
old street signs....
Can you see the other statue in the
background....Statues are all over as
Well....

Liberty 1905..... 
More Statues.....
playing the flute...
Some naked guy and a violin player....
This was just out in front of an office
building...
A hog.....
Not just any hog....this one "drooled"
Water out of it's mouth....
You have to look close...
Down South they love their Sunday Buffets.....
This one looked exceptional at only
$14.50....
"Dress is casual and all are welcome"
I'm sure they even make give you a take out
cup of sweet tea when you leave....
I loved the signs pointing you in the right
direction....I have been here twice now and have
not made it down to see the Falls....
It's that extra 3 blocks that just kills me...
This one points out all the hot spots in town.....
And where all the parking lots are....
But there is also plenty of free street parking.
There are more places to eat on Main Street....
then you can count....
Something for everyone....

Inside an office complex..... 
For Ladies who like to lunch....
this one confused me.....
Is it a Taco/Sushi joint...
Mexican and Asian together seemed a little
Odd...
what do you do in the middle of winter...
Artificial flowers do the trick...
Getting ready for the lunch crowd.....
Just need a snack...How about a shop
that just sells popcorn....
Now your talking.....
Southern BBQ..
couldn't tell what type of food they had
here....
Cup Cakes!!!!
the ever popular Indian Cuisine....
Okay....show your age ladies...
Who remembers Lerner Shops...
no longer there of course...
But you can see where the letters were
taken off...
This is a great shop.....very similar to
L.L.Bean....
and they have the biggest penny candy department
I have ever seen...
Barrels and Barrels of them...
but of course no longer a penny
As my photo tour was coming to an end....
My feet were starting to hurt....
Sue can only walk so far...
These guys were busy fixing the sidewalks....
Notice the guy all the way over on
the right...there is always one that just stands
around and supervises....
So that's it....
That is lovely downtown
Greenville S.C.

If your ever driving through the South you should
make a point of stopping even if it's just to
get a meal....and see the charm of Main Street...
And I will leave you with this.....
It seems for less then $14.50 you can come to
this place and Just "Sniff" their food....


p.s...I forgot the best part of Greenville...for all you 
people who know what the Christmas Tree Shoppes are
they have one in Greenville....that's enough reason for
any Southerner to visit...