I have a very fun memory with my mom from when I was about 9 years old. She asked if I would like to enter a flower show. My mom loved gardening and grew a small rose garden and iris's. She said that I had to pick one of the most beautiful flowers in our garden and arrange it in a vase for the elementary competition at the local flower show. I picked a lovely purple iris and displayed it in one of her crystal vases. I know I got some kind of a ribbon and it made me feel happy every time I thought about it.

I am not a gifted florist, but it still brings me a lot of pleasure. Last night, we had our once a year pot luck where the Bible study I teach once a month brings their husbands and Clay speaks. I wanted to have fresh flowers around the house, but I don't like to spend a lot of money. I usually get reasonable flowers at Sam's but it is too far from home to justify a trip, so I sent to my local Wal Mart and bought one dozen red roses, 6 carnations and a sprig of baby's breath.

By carefully dividing my flowers into different vases, I was able to get 5 arrangements out of it to spread over my house. We had lots and lots of fun and now I have my flowers for a few more days to enjoy. The ones I like most often are the big bunches of carnations or small rose buds from Sam's because if I change the water every 2 or 3 days, I can make them last for up to 3 weeks. What a deal.