We have the best kids ever ...

... this was on the laptop this morning to greet Rick & I:

BTW, that would be a "pen flower" that our favorite mail-lady gave him one day -- a loved present indeed!

... and this just came from Kotch and the "littles":

Gorgeous flowers for this gorgeous (but COLD!) day ... the florist even put real lemon slices in the vase

 

Question for the crowd ...

Remembering that the only stupid question is the one left unasked ....

 Does anyone know what this flowering plant is called?  We only have this one plant in our front garden ... and it is doing beautifully in this heat!  It is tall ... maybe 24" tall ... with long, pointy leaves ... lots of fragrant pink blossoms on each stem top ... and is just a beaut!

Any one know?  I want to get some more, but don't know what it's called.

ETA:  thanks to some very kind readers ... it is Phlox!  I only knew of phlox as the kind that grows close to the ground, cascading over walls and flowers in culverts, etc.  Who knew that Phlox paniculata, known commonly as Summer Phlox ... or ... Garden Phlox ... or ... Perennial Phlox ... or ... Tall Phlox comes in gorgeous colors and blooms all summer -- just try a google image search and see all the gorgeous colors. [The culvert ground cover seems to flower in the spring and then loose its blooms and just is a green ground cover.]

The ironic thing?  A friend gave us "Tall Phlox" (supposed to be white) to transplant but ours hasn't bloomed yet.  But, boy that pink variety is having a "field day"!

Nature: Vinca

Vinca minor (Apocynaceae - Dogbane Family)

Personally, I can't stand this ground-cover in the summer: it's creepy the way it takes over and strangles all in its path (which is why it's name means "to bind or fetter").

But in spring, with all its lovely little purple flowers dotting the greenery, it's beautiful and very seasonal!

An Amazon Anniversary ...

As many of you know, yesterday was my 12th wedding anniversary (in addition to being the Feast of the Annunciation, of course!).  The traditional and modern gifts for 12th anniversaries are silk and linen -- neither of which we're into ... we're much more the wool and denim type.  Dinner is always a possibility, but we're pretty low-key folks ... and we only have under-12s at home now ... I decided to keep it simple (especially since it was the tail-end of a tough school week for dh). 

Rather than getting dressed up all fancy ... going out to an expensive restaurant ... deciding to take the kids or hire a babysitter ... we stayed in.  I ordered everything from Amazon (and thus, the title of this post was born) and spent far less than we would have going out ... and it was better!

Here's what we did to make the 12th special and memorable:

• Black and Decker waffle iron for homemade waffles -- this is the kind of waffle-maker we had as kids; I love this thing!  It folds flat and has smooth/bumpy plates so you can have a griddle, sandwich-maker or waffle iron.  And the waffles are the nice square ones that fit into a standard toaster -- perfect for making a huge batch and feeding the kids breakfast for a few days!
• Bob's Red Mill buckwheat pancake and waffle mix -- Rick loves the taste of buckwheat and Bob's Red Mill has the best mixes with all natural ingredients.  Now you can buy direct from Bob or through grocery stores, but Amazon packs four bags of the mix into one sturdy box and it's much more economical.  And with the state the economy is in, economical is hip and groovy around here!
• French-press coffee in a new, unbreakable carafe -- this is the only way to make coffee.  And since this carafe is truly unbreakable (well, for normal use) we can even bring it with us when we go camping this summer.  We had Peet's Coffee and enjoyed every drop of this elixir -- dh gave it up for Lent and I've been cutting way back, so it was a real treat to have real coffee (I know, I know .... we're just a couple of wild-and-crazy folks).

Well, I think you figure out that we had breakfast for dinner.  A big bowl of warmed cherries, blueberries and blackberries with a sweet syrup (just added powdered sugar and let the fruit sit in it all day -- makes a lovely syrup) for topping with a dollop of plain yogurt and gorgeous bacon ... and we were all set (and I never had to fight crowds or waste gas looking for stuff).  A dozen long-stem pink roses from dh decorated our table and Marian altar quite nicely.

After dinner we watched a family movie -- Saving Sarah Cain -- which had been recommended by Kotch (18yo college daughter). What a great movie!  The kids wanted to see Up! but we like "real people solving real problem" movies for family movie night ..... and the kids and adults were enthralled with this one.

Thank you to all our lovely readers who sent notes of love and prayers .... we appreciate each and every one of you.  The kids thought this was the best anniversary ever ... and we had to concur.

That is until next year's anniversary!

Birthdays: thanks Aunt Steph and Uncle Tom!

... they are beautiful!  I love you! 

-- String Bean