Flower Arrangements

I've really enjoyed being able to make flower arrangements using flowers and greenery from my own yard.  I took pictures of some of my creations and wanted to share them with you all in a blog post.  

Tulips with Variegated Dogwood

Lilacs (my favorite smelling flower)

Iris with Variegated Dogwood

Bleeding Heart

Red Coral Bells with Creeping Euonymus

Columbine

Peony

Roses

Columbine

Columbine and Roses with
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Jupiter's Beard

Red Coral Bells with
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Mrs. Bradshaw and Purple Geranium

Roses with Variegated Dogwood

Roses with Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Trumpet Vine with Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Roses with Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Lilies and Trumpet Vine

Lilies and Red Coral Bells with
Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass

Chrysanthemum

Roses

I made this last vase just yesterday.  I'm not sure if all of the buds will bloom, but it's going to freeze this week and I wanted to save these last few flowers if I could.
I ended up filling more vases than I took pictures of, but many were repeats.  I often had a vase of Red Coral Bells with Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass in Cosette's room - this was my favorite combination, and they were both available throughout summer and fall.  I often filled a vase with roses for the living room, because they looked pretty and filled the room with their wonderful scents.
I also learned a few things: irises are smelly (I won't do a vase of those next year), and Shasta Daisies are smelly and attract bugs (I didn't take a picture of that vase because I brought the clippings indoors to arrange, only to discover I brought dozens of tiny bugs in with me as well, so I ended up throwing them all out).  My favorite greenery to add to a vase was the Strawberries and Cream Ribbon Grass.  The Jupiter's Beard shed like crazy, so I probably won't put that in a vase again. And I was pleasantly surprised at how long the chrysanthemums lasted.

Sisters

I wanted to share some cute pictures that capture the special bond that exists between these two sisters.
Cosette was a little unsure what to think of Heidi for the first few days. She didn't want to touch her or even talk to her at first. But it didn't take long before she wanted to play with Heidi. She loved showing things to Heidi and shouting for her to "Watch me!" while jumping off the stairs or doing some other silly stunt. She often gets upset when it's time for Heidi to go down for a nap, because she doesn't want to stop playing with her. Cosette also enjoys posing for pictures with Heidi, as you can see below. And I love hearing Cosette talk to Heidi in a high pitched voice, imitating the way that adults baby talk.
And the love definitely goes both ways. Heidi adores her sister. She's happier when Cosette is around, so I often ask Cosette to help keep Heidi happy if I have to do something she doesn't like (such as using the snot sucker). Heidi perks up when she hears Cosette's voice, craning her neck around to try to see her. This has started to become problematic when she's nursing, and I sometimes have to ask Cosette to play in another room so that Heidi can focus on eating.

I sure love my two girls, and I'm grateful they love each other so much.