Learning How to Arrange Flowers

I've waited a bit to post anything in the hope that I would have something good to report about the job. Unfortunately, I still haven't heard anything, so I finally decided to post something fun instead.

As I have mentioned before, one of my goals this year is to have fun. My friends and I have tried to get together at least once a month to do something fun. We made the decision to teach each other skills we have that the others don't know how to do. For example, in late May I had my friends over and taught them how to make cards. We had a great time and they left my house with four cards each. Unfortunately, we all forgot to take pictures of our accomplishments, so I have nothing to post.

Last month we all met at my very talented friend's house to learn how to arrange flowers. (This is the friend who brought the flowers to my tea party.) Although she doesn't do this for a living, she has her license and occasionally works for a florist. We started the evening with a very yummy dinner of veggie lettuce wraps, assorted fruits and vegetables, naughty-for-us chips and dip, and finished the evening with strawberry shortcake for desert. After dinner, we all took out the containers we were asked to bring and the serious art of flower arranging began.

My friend picked up a bunch of fresh, beautiful flowers that morning and we all raided our yards for the greenery. It was decided that we would learn how to make a 360º arrangement. We started by putting the soaked oasis (water-absorbing foam) in our containers, making sure to fill in all of the gaps. Once we finished this step, we then moved on to adding the greenery. We were taught to add the greens at different angles. The goal is to cover up all of the oasis and to add interest to the arrangement. I was surprised by this step. I always thought that the greenery was added after the flowers.

Next we moved on to the flowers. We started by putting several tall flowers (snap dragons) in the middle. How many we used depended on the size of the container. We then added these amazing lilies. Since we were making a 360º arrangement, we made sure to add them on different sides. Finally, we added the rest of the flowers, making sure to fill in the gaps. My friend was great at giving us advice about how to add interest and texture to the arrangements without stifling our creativity. The final products turned out better than I could have imagined.

Here are two different sides of my arrangement. Isn't it beautiful? The lily in the bottom picture is my favorite. To write that it is stunning, is putting it mildly.

Here are my friends' arrangements.

We took our flowers outside and put them on my friend's balcony to take pictures. We thought they looked like arrangements for a wedding. The amazing thing is that all we had to pay for the flowers was $8 each! Can you believe only $8 for any of these arrangements? Not only did we have a blast, but we got to take the flowers home with us.

I decided to give my flower arrangement to my mom. I pulled into her driveway at 10:45 pm and saw that her lights were on. I gave her a call and asked if it was too late to bother her. She said no and then I asked her if it was too late to be in her driveway. I got out of the car and told her to close her eyes. When she opened her eyes and saw the beautiful flowers, she was stunned. She couldn't quite understand why I was at her house so late at night and with such beautiful flowers...for her! Even when I explained what I had been doing that evening, she still had a hard time grasping it all. It was so much fun surprising her like that and I am so glad that I gave her the flowers.

The evening was a smashing success. We have decided that we want to do it again at Halloween time and put the flowers in pumpkins. We are also thinking about making wreaths at Christmas.

The next get-together is on Sunday. We are scheduled to do some scrapbooking and card making. And this fall, when it cools down a bit, one of the group is going to teach us how to make pot stickers.

I think I have nailed my goals of having fun and bringing more joy into my life.

The Waiting is HARD!

I am surprised that it has been so long since my last post. I've been meaning to write, but work got really busy for a couple of weeks and I was hoping to have something good to report. The work has slowed down, but I really don't have anything else to report.

It's been three weeks since my interview and I am starting to get stressed out. I think it is time to get some of my thoughts and feelings down before I start having stress-induced problems. Really, there isn't anything bad happening, it's just my mind working overtime and the waiting that is starting to get me down.

I think the interview went well. I wasn't very nervous and I know I was able to share with them my knowledge in the field. They told me that they wouldn't be calling references until the first full week of July, so I really don't have any solid reasons to be so worried. However, there are several reasons why I am worried:

1. I hope they liked the way I answered the questions. I think they were the best answers I could give at the time, but now, of course, I am doubting myself. It isn't that I answered any badly, it's just a worry I have.
2. I realized after the interview, that our child welfare office usually hires young, just out of college people. I don't know why I didn't think of it before, but I was reminded of this during the interview when one of the people interviewing me looked younger than my kid and then again as I was leaving when I saw the very young man waiting for the next interview. I hope they will take a chance on an oldie like me. I have lots of knowledge and I plan on working for many years to come, so they won't lose out on hiring me.
3. I really want this job. To be honest, most things I want usually don't come my way. I am not the luckiest person around and this worries me.
4. I only have four months left of my contract. I HAVE TO FIND ANOTHER JOB! 

So, for these reasons and because it has been three weeks, I am starting to get worried. I feel like there is no way I am going to get this job and I really don't know what I will do if I don't. The logical part of my brain says that there are no reasons why I shouldn't get the job, but the emotional part is convinced that I won't. How will I tell my friends and family if I don't get the job? Thank goodness my mom doesn't know anything about it. If she did, she would be bringing it up to me every time she talked to me. I wouldn't have been able to survive the stress.

I think I feel better now. Only time will tell what happens. I'm hoping for the best!