India... on a mission

INDIA

Julia, our 26 year old daughter, 

 


lived in Kolkota, India
a few years ago and worked with the 
International Justice Mission, 

an agency whose work includes freeing modern day slaves from

 sex trafficking or from bonded labor. 

God blessed me with the opportunity 
of visiting Julia in Kolkata.
 We had an amazing time!!!
 Julia introduced me to a 
city and culture
 that has stolen her heart.  

Julia and I visiting a friend.

Women in pink.

Men keeping cool under the umbrellas!

Testing the limes.
Check out the meat hanging in the back!

We also got to do some traveling and 
met a colorful cast of characters along our journey...

LOVE the pattern in the GRASS

at the

Taj Mahal!

LOOK 

how

GIGANTIC 

the Taj Mahal is!

 ROCK STARS!

Entire families stared at us, wanting us to hold their babies

 and have pictures made with them.

They are not used to seeing many Americans even in Delhi!

A group of workers playing a game of cards

in the middle of a tea field

 near Darjeeling, .

Bananas hanging above a 

woman wearing a 

banana-colored 

dress.

So, all this to say that

Julia is heading back to Kolkata this week

and for the 2nd time

will be leading a group from

Peachtree Presbyterian Church in Atlanta.  

Peachtree Presbyterian members Julia Charles and Kimberlie Marsh 

Once again, God has delivered.

Just when Julia was wondering

how as an unemployed law student
with little time to do fundraising was
going to come up with her hotel costs,
a wonderful young American woman
 (whom Julia met in India) 

unselfishly and with a very big heart
sent $500
 to the church in Julia's name.

  AMAZING!!!

Follow Julia's Tumblr-blog 

and watch on as she follows 

God's calling throughout various parts

of the world...

Smile As You Go Through Customs

More Blog Posts to Follow

on

INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE MISSIONS

and

Travels in India...

Joy....

Do you know Cherry Brandy?  

Sounds like a famous country singer, but she is actually this lovely rose...

Introduced in Germany by Rosen-Tantau/Tantau Roses

in 2004 as 

'Cherry Brandy'

hyyc

hyyc

Cherry brandy roses in bamboo vases!

 Cherry Brandy looks wonderful in any bouquet!

----------------------

Do you know 
Billy Button 

or 

"Button Balls" 

as some of his friends call him?

I have seen these little guys around for years, 

but have a new appreciation for how perky they can make an arrangement!

Billy's real name is


 Craspedia Globosa
 and 

he is oh so happy bobbing above flowers 

in a vase or bouquet...


or in

boutonnieres


or

in your hair!

Next time you are picking out some flowers, 

check out these new friends of mine!  They will make your day just a wee bit brighter.


AND Rememeber:


The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God endures forever.
Isaiah 40:8


Flowers definitely brighten my day and make me smile, but knowing God and reading His word bring true joy to my life.


Joy to you,
xo
Harriet

Fleurs Pour Vous!

Happy Valentine's Day
from
 South Gate Design

 Fleurs Pour Vous!

Divine Indulgence...

Whether or not you're a fan of 

Valentine's Day,

it's just around the corner

so we might as well 

embrace it!

from my daughter's file of "furry friends"

Flowers, of course, are a classic Valentine's Day gift

and you'd think that I would be focusing on which flowers

to gather for your hunny...

sweeticedtea.wordpress.com

but 

this post is about

my love affair with 

CHOCOLATE!

photo of CACOA from nakedwithcooking.com

Dark chocolate is my absolute favorite!

if you're going to "spend" calories on sweets...

(some may say "waste" calories but that's such a dirty word!)

than you might as well get the GOOD stuff!

topatlantaluxury.com

So, my friends, I have three words for you...

Cacao
 Chocolate 
Company!

eatthelove.com

While I was in Atlanta, I stumbled 

upon this glorious little chocolate shop 

in Virginia Highlands.

Just a step off the street and into this chocolaterie 

and you truly feel like you've been 

swept up and away to Paris!

cacoaatlanta.com

The European-esq chalkboard menu was so luxurious 

against crisp ivory shelves

and the glossy marble counter tops

made the dark, savory chocolate leap off the counter tops...

luxecrush.com

don't look over the adorable "hermes orange" packaging, either...

The uniqueness of this little shop is in its "message to the world":

We hope our message of love is translated 

through our product; 

because at Cacao Laboratoire, it is our mission to compose a 

product inspiring you to give love, give chocolate.

So, here's to inspiring you to embrace Valentine's Day

and 

GIVE LOVE!

-kimberly dawn clayton-

LET'S CELEBRATE!

TODAY
is the 
BIRTHDAY 
of

Charles Dickens
February 7, 1812-June 9, 1870
 
"The smell of sweet herbs 
and
 all kinds of wholesome growth
 made the whole air
 a great
 NOSEGAY."


from The Bleak House
  by Charles Dickens


Happy 200th Birthday
Mr. Dickens!
 
Tussie Mussie in honor of Charles Dickens
hyyc


Have a wonderful February 7th!
xo
Harriet

It's "Tussie Time"!

Tussie Mussie, that is!


How much do you love those words together? 

I just love the way they roll off the tongue.  
Say "tussie mussie" a few times aloud.

A Tussie Mussie, is a small bunch of flowers that are held in a little special
"vase for the hand," if you will.

Tussie Mussie

Here is one I just made with hot pink spray roses and greenery.

These little bundles of joy are great for mothers of the bride and groom to carry and

they're precious for flower girls and/or bridesmaids to carry, too!

I think they may even make sweet Valentine's gifts for daughters and sweethearts.  
Let's start a trend!

Many moons ago women would a carry tussie mussie to squelch their own or others' stench when personal hygiene was non-existent and the plague
 was running rampant with stinky bacteria, etc. 
... No need to go into details, on that!

Word Detective


There is an entire language surrounding flowers and I don't just 
mean their botanical and latin names. 


 Some three hundred years ago, suitors gave their ladies carefully selected arrangements of tussy mussies.  Each flower had a different meaning, emotion or intention attached.  


Women would receive their tussie mussies and then look in their Tussy Dictionary to determine what the suitor was trying to say.  


(Basically, nothing much has changed over the years... we're still trying to figure
out what the men in our lives are really telling us.)
.......

someecards.com

Let's translate...  
If you receive a tussie mussie with the following:

Lilac 
You are your partner's First Love
(Lucky you!)

Rosemary
Remembrance
(Not sure if you want to receive, alive?)

Salvia
"I Think of You"

Pansy
Thought, love


What would all of these flowers say, combined?

Bright Star


I will let you ponder on this.


My interpretation is:
Someone might be trying to remember if they love you or 
they can't stop thinking about you, their first love!


We have to remember that 300 years ago when the great tussie mussie first
became popular, global transportation had not yet begun (clearly.)  


So, truthfully,
a combination of all of these flowers 
-- which bloom in different season -- 
would not have been possible.  


That would make decoding a little easier, huh?

simplemom.net

So, this Valentine's Day... 
pay attention to what your suitor is saying
with his floral arrangement!

There could be some subtle undertones in those flowers you receive.

Language of Flowers