Roses Are Red

May 9, 2011

Roses are red, my love, violets are blu - u - u - e 

                                                                              -- Bobby Vinton

                                                                          -- Jim Reeves

The ladies at EveryBody EveryWear picked florals for this month's challenge. I didn't have any floral arrangements to wear, but luckily my daughter came through with a skirt that she let me borrow. Once again, I hoisted it up, and wore the skirt as a shirt (that is fast becoming a habit with me).

 shirt -- New York & Company (borrowed)

skirt -- Express

cardigan -- Old Navy

shoes -- Thom McKan (Kmart)

You can't really see the print on my top, but it was a bed of roses.

A long long time ago on graduation day 

You handed me your book I signed this way 

Roses are red my love violets are blue

sugar is sweet my love but not as sweet as you

We dated through high-school and when the big day came
I wrote into your book next to my name 

Roses are red my love violets are blue 

Sugar is sweet my love but not as sweet as you

Then I went far away and you found someone new
I read your letter dear and I wrote back to you 

Roses are red my love violets are blue
Sugar is sweet my love 

Good luck may God bless you
Is that your little girl she looks a lot like you
Some day some boy will write in her book too

Roses are red my love violets are blue Sugar is sweet my love but not as sweet as you

This song is pretty appropo for me -- I have my first of three graduation ceremonies (in three weeks, no less) to attend this Friday. My oldest daughter is graduating from pharmacy school! Woo hoo! Proud Mommy here. 

Some fun rose facts:

• On October 7, 1986, President Reagan signed legislation making the rose the official National Floral emblem of the United States. It's also the state flower of Georgia, Iowa, New York, North Dakota, and the District of Columbia.
• George Washington was the first to breed roses in the United States.
  
• Over 1.2 billion roses (4.67 roses per person) (where are mine?!) were purchased in the United States in 1994. The most popular rose holidays are Valentine's Day, Mother's Day, and Christmas.  
• The rose is native to the United States. The oldest fossilized imprint of the rose was left on a slate deposit found in Florissant, Colorado. It is estimated to be 35 million years old.  
• Almost 900 acres of greenhouses are dedicated to the production of fresh-cut roses in the United States One acre of greenhouse rose production is valued at about one million dollars, which includes the value of the plants, greenhouse structure and land.  
• About 60% of the roses grown in the United States are produced in California.
• Rose hips contain more Vitamin C than any other fruit or vegetable.
• Mythology says that roses grew thorns when Cupid accidentally shot an arrow into a rose garden.

And here's a picture of the real thing -- my kids gave me this rose bush for Mother's Day several years ago. It still blooms every year.

I always save the rose petals from any roses that were given to me. This year, I want to try and make beads out of the petals. It seems like it's a relatively easy process -- just takes time. There are a lot of on-line tutorials for making them -- basically it seems like you just collect them, grind them, and boil them (you boil them a bunch of times over several days). Apparently, they last for a long time though if made right. Click here to see one version on eHow.

Who did you get your first roses from?

Now head on over to EveryBody EveryWear to see how everybody else styled their florals. I'm looking forward to seeing the colors.