New Christmas Poll

Our last poll ended with four votes for photo cards and one vote for other (I wonder what the other was).

Our new poll is about Christmas gifts. I think the poll is pretty self-explanitory, but if you have any questions just drop us a comment here.

I have put the deadline after the new year, becasue Granny Begonia is holding "Christmas" on New Year's Day this year.

You can chose more than one.

Boxing Day

Yesterday, we Mundeleinians (or is that Mundeleiners) took our semi (sort of, not every six months) annual Metra ride into the city to see the Christmas tree and Marshal Field's (hey, the still have the MF name on the State Street building and Tulip hates it when we even say the "M" word) windows.

The windows were not that impressive, but we liked the tree, and Star got to use the camera that Santa brought her.

Santa also brought Orchid a flute and Tulip a Barbie carriage. I don't know if Orchid's favorite gift is her flute or her iPod Nano. Tulip's favorite gift is most definetly her Leapster.

Star says she doesn't have a favorite gift, but she has already read the second two books in the Wereling series, and I think she is going to find that her cell phone will be her favorite.

Mommy Gardenia got some lovely jewelry and I got SO much that decorum prohibits listing them here. I think my favorite is my new friend Jill (the name they give the voice in my GPS).

This is my photo of the tree, I asked Star to write a post and post her photos today.

BTW, this was written on my PDA while riding the train home.

Christmas Stuff and Basketball Less Taken

On Monday we went caroling at the Greek American Rehabilitation Center in Wheeling. It was very nice. All five of us went with the JOY (Junior Orthodox Youth) and GOYA (Greek Orthodox Youth of America) from our church (Ascension of Our Lord Greek Orthodox Church). We walked up and down the halls singing and Star made a couple of new friends. We even sang one Greek song (well, I didn’t sing it as I don’t know the words or tune).

Tuesday everything was Ice Stormed out. No school, no band concert and no Greek school.

I used our brand new Cannon ZR800. Tulip’s Christmas concert was Wednesday morning and I got the whole thing on tape. She was very cute and really got into the movements for the songs. First graders can be so funny; they don’t have all the inhibitions in place yet.

Star’s basketball season is on hold until after the new year because of some scheduling conflicts. Wednesday night they didn’t do too well, losing 29 to 8. Star played pretty well and I managed to video tape some of the game. I ran out of battery at about half time because I hadn’t recharged it after Tulip’s concert.

Wednesday was Uncle Sweet Pea’s 40th birthday. Happy birthday Uncle Sweet Pea, and congratulations again to Granny Begonia (I always say that the mother does all the work and deserves all the credit for a birthday, since the baby is just along for the ride).

On Friday we had Girl Scouts and we made pretzels.

Ice? Day and New Poll

No school, no concert, no nothing today. It was all called off because of the ice storm they expected that never really came.

We had work of course, that never changes, we always have work.

The Christmas wish list poll is over. Only three people voted. Electronics got three votes and everything else got one vote each. I hope everybody gets what they want.

New poll, what do you send out at Christmas time?

Granny Begonia (I gotta call you Granny, I'm calling Dad Pansy) sends out a typed letter (same one to everyone) along with a photo of sister Lavender.

My sister-in-law Daffodil's parents send out a similar letter with no photo.

We from Mundelein send out a photo card and have this little ole blog.

What do you send out?

Congrats to Brother Rose!

Yesterday at Fort Rucker, AL my brother Rose graduated from the US Army Warrant Officer school. My dad, Papa Pansy, the retired Brigadier General pined his bar on.

Granny Begonia and sister Lavender went down with Papa Pansy for the occasion. Rose's Juniper and Jasmine were there too.

Rose will be home for a while before other Army commitments take him away again, including Military Intelligence Branch School. He's been a Secret Squirrel for a while, but now he needs to learn to be an Army Secret Squirrel and and officer Secret Squirrel.

Congrats again lil' bro!

BBall Record 3 and 3

Ah, I remember it like it was yesterday: they wore blue, we wore white, we were at home, we scored a lot, they didn't.

You can see by the scoreboard that it was a blow out. They actually only made two baskets, the other point was from a free throw.

Our Stargazer Lily got fouled and had to shoot two free throws. From her reaction you'd've guessed that she committed the foul. She made one of the two. She got at least one other basket, several rebounds and several blocks.

It was a fun game. It was the game the scoreboard is from (note Star's number on the board, 50).

On Tuesday I had to take Tulip to Greek School so I couldn't make the game. We played the same school, but at their home gym. We won again, except it was 30-something to 20-something today. I'm glad, it would have been sad if we had beaten them as badly again.

On the way to Greek School, Tulip and I were listening to the School Of Rock CD in the Flowermobile. When it got to the line about "until the stars are falling," she asked if they meant asteroids.

I told her that it meant, "the end of time." She said, "but the circle of life goes on forever." I asked if we could please just listen to the song. She said, "Continue."

On the way home I offered to play an audio book. She said, "Yes, that will get some English into me."

Six year olds are so funny.

Basketball Record 1 and 3

Star and her team had another disheartening loss Sunday. It was a wild, brutal and strange game that ended 33-22.

The team they played really manhandled our girls and were thoroughly thrashing them in the first half. They mugged our team in every way except to take their money and rarely got called for it.

There was shouting from our parents and it looked like the refs didn't know the rules about "pressing" when one team is ahead by a certain number of points. They looked it up at half time and found that the margin has to be 15. The other team was over that margin.

I saw when girls were hit in the face and a foul was called against them (on both sides).

The odd reffing (I won't say "bad" because I don't know the game well enough to tell) wasn't the only thing. Midway through the third quarter the other team suddenly stopped being able to make baskets, even when they had unopposed breakaway layups. Also there suddenly were full court passes going both ways. It looked like a Rugby game (for those readers who know the European style of kicking for field advantage).

Finally, our Stargazer Lily tried to make a basket at the buzzer and was fouled. The refs didn't let her take her two free throws. Our head coach yelled at the ref, the ref bumped into our coach and threatened to call the police. In the end I found out that that ref has refused to do anymore of our games.

Maintenance Day, Sort Of

I (Daisy) got my haircut today and I managed to get the oil changed on the Flowermobile (that's the van, not the Gardeniacar).

Gardenia doesn't like my hair. She said that she waited 20 years for me to have hair and now that I'm retired she expects me to keep it long. It was driving me crazy though.

Oh well, next time I won't go so short.

The van was long over due (like my hair). Now I have to figure out a way to get the Gardeniacar in for maintenance.

I also ran out of time today, so no work out and no nap.

Happy Birthday Gardenia!

Today, Sunday, November 25 was Gardenia's birthday.

We went out to dinner at Bob Chin's Crab House Saturday night. The younguns and I got her a digital frame that shows photos from a memory stick. We figured that she can use it for her new office.

Unfortunately no one called her except her mother and father (Yarrow and Poeny).

AND I just realized that we did not do her a cake! I'm going to have to really make it up to her.

1 and 2 Basketball Stats

Well, Star fouled out yesterday in her team's loss 22-6.

She was robbed though because three of the fouls were fantom. She did get sent away early in the second half, after not playing the second quarter.

Unfortunately the other team wasn't being called for fouls that were blatant. They were tackling our girls, but never got called.

The good thing is that our team fought hard the whole time. They never gave up. I love to see that. I really don't care if they loose as long as they play with all their hearts and they did that yesterday.

I really hope they don't loose the chips on their shoulders.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everybody! We are here in Mundelein today (and yesterday). Peony and Yarrow are here with us too. I (Daisy) went down to Oak Lawn to pick them up yesterday.

We called Begonia and talked to her at Ginger and Holly's. I hope she passed our Thanksgiving wish to everybody.

Everybody always asks me what the Christmas list is so I figured I'd post it here with everybody's Flower Name.

Pansy gives to Gardenia

Begonia gives to Daisy

Gardenia gives to Sweet Pea

Daisy gives to Daffodil

Sweet Pea gives to Rose

Daffodil gives to Juniper

Rose gives to Ginger

Juniper gives to Holly

Ginger gives to Marigold

Holly gives to Pansy

Marigold gives to Begonia

Trouble is, the list ends this year. I don't have one for next year. That's okay because I'd probably better update it for Marigold and Apple Blossom.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

A Basketball Game Won

Yesterday Star had the second basketball game of the season. She is the tallest girl on the team by far. She is also the tallest of the two teams they have played so far.

As the tallest girl she is indispensable and her long arms block shots and passes like nobody's business. It is great to see her get aggressive out there (makes her Prop father proud).

Last year she was the first girl ever from her school to foul out. The coaches are fine with that. They say, "they give you the fouls, use them."

She is even better this year, she had no fouls in the first game and only two yesterday.

Enough of roughhousing, what was the score? Well, the intensity level was unbelievable from these girls. They usually are SO NICE that they almost seem apologetic when they win, like they offended the other team. But, yesterday they went out there and took the game.

They kept the other team from scoring a single basket through most of the first two quarters. At half time the other team had only made one 3 point basket, the score was 15 to 3. We parents were so excited that I took a photo of the scoreboard (it didn't turn out).

We ended the game with our Star getting 2 points, a bunch of blocks and a few rebounds.

The final score was 24-13! Hooray!!

Welcome to Flowers of Mundelein

This is a blog to share the happenings and goings of our family, for the use and information of our family.

Each member of our house will have a "Flower" name to which they will be refered throughout the blog. If you know us you will know who is who.

When I figure out how, I'll be posting a "Flower" family tree with our extended family named in "flower."

In our house we have Daisy, Gardenia, Stargazer Lily (known as Star (she's a teenager, don't ask)), Orchid (not orchard Uncle Sweet Pea) and Tulip.