As most of you know, every month we like to enjoy one inexpensive (and even free) bouquet to keep things feeling fresh around here (the idea actually stemmed from a super sweet Christmas present from the hubs a while back). But somehow I actually ended up with two months of blooms overlapping here at Casa Petersik this month. Remember when I shared February’s $5 blooms? Well those suckers are still alive. Well into March. All of them. Gotta love carnations. And I’m not doing anything special (just changing the water every week or so and reclipping the stems at an angle every two weeks or so). Crazy, huh?
But that didn’t stop my favorite/only hubby from walking in the door after work on my birthday last Friday with a big smile and this pretty surprise birthday bouquet full of lilies, alstroemeria, and a few sprigs of plum colored heather in honor of March (and me I guess).
I’m not used to having a big professional arrangement around the house (especially since we usually clip things from our yard or spend, at most, $5 at the grocery store for our monthly bouquets) so maybe that’s why it feels so special. Seriously I’m still permasmiling a week later. But perhaps I should elaborate in John’s defense. It’s not that he never comes home with flowers, it’s just that he does it just rarely enough to totally catch me off guard and make me giddy. As an example, he had a bouquet delivered when we moved into our house so I would answer the door and see something pretty to bring inside in hopes of making this old ranch feel more like home. And he usually heeds my I’m-a-cheapo-so-just-buy-me-a-single-white-rose advice since I don’t want him to break the bank every month on giant special occasion bouquets.
Possibly the cutest thing is that John excitedly explained that he specifically directed the guy at the flower shop when it came to my bouquet (saying things like “she likes similar tones that are sort of layered so nothing is too high contrast” and “nope, not too much filler” and “yeah, I think she likes lilies” and “no tulips because they remind her of a certain annoying ex”). In short: the whole thing was adorable and I was a very happy birthday girl indeed.
I also love that John picked them up over lunch, which meant that when he brought them back to the office everyone was curious about the giant bounty of blooms so he started telling people that he won a pageant over lunch. He cracks me up. And he even sat them in a cup of water on his desk until it was time to bring them home to me, just to keep them happy. I’m telling you, he’s the man.
So although this month’s bouquet is less of the free-or-five-dollar-variety, it’s truly special to me and I just wanted to share the birthday eye candy. And did I mention I also awoke to find this cute homemade birthday banner (complete with little love notes on each letter/number) hanging in the doorway between the kitchen and the den?
I love birthdays. But enough about my big turning-two-eight adventures. Have you guys ever been surprised with flowers? And what do you like when it comes to big pro bouquets? It was so interesting to hear John directing the guy at the flower shop because he was better at articulating my preferences than I could ever be. Does anyone know you better than you know yourself in the flower department? What would you say if you were asked to describe the perfect bouquet for you?
Wanna see our first grocery store bouquet from last January? Itching to check out February, March, April, May, June, July, August, and September too? How about this year’s January and February bouquets? Just follow the links for some pretty sweet cheap-o (and even free) bouquets.
Kathy says
Yellow freesias are elegant, simple, and smell so lovely–so they are nice to get in a professional bouquet!
My husband often gives me flowers (or silver earrings from my favorite store) and we’ve been married for almost as many years (26) as your birthday year, Sherry!
Here’s my advice to a happy marriage (not that you two need it): ALWAYS treat your spouse the way you did when you were dating.
Happy Birthday!
LauraC says
My husband is wonderful and I love being surprised by flowers. The very first bouquet he surprised me with was the first Christmas we were dating; he brought me a HUGE bouquet in a gorgeous crystal vase. Another really special one was when he brought home a dozen roses, all different shades of pink, cream and red, for our one-month-married anniversary! Loved them. For those (and there are many) who say flowers are a waste of money because they die/fade so quickly, I say, the thought and the meaning and the memory certainly don’t fade! Flowers will always be special!
Laura says
Awww, that is so sweet! I love the banner, now if I could only get my DH to do something like that..
To give him some credit though, DH does know that I like monochromatic bouquets without roses, lillies or much filler. I guess I am a spoiled girl after all! ;-)
Happy Birthday Sherry!
Vic @ Swoonette says
That is so sweet! I LOVE the Happy BDay banner! My bestest guy friend lives multiple states away from me :( His birthday is the day after mine, and often times we grumble to each other over birthday woes. He knew I was feeling especially down when I turned 25, so he surprised me by having a giant beautiful bouquet of flowers delivered to me! One of the most special gifts ever. I hope your flowers last an extra long time… and keep you smiling for days to come!
candace says
Sherry, happy birthday! *sigh* I remember when I was that young! :) John, you.are.Awesomely.Sweet. A perfect couple!
Jessica B says
I used to love getting beautiful bouquets every now and then! Your birthday blooms are georgeous!! I stay away from live plants or flowers ever since we got little kitty friends. I get nervous they will eat them and get sick! My favorites are peonies and dahlias though!
Sue says
Hi, Happy Birthday from Majorca (Spain).
30 Kisses: 28 for you, 1 for your husband and 1 for your future baby.
Ups… 1 for your dog too. Byeeee!
Linzerella says
That sign is so adorable – so simple and sweet. I’m copying that for my hubby’s birthday this November! :)
Mrs. Money says
Happy Birthday! That is so sweet John got you flowers. :)
Katie says
My husband and I got married in Mexico, but three weeks before the “official” church wedding, we went to the courthouse in NYC where we were living at the time. It was just the two of us and it felt so romantic and fun to be secretly married before anyone knew, but I was a little sad my parents weren’t there (even though they came to Mexico). The night before the courthouse wedding, my mom sent me a gorgeous bouquet of pink and purple tropical flowers. I’m not good with names, so all I know is that some of them were orchids, but it was such a surprise and so thoughtful of her. I carried them around all day with me after the mini-ceremony :)
Mary says
My husband doesn’t buy me flowers very often either, but it makes that much better when he does. Last time was in January. They were delivered to me at work and I was so shocked. He sent them “just because” which made them more special. He usually buys tulips b/c he knows I like them. The first time her ever bought me flowers when we started dating, he got me daisies (my other fave) and daffodils (oops, he confused them with tulips!).
Diana says
Aw what a sweetheart! You two are too cute :)
AK Andi says
Yes. My husband does not usually show his love through tokens like this but he came home one month after we were married with a beautiful, fancy boquet of flowers. When I asked hime what they were for he told me and I was very surprised. Love those moments.
Happy birthday!
Sunny's Life in Rehab says
Happy Birthday, little Momma. Next time, the cake will be smushed all over a new chubby face.
Andrea says
That is so sweet! I love getting flowers from hubby. Nothing like a beautiful, vibrant display of fresh flowers. I love any kind of flower really. Anything to brighten the space and make it “happy”.
Allison says
awww you two are adorable! I can feel the love you have for each other through my computer screen in Oz. You make my heart sing… :)
Alejandragigi says
Hi! Happy Birthday from Chile. Your husband is wonderful. I love your blog. God bless you! and your baby too.
cait says
well happy belated birthday!! we share the same birthday! :) neat! hope you had a blessed one…looks like it! I love, love having fresh flowers in the house. The best bouquet I was surprised with was from my now hubby that, at the time, was just my very dear friend in college. He sent me flowers to my dorm room the Valentine’s day the same year I had gone through a bad break-up. When I called him to thank him and ask him why he did it, he said “because every girl deserves flowers on valentine’s day.” Melt.
michelle says
love the sweet husband-nes and the beautiful blooms! when Spring officially arrives around southwest Michigan, a little flower stand appears down the road from us and my guy will surprise me with dollar daffodil bunches- they are my absolute faves AND easy on the wallet (a must for us!) :o)
Rowan says
Many years ago I was dating a guy who was in the navy. He had gone on a six month deployment in the Mediterranean. On the day his ship was scheduled to return a bouquet of red roses were delivered to where I worked.
The receptionist was all excited when she brought them to me. She told me to count them. There were eleven.
At the end of the day as I prepared to leave, in walked my sailor holding the twelfth red rose.
jessica says
Happy Birthday!
The only time I have been truly surprised by flowers happened a few years ago when I was student teacher. My boyfriend and I had had a huge fight the night before, and at some point during the next day, he left some fresh-cut flowers on my car. This is incredibly unlike him, and when I asked, he told me it wasn’t him, it must have been a student! He let me go on thinking that for a while (a very uncomfortable feeling) until he and his daughter told me it was him. They weren’t anything super special; just a few cut flowers from the yard, but the were the best flowers I’ve ever gotten because they were totally unexpected!
Karen Chin says
Yay…I enjoy flowers the same way y’all do. Re-trim and re-water on the weekend and add to the start…which is NEW YEARS DAY… I get the holiday stuff stowed..clean up some..and head for COSTCO. That bouquet gets added too til the daffodils come out.. Yes..fun to watch those carnations and lillies hang out for as long as they do.
Special YAY .. for the Hubby and you for sharing your life-enjoyment.
PS: just striped my small bathroom in Granny Apple green shades.. when I need light/bright…I got to the bathroom!(It’s my makeup place so.. I always come out with a smile.)
Ann says
Happy Birthday!
I laughed out loud when I read John told the coworkers he won a pageant over lunch. Funny! I hate roses because of a certain ex and my sweet husband knows to never buy them.
Michele Daggar says
Just a comment on age for all the “youngsters” out there. I will be turning 42 this summer and I will be the mother of a TEENAGER. This is unbelievable to me!!! I was 28 (your age Sherry!) when he was born.
I’m here to let you guys know that life indeed gets better the older you are. Everything becomes more meaningful. You are able to enjoy the special times even more. I think it’s because I can see all the sacrifices my parents made for me and appreciate them and my kids. I often tell my Mom I don’t know how she didn’t kick me and my siblings out the door for some of the things we said and did.
On the shallow side, I think I look better now then I did when I was in high school! No more bad eighties hair and fashions. You really are more comfortable with your looks. There’s hope youngsters!!!!
There’s still romance too. My husband and I have been married for 17 years (together for 25!.) Just the other day I got the mail and he had sent me a card that said on the front “You are my very greatest earthly blessing.” On the inside he wrote that he saw this card and thought of me. Is he great or what? He still opens the car door for me. This is love kids!
BK says
That was really sweet of John. I absolutely agree with you that he is the man!
Being a guy, I have never received any flowers before. However, I have tried to give a few surprises. One particular time was when I was on a trip with my dream girl. I waited for her to take her shower first before sprinting out of the room, walking briskly and running at time from the hotel to a shop across the hotel to get a single stalk of rose (yes, I was cheapo) for her. And slipped back quietly into the hotel room and place the stalk of rose on her luggage.
It was so good to see her happy and surprise face when she got out of the shower and saw the single stalk of rose on her luggage. “When did you get the rose?” was her first words. I just smiled.
Natalie says
aww how sweet of him! I love the banner with love notes idea ~ very cute and creative. Happy Birthday!
P.S. Be sure to enter my first GIVEAWAY! :)
Shannon says
My husband is a flower-giver, mostly on birthdays and anniversaries, but he has surprised me a few completely random times, such as after I’ve had a tough day with the kids.
The best ever though, was when we had just started dating and he called from work to find out that I had just gotten a major bout of food poisoning. He left work early and came over with a beautiful bouquet of bright, sunshiney flowers and was fully prepared to stay by my side and hold my hair back for the rest of the afternoon. It was so sweet, I couldn’t believe it! Six years later, he’s still doing things like that.
Jeanine Palumbo says
The flowers are beautiful! Great job, John!
Hope you had a great birthday Sherry!
Carole says
Hope you had a lovely birthday! My daughter just turned 10 today–as a mom-to-be, you get to look forward to an ‘extra’ birthday from now on, it’ will be your special day, too!
I have a friend who has a spring birthday, and every year her husband buys her a new rose bush for her gorgeous garden. For my fall birthday, I received a beautiful orchid.
Michelle @ Design Palate says
Happy Birthday!!!
{The Classy Woman} says
First of all Happy B-day! That is a pretty bouquet and the banner was super cute!
The best arrangement that I ever received was from my now husband, at the time we were engaged and he sent them a couple weeks before I left my company to marry him and move from Canada to the U.S. He was congratulating me on all of the recent sales I closed (I worked in software at the time).
The bouquet was filled with stargazer lilies, white hydrangea and pale pink peonies! I was in absolute heaven when they arrived and my colleagues couldn’t stop popping by my desk (where my flowers lived for a few days until I brought them home). Those days I spent more time at work than home so I kept them there. lol. Ahhh, how I adore pale pink peonies. *Swoon*
krstn says
At my former job, our secretary grew those flowers in her yard and would always bring us in nice bouquets for our birthday. I could not believe it! Now everyone can grow roses, but she’d grow the kind of beauties you got in your bouquet. I miss her!! :)
Happy Birthday!
Tiffini S says
Actually, I’m not a big flower lover. My ex-husband used to send me flowers all the time, but usually only after we’d had major fights. And when I found out that most of those fights stemmed from his cheating, I was out the door.
It was karma, though, because I met the man of my dreams a few months later (it was seriously love at first site, the cutest story!) and we are happy (not deliriously so, but more like lifelong happy) with a great kid and 5 years under our belt. He surprises me with scratch off lottery tickets and McDonalds cokes – two of my faves!
Cheryl says
what a great story – and happy belated bday!
fleababe says
what a sweetie-pie husband. i am just as impressed with his thoughtfulness as i am with the fact that you can buy a bouquet for $5! altho this past week i did see a 2-bunches-for-$4 special on daffodils, usually $5 in nyc gets you two gerber daisies.
Stacy says
I love flowers…lilies are my favorite! Every single bouquet my husband has ever bought me has had at least ONE lily in it. He just remembers.
My biggest surprise bouquet came when we had our first miscarriage. I was at 15 weeks and teaching high school. My Spanish 12 class was a particularly wonderful group of kids. I had JUST told them about the baby when I miscarried. I missed a week of school for healing and one night, after my husband had taken me to a movie to get my mind off of things, we came home to find a MASSIVE bouquet of the most gorgeous lilies on our doorstep. It was from my grade 12 Spanish class. Some of the girls remembered me saying I loved lilies, and they wanted to encourage me. It had to be well over a $100 arrangement, the likes of which I have never seen, nor will I probably ever see again. The arrangement itself was not what brought me to tears, however, it was the beauty of those young hearts wanting to let me konw that they were there and they loved me in those tough times.
Now we are blessed to have an 18 month old son, and I pray often that he will end up as sweet as those kids were.
Linda says
Happy belated Birthday Sherry! That’s super sweet of John!
I saw this in the newest Pottery Barn catalog that I got today and it totally made me think of your sunroom! The best part is, I think it would be such an easy and awesome DIY project! http://www.potterybarn.com/products/stratton-daybed/?pkey=x|4|1||10|daybed||0&cm_src=SCH
YoungHouseLove says
Oh yeah we love that daybed! And Ana over at Knock Off Wood actually posted the DIY instructions for it. We probably won’t be whipping one up anytime soon since we already have two comfy daybeds in the sunroom, but it really is a gorgeous piece- and you gotta love all that storage space under it!
xo,
s
Briony says
Hey,
I thought of you two this Saturday when I was listening to Tommy Smythe speak at my local Home & Garden Show. He’s just as funny in person! Apparently Sarah Richardson is in the Bahamas right now and texted him that she saw Uma Thurman. I went and met him after his presentation and he said the US won’t get Sarah’s House Season 3 when she buys a farm. He said the US network people won’t bleep out his swearing, he got a lot of flack for it so it won’t be on there. Also they would love to make Design Inc. again but it costs a lot to produce the show. He said they would need big money as in American money to get that show up and running again. Also Sarah is looking into carrying her furniture in other parts of Canada and the US. I thought you might be interested and I didn’t see an e-mail so I’m just posting it here. If you ever get a chance to hear him speak at a home show I recommend it!
YoungHouseLove says
Thanks so much for the info Briony. Very interesting indeed!
xo,
s
Colleen says
My husband and I have always been very practical when it comes to holidays and gifts (birthday drywall, Christmas dishwasher…). When we celebrated our tenth anniversary, we had 3 year old twins and a 3 month old baby. I was overwhelmed. I almost fell on the floor when the doorbell rang and I dragged myself (covered with spit up and with a toddler or two hanging on) and discovered a delivery guy holding the most beautiful and enormous flower arrangement I had ever seen. It was lush and natural and breathtaking. I tried to take it and the guy said “You better let me, this is really heavy”. So extravagant. I changed the water religiously and those flowers lasted 2 months.
ekodok cell says
Happy Birthday! That is so sweet
Karina says
Happy 28th and well done John with those gorgeous flowers!
We have the 28th year and the pregnancy in common, but I believe you’re due earlier (I’m early June). This year is going to be a life changer ;)
Roeshel says
I was pleasantly surprised this month with birthday flowers too along with my other creatively presented gifts – I love being surprised. Especially since this year I wasn’t looking forward to my milestone. I prefer the less-than-$5 bouquet. Just as pretty. So when I found out what he spent, I had to remind him of that. ;)
Happy belated birthday Sherry!
jja says
First of all – happy birthday!!!! :-)
“Have you guys ever been surprised with flowers? And what do you like when it comes to big pro bouquets?”
Yes, lately a lot…last week my boss gave me lots of tulips ;-) (which I adore) for good work on one project, some weeks ago I was ill for only two days and my co-workers sent me big professional arrangement so I had something beautiful to wach in during trying to get well. And, since I really love to get nice flowers, really lavish one, I get them often (but then not some other gifts but this is o.k. with me).
My neighbor was watching my cats during my last vacation and when I returned I found happy cats and really nice bouquet!
mollie says
I was wonderfully surprised when one of my best friends gave me the gift of flowers every month for a year (similar to John’s idea!!) as a thoughtful housewarming gift! She hand delivers them personally, so I not only enjoy my beautiful flowers but a visit with my dear friend as well! The flowers could be a hand-picked wildflower arrangement, a single stem, or a potted plant. The best part is, I seem to forget every month that’s it’s coming… so it’s like a surprise all over again!!
Ann LaFortune says
I’ve been married almost 32 years, and my favorite flowers are the ones my husband brings home for no particular reason! Life is good.
Stephanie @ Geezees says
Happy Birthday Sherry…the flowers are lovely!
John did a great job…what a great husband!
EastEnd says
I can’t stand not having fresh flowers in the house at all times! So I’ve planted the yard to guarantee that this happens. Even in the dead of winter, I can go out and pick holly branches filled with berries and some stunning camellias that bloom all winter.
Amy says
Happy Birthday! :D
Sometimes Garry will surprise me with flowers, especilly if I’ve had a really stressful week at work, and they’re usually lilies since they’re my favorite. Although sometimes he’ll surprise me with something different – just to keep me on my toes.
Sometimes I’ll surprise him with flowers too. Usually I’ll pick up something interesting like gerbera daisies in a really bright color or deep purple iris (those are his favorite).
The one time I was the most surprised is when my grandmother gave me an ENORMOUS bouquet of gladiolas in a variety of colors one year for my birthday. They were absolutely stunning.
Maureen says
In college my sweet roommate arranged for 21 people to each give me a rose on my 21st birthday all throughout the day. I had no idea what was going on and the bouquet grew and grew all day as I went went to my classes. It was fabulous and to this day, I don’t know how she did it.
She is still my dearest friend!
Heather Tomlinson says
My name is Heather and my birthday is March 26th, too! Coincidentally, I also have an awesome husband that does wonderful birthday things for me. No flowers, but he did treat me and my 2 best friends to lunch and an hour long pedicure at a fancy spa downtown! We are lucky girls!