Administrative Professional Humor + $10 Off

Administrative Professional’s Day, also known as Secretaries Day, is coming up.  This year, it’s on April 25th, the last Wednesday of the month.  There are many different ways of celebrating this day.  The International Association of Administrative Professionals, which actually holds the registered trademark for Administrative Professionals Day, suggests employers offer continuing education courses and seminars, but where’s the fun in that?  Most employers give their administrative professionals gifts like flowers and candy, take them out to lunch, or even give them the day off.

Administrative Professionals aren’t above joking around.  They are full of humor, and it’s often their humor that keeps the office stress-free and fun.  Whenever you’re having a down day, it’s your assistant or office manager who steps in and keeps everything running smoothly.  They don’t necessarily even have to make a joke or do anything humorous—instead, they simply make sure to keep as much from you as possible so you can ride out your bad day with as little stress as possible.

Sadly, not everyone appreciates their administrative professionals.  Here are five of the worse quotes made by bosses over the years. 

"Executive ability is deciding quickly and getting somebody else to do the work." - John G. Pollard

"Happy is the man with a wife to tell him what to do and a secretary to do it." - Lord Mancroft

"I think any man in business would be foolish to fool around with his secretary. If it's somebody else's secretary, fine." - Barry Goldwater

"Millionaires are marrying their secretaries because they are so busy making money they haven’t time to see other girls." - Doris Lilly

"When things haven’t gone well for you, call in a secretary or a staff man and chew him out. You will sleep better and they will appreciate the attention." - Lyndon B. Johnson


Obviously, you don’t want to say anything like that to your administrative professional this year!  Instead, give them flowers!  We’ll even help.  Take $10 off if you order flowers for your administrative professional between now and April 20.  Just use code BL2 at check-out. 

How to Have a Fun Spring

Spring is here!  Are you ready to enjoy the warmer weather?  There are a lot of different ways you can have fun during the spring season.  Here are just a few things you can do.

•    Enjoy the great outdoors!  After being cooped up all winter, isn’t it nice to be outside without the heavy coat, gloves, and scarf?  You can have a picnic, take a walk in the park, visit a local botanical garden, or just sit outdoors and enjoy the lovely warm weather.

•    Visit your local zoo.  Now’s the time to spend the day seeing the animals while it’s warm but not too hot.  The animals tend to stay in the shade during the hot summer months, but they’re more active in spring.  It’s also a lot easier on you.

•    Go to a local water park or swimming pool.  If you have your own swimming pool, now’s the time to clean it out and go for the first swim of the year.

•    Clean out your flowerbeds and garden.  While that’s not exactly a fun chore, it will be fun to see your flowers and vegetables grow.

•    Start exercising outdoors.  Instead of running on a treadmill or using a stationary bike, go for a jog or ride through your neighborhood. 

•    Do some spring cleaning.  Again, it’s work, but you’ll love having your closets cleaned out, and changing up your décor for the spring will give your whole house a new, fresh feeling. 

•    Buy yourself a new spring outfit.  Looking good makes you feel good, and shopping is fun!

•    If you have a dog, take him out to the park.  Play some fetch and let him run around.  You’ll both have a lot of fun, and it gets you outdoors.

•    Put a bouquet of fresh flowers in your room to bring the scents and sights of spring into your home.  We can help by delivering spring flowers in Raritan, NJ, right to your doorstep!

Valentine Flower Guide for the Romantically Challenged + Free Delivery on February 10, Offer Expires 2/6

Some men find themselves standing in a flower shop staring at all those flowers and realizing they have no clue what to get.  Most end up stuttered something about a dozen roses and then getting out of there as soon as they can.  Don’t let this be you!  Here’s a quick and easy guide to Valentine’s Day flowers for those of you who pick up a bouquet once per year.

What flowers do you get?

Roses – they’re traditional
Tulips – rare colored tulips can especially look great
Orchids – they’re minimal, simple, and sexy
Dahlia – these flowers signify passion and romance
Hyacinth – a fragrant and colorful option
Iris – these make a unique Valentine’s Day arrangement
Carnations – they’re often cheaper than roses, and they’re available in many colors and varieties
Her favorite – it’s personal!
A mixture – you don’t have to go with just one flower.  Talk to a florist about creating a unique bouquet for your love.


Other things to consider:
You don’t have to go with red roses.  Roses come in many colors.  Maybe get her a dozen in her favorite color?  But color does matter.  Red roses mean romance and love, while yellow roses mean friendship.  That may not be the message you want to send (unless she loves yellow).

If you’re getting her a large arrangement or full bouquet, give it to her at the start of the date.  Otherwise, she’s going to have to carry it around, and that can both get tiring and ruin the flowers.  If you want something to give her later, how about a single rose?

Avoid plastic wrap.  If you’re giving her a bouquet that’s not in a vase, a rubber band around the stems covered by a ribbon is enough.  Plastic looks cheap and makes that loud, annoying noise.

Bigger isn’t always better.  Sure, three dozen red roses might look amazing, but she might be more touched by a small bouquet of her favorite flowers, especially if those flowers are out of season in February.

Don’t go overboard with extras.  Don’t add too many ribbons, balloons, or other extras to a simple, classy bouquet.

Always add a note (handwritten if you’re giving her the flowers in person) to your bouquet.  You don’t have to write a sonnet or anything—a simple “I love you” or “Happy Valentine’s Day” is enough.


Still aren’t sure what to get?  We can help with all of your Valentine’s Day flowers in Raritan, NJ, and if you’re interested in beating the crowd, we’re offering free delivery on February 10!  This offer expires on Feb. 6th, so hurry.  Just use discount code BLF when ordering.

Valentine’s Day Isn’t Just For Flowers + Save $10 Through 1/24

Valentine’s Day is coming up in less than a month.  If you think it’s too early to be making arrangements, you’re wrong—places are already filling up with reservations.  In fact, if you wait until the week of Valentine’s Day, chances are you won’t be able to get in at the fancier restaurants.  Now’s the time to make your plans, order flowers, and decide on dinner. 

While Valentine’s Day flowers are definitely important, they’re not the only thing you’ll want to get for this romantic day.  There are many different aspects of Valentine’s Day to cover.  If you’re making a list and checking it twice (whoops, wrong holiday), here’s everything you need to cover:

Dinner – if you’re going out, make your reservations ASAP.  If you’re staying in, go ahead and plan the meal you know what groceries you need. 

The Activity – If you’re doing more than dinner, be sure to get tickets or make reservations if you need to.  Valentine’s Day concerts tend to sell out quickly.

The Gifts – In addition to flowers, you might want to get her a cute stuffed animal or a box of her favorite chocolates.  Shop early for a better selection.  You don’t want to get stuck choosing from leftovers.

After the Date – What are you doing after dinner and the other activities you have planned?  If you’re going back to your place, have wine, soft music, and maybe even a dessert ready.

Valentine’s Day isn’t just for flowers, it’s for so much more.  It’s a time to really connect with your partner, to talk, to spend the evening together doing something you both love.  It’s NOT a time to leave things to the last minute or go in unprepared.  If you want to make it a great day, go all out and make your plans early so nothing goes wrong.

But while Valentine’s Day isn’t just for flowers, flowers are still an important tradition.  If you order for Valentine’s Day before January 24th, you can save $10.  Order now and we’ll deliver Valentine’s Day flowers in Raritan, NJ to your sweet heart! You can use check out code BLJ.

Celebrating Christmas in Raritan, NJ

Have you been out and about in Raritan and the surrounding area this Christmas season?  There’s so much to see and do, it can seem impossible to do it all.  However, there are surely a few events you just have to get to.  Here are some of the things going on in and around Raritan during the holidays.  Try to make it to at least one—you won’t regret it!

You can get your photo taken with Santa up until Christmas Day at the Bridgewater Commons Mall!  Santa will also give children a free coloring book when the visit him.  Santa will also be available for photos at the TD Bank in Somerville on Dec. 23rd from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm.

Starting this week, the Village Theatre in Somerset will be performing The Christmas Toy Shop.  Tickets are $10.  Performances are on Saturdays and Sundays.

Between Saturday the 24th through January 8th, take a drive to the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton for something really cool: the Laser Nutcracker Spectacular 3D.  This laser show features the classic Tchaikovsky music, but it puts a major modern twist on it.  Other beloved holiday characters like Frosty and Rudolph also make appearances.  Tickets are $7 for adults and $5 for kids under twelve.

If the lasers are a bit much, many local theater groups perform The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, and other classic holiday stories during December.  For example, the Mayo Center for the Performing Arts in Morristown is performing The Nutcracker ballet on the 22nd – 26th.

On Dec. 27th, head over to the Somerset County Library in Bridgewater for Home for the Holidays Stories and Crafts.  Kids will have the opportunity to hear stories and even make a little something for those special to them.  Be sure to pre-register with the library—it’s required.

For those who love wine, check out the holiday winemaker’s dinner.  The theme this year is “Christmas in Merry Olde England,” and guests are promised traditional English Christmas dinner and customs.  A five-course meal and wine are included in the $89 per person price.  The dinner is December 28 at 7:30 at the Crossing Vineyard and Winery.


Christmas Flowers in Raritan, NJ.

Bringing Back the Magic of the Holidays

The holiday season is here!  Starting with Thanksgiving (or possibly before!), it seems like we have over a month of different holidays.  Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, New Year’s…all of these holidays are bunched together.  Sometimes, it seems like we can be completely overwhelmed by all of this.  This year, take the time to bring some of the magic back to your holiday season. 

How do you bring back the magic?  It can be difficult, especially if the holiday season is always stressful and unhappy for you.  However, if you do your best to refocus your holidays around what really matters, you’ll find yourself feeling less stressed.

Remember what the holidays are all about.  It’s not the big meal, the number of gifts, or any of the events.  The importance of the holidays is about seeing family members you haven’t seen in quite some time and getting together with friends.  Those who are hosting a dinner or party may feel very stressed over the preparations, often to the point of exhausting themselves and not enjoying everything they’ve worked so hard towards.  They worry so much about what people will think if there’s any little detail wrong that they drive themselves crazy.  However, the reality is that most people don’t even notice these “disastrous” little things, so there’s no point in stressing over them.

Another thing that seems to suck some of the magic out of the holidays is the stress of gift-buying.  While the saying about it’s the thought, not the gift, you know some people really are keeping score.  However, these should also be the people you’re least interested in impressing.  Try your hardest not to get caught up in the game of giving gifts, and give what you can.  In some cases, this means homemade gifts instead of buying expensive presents.  The people who know you and truly love you, though, will appreciate everything you’ve done.

If you feel yourself getting too stressed out by the holidays, take a moment to relax and remember why the holidays exist.  Enjoy your time with your friends and family, and don’t worry about the little things.


Christmas Flowers in Bridgeport, NJ.

Thanksgiving Decorating

November is here, which means it’s time to start planning for Thanksgiving.  If you’re hosting the big family dinner this year, don’t put anything off.  If you wait until the last minute, you may find that stores are out of what you most desperately need.

Decorating isn’t generally the main focus of the Thanksgiving, unlike Christmas.   Instead, this holiday is all about the food!  However, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do a little bit of decorating.  Here are a few things you may want to do to make your home look festive.

Accent your meal with a great Thanksgiving tablecloth.  You can also add Thanksgiving placemats, napkins, napkin rings, and even plates if you’re using paper plates. 

Find a great centerpiece.  A nice arrangement of Thanksgiving flowers certainly works very well, plus you can accent it with a few extra items.  Put candles on either side, add a few little turkeys, or place some small pumpkins and gourds around the vase.  A cornucopia is another great option.

Replace your standard salt and pepper shakers with novelty ones shaped like turkeys or pilgrims.

Use a fun platter with Thanksgiving images for cookies or other finger foods.  There are even some platters out there shaped like turkeys!  You can also find small spreading knives with decorative figures like pilgrims on the handles.

Don’t forget to decorate in other areas, too.  Even though the dining room will be the center of the holiday, here are a few ways to add Thanksgiving décor to other rooms:

Put out throw pillows in fall colors or with Thanksgiving designs on your sofa.

Add a few pumpkin spice candles to your end tables or on shelves.

Put an arrangement of fall flowers in your entryway or near the door.

Add a wreath of fall leaves and flowers to your front door.

These are just a few fun ways you can decorate for Thanksgiving.  Don’t forget to get the kids involved, too.  There are a lot of neat Thanksgiving art projects they can do and display for your guests.


Thanksgiving Flowers in Bridgeport NJ.