Bat-faced Cuphea, or Bat Face Mexican Heather

The scientific or Latin name for this plant is the Cuphea llavea. We were delighted when the staff member at the garden center showed us the flower on this plant because it really does look like a bat face.  My picture above isn’t the best perspective but you can go to the University of Florida’s page here to see a better shot.  Apparently this is also called a “Mickey Mouse” plant and Disney makes use of them in their landscaping.  No surprise there!  Our kids and my piano students love seeing it.

What was also intriguing was that another plant we had chosen for our butterfly garden was in the same genus (or is it family? Wikipedia, if you please…) category as the bat-face plant.  Whew, having to remember my scientific labels is stretching the ‘ole brain a bit.

You may have guessed by now.

False Mexican Heather

Another type of Mexican Heather!  Who knew!  Apparently, not I.  This one is Cuphea hyssopifola. The plants are practically kissing cousins.  As to why it is called “False Mexican Heather” the UF site said that it is no relation to Wild Heather, which does not even grow in Florida.  Other Cuphea plants, most of which attract hummingbirds and butterflies, include the cigarette and cigar plants due to their tubular flowers.  We do not have any of those…yet.  Maybe some day.  If I can keep these alive and well…

My handy-dandy UF site also says that they  like well-drained soil and bright light to partial shade (my kind of flower) and not to plant it too deep.  They also don’t like water with high salt content so beware of well-water.

You’re welcome.  :D

On Christmas Eve, I got a bug in my pants and decided at that last minute that I wanted to see my family on Christmas Eve instead so we packed up early and headed up to my brother’s house.  We gave the kids their “big” presents, let them play with them while we packed, then headed out the door.

S made the ride exciting by developing a fever halfway there and then throwing up fifteen minutes from our destination.  It was panning out to be a fabulous Christmas Eve for her, poor girl.  Fevers and long car ride and McDonald’s just do not mix well.  Literally.

After a restless night for the sweet girl (and an exciting night for Nana and Pa for almost all the grandkids being in the same house for Christmas Eve), Christmas morning finally arrived and chaos ensued.  Five kids + tree = chaos and fun.

Post un-wrapping mess

That evening, Mike and Kara fixed a fabulous formal Christmas meal and it was SO delicious.  I just had to get pictures of the beautiful table setting.

Christmas Dinner

Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

In our hectic pace during the holiday season, it can be easy to forget about the hope that others so desperately need to hear and feel and possess.  Thus, our pastor challenged us to think of the most expensive gift that we may be purchasing this season for a friend, family member, loved one, or significant other then outgive that gift to Jesus.  How do you do that?  Give hope to someone.  Give to an organization such as World Vision or Compassion International or Samaritan’s Purse.  Give to your church’s mission fund or Lottie Moon Christmas Offering.  Give to your local homeless mission or to a family you personally know that is need.  But outgive that gift to Jesus.

Give hope this Christmas for he gave hope to us.  Cliche’, I know, but to a starving family it means everything.

In other news, for family and close friends I have set up a private blog at www.mockavenue.com.  You must register to access the site, and we must approve you.  There I will be sharing more photos, more private family stories and events that I keep from the public blog.

Up next:  A randomness post!!!  Oh yes!!!!  Can you stand the excitement?

The rumble of dozens of motorcycles were felt before they were heard. We were on a weekend getaway in the early years of marriage. To fit this trip into our tight budget, we made our reservation site unseen at a low budget motel near Stone Mountain, Georgia.

The rumble grew to a roar, then to a stop…

Read on.

Evidence Not Seen by Darlene Diebler Rose

I just finished reading the most amazing story of faith by Darlene Diebler Rose entitled Evidence Not Seen.  She and her husband, as newlyweds, were missionaries serving in the jungles New Guinea when World War II began and they were taken prisoner by the Japanese and spent the next four years in Japanese prison camps.  She was forced to sign a confession to a crime she did not commit, faced an executioner’s sword…and was miraculously spared.

This story of faith and perseverance and humility and strength is amazing.  If you love Corrie ten Boom’s The Hiding Place, you will absolutely love this book.  Miracle after miracle happened, evidence of God getting the glory for providing abundantly more than they could ever ask or imagine happened regularly!  My favorite scene was her begging for even one banana and ninety-two bananas showed up.  WOW.  How can you not cry at that?

Her willingness to learn more and more about His character throughout these trying years and life-threatening circumstances without letting bitterness drag her down is only one aspect of this amazing testimony that inspires me.  It remains inspiring and convicting all at the same time!  How important it is to hide the word of God in our hearts!

Pick it up.  You won’t regret it!

To back up a little bit, I wanted to admit to a slight fear of traveling in foreign countries.  We had been to England back in 2000 as large family trip of sorts and I loved it.  England was very easy to travel around with the trains and the Underground, not to mention the language minus the terminology differences.  It was the language similarity there that gave me a certain comfort level.  What I discovered is that it is really not so bad!  Italy was a very friendly place, the Italian terminology very easy to figure out, especially when you have a background of some Spanish.  The trains were, like England, very easy to navigate as was the Metro, also like England.  And cheap!  Relatively.

My entire goal in Rome was to see the Coliseum.

The Coliseum (and Larry's thumb's up)

What was amazing to me was the amount of ladies who toured rome and the treacherous ankle-twister streets of the ruins in high heels.  Just like this.

Random lady getting ready to tour ruins of Coliseum in heels. Yes, I'm shameless. And perplexed. My ankles hurt just looking at her.

The inside of the Coliseum.  It was everything I thought it would be.  I just loved being there.  Also a bit bittersweet, knowing that Christians were martyred in that place.

They built a replica of the floor at one end over the ruins of the tunnels underneath at one end of the Coliseum.

I personally liked the characters of the Roman gladiators here and there to appease the tourists.  Cheesy, if you ask me.  My favorite part, however, is when you catch them with baseball caps on.

Roman gladiators and baseball caps. Good stuff.

Oh, let me back up, we stopped by Trevvi Fountain first, as well as the Spanish steps.  Here is us in front of the Trevvi Fountain.  It’s huge and beautiful and CROWDED.

Trevvi Fountain or Fontana di Trevvi (I think?)

And the crowd…

Very crowded at the Trevvi Fountain. Lots of coin throwing.

Back to the ruins at the Coliseum.  We moved on to the Forums and other ruins.  Here, we walked through a park-like area and saw some of the aquaducts.  Chris loved that.  Here he is under part of it.

Chris under the aquaduct

We proceeded on to other areas.  We did not do a formal tour so I need to do more research on exactly what we saw.  I think this is us in front of the Temple of Apollo.  It was HUGE.

All the temples everywhere was very, uh, weird.  Being a family of Christian faith, it just felt so wrong and weird and I was thankful they were ruins.  The history was interesting.  I have some reading to do.

After walking and walking and more walking through Rome, we decided it was time to catch the train back to Civitavecchia to board our ship.  We really wanted to stop and see St. Peters and Vatican but there was limited time and foot power remaining.  It would have to wait for another trip back to Rome.  We really, really enjoyed seeing this amazing city and we know only touched the tip of the iceberg in terms of what we saw so we look forward to returning in the next five or ten years hopefully.

Next:  Florence!