Paint

Once upon a time there was sweet little girl who decided to give up television for Lent.  On Sundays, there was a reprieve.  So she got up before seven to let the tv watching begin!  She tiptoed into her parents' room to quietly ask if she could turn on the television.  Why waste a single moment with your music or Barbies when there is a black tv just waiting to bring life into the room?  And so she had her way with the tv.  Until there were more exciting things to do..outside! : )


It was a gorgeous 80 degree day here, and not an ounce of humidity in sight!  Awesome day to be outside.  We started slowly, but ended up being out ALL afternoon!  Ches trimmed all of our monkey grass (big blue liriope, if you are a stickler), and I planted some flowering bushes I bought about a month ago: a new hydrangea and two peony bushes.  Ok, I should really correct.  I bought the little sticks that become these nice plants.
Here is what the peonies should look like:

Yes, they had me at Guaranteed To Grow.

..and this is the hydrangea packaging.  Also Guaranteed To Grow.

Are you really ready?

This little stub (center, kinda to right) is going to be a peony shrub.  Ha, I know.  But maybe when it's big and beautiful, I'll give you some cuttings!

And here is my little hydrangea.  I bought an Endless Summer Hydrangea two years ago, and I really did get summer-long blooms (and it's still alive!), but this one was only $8.  Big Difference.  Let's just see how it does. : )

I also watered all my plants, and let Ethan dig up some of my vinca vine (that stuff grows as crazy as spearmint or kudzu!!) to plant, since I didn't have any flowers for him to place in his little holes, and he was going to pull up these precious pansies to replant:

They are so happy in partial shade-they would cry over in that stupid bark pit.

Anyway, here is Ethan SO proud of his planted vinca, dug and planted personally with his own (snow) shovel:

Proud Gardener (I don't think he can fail with that stuff!)

And then we made pizza, had dinner outside, and proceeded to fill our evening with paint.

I just love to watch her paint.  She's so careful, and so patient.  And then..

she starts flinging water Maestro-style!

Ethan painted too-I love his too because he has no fear of mixing colors, and it always turns out so beautiful.

Very Carefully.

Look at the two for me...I'm so blessed! : )

And then I began to use leftover paper to clean out the black from each of Ethan's paints, and Mary Claire liked it.

..so this is for my girl.  Notice how the paints got cleaner and purer from right to left?  My only complaint..water colors need a white so you can make light colors.  Like Pink.

I tried and tried to get a good picture of Clay, but he's ten.  Much too old to pose or smile for his momma.  I got this as he disappeared; these are the only ones I got today:

pulling his pants up..

and then Gone.

I hope he doesn't stay in this stage forever, I love his beautiful face.

Last funny for today:
Ethan had some Cheetos for snack, and he said he got a toothbrush-shaped one.  I went to get my camera, and when I came back, Mary Claire was brushing his teeth with it!  Yum.

They said the only thing better was if they had Cheeto-flavored toothpaste!

Sunny with a chance of flowers (and chalk)

I am stealing a few minutes to write! : )  Ches took Clay and Mary Claire to get their hairs cut (heehee), and Ethan went along for the ride.  He doesn't like for a vehicle to leave our house, and him not be IN it! : )

Yesterday, the kids had school, and I finally got my hair done!!  I feel human again.  Ahhh... Mary Claire had a sweet friend over to play (and I never even heard them!), then Ches called asking if I had dinner plans (why, no, I don't...why do you ask?) and said we were going out.  Yay!  Love when he has a long, hard day. ; )  We went to Chili's, played us some cards, then went to Krispy Kreme for a Hot Now!  When our carpool group for Bunco went (to KK) on Tuesday night, they gave us all books of 12 Valentine's cards (each for a free donut!)  So, we went to the drive thru and asked if we could get them from the car.  They were so nice, and let the kids get chocolate sprinkly ones!  I thought they were only glazed, but yum!  (I have about 50 more free donut cards if you'd like one or a few!)  (They have to be used by March 15, so you must eat fast!)
Then we went to Lowe's to get me some flowers (now, with our 60 degree temps, the dead flower pots are no longer acceptable).  We also stayed in their book section till we closed the store!  We are notorious for this now.  We got a house plan book (heehee), and a book on staging.  Guess my future.


Today we've been out since morning: planting the new pansies I got last night at Lowe's.

I didn't take pictures of the other 6 pots..didn't want to bore you. ; )

 We also got some new flags to change out my Razorback one (and flip flop one out by the pool) that are getting beat up in the wind.

I would have inserted a picture here, but it seems I'm out of picture space.  Huh?  All that garbage I stick out there everyday has taken up real space it seems.  I have to purchase more, then I'll post more pictures.  Nothing is free in this world. Oh, and it takes up to 24 hours to become available.  Then it is only good for a year.  You might notice me sharing fewer pictures...maybe.

We planted, the boys (and an adopted neighbor child) played ball, and we got so much done!  Ches even uncovered the pool!  We have someone coming to "open" it this week, but it was starting to get algae growth, so you have to get to it fast, or it takes over!  We'll just shock it daily till they get here.  They have to hook the pipes to the pump back up, and unscrew the plugs out of the jets.  We also need our pool light bulb changed, and I won't let Ches near it.  He thinks you just reach down there...Ha!  He'd get the shock of his life!  I think you have to drain the water.  I mean, it's been...four years now.  So, you don't have to drain it down often.  But, it's the safest way, I think.  Any ideas?

Then, we rode bikes and scooters and played sidewalk chalk!  We even planned a tree house.  I've had a book on tree houses for a couple years, but I kept getting pregnant, and I wouldn't work on it...for fear.  Now, maybe we can build one...in time to move?  If we get the lot we are thinking, it has no big trees.  I can't see a buyer hating a tree house, could you?  Does it signal danger?  (Ha! -not like changing a pool bulb!)

Tonight Mary Claire has a girl scout meeting to get ready for Thinking Day tomorrow, and Clay has a blue and gold banquet (boy scout awards ceremony).  We'll be busy, and you can be assured of lots of pictures tomorrow! : )  Hope you have a great weekend!

New solution (for today)-a slideshow! : )  Click on the link below to view:
Flickr Photo Album of our day : )

Labored Today-I don't want a day off!

I worked on Labor Day!  is that bad?  I think I'm just a busybody, maybe it's in my genes. : )  I got up, and took Mary Claire and Ethan to Lowe's in search of flowers to replace my nasty dead, brown ones.  The summer has really taken a toll on my plants (I know, you are supposed to water them, but I get busy!)  Then, we went to Wal-Mart since Lowe's had no pansies (I'm really disappointed about not finding pansies too!).  They didn't have pansies, and Westwood Gardens was closed, so I settled for some ivy, lantana, and smaller mums to fill my dead pots.  They are worlds better now!

Here is my boy, hard at work (showing you his working hands):

Aren't those little bug gloves the bomb? : )

Here is my first pot: Mums, ivy, lantana and Ethan's little mum he planted!

Ethan put his John Deere to good work today carrying my plants, soil, and fertilizer around!

First we potted some mums and red-tipped lettuce (looks yummy, really!):

Then we moved on to bigger things.  We potted a huge urn that I'd let die (see? I give you honesty!).  We crowded it with the same-a boxwood, mums, lantana ('cause there were no pansies of color for sale!), and more ivy:

This is Mary Claire's that she planted (although she helped with all the others too), the color was called Megan (after her American Girl!) and is hot pink, so she loves it:

We were all getting really hot and tired by now.  And it's really hard work hauling around all my stuff!  Here is Ethan cooling his jets:

Next up: Taming the wisteria that has taken over the pergola.  Same bat time, same bat channel:

C

Can you even tell there's a huge wood structure under all that green chaos?

Ok, I will digress: We had a great dinner at mom's, another yummy cake for me, and so much fun trimming her crepe myrtles (I love big tools!)!  I was up on her ladder, and covered in ants and aphids, and there were bees and wasps swarming!  FUN!  We got it all under control, cleaned up, and went in for more cake.  While in there, Ethan accidentally busted my toe nail.  His shoe jammed the end of my big toe, buckled the nail, and it bust along the middle-ripping it from my nail bed.  It was dripping blood-grossing me out, not to mention sending roaring pain through my body!

We got it under control, dad wrapped it in band-aids to stabilize my nail, and mom got me some ice to numb the pain.  It was crazy!  I'm alive, and Ches is gone to get Epsom salts to soak it and butterfly band-aids to wrap it.  I'm going to live!  What an exciting life I have.  heehee

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