Plant Identification

Our new home's previous owner, Maguy, loved plants and flowers and trees and herbs and gardens. All of this is so definitely out of my comfort zone, BUT I am intrigued and hoping I have found a new hobby. I am determined to keep her plants beautiful. In order to do this I must know what they are. Here are two...

I love the orange flowers on this bush. So tiny. It is growing all around my purple clematis.

This is a tree. I thought the large leaves were interesting and then these little brownish things popped up with round things on the end. THEN each little round thing popped out a small flower. I have never seen anything like it.

So far I have figured out rhododendrons, bleeding hearts, humulus lupulus {hops}, roses, and purple clematis. I have also identified peach trees, blueberry bushes, grapes, and blackberry bushes. Dr. Hubby said he believes there is some peppermint in there too. Maguy had several herbs. Holy Moly! I hope I don't accidentally pull out something important.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give my black thumb...lol.

You've Never Had It So Random {We're Moving When!? Edition}

Manga Dork was in the play "A Shotgun Wedding" this weekend. See her there standing in the old pants, boots, and man's shirt. Her character was hilarious! Wild Child would not quit poking her head into the shot...little rat.

I cleaned up a corner full of overflow stuff from my organization for the yard sale and move. While cleaning this one corner we destroyed the entire rest of the house. At least the corner is clean and now filled with several boxes packed and ready to go.

We visited FIL yesterday. He is out of ICU. Because of the medicines and infection and such he is hallucinating. He got really aggravated cause he said someone broke his bag that is collecting his pee and it was all over the floor. He got really aggravated when the nurse left without cleaning it up. He said "this is the nastiest place ever." heehee He got mad at MIL earlier in the day because she couldn't see all the little bugs in the air. I was dying to sit down next to him and say "Ew...what did I step in!" OR start swatting at the gnats. I behaved. I love him so much.

And for the biggest most stressfullest craziest most impossibleness of randomosity E.V.E.R. {Yes, I know most of those aren't even real words}....

My FIL can only come home if he has a walk in shower, open floor plan, handrails, etc. So since they are supposed to moving in my current home in 5 weeks and it has all the above...I HAVE TO MOVE IN 2 WEEKS! And I think 2 weeks is being generous. He will be home at the beginning of next week I bet. I don't get the keys to my new home until the end of this week. I wanted to clean, hire it all painted, organize all this stuff BEFORE I moved. I am so freaked out!

I need some FUN.
Happy Monday!

Enough Already

My FIL is still in the hospital. He is still critical in ICU. He just had a second surgery and is back on the ventilator. My MIL's voice on the phone tears out my heart. She is so tired...physically, mentally, and emotionally. My hubby goes back and forth spending every other night at the hospital. He spends his time with his dad's chart trying to figure out what would be best...consulting with other doctors...trying not to worry his mom too much. I can hear the worry in his voice. My little ones are asking when Papaw and Mamaw are coming home. There are all kinds of little messages on their answering machine. My teen is so worried. She got to go back and see him the other day. I feel helpless. I take all the phone calls here...updating all the worried family and friends. I carry on with tball games, TOPS, drama club practice, organizing our stuff for our new home...busy stuff. I can control the tears until they sneak upon me. Then all the trying in the world won't stop them.

I am ready for him to be back on the farm. I want to see him on the tractor mowing the hay. I am ready for him to say one of his random things that annoy me.

Please continue to pray.

Please Send Up One...or Three!

My FIL is very ill. He went into the hospital earlier this week. While testing his sinuses they found he has a brain aneurysm. It is in a location where they can not do surgery to repair it. Then they thought he was having a kidney stone yesterday. After tests they discovered his appendix had burst. At 5 pm this evening he had surgery. He is in ICU on a ventilator. Please say a prayer.

Thank you.

Giggles Needed

I need something to make me laugh. My stress level is on overload. Tell me something funny.

It's Summer!!!

On Cutie's last day of school she took her preschool teacher a beach bag filled with summer fun...flipflops, squirt gun, kite, chocolate, Debbie Macomber book, sunscreen, bubbles, cute glass with lid and straw, 2liter of pink lemonade, and a beach towel. I can't believe our preschool years are behind us.

Wild Child started Kindergarten with a broken leg in a wheel chair. She ended it by puking all over the classroom. Perfection.

The first summer fun activity includes a bag of puffballs and a glass heart dish. Both I purchased from the Dollar Tree.

The girls earn a puffball by doing good deeds, doing their daily chores, showing kindness to their sisters and others, and eating everything on their plate. Manga Dork can earn a puffball for paying special attention to her little sisters. They lose a puffball for fighting. When mommy's heart is full they earn a day of special F.U.N.!

I can't wait to kick off my annual summer reading book club! More on that tomorrow...

E.X.H.A.U.S.T.E.D.

Last Sunday Dr. Hubby and I cleanded out our garage. It took 12 hours.

Monday...Tuesday...Wednesday...was spent with my mom in our basement...cleaning.

Thursday we cleaned stuff up and got it on the car hauler trailer thingy and on the trailer I have for my yellow ATV. It took all day. Can you spot Santa in the above photo? lol

On Friday and Saturday we cooked in the sun for our community yard sale. I am now $175 richer...and a lot of junk lighter. The money is going into my "I want someone else to paint the entire inside of my new home" fund.

I am still recuperating. I had lobster red arms on Friday and I am turning into a tan babe now. Let's just hope that doesn't evolve into a skin peeling leper. Thank goodness I put sunscreen on my face!

What have you been up to?

Playing Favorites

This is my absolute favorite graduate of the class of 2011. I love this overly excited, adventurous, loveable, intelligent, beautiful, classy young lady like one of my own. I would have kept her from the age of 5 if her parents would have let me. Why not before 5? She was terrified of me. She would hide when I came into a room. She got over it.

Every summer she has come and stayed with us no matter where we have have lived. She once stayed 21 straight days! I'm not kidding when I say I would have kept her. I'm excited to watch our relationship evolve from adult - child into friends.

In pink is her Lil Sis...we would keep her too. Who is the guy?

Her boyfriend who I already love as much as her. He is such a keeper. He fits into our family perfectly.

She LOVED the Longaberger basket filled with school supplies we gave her. She will be attending Marshall University in the Fall. She plans to follow in Dr. Hubby's footsteps by attending medical school. We are so proud of her!

Manga Dork is the next one in our family to graduate. That makes me throw up in my mouth a little! I don't even want to think about it!

The Greatest Little Show On Earth!

The Kelly Miller Circus came to our little town. I went down to the ticket booth early the morning of the show to pick up discount tickets. They were discounted from $15 to $10 plus I had coupons for free tickets for the 2 littles. I ended up buying the upgrade to VIP ringside seats{$2 per ticket}. So instead of sitting on bleachers for 2 hours we got patio chairs so close to the ring we could have touched the animals running around it!

The ringmaster started the show!

There were camels who twisted and turned and bowed...

and little ponies and dogs who jumped and posed.

During intermission the 3 girls rode an elephant...

and got their faces painted. Well, not Manga Dork.

It was fun watching and experiencing this through the kids. My FIL and MIL joined us.

The clowns made us giggle...

and the elephants took our breath away because they were so close.

We felt every flame from the fire eating crazy guys.

I didn't even show you the other clowns, tigers, jugglers, dancers, cowboys with lassos, acrobats, tumblers...

If they come to your town be sure to take time to go. It is the most fun I have had in a long time.