Charlotte's Garden

Wish blogger worked on my stupid blogger app

2011-09-13T18:28:00.000-07:00

What is wrong with the stupid google app for blogger.Its lame or im not technologically advanced enough to make it work. Why can the facebook app work so well when gacebook is a trillion times more complicared.I cant see what the crap I am ayyempting to type on my phone.ahhhhhhhhhh forget it. This is why noome does this anymore,and I liked it.aEdPt?

Humble Pie

2010-04-18T18:24:00.000-07:00

Humble pie is maybe a good thing sometimes. Balance where its needed in you r life. Every now and then something happens and you just have to eat a slice. But lately Ivee noticed that if you eat enough of it it starts to smell like skunk and leaves a bad taste in your mouth. Lifes lessons learned.

A TREAT FOR ME

2009-07-30T15:12:00.000-07:00

Ive been working long hours this week. Last night I got home at 1 in the morning(left at 5 30 am) so today when I had off, well after I met with a landscape customer at 9, I decided to treat myself to a fun day with the kids. I went to lunch with Wendee and her kids and then we took the kids to see Ice Age Dawn of The Dinosours. I fell asleep during the movie but the boys liked it and I got a nap so what more can you ask out of life really.

The sky outside of walmart the other day.

2009-07-28T17:35:00.001-07:00

thought it was worth lookin at again

The End of the Rainbow...

2009-07-28T17:28:00.001-07:00

We were Driving home from work today when Paula and I sarted taking pictures of the rainbow. Well we fot to the light at the end of hood and St AUgustine and there it was the end of the freaking rainbow. Pretty neat actually, ive never seen the end of the rainbow but when we sarted to drive off at the light the rainbows end went right into the car. Who knew the end of the rainbow was a light blue Kia not a pot of gold. The rainbow stayed at the car till we turned off into her subdivision it was pretty neat. The picture just doesnt do it justice.

Kitties in the cupboard

2009-07-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

Ok so I dont love the idea of the kittens sitting onmy dishes, but I had to admit it was cute whenthe cabinets were left open and all of the kittens were curled up in a bowl.

UF Butterfly gardens

2009-07-02T17:48:00.000-07:00

John and I took the kids to the butterfly garden at UF a few months ago , we really loved it. It was so pretty, just a mad house of plants and a gorgeous water pond and waterfalls....

Lizzys crazy hair....

2009-07-02T17:18:00.000-07:00

Seeing kids growing and changing into adults is sometimes a scary thing for me. Letting them have the freedom to express themselves and who they are becoming without doing any permanent psychological damage with the words that are coming out of my mouth seems to be a challenge I never envisioned I would fail at so often. Im so glad that the teenage years only last a little while, they are only a season, and Im sure that one day I will look back and miss them, just not today.
So maybe its hard for me to watch someone I love struggle with lifes choices, hurt with thier defeats and heartaches, shut my mouth and say not that I told you so buy that... I LOVE YOU, EVERYTHING ABOUT YOU, WHO YOU HAVE BEEN, WHO YOU ARE, AND WHO I SEE YOU BECOMING, AND I ALWAYS WILL. Im human, I make mistakes, I sometimes hurt when I want to help, I sometimes judge when I want to accept, I dont always agree with your decisions and instead of offer my own opinions instead of support, I sometimes let my fear of the future rule my actions today, sometimes Im intolerant of failures and ridicule instead of offering encouragement that you are so much more .... Sometimes I wonder when its all said and done if I told you enough...I WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOU, I AM ALWAYS PROUD OF YOU, YOU ARE AN EXCEPTIONAL BEING, DONT LET LIFES PROBLEMS LET YOU FEEL OTHERWISE.
Im so glad that you are feeling better lately, that your smile is ear to ear with your teeth showing does my heart good. I saw a rock thing at my customers house the other day that had a saying carved on it that I really liked. It said " Life is not about waiting out the storms, but learning to dance in the rain"

2009-07-02T17:16:00.000-07:00

Trip to the beach

2009-05-25T17:17:00.000-07:00

My Friend Paula and I took all our kids to the beach today for Memorial Day. We decided to take off of work and do something fun for a change. I cannot believe I got a sun burn! Yghh I put on sunscreen but maybe not the best of waterproof! Anyway, the kids all had a good time, and it was a nice relaxing day. For the most part anyway, Tyler did decide to try to tackle me, ha he has no idea, he may as well be trying to knock over a brick wall, I have to wigh almost twice as muchas him. Ok so he got me twice, but that was out of like 100!

Mothers day

2009-05-19T03:04:00.000-07:00

We spent the weekend at Hammock Beach in palm coast with Mom.
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Parror flower

2009-05-18T10:08:00.001-07:00

Just got this photo sent to me by a friend. Its the coolest flower, some
type of impatien that looks like a little parrot
--
Sent from my T-Mobile Sidekick®

Hunter and Tylers birthday party pictures

2008-11-02T16:46:00.000-08:00

The Boys birthdays were alot of fun but Im not gonna lie I am thinking thery are getting old to fast! I wince every time I see teenage boys with thier parents and they are just as big as them. I know its in the near future and i am looking forward to watching them grow buty what in the world hapenned to my babies? I thnk Johns back is going to give out everytime Hunter runs up and jumps on him when hes glad to see him home from work. And dont even get me started on Ty the kid is turning into a miniature linebacker.
Tyler had his party with some friends, his sisters and Colson and Maddison at the skating rink in Mandarin. And Hunter had his party with friends at my Moms house. They had a lot of fun, Ive really got to start bringing my for real camera, this stupid "sidekick" phone takes the worst pictures if your just even slightly moving. I prefer my Nikon on the Idiot setting. But I put the ones that were slightly okay from the camera phone up anyway. (Just dont laugh)
Happy 12th birthday Hunter!!!
Happy 11th birthday Tyler!!!
I love you guys so much and I am so proud of the little men you are quickly becomming!

Cindy with the boys at the pool

2008-11-02T16:37:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday John!

2008-11-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would tell the world I love you! Happy 35th birthday OLD MAN. Your a great husband and a great father and I love you more every day. You are truly a gift wrapped and packaged exactly for me and I couldnt have asked for more if I had custom made you myself! On the more serious side....when Im not busy contemplating homicide Im thinking how great you are! I look forward to many more years of watching your wrinkles deepen and your belly enlarge. Just think of it this way hun youve got all of your hair, even if it seems to be spreading! You know you love me!

The Royal Floridian in Ormand Beach

2008-10-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

Ibwent with my Mom down to Ormond beach to visit with My Aunt Martha and Uncle Bob. We took the boys and my Nanny (Moms Mother) came with us. Cindy met up with us last night. I tried poasting this from my cellphone so I could put up some of the pictures I took on my phone but its not giving me that option so Ill probably never get around to putting the pictures up. But we had a good time the boys played a put put golf tournament and swam in the pools. Wich is all stuff we could have done at home but I suppose its just more fun oceanside!

These are for you Wendeeda!

2008-09-03T18:21:00.000-07:00

Grace and Bella when she was just born

2008-07-10T17:32:00.000-07:00

Finally a picture! This is a photo that Melissa sent me over the internet after the baby was born. The two sisters! So cute!

Tyler and Bella

2008-07-10T17:30:00.000-07:00

Hunter and Bella

2008-07-10T17:29:00.000-07:00

Isabella

2008-07-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

A visit from the new baby sister

2008-07-08T10:12:00.000-07:00

Hunter and Tyler have a new baby sister! Her name is Isabella Mercy Dugger. Jason and Malissa are the proud parents and I thank God for that! Now if we add sisters to the family that is the way to do it! No pain and lots of gain(for me)Sorry Melissa, you had to do all the hard work we just get to enjoy the baby and give her back to you when she starts to scream! Anyway she reminds me of Hunter when he was a baby and I didnt put that together until I was taking a pciture of them together. But who know kids change so much!

ROBBED AGAIN (the tale of the book thief)

2008-07-08T09:03:00.001-07:00

I usually dont mind Huners reading habits, usually. He is probably the only child on the planet that gets put on restriction from reading. That in and of itself should tell you something. Anyway, we are spending a week in South Ponte Vedra Beach with Mom. I of course have brought a few books to read. So the first day I settle on th last dan Brown book I havent read. (Deception Point) I read enought to get intersted in the story, wich actually doesnt take much, he is good at hooking you with intersting facts from the getgo. When Huner finished his Warriors book and caually picked up Deception Point that was laying around while I got some dinner going. Needless to say when I got back to my book it was MIA. Hunter was happily reading it in my place. So I smiled at my adorable dork of a child and went to pick ut another one. I settled on a Frank Peretti book I havent read called The Oath. The next day the same scenario repeated itself except this time Johnny was sitting in my chair reading my book when I sat down after dinner! Since Johnny rarely reads anything but the comics or the news paper, I had no choice but to concede. But this is getting a bit ridiculous. The next time someone in my family asks me about a book im reading before Im done Im not syaing anything at all about the plot! No interesting tidbits about whats happening coming from these lips! Well at least Im hiding my book when I cook dinner! Maybe Ill leave a decoy out that they think im reading and tell them a little bit about the plot to that one and leave off at a really interesting part. hmm trickery for the book thieves. ( by the way just for future reference, Hunter you finished the 700 + page Deception Pointe in less than two days, and read a Star Wars book Johnny bought for you Darth vader something and another Warriors book inbetween the two. (witch is usually not your style you read so quickly its not a problem for you to finish a book when you start it without starting something else but you were totally thrilled with the star wars book and the warriors book you have been waiting for Ty to finish so you can read it for a few days.)And stop correcting my typing and spellin errers and laughing at me. Thats not funny! just kidding. Love you Hunter!

No phone again

2008-06-24T17:10:00.000-07:00

Setting: three quarter moon over lake Santa Fe. 10 or 11 at night
Problem: Dad was lost trying to get the boat back to the dock and didnt know where he was going. (Santa Fe is HUGE)
Solution: John (Knox not my John) and I decide it would be brilliant to get the jet ski out on the lake with a flash light and just go out and find him, after all we know how to get back to the dock right.
Drama: I go out alone unsucsessfully to many baots on the lake even that late at night and Im totally freaked out about being on that thing by myself at night. So I go back and make Steve come with me Ill hold the flashlight whl he drives.
Steve shine the light over there taht boats coming right at us.
Me: You still on the phone with him? Ill flash the light at that boat ask him if he sees us
Steve: ya thats him he sees us
Me: Ok lets go. ( I take the flashlight and switch it to my other hand as Steve turns the jet ski around. Elbows colide)
Steve: Oh I dropped my phone (as he prepares to jump in after it)
Me: Oh its ok that was my phone its waterproof.
Steve: (slight hesitation at the comment as we both watch it sinking , a perfect picture of my screen saver the cute little faces of Hunter Ty and Noah staring back at us as the phone sinks deeper turning into just a blue light then nothing.)
Me: Hmm guess it wasnt sink proof huh?
Steve: you know I probably would have went in after it till you sadi that then I stopped to think for a second and it was too late.

WHAT WAS I THINKING? If there ever were a time that my IQ score was seriously questionable it was then. Anyway Im glad my husband loves me he wasnt even the slightest bit mad at my phone fiasco. Whwn qw got back in the house I called him to tell him we found Dad and told him about the phone he just said "its Ok babe I got insurance this time. You know youve cost me over 1200 dollars this year in phones." Now that is love, eight years and he gladly spends a small fortune to hear my voice. That is why I still love your grump self John, couse under it all your a big softy and you love me like noone else ever has. Happy anniversary by the way.

Hey Wendee

2008-06-24T17:01:00.000-07:00

Glad you finaly got ahold of me sorry it was a pain in the rear! Ive beeen MIA on the phone for two weeks now. First off I cut the home line( i really just use it for work to fax stuff etc, but still) then Johnny had my 759 number switched to Verison so Id get better service out here in Keystone Heights and it took them a week to port the number over. So really unless I went into town or walked out front in the middle of the yard I had no phone. Then like 3 days after my phone started working i went to the lake on vacatin with the family and I dropped, well technically Steve dropped my brand new cell phone in Lake Santa Fe. Wich is really kinda funny couse Johnny is sick of me ruining cell phones by getting them wet when im at work. So he gets me a waterproof one and Steve and I wath it sink to the bottom of the lake glowing all the way down! It was pitch black at the time and we were on the Jet ski or id have been in the lake after it! But not at night! Anyway, you can get me easy now I PROMISE! Hope you have a good move! :) I know how much your looking forward to it.

Not alot of pictures

2008-02-05T11:02:00.000-08:00

I really took alot more video than pictures. ( I had just got a new video camera) maybe ill learn how to post some of those on here maybe not. Mostly they are of the kids at the beach, snorkeling a rose island, teh underwater life at Atlantis witch you would have to see to believe, they take their aquairiums seriously! Jelly fish, huge manta rays, underwater recreated ruins of atlantis, tons of fish and 6 species of sharks. Its mind bogling. Then there is the beautiful oceans surrounding everything and teh pools at atlantis with water falls everywhere and water slides hidden at every turn. The kids really loved it.

Hunter and his shell

2008-02-05T11:01:00.000-08:00

Ocean view from the city

2008-02-05T11:00:00.000-08:00

my obsession with the native landscape

2008-02-05T10:58:00.000-08:00

2008-02-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

2008-02-05T10:56:00.000-08:00

The Queens Staircase

2008-02-05T10:54:00.000-08:00

The garden I forgot the name of but so Loved

2008-02-05T10:50:00.000-08:00

Dinner at the marina in Johnny Rockets

2008-02-05T10:49:00.000-08:00

Lunch uner the dome at Predator lagoon

2008-02-05T10:45:00.000-08:00

Atlatis view from the marina

2008-02-05T10:43:00.000-08:00

Htel Atlantis from atlantis beach view

2008-02-05T10:42:00.000-08:00

hotel "Miamis"

2008-01-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

This is the boys at the hotel in Miami. I loved it it was near the airport and had an unbelievable atrium with a huge coy pond and a stream with a waterfall and two bridges not to mention gorgeous pools and palm trees. The boys didnt want to leave it to get to the Bahamas! Noah kept calling Miami "Miamies" and he loved the hotel!

Paradise Island

2007-10-29T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well, we all made it back in one piece. The boys and I tooka trip to Atlantis, paradise Island in the bahamas. We really had a good time. We went with my Mom and Cindy. We played on the water slides and by the pools, took a trip via taxi cab around seeing some houses and historical sites and een went on a boat to Rose Island for some snorkeling. We did that the last day we were there and Ill have to say I loved it! I tookHunter and Tyler out in this shallow reaf area and we saw alot of cool fish and pretty coral. I think if we had gone snorkeling earlier on the trip the kids would have wanted to spend more time in the ocean at different places, but it took us all week to get upthe courage! The nets tehy put up at all the beach sits get you scared of what they are trying to protect you from. Anyway.. I will put up some pictures when I can find my download cord, lost it, wouldnt ya know!

I love farfugium dont you?

2007-10-13T17:30:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth id getting on to me about never posting on my blog anymore so I thought I would talk about plants. Since I know thats her FAVORITE subject! HA Got ya Lizzy. Anyway, this is my "crested leapord" farfugium basically looks like an overgrown clumping spotted dollarweed and I love them. I never even bother to fertilize them and they just sit there in the yard taking up space like they are supposed to.Behind them is a "monstera" philadendron that I thought would die this winter but decided to put it out of its misery from house plant hell. (my living room) but it overwintered fine and is growing big beautiful leaves outside, maybe I should have found out how big they get before I planted it seeing that its name is MONSTERA....hmmm sounds to much like monster.... Then in front of it is my variegated Mondo grass. Love it, pretty little stuff. Gosh I love my gardens, even the overgrown weed areas. HE HE HE ! Ya, I have them I just never post any pictures of that! maybe that will be next! the crabgrass thats taking over the african Iris bythe pool! Fun fun fun. Ok Lizzy, Im done now, hope you enjoyed the new PLANT BLOG. Somebody has to. Love ya BYE

2007-09-25T17:38:00.000-07:00

Here you go Lizzy a new post. I finally got this thing to work. The end.

2007-01-18T14:06:00.000-08:00

This is the newest addition to our family. If I had known it was a terrorist Id have left her right where she was. She is a shitsue mixed with an...oh I forgot but they are ugly little dogs with long noses and long skinny bodies. Shes about full grown now and really isn,t much bigger than Ahleys water bowls but the headaches she gives me are another story. She barks ALL THE TIME! Its one of htose little annoying yipe kind of barks that makes you want to throw thing at her. She has to stay on a chian every time we take her outside becouse her brain is missing. Well OK its not missing but I sware it doesnt function properly. The huge holes in the yard next to her are not from her digging. digging I can understand, its a dog thing I get it. But these holes arent from digging, I can tolerate a dog digging holes to sit in, the earth is cooler and its pretty hot in Florida so they dig a hole and sit in it, its quite a logical thing to do,Ashley does it all the time,I dont like it but ive learned to live with it, I just leave her favorite hole digging spots plant free. But this dog is not actually digging holes, see she is on a little red chain and the chain stops where the holes are, whe tries to get farther than the chain will let her go, she pulls against the cahin till only her back feet are on the ground and shes jumping against the chain as it pulls around her neck pulling her front feet of the ground. Im gonna put a ballerina skiert on her and video tape it. Its her get me off this chain dance.

2007-01-18T13:59:00.000-08:00

I transplanted about 6 primrose from the front yard a few months ago when I put in some variegated dianella in where they were. I thought htey would probably bite the dust but they seem to be alot tougher than I had anticipated. The pink one is my favorite.(they were from a mixed color tray)I guess they think its spring as well.

2007-01-18T13:55:00.000-08:00

Sighns of spring. My dwarf powder puff in the backyard has been blooming for weeks now. It blooms in the spring and again in the fall here and there wasnt much of a break this year between the two I guess.

2007-01-18T13:45:00.000-08:00

FINALLY! I have actually planted these tricolor sage almost every year for at least the last 6 years. I cant help it I love the coloring. And every time they look like crap till they are dead. (usually from the rain at one point or another) So this time I planted them in pots so they couldnt possibly drown, so far they are doing great wich I must say is a bit of a suprise but Im happy with them. I almost ley them stay in theyre own pots (as you can see with the one I left in the smal container it came in on the right) I just felt like planting them would be ensuring that it would soon be needing a funeral procession. SO... I planted two in one pot together and left one to try again later when those died. WHO KNEW? Well, they have onlybeen in for a few months but they are actually growing!

2007-01-18T13:41:00.000-08:00

I just cleaned the stupid porch last weekend and its only Friday.4 kids and two dogs and a dirty landscaper husband seem to make it impossible for me to keep anything clean.

2007-01-18T13:34:00.000-08:00

My favorite Pentas have been in bloom since the day I put them in over a year ago. You cant beat that. They are about 3 ft tall nowand 4-5 ft wide with the two of them planted about 18 inches from each other. I dont know why more people dont plant them. They take full sun or partial shade and bloom there but off all year. If you have a hard frost they get bit back some but recover quickly in the spring and last for years without needing to replant. Anyway, this is a variegated strain of the classic garden Penta, the old fashion one that grows tall does MUCH better long term in the garden than newer shorter hybrids, and Ive been told by the butterfly garden in Gainsville that they have alot of nectar in them but the newer hybrids do not. Whats not to love?

Everyday life with guns

2007-01-11T03:25:00.000-08:00

We got the movie Mr and Mrs Smith from my brother for Chritmas. It was actually a pretty good movie. John and I had never seen it but always thought we wanted to. We laughed when we saw it, are you trying to tell us something? All I knew is it was about two married people who are trying to kill each other. Steve was suprised we hadn't seen the movie yet and said it was pretty good we would like it. John said it sounded like everyday life, with guns.

The nativity

2007-01-11T03:00:00.000-08:00

This is a not so great a picture of the nativity scene John and I built for my Mom and Dad for Christmas Mom has been looking for a nativity for my Dad for two years now and when I asked her how it was going she said she found one she liked at Kirkland but she said she didn't know what it was made of so and thought it would have to be under something for it not to get ruint by our nice Florida rains when its 80 degrees on Christmas day. My Dad told her he didn't have time to build anything for it so she didn't get it. So I went by to look at it with Johnny to see if we could build him something to put it in. He decided to just by the thing and build something so we did. It ended up pretty nice I guess. I looked at nativity scenes on the internet and I saw a barn thing I liked so we just sort of imitated it. We went over to my parents house on a Sunday evening when they were at church and set it up and ran a light to it. The next day my Dad told John he really appreciated it. Johnny told him "You should appreciate it, we worked on that thing together!" My Dad knew immediately what that implied and thought it was funny. Pretty funny huh? Yah I am difficult to say the least. But its ok, you can laugh, I don't mind, because Johnny still owes me 200 bucks because he bet me that what I had showed him I wanted to build on the internet was different than what I showed him. When he started to draw out what he was going to build and I said test wasn't how I wanted it he got irritated and said that that was what I showed him I wanted to build. ( yea as if I don't know what I wanted ) Having saved the page on the laptop and knowing (as usual) that I was right I didn't argue I just very kindly made him a 200 dollar bet then proceeded to show him the picture again! I love being right, especially when it increases the weight of my wallet.

2007-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

I tend to make anything I am involved with to personal I guess. Its not really all thats left of me. Not even close. But still, that was the thought as I looked out across the empty 10 acres where I had spent so much of the last 10 years. Nothing left to speak of, nothing left of all my hard work. Within a year, you will never be able to tell that I was there, when you drive by all you will see will be houses. I cannot personally wait for that day to come. I think it must be easier to look at someting other than this giant empty space. It was dishartening to me. I looked around for a minute. Then decided to take the arbour Mr. Carl had made for me at the end of the walkway. It was to big to fit in my van and I didnt want to ask Johnny to get it for me. He would just tell me he would build me another one. So I took the cowbell at the end of the wlkway that Mr. James had given me. Well technically I suppose he gave it to the nursery. He asked me if I wanted it and I said yes. We used to ring it when we needed his help, or his lunch was ready. I didnt really care whose it was I knew if it was left there my dad and his morons he has working there would ruin it. I was right the next day the arbour was torn up. Not taken anywhere, just torn up for no good reason. Then I looked around in the spots where I knew they would have left behind or thrown away perfectly good plants becouse they were dormant, theres nobody out there anywmore smart enough to know the difference. So as I thought they had expensive gingers laying tossed around. I picked them up and put them in my van. Then I went to the back area and found some more perfectly good stuff in tha garbage pile and got those for my garden. There was alot more thay had left but I really didnt have anyplace to put them so I left them. Then I decided to take some pictures of it, although the pictures just dont show the vast emtiness that existed. Im no photographer, thats for sure. Then I just left. My father was there, he even passed me a fews times, he never said anything to me. Wich is pretty typical lately so I didnt push it I just went about doing what I wanted. There were lots of thought in my head, mostly first responses of depressing thoughts. I wondered had I wasted the last 8 years of my life? then I wondered what I could have dont to feed my children and give them a home at the age of 21 when I found myself a single mother of two babies. I was living with my parents at the time so I suppose I had teh option of doing whatever I wanted. Then all the should have's started. should have went back to school....should have.....Anyway I didnt. So then I wondered why it was so hard for me to leave that place all those years. What tied me to it? Still dont really know that one. I dont even like to get rid of an old car, I only got the van when I knew I wouldnt have to get rid of my Toyota and I dont even like the stupid thing. I just dont handle change well. So what did I get out of all that time? I think all teh knowledge in my head is pretty useless to me and by the time I get to a place in life where I can use it it will be outdated. Plants come in and out of style believe it or not. I still have the dream of a nursery, except this time it would have to be my own nursery. I think I have had enough 70 hour weeks building someone elses fortunes. See I was pretty stupid and I actually thought it was mine. I mean thats what I was being told and see, Im not so good at interpretting manipulating lies as evedent by my first marriage. Anyway thats a whold different subject. So it was natural to take it so personally, and to put so much of myself in it. My mom has the same dream. A small nursery that is very pretty on the outside and full of nice quality plants inside. Not millions of dollars. Not making a hundred thousand a year. Just a nice small nursery doing what you love and making enough money to put bread on the table, Ok maybe bread and chicken,and an occasional cheesecake. But certanly not stress central station. I had decided that my father and I were chasing different dreams. its notheing I hadnt known for a while I just continued to fight for mine and tried to ignore the rest. But you know eventually as I always do I just got tired of fighting and threw in the towel. I guess I am a my way or the highway person. Like when I threw all my husbands stuff on the front porch for him to come pick up after he called me at three thirty in the morning drunk as he was driving home so I wouldnt worry about him, (Idiot!)See, I was just done fighting. Its like I am so freaking stupid that I sit around and tolerate all sorts of crap thinking things are gonna get better, believing people that are telling me it will be better, and then one day it hits me that it never will and if I continue then I am choosing to go through it again. And all the sudden I am done. I see that pattern alot in my life and I am sure I will see it again. same thing with johns mom and realizing that no matter what I did it was not gonna help her get off Cocaine. And his sister, that no matter how many two hour talks I had with her to make a situation better. There was another one coming up the road. Most often about the same things. Like the fact that she was not dying, or that her brother did not resent her he is just an ass most of the time. Or that there were not really ghosts in the attick. Or that she really did have something wrong with her she was not just a selfish person as somehow she was made to feel. I am sure there are other times in life i have just abandoned ship, and I am sure there will be more ahead of me. Sometimes I think it makes crazy (mostly when people tell me I need help)but then I think its actually what keeps me uncrazy is wen something or someone is driving you crazy to get the hell outa there! See i call it self preservation. An my hair is always my guide, if it starts leaving then it time for me to go! HA thats funny. True but funny.

Gone

2007-01-08T01:20:00.000-08:00

Whats left of me.

Grandmas car

2007-01-08T01:17:00.000-08:00

Mr.Christmas

2006-12-27T15:57:00.000-08:00

hunter gives cindy a big hug

2006-12-27T15:55:00.000-08:00

Boo having fun on Christmas day

2006-12-27T15:53:00.000-08:00

A really great christmas at Mom and Dads

2006-12-27T15:35:00.000-08:00

Christmas at Mom and Dads is always alot of fun. This year it was such nice weather A9after it stopped raining) that we spent most of the day outside playing on the new Motorcylces 4 wheelers bicycles etc. Mom also had sort of an open house and invited everyone from the Nursery to stop by, Dad gave them all a Christmas bonus so there were lots of people in and out throughout the day. Steve also had a few of his friends over with their kids on Christmas eve and we all wnt over to Moms to let them play on their new toys. On Christmas a few came as well so the kids had a really great time with lots of people to enjoy it with.

An early Christmas

2006-12-27T15:27:00.000-08:00

We decided to have Christmas at home a week early so we would have plenty of time to relax and enjoy it. It worked out pretty nicely and the kids got more time at home from school where they could play with their gifts. We have alt of families to celebrate Christmas with so we are always busy t Christmas time, and sometimes its a little overwhelming for the kids and they end up not on their best behavior so this was a nice solution for us.

Eye on the yellow belts

2006-12-16T18:49:00.000-08:00

Hunter recieved an award at testing for most improved. Sports dont come so easily to him, so it was no suprise when Tai kwon do was not any different. His mind constantly wonders off in a thousand directions and staying focused or your keeping his attentionon focused on you only seems to occur when you happen to be the words on a book, cereal box,shampoo bottle,sign post, instruction manual, magazine, detergent box(do you see where I am going here ANY WRITTEN WORD...ANYWHERE) other than that it appears as if he doesnt actually know you exist much less that you are attemting to teach him something! Luckily for his school teachers they dont atually have to TEACH him anything, he pretty much just gets it. Physical actions, however, elude his capability often enough to frustrate the poor kid to death. Anyway...
We got the testing letter in the mail and I couldny help but say out loud that i wonder if it was a mistake thet both there names were on it. But when they ha sent two forms to fill in. Hunter and I both new we were in alot of trouble. They went to there Dads that weekend so we lost that time to practice and when they got there homework done on Monday afternoon and I got out the book to see what they had to know and what they could do I realized that neither one of them knew their pattern. So we started out the 19 steps of "Chon 'Ji" 2 at a time. We went threw the first two steps and then repeated them 10 times before adding the next two , then repeating from the beginning 10 times and adding 2 and repeating 10 times etc. to say the lest it was time consuming and bu the time we got to about step 8 it was time for dinner. After dinner I started working with Tyler by himself, he was growing increasingly frustrated at that pace as he seemed to know each move by the 4th repition pretty well. So we went threw all 19 steps repeating each a few times as we went and learned 4 at a time instead of two. He worked really hard and by about 8: oo he knew them but was really exhausted so we didnt practice anymore. At that point I made Hunter start again and we really still worked another hour on just steps one threw 8 then started working on his stances becouse they were totally incorrect and even I knew it and I am no Karate master! Tyler had fell asleep on the couch almost instntly and Hunter was yawning more than listening by 9 so I sent them to bed and asured Hunter that we would learn the rest the next day. The next afternoon after they finished their homework, and we began practicing again I asked how theyfelt about the previous nights grueling session and Hunter said " I did go to sleep alot faster than normal" I thought it ws funny, I have never seen Hunter work so hard at anything. Poor babys were exhausted! To make a very long story short we practiced every oportunity they had. In the morning before school, after school, before class, after class. Tyler did about 5 repititions of everything each time and Hunter did 20. He had to have done hte complete Chon Ji well over 100 times and I ws beginning to think that he was just not going to go easily from one move to the next, and they were gonna think he didnt know it becouse he took so long on each transition as everything about what he was siuposed to do and how his feet were supposed to go and ho his hands were supposed to be positioned went threw his head each time he moved. When he did it with the class on Thursday agternoon he was so behind everyone elses movements. So when we went home we worked on speed and focusing on where the target or oponent was next and faster transitions. We were both getting frustrated and so we talked about the pattern a while and what you were doing in it and tried again and that helped, he began to mov faster and with more confidence. FINALLY. Then we got to looking at all the kicks they had to know and the step sparring, so we practiced those as well as we could. He really needed another weeks time with them or maybe a month. But Tyler helped him a best he could ( I couldnt help him with those they arent laid out step by step in the manual like the pattern is) Then I spent all of Friday trying to prepare him mentally that the world wouldnt fall in on him if he didnt pass his yellow belt testing and went over with him at least 10 times not to get ypset and go rnning out of the room, but to know that he worked as hard as he could and if he didnt make it we would work hard untill the next testing and do it again and he could get his belt then. Hunter is extremely emotional and he wanted that yellow belt pretty bad. I just knew it would kill him, the thought of it was killing me, I just kept remembering Mr. Khapour saying he would rather them learn disapointment in he dojo with him than somewhere else. Thankfully he had printed his book that tells you the patterns step by step so I could help him at home and he could read them or Hunter would have been outa luck. Well testing came and I was a nervous wreck, I just kept telling people to pray! The white belts went first and I was relieved to get it over with. Tyler did excellent, he worked hard and really nailed his moves and his forms and got good marks and a great review. I saw Mr. Khapour switch judjing forms and wondered if he had taken Hunters himslf ( I was right the reason I let them join this DoJO after they hated the last one is this guy seemed to not be bothered by Hunter, I know that sounds strange but Tyler is a coaches dream , I have to have heard it a hundred times in football, not the greatest talent on the field but he does exactly what he's told and really works hard to get it right, coaches love his attitude and his love of the game.he always puts 100 percent into it. Ill have to say I love that part about him to. Tyler you always make me proud of you! But Hunter is viewed a little diferently most of the time and my insinct is to keep him from sports, but Mr. Khapour seemed to think it was no problem like he had seen this kind of kid a hundred times before so it put me at ease, well... a little bit anyway. Hunter ended up almost eeping up exactly with the rest of the kids and doing his moves really quite well. Then they did the kicks and he struggled with them pretty badly,couldnt keep his balance with repeat kicks. He even fell over a few times but got right back up and kept trying. Anyway... He got an award for most improved at the beginning of the ceremony and in the photo you can see him counting the yellow belts on the table behind Mr. Khapour to see if he was going to get one! I thought it ws really cute that Mr. Khapour was trying to give him recognition for his efforts and the vast improvements he had made and he is lookin behind him trying to figre out if there is a yellow belt for all the white belts that tested sitting on the table! Thats my Hunter!

2006-12-16T18:34:00.000-08:00

Top photo: Garrett
Middle photo:Jason malissa and Grace
Bottom: Gavin

Tylers fierce kicking self...good job TY!

2006-12-16T18:26:00.000-08:00

This is Ty breaking his board. he nailed it on the first kick. I was so proud of him. I know it ha to be scary to get up there in front of all thse people and kick a board with all you've got and just pray it breaks! Tyler is so naturally shy, but he showed no hesitation and said he felt comfortable up there the whole time like he was in class. i am sure it helped having all his instructors up there with him. They also did the rest of the test in a line with all the other white belts so the kick was the only time they were up there alone. In this picture Ty has just broke his board and his foot is still coming down into the ready position. Way to go Ty, your a natural!

Hunter I am so proud of you!

2006-12-16T18:21:00.000-08:00

I dont know if the picture shows it very well but this is Hunter breaking his board during testing for his yellow belt. His leg is already in the return position so you cant tell but he just kicked it in two. His instructor is holding the pieces.

St Augustine Beach

2006-09-17T19:40:00.000-07:00

We went to meet my Mom and Dad at St. Augustine beach today. They were staying at a nice Hotel on the ocean ( my Moms favorite retreat) we went swimming for a while then played on the beach and went out to dinner at a really good place called Mango Mangoes or something like that. Anyway, the kids really enjoyed it and I must say so did I. Im not greatly fond of taking the kids out to dinner, but it was a relaxed atmosphere and they liked the food, Hunter had a book to read and Cindy and Zolee came and kept Tyler, Noah sat by my Mom and Lizzy wasnt there she is visiting her Mom today so really it wasn't bad at all. Im sure they were just glad to get a break, we have been working in the backyard laying sod and cleaning up this weekend. They all worked pretty hard so they deserved a bit of a break to.

Movie night

2006-09-15T21:30:00.000-07:00

Tonight Johnny and I took the boys to see the new baseball movie,Everybodys Hero or something like that. I had a really good time. (suprising seeing that I dont like baseball movies and I rarely dont regret taking the boys to the movies, you never know if Noah is going to decide to play musical chairs or not) It was really good. Both Johnny and I liked it alot, and the boys thought it was really good too, all three of them. And there was not anything even slightly inapropriate for children. Its gotten to where I distrust a PG animated movie. Anyway, thats a whole other can of worms. I didnt even want to go, but John really likes doing that stuff, so I went even though at the last minute I was still contemplating letting him just take them all, and I am glad I did. Noah sat through the whole thing without so much as a wiggle, and I actually enjoyed a baseball movie.

My face is killing me

2006-09-11T06:39:00.000-07:00

Not exactly what you might think, its more like the lack of my teeth are killing me.I had two teeth removed. One was pure neglect from the lack of going back to the dentist to get it capped when he told me 7 years ago that the filling might not hold and that I should get it capped, he thought my tooth would crack around the filling. The other one was becouse the cap the dentist put in at the time did not fit, I told him it did not fit and was too tight but he said I would get used to it and crammed it up in my mouth anyway. it has bothered me non stop ever since. i go around everywhere with dental floss just incase something gets stuck next to that tooth, the pressure it creates in my mouth literally drives me crazy. Anyway when the new dentist I went to did the exray on the tooth that crcked like the other dentist told me it would, he showd me what the problem was with my oversized cap, it was pushing on my last molar on that side and had made a bad place on the side of my tooth, becouse no matter how much I tried to cram dental floss up there it wasnt working! I told mim to go ahead and take it out I couldnt stand another cap in my mouth! And if the first one made my real tootth not fit properly how in the crap was a cap going to fit in there without continuing to drive me crazy? Anyway I had two teeth removed from the back of my mouth at the same time. I remember having all 4 wisdom teeth removed at th same time but I didnt remember thinking it was that bad so two couldnt really be a problem right? In reality its not that bad. Its not pain really its irritation, but the tooth that cracked around the filling seems to have a direct line to my eardrum,and its getting old to say the least. It feels like my gums are itchy and i want to bit down on something, but I cant. And taking pain medicine for itchy feeling gums doesnt make any sence. And the worst thing is I can feel a piece of tooth sticking up that I think the dentist must have missed. i know it sais that you may have teeth sards work their way up threw the gums duing healing and that if they bother you to come by and they an remove them, but it doesnt make sence to have a piece of toth sticking out of your gums that wont move or come out when there is a hue open hole in your gums! I know my lack of trust in dentists is what got me here in the first place but Ill have to say I am not biting this tooth shard theory.

2006-09-08T08:39:00.000-07:00

2006-09-08T08:31:00.000-07:00

2006-09-08T08:27:00.000-07:00

2006-09-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

The mist rising. A view form "the top of the falls" where we had dinner. ( my photo)

2006-09-08T08:17:00.000-07:00

Cindy and I at the edge of the Horseshoe falls.

The view...

2006-09-08T06:20:00.000-07:00

This was one of Zolees photos of the view from "The Top of the Falls" the restaurante where we ate dinner. As much as I loved the falls during the day, I am so glad we were still there that night.

My favorite part of the trip

2006-09-08T05:42:00.000-07:00

I could not believe how beautiful Niagara Falls was. It was by far the best thing I saw in new York. Zolee stood up on a bench to take this photo of Cindy and I from the bridge next to the tower that take you on the Maid of the Mist boat tour. At this pointe this is day 7 and I am really missing my kids. All I could think about everytime I saw something fantastic is how much one of them would enjoy it. I know Noah would love to be on that big boat, Hunter would love to be sitting at the base of a place he hass only read about in books ( he immediately started spouting how many bathtubs full of water were going over the edge per second when I called him to tell him where I was going) Tyler would have loved the hurricane deck at the cave tour we took that night, I could just see him standing there laughing as the wind and the water came at him full force. And Elizabeth would be following Cindy around staying exactly three inches away from her every step. Eventhough its like pulling teeth to get her to smile in a photo I know there would be a huge grin on her face were this her in front of the waterfall standing with Cindy.

Results shouls be coming in today... the outcome youve been waiting for is here

2006-08-24T17:53:00.000-07:00

No comment

Back in the garden

2006-08-24T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today I spent my first day in my garden in a very long time. I must say I am dripping with sweat and I have a sinus headache but somehow I still feel pretty good. My Mom came and picked up noah this morning for "Grammy Day" as he calls it. So I decided to do something I cant do while he is here. Its been really hot lately and he always wants to go back inside unless we are in the pool. The yard is a bit of a wreck and a few hours outside didn't put much of a dent in it other than add a few piles of garbage to throw into the compost bin. But still, I havent had even the slightest desire to work in the yard in a while. Its not really much like me but I havent been much like me latley so...it figures. maybe its the MonaVie! Maybe its purely guilt for letting it get so bad and ugly and then having other people work in it and not even care! ( I never let people weed my garden they dont know weeds from plants) maybe its the fact that my sister in law is out of my house! Maybe its the bannanna I had for breakfast! Who knows...but my garden appreciates it and it would tell me so if it could.

Life lessons

2006-08-18T05:31:00.000-07:00

Elizabeth is starting swim team today, I think. I am so excited. She is not a sports person in any way but she has gotten alot better at swimming lately. I offered her a 100 dollars to do the cross country team but I guess she figured since she cant run two laps around the track it probably isnt the best idea. I was just trying to get her a better grade in PE its her worst subject actually. She was considering it but then found out she could still sign up for swim team so...either way it will be good for her. I know she could do either one, its just like her grades, Ill never forget her grandmother getting mad at me for telling her she was not coming home with a C on her next report card, and that a C was not a good grade(I had never actually met anyone that thought a c was a good grade). She told me that a C was a good grade and that not everybody was capable of making A's and B's., some peoples best was a C ( the thought had never occured to me actually) And while that MAY be true, she would never get an A if you told her the best she could do was a C. It just doent happen that way. I really dont remember where all the talk about a C came from becouse she had a D or an F in Math and an F in P.E. Elizabeth cried and told me that was unfare balah blah blah.. I told her she better get her but studying. She did.... I think she has been on the A,B honor roll ever since. She was so suprised the first time she got all A,s and B,s. I remember her talling me a few years ago when we were talking about it that she didnt think she could get good grades. She really thought she wasnt able. I really wouldnt have been mad or anything if she had gotten a C or even a D in math and PE becouse I understood she struggled with those subjects, It was just my intention to see for myself what she was capable of. If she would have come home with a B in everything else but those subjects after I saw her studying every day I would not have punished her I would have told her that we would keep trying. But I wasnt gonna tell her that! She had to fear the worst! In the end I was so proud of her becouse she really did give it her everything and she was proud of herself, I think that was the best part, I could see her opinion of herself changing. By fifth grade her friends were calling her for help in Math! ....I know that a kid as skinny as her could learn to run around a track. I mean how hard can it be to carry all of that 90 pounds around? Swimming will help with her endurance. So I think that I will make it my next task to help her be able to run a mile. I have never been much of a runner myself and although I was capable of it in school I really hated it so I can sympathize with the girl. But she can do it, I know whe can, I just have to convinvince her!

2006-08-18T05:29:00.000-07:00

I lost three pounds last week and ate almost a whole cheesecake in the process. Life is good.

Time with my boys

2006-08-15T20:17:00.000-07:00

I h.ave spent the last three weeks on vacation with my boys. I think I have probably not spent this much time with them since well since Hunter was 2. Although I can not say I am not having trouble adjusting to being a full time Mom ( imagine that me having trouble with change, who would have thought) I really have enjoyed my time with my kids. Sometimes life is so busy you forget that they are so precious, your time with them so short. I am having to try to readjust my thinking, I am trying to learn to slow down and enjoy life as a Mom. Its harder than I remember, and alot busier than it seems.

Nasty Little critters

2006-06-17T00:35:00.000-07:00

I was so excited to see tomatoes on my little tomato vine forming about a month ago. It was an "Aunt Ginny's German Green" an hierloom seed I planted in a small pot last year . It somehow overwintered and I noticed it had survived but since I had never done anything other than notice that the seed had germinated and leave it alone to fend for itself, it barely did anything but look chlorotic last year. We moved to a new house over the winter and I put the pot with my other potted plants in the herb garden area and thought I would replant it with something new this year. Of course with my ADD gardening skills I did nothing but leave it sitting there. About a month ago I noticed it had begun to grow nicely all on its own ( probably rooted into the ground through the drainage hole to be honest) so I left it alone again seeing that it seemed to be ok with that arrangement. It had even formed 8 or 10 nice looking tomatoes that I was looking forward to tasting. I am always a sucker for hierloom tomatoes. They are all so different, they have a unique flavor and unique looking tomatoes. Just a world of different from what you get at the grocery store. Anyway...The drought finally broke here and we have gotten rain several times. I noticed that a few of the tomatoes looked ready to pick so I went to get them, but it was raining again. A few days latefr my mother in law was visiting and she was looking at my new garden inthe back yard to see what I had done with the new house. She happens to love eating ripe raw tomatoes as much as I did so I told her about ny little tomatoe that didnt die and took her to see it remembering it had tomatoes ripe for the taking a few days earlier. And I'm afraid that some nasty little slugs had decided that the tomatoes looked too good to resist as well! The rain had coused the tomatoes to swell and crack at the tops and there was a nasty slimy little slug on every good tomato nestled happily in the cracks! That was it, the deal was off, no more leaving the tomatoe plant to itself! From now on it was tomatoes as usual, constantly checking leaves and checking for little hornworms or anything else that likes to rob me of my tomatoes. Some people consider it "loving" and diligently "caring" for their tomatoes, I have even heard one author that thinks he has cofee with his tomatoe plants every morning for a checkup or just to chat with it, lant srespond well to affection you know. But my tomatoe relationship has never been quite so freindly, I am more like the tomatoe gaurd dog, a Rottwieler chained to the stake with a sign on the fence that sais I can get to the tomatoes in 6 seconds can you? Anyways at that point there was only one thing left to do...get rid of the tomatoes... oh I picked them alright and put them right into the rabbits cage! I dont even know if rabbits like tomateos and I really didnt care! I am not so good with slimy bugs, any bugs really, I quite hate them unless I happen to know they are good for your plants like worms or lady bugs or mantids or dragonflies, or if they don't really bother plants like milkweed bugs or raintree beetles, I don't even mind caterpillars as long as they turn into a butterfly not an ugly little moth. I have 4 children and my youngest is 3 so I don't use chemical insecticides. I manage to share my parsley with the butterflies and I even grow collard greens and cabbages for my rabbit. And so I loose a few leaves of my chard to some chewing little worm, I am not going to eat that stuff anyway I just think its pretty. And I admit I've never grown a stalk of corn that didn't have one of those stupid bugs in it at the top. I have only grown corn once just to see what it was like and I only did a few ears, no major loss. And most of my little baby blueberries go to the birds. I have never harvested the grapes on my vine. Mostly because its not really a grape I like so much, its one I had left over at the nursery one year and planted."Blanc du Boise" or being translated..."White grape of the woods" (its French thank you) Every year they ripen and the birds eat every last one of them. Well if I happen to notice they are ripe the kids eat a few. I grow dill every year and have never used it I don't even like it I just grow it because the butterflies do happen to like it, well they are supposed to but I must say I don't think I have ever noticed the dill being eaten by anything. I don't even like to trim it because I thingk its rather stinky putrid smelling. Some things I even grow specifically for things to eat, like sunflowers for the birds and catnip for the occaisonal stray, I don't have a cat anymore but I see them in my garden every now and again, I like them they kill rats and moles. Like most gardeners I consider my gardening self peaceful and in tune with nature, an honest love of the outdoors and th little critters that live there. (mostly a fairy tale we all have in our heads) Its all rathe rho hum really, whatever will be will be, untill it comes to my tomatoes... my tomatoes I DO NOT SHARE WITH WILDLIFE! Never have, and certainly never intended to. That is the last time I leave a tomato alone because I think it seems to "like that arrangement"! What was I thinking? Tomatoes need me to constantly fiddle with them, to obsessively check on them, they love me! I am their biggest fan, their loyal servant, their first line of defence againr the invading armies! I have NEVER had slugs all over my tomatoes! GROSS! In fact I have never had slugs on anything but my hostas. Maybe thats it, I have no hostas in this garden, I have always had easier targets for the slugs! Hmm maybe its the marigolds I always plant around my tomatoes. Probably not, just a thought. Maybe the people who lived here before had a slug farm. Maybe its because I thought the story in the last isssue of "Green Prints" (my favorite garden magazine) about the lady who went outside at night with a flashlight to pick and drown slugs in salty water was so funny till it got to the end and she had counted some ungodly number like 12000 slugs! It was mortifying! I thought it was crazy, how could there possibly be that mant slugs in one garden? Had to be fiction right? maybe a joke? Now I am terrified at knowing because I have never seen but 2 or three slugs tops even on my hostas, 10 or 20 in a beer trap. But 12000 uhhh, the thought of it is keeping me up at night!

My favorite new primative device

2006-06-16T06:53:00.000-07:00

I just looked out the window and realized I need to mow the lawn again. Somehow its always been my job, probably becouse I really dont mind it, in fact I come close to enjoying it. If it werent for the fact that I am constantly reminded of my need for anger managment therapy every time I face the on going fude between me and the lawnmower. I could just ask for help but you see I am a bit on the stubborn side. I rarely admit I need anyones help. I paint walls, put up crown moulding, use skill saws and table saws and tile cutters and replace sinks and tile floors and walls and counter tops, by myself. Surely I need no assistance with gardening, Im a professional nurserymen for crying out loud! So the battle begins as I attempt to crank the lawnmower. I spend at least 10 minutes out in the front yard pulling on a stupid string,checking to see if it has gas, then bent over the side looking at the little bubble your supposed to push "3 times" to make sure that there really is gas in that little bubble and trying to see if it actually gets pushed into somewhere else when you mash it or its just part of some manufacturers sense of humor frustrating wemen all across the globe. Somebody somewhere thinks it's really stinking funny when they drive by a house and see somebody on there knees bent over the lawnmower studying the little useless button, I just know it! Anyway after I mash the button repeatadly again while I watch to make sure it functions I pull on the string for 5 more minutes while the stupid thing refuses to crank. At that point I can literally feel my face beginning to turn red like they do in the cartoons before steam comes rising up and the whistle blows. And then the inevitable happens, I yell a really not nice 4 letter word loud enough for every body in the neighborhood to hear. Then I march to the front door and stick my head in, "JOHNYY, I NEED YOU!" And Johnny magically appears with a smile, knowing it eats away at me to say that, he just smiles and sais "cant start the lawn mower huh." Then he shakes his head and goes to get his shoes. Its the same routine every time, then he comes out the door looks at the lawn mower for a minute and talks to me like I'm the stupid one not the lawnmower.(the nerve) He reaches over and pulls the string and my eyes widen as it comes close to starting then shuts off...." Whew that was a close one, I just know it has to be the lawnmower this time not my inability to start a simple device. "Babe how many times did you push the button?"he sais "the first time only three!" thats my best defense, becouse by the time I finally give up, curse and go admit I need my husbands help I have probably mashed that thing 100 times. Then he expalains to me that your only supposed to push it three times and that he will have to wait a minute before cranking it. Then we spend the next few minutes while I despaerately try to explain that I already did the 3 time thing several times and pulled the string at least 10 times after each mashing of the little orange button and factoring in my time spent tugging on a string, examining the button, checking the gas and cursing, I wait much longer than two minutes between my button mashing attempts to start the lawnmower. He doesnt believe any of it becouse sure enough it cranks right up and blows black smoke everywhere on his next try.Then he sais now see Babe you flooded it. Then I not so nicely snatch the lawn mower and explain to him it was not my fault, I did not make all the black smoke, the lawnmower just hates me. Then I mow the lawn and he goes back inside, I dont even have to look anymore I know he stands there watching me for a minute then goes back into the house with that stupid grin on his face. "She needs me" But you see this year for my birthday I changed all that, my Dad gave me money for my birthday, so of course I went to Lowes to see what I could spend it on and there it was, my saving grace a nice new shiny lawnmower. Not just any lawn mower but a lawnmower that you dont have to crank. Could there e such a device and I had not known. They seriously wouldnt be selling this thing if it did not work? After all, when we moved into our house John removed all the St Augustine grass and we replaced it with Centipede. My lawn is not typical Florida 4 inch thick carpet of weeds you can't even walk threw, I have soft thin bladed grass, golf course looking grass. This must be what Northerners use that don't have crabgrass lawns. That thing was in my buggy being ran to the nearest checkout isle befor I knew what I was doing. I love that thing!

Its official I've had a breakdown

2006-06-15T18:27:00.000-07:00

Jason calls me today to find out why I haven't returned his phone calls. Am I mad at him or something? No then he happened to go by the nursery and learn I haven't been there and realizes that IM not mad at him I just don't answer my phone (whets new about that one I hate phones) And he sags to me, "I didn't know what was up (about me not calling him back) I thought maybe you'd had a breakdown or something....Then I talked to your Dad and realized you really had had a breakdown." A "BREAKDOWN" are you freakin kidding me. Ohh that's what this is....Im having a mental lapse in brain function. Well who new? I guess that's the impression he was given when talking to my family,a breakdown. That is interesting.

Tahts what you get when you look at old pictures at 2 oclock in the morning!

2006-06-15T06:45:00.000-07:00

Sorry about my little mental lapse there....I really was looking for pictures of the boys I took at the nursery when they were really little. My father seems to think I wasnt there for some reason. He has convenient memory loss when it suits him like most men I know. He really refuses to admit that I dont want to work anymore. Mostly becouse I really do love plants and I like wotking with them. But He just doesnt get that it was my nursery to me, not his nursery. I knew I couldnt work with him. I knew it would be trouble when he wasnt at work anymore after he retired. We do things very differently and its always been a fight to do the nursery the way I wanted to. It took me YEARS jsut to get the front of the nursery fixed where every customer didnt make a comment about how nasty the front of the nursery was and youd never know that this was so nice from the street blaha blah blah. Everything is a fight. having a toilet that flushes was a fight, every plant area was a fight,just getting the same plants in the same place, basic common sence retail and it was a fight! Flowers lost you money, he couldnt afford to pay people to clean mat areas....Everything is a fight, giving a customer composted cow manure instead of top soil when they ask repeatedly for cow manyure and repeatedly get top soil on their orders...A simple mater of ordering what your customer requests....a fight? Surely not... Yep. This list would be so long it would never publish if I kept typing. I just dont see how anyone could not see why I cant take it anymore!!!!

Hunter working hard at S & J

2006-06-10T01:00:00.000-07:00

My little nurseryman. This is Hunter puttingplants in rows on what we call mat 1. Its the first mat area of plants we had. Actually at this time it was about the only mat area we had!It didnt take Hunter long to figure out that all you do is take the plants and line them up in rows. If this picture was larger on the screen you would see that typical Hunter face with his eye brows squinted down as he was studying the plant. Its the same look he still gets on his face when he is reading about something he doesnt already know about!

2006-06-10T00:59:00.000-07:00

Hunter Pulling flowers into rows

2006-06-10T00:58:00.000-07:00

hUNTER ON HIS TRACTOR

2006-06-10T00:57:00.001-07:00

View from the back ...Ya Dad havent been working at the nursery for over 8 years hmm lets see Hunter is 9 (10 in a few months)and Tyler is 8. I actually remember cleaning mat 1 and Keith rode by and told Jason to get me some water and not let me work that hard, I was one month from having Tyler! DO THE MATH! Hmmm...Jason left us when Tyler had just turned 6 months old....so me and mom were out there now by ourselveswith the two babies! I have customers that still tell me they remember my tiny newborn babies out there under the tent! DO THE MATH! Both Hunter and Tyler stayed in a carrier under the tent! Whos walker was that with a 3 month old in it? Oh wait mine. Whos baby is in the back of the truck? Oh wait mine?$ 5 to answer the phone with the boys up there that was the original deal. I remember I decided to sell my house that we had when Jason left and live with you and mom becouse when I sat down to figure it out I could barely afford the Mortage payment much less food and electricity on my own. ( by the way my house payment was right at $400.00!)

2006-06-10T00:57:00.000-07:00

One of our attempts of what to do with the boys while we tried to work, My mom bought a sandbox turtle, you can see the playpen in the front right of the photo. Every once in a while I stll have a customer say you know I remember when you had your little babys in th play pen under the tent.....Both Hunter and Tyler had their share of that place. My Mom eventually couldnt take it anymore and quit, then she watched them at her house. But that was when Tyler was more like a year old.

2006-06-10T00:56:00.000-07:00

The office after a storm

2006-06-10T00:55:00.000-07:00

Hunter in the truck at the nursery with my dog rocky

2006-06-10T00:54:00.000-07:00

Tyler and me at my birthday dinner with Wendee and Cindy in Orlando

2006-06-10T00:53:00.000-07:00

Pictures tara made me when she watched the boys on Saturdays for me

2006-06-10T00:50:00.000-07:00

Kim fully recovered

2006-06-10T00:49:00.000-07:00

Kim at S & J.

2006-06-10T00:11:00.000-07:00

Kim and me sitting at the lake house my parents used to rent in the summer ....This is my before S & J picture of Kim!

06-06-06

2006-06-09T11:57:00.000-07:00

There is just not much need to explain, the title has impliactions. A day destined for bad things! This day will forever go down in history in the life of me as the day it all went to hell. And I didnt even care!

2006-03-22T17:19:00.000-08:00

Bouganvilla red flame

2006-03-22T17:18:00.000-08:00

My tea olives are still blooming

2006-03-22T17:16:00.000-08:00

Variegated Dianella

2006-03-22T17:15:00.000-08:00

My tropical Hibiscus tree blooming

2006-03-22T17:14:00.000-08:00

Butterfly photo I took at the Nursery a few weeks ago

2006-03-22T17:13:00.000-08:00

My tropical Hibiscus tree blooming!

2006-03-22T17:12:00.000-08:00

Tyler hard at work while we were playing!