Les bought me this Christmas Cactus 6 years ago when I worked at the Money Store, it blooms around Father's Day and near Christmas and is in bloom again! I have had more luck with it than any other plant ever and to think I asked him why in the world he bought me something I had to take care of because I never had grown much. Now I have a garden and several violets and another larger cactus. I never thought I would have that part of my Nanny in me, LOL!
Gina called, Charli is vomiting and her throat looks very bad, she thought about taking her to ER but hated to try and expose her to more, she is taking her in morning to doctor.
I went to Optimum Life today, will start pulmonary exercises next week and do 3 times a week.

I do feel better today! Yesterday I could barely walk by the end of the day! My left knee was hurting so badly and that is my good one.
I can watch butterflies from my window since I have my butterfly bushes out there, the zinnias are up front and attract them and hummingbirds, too. Great photo ops, just still a little too hot for me to breathe well out there, though.

Zinnias for Kar

I love the different varieties of Zinnias! I planted a circle and sectioned them out this year. We have had a lot of rain lately and they are growing crazy! I need to go out and take a new picture of them!






These are smaller varieties

This is ONE flower!

Very good day today, I volunteered to help set up the consignment sale the YMCA is having, that was fun. Lots of cute things for Charli! I plan on going back. Les got my front flower gardens tilled today, Charli doesn't like the noise so she sat with Jeff across the yard. Les sold his trailer today, we sure needed the money and that's one out of the yard!

"Take a picture, Meme!" Boy I have raised a little Poser, LOL! She put on her little gloves and we went outside while it was pretty and she 'gardened'.
Today is my last day as a teacher, Charli and I are going Friday and help set up the new class. I will still be doing things around the center like the bulletin board and photos but this is my last full day of work.

My cutie and my Christmas cactus

After my Grandmother saw my Christmas cactus she gave me hers this summer, I kept it outside all summer and brought it in when it started getting cool, it is really showing out! I will set my smaller one outside next year, too!
These are a couple of pictures of Charli Wednesday, she was acting silly so I didn't get any really good ones but she was cute with her little earrings!

After a poor start my Four-o'clocks have finally made it! I transplanted them when we moved last year and the boys kept cutting them down but here they are! I haven't seen them bloom yet but I will make a point to go look later this week. A friend from work gave me some yellow seeds and I will put them in a bucket of dirt for next spring. I read to put them with morning glories and I just may do that.

I am still going on Charli's stocking, will post a picture of how far I have gotten soon.

This is my 400th post! I have to say I am pretty proud of keeping a daily Blog even if I didn't have anything important going on! I had Charli for about an hour and a half and she worked on Tye's hair, played ball with my brother and checked out my new Butterfly Bushes. I got a white and purple to go with my yellow one and a Sedum, they are all going on the side with my bird feeding station.



I also got up early and got these as the morning sun was coming up. The best thing is I worked on Charli's stocking and am getting a lot done! It has been a very great relaxing day, I saw the Kids, my Mom, took pictures, cross stitched and got my Sunday School lesson ready, a Great day!

I call this post Attack of the tomatoes!We got a few tomato plants and when Les ran out of space he put 3 or 4 beside the steps. They looked sickly and I think 1 or 2 of them died but this monster has spilled out and I told Les I feel like it is going to grab my legs each time I come in the house! The others beside the garage are not staked up and growing out and about, don't ask me why because I don't eat tomatoes and that's Les' thing and there are green tomatoes all over! The ones beside the fence are doing well, too. The grape tomatoes have been beautiful and he added them to the coleslaw he made the last 3 times and it adds a nice touch.
I told him this won't happen next year! We don't need this many tomatoes! I do plan on canning some and making some tomato sauce though.
It was after 9:30 when I got home from WOM last night. Had a blast! Ate shrimp that Chip put on the grill and decided a project for our local children's home.

I am planning my garden for next year now. I want to get my beds laid out and planned. I have lots of Zinnia seeds and am going to do a FRIENDSHIP GARDEN so if you want swap seeds pleas let me know. Most of my lot is sunny.I have petunia seeds I got from work and a promise of Four o'clock seeds. The idea is not really mine but Debbie Phelps and I think it is awesome!
Jeremy and I finally talked last night. They did not save enough money to came home for a visit and for the next few months he has it real easy and is going to get some classes in. He wants to take up Photography. I am telling you he is so much like me that it is not funny. Dreams of having his own studio.
I won the Honorable Mention at My Life and Scraps so I can wear a badge at least, LOL!

Check out THIS site! She had some great ideas for gardeners, crafters and getting seeds. I am getting seeds from my Zinnias and now Petunias. This site really helped. Several ladies from work want some seeds and I have plenty.
Going to be busy today. Les is off and we are Cleaning... Fun, fun, LOL!

Connie Prince has a new kit coming out at Gotta Pixel and Elemental Scraps the first of the week for $2 and so I made these two pages. I was watching the VH1 100 greatest one hit wonders and the song inspired me to do the top page. The kit is called Life is a Picnic, very cute kit!
Les and I just got home, we went to the Faith Home and stopped by a yard sale where we got several flower pots for a quarter and fifty cents. I also got some glass pieces to make a project we plan on doing. I have really got him inspired to do some things together and he has a good start on the garage, he has started organizing his tools and found things he forgot he had, LOL!

We saw a great garden while we were out, they had a chair with a plant and used clay pots on the side with ivy growing over them. It was in the neighborhood my teen friend Pam lived in.

Greenwood is gearing up for the Festival of Discovery this week end!
These are some pictures from last year when Les and I met Tim and Leigh Ann there. We are going tonight because he has to work tomorrow night. I live so close to town I can almost smell the food from my front porch!
We worked in the yard for quite awhile and it will look nice for Saturday! Les's wheeling and dealing got us a Lawn Vac with a wood chipper and it is Great! After cutting, weeding and weed eating we just walk over the yard and everything is sucked up and can be used for mulch! SO COOL!
I haven't got as much as I would like gathered together for Saturday but the garage is Much better my yard looks great and maybe I will make a few $$$

We have been in the village a year now and I was thinking how much I have changed. If you would have told me 3 years ago I would be a Gardener I would have thought you were Crazy! After all I never had a green thumb, that was my Nanny and Grandmother's thing!
Now I am really into herbs and plan on having a great herb garden next year! Best yet it is something Le and I share! He helped me fix a table this morning, he and I went out and got a biscuit and got a couple of plants and some potting soil then came home and worked in the yard. I was looking for some garden art today and found this CD craft. Les said he would help make some type of sculptures. I think we will make some windchimes, too.

Here is my herb table!

This is the mint I brought from my old house

Dwarf purple basil

Spicy Globe basil

This is the violet I got from one of my students in February! It really looks wonderful!

I enjoy bird watching and spend a lot of time with Gina. I also stay out of temptation for the most part and avoid going to craft stores and Wal-Mart to save money, LOL! After all we had to give up our house with all of Les's medical bills and can barely make ends meet now so I do not need to get into more trouble. (This was hard to admit!) Les has stuck to his at least one Doctor visit a month and some months it has been twice. At least now he has no broken bones!
Now we spend a lot of time with friends and have a neat house, mostly, and have people over often! That is something I have never done! I always hated any one to come over but now we have people in and out all the time! My Mom comes over often, too!
Oh, and importantly I gave up my caffeine Pepsis! Even I did not think I could do that!
A year has gone by quickly and I miss a lot of things but I am a better person, for the most part, a happier one, any way!

I think I want to add some ornamental peppers to my garden next year, I really thought they looked nice, I would love to do large containers and mix my herbs.
If you know what this plant is please let me know, it was cool, looked like faces to Les and I.I am so looking forward to the week end! I have tomorrow off and I plan to enjoy myself! I plan on catching up on scrapping, June was pitiful, I made around 25 pages, that is very low for me!

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I was thinking yesterday, the year is now half over and I have posted everyday, sometimes twice a day, I am enjoying Blogging! The main thing is keeping up with what happens, just like Charli's new skill is climbing up and getting down off the sofa by herself and I have not had a 'real' Pepsi since June 8, the Doctor said to give up caffeine and all I have now is a cup of coffee to help settle my cough in the morning, and it is light and sweet, just like I drank when I was a kid, LOL!

Well I pray my class will be good today, they were not too bad yesterday, B came in pushing and had a little Swiping toys, I sure plan on their social skills improving! At 22- 27 months they should be playing better together!

Today is Les' Birthday, that's him on the right, it was tacky night and he was one of the adult winners, he won a Tack, LOL! Any excuse to wear holey jeans! You can tell they really had fun, I took this quick shot of him doing the puppet, it was crowded so I didn't get the best shot,


Now my zinnias are really showing out! I have some huge ones I will post later, they are over 3 foot tall, next year I need to leave out the small ones or put them somewhere else, they are towered over and not getting sun. I will be more organized in my planting, too.
Charli is having a great time and being a good girl, she loved the Coke Museum in Atlanta, she loves carbonated drinks and enjoyed them all. She also had a Ball at the hotel, Gina said.
Dumb me missed my eye appointment and had to reschedule, I have to look at my planner every week and I had in my mind Tuesday instead of Monday! Have to wait until July 9 now.

Good Morning!
I finally decided the pictures and have them ready to take to the festival today. Actually I developed 2 of Charli and will see which one of those is best and did the one of the bird at the beach and the water lily, I hope you will wish me luck!
I did find out what is going on at work and my 3 oldest will move up, I am trying to keep Hunter, though because he won't be he much the summer since his Mom is a teacher and I am afraid he will have trouble adjusting. He is the one I initially had trouble with but I learned how to be a better teacher for him and I do not want that to be messed up. I haven't met the new ones coming up, either, I do know one is another of Shirley's grand kids and hasn't been at the center long.
These are zinnias from my garden, I love the speckled ones, they came from seeds I bout at Jackson. I will try more next year, I think. Well I had better hurry because I want to stop by Walgreen's before work!

The rain has really helped my herbs, I love going to smell them! The only ones not doing as well are the pineapple mint and the lavender. Les has plenty of tomatoes so far and some cucumbers and we have already has a little squash, we did lose some to slugs. Have a couple of peppers, too.
I was very proud of Yochih yesterday! Not only did she not cry or cling to me she played with the other kids and spoke. She talks Japenese to her Mom but keeps that paci in her mouth and has patted and pointed up to now. I am waiting to see what kind of changes are made, we had a note that classes were being combined and one of the teachers said I would have to move to another class, I am praying she was wrong!