Photo Overload...But It's Okay

Look who is snuggling with Roxie and Rusty! It's Millie!! The first day and night of taking her from mom was a sad affair, but now she is a rock star!

Miss Daisy having some morning kibbles with a couple friends ready to pounce on anything she offers.

Really? 43*! I am so not ready for this. How much longer do think it will be before my hose freezes up and I have to haul water from the house?

Seven years ago we bought this house with the intentions of remodelling right away. Instead we provided Cody, Nick and Elijah with many years of competitive hockey travelling to places like Michigan, Minnesota, California, Arizona and Canada just to play a hockey game. The financial burden lay solely on my dear husband, Homer. That's like 30+ thousand a year. He worked his ass off to provide some wonderful memories for those boys. In the meantime our house was livable, but hasn't been dinner party status. We by no means are in any position to make it so, but at least I can get us closer. I spent the day packing up tote after tote of toys (if you save every toy bought for multiple children over 17 years that adds up to more than the toy store has in stock!). Our next move is to take out the garage doors and build a real wall. If you are going to have construction than you need to get everything out of the way!

I still have more to move and pack and throw away, but I sure got a lot done and still was an awesome Mommy (if I say so myself; and I did).

Now you are going to get major flower overload. Fall is here. Winter is fast approaching. Realistically, everything could be under snow in as little as one month or as long as two. I have some of the more sensitive stuff already biting the dust. If anyone out there needs a bouquet for a loved one come and pick it because these are dying fast. And Patty, Sara, Heidi, Andee, Suzi...all of you...you should stop by before it is all dead. It is already looking worse than a few weeks ago. Not many more days left....

My asters finally started to bloom just in time to freeze. I love these and will do them again. Such a big and strong flower.

Do you see those Johnny Jump-Ups coming up in the petunias? Those things are growing all on their own everywhere!

The painted daisies are a beautiful flower, but they grew about 3 feet tall and needed some kind of staking. At this point I'm just going to cut them for vases. The second shot is my French Vanilla Marigolds. Maybe in a sunny year they are impressive, but I don't care for them this year.

Good Lord doesn't anyone weed around here? The grass is growing everywhere and it makes me nuts. This is also my first year growing zinnias and I like them. Another very strong flower.

I finally have a few glads blooming, but most won't. Just not a warm enough year. And more petunias gone wild. I didn't plant those. The seeds wintered over and are a smaller version of the original plant.

No sun. The poor Livingstone daisies won't even open.

Another rogue petunia. NO Sarah Palin comments on that one 'cause I like her. Thanks.

Striped marvel marigolds make an impressive hedge if you are looking to fill a space. This is the first year I've grown sunflowers (I think). I am 5'6" and these are much bigger than me, but no flowers. I believe sunflowers need sun. Correct me if I'm wrong.

The everlastings won't open without sun either. :( But I have a bunch of strawflowers I am going to pick and dry. I have a vase full of these my mom grew 20+ years ago and they still look the same as these. Just amazing.

This would be another one of my mutant flowers. This is a snapdragon that reseeded itself. Obviously -40 below hurts a seed. Compare the size of snaps.

I love fireball marigolds. Look at that color!

My house isn't perfect. It isn't fancy. And it definitely isn't clean. BUT....we moved into this house with six children. We got married in that front yard. We added another two babies to our crew. We have a lot of good memories here. We aren't perfect, but we love our kids. We've never let them down; we've never turned our back on them; we've never left them. We've lived a good honest life in our simple house.

And I thought my Impatiens weren't going to do well. Or the coleus. I have a million houseplants now. Girls...you'd better stop by and dig one up!

And this is the lobelia. Still in the flat. Still sitting on my crappy steps that need repainted since the 1st of June. And they kept growing!?!

I want to finish by thanking my husband for being the great man that he is. I want to say a prayer for him without any comments back. I'm not looking for wisdom or sympathy, I just want to say it aloud.

Thank you Lord for bringing this great man into my life. Thank you for providing our eight children with a father who has given everything to give them everything. Thank you for allowing him to teach me how to live unselfishly, justly, kindly and how to forgive those who don't deserve to be forgiven. I pray for his strength. He works so hard for so little in return. He is treated unfairly, unkindly and has been abandoned by those he loves dearly, yet he still gets up every day, does his job and does his best to take care of us. My husband deserves to shine in your light, but yet lives in a shadow. I pray that one day he can live the good life. Do not let him work himself unjustly to an early death. If I can give him my years, take them. My dear husband deserves far more than he is receiving. And, Lord, soften his heart if he reads my words. He is a private man who would be angered by my words. He must know that I, Nicholas, Elijah, Emily, Olivia, Lucas and Andrew MEAN IT when we say that we love him. They are not just words. *AMEN*