Life Just Got Easier

Have you ever used Windows Live Writer? It’s been sitting right there on my computer this whole time and I didn’t know it. This morning when I was preparing photos for my earlier blog post I thought I’d give it a try. Amazing. I can make the blog post, hit upload and walk away.  Previously, I uploaded photos painstakingly slowly then struggled to make the post (moving photos was impossible) and then hit publish. I can tell you it is much, much easier to edit a blog post in Windows Live Writer than it is in Blogger. Yea!!

Right away the kids were in the pool today. In fact, they spent at least three hours in there before the weather changed for the worse.


This mess is enough to drive a person crazy. Normally, I have everything planted by mid-June and cleaned up. Not having Nick around during the days sure has made a big difference in what I get accomplished. I had a couple offers to help weed/plant, but never actually saw a body. Next year I am going to hire someone to help me one whole day to just get it done so I can start new projects  relax more. :)

Much better!  Now I just need to pack a table up. (I still need to plant about 40 petunias, but at least they are moved from this spot).

This is the bed I worked on today. You can see on the far end just how bad it was.

All around the edges were Johnny Jump-Ups that reseeded themselves so I let them be.


There were also marigolds of some sort that I moved further down the bed.


When I looked up Olivia was working on her nails. Yesterday she got the short end of the stick when we got no warning for Emily’s early departure. Somehow one (or more) of my kids ends up suffering because of them. I immediately quit what I was doing and did her toes. She chose to alternate purple and blue glittery paint. Isn’t she a doll. Never ever complained about make a sacrifice (you have no idea how many she has made in her few short years that were completely unnecessary…maybe that’s why she has such a sunny personality). She laid in the sun reading books while they dried. She’s such a bright girl.

More Viola gone wild. This patch stayed and the other side was cleaned out. There was too much chickweed.


I don’t think there is a bed that they aren’t coming up in.

This cloud was rumbling and threatening to get me.

Then the winds shifted and it blew around me. Eventually, a few hours later another storm blew in and dumped hard. I was stuck in the greenhouse and it was deafening. Just like standing inside a drum!

Here’s one end of the bed I was working on. I planted it with the 25 cent perennials I picked up at Lowe’s a long time ago. Sorry about the blurry photo and the fuzzy spot in the middle (from scratches on the lens). This is a really crappy camera I am using. I need to find a way to charge one of the others.
The yellow flower is Early Sunrise Coreopsis. The pink flower behind it is Rollys Favorite Catchfly. The little tuft with pink flowers to the right of the yellow flowers is Sea Thrift. The spreading green in the front is Candy Stripe Creeping Phlox.  Won’t it be wonderful if they all come back?

On the other end are the mystery returning plants which seem to be some sort of dwarf snapdragon. I’m not sure if that is a real plant or a mutant reseed of regular snapdragons or something different all together, but the little teeny tiny flowers are cute so I left them. Behind that I planted some regular snaps, dianthus and one Livingstone daisy that have managed to stay alive after severe neglect. Beyond that are marigolds that reseeded. I plan to move the ones from the petunia bed to finish filling it in. Even if nothing blooms at least it will be green!


Rain has put an end to yard work. It’s just an off and on sprinkle right now, but everything is so wet I just can’t imagine it would be fun to be out there. Instead the Little Ones and I are picking up the house/playing. Dad fell asleep on the couch…burning candles at both ends has caught up with him tonight. The forecast says clear for the next two days so crossing my fingers I can finish the 60 feet of bed along the fence and the 25 foot bed along the greenhouse. THEN I can move on to something else! :)