Where have I been???

So I'm behind on about... mmm... four blog posts. That will get posted in the next couple of days. There was the beautiful Baldwin wedding, which I shared two images from on facebook, but I have a few more I want to show here... The FedEx Nascar car came to my terminal, and I took some pictures of it... we trashed Amber's wedding dress... and Claire got a haircut.

But I got delayed. Here's what's been going on...

I planted a bunch of stuff a couple weeks ago. I planted strawberries, and grew a huge one that I was really excited about. The day I went to photograph it - something had eaten it. I was irked.

Those ones are the ones growing right now. Don't let the image fool you - they are teeny tiny. Smaller then my thumbnail.

I also got a Dahlia flower, and planted it in my Tiki God planter. It look so funny and cool! Waited a couple days to settle, and went to take a picture of it.

I think whatever ate the strawberry also ate some of the plant. All the petals are gone. :( But there are some other buds on it, so hopefully I'll new flowers to photograph.

Really the only thing I've planted that's truly thrived is the bleeding hearts.

Of course they're in the back where I rarely go right now. Bummer.

So then, I developed spots. Everywhere the sun don't shine.

Waited that out until one of them got itchy, and finally went in to a doctor. Found out I have eczema. Excellent. So I'm like a leopard.

Back to gardening. I decide on Sunday to rip up what we call the Back 40.

Oooooooo, scary. It's just weeds after weeds after weeds. Spend a couple hours back there, then get over it and go in. Shower, shop, move on with life. Wake up Monday with some more spots. I (stupidly) assume it's more eczema, and scratch away, because I have a hard time resisting scratching.

A story about me and poisen ivy.... Up until Monday, I was not allergic to it. I know I wasn't because when I was in my tweens (which it wasn't called that when I was that age, but whatever) my mom and sister and I all cut down a stump in my moms backyard. I remember my sister helping because she had to, but I wanted to help because I got to use a very large ax. So the three of us spent an afternoon hacking away at a stump until it was gone. And my mom and my sister both got the worst case of poison ivy ever. I got nothing. Not so much as a hive. Which amused me, because frankly I'm allergic to everything that grows naturally - so I liked having that one thing about me that was different.

Flash forward to a week ago when I develop eczema... turns out, once you have it, your body becomes sensitive to stuff that it might never have been sensitive to before.

So Monday I'm scratching away like and idiot.

Tuesday the rashes are bigger and itchier, and I've figured out that scratching is making it worse. Stop scratching.

Wednesday I want to jump out of my skin because I itch so badly. Get home from work that evening, and see that its now spread to my face. Make Tim call a doctor in the morning.

Thursday go to my second doctors appointment in two weeks, to learn that I have a bad case of poison ivy.

(forgive the fact that I look like crap... I kinda feel like crap)


(on my tip-toes so you can see the tops of my feet)

So I still have the eczema everywhere the sun don't shine... and everywhere the sun does shine, I have poison ivy. The worst places I have it are in the webbings of my hands and feet... my fingers are so swollen, I can't wear any of my rings.

But I'm on the juice now, so baring any 'roid rage, I should be able to update with some pretty pictures.

away to Cleveland

So if you remember far enough back, in the middle of August I had to travel to Cleveland for some training at my other job. I was so thrilled for the two nights by myself in a hotel room. Honestly, I think every mom should do that... spend two nights away at a hotel - no computers, no work, no children, no husbands... just do whatever you want for yourself for a couple days. What did I do? I read and ate chinese. And that was about it. And I loved every minute of it.

229 of 365: Sookie Stackhouse, where have you been all my life??
I read the first two book and about half of the third book in the Sookie Stackhouse series while in Cleveland. I've since read the seven I had in my set, and now need to go buy the other two to read them. Its like crack!


230 of 365: You call that a reciept!?
I could expense everything I ate while in Cleveland. But the only food around was a Subway next door, and a Dairy Queen across the street. I drove around forever the second day to find anything different... and found a hole in the wall Chinese restaraunt. That proceeded to give me that as a reciept. So much for expensing that.

231 of 365: Happy Birthday to Me
I drove home on my birthday, and was greated with a rose. I'm 28 now... in case you were wondering ;)

More catching up to do!

Ok so today I can sit upright for long periods of time without feeling like tossing any cookies, so I was able to catch up on some photos! YAY on so many levels!! (and for the record, I was sick. Like one of those stupid 24 hour bug things that lays you out and makes you misreable. I was NOT nor am I pregnant... and I'll admit, I find it really annoying that women in my age bracket can't just be sick sometimes. Really, it does happen to us, I swear!)

169 of 365: to the chapel we go
This is one of my fav pics of the chapel Kristina and Mark got married in. I just love the sky. I promise there's more pics from their wedding coming up too!


170 of 365: Dealing with Daisy
Daisy is our friend Jacqui's dog. She's a sweetie. My kids love her.


171 of 365: buckethead
How easily my kids are amused


172 of 365: Fathers Day flowers!
Okay so not really. They're leftover from Kristina and Marks wedding. But thats what I told Tim when I brought them home!


173 of 365: just a little trim
Olivia's hair has been uneven ever since she's started growing hair. It didn't bother me when it was pulled back, but down, her hair always looked a mess. So I finally cut that lock off. Of course I regretted it the second I did it, but it does look a lot better.


174 of 365: packaging fun
Amber wanted wallets, and I got them all printed and realized I had no packaging. I thought this looked pretty nice for last minute!

Saturday becomes a bust

I was supposed to drive to Springfield to do a cool session with Destiny... but had to cancel last minute. I hope we can reschedule it for soon, though, because I think it'll be really cool!

Since I was stuck at home, I ended up taking photos of my own roses. They've started blooming, and I think they look the best they ever have. If you know what kind they are, let me know, because I still have no idea!

143 of 365: A new beginning

the new lilacs are in

138 of 365: the beginning


It looks so little! But look how much larger the other lilac looks next to it... kinda crazy! I didn't get to take any more photos of it, because Claire came at me like this right after this photo...



See the lilac in the background? Guess it was time to go in.

with any other name, it would still smell as beautiful

So yesterday, we did the family planting day thing. I of course brought my camera with me to Oakland Nursery, because I figured, where better to get shots of gorgeous flowers! And there were some gorgeous flowers, let me tell you. I did get a new lilac bush for up front... its white, so it'll have some contrast with the purple I already have, but I think it'll look really nice.

I was mostly lured by roses... they're just so dang pretty!

136 of 365: Karens Rose






And all the kids were there... see... I took photos of something other then flowers too :)

showing off my green thumb

I love a good garden. I really do. However, I am terrible at keeping one up for myself. I have intentions every year, and by the end of the year, I just find myself admiring my stepmoms garden while trying to hide mine in shame. I think I'm fine with that too (I can't have it all, right?) But these two days, I dedicated to my green thumb.

127 of 365: Smells like Spring
The lilacs are fluroushing... so much so that I'm seriously contimplating buying another bush this weekend during our Aunt/Stepmom/Niece/Daughter/whatever plant-a-thon.


but lurking in the shadows of the beautiful lilacs....

128 of 365: Forbidden Forest
Oh yes, that folks is the murky depths of hell that I like to call the side of my house. The year we moved in, we pulled up the railroad ties that lined our garden, and just threw them there 'for the time being.' Five years later, my lovely and generous neighbors hauled them away practically without telling us when they hauled away an old stump that was a tree. At some point, I'm assuming we're going to need to tackle this scary and ouchy corner of our house... perhaps when little girls get big enough to do it for us... I mean help... help....

Moments in the day

Just the little snapshots...

76 of 365: Just a typical dinner
I remembered as I was going to bed this day that I needed to take a photo... so just a typical dinner. At least one person is up and walking around. Nothings touched on the plate... yep....


77 of 365: Just so tired
My work boots... just taking them off and letting them lie... typically one of the girls will end up wearing them around the house


78 of 365: Spring is here
Before you ask, no these are not in my yard. I'm a terrible gardener. But my stepmom has gorgeous flowers. And I have no shame in laying down in the front yard to take a photo of them.

Slowly but surely getting caught up here :)