I Loves Me Some Tomatoes

This is our first year as tomato growers. We planted 2 cherry tomato plants and 2 patio tomato plants. So far, they're doing pretty good. I still don't get the stories of how someone will have 2 or 3 plants that produce so many tomatoes that they're just "giving them away" to all and sundry. Honestly, my tomatoes can't keep up with my demands, much less those of everyone around me. I guess it could be that I eat them too often and too fast, huh? Nahhhh. That can't be it......... or can it?

The Lazy Flowerbed

Now this is funny. See these Daytura flowers? Growing pretty good, huh? This is one flower bed that takes care of itself. Mainly because it's not a flower bed. Last year, when I was cleaning out the real flower beds, I got a little lazy with the clean up. Instead of bagging some stuff, I just thru it over by the fence, behind Blu's doghouse. Now we have Dayturas growing "wild" and, though you can't see them from this angle, there's also marigolds and mint growing back there, too. Sure wish the flower beds I actually planted thrived as well as this with just as little work!

The New Chair

Hey - check out the new chair. Funky, isn't it? I'm diggin' it. All I need is a martini and Dean Martin walking around and I'd feel like I was in a '60's movie. lol

Has Blu-Boy gone to the Dark Side???

I thought I'd take a quick picture of Randey with the dogs. Sydney the Wonder Dog looked so cute draped over Randey like that. And Blu-Boy! Well he looked like he was guarding Randey or something. Strangely, however, that look translated a little differently thru the eye of the camera. Blu looks like he's channeling Darth Vader. Freaky, huh? I'm not even sure if it's cool...or just plain disturbing.

The Punishment has been Determined!

I knew it. I just knew it. I knew that if I kept griping about the rain, I'd be punished. I griped all last year about the drought and the heat. It felt like we had 100 degree plus temps every day last summer. And the ground was so dry, it was cracking - HUGE cracks formed in the backyard, the earth was actually pulling away from the curbs, the grass crackled when you walked on it. Then came this spring. We got some rain. Cool. Then we got a little more rain. Even cooler. Then we got even more rain. Well, aren't we the lucky ones! We had a water bill one month last year that was over $150. Not this year. No, sir-ree. We don't have to water. We got rain. Lots of rain. Wait a minute. Did I ask for rain? Did I ask for this much rain? Was I crazy? Is the rain ever going to stop? Should we go see "Evan Almighty" and brush up on our ark building skills? Ah to heck with that. I'm just going to issue inner tubes to everybody. Anybody comes to visit, we'll be the family tied together with rope, floating down Main Street. Oh look - there I go again. Griping about the rain, making snide remarks, just begging to have more punishment heaped upon my little pointed head. You'd think I'd learn. Only yesterday, I was shown the error of my ways. Our computer, our poor innocent, happy-go-lucky computer, suffered for my folly. After a particularly vitriolic diatribe about the never ending rain we've had, the electricity started flickering a little. I griped louder. It flickered more. I cursed the rain. Then the rain cursed me. And it cursed me better than I cursed it. It caused rapid and repeated little power outages that resulted in my computer screaming in agony before slipping into a silent and tragic coma. Jeez. When the rain decides to curse you back, it doesn't fool around. So anywho, I worried, I mourned, I pouted, I screamed, I generally showed my butt like you wouldn't believe. Not so much because of what the rain did. After all, I knew I had brought that upon us with my big fat mouth. No, I acted ugly because, after the last time the computer crashed, Mr. Randey was going to make it a priority to start a back-up routine so that we wouldn't lose anymore information. That was last November. Guess what? No back-up. Still. However, this beautiful fine and soggy morning, a computer guru that Randey knows was able to resuscitate our computer with little or no loss of info. Only took him three hours, too. I can't wait for Randey to bring the little feller home (the computer, not the guru). We're having to use Kaleb's computer right now and it's just not the same. We're changed people now. Randey's going to start doing the back-ups and he's going to show the rest of us how to do it, too. And me? I'm going to work really, really hard on NOT griping about all this wonderful wet weather. And if I catch myself slipping up - I'm going to work really, really hard on getting my computer unplugged before I say something I'll come to regret!

Marriage 101...sign me up!

This is a picture of my Aunt Sandi and Uncle Wally. They've been married for...what? something like 38 years, around in there. Can you imagine? In this day and age?
They're both wonderful people, truly. But it takes more than being wonderful to have a great, long lasting marriage. I know plenty of wonderful people who just couldn't make a marriage work. What makes them different? How have they done it? What on earth is their secret? I have a theory about it. I think they must actually LIKE each other. Yeah, I think these two people don't just love each other, they even like to spend time with one another. I think they're partners, in every way. I think they are like yin and yang for one another. They balance each other out and keep each other whole. I think that's what makes it work for them. 'Course, that's only a theory. I could be wrong. But I'm going with it and I'm holding them up as my role model for marriage. When Randey and I have our moments when I'm snarling at him and he's clinching his jaw at me, I'm gonna let it ride. I'm gonna let it ride because getting thru the bad times as well as the good times is the only way I'm going to get to where my Aunt Sandi and Uncle Wally are. And where they are looks like a great place to be.

Gorgeous Godiva Chocolates!

Talk about a random post!
I was going thru the pictures on my computer and came across this delicious looking image. I had taken this picture for a scrapbook I'm doing about "my favorite things". Godiva chocolates definitely qualifies as that! I gripe at Randey for supporting my fat habit, but wow! Godivas! Come on - who in their right mind could say no to them? I like to think of them as "The Breakfast of Champions". Nothing like a hot cup of coffee and a couple of pieces of dark chocolate heaven to get your day started. Hmmmm, hmmmm, ummmm. My goodness. Let me break the calendar out so I can see when the next birthday or holiday or any kind of special occasion is where I can expect another box of these treasures! Looks like the 4th of July is coming up...how can I make Godiva chocolates a necessary part of Independence Day...ah heck, I'll probably have to wait until my birthday. Oh well, anticipation only makes it that much sweeter, right?

Fleeting Beauty

We had a moment of sunshine the other day - it lasted long enough for me to take a picture of our newly bloomed amaryllis. My step-mother gave us this plant a couple of months ago. I think it's a lovely flower - I just wish it hung around a little longer. Still...it was beautiful to look at while it lasted and what more can you ask from a flower?

Havin' fun with my photo programs...

A close-up of Kaleb's eyes - with a little extra blue coloring added in. I was playing around with one of the photo programs I downloaded -Jake's eyes are a little too dark to work using the same method.
I really wish they offered a photography class here at the local community college. I'm pretty sure I'd love it and it would probably save me hours of goofing off on the computer, trying to get different effects. But then what would I do with my spare time? lol

Rain, rain, go away!!!

Pictures taken in the backyard this afternoon. Figured I'd better get a record of some of the stuff before it floats away. After last years drought, I never thought I'd be asking for less rain, but here I am...wishing for a week of dry skies. The rain brings me down sometimes. Too much of a good thing maybe?

Is it really still 6 months until Christmas?????

It's started! It happens to me every year around this time. I'll see something, smell something or maybe even hear something that makes me think of Christmas! We were at Hobby Lobby yesterday and they were putting some Christmas decoration stuff out (I'm assuming for a "Christmas in July" sale). Man oh man! I love that bright shiny stuff. In the words of my very best friend, Susan, "if it ain't gaudy, then Sissy don't want it". She's such a charmer, that one. But she's right. I love the glitter and shine. I love it like nobody's business. Just seeing all the pretty ornaments and sparkly d00dads is like...well, as weird and backwards as it sounds, it's like a balm to my spirit. It makes me feel peaceful and happy and like all is well in the world. Forget the buying of gifts and the frantic list making - just give me a room full of tiny colored lights, a bunch of brightly colored ornaments, knick-knacks and thingy-ma-bobs and maybe a big mug of hot cocoa and I'm...content. I'm getting all dreamy eyed just thinking about it. So I guess I'd better stop. Randey is an extremely kind and tolerant husband, but I don't want to test the limits of that and much more Christmas talk and that tree's coming down out of the attic. I walk a fine line between Christmas lover and Christmas crazy. And, quite frankly, sometimes I find it hard to stick to the path!