It's a lovely "spring" morning today. Really, it's about time to have some good weather. David and I went and picked up our Bountiful Baskets and then headed home to find the girls eating Lucky Charms on the patio.
I was greeted by Kiersten who boldly told me,
"Eating Lucky Charms will make you grow very tall! You should have eaten more Lucky Charms MOM!"
Mom - "How do you know Lucky Charms will make you tall?"
Kiersten - "It says so right here on the box!"
Mom - "Let me see that box."
The box says - "Grow up strong with Big G kids Cereals." (With a picture of a boy next to a measuring tape showing how tall he is.)
Alexis - "It even has whole grain, it's guaranteed!"
Dad - "Your right! If Grandma had let mom have more sugar cereal, she would have been taller!"
You've got to love marketing! I purchased 6 boxes of Lucky Charms yesterday at Winco. They were a great deal so I couldn't resist (less than $1.50/box). There is only ONE box left. I guess when it's gone, it's gone! The good news is, they still love cracked wheat, steel cut oats, germade and lots of other healthy things for breakfast. I won't complain too much about cold cereal because it's something they can get on their own when we don't feel like getting up to fix them breakfast. I figure it's enriched and a good thing to have for food storage.
While the girls were eating their whole grain guaranteed breakfast, I enjoyed checking my flower beds and new plants. I've been panicking that I had planted too early, but all the little ones check out just fine. David had slit the tops of the little greenhouse caps we put over the plants yesterday and everything looks very healthy. I did a little research this morning on the Internet about how to care for my Daisy's and begonias. I've never planted them before and didn't know how to dead head them. While I was looking at the U of U extension site I also discovered that they should only be irrigated not sprayed. Who knew? Dave was going to change out the drip system that exists in that flower bed for sprinklers. I guess I can take one more thing off his hunny-do list.
Last week while Dave was out of town, I finished changing out the perennials in the front two beds. I planted several colors of day-Lilly's, some cat mint, candy tuft, poppies, and a couple others I can't remember the names of. It took all I had to pull out the decorative grass and shrubs. My little neighbor kept telling me to take it easy. In the back I planted butterfly bushes along the garage, Gerbera Daisy's and begonias with wave petunias along the back fence with some tomatoes and peppers. I planted two hanging baskets for the back patio (Dave put up some hangers for me) with shade plants. My Grandmother always had impatients in hanging baskets on her back patio. They look bleak, but hopefully will grow quickly. The garden is simple this year. I only planted what I really want to eat/can/freeze. We are trying little watermelons, pumpkins, zucchini, butternut squash, cucumbers and peppers. I planted wave petunias all along the front of the garden so it looks pretty. We spread a new layer of bark around and it's looking pretty good. I'll post some of the pictures KC took of my flowers. They are awesome. I'll try and take more pictures of the yard as it grows and blooms.
I still have to re-plant one of the butterfly bushes that bit the dust. No one will admit to trampling it, but asking the boys who crushed it reminded me of how my Grandpa Rex used to grill everyone when one of his baby fruit trees would die. He was known for planting several baby trees each spring. Most of them looked like a weed in the middle of the grass. He got smarter as he aged, and he would stake out around it and put up string. They still usually didn't make it very long. My boys answer to the butterfly bush, "Hmmmm? What? There was something there?" I guess you have to post a sign to inform everyone where you plant your new baby plants!
Today I'm going to try and catch up on house work since the yard is mostly done now. I don't expect to see any of the boys emerge from bed anytime soon. I bailed on the card game last night and went to bed at about 1:30. Apparently they stayed up and played four more rounds (one entire game of hand and foot) after I went to bed.
The girls room is a disaster. I'm really not sure how to keep it clean at this point. Three girls can destroy a space faster than . . . . . . well, I can't think of anything that fast. Taking more stuff out of their room it is the key. But somehow, STUFF migrates back in there. Someday they will each have their own room and there won't be so much arguing about who left what on the floor.
I respectfully call the pile in my laundry room "MOUNT-LAUNDRY-MOORE". And it's in fine form today. My sister Megan calls the clean laundry that is in a pile something else, but I can't remember what it is. I'll have to ask her today. Since there really are two distinct mountain ranges, one clean - one dirty, I really do need to name the clean pile something different. The boys (mostly Dave and KC) are great about tossing in a load or two, but it usually waits in a clean pile until I get down there to fold it and put it away. I'm also picky about ironing, when I can be, so I like to iron stuff before I put it away (A habit I must thank my mother for). Anyhow, that sometimes delays the putting away phase and just allows more to pile up. For the past week, the entire ping pong table has been covered. The sock basket is heaping, and I noticed that the girls just grabbed two socks that didn't even match yesterday and today. When I asked them why they said that my sock drawer was empty too. Hmmmm? I wondered why all my socks were dirty?
I ought to photograph the laundry for posterity, but don't know if I dare. I'm sure it would make someone else out there feel better about their own laundry room.
Well, better run and get going before the day is gone.