green thumb...

i don't really have one, but i like to pretend i do. i love fresh herbs and usually try my hand at growing a few every summer. mississippi growing season, here i come!

david took me to one of the local nurseries here in hattiesburg and the owner, mr. norton, was crazy helpful. by the time i left i had also decided i should try  tomatoes, yellow peppers, hot banana peppers, cucumbers, and squash. mr. norton had this really cute display with the veggies and herbs planted in burlap sacks and placed in a rusty, old wheelbarrow. i really wanted that wheelbarrow.  it looked fun and the mac with the actual green thumb promises it's easy. that being said, he loaded up my car and david laughed while warning poor mr. norton that we live really close and i could become a regular visitor.

so i brought my lovely new plants home and promptly got them in the soil and hunted in the garage for something as cute as that wheelbarrow -- below is what i came up with. (and a pic of david helping me)  i really am excited though -- and i've already used basil, oregano, mint and lemon basil. i've been reading up on using stevia that's not yet dried. so if someone is reading this that has pointers for me --- i'm ALL EARS!!

happy growing!

little boys live here.

it's been 10 years since i've been home alone and sometimes it can get really quiet when my boys are at school. i find myself talking to "martin the dog" -- laughing to him about the silly things i find in places they shouldn't be. you know, the sweet little reminders that little boys live here.

this is the first time i've had a jacuzzi tub. i think i can count on one hand the number of times i've been in it. it mostly serves as a small swimming pool for son #4. it's where battles between yoda and robin take place and where the fine art of holding one's breath is perfected. my bathroom floors stay really clean, because the boys really like baths - the playing, not the soaking. there is not a room in the house that doesn't somehow have their stamp on it.

and although i try to keep things pretty organized in their bedrooms (the whole everything has a place idea) i seem to find lego buildings, DSi cases, stuffed animals, etc. outside of said rooms. i mean where else would you put a newly built batch of famous buildings but the top of the refrigerator?! in son #1's defense, i'm guessing he thought it would be the only place his 3 little brothers would not be able to reach without getting caught.

then there's the front door -- down here in the south i've seen some pretty amazing front porches. doors with giant wreathes for the season and large rocking chairs with beautiful pillows -- not a hair out of place. i do not have one of those. if i can get in the front door without tripping over scooters, balls, or countless pairs of flip flops and sneakers it's a good day.

as i was discussing the above with "martin the dog" i decided to snap a few pics -- as a reminder. i know one day legos will be exchanged for car keys and robin and yoda won't be hanging out in my house, much less my tub. my little boys are growing, changing, maturing every day -- some days it's so obvious it hurts my heart. i truly can not imagine a house without 4 stinky boys who need a hug, or a kiss on a scrape, or video game advice (which i do not have, but occasionally make up), or who want me to scratch their backs or snuggle in the big chairs. just thinking of it brings tears to my eyes -- here's to learning to better appreciate each moment i'm blessed with.

i've got boys in 3 different schools here in mississippi. this is new for me, new and a lot to keep track of! for example: last week was teacher appreciation week at the upper elementary. now i took it upon myself to assume that meant it was teacher appreciation school wide. that would be incorrect. i didn't figure that out until thursday of last week. as a result teachers of sons 2, 3, and 4 received gifts for 4 days. oops. i'll be ready next week for the next round of appreciating those teachers!

i love any excuse i get to "have" to play at my scrapbook desk. since i was getting the chance to be crafty i tried my hand at some cutie pie flip flops for my nieces. (thanks traci for the idea!!) here are a couple pics. the coffee mugs and the flowers (pens with coffee beans in the vase) along with luggage tags that i forgot to take pics of, were for the teachers.

they're here!!

one of my least favorite things about moving is not having friends. of course if you ask my sweet husband, it can be one of his favorite things. he loves time with "just us". while i love time with "just us" -- i sometimes need a coffee break with the girls. i miss the girls.

and although i miss my girlfriends -- i also really miss my oklahoma family. and when i am "friendless" i miss them a whole lot more. a couple weeks ago i was blessed with a visit my sister and her family and now........ MY MOM AND DAD ARE HERE!!

now my ma & pa are polar opposites. my dad likes to sit and visit with my boys, and read, and nap -- if it can be done in the leather chair, he likes it. my mom, on the other hand, does not like to sit, not ever -- she likes to be doing something constructive at all times. before church this morning we had cleaned the kitchen, done 2 loads of laundry, started preparations for lunch and ironed clothes for everyone. i'm not kidding, it was all before breakfast (and before coffee)! and yes, i helped. i love them here and i'm going to miss them terribly when they leave. ten hours seems forever away.

tomorrow she says we're working on window treatments, making flip flops for the little girls, cleaning the rest of the windows on the back of the house and so on. it makes me laugh.