Floppy Flowers

We have been sick for the past week.  Strep throat again.  Fun stuff.  On top of that Emily and I developed bronchitis and sinus infections so we are just now up and around.  (Thank God for antibiotics.)  Being sick has made us all a bit stir-crazy. 

I decided to get out and see what has become of my yard today, and cut some of my pretty hydrangeas.  The blue ones are probably original to the house, at least 50+ yrs old maybe?  The white ones are a heritage variety I got at a garden show- you can’t see it very well in the picture but they are white with tiny blue buds that are under the white petals.  I also have a laceleaf but it’s not that pretty yet.  I’ll post pics when they bloom. 

Arranging these made me think…
Hydrangeas are a lot like kids.  They are really hard to get to do what you want, and somehow even if they don’t do everything you expect they are awfully fun anyway.  

Housebound…

We are still housebound. Flu and strep running rampant. That’s what going back to school gets you!

Being stuck in the house is hard for me. The kids have been managing by making forts from all the pillows and blankets in the house. I’m not even trying to pick those up yet! We had pirates in the kitchen and living room yesterday, complete with the music and costumes!

I decided (why?) that it was a great time to redo the boy’s walk-in closet. They share a bedroom and it was a true mess. Stay tuned for before and after photos (hopefully today!)

I’ve been watching the crazy animals in my backyard. The birds and squirrels actually beg now if I let them run out of food. I have one squirrel that will walk up to the window or back door and peer in with little doe eyes to beg! I have lots of hummingbirds already, and scarlet tanagers (which I haven’t had before here.) The hummers aren’t as plentiful as last year yet, but they are steadily increasing. Here’s a clip of last year’s crazy birds.

Mud- a cure for strep throat?

Well, we don’t have the swine flu going around… I was scared- we’d been at Riverfest and Chuck-E-Cheese, then E comes down with a fever of 103+ for the entire weekend. The doctor swabbed her throat and both she and J have strep. We opted for the shot, but she still has a fever (but it’s lower now.) Explains why J wanted chocolate pudding.

M came home and went right outside. E & J asked if they could catch some rays too and of course I said “Yes.” This is what I saw when I looked outside. Needless to say they had to strip to come in and get right in the bath. (And the dog was muddier than they were.)
And now to be grossed out…

My tub AFTER I rinsed it when they got out. Guess we know what I’m doing tonight, and tomorrow…