Hypocrite

So lately I've been accused of being hypocritical. By a someone close to me. And I admit, I have to agree.

If you're calling me and I sound like all is fine and dandy, chances are I've just been screeching at one of my children over something or other. Or if you come to my door, it just might be that you can still hear the reverberations of some yelling that has been going on. Not always, but it does happen.

So am I a hypocrite? Do I act like all is perfectly fine in my world when it in all actuality is not? Probably in most cases, depending on who you are. Does that mean that I think that you actually believe that all is well, and I have it all together? I certainly hope you do not! Is all really well in your world? Then why would you expect that it is in mine?

Should we all keep perpetuating these facades? What needs to change? Well, the change that I am working on is the behind the scenes stuff, the every day, day-to-day daily grind where tempers get short and feelings get hurt and disobedience and disrespect happen. I'm working on making how I react to situations different. Is that easily done? Would it be for you?

Sometimes life is ugly. Sometimes I act ugly. What do you do? Is your life perfect?

Finished!

Here's the final result for our house, not bad for a color we like to call "pond scum, with a touch of mold," huh?

School's....IN!

All in all, not a bad start to the school year. Hannah & Peter have day one overwith, Leah is anticipating hers tomorrow. So far, so good, and we're glad. Who knows where it will go from here, but we know WHO holds it (the future) and us.

House painting

It has been a long process, but we are beginning to see the final result, and are liking what we see! There is more trim to go over, but the heat did me in by 4 today, so the rest will have to wait.

The painting has finally begun!

But the cleanup is a bugger...We (okay Mark) is blessed to be borrowing a paint sprayer, so the primer that made it on the house (almost the entire west side plus the front porch area) got done lickety-split, but cleaning up, wow...I think Mark would say it is worth the effort...I think...

I'll post pics of our progress soon, but right now it's time to tuck myself into my bed...

Long time, no post

It has been an exciting week.

First and foremost, Hannah turned 16 this past Wednesday. It really doesn't seem possible that it has been that long since we brought her home from the hospital, but here we are. In honor of the occasion, we gave her a bouquet of 16 roses.

Her brother paid for her to go to the premier showing of Harry Potter, so she started her birthday early--we actually gave her her gifts on Tuesday night. Here she is showing her appreciation to him.

Then for the grand finale, we presented her with a cell phone. I think she was happy.

Happy birthday, Hannah. We are so proud of you!

*these pictures were extracted from the movie we took of the opening event...*

Independence Day

Today was a working holiday (at least for Mark). Today was the day he took advantage of the cooler temps and the non-sunniness and power washed the house. We're prepping to paint. The new main color is called Olivette or something like that. But before we can primp things up with the new paint, the old must come off, revealing the not so pretty original colors we had when we first began to call this place ours...here's hoping we don't have to look at it for long!
Here's my *baby* tomatoes--because my parents already bragged that they have eaten fully ripe ones...the joys of living further south!

Here's my cherry tree and the almost ripe cherries on it! Hope I have enough for a pie!