Anyone want some flowers?

I am beat. Remember all of that gardening I said I was doing? Well, it's (mostly) done and I have blisters to prove it.
See?

I realized that my irises were getting all grown together and then remembered something about needing to separate them every other year. I have lived in this house through a pregnancy, nursing, walking baby, and walking toddler. I finally have "free" time to do a project that requires more than an hour of effort, so, after counting the years on my fingers (high math) and figuring that I had missed 2 separations, I dove in. I was not amused to discover that their roots are not only tightly woven together but also fused in defiance of my neglect.

Seriously? It took me 4 hours on Wednesday and ALL DAY on Thursday to get 2 sections of irises...
and 2 sections of thistle weeds (remember my problems with thistles?)...
To look like this....

But I now have a pile leftover looking like this...
...even though my neighbors each took about 50 a piece, and I have irises not only in my side walk way, but also in by my backyard bushes, front entryway, and 4 large pots. And the REAL kicker? The really REEEAAALLLLY funny part of all of this? -maniacal laughter inserted- Is that I still have one more section of irises and FOUR SECTIONS of Day Lilies to still separate....

Go ahead and laugh.

At least my kids are having fun. And just because Corinne hates spiders, doesn't mean she can't appreciate the value of a good worm.
To top off the week, I decided to dig up a disgusting old rose bush and some dying evergreen bushes. Let me add that I had to DIG them up. Did I say Dig? Did I mention clipping the rose bush branches and slicing my fingers to ribbons?


Notice the sheer exhaustion? The dirt and grime on my face? The fact that I am wearing my husband's hat to cover my filthiness and didn't even care that my son was taking my picture? Notice that I am not jumping for joy over the money saved on landscaping, cuz I wouldn't have actually SPENT money on landscaping, anyway. See how that works?

Forgive my incoherent linguistics. I am physically exhausted. Now I get to plant those annuals I felt inclined to buy. Yayyyy....