My green thumb always turns black!!

Well I am telling you all, it is absolutly been beautiful here in GA. Yesterday it was 86 and I was in such a good mood. I decided to plant flowers yesterday and I planted a bunch. I went to the local Wal-Mart and found some pretty hardy plants ( I have a tendency to forget to water). My 3 year old and I planted away. I figure since the hubby is gone at school, I need to keep occupied. Speaking of him, yesterday in Va it was 36, and sleeting. Here I am in this 86 degree weather, it is amazing what 500 miles will do for you!!! But back to the flowers, I have attempted in the past to start seeds and stuff inside and they end up sprouting, molding then dying. My dream is to be a wonderful gardner, every year at my grandparents house they make it look like a tropical oasis, I guess maybe I am setting my standards too high, after all they are in their 70s and I have many years of perfection ahead of me. I would also like a garden, I think that it would be awesome to have veggies readily available. Every year I do a tomato plant or two, but that is for the hubby once again. I don't like tomatoes. He tells me stories about his Mamaw and how she had a garden every year and how they would all come together and pick potatoes and then that night they would have fresh potatoes. That sounds so nice. Maybe that was because that was when times were simpler and there was no hustle and bustle. This was the family that would can everything from beans and tomatoes to jams and jellies and the whole family would get some. My mother in law still cans from time to time and she will send us some muscadine jelly or tomatoes. Maybe I live in the wrong era, I really would like to lead a simple life with a gianormous farm and some chickens or something. I am always kidding my hubby telling him we need a goat or some chickens on our measly little half acre. He is always making fun of me about killing plants and tells me that we'd starve on a farm. I am really not that bad. That is what I will do when he retires, I will move back to the country and live my dream! I will have my huge farm and show him!!!