Our little family has been playing tag-you're it with fevers, colds, the full-on flu, teething, and zero sleep for about a month. I was keeping it together for a while there, but I have been struck down by the Yuck and so I sit on the couch, wrapped in a down comforter, in front of the heater while Birch (taking a sick day off) takes the recovering but fussy children out and about the farm before it rains again. I made a horrible breakfast mistake involving cheese and Crystal hot sauce and now my belly is rolling around laughing on the floor. I'm telling you, the things it has said to me this morning would astonish you.
I started decorating March's mantle last night but it just doesn't feel right. It needs more potted plants, I think. Maybe twinkle lights to add a bit of brightness to all the gloomy, rainy days ahead. And a garland. Definitely. Also, I have a lot of rabbit-related decor.
As you might imagine, Date Night has been pretty much obliterated. We've declared a few nights as stay-at-home date nights complete with delicious, extravagant meals, but any other effort has been nonexistent. It's all right. We've been doing better. We had a run-in at the lumber yard recently that made us both think. There are certain areas where Birch and I just do things differently and we've come to realize that when discussing projects we both have to put extra effort into saying our ideas nicely and staying friendly throughout the process. It feels fake still, but I'm confident that it will start coming naturally and feelings will be spared (while still getting the project done and looking lovely).
I still haven't finished ridding ourselves of books galore we don't need/read and I'm at a complete stand still on the clothes purging. We have, however, built a new chicken run that will actually keep the chickens in. (There were about five or six that consistently flew out to explore and demolish the neighbors' plants. Always the same hens, too.) With our neighbors' invaluable help, the run is now taller, slightly bigger, and easier to upgrade later. I'm still mourning the loss of our first chicken coop but what are you gonna do? Additions in the coming months will include a decorative top edge, a coat of whitewash on the inside of the coop, an upcycled window door, an indoor dust bathing box, and another set of nesting boxes.
With Keats' third birthday and party coming up next month, we are gearing up for the Great Switch. Keats and Frida will have the big bedroom while Birch and I go into the smaller room. All we really need is a bed and the closet but we'd like the kids' room to have tons more space for playing and storage. The Switch is necessary. I'm hoping to finally build a lofted bed for Keats over a playhouse and a small/medium-sized play table for their trains (with built-in storage). Keeping it simple is key.
I borrowed a lovely book from the library and I'm a few chapters in now. I'm really enjoying it and highly recommend it. When I finish, I'll do a full blown review here, but for now, if it looks interesting and useful to you, I can say that it is motivating, sympathetic, and useful.
With all that, this is the (hopefully) final month of flood season. If the house makes it through, I'll feel much more secure in all the effort I want to put into making this house our home.
I hope you and yours are healthy and well. What have you been working on lately?
My great planning never allows for things like illness either. In my case I've been dealing the resurgence of some Stuff From Childhood and subsequent emotional lability.
ReplyDeleteIn spite of that, we have been moving forward with making the kitchen more cozy, and have bought a nice island with stools for the more casual seating that suits our style better. Working on lighting and decor, getting rid of kitchen things that are worn out/not needed and getting what we do need, learning new ways of cooking and thinking about cooking so that our food waste has gone way down. All of this has been much helped by Ryder's enthusiasm for the project.
I also decided to splurge and get a safer, newer bike and panniers that make it easier for me to run errands and not hurt my back with an overloaded backpack.
I have been finding weeding deeply meditative and calming, so I did proper weeding of the two vegetable beds. Planted a bunch of herbs in the back one, and some seeds up front (I fear they won't come up, though, since our neighbor had a yard sale before we got a low fence put up and people tromped through the patch).
The cats have given me a gentle reminder that our homes are always evolving, as they have realized they can get up to where the houseplants are and destroy them.
I'm sure you've answered this for me a million times :), but how are you sorting through books? I thought about getting rid of books I wouldn't replace if they were lost, but... that's so many! Perhaps I need to think about what I could do with the space (other than fill up bookshelves again)?
Thanks, as always for letting me blather on your blog. :)
Miss you, dear heart.
R
P.S. We have discovered two cars of Keats's -- this tells you how dreadful our cleaning is! -- and I keep meaning to mail them back. Just trying to find a nice extra to throw in with. :)