Sunday Happy

Heavy week. I don’t know about you but I am feeling all sorts of feels. Like I can’t even rangle my self into myself. A lot is happening. Good things, bad things, scary things. People are stepping up, coming forward, doing the right thing that should have always been the right thing. Then there are infuriating assholes and I can’t even. I am sad, optimistic, angry, and all sorts of everything in between. I just really hope for goodness and rightness and change. It has to happen. We need to make sure that it happens and happens now.

The week. Besides feeling crazy and overwhelmed, it was also mild and normal. Started off with a massive closet clean out at my moms. A few of us sibling went over and ransacked bins and bins of my moms old clothes. Sure we all found a few pieces that were worth taking home, but what we really found were the gems of old crazy lady stuff and had the best time dressing up and running around in old bras and house coats.

The rest if the week was basically the same as usual. The mr and I over at the littles everyday doing the normal food and school thing. We went for a few bike ride, a bike ride/ picnic, cleaned, trashed, then tried to re clean parts of the house, and made plans for the summer. We are instating internet schedules and restrictions, getting a reading list together, and making plans for water fights and camping. Next week is the last week of school so we got to get on it!

And fridge update. I don’t want to jinx anything but, HOORAY! The mr fixed it! And right after we found ourselves an old free fridge to be our just in case. HA. But yeah, the harvest gold is here to stay and now we need to find a place for this really cool, old mid sized fridge. We are probably just going to keep it for when we build that cabin in the woods. But where to store it?

Sunday again. Today my goals are simple. I am going to try and get a few chores done, plant another round of greens in the garden ,and get stuff ready for the week. Then I am going to spend at least an hour on the porch sitting and reading, maybe I’ll even take a little nap, and drink at least 2 cups of coffee. I deserve the coffee.

Internet links from the week.

-The People’s Kitchen Collective Is Feeding a Movement by Putting People First. Food and conversation.

-Someone one a podcast I was listening to talked about swiss miss houses. I looked them up and am now obsessed . Swiss and a Bit Cheesy. Swiss Miss Houses.

-Coronavirus FAQs: How To Stay Safe While Protesting, When To Go Out After Recovery. Be safe for yourself AND for others.

-5 Ways to Set Healthy Boundaries Around News and Social Media. I have been disengaging more and more from basically everything that needs to be plugged in. It is actually my natural state and other then checking news, emails, and maybe browsing the internet for a few minutes, I have been pretty much off everything.

- Several Antiracist Books Are Selling Out. Here's What Else Black Booksellers and Publishers Say You Should Read

-Is Vermont Really 'So Expensive'? Um, well, I mean, um….yeah.

-If I lived above a store, I would want it to be this house, above a violin store. ‘A Secret Retreat’ Above a Violin Store.

-Do you know much about Shakers as as religion and not just a cabinet style? I did a little research after I read somewhere that shakers hang their furniture when not in use to make it easier to clean. I understand this practice, I keep my chairs flipped when no in use. The mr hates it. About the Shakers.

-These animals build palaces out of their own snot. I respect this.

-Bored? I have heard that s few times this week Well guess what, it’s nota bad thing. . Benefits of Being Bored

Pictures from the week

-C

Sunday Happy

What a week! The weather, well what can I say. It is pretty much summer and wow. Just yeah, that happened. And now I am hot which means I packed away all the winter stuff and busted out the shorts! And the sports bras. Blah. I was on a great run of a little over 2 months with no bra but finally was forced to wear one if I wanted to run with my iPod. I needed to stuff it into said bra while going for a run. I used it as a pocket. A bra-ket of sorts.. And when I came home, I ripped it off so it wasn’t so bad. Haha!

Another busy week. Littles everyday. We made meals, went for bike rides, hikes, and walks. Had them sleep over, watched Ferris Bueller, and made them weed the garden so they know that food is not free. HA! The mr and I have had little time to ourselves. We did get to spend part of a day picking up lumber from the cedar mill for a few projects the mr is working on and then we went for a nice long hike. just the two of us. That was nice, but again, we basically have had 2-3 of the littles all week which has been great but means I now have no food and every surface of my house is (was, I spent last night with the vacuum and cleaning rags) dirty.

I have also been low level stressed all week. First the fridge. It is still having issues. We think we figured it out and parts are ordered so we (more me) are crossing our fingers that this will solve the problem. I will be really really sad if I need to get a new fridge. But just in case I have been keeping my eyes open for a new, old, yellow or green or just bad ass one. Again, just in case because I trust that the new parts will fix it. On top of that, the mr ripped some of the walls down in the bedroom. It has been almost 4 years since we bought this house and remodeled it. We did all the work ourselves except the framing of the addition that was added on. Not a big thing, just basically raised the roof. And for the past maybe year or so, the mr seemed to have it in his mind that the roof was shifting and was going to fall in on us and has been telling me he wants to cut a hole in the ceiling to check out the framing. I was fine with that, at some point, when we planned a time to do it. Long story short, the other morning at 430 (I wake up at 4, he usually wakes up at 730) he came into the living room, dressed, and informed me he was ripping that top of the walls down in the bed room. And he did. They were down by 9am. He added more supports to the frame to make us all happy and then had to call it quits. My sweet sweet bedroom now has the walls ripped off with no immediate plans to re-sheetrock. Meh. Actually am fine with it. I have lived in worse. Just as long as it gets done before the winter.

We are there again, Sunday. After the few chores and a trip to the grocery store this mooring, (again, the littles ate all my food) the mr and I are picking up the littles for a picnic lunch and the mr is going to take them fishing. Me, I hope to be able to sit back and read, not have to worry about cleaning up a mess, and just be.

Internet links for your internet pleasure

-From Camping To Dining Out: Here's How Experts Rate The Risks Of 14 Summer Activities. Camping is low risk. Phew!

-Should you refrigerate tomatoes? Researchers and an ‘electronic tongue’ offer a surprising answer. Good to know cause we are getting close to tomato season!

-Did you have Jump Rope for Heart when you were a kid? I freaking loved that shit. I think I gotta bust out the old rope, get my jump on. Jumping rope is an unbeatable cardio workout—if you do it correctly

What day is it today? I don’t even care anymore.

-We walk. A lot. (like a lot lot) And maybe not correctly al the time. Walking correctly takes work—here’s how to improve every step

-Is it sick that I would love to receive (maybe even give) a list like this? A Friend Sent Me a Long List of All the Ways I Suck—What Do I Do?'

-On the Moon, Astronaut Pee Will Be a Hot Commodity. I mean, I would just assume.

-Yes to peanut butter and pickles. The Elusive Story of the Bread-and-Butter Pickle Sandwich

-I see it. I hear it. Life is crazy and people are feeling it. Is Everyone Depressed?

-Nature is fascinating Herd Of Fuzzy Green 'Glacier Mice' Baffles Scientists

Pictures from the week

Sunday Happy

Happy freaking springtime! Warmer weather, green and blooming everything, grey skies, downpours, burst of sunlight. Everything about this time of year touches the deepest pits of my soul. This weather is me. I live for it!

The week. Well no lying, it’s been a shitstrom and I am really tired and stressed..Basically just a bunch of crazy stuff with a bunch of people that has been piling on. That and I’m pretty much just sick and tired of people and drama and grown ass adult people acting like fuck faces and doing all the shit that I just don’t want to have to deal with let alone think about. Gosh that sounds intense right? But life and I am dealing with it so whatever. On s smaller scale of life woes, that fridge keeps freezing up again so we had to completely take it apart, clean out the 50 years of shit that has built up inside, and put it back together again. Hopefully we fixed it this time for real. Can’t deal with having to get a new fridge right now, that will tip me over the edge! AAAAHHHHH!!! At least I got to a hang out with littles all this week, littles that can be shitheads in every way but are still the coolest people I know. We had sleep overs, pancakes breakfasts, lots of walks, bean bag fun, camp out planning, and basically just hung out. I have woke up twice this week and stepped on a dinosaur, well once it was a cow, but yeah. They keep it real and keep me insane in the sanest way possible. Even when they trash my house and get boogers and peanut butter all over the couch.

Today. Hopefully not a crazy day. I need a new watering can, one with holes for gentle watering, so bad. My outside hose situation is not working at the moment and my old metal can split in half during the winter. So today I guess I am going to go to the gardening store and get one. It is weird to even think about, that I can go into a store now and I am not actually that sure I really want to. I might just order it online and do curb side pickup, although I kind of want to look at rakes (broke that handle of that too) and some new shears… Blah, I am not looking forward to it, but I Am looking forward to planting more shit in the garden today. Also hoping for a bike ride at some point, probably over to the littles house to make them lunch and get all the tude I can handle! A day, what a day.

Internet to browse while browsing the internet.

-This is what happens to your boobs when you stop wearing a bra. It’s been 2 months to the day since I have even considered putting one on. For real. HA!

-Moring routine when littles sleep over is breakfast with this podcast. It’s for kids I guess but heck if I don’t learn something every single episode.

-Going to dye some fabric like this this week

-The best way is to store herbs in your belly.. But if that isn’t the first option. We Tried 5 Methods for Storing Fresh Herbs and Found a Clear Winner. And onions as well. The Right Way to Store Onions

-How Not to Make a Huge Mess in the Kitchen. Oh shit does a messy kitchen drive me batshit crazy. I can’t eat until the mess is cleaned up!

-I am not a shoe person by any means. I got a pair of snow boots, hiking boots, chaco sandals, and running shoes. But IF I was to get another pair of shoes that I didn’t NEED, I would get these bad ass rainbow running shoes. Maybe in a few months when I put another 300 miles on my current runners.

-Kabocha Squash Flour Is My New Go-To for Gluten-Free Baking. Screw baking with it, I would just eat it straight, like a gangsta. To bad it is expensive as shit.

-Why Birds Do What They Do. Because they are better.

-Perfect sleep is when I take up and am not tired…So not often. No one knows what a perfect night’s sleep actually looks like

-Why Humans Totally Freak Out When They Get Lost. But I never get lost so I am good.

Pictures from the week.

Sunday Happy

Did you get any of that polar vortex snow yesterday? When I woke up there was a dusting of snow and ok, I wasn't thrilled, but I wasn’t devastated. I do live in Vermont so it’s almost expected. But now I am officially done. It is getting further into May and I just want to be able to not wear a freaking jacket anymore or have to worry about all of my plants. Be 55 degrees for a while. That is not to much to ask.

Another week has come and gone. The time is just flying away here. Besides the day trip to Shannons early in the week and the 5 bean bag chairs we bought for Judah (The guy has been wanting one for so long so I figured he deserved a little something something that isn’t stupid for being such a great kid. We ended up getting 5, and giving him 2 and each of the other kids one so they don’t just steal his), the week wasn’t that much different then all the weeks past. The mr and I went for a hike/fish adventure one day, had lunch with the littles everyday, and have started some outdoor projects around the apartment building. We had a sleep over with Judah which was awesome just because that kid is awesome. Bean bags and burritos. We know how to live! And then we went on a good hike with Meg and her littles down threw the woods and found us a river. Oh, and we emptied out Mileys room and the mr built her a new lofted bed. That took up some time for sure. And carpet bowling with Barb, Judah, and Coco. Life is great when you can spend an hour laughing at knocking little wooden bowling pins over.

It is Sunday again and it’s Mothers day! Happy day to all the Mamas! We have a few things on the agenda. A lunch with the littles and there mom then a good walk with my mom. Then maybe if we have time I might try to take a bike ride at some point. Also we didn’t have time to do our weekly deep clean of the house yesterday so we will be spending a few hours doing that today. And I need to brush my hair. It’s been a hot minutes and if I don’t do it soon, I’ll be rocking the dreads again. Doesn’t my life just sound so exciting. Haha! OH boy.

Internet links from the week.

-Welcome to the Culinary Barter Economy. I have always been a hug believer in trading food for just about anything. It just makes so much sense.

-Barb and I are making the plans now for next year! Cycling the tulip fields.

-These cabins. Soon, soon we will be able to build out own.

-It’s not your imagination. Allergy season gets worse every year. Every freaking year. And more and more people are getting them. I used to not have any allergies and a few years ago, BAM, face felt like a wet punching bag. So yeah, allergies. Suck.

-I did this in middle school science class and thought it was there greatest. I Think I am going to do it with the littles. Stay-at-home science project: Grow your own rock candy

-Did I tell you the mr got a bunch of pet shrimp? Yea, not my thing but whatever. This reminded me of him, because he also likes to makes things out of paper. Make Your Own Paper Prawn Using This Pattern Designed by Artist Lisa Lloyd

The Super-Easy Way to Figure Out When Your Grocery Store Is the Least Busy. I never knew, and it’s a little creepy, but I used it.

-Don’t kill you trees. I see it all the time, especially the mulch “volcano”. Drives me nuts. 4 Common Mistakes People Make when Caring for Their Trees

-Speaking of trees, these tress are freaking amazing! Rainbow Eucalyptus Are Real-Life Neon Trees

-The 'Spaceship Earth' Documentary Stars Share Tips For Surviving Isolation. Or you can watch the movies Biodome. Pauly Shore will tell you how to be.

Pictures from the week.

-C

Sunday Happy

Can you actually believe that it is May? It still seems unreal to me. But you know what is so real right now? Spring. IT is so so so amazing out, like the best. Some rainy days and some sunshine and warmth, green stuff everywhere. Flowers, cut grass, gardening..I have been pretty stinking happy.

Another week gone by week. So many walks, hikes, and bike ride.(The mr and I are the officially the family outdoor motivators. Who doesn’t want to hang out with us?) Our first walk of the week was with Barb, Cam, and Jackson. We strolled to the lake, screwed around for a while, Jack meditated on driftwood in the water then fell in. Went back to the house where I proceeded to give Jackson my first haircut of the week and I did an ok job, especially because I was actually fixing the hack job of a cut he tried to give himself. Ha. The next day I went over to Erins and proceeded to give the second haircut of the week to Coco. That went alight, I just gave him a cookie and hacked away. Again, not bad considering he was fidgeting and kind of screaming at me the whole time.

After that the week was full of more hiking, another round of cupcake baking this time with So Bean, paperwork up the butt, and research on tires and cellphones. Blah. I hate shopping research. Oh and the parking lot. Need an idea for something to do with some littles, Find a vacant parking lot, get a bouncy ball, and let it rip. The mr and I took Judah and Coco to the empty school lot and spent almost an hour chasing around a freaking tiny bouncy ball. It was the highlight of all our week. That and the long phone conversation I had with a cop about Mark. Mark is officially a college grad (I know, CRAZY!) And has basically been hired to be a state trooper (so many Super Trooper jokes) She called just to talk about what kind of person he is and to make sure he hasn’t murdered anyone. To bad I told her he is just a fucker and should not be hired to police ANYBODY HA! Just kidding, I made him sound even better then he really is. HAHAHA.

So yeah, other then that, nothing to crazy. Just staying sane with lots of running, biking, a little work in the studio, gardening, and making sick playlists on Spotify. Oh, and I gave my third haircut of the week to myself. I was in the kitchen cutting up rhubarb with the kitchen scissors and the urge hit. Gathered my hair into a bunch and just snipped a few haggard inches off… Not my best work but I don’t really give a shit. 😁

Today the mr and I are leaving super early for a hiking/fishing excursion, then we are going to check out Shannon and her mans house that is under construction. We need to make it back in town to do a few errands and to go check on the littles. Plus I really want to spend at least an hour in the backyard getting all the dirt under my fingernails. Going to cram as much stuff into the day as we can.

Interent links from the week.

-The Man Who Runs 365 Marathons a Year. I don’t know about a complete marathon, but I get it. I can’t stop either.

-How I stumbled on this???? Whoa Diddy, whoa.

-I really appreciate a good shelve. GETTING YOUR SHELVES TOGETHER.

-Passive homes are way cool. A Passive House Primer, Ultra-Energy Efficiency Edition

-What To Do When People Don't Practice Social Distancing. Screaming “Stay the fuck away” might not be the right move.

-I guess I am a person that wants a bean bag chair now. The Original Bean Bag Chair

-And here I thought I was fancy with my empty milk carton house.These downloadable architecture projects let kids build their own cities and skyscrapers

-This weird trick can make an onion taste like an apple. What do you think of that!?

-Art out of nature. Stones, Leaves, and Shells Whorl in Hypnotic Land Art by Jon Foreman

-SNL Nails What It’s Like to Grocery Shop Right Now. Dasini Water. SO TRUE!

Pictures from the week.