When the clock stopped

Not too long after the puppies came to stay with us and the garden was planted, I read an article titled, "You can't have it all".  In it they claimed that American woman were led to believe in a huge myth...that as long as you want something badly enough, and you work hard, that you can have it all.  The article was specifically talking about a happy home life and a big wig type of career.  It highlighted how the woman who had made it to the top and stayed there were the exception, not something that many woman would be able to achieve.  Not for lack of trying but mostly because while men can have high profile careers and family, a woman in that same position is expected to do more at home than a man would be.  A woman would be more concerned with how her child feels when home sick from school where as a man can put those thoughts out of their mind.  There were several examples like that.  I didn't agree with everything they had to say but the ultimate point they were trying to make was that it is extremely difficult for woman to be the superhuman they feel they need to be in today's world and unless the circumstances were just right, they could just be beating their heads against a wall, trying to understand how they could be doing more when they they are already doing so much.

When I read this article, I was completely overwhelmed.  It helped to hear that it wasn't something I was doing wrong...just that there is only so much a person can do.

We have a clock in our living room that has to be wound up every 2 days or it runs out of juice and dies.  We got it from Barry and Lanette and from the day Adam hung it to the day Hansel and Gretel arrived (almost a year), I had only forgotten to wind it once.  The day after they arrived was the day the clock stopped.  It was one of those little things that wouldn't take much time but felt so overwhelming on top of all the other tasks that I had to deal with to keep all of us alive and the house and garden in any semblance of order.

At one point, Adam decided it was time to try the clock again...the day before he went on a business trip.  I told him that I wasn't ready to tackle such a monumental task.  It ran out of juice before he got back and stayed that way.

Thankfully, we are adaptable.  We learn to stretch and grow and deal with things that once seemed impossible.  Time has marched on.  The puppies have been here 6 months now.  It has been rocky and difficult but we have survived and thrived, I think.  Things aren't perfect.  I feel inadequate for all the tasks given to me...and all the tasks I wish to take on on top of those.  But time has marched on, like I said, and I am proud to say that my clock has been showing that passing of time for a month now.  I am getting the hang of caring for 6 dogs, a home, a garden, full time work, biking, and even finishing some projects along the way.   I am no super woman.  I will never have it all, just like the article was talking about.  It's hard sometimes for me to admit that...but I am learning to accept it and trying my best with my human limitations.  My life isn't perfect...and I would change some details of it if I had the opportunity but I really can't complain.    I have a good life.  I love and am loved.  I am blessed beyond what I deserve.  I am constantly shown tender mercies of the Lord.  I don't have it all...but I have enough.

reclaimed wood table

I was very fortunate a couple of weeks ago to make, from beginning to end, a reclaimed wood table.  I have been wanting an outside table and now I finally have one!  It's in the front yard but tucked away so most people can't see it.  I love making things with wood but my husband didn't believe I had enough skill to make anything useable (despite the fact that I have made a couple pieces of furniture in the past, including a large bookcase after we were married and 11 years later, it still is as sturdy as when I made it).  So this time, I waited until he was out of town so I could make it.  

I started by making a 2x4 frame for the top.  We already had all the wood for that.  I then laid all my reclaimed 2x2 slats under the frame.  I used paint sticks as my spacers.  I drilled the pilot holes for each screw in one board, then screwed the screws in.  I moved the spacers and worked on the next board until I was finally done.  Below, I had just left the room for a second to make a cut and I came back to find Hansel had taken over the rug that was acting as my knee pad.  Little stinker.

The top is HEAVY!  I carried it up to the front yard on a furniture dolly.  Some of the boards did not get screwed down tight so I unscrewed them, clamped it down and rescrewed for each board that needed tightening.

I screwed on the legs and added the apron boards.  I flipped it over and cleaned it off.

Using it right away for a garden harvest photo op. :o)  

It took every evening from Wednesday to Saturday to finish and it was worth it.  It is super solid and the top is very flat.  My husband is impressed...and is excitedly waiting for me to make benches for it. I am so excited to finally have a table!

and another week...trying to stay on top of it all

So here is more of a peek into my days recently.  

Homemade salsa using tomatoes from my garden.

Walnut "meat" using walnuts, cumin, coriander and tamari (a wheat free soy sauce).  I used it for a few different things.

Here's one dish I used the "meat" in.  It just steamed green beans (from my garden), homemade tomato sauce and walnut meat.  

Here's an occassional treat I enjoy.  It's a frozen banana, cocoa, peanut butter and almond milk.  I also make this into ice cream by using less milk.  I really enjoy it but Adam couldn't stand it.  

I was weeding the carrots and accidentally pulled these two little guys.  They're so tiny!!

Here are all the different tomatoes (the full sized ones at least) I am growing.  L-R: German Queen, Black Krim, Beefsteak, Cherokee Purple and Big Rainbow.  They are all heirloom varieties.  My favorites are the Cherokee purples and the black krims.  

My crock with pickles fermenting in it.  I had to throw out an entire crock full.  I messed up and it molded.  Yuck!  This is the second crock full.

The crape myrtle in the evening light.

My flower garden has only marigolds and petunias so far.  I LOVE seeing them when I pull up each day.  

Here's an eggplant bloom.  

A purple carrot.  I love the contrast.  I planted a mix of colors (purple, red, orange and yellow).

All my cucumbers cut and ready to start fermenting.

The marigolds really remind me of my childhood as we had a lot of them and my grandma did as well.  I love smelling them.

And I get to see some of the Olympics now...Adam hooked up the antennae a few days ago.  However, it's making me stay up even later than I already have been.  No good.  But I am glad I get to see it.  I have finally given up on my Olympic dreams.  lol  I am to old and I know it...not to mention I don't put in the training I would need.

A busy week

It has been a whole month since my last post...I have no idea where to start.  So I'll just start with what has been going on this past week.Life is crazy hectic right now.  Keeping up with the garden is a lot more work than I expected!  We still have the puppies and it looks like they're here to stay.  Adam is sure of it....I am still having trouble accepting that fact, even though I love them...6 is just a LOT!!  While I was preparing for and attending girl's camp, I got behind in house chores as well as the garden.  I have slowly but surely been catching up.  

The crape myrtle started blooming.

Dog milk bones made for a friend's dogs.  (Mine got the left overs.)

Sourdough bread made for friends.

My first big haul last Saturday.

This is raw "spaghetti".  The noodles are made from zuchinni and the sauce is tomatoes, a date, herbs, oil and garlic. It was SOOO good.

This was yesterday, I think.  

My first little eggplant!  Another even smaller one in the background.

Heirloom tomatoes are starting to come in.  For some reason, everyone's tomatoes are cracking this year.  

Our first watermelon.  Not quite ripe, unfortunately...but good nonetheless.

Best friends.  

I made a batch of dish washing detergent and a batch of laundry detergent.  I started using Dr. Brommer's lavender soap in my laundry detergent and I love the smell.

The weather outside has been very hot, perfect for rising bread dough.  The best rise I've had in a long while.  

So, that's some of what's been going on here this week.  I hope your week went well.

doggies EVERYWHERE

Just a quick post here as I am falling asleep.  We have been working on integrating the puppies in order to get things slightly back to normal around here.  The efforts are paying off.  Tucker absolutely loves Hansel...well both of them but Hansel is the player and Tuck really likes to play.  Gretel has injured her leg so she mostly just lays there (she's going to the vet on Monday).  But almost 24 hours a day, you can hear Tucker and Hansel having a great time.

It may not look like it, but they're just playing.  

The picture is horrible but I thought it was fun anyway.  All 4 were running around in circles chasing each other.

Tucker lays with Gretel sometimes.  He likes her too.

I was on my computer one evening and this is what I was surrounded by.  They make it really hard for me to make my sprained ankle comfortable sometimes.

Bear has made me so proud!  I thought for sure he'd eat one of the puppies but he has been on his best behavior.  He has growled at them a few times but I think he realizes that they're little and can't take the punishments he gives to Jack and Tucker.  He doesn't like them by any stretch of the imagination but he has been a good boy.

I just thought this pic was really funny.  He's not really inside Tucker's mouth.  ;o)

All 6 together.  Sometimes it seems like there are 12 dogs in the house while others, it doesn't seem like anymore than we had before.

Pretty puppies all in a row.  It was over 100 degrees today and the dogs lazed about all day.

So there you have it...it's about all I could muster.  I took a lot of cool pics today...and in the last few weeks but I can never quite find the time upload them.

more recent progress pics

Here's another quick look at some progress we've made.

This is the view from the same spot in the pics from the previous post.  Three of my garden beds have been built and most of the driveway leading up to the house has the gravel base spread on it as well as some of the garden paths.  The berm on the far end of the garden is leveled.  This was taken on May 29th.

This picture was taken tonight.  The gravel base has been spread over the whole driveway.  It's hard to see since the light is washing it out.  Between the three garden beds are gravel walkways and Adam created an island between the new driveway and the gardens.  That's where my blueberry and blackberry plants will be.  I have a few already there...still in pots.  Look at all the green in my garden. :o)  We are starting to get blooms on various things and it's so exciting!!!  On the berm, the mulch has been spread and I even planted the marigolds and petunias on the other side (the street facing side) this past week.  They are starting to bloom.  The wood for the fourth bed is set out, waiting to be built.  Not a ton has happened in those three weeks but there is definitely progress.

It's funny how neighbors have responded.  Some were angry at first.  I never got any rude comments but Adam said he got a few.  Cars were stopping in front of our house or driving so slowly.  It was really funny to watch.  Several people asked what had happened, as if a tornado hit only our yard, or something.  They all looked so concerned.  But as things started to take shape, people kept commenting on how nice it looks, even though it's obviously not done.  Now that the garden is growing, I have people coming in to the yard to look at the gardens.  We had no idea we had so many neighbors before we started working on this project. lol  Makes me wonder how they would act if they could see everything we've done inside the way they can see the yard.

Hansel and Gretel

As if our yard project wasn't major enough, Adam felt we needed an extra challenge.  Two extra challenges to be exact.  Meet Hansel and Gretel.  They are not ours...they are foster puppies that we've had for 2 1/2 months now, roughly.  They are about 7 months old now and still in that chewing stage.  Remember those bathroom cabinets I painted and glazed less than a year ago?  Well, both of them have been chewed up, along with the other cabinet (not permanently mounted though) we have in the bathroom and a wall.  However, they have gotten much better about not chewing on those things now that they are allowed out in the fenced yard to run and play.  You can barely see it but they are wearing harnesses in the pic below.  Hansel is in blue, Gretel is in pink.  

They are small dogs.  Hansel is 17 lbs and Gretel is 13 lbs.  They are adult size already...maybe minus a pound or two.  They are both sweet hearts but scaredy cats.  Gretel is more afraid of other dogs while Hansel is more afraid of people (though they are both suddenly and strangely going through this phase where they are very afraid of Adam).  They love to cuddle together and often sleep tangled up together.

There's just one little problem here...they can't be with the other dogs.  Well, they've met them all, on accident one day.  Thankfully my dogs behaved themselves and no one got hurt but I can't trust Jack or Bear with them so they are separated.  Because of this, and because all three exits to the outside are in the main living area, I have no way to get the puppies out without locking the dogs outside, taking the puppies to the basement, letting my dogs back in, then letting the puppies out...and again to bring the puppies in.  I make sure to spend time with both sets every day so it eats up a good chunk of my time when I am actually home.  If I need to work on the yard, I feel guilty because I am with neither sets but it needs attention too, especially right now.

They have wormed their way into our hearts and we are really enjoying them while we have them but they are not ours...they are meant for someone else...I just hope that that someone finds them soon so life can get back to some semblance of normal (if that's possible).