Purple peas! Finally blooming! Of the 4 seeds I received in an exchange this is the only one to make it this far.

My elderberry is preparing to flower!

The apple tree is happy and the tomatoe is as tall as it.

Progress on my picture book! A long way to completion but it's getting there.

A for warning:  this post is a bit of a downer/rant....

I have so many ideas floating around in my head. All of them though take money to begin. Money and time. 2 things I have very little of....ok none of!

So I need to tend house, rear my tiny human .... and make money. Easy.....said no one ever! Our ancestors didn't do this alone. There was a whole family unit working together or servants. So I need a sister wife!

Some researching has born little fruit. Most of the stay at home ventures are:
1) surveys - I spent months taking surveys for hours a day only to be told I don't qualify for the paid surveys....waste of time!
2) blogging - this requires affiliated links (something to look into) and an interesting topic. My scatter brained blogging...yah not...

Elance now called upwork has finally given me 1 job. Dan might be right about that site. Like a craigslist for freelancing. People wanting a lot of work for very little pay. People who don't have all their documents ready or done correctly. They just don't know what they need before they post a job and hire someone. Sigh. I'm still applying for jobs on it but have only gotten the 1 job....that still isn't published because the artist doesn't wish to redo the work at the correct dimensions.

I've sorta got the saving money part down at least. I've saved close to 1k by making our curtains. (or half way if I compare them to cheap box store curtains). $126 a month in baby food by making it at home (assuming they are 1.50 a meal). $50 a sheet by mending the ones Georgia snags (so far $150). I make our soap now. Bars which we use for body and hands. We mix our own laundry soap. Sadly, small stuff. I can't figure out how to save larger. Tips? Leave a comment!

I've added a meal planner to my planner! It's kinda hard to fill out..... I'm so used to planning the day of because I fail at cooking. And shopping to be truthful! A work in progress!

I am starting to vlog in addition to this blog. Mostly garden stuff. We'll see how that flies. I don't expect monetary rewards from it so no sweat there!

Big sigh. Time to go clean the kitchen again, pick up toys and prepare for grocery shopping once Aidan wakes up from his morning nap.

Well the ball is rolling faster on my studio. It's empty now save the 2 desks for sale.

We're still tossing around color ideas and playing with some designs. It'll not be attached to the walls like initially planned but free standing, and cut up into a tilt drawing desk and flat top with shelves underneath. I'll post some sketches .... once I have some nice ones made rather then my sketchy sketches! 😏

While we finalize we'll be taking base molding off to clean up and repain and repair/paint the walls. Seal the window and rehang curtains. I am super excited about my repurposed "curtain rod"

Passive heat

Concrete floors have enough thermal mass to retain the heat from the sun for a day or two. The key is getting the sunshine to actually heat it up.

From my browsing of google on the subject, carpet & wood covering the concrete will hinder it's abilities to absorb heat.

So today I'm trying something new. It's sunny so I opened all east & south facing curtains and rolled back 1 rug. That leaves 2/3rds of the floor (roughly) exposed to the sun.

I have a tiny problem with frosted over windows though. Not sure how to prevent that without getting a dehumidifier which will run nonstop.

Garden update:  veggies are planted. I asked Heidi for a few seeds we didn't have. If she doesn't have them in her bank then the local nursery in spring will do. I'll plant the herbs directly in their pots in spring. I'll also start the pears here soon as well once I find an acceptable container for at least a 2 year growth.

And the jacket repair and modification begins!

A little info:  our wee Georgia ate out the pocket with some bubble gum when she was a puppy (like 2 years ago). I'm finally gonna fix that! Plus, I'll be adding a few more pockets! 1 specialty for concealed carry.

Dan had a professional fix the underarms because they dug into his pits.....he failed and just made it baggy under the arms. Not lowering the pit area at all. So I gotta fix that.

That same professional was supposed to modify the hump to hold a Camelback. With that I'll be cleaning up the area, reinforcing the opening and installing the bladder.

Patches need added.

All my work will be using the massive scars he left along the sides. Let's see if I can make this no longer made, expensive, leather jacket comfortable to wear!

My winter garden is coming along nicely! Spinach and bok choy growing and looking so cute!

Woke up to my trees bowing to Mother Natures wrath! We are getting some heavy freezing rain here. I've been told that they will perk back up. That it's the older more solid limbs that snap under this weather....fingers crossed and begging the dryads to keep them safe.

We're finally moving along with the book shelves! Super excited! More images to come.

Sycamore so far prostrated you can't hardly see it!

Peach looking dejected!

It IS pretty!

Before (but after cleaning)

Feeling rather accomplished today. I think I'm getting better at all this domestic stuff! At least I'm knocking out projects.

I finished a curtain commission and Aidan's costume. Started alterations on Dan's dress pants and hemming the last 2 curtains for our patio. Which, with the cold weather finally making itself known, I should probably hurry.

That was all yesterday mind you. Today we walked to Krogers for some cream and came home to bake like crazy! Poor Aidan didn't make it home before the sandman got to him. Most of the way, but not quite. So I carried him up to his room, put away the groceries, nooked my coffee then pinned them hems I could.

With no more to do without my machine I cleaned the kitchen and began to mess it back up!

Biscotti made with my hickory nuts! Yah, those that I beat the squirrels to and then took forever digging out of their shells!

Pumpkin oat cookies! All vegan and gluten free goodness!

Banana cider bread! Definitely a recipe for Iron Shot Cafe! Seasonal but damn is it good! A bit pricy though.....

Tomorrow will be to finish up the curtains. If I get more done then yay! Recleaning the kitchen from our dinner of deep fried stake tacos doesn't count. Shoot! I gotta make biscuits for dinner tomorrow too...hmmm.

It's sad when you spend a lot of money on a dress and then have to fix the zipper so it's hidden. Such poor craftsmanship these days! David's bridal special! It's still pretty and really not that much work.

Helping mommy capture the hem length! 

Sadly I have to hem. Even wearing 3" heals.

Or should I keep it long! 🤨

Back detail is nice!

I finally feel accomplish. There have been other days where I have felt like this but it doesn't happen often.

Now that I have a child I find it hard to combat my depression. I can no longer just go out and run or hike. At least not in the places I would normally go. I think the main issue is that things keep piling up. House work, gardening, lack of job (thus income) and trying to start a business. It's a huge challenge.

I try to knock out the small stuff and pick at the larger things as I can. However, Aidan won't let me do much while he's awake. If I'm in the kitchen he must be held and "in" whatever I am working on. If I'm sitting (key is sitting) in the living room he'll play with his toys and books. This does allow me to work on sewing projects like mending or his Halloween costume. I use this time to knit and plan the garden. Make lists of tasks I would like to get done that day (almost pointless). I am not, however, permitted to work on any device. If it's out he must play with it!

I usually choose a small project that I can carry and work on so that I can follow him around the lower levels as he plays!

Poor Dan is doing almost everything around this house by himself. It makes me feel so worthless, which is just adding to my depression. It's frustrating for both of us! So at nap times I try to get larger projects done. Moving dirt, mowing the yard, pulling weeds. The outside was mine to start with so it's only fair I maintain it.

Then keeping up with feeding 2 boys! I might as well count myself in the category of eating us out of house!!! I'm always hungry!!!

Site Map

Raised bed layout

Nap time

Dried tomatoes

Apparently the last owner thought it would be a smart idea to use caulk to patch a hole......

Finally finished with the kitchen update. Mostly.

More curtains!

While making a sweet potato and apple puree for Aidan's lunches I found lots of sprouted seedlings. So once I finished and cleaned up I planted them all! Then figured I should plant my cucumbers, butternut squash and cat mint. I planted a tini tiny garlic clove by the sycamore tree in back. I still need to plant the sunflower seeds I collected last year and the herbs.


Update on the oily hair! My blend of oils and no shampooing appears to be working! My hair is less greasy by far! Plus it's healing the rope burns on my ankles!

Gala seedlings

Sweet tater & apple

Bar seating

Grand adventure 

New rug

Will I ever finish this!

Cinquefoil not strawberry 

Bar seat damage