After a long hiatus...

I am back with an update or two or three. Or a ramble? It's late and I'm squeezing this in while the house is asleep (man, baby, parents-in-law).

It's probably rather silly to say "we've been busy" again, but we have. Over the last two weeks, we've been continuing to do projects; moving stuff from garage to house, painting the enclosed back porch a.k.a. "shed", unpacking my desk paraphernalia unpacking our framed photos/art, and a biggie: unpacking and arranging the books (still pending). I've yet to find our photo albums, and there's still a few boxes hither and yon that need to be opened and unpacked. Paul put a kitty door in the kitchen door that leads to the shed so we could put their litter out there. I spent a while re-acquainting them with the concept, using tuna and lots of high pitched kitty talk to coax them in and out. Thankfully, we had one at the old house, and I think they've got it. Henry sure got it quickly and tried to get through that door. Sadly, he's much much too large!






I'm finding it difficult to manage getting this house settled along with the normal household activities that keep the place running smoothly (e.g. laundry, bread making, grocery getting and such). Plus, this house is much bigger than any I've taken care of before, so that's taking some getting used to. Also, without much rug action on the floor, the dog hair is threatening to take us all over without a vacuum or sweep every other day or so. Turns out that painted floors don't sweep well. And vacuuming 2000 square feet is, frankly, a pain in the ass. But, I soldier on, knowing that when we get all our unpacking/placing done, I'll be able to figure out a schedule of sorts that keeps me on track. I've been interested in exploring what other stay at home parents do, or folks in general, I guess. Like, old school type things that are rock solid, like marketing on Monday, washing clothes on Wednesday or whatever.

Turns out that we need some more rummage goodness...I'm asking the universe for some large rugs that are not hideous and in good condition. And some few more small tables, lamps and maybe another comfy chair or two. But, mostly, the rugs for now. We will also need a washer and dryer soon, as those we have are really not working very well. It takes the dryer several cycles to get stuff dry, as I'm finding out. So, thank goodness for clothes line in the back yard...stiff towels and all, because good grief! We are so broke.

On Sunday, Paul, Henry and I went to Ostanek's strawberry farm in Trenary. We picked 24 quarts in record time, just under an hour and a half! I got them all processed when we got home after a trip to the coop for Pomona pectin so I could try freezer jam. Henry had a really good time...he actually helped pick for a pretty solid 15 minutes or so. After that, he just had fun playing with an empty quart box and trotting up and down our row. It was such easy picking at this farm, not to mention that it was only about 65 and cloudy. Last year, we sweated our brains out, swatting flies and dealing with a heavy, hot, cranky, 5-month-old, breastmilk addict on our backs (literally). This year, he's like a real little boy who loves to be outside, getting dirty, exploring everything.
Here are some photos...










Paul's parents are visiting this week, which has been really nice. They're so dear and loving, and so helpful to us. Kathy brought all sorts of perennials from her garden. Not only that, she actually DUG UP all the maple seedlings and overgrown weeds and junk in the south-facing front bed today, put it in the compost and replanted all that I wanted to save along with all she brought. In addition to my existing (barely) rose and peony and lonely lilly, she planted a few beebalms, black eyed susans, a few pink things I can't remember the name of and a lovely flowering shrub called "Little Henry's Sweetspire" which is special to me. Next time they come, she's bringing some echinacea (one of my faves) and some shady perennial flowers and a hosta. I'm waiting a day or two to take pictures, as they're looking sad and transplanted right now (droopy and thirsty).

I was feeling pretty crummy on Monday and Tuesday...pretty severe abdominal pain and cramping, but no GI or bladder symptoms. Seriously, this was almost labor-like in it's intensity. I went to our family doctor on Tuesday afternoon, and she ordered an ultrasound (which I'm having tomorrow) to rule out an ovarian cyst or ectopic pregnancy. She also had me give blood and urine for testing to rule out infections. I'm fairly confident that nothing is wrong with me, as I'm feeling almost 100% better today...almost no pain, just achy dull crampiness in my pelvis. But, I suppose it's better to have a look now, in case it is a cyst and happens again, then there will be a baseline. I've read and been counseled that most cysts are benign, and are nothing to take issue with. Many women take birth control pills to deal with them, as the hormones help keep things "level" in the system (artificially). I'm never taking artificial hormones again, so I'd rather keep my diet in check, and do whatever can be done with herbs, homeopathy and food first! If a cyst is very large, surgical removal is indicated because it can increase the risk that the ovary gets twisted around, causing big problems. Anyway, I'm feeling fine and sure that all is well(ish).

Paul's brother, Andrew and his family are coming for a visit on Saturday through Monday. We're really excited to see them, and can't wait to just chill together. They have 3 kids and Henry loves them. We're just going to eat, rest, watch some fireworks and do some fishing.

Ah yawn! Must go for now, but I will try to update sooner next time. For those who've asked about blog updates, I think that you will be notified of an update if you become a "follower," but I'm not sure about that. Anyway, thanks for reading!