I guess I spend way too much time with my hair messy, roaming around in either my pj's or my "play clothes". After drying my hair (usually let it air dry) and putting on jeans and a t-shirt I headed down stairs. Popped my head in to check on Beau on my way down. He was sound asleep, or at least it appeared that way, as soon as I cleared the doorway, he hopped up and dang near chased me down the stairs. Running from door to door to see what mischief mom could be up to this early in the morning. Oh the disappointment as he headed up the stairs, glancing back at me with disdain, how dare I get his hopes up and then sit down and not go any where.
Guess I will have to take them somewhere today, although I have no idea where. Their favorite park is currently under water from the flooding. And I am fairly positive that my oldest grand daughter would be less than pleased if I showed up to pick her up for work with them in the backseat. Decisions, decisions.
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| the old lilac is finally getting flowers |
The birds are singing and the world is slowly starting to green up nicely. I love the freshness of spring, the transition from silent and bleak to vibrant and alive. Definitely makes my world brighter. We have a male cardinal that sleeps on a hook Hubs put up years ago to hang lights at Christmas from under the eave on the front porch. He's very vocal when we go outside at night, letting us know that we do not belong in his space. By day he is out back or in the holly tree, very rarely do I spot him in the giant pine outside my sewing room. He's never far. My sweet Hubs named him Joe, because they say when a cardinal is near one of your departed loved ones is near also. He's sure my dad is visiting and staying with us now. Who knows...
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| I used white cheddar, not yellow |
Yesterday ended up super productive despite the level of exhaustion I was fighting off. The Cheez its turned out incredible, so much so that I need to make another batch to go with the tomato soup we never got around to having last night. I can't really describe the feeling of satisfaction that comes with knowing you can make some of the foods you love, minus the chemical cocktails they put in them. It feels as good as harvesting your own organic veggies and making your own quilts.
Today will have to include some soap making, did a quick inventory yesterday and we are getting to a critical point. It takes about six weeks for a batch to cure. I've been saying for months that I was going to get a batch made, well... it hasn't happened. Between illnesses, anxiety, the whole life thing... well, it took bottom priority. Hubs is running out of shaving lather and the supply of soaps are getting super slim, so this afternoon is dedicated to soaping. I was looking through my different oils and feel like I can comfortably make two or three batches minimum. That means at least 24 or 36 bars of soap. I have plenty to make his shaving lather, so that isn't going to be a problem at all.
A few weeks ago I made him an after shave lotion. It was the first time he'd asked me to try it. Thankfully, it turned out great and he's loving it. Recipe is definitely saved! I'm going to match his shaving lather up with that fragrance oil so he doesn't have conflicting fragrances.
I truly love making soaps so I am sure why I put it off. Oh yeah, I'm not incredibly great at staying focused. That is what I am currently working on after all. Ya'll should totally see my calendar, all the lines scratched out, all the added items. I'm working very hard on keeping myself organized and on track.
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| She can be a bit judgy too... |
Bless my sweet Hubs' heart he is trying so hard to help me. It's sort of like the blind leading the blind. Because both of us are great at making lists and knowing what needs done, but staying on track... well that is a whole different story. Thankfully, we are both focused on reclaiming out yard, before it all erodes down the hillside.
About two weeks ago we addressed the issue of rerouting the drainage after the tree came down, and all of the storms have assured us that we fixed it correctly. This weekend we will start working on burying the drainage, getting loads of dirt to fix the erosion and finally starting to lay sod. In the midst of all of that I will get the zinnia's planted at the fence line, combination of erosion control and beauty. I am putting a lot of sunflowers in this year, so I need to get those planted as well. They are perfect for healing the soil and ours needs it desperately. Yep, I'm not a fan of chemicals in my yard either.
I have a few other flowers we want to plant. Some cosmos and marigolds for the pollinators, some lavender for the pollinators and to harvest to make our own essential oils and such. We'll start on the wood piles before it gets hot, but definitely not this coming weekend.
We pick up our newest elderberry tree in a couple of weeks. I'm working on my elderberry forest. Not really, although it will bring me to three american elderberries all different varietals. I didn't know that I'd be able to get a free tree in exchange for chopping down our massive Bradford pear tree. I definitely didn't know I could get an elderberry. I almost went with a PawPaw tree, I would love to include those in our space, but you need two of them also and I am running out of areas to place them, so I stuck with elderberry. I use the berries for so many things and having three of them I might even be able to eventually be able to harvest enough to try my hand a wine.
So on top of his birthday present, we have a very hard labor filled busy weekend waiting for us. Oh yeah, we will also be setting up our new freeze dryer and getting it ready for it's maiden use. Both of us may need some extra rest next week! I guess it's the start of busy season...
Well, the oven beeped to let me know it is ready, so it's time to get busy. I'm trying to limit myself to an hour total of typing, editing and stopping a dozen times for meds and/or potty breaks for pups.
I hope you all have a wonderful day!
love and peace...
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