Over at I Has a Hotdog, they are celebrating today as A Day Without Cats. Not that cats are cute, but that there seems to be a whole lot of cat-ness through out the internets. Today is a day for dogs!
In honor of that, and for enjoyment and most certain “awwwws”, I give you this:
So really, this week, I have been comparing how I physically feel from last week. Last week I took vacation time and stayed home. We didn’t make plans to go anywhere. (Mainly because we planned to put whatever vacation money we would have saved up from extra in our budget and make new car payments. It has been worth it!) Most of you probably think that I stayed on the couch, in my pajamas, watching movies and snacking. I didn’t though. I actually surprised myself. Friday night and Saturday were spent in home improvement projects since Austin was out of town. Sunday was spent doing massive knitting on this commission project I’m working on. Monday was more knitting and a little relaxation, since Austin had the day off with me. Tuesday was cleaning day, Wednesday was finish up the cleaning and knit. Of course Wednesday was also the day that I realized my yarn choice was making the project turn out 3 sizes too big and I had to frog and start over. So Thursday I did knit like crazy to get back to where I was. But not on the couch, I hung out with a close friend all day in Abingdon. I literally didn’t stop moving or going all week, and I never once felt zapped. You know what I mean by zapped, right? You get up and go to work and work all day. Then you come home and you have to exert every last ounce of willpower to cook dinner and do some small straightening before you land on the couch and pass out at 8. I probably do that at least 2 days a week. Some days are better than others but I still get zapped. Even with the lower stress level at work now and the fact that I don’t come home crying.
So, I’m really trying to see what the difference is between this week and last but not really seeing anything other than this:
I only slept in to 8 or 8:30 every day. Austin still had to get up at 5:45 every morning. So I don’t think sleep was a factor. To me, it is simply work. I know some women are amazingly good at this work and wife (and sometimes mom) thing. My mom was overly amazing at it in terms of juggling everything. But sometimes I wonder if we are good at something because we are or because we have to be. I know that some women are all about liberation. I am glad they can’t pay me less because I am a woman and I am also very glad to have the right to vote. There have been some very good things to come out of women’s lib. But I also feel there were some negative things that came about as well. Suddenly we were expected to work as hard as men and juggle our home responsibilities as well. And personally, I know I can’t work as hard as a man can. There’s a point where I break down or simply can’t go any further. I can use any power tool you put in my hand, but I cannot carry anything over 60 lbs. I think we women have been pushed to ignore our limitations, God-given limitations, in order to fill a role we were not designed to fill. God designed us to be women, to be something amazing. And now we are being pushed, and have pushed ourselves to be more and more like men. I know someone is not going to like what I’m saying but honestly, they could keep my paycheck if it meant I actually had the energy every day to keep my house in order and cook good meals every day and take care of the ones I love. I mean, I was able to keep dishes out of the sink everyday. I was able to keep things straightened. It amazed me at how much better I felt. I knew this was how it was supposed to be for me. So I guess my question is, do you ever feel that way? Do you ever feel that you are trying to fit yourself into something you weren’t made for? Leave a comment.
This has really been on my mind a lot lately, during my time with God especially, but also just in general. I sometimes just feel lost in this respect. What kind of representation of a woman have I been shown? Normally I’m not this open, but I have to talk about this. Growing up I was shown two extremes – extremely overly emotional and manipulative or extremely and overly unemotional. Either all tears and mush or stone hard reality with no compassion. I used to avoid makeup like the plague. I really did not see a reason for it, because deep down I wanted someone, anyone, to love me completely just as I was. No makeup, no mask, just . . . me. I avoided pink and frills (except unicorns). I just tried to exist without any of the outer symbols of being a woman. Not that some people in my life didn’t try to force me into that. I know now how much I missed out on, but up until this year I just didn’t know how to simply be a woman.
What are we really shown, ladies? We see women who show a lot of skin and become sex symbols, and yes there is an aspect to every woman to be sexy. One of my deepest desires is to be the fulfillment of my husband’s desires and to rock my bedroom. But that isn’t all there is to it. There is wearing makeup, and nice clothes, and perfume and feeling that you embody the essence of beauty, and that area I have had to make leaps and bounds on thanks to some awesome friends God has blessed me with. But there is more. There is more to this woman thing. More that God intended when he created woman out of man. I hope to keep on this series as I learn more. Please feel free to comment on if this is also an area of struggle with you. And thanks for listening.
So, this is my first time posting for DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. So, here goes.
Introducing Mr. Ceiling Fan. He’s very humdrum about himself because he has that tacky fake gold color all over and his blades aren’t even real wood. They don’t look anywhere close to real wood! In fact, no man should ever be forced to wear ruffles or frills.
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So introducing Mrs. Spray Paint. We all know how women can help men get past their issues.
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Ok, Ok, enough with the story time. This is my first time I have ever used spray paint to do anything. I got a cheap plastic drop cloth for the dining room table. I also used grocery bags taped to the ceiling, an idea I got from a previous DIY Day post where they painted their outdoor lights without taking them down. I stuffed the light sockets with grocery bags as well. Hey, they were the first thing I could find.
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A couple of coats later, and I couldn’t believe my eyes.
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I spray painted both sides to the blades and then spray painted very lightly the screws for the globes and to reattach the fan blades. And with the purchase of some $3.44 glass globes from Walmart, I now have a new ceiling fan. At least my husband thought so when he got home from the worship conference. “Is that new? No, really, did you buy that?” If you add up the spray paint, the drop cloth, and the new globes and light bulbs, my ceiling fan cost about $20. And I’m very happy to not have to buy a brand new ceiling fan for the dining room.
So, I haven’t put on my apron in a few days. It was really a rough weekend, and I feel exhausted. I’m hoping to get my strength back this weekend, get my apron on and get some major straightening up done. I actually almost feel too exhausted to post. I could use a nap but no time, and work has been rather stressful. I keep getting trained in more positions and that just means more they can make me do. I just keep trying to ignore how far behind medical records will be when I can actually go back to my desk Monday. Let’s just say, that the writing desk is piled with mail, the sink is not empty or clean, the floor has dust bunnies and there are more dirty clothes than clean clothes.
So here sits a lonely stool.
This is my first ever venture into woodworking of any kind. It’s a nice stool, made from scraps of wood my neighbor was going to throw away. (Yay for free lumber!)
Close ups:
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Of course Magnus has to investigate. The boy would sniff or lick anything! I have tried it out, and it’s actually quite comfortable. I can probably use it as a stepping stool, as a stool for the writing desk, and in the back yard while I’m gardening. It’s about 15 in high so its not an actual seat. At least now I know I can move on to much bigger projects with confidence!
No, I’m not going into a science lesson. I do have plants. It’s just that animals keep messing with my plants. Outdoors my lettuce, which was thick and flourishing, is now down to just a handful of plants. Yes I think rabbits have discovered my garden. My grandfather’s suggestion is to use the tacky aluminum pie plates and buy a couple of bright rubber snakes and that should drive them off. So a trip to the toy section is in order. Indoors, my herbs are doing great, as long as Magnus will keep from eatting my seedlings. Every time my thyme puts up a new seedling, it disappears. I finally caught him in the act the other night and had to move all of my herbs up off the floor. I really need to move them outside now, but haven’t had a chance to straighten up the deck to make room for them.
In other news, my job still reeks and continues to decay into yet stinkier reekiness. I may have another possibility which I will apply for and get mailed this week. Just pray that this one pans out. I need another job badly.
I’ve definitely been enjoying my sewing room. I finished The Gathering Apron the other night. I also worked on some zippered snack bags. Next is to finish my heirloom baby quilt for when DH and I finally do have kids. I have everything I need, except binding, and I’m not going to make binding. I’m just going to buy some. Hey, I’m lazy.
So, I’ve had the camera out since I got a huge pack of AA batteries and I’ve been snapping pictures of everything to try and get caught up. So, here we go!
First, the craft room.
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So this is from the door to the room. On the wall with the window with lovely homemade curtains, I plan to put a shelf for all those totes of fabric you see. Then I have my eye on an antique rocker I saw at a shop and will put that in the empty corner.
And this picture shows my laptop and also the cabinet that stores my patterns and my sewing machine when not in use. |
| And finally, my yarn storage. It’s still a bit of a mess at the moment, as I need another cube kit to have enough cubes to go up another row, but still it works for now. 100 points to everyone who spots the rump in this picture. |
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I promise, no porn, I just have no control over where Magnus decides to roam when I take pictures.
Now, on to my latest sewing creation. An apron! I did not understand the power in an apron til I made on. I didn’t know how much I would get done wearing one!
Next, my gardening!
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So, first is my three rows of vegetable garden. It’s just been tilled, is full of rocks, roots, and pieces of brick from the construction of the house and needs a lot of work. Instead of figuring out where to toss all of this, I’m simply lining it up along the edge of the beds to make an edging. Actually doesn’t look half bad either. As of yesterday, I have some Salad Bowl variety lettuce and spinach coming up. No word on the sunflowers, peas, zucchini, or cucumber, and due to an abundance of nonstop rain, my tomato plants are still in a pot.
But you will see in the second photo that my lavender is coming up now! There are actually four plants now. Also I have one teeny Stevia plant coming up. It’s too tiny right now to get a decent picture, but as it gets bigger, I’ll take a photo. |
Finally, I now have a writing desk. I feel so wonderful at it, like I’ve stepped back in time. Austin and I have had this secretary desk for a couple of years and it originally filled its purpose as a computer desk. But now, it’s solely for reading mail and writing letters and notes and mailing items out.
OK, I promise, I’m out of pictures. I won’t take anymore until . . . maybe tomorrow. Actually, it’s now after midnight. I could take more pictures! OK, just kidding. I actually do have more pictures but I believe, in order to keep me awake til Austin gets home, it’s time for Monarch of the Glen Season 1. Til next time, I’m signing off.
I’m having to continue blogging without pictures, due to a lack of AA batteries in the house. We’ll all have to make due with our imaginations I guess. First and foremost, I should actually have my garden plowed, hopefully next weekend. That means I can transplant my 14 tomato plants, my lettuce and my 2 cucumber plants. I started some lavender yesterday, and I am waiting to get some more pots to start some parsley, basil, passionflower, and stevia. Which brings me to point 2, I am almost off of sugar. I am trying to get completely away from corn syrup, so if its a choice between that and sugar, I’ll choose sugar. But if I have a choice to not have sugar, I’m now using stevia. Right now, it’s in the form of Stevia in the Raw in little green packets, but once my stevia shrub gets big enough, I can simply get my sweetness from that. I have noticed a difference in not having as much sugar. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to completely come away from sugar entirely, but I can at least greatly cut how much I’m taking in.
My craft room now has internet access! I’ve got my laptop running smoother, and have it set up in the craft room. I actually feel really comfortable there and can’t wait to have it fully functional. I’m still lacking shelves for my fabric, and a rocking type chair with a foot stool. I also need to go yard saling for some old sheets with the right colors and make this rag rug for the room. I promise to get some batteries before Jesus comes back and take pictures of all of this.
Well, first off, let me say that the idea to switch to the cotton rags has worked out great. They are absorbant, reusable, and have a much better scrub factor than paper towels. My DH has officially approved their use after having to clean up after Magnus. He said that Magnus threw up and the rag didn’t leave bits of paper towel in the carpet, didn’t soak through and get the nasty on his hands and really got the mess up quicker than paper towels. If he approves then the change is permanent so I’m really thrilled about this! It means that $6-$8 we were spending on paper towels can now be wiped from the budget. And as small as the rags are, they can be washed with any other load and not use really any more water or detergent. Also the new kitchen laundry hamper works great too. I plan to put up some pictures as soon as I get batteries this weekend.
Now on to why I need another job. Of course I am hormonally homicidal right now anyways, but it comes down to the fact that I don’t think I can handle the emotional strain of the place for another 3 years, which is how long it will be before Austin finishes with all the teaching certification and I can finally come close to not having to work and simply having my own kids. It still goes through my mind occasionally of working 2 part time jobs, except I know that that usually winds up with scheduling problems, as in you end up working 2 shifts at 2 places on the same day for 12 hours. All I can do is pray, and keep applying to any job that I see that would at least pay me as much as BR does.
