Little Bits of updates

It was such an incredible weekend. Saturday was the Maryland Renaissance Festival - Sunday was easy (I did clean up around the house and get laundry done) and even more so, we got my 3rd bedroom re-situated back into an office - which to be very honest, this is a good thing. The awesome boyfriend dismantled the bed and got it stored up in the attic, the desk un and re-assembled (I vacuumed the cleaned out the room during that) and everything is working :) Got some pictures hung and it feels like it should.

I have got to say, it's hard changing it from a bedroom back to an office.

But.

It's good. I am going back to college, and I never really warmed up to the computer downstairs (as in, I never used it). Now though, I've already been using it again, which is good.

It's just hard.

Anyways, I am happier with the room now. It was getting depressing leaving the door closed and it not being used and just left empty (ok, with stuff in there, but you get what I mean)

Monday was also an easy day. Got up late, made some breakfast sandwiches and then just ran around and got some stuff done. I did buy a trimmer/edger while at Lowe's. Ahem. Also some cool Halloween cat eyes for the front of the house :) They light up :) Oh and did more laundry and took a short nap. I really miss nap time. I want more nap times damn it!!

 

I have a dentist appointment tomorrow, which is good. I am slowly getting things more organized, also good. It's just that some days I have the will do to it and others and I just want to take a shower and ignore life.

I am really looking forward to our upcoming vacation to the beach :) It's nice to take these mini breaks :)

I need to write out my to do list again and then cross some more items off of it.

Ironically, I am sorta looking forward to winter just so I won't be pulled between house and garden - I like my house being clean more! LOL. Who knew. Well, snuggling is good for winter time. And hot cider. And hay rides. And holidays and cooking and baking and yeah....I love the change of seasons a lot it seems :)

Happy Kitty

Diego got a bath on Sunday, which therefore means I got more love from him :)

Sunflowers en masse

Some different angles of my sunflowers in my yard - they are all competing for the sun :)

I will be cutting off their heads soon as they wilt to get the sunflower seeds :)

Saturday - Maryland Renaissance Festival

So yesterday we went to the Maryland Renaissance Festival - it was so much fun! And it makes a huge difference going early in the day and early in the season :) It wasn't too hot in the morning, we got to see a lot of awesome stuff/people/characters and eat some seriously yummy food and drinks.

My awesome boyfriend

The boys getting ready to wander about


Oh and...there was a spider.

Over all, it was beyond awesome :)

A multi-faceted update

So I was home sick yesterday. I had started feeling icky on Wednesday and since the Renaissance Fair is Saturday, I *really* don't want to be sick. I was hoping to somehow avoid getting a full on cold. My left ear was hurting, I had a lot of sinus pressure (mostly my left side), was getting chills, had a runny nose and slightly achy. Yep, those lovely first signs of an oncoming cold for me. So. I made home made chicken stock Wednesday night (which means Thursday morning is was ready - SCORE with the crock pot!). I got the stock into ice cube trays Thursday morning while the kid was getting ready for school, emailed my boss and said I would not be in, took a muscle relaxer and then tried something different. Instead of taking my normal over the counter cold meds, I took Apple Cider Vinegar and Oil of Oregano. First was The Oil of Oregano - that shit tastes nasty. However, my sinus pressure was gone within 20 minutes. My ear stopped hurting. Wow.  I mean, DAMN. I took 1 tbsp of the apple cider vinegar 3 times (am, pm and before bed) and basically did the same with the Oregano. 2-3 drops each time. By late last night, I did not feel sick. At all. Granted, I was still very tired and I am tired (as in feel run down) today and slightly woo woo in the head, but overall, I don't feel like I am getting sick or going to get a full cold. Still sticking with these new meds today at work, so here's hoping.

Now the reason for the chicken stock into ice cubes (I got some ones that are 1 oz each and also some 2 oz freezable baby food containers for this purpose) was so that I can make 1 bowl at a time and not feel like I am wasting anything. So, for 1 bowl (see below) it was 2 ice cubes and 1 baby food worth of chicken stock, a little bit of water, thinly sliced carrots and celery, then some salt, pepper, paprika and garlic (the 2nd time I made it I added in curry which was awesome!) and some egg noodles. The chicken was the left over I had put aside in the frig from making the chicken stock.

So - homemade chicken noodle soup (almost ALL organic to boot), apple juice, green tea and lots of rest.

This is my tomato plant that fell over and I have yet to figure out what to do...because it's damn heavy! But still growing tomatoes !!

My 1 lonely carrot - and tomatoes that I threw away.

I have 2 bell peppers growing, I need to pick this one in the pic (I read that green bell peppers are not mature but taste sweeter, so I need to pick this today! They keep changing color as they mature)

Here's that saying on my wall :)

It looks kinda small I know, but I love seeing that every time I leave my bedroom :)

Oh and this is one of my sunflowers peeking over my 6' backyard fence :) He's next to the really short one that is staring at the fence. I will take some pics of the ones on the side of my house, because they are bending all sorts of ways to get more sun !!

Weekend

Sunday - Me and the boyfriend went on this awesome little hiking trail not too far from his place. It was about a 5 mile hike (and thankfully I only had minor problems with my knee and that was only when going down the steep hilly part). It was beautiful, I absolutely loved it!

It was so nice to get outside and walk Sunday morning :) I usually only get to take walks while I'm at work because my weekends are usually full of plans and cleaning and yard work. Yes, that lovely yard work that I did shortly after getting home. You know, things like mowing the lawn, pulling weeds and hopefully avoiding the poison oak/ivy this time around.

Then it's figuring out what to do for dinners this week and stock up at the store for lunches as well. This is going to be a somewhat busy week overall.

Saturday I was in a bit of a funk. It was raining all morning, which make my task of lawn work not happening. Which annoyed me. Know how that sometimes you have your mind set on something that you want to get done but then can't do it and it's like all of sudden you're at a loss of what to do? Yeah, that. I mailed a package to my sister though, and also put up some cool of the wall decals I had bought (ugh, literally a year ago!!)

This one I have going up my stairs (not in the same way as the picture)


And this one I have in my bedroom. (Since the picture is SO DAMN SMALL - it says:

Life is not measured by the breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away...)

I think this one is on straight on my wall. I did not measure it or align it or anything. Because, yeah it's not world shattering if it's slightly (maybe) crooked.

I eventually got off my ass, vacuumed and then headed out.

Saturday night - omg it was awesome, because at dinner we ate some seriously fucking yummy carrots, that came out of his garden :) So very cool!!!

Yeah I know they don't look pretty, but they just came out of the ground :) Rinse well and trim off some stuff and then they were chopped and cooked with some butter. REALLY yummy.

It was just a low key weekend, no stressing or anything. So very nice.

Updated Sunflowers

Stormy weather - makes me get all sweaty!!

Here you can see a storm starting to roll in...just as I started walking my 2nd mile of the day.

Suffice it to say, I jogged a few times to make sure I didn't get drenched. A little rain won't make this witch melt, but I sure don't want to have to change clothes at work!!

What I avoided

A lot of little things

Ok, so life is all over the place lately.

Since I am now officially divorced (YAY) I can legally change my last name. Now, first I must got to Social Security to do this, then the DMV and after that, it's everything from my bank accounts/credit cards, to house/car titles to ordering new checks to work and anything I've ever used my married last name for (like LinkedIn). I need to make a fucking list.

I am also in the process of opening an IRA account for the money that is from the Ex per the divorce. Who knew that can take such a process, and don't you know, it's smarter to wait until my name is changed.

My nephew's mother is a piece of work and is now stating she can't raise her son, again. I have no idea what's going to happen, I just know that last time is was painful and hard to change our lives into a new family when we took him. Got him fit, changed his outlook, started really teaching him positive things and then she demanded him back 4 months later. And not even 2 months goes by and she's all - I was wrong to take him back. I told her (and everyone) that he has to go into the foster care system. That she has to really give him up. Because I am not a yo-yo and this poor kid has already been too through to fucking much to keep on doing shit to him. And if I could be his foster mom, that is better than informal kinship without much help. Ugh. And honestly, right now, that's sadly a big IF. He's a great kid, in that he can be a great kid. He's a smart mouth, a know-it-all, and exhausting. He deserves better than he's gotten, but I can't change the past. I don't even know if I can help him now. Until you raise someone else's kid, you have no idea how different and hard it is. How much you change and sacrifice and at the end of it still feel like whatever you do won't matter...he has the gene's of my drug addict/alcoholic brother and his always-theVictim/NoResponsibility-manipulative mother.  That is a tall fucking order. But wait, let me know rearrange my whole life (again) and possibly damage my relationship and hope my 13 yo son isn't a constant prick, because I'm the only one available. That makes me feel awesome, not. I'm already a single parent. I remember lots of time crying in the shower because I was so stressed. I know that part of that was IN PART because he really thought this was temporary (and oh look it was) and he didn't see the point of making a connection. I have no idea if he's going to make a connection. Who wants to raise someone who doesn't WANT to connect with you. That hurts. Why, again, would I want to do that??????? Because he's my nephew? My brother's son? Because it's not his fault his parents are assholes and he's gotten the shaft for the last 9 years? I just don't know...

My son is 13, and his hormones are like a permanent case of PMS. I never know when he's going to have a melt down, which includes throwing a 5'8" sized temper tantrum, cussing and yelling, stalking off and slamming doors and then crying. And then apologizing for being a dickhead. Ugh.

And throwing a traumatized 9 year old into that? Ugh.

And trying to get house/home/yard cleaned, organized, anything on top of that? LOL. I need more energy it seems. Or something.

School starts Wednesday.

I was contemplating going back to college, actually get a degree.

At least I am getting my period still, on a regular basis. For over a year now. That says something to me in a very profound way.

I think for right now, I am going to keep my goals small. Keep my life simple. I only want complicated in the books I read.

I have a lot of thinking to do.

I am looking forward at least to a couple things. The Maryland Renaissance Festival and a mini vacation to Myrtle Beach.

Daisy Mae - Not a morning kitty

Weenie Roast and Tubing down the River

Sunday we were at a Weenie Roast. S'mores were involved. The Kid had a fun time :) The the tubing was interesting in that he should probably have some form of footwear on next time.