One more procrastination post - kitchen deep clean, bike shed and more

While we were in North Carolina, Jason made some major progress on the bike shed: the bike shed now has bikes in it - at moments I thought we'd never see the day!! 

Kali is just heading out now to help him finish making the door and there are still some final touches including putting the battens on the siding. BUT the end is in sight and that is a great feeling for all of us, but probably most notably Jason!

This is just one step, of several, to get more of our things out of the garage in order to make it a more user-friendly space for Mom and Dad year round. Little by little we are getting there AND we are grateful for their patience!

As signs of spring pop up all around us, the fullness of this year lands on and in us with both eager anticipation, excitement for some new things ahead, and some apprehension about how it will all fit and whether we'll be able to navigate it all while keeping the things that matter most at the forefront. Just this week we learned that a SARE grant Jason applied for last fall was accepted and approved for full funding. That means that Jason's work developing an edible dwarf winter pea for companion planting with wheat will be paid time over the next two years, allowing him to "do it up right!" This is a first and feels very exciting! Between that, Sassafras Enterprises jobs, ongoing chicken breeding and education opportunities, regular farm/garden work, and hoping to get started on the screened pavilion this spring, Jason's year is more than spoken for. It's one of the reasons I'm not initiating ways to find more birth doula clients right now. I can sense this might be the year to have my focus be mostly at home. I still hope a few opportunities come my way organically as I wish to keep my toe in birth work even if I'm not doing a deep dive during this next year or two. I also continue to devote time to personal and relational work that I care about very much and want to make sure I prioritize!

Speaking of deep dives, we did one a week ago today. And I hate to admit that we kinda dove into the deep end without a lot of good thought into the process. A rainy Monday netted us a day for family work inside. The girls' bedroom project had me itching to do the other room that gets the most traffic and was in need of some tender loving care: the kitchen! So we (Jason and I) spur of the moment decided that morning to go for it - not getting started until mid-morning with the clear out. In short, it took us the rest of the day until late that night to clear out everything (who knew so much stuff fit in a kitchen) and get every inch cleaned and ready to be restocked.

Before and after from one corner:

Before and after from the other corner:

As time goes along, I'm feeling less and less inclined to put a lot of details or particulars around our relational processes at home in this public forum. What I'm comfortable saying is that this process took a fair amount out of some of us and had some pretty bumpy moments. The clearing out and cleaning up feels more straightforward - hard dirty work but relatively easy to do without a lot of emotions getting involved (for me, anyway). But the taking stock of our stuff and deciding what to put back in and what to move elsewhere and what to part with is a whole other level of hard. You might not think a kitchen would be chock full of things that have sentimental value, but it sure is. Whether it's the cookie cutters, the tiny bell, special kitchen utensils, magnets, a set of plates or a kid's broom, these items hold memories and stories and, when we (I) get into a "just get it done" mode, I have a hard time holding space and giving enough time for all the feelings to be felt and expressed. I lean heavily on the potential for repair after rupture in times like this! I don't think any of us are ready to dive into another one for awhile, which is just fine since I think our time for them this winter is definitely over! And, while hard, I think some good conversations and relational work stemmed from the process. Also, I certainly am enjoying a roomier and smoother flow in the room of the house I spend the most time in. We also found that our toaster oven plug had more or less melted into the receptacle, which was very alarming to discover. So we may have discovered and fixed a dangerous situation - a once over of our spaces every now and then has many benefits! But, truly, who knew that a kitchen could hold so much stuff. There was literally kitchen stuff covering every room of our home other than the bathroom (made going to bed a little tricky that night!)

We picnicked in the living room for supper around 9 or so that first night! We were out of steam after that and I have been chided several times by my children for thinking that we could finish in one day. Here we are a week later with me still having a table full of things to go through. I will learn - both to budget in more time for a good process and to have a conversation together BEFORE diving in about our priorities, hopes, goals and how to make the process work well for all of us. 

We did get to enjoy the new pineapple flower, which I hadn't seen since the plant is currently on the high windowsill in our kitchen.

And I made "clean up this and that" muffins that are actually pretty bad - toasted with peanut butter they are palatable, but no one is excited about them. Oh well - you win some, you lose some!

Let's end this post on two of my favorite things: little people and celebrations!

And then, I promise, I will go tackle the table!!

I got to snuggle my most recent doula baby and also my December doula baby all in one week! That makes for a pretty sweet week!

In addition, it was a "normal" week with lots of Bear and Luca time. Bear came all ready to place this week - even dressed in velcro pants that were perfect for him having loads of fun with the plastic fruits and veggies!

With Luca we made play dough this week and it was a big hit! Terah, Alida, Luca and I were in the kitchen making it together and I said, "Now we'll need to decide what color to make it." Without missing a beat, Luca piped up, "Blue" (which sounds a bit more like boo right now). As you can see, we didn't second guess his color choice for a second! It's officially his birthday week! We had fun kicking off the birthday celebrations with their family last evening (complete with a dance party and a soft block battle). 

The night before we got to have a little belated 79th birthday celebration for my mom. Alida and I tried to make enough for both birthday celebrations; wemostly succeeded (just needed to fry a fresh batch of cheese and make more roti last evening). We used some of the only peas we froze this past year and the last of our black-eyed peas. It was a special meal to make, especially because Alida and I worked on a lot of it together AND because I'm so glad to be celebrating my mom embarking on her 80th year of life! I know it feels like a big gift to her also to have had these 20 years post-transplant to experience life with all of us!

Mom and Dad just took off for a few weeks in Florida visiting my sister and sister-in-law there. We'll miss them but are so glad they are able to enjoy a long stint there with them. We hope to have a few visitors create more memories with us here in their absence. The first batch of chicks will hatch before they return and, fingers crossed, the bike shed will be DONE!

Procrastination post...North Carolina get away!

I'm writing just shy of the two week mark this time around. I'm feeling particularly motivated because writing here gives me the feeling of doing something worthwhile AND helps me avoid the dreaded table in the back kitchen just a bit longer. The dregs of the kitchen deep clean are there waiting for me. Blog updating is the last thing between me and that job. We've shifted things around for our family work day today and all will be doing a variety of home/farm tasks but not all together, giving me a precious chunk of time to dedicate to going through piles of stuff. Can you see why I'm looking for alternatives??

Alida, Terah and my time in North Carolina was all we were hoping it would be. It was full of fun, relaxation, sweet times of connection, seeing beautiful things in the area where they live, many conversations, learning how to do new things, and much more! I had joked with Colette that if I ever came to visit her, I would prove that I was actually quite good at doing very little when given the opportunity. Picking up a new romance novel from our local library to take along was a perfect aid in me proving how I could lay on the couch for hours on end! Unlike when I'm at home, the kids weren't bothered at all by me checking out as they were paying very little attention to me anyway!

Colette and I share a lot of things in common, even beyond family heritage and history. Three of the many things that give us fodder for our conversations are that we are both doulas (me mostly birth and her postpartum), we both live in intergenerational households, and we are both navigating parenting and unschooling. 

This is their sweet home along a little creek where she lives with her spouse, his mother, and their son. 

Up the lane is the workshop where we stayed in the guest quarters on the upper level. And then beyond that up by the road is where Colette's parents live (her dad is my mom's first cousin). 

We were very cozy in our roomy accommodations and without the sounds of people up and about in the morning, I found it very easy to follow our late nights with late risings (often being in bed until nearly 9 a.m.!). 

The days were full of endless fun, new discoveries, creative play, and for me substantial lounging! Terah enjoyed a ride on the go-cart with Birch but wasn't quite ready to drive on her own. Alida took a few spins!

There was a lot of times when the moms were forbidden from entering the kid zone. They were working on various shows - both trampoline and magic shows that we got to enjoy during our stay.

The kids learned to make gummies and also homemade paper. Both were fun, but Alida especially is VERY eager to get set up to be able to make paper here at home.

Their imagination was endless, including making up a way to play soccer indoors on a white board.

There was so much fun to be had right around their home that it took a bit of convincing to go beyond the bounds of their land. That said, I think our bike ride around the lake by their home and an outing to see Triple Falls was among the highlights of our visit.

We were hosted so graciously and generously and were fed so much delicious food! We ate some meals in both homes, contributing very little to the work of the food we savored. One night we made soft pretzels all together. I love observing how a different household operates because it nets me new tips or things I want to try. Yesterday I baked our bacon for the first time and I'm converted - less messy and turns out equally delicious!!

In addition to all the fun human interactions, we also enjoyed meeting their cat Willie and I got some good kitty snuggles in one evening when Colette and I sat by an outdoor fire chatting.

The visit went fast and we are already dreaming of the next time (especially ways to get these three kiddos together for long blocks more regularly!). We thoroughly enjoyed the adventure away from home and Kali and Jason seemed to soak up the quiet for a few days. That said, I think we were all very ready to be back together again. I was pining for home by the time Saturday rolled around. It's a good feeling to love the place you call home and to be eager to return to it and the people there, even from a place where you were enjoying yourself so thoroughly!