The Simple Woman's Daybook for Monday, May 11, 2015

 

For Today... Monday May 11th

Outside my window... The sun is starting to disappear behind dark clouds, and it is breezy getting quite cool.  It is hard to say if the sun is going to be coming out or it is going to rain!

I am thinking... About how blessed I am to be a mom to these kids, and a Grammy!  I got the sweetest letter from my youngest son, flowers from my hubby ( and he will take me out to do something fun once we get this work completed), and my oldest son took me out to get some new rubber boots as he wore mine out this weekend and they are full of cracks.  I am also so thankful for the wonderful moms in my life!

 

 

Flowers from my hubby!

 

These are like mini tulips, they are so tiny!

 

 

Gosh, roses even!!

 

 

One tiny broken one to watch me do dishes.

 

I am thankful...For all the help we have had this weekend digging out the new interceptor trench and building an addition on the shed for the chickens to live.  They are getting much too big for this house! Our kids were all helping out, and my grandson was here all weekend ( actually...I have seen him for 4 days now!)   We had our neighbour to dig out the trench and fill the gravel in, and the weather was lovely.  Thank YOU God!

 

This reminds me of the Ingall's house on Little House on the Prairie!  Only I have to stand on the other side of it!

 

These will be windows and they are going to be set up so the chickens can go into their run here.  This is also going to be an expansion of our shed for my hubby to have a work space.  My son in law drew this all up and built most of it in one day!  That guy can do anything!

 

 

 

The interceptor, just waiting for more gravel and the neighbour to come back with his tractor.

 

What a mess, and what a lot of grass seed we will need.... But I sure hope this stops the water issues!  At the bottom of the trench, there are two perforated pipes to get the water moving down and around the septic field, and it goes underground from there.

 

I am wearing...Blue jeans, a grey tank and a new navy blue long sleeve shirt with a tiny ruffle on the front.  I'm not a ruffle person, but this is a very tiny ruffle.

I am creating...Garden beds and chicken coops!

 

 

 

 

All meat chickens do it eat, sleep and poop.  And repeat constantly!  They are more than double their size since we got them last Tuesday!

 

 

"Hey lady, we need more room, or we are gonna bust out of here!"

 

I am going...To the pet store today to check into some things for a new addition to our family later this week (I hope)!  Then perhaps a side trip to Deadman's Island, which you can read about HERE . I need to get some video for Jeremy's YouTube channel, and he has some history buffs that watch his videos.

I am wondering... If I am going to beat Devin at this race we are having right now.  I bet him I can finish my blog post and get the vacuuming done before he finishes both his math tests  Hey....anything to inspire him to get this math done!

 

 

Working hard at beating me in the race!  I have no idea why there is a golf ball on the table!

 

"Ha ha mom, I am going to WIN!"

 

I am reading... I have been reading mostly magazines this week, as I took a lot out at the library!  I am really enjoying  THIS OLD HOUSE magazine!

 

I am hoping...That the next loads of gravel come today so we can get this trench filled in before it rains.  We don't want the sides to collapse, though they are covered in landscape fabric.

I am learning... That no matter what age you are, it is still crummy when you feel like you don't fit in.

In my garden...The radishes are poking their heads up, and the rhubarb is coming along.  Today we have peas to plant, as well as more carrots and some sweet peas.  Have you ever smelled sweet peas?  Sigh...heavenly!!  Devin has his own side of the garden and he has been busy planning what else to plant.

 

 

Radish sprouts

 

 

Rhubarb ( amazingly it is doing well, especially since I stepped on it!)

 

 

I am so happy that one of my nanna's black raspberry hollyhocks has come back, they are tough to get going!  I am leaving this in my veggie garden!

 

 

Devin's radishes.

 

 

In my kitchen...My goodness, I feel like my daughter and I spent all weekend cooking and planning meals!  We had take out pizza on Friday, a mountain of sandwiches yesterday on Saturday for lunch and lasagna for supper, and then barbecued burgers and hot dogs yesterday.  I think tonight will be ham and scalloped potatoes.  Or pork chops.  We shall see! 

 

In the homeschool room...Still plodding away at math!  But I firmly believe the best way to learn is by doing...and Devin has worked so hard with his brother in law this weekend!  He learned how to use a circular saw and a nail gun, he measured wood, put up walls and a roof on the new shed addition.  We have saved some old wood and he plans on building his own creation!

 

A favorite quote for today...

 

 

A peek into one of my days...

 

 

 

 

Someone enjoyed his chocolate cake!  I just grabbed him up and put him right in the tub after! Notice Mixie waiting for leftovers!  She loves Devin!

One of my favorite things...One of my new favourite things is the Bog boots my son Jeremy bought for me this weekend.  He usually takes me out and we go shopping for something I would like.  Since he has been wearing my old boots to do the work outside, he has put a big gash in them.  I have wanted a pair of Bogs for a while, but they are so pricey.   They do last a long time, and have a great warranty.  We thankfully  found some on sale.  They are tall and warm, and can be worn in the winter, they are quite toasty!  I hope they last for a good while ( bonus....my boys can't wear them, lol!)  They have so many different boots, patterns and colours to choose from it is hard to pick! 

From the board room...

 

We still have to paint or stain the stairs coming up from our front entrance to the main floor, and while I am at it, we might as well do the stairs from the landing to the basement.  This is an idea I love and the instructions are so well done!  Click on photo credit below the photo for the link to the instructions. It is on my FOR THE HOME Pinterest board.

 

 

 

Photo credit

 

 

Post Script...This is a website belonging to a daughter of a friend of mine.  Ada is 12, and she is so talented and creative.  You can learn more at Dappled Blue

 

 

Don't forget to stop by The Simple Woman's Blog to read more Daybook entries!

 

 

Friday Letters

 

Dear Friday, What, are you here ALREADY?  This week seemed to fly by in some ways and drag on in others!

 

Dear Nathan, Sorry you had a rough day and were a bit grumpy.  I am still glad you came over to play with Grammy, even though your momma and I trimmed your hair and you sort of resemble Friar Tuck.  It is hard to trim a baby's hair when they are crying, squiggling, flailing, falling asleep and screaming all at the same time.

 

Dear Tropical Storm Ana,  Please do not come by to visit.  It seems we just got rid of your sister, Elsa, who was here up until a couple of weeks ago.  Wow, we loved the visit, (dripping with sarcasm)  but we are tired and don't want any more nasty weather.

 

Dear Chicklets, My goodness you are growing way too fast, the other day you were fuzzy fluffballs, now you have tiny feathers.  I don't know what we will go with you until you are able to go into the coop!

 

Dear Veggie Garden, Woot!  We have planted you with some seeds finally.  It would be great if the seeds grow, and I can't wait to see that little haze of green!

 

Dear Anxiety, You have overstayed your welcome, and I want you to leave, like, yesterday.  Click......turning off all the thoughts jumbling up my brain ( at least for a few minutes!)

 

Harriet's Happenings

I love that title, I borrowed it from the TV series "Little House on the Prairie", where Harriet Oleson gets her own newspaper column.  Of course, it was full of untruths and gossip.  This post isn't like that, I just thought I would use this title for those posts which are just random bits of life.

This week the anxiety has gotten worse.  Today I thought I had cracked it, and it was going.  But tonight, there it was again. I have not slept well because of it, nor have I been able to eat properly.  There is a lot on the go, and my head wants to control all of it.  That control doesn't belong to me, it belongs to God. I have been trying some new essential oil blends.  And you know, when I exercise, it helps SO much.  I have been busy this week outside, and not getting that aerobic exercise I need.

So let me share a few things going on here this week.  First of all, as I type this, there is a brush fire burning on the other side of Dartmouth.  100 families have been evacuated, and the wind is strong, and it is pretty much tinder dry.  We had a brush fire awfully close to here a few years ago.  We drove through part of it and it was really scary.  I think I blogged about it, I will see if I can link to the post. 

On Tuesday, we went to pick up the chicklets! Oh my goodness, we walked into the door of the feed store, and there were big plastic trays of cheeping little baby chickens, all hatched just a few hours before!!

 

Cute fluffiness!

 

 

 

She is not in the mood to talk!

 

 

Gathering around the water cooler!

 

 

Sleepy chicklet!

We brought 6 of them home, these ones are meat chickens, and so sweet, I am not sure how I can bring myself to eat one, that is why we are not naming them.  We are getting laying hens at some point, so those will become more like pets I hope!  They have already grown so much in 2 days, and eat like crazy!

In outdoor news, we have planted some of our veggies, we planted potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet peas and have the peas left to plant, until the risk of heavy frost is past. I use raised beds, so I think that keeps the warmth in better. 

We also started fixing the interceptor around the septic this week.  It is a good, dry, sunny week but these trenches are still full of water and it is a huge mud bog.  Our neighbour is digging it up with his tractor, and we have several loads of gravel coming.  We need to get this done asap, so we can get the coop built. 

 

Talking about what they are doing ( my dh is on the left).

 

 

 

Sloppy, muddy, mucky mess......

 

 

We have a pudding farm!

 

 

Today.  These trenches are actually full of water.  Still. 

Wow..now I am starting to feel anxious again about getting this done and what we will do with the mess left over.  I am not anxious about just this stuff, lots on my mind that just rattles around and around in my brain and never seems to leave.

Breathe!!!  I can do this!! 

 

Mixie has the right idea!

The Simple Woman's Daybook for May 4th

 

 

For Today... Monday May 4th, 2015

Outside my window... Bright sunshine and a brilliant blue sky.  Temperatures might be in the low 20's today (Celsius)!!

 

The trailing arbutus is about to flower, also known as mayflower.  It is the provincial flower of Nova Scotia.

 

I am thinking... That I need to be getting a lot more rest, this whole family is tired!!!

I am thankful... For God who loves me through this anxiety.  I was up a lot in the night, not feeling well, and this morning, there is the anxiety and panic.  I hate this so much, it is so draining.  But God is faithful and is here with me through it, though at times it feels He is far away.  This is a lonely time when you are in the midst of anxiety and fear.  Not many people care, some think it is stupid, others think you are weak.  When I am feeling better again, I won't feel any of these things.  Or at least not as strongly as I do now.  Right now, I just feel pretty bad.  I wrote some of this yesterday, before this started again, so it may seem very up and cheerful.  I am struggling to feel that today.

It is so nice to be able to walk along our stream!

 

I am wearing... Blue jeans and a grey jersey knit top.  I hope to change into a T-shirt later, maybe even capris!
 

I am creating...Piles of brush and twigs to burn, interesting garden structures by reusing things I find around the house.  In the house, I am working on ideas for a friend, and creating piles of stuff to declutter.  Now that it is nicer out, I really want to get this place cleaned up inside and out!

 

Burning lots of branches and some brush. We use an old oil tank, and it sure looks hideous, but it works wonderfully!

 

I am going...To get baby chicks tomorrow ( if they are ready), to have a friend over on Wednesday, to go shopping with my daughter and grandson, help my hubby get the shed cleaned up to add on the chicken coop, and to work in the garden.  If we get nice weather!

I am wondering...How to get this night owl boy of mine into bed earlier.  11:30 by the time he collapses into bed is too late!

I am reading... Newer editions of Country Life magazine, as well as a coffee table book I got at a book giveaway, called "The Cabin", by Dale Mulfinger and Susan E. Davis.  It has such great photos of cottages and cabins!  When I was a teen, our step dad had a wonderful little cottage in Muskoka, Ontario, this book brings back lots of great memories!

 

I am hoping...For a surprise I can't reveal yet...still....

I am learning...Too much about chicken raising.  I am good at being a mother hen to my kids, I certainly hope I am a good mother hen to...well... hens!

In my garden... We dug the raised beds in after we added manure ( the soil we bought originally , to fill up these raised beds, was absolutely terrible, and we got ripped off.  It was not top soil mixed with compost.  It was someone's junk dirt pile!  So it needs a lot of amending with manure,  compost etc.  It even has some seaweed in there this year!  I am hoping to get the onions and peas planted this week if time allows.  I need to edge the front flower bed and once everything has popped up, I will need some more black mulch.

 

Yep, you use whatever works!  I am growing peas and beans up old tires and the frame from an old crib!

 

 

 

The beds are dug in and ready to plant!

 

 

In my kitchen... I seriously need to get my rear in gear and start menu planning, not having a plan seriously blows my budget.  I am trying to buy less convenience and processed foods and make my own.  I am making this recipe tonight...http://picky-palate.com/2012/04/24/classic-cheesy-chicken-and-rice-soup/

 

 

 

In the homeschool room...We are trying to whip through math...7 more lessons!  We are both getting ready for a break, it is so hard to focus on book work once this nice weather comes.  With the math out of the way, it makes it easier to focus on the other things, reading etc, can all be done outside or at the beach or park!

 

A favorite quote for today...

 

 

 

 

A peek into one of my days... My hoya flowered, and there are new blossoms starting on another one!

 

So exciting!  And they smell so wonderful, sort of like an Easter lily.

 

 

One of my favorite things... When the spring peepers start singing their night chorus!  Oh how I love that, so far, they have been very quiet, but the ice is off the lakes and swamps now and so we listen closely as soon as it starts to get dark.

Post Script...HERE is a website I just found, and I am learning a lot from it! It is about chickens, of course....

 

Devin and Mike building a bridge for the stream.

 

 

 

Hurray!  It works!

 

 

To read more Daybooks, please stop by THE SIMPLE WOMAN blog.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Friday Letters

 

Dear Weatherman, Is it true??  is it really supposed to be sunny next week with temperatures in the high teens and into the 20's?? ( Celsius!)  YES PLEASE!

 

Dear Halifax Rainmen, You are an utter disappointment and I am so angry about your behaviour as a basketball team.  Not just one or two of you...the ENTIRE team! Not acceptable.  ( if you want to see what I am talking about you can read about it HERE)

 

Dear CBC Commenters, While I am at it, and since I just used a link from CBC above, I have never ever in my life seen such a load of disrespectful, immature and just plain stupid comments in my life.  Not just to the above story but to every. single. story that ever appears on this news website.  It doesn't matter if the stories are about politics, local events or feel good stories, there are several of you who are so obnoxious and rude, and that is all you comment for.  You like to stir up trouble and spew whatever words that come to your mind.  Well, you may think you are "cool" and "all that", but honestly, you are cowards hiding behind anonymity, you never use your real name or show your avatar. I guess this isn't just a CBC issue, but it is one of the places I seem to notice it the most. 

 

Dear Readers, Sorry about venting the above! 

 

Dear Chickens, Some of you are arriving next week!  YIKES!  We are picking up the materials for your little home, I hope you like it! I don't have a clue about raising chickens, but I hope we don't terrify you all too much!

 

Dear Ruth, Peter and Alex, Oh how I love watching your show "Edwardian Farm",  I was so sad when we had finished watching it last week.  I will have to find Victorian Farm next!

 

That's it for this week, thanks for reading ( and listening to me grumble!)