Imagine my surprise

To open a favorite blog of mine and find a picture of myself!  Midlife Farmwife has a wonderful, funny blog about her adventures raising Red Wattle pigs, making soap, and standing up for what she believes in. I have met her twice now, but only rarely do I comment on her posts, so imagine my surprise to find myself in three pictures on her blog.  I was demonstrating washing and spinning wool at Garfield Farm Museum and she was selling soap and educating people about her rare breed. So head on over and see! Her soap is amazing too.

For me the highlights of the day - it was the day after the wedding and I was exhausted - were hanging out with an old friend, being on the farm, and meeting Donna of Esther's place fibers who happened to be setting up in the same barn I we were.  She was amazingly friendly and let me try out her wheel (mine was once again not working so I was demonstrating on a drop spindle and explaining how the wheel worked) I fell in love and hopefully will soon be buying a new wheel. And of course my it almost seems like I should eat it it smells so good bar of soap!

Hello there old friend aka I'm Back

I was swamped with school, my internship, helping with mom, graduation, and helping with a dear friend's wedding.  All of that is done (well I have a few more hours on the internship to go, but for all practical purposes...) so I spent a week cuddling a Butterfly and a Badger and reading novels.  I spent this week finding my house - some chores got a bit neglected - and catching up on my blog reading to find out how all my blog world friends are doing. 

I did not take a lot of pictures in my absence from the blogosphere.  Which is sad and certainly a benefit of blogging - you remember to get the picture yourself.  My husband, professors, father, and sister all claim to have taken pictures of my graduation, I have yet to see one so doubt remains. 

Jim & me dancing at the reception

Standing up for a dear friend and a union I believe in.

Same goes for my friend's wedding and the dresses I made.  Butterfly was the flower girl and I was the matron of honor.  I made both of those dresses and the bride made her own.  The wedding was Steampunk themed (Mad science + Victorian + Steam engines) and a friend in Canada sent me these two photos she took. 

I have entered Butterfly's dress into the county fair so you will get a chance to see it when I get a picture. 

Next week starts my dig season.  Finishing up the Vieau Site (knock on wood, cross your fingers) and working on the Garfield Farm Museum's dig on the weekends.  Both as a volunteer so graduation changed nothing. 

As far a working my long term plans are to stay home with my children.  Butterfly starts Kindergarten this fall and Badger the following fall, when she is in school I will look for a job, but both my husband and I wanted to have it be us that gave them their start. I don't judge other families for making different choices but this was right for us. 

My garden, the girls playing around the May pole.

Mouse hard at play.

Butterfly playing with her brother...um sleeping.

The view from my reading couch on the back porch, more roses last week.

Same view, I pulled back the lace curtain so you could see the pink wisteria climbing the pink roses better.

On the mom front, she is home and settled back in.  She nearly left us in February and only returned home within the last month.  She is weaker in many ways but stronger in others. Walking only short distances and supposed to be in the wheel chair, but more interested and active in the world around her than before.  The rehab center encouraged (lack of phone really ) to figure out face book on her phone - no reception but it could talk to the internet.   Actually, they were wonderful especially given how short-staffed they seemed to be.  She is breathing better and looks good, except her hair is falling out. In great giant clumps, every morning she wakes to find her pillow covered in hair.  Her hair has been thinning for years, but nothing like this.  I have offered to hack my hair off (and grow more to hack if need be) for her to have a wig made in hair that is like what her's was & they are looking into it.

Life is short and it races by, I am glad to sit back and enjoy it for a while, and more committed to writing about it and taking photos to remember it with.  Thank you for sharing in my world. ~ Julia

Yarn along - baby blankets again.

Joining in with the wonder (and well missed) ladies of the yarn along!  Thanks to Ginny for hosting.

How it looked the last time I thought I might be able to post.

How it looks now.

This blanket is in berroco weekend cotton and acrylic mix and goes everywhere with me.  It is for the soon to be born baby boy of my husband's cousin.  I have about 3/4 of a skein left to go and then I am making another (for another baby) in a heavier yarn on larger needles.  Looking forward to comparing the two.  I am only really managing to read for class and the occasional article in a Spin Off magazine.

Hi there and some photos of what I have been up to.

The Parkside group (minus me & Dr. Kate) to Central States Anthropological Conference in front of the Blarney, our favorite Irish Pub, in Toledo.

Found at the base of the slide in the yard.  We have a suburban lot, with foxes, woodchucks, bunnies, and other fun natural friends. Not sure who this used to be yet.

Odd little 'museum' in Toledo Ohio, filled with frog toys.

Pretty Episcopal Church also in Toledo.

An update

Sorry I have been away so long. 

Mom was hospitalized with Pneumonia on the 13th of Feb.  She was on a ventilator for more than two weeks.  She is starting to get better now but remains in the hospital.  They expect to move her to a rehabilitation facility before sending her home.  This was rough and scary.  Mom has been disabled and sick since I was 12, but I can't remember a time when she was as sick as this since then. 

Between overloading myself with school, research, internships and worrying about my mom I have been a mess.  So has my house. I managed to dig out and get some projects done. I am starting to feel bad in the swing of things.   

Plague plague go away.

Wednesday the first I had lots of dental work done.  I got all the kids home and went straight to bed with the pain med the dentist gave me.  I woke up hours later sick.  Very sick.  So were the kids! Sleep all day sick until Monday.  I started to feel better, except for a terrible cough, as did all the kids except Badger. By Wednesday last week she was still sick so off to the dr.  She has an upper respiratory infection with secondary eye and ear infections. She is clearly feeling better today coloring with her sister at the other end of the table.

I was scheduled to put three days in at Garfield Farm Museum for my internship.  So thinking I was on the mend and knowing my mom and husband would care for Badger, I went. I am much worse.  I had a very interesting fulfilling, and educational time, but if this doesn't ease up soon I will be seeing my dr.

So to the little black rain cloud of pain and sickness hovering above my house -- go away!

Monday Musings.

Right Now...  I am having lunch, leftover pad thai, that Jim made this weekend.  I took Badger to her check up this morning where she was officially pronounced perfect by her doctor.  No problems, no worries, no shots.  A great visit.  I am reading course work with a toit list that is very long.  We shall see how much I actually get done.  Read Durkhiem, then load dishwasher, and laundry.  Then read Mauss, sweep rec room floor, read Weber, mop kitchen floor.  Get boys and get a new phone (old one fell apart) and get directions for the visit to Racine Heritage Museum with Museum Studies class (I've never been so I am looking forward to it.) and answer assigned questions for that class.  That is today!

This weekend... The kids and I went to cousin's baby shower.  We had a lovely time and she got lots of nice useful and pretty things.  Because we where playing that gift bingo game, we noticed that she only got one blanket (mine) and no bath stuff.  Both my Mother in law & I thought this was odd.  Her sister is also expecting and her shower will be in March - must knit faster - looking forward to it.

We came home and cleaned house. Then some friends came over and played board games.  Sunday was entirely cuddling and coursework.  Plus dying some wool to spin later in the week.

Some plans for the week...  Busy today.  Class all day tomorrow. Dentist on Wednesday, a major visit.  Father in law will be watching the girls both days bringing their cousins over with him on Wednesday.  Thursday is class and Friday might include a new knitting group.  Maybe. I'll have to juggle a few things.  I plan on sneaking crafting - knitting, rag rugs, and spinning in where ever I can.


If I find some time for myself I'd like to...  I got fabric and a pattern picked out.  SO if I find an hour or more I will be working on cutting this out.

I would really like to manage to sneak this in in time to wear it on March 7th at the presentations in the state Capitol building. I am making the version shown on the model but maybe a tad longer. 

I am grateful for... little arms that wrap around my neck.


Some prayerful intentions for the week... Please God Help Me get it all done or at least to accept that I won't. 

Something that makes me smile...  Badger saying Stuffed Animal with the determination of Max (of Max and Ruby) at the doctor's today.  Her sister got one with her shot earlier in the month.  Butterfly with Friz (the stuffed animal she got) after a hard day of playing. Badger got a tiny frog which she has named Spot. 

  

Joining Najda at Patch o Dirt Farm.