Sooo…I haven’t posted much more than basics – menus, recipes, and very little commentary.
Warm weather brings a busier schedule, and I find myself not sitting down on weeknights until after 9pm…which means no time or brainpower left for blogging.
But here’s some of what’s been keeping me busy…
1. Work
Work has been very busy, and due to some funding changes, a lot of my job responsibilities are shifting and changing and I anticipate I’ll have to make some big decisions soon based on those job duty changes. I’m basically attempting to avoid this stressor entirely because it makes me one big panic ball. 
2. Garden
I did plant a garden this year…sorry, no pictures. I don’t even know if you could tell it’s a garden. It seems I’m growing good, healthy, vibrant weeds at approximately 4 times the growth rate of my vegetables. Drives.me.crazy! I do try to weed it, but they’re literally taking over. I’ve planted tomatoes, cantaloupe, cucumber, broccoli, cauliflower, peppers for now. I did all of this the completely lazy way and planted seeds….last year I went ahead and started things indoors, but my house isn’t conducive to those little seeds getting light where my dog can’t get to them, so I tried just seeds this year. Everything has come up except the cauliflower (but I had a hunch it wouldn’t like the summer temps, or our weird soil) so I’m considering it a success…I’m just a few weeks behind those who started indoors. I also harvested about 12 quarts of strawberries from my strawberry patch, which we hogged down (I did give some to neighbors and a co-worker though!). It was a fast 3-week season for local strawberries, but it’s worth it. SO much better than imported berries, and at $6/quart for organic strawberries, I was happy to pluck them for free from my yard!
3. Holly
The beautiful weather means my pup would prefer to be outdoors as much as possible. Since our yard isn’t fenced, I have to stay out with her…and…supervise. It’s like being the playground watcher. LOL I’ve also been taking advantage of the nice days and taking long walks with her.
(Holly and her boyfriend, the red husky next door…Macguire)
4. Remodel
In April and May, DH and I bought furniture, carpet, new paint, new trim, new baseboard, a new mattress and all new bedding for our master bedroom…and installed it. We finally sleep in a bedroom that looks like it’s for adults! Woohoo! This also meant serious money hemorrhaging, though, so other areas of life have been pretty low key as we settle our finances and put some finishing touches on the room. I have window treatments yet to tackle, but with my goofy corner window situation, I’m basically putting it off for now.
(The goofy corner window situation)
5. DH’s Hobby
DH started building wooden children’s toys over the winter, and with spring and summer have come craft shows. He had a few friends help him in April, but it was my turn in June, and it looks like I’ll be assisting on weekends at these types of events through the fall months. We’re tweaking his line, and I’ve promised to make him a better website (his current one is free, and, well, crappy)…and potentially offer some blog giveaways to bloggers I know to get his name out there virtually. I can do the virtual networking thing….but I find craft fairs and such to be so unpredictable! So I’m helping him try new things, change toys, change pricing, and so forth to see if we can make this a successful, money-making hobby for him. He enjoys making the toys…and we only know so many children! LOL
6. Reading
I love a good, paper book any day, but I really have been able to increase the amount I read with my Kindle. It’s so easy to toss it in my purse and have it on hand…whether I’m reading a 100-page novella, or an 800 page tome, it’s all the same portable size. LOVE IT. I have been trying to post some book reviews monthly…but my tastes are pretty much all over the place so I don’t even know if that’s helpful to anyone!
7. Anxiety
I’ve had a lot…a lot of problems with my anxiety for the last…6 months or so. I thought it would get better with winter leaving and the sun coming out but I’m still struggling mightily. Where it used to leave my stomach upset, now my anxiety is manifesting itself in lightheadedness, fear of passing out, nausea, lack of appetite and so forth. It makes it much harder to maintain control of the anxiety and push it back down and move forward. And worst of all, it’s affecting me more at work, making it harder to attend meetings and get things done. It’s tough, but I really, really don’t want to do a long-term medication. So we’ll see. Because of this, I’ve been a little withdrawn, and not really going out and doing activities like I was. It’s definitely a huge step back, and I’m never sure how to get a clamp back on it again so it doesn’t take over my world. It’s a constant struggle! I’m also in a bit of a funk as far as my workouts go – but I do believe that has a lot to do with the fact that I’m pretty tired a lot from fighting the anxiety. I guess I just need something new! But that’s what’s hard.
