family

One of the nicest things about the house we just sold was all of the work my son had done out in the woods to create trails, campsites and bonfire areas.

My husband kept the trails mowed to show the property, and after all of the effort my son had put into them, they were easy to maintain.

The bonfire area had gotten a little overgrown, but still is really cool.  There are little surprises of art made from nature found throughout the trees.

And interesting twists and turns that make you want to see where the trail leads you.

Our grand fairies spent a lot of time out there in a hammock or tent, often sleeping outside.

They might not have lived in the house long, but I am glad these girls will have childhood memories of running free in a forest for a summer.

(Reposted from FB)

Won’t this house show nicely with the autumn leaves turning? Wish us luck, it is ready to go on the market! These last 6 weeks have been grueling. But I have learned a lot about myself and others. Who I can count on, who I can trust. That I can work through pure exhaustion, an aching body, and sadness to get something accomplished no matter how my heart has been torn, how much pain I feel, or how bitter I am. That some people are users, and some friends are always there for you, no matter what, for emotional support and kind gestures. Others, can act like they don’t even notice what is happening to you. That family doesn’t always step up like we thought they would.
This was hard, due to the betrayals involved with the mess left behind and by the split up of the family we bought it for.

Also, my husband retired the week we started restoring it and my emotions were already running high due to a cut in half of my hormones… adding a mortgage payment and thousands of dollars to renovate didn’t help ease me into a retirement budget. Doing most of the work ourselves helped the budget, but made me feel trapped, the huge job ahead seemed hopeless. I cried. A lot.

But I also learned that anything can be done “one task at a time”

That my son also can survive and grow from this, he will heal and move on.

That my husband can wash windows! And that we make a solid team.

That no matter what you are going through, kids will always need to be picked up at school. And have a million stories to chatter away about the second the car door opens.

That the garden still grows and tomatoes need picked every day. That puppies need snuggles and lots of care, whether you are busy or not. That there are plenty of happy things that outweigh the bad. That life goes on through bitterness and heartache. That things change, enjoy what you can, when you can. That I am full of cliches.

That tucking in and kissing a grandfairy goodnight when you are too tired to haul your old lady ass up the stairs is worth the effort.

That teaching puppies to sit and looking into their loving eyes, or smelling homemade tomato sauce bubbling away on the stove are worth the extra effort, even though all I really wanted to do was crawl into bed after hard, physical labor.

That turning an uncared for mess into something pretty can be rewarding, and creativity exists in me even when I am not in the studio.

That even when I fall apart, I am still strong enough to go on, and work through the tears of exhaustion.

That while this was hard to complete, and we are losing money on it, it will not break us. We are lucky that we can pay for the restoration. That we won’t go without a meal because of it. Paying for the mortgage might not be an ideal situation, but we can do it, that we are blessed to be able to handle it til the house sells.

That no matter how tired or bitter I was, I was lucky to go home at night to my own home, to my furry flock greeting me at the door, to grandfairies who gave me endless hugs, to friends who dropped by with flowers, or texted to see if I needed anything, to a handsome husband who is the world’s most generous man and who worked even harder than I did, but did it with good humor (not like me).

That lessons can be learned at any age. And this job sure has aged me, but I survived and have plenty to be thankful for.

August has been busy.  Quite busy.  These guys are a big part of that.

They came on August 4th.

And our whole household has been affected. We have all been busy taking care of the newborns.

And then, we found out that my son's house needed to be put up on the market.  My husband and I have been working nonstop over there, getting it ready, since we are the owners.  With the help of a couple of handy man friends, the old out buildings  got torn down, and then we started cleaning out the barn and tidying up the yard.

There is a lot more to do, I have been pulling weeds, hauling gravel, and spreading mulch. There is some painting in my future too.

Our poor boy, tore his rotator cuff and while is usually a world class handyman himself, he can't do much to get the house market ready.

In other big news, Dewdrop came back to Kansas from North Carolina to start the school year. She is a 3rd grader now, and can walk to class from our house with her Pop Pop.

Speaking of Pop Pop, the biggest news of all for August is-

MY HUSBAND RETIRED!

He is extremely happy. And the timing is good, he went from 80 hours a week working for a corporation to about twice that working on that farm.  Well, it seems like that many hours, we are working pretty hard over there to get it on the market in the next couple of weeks.  It worked out well that he has the time to do it now.