May 1

Goals for the month of May

I am here to report that the goals for the month of April were an absolute bust… If it could go wrong (or break) it did. My main goals for April were to get the plumbing fixed, and work out in the yard on the Summer gardens.

We had been waiting on plumber number one to show up, and then we called plumber number two that gave us the run around for another two weeks. When it was almost two months waiting we decided to call a contractor. They did show up, worked a full two days, and when they left, water still poured from the ceiling… Looks like we are going to call plumber number three, and wait even longer.

The weather was crazy. We had storms, snow, heat, storms, freezing temps, high winds, and allergies. Not much yard work was done… I worked a bit on the side porch, and babied along seedlings through a late snow storm. I was really exhausted most of the month, and had a good two weeks of migraines.

That brings us to May. The kids have just nine days left to the school year, and all three kids have multiple activities for each and every day. I’m just going to try my best to keep up with all of it, and make sure everybody gets where they need to.

May is also Mental Health Awareness Month, and I am working on myself a bit more. I’m going in for my yearly well woman visit and prescription refill requests, as well as having my second mammogram. I would like to take Agnes shopping and restock our makeup bags, and maybe get a few new clothing items for Summer.

I am also working on my ongoing mental health struggles. Summer is when my seasonal affective disorder goes haywire and I battle severe depression. With the kids home full time, and the noise level elevated, insomnia creeps in, and panic attacks in my sleep are more common. Summer is always a challenge.

I also want to enjoy Summertime more. I often feel like I’m in the same old rut of cooking, cleaning, laundry, cleaning, cooking, and never really getting to relax. I want to be able to enjoy the lazy days of Summer without just being a handmaid to the household.

I hope the month of May goes well, but after April, I’m not holding my breath.

Apr 24

Undone Projects

Today I woke up grumpy… Weekends always make me grumpy. I’m stuck in the house doing the same thing that I have done all week, cleaning the same messes, washing the same dishes, cooking around the clock.

I’m also in a bad mood because the second plumber, the one that said he would be here on Tuesday or Wednesday, never showed this week. James texted him on Thursday, and he said, oh I have you down for next week. Seriously, it has been a month and a half, I just want the upstairs bathroom fixed, so I can start putting the house back together again.

Apr 17

NicoStuff Update

I started this blog/website/online journal a little over sixteen plus years ago. At that time I was a brand new mom, only married a handful of years, and living in a small town in rural southeast Kansas. I was selling handmade jewelry online, and hoping to make any money I could off ads to help pay for diapers… Sixteen plus years brings me to here.

I’m now a seasoned mom of a tweenage daughter and two teenage sons, married twenty years this year, and I have two cats and a cute pup. We are currently living in a house built in 1905, in a different small town in middle southeast Kansas, and I am bored out of my mind.

Sixteen years can do a lot to a person.

Sixteen years has done a lot to this person.

I used to post creative crafts, meals, and projects that I was working on. Now I feel as if every single ounce of creativity has been sucked out of my body, and I live in a stagnant puddle of repetitive tasks. I constantly crave sleep to get away from the kitchen and cleaning up one more thing, that someone else could actually help with. I am completely burnt out on existence.

So I’m going to share the crap, the bad days, and the disappointments. I will post the frustration, the boredom, and the tedium of my life. It won’t be pretty, but it is who I am sixteen plus years later.

Apr 15

Checking In On the To Do List for April

It is half-way through the month, and this month my household goals were centered around plumbing projects and gardening projects. Both are coming along o.k.

The plumber finally came by this week (we were on the waiting list for three weeks) and walked through the house. They got a good idea of what all will have to be done, and hopefully it doesn’t involve cutting into the ceiling. They should be back next Wednesday or Thursday to work on the upstairs bathroom, I’m really hoping that the repairs go well, and we can finally have our second bathroom back.

The gardening tasks have been going pretty well. I’m not spending as much time as I want to outdoors (weather/migraine/household tasks), but I am getting what I can get done in about an hour a day. We added three new trees to the front yard and side yard. We also added in six new planters.

My seedlings are doing well, and some of them have been planted in their new planters. My snow peas and strawberries seem to be doing the best so far. The okra have finally sprouted, but they aren’t quite ready to be moved.

I still have so much of the yard that needs cleaned up, and worked on. I’m just not finding the motivation or time to get off my butt and get it done.

My time is ticking away here, and I had better head out to pick up the kids. Hope everyone is doing well this April. What Spring projects are you working on?

Apr 7

A Few More Weeks

The kids have an early out day today, and just a few more weeks left of the school year. I’m trying to get up and get something done, but I’m really enjoying the quiet of the house this morning.