A Few Stray Threads: February 2014

Ok, so, uh, blogging. In the complete chaos of the last year and a half, it has fallen to the bottom of the priority list. I am excited to start again, but have accepted that I will just have to make do with crummy photos and just have more of a journal format. I really want more documentation of life, in addition to having proof of all the things I do actually make 

Here is a summary:

• Blood Clot fun*
I have Lupus Anticoagulant (kind of a clotting disorder), May-Thurner Syndrome, and crappy luck)
2 ICU stays, 2 recovery periods for damaged leg, 3 interventional vein procedures
Lifelong changes and working to get leg as close to normal as possible
• Sold a house and bought a house. Crazy stress.
• Turned 30, and celebrated 15 years with Brandon!
• Lots of other stuff, mostly good.

*Sarcasm. Obviously.

Things are FINALLY calming down. We have been in our new house for almost 5 months, and have settled back into a routine. I am healing and am finally able to be a normal mom again (a new normal, but still a huge improvement). However, this whole process took a major toll on me and the family. For the kids, Mommy wasn’t always able to lift them and had to lay down a lot. For Brandon, it meant taking the reins more, which he did fabulously, along with my awesome family. I am grateful that we made it through it, and now we’re just trying to deal with the day-to-day stress of having 2 very young and very rambunctious kiddos, who each have very different needs at 16 months and 4 1/2. In some ways, I think the adjustment back to me being healthy has been difficult for Brandon, even though it’s obviously a great thing. The problem is, now that we don’t have some big stressor hanging over us, it’s been much harder for him to hold onto his patience. I think he’s at the point of “shouldn’t everything be sunshine and roses now?”, and it makes the daily, mundane struggles more difficult. My family doesn’t have to come over constantly, which means we are self-sufficient, but at the same time we just want a break! He most of all, as I’m pretty much just happy now that I can sew again! The kids and I have happily adjusted, he’s going to get there, and we are all ready for fun times :)

We love our new house. We doubled our space, and now have an office and a craft room – woot! The neighborhood is very quiet and we back up to woods and the community garden. Since it’s older and only partially updated (and weirdly so in some areas), the house is basically one big project to tackle. This is both awesome and frustrating, since this will take years and years due to lack of free time, money, and my physical limitations; but I am very excited for the possibilities! We’ve already done a few projects, but it’s a work in progress, and I am trying not to compare myself to Pinterest or bloggers online who have made DIY projects their full time job. We also really need to finish unpacking. Really. As my Dad keeps reminding me whenever I whine about the list of things I want to do, “Rome wasn’t built in a day!” I kind of think this applies to life too.

Anyway, real actual posts with real projects to come – not that anyone is reading right now since I changed my blog name! Oh well, fresh starts all around!

Finally, lots of pics of the blondies, because they are so freaking cute. Mostly in chronological order.

Picnic Girl (6 months)

Learning to sit (6 months)

Reading with Daddy (7 months)

Dinner date, right before 4th birthday

Siblings

First real food (puff)

I don't like it. You eat it.

I made fleece super hero capes for all the kids in Evan's class for his birthday party. To say they were a success in an understatement :) Mine is one in the mommy-made Chill shirt.