{ Busy end of school year }

The past few day have been spent trying to get all the school work finished.  There's a lot.

11th Grade is no joke, and Nick is taking Astronomy, Game Design and Chemistry, we won't mention the Algebra 2 because yeah, this old head of mine can't deal.  Last day of school is the 15th of May, so next week Friday.

I just realized that my last post was on Monday and that was the Happy Homemaker Monday.  I swear this week has flown right by, but it's been a good one nonetheless.

A lot of homemaking, cleaning, not much swimming as the weather has been a bit strange and with the strong winds, that's a huge no no for me.

I know many people don't iron anymore, but it's one of those homemaking chores that I love doing.  I still remember as a teenager, I would beg my stepmom to leave the ironing to me.  A big ol' pile of clothes, 6 people worth.

I would put on some music, and happily iron the whole afternoon long.

We had a laundry area at the back of the house, it had one of those old cement sinks with the washboard.  A spot for the ironing board, washing machine and so on.  I don't know about you but I adore old laundry rooms.

I'm constantly on the look out for an old washboard, or even an old sink.  Maybe one day.

The sewing machine has also been used multiple times, not only for masks, but I've been working on some placemats.  Nothing too fancy, pretty basic but I needed some new ones in spring/summer colors.

Still have 2 to finish sewing up, and am hoping to get to them this week but truthfully, Nick wants to get his schooling finished before the 15th so we have been pushing full speed ahead and everything else is taking a backseat.

I'm slowly coming around to catching up on shows, though not really.

You know I was thinking the other day that when my children were little, I often felt like I had no time for anything and would think about the day they would be grown and how much spare time I would have then.  Haha

No really, I thought surely as they get older, it frees up more time for me, but it really doesn't.  It's just a different kind of need from them, but nonetheless your job as a mother is as important as it was when they were toddlers needing your full attention.

My homemaking has been enjoyed to a whole new level.  I used to enjoy it but lately I'm taking so much pleasure in doing every task before me.  I also used to rush through the task at hand because I was already thinking about the next thing on the list.  I've stopped doing that.  I concentrate on what is before me, take my time and then move on, and if the next thing does not get done today, it will move on to the next day with no problem.

My chalkboard wall had not been updated in a long time.  Yesterday I scrubbed it all clean, gave the wall a good wash, then redid it again.  I'm not an artist, as you can clearly see, so no stunning looking chalkboard with fancy writing and all that jazz.

It's functional though and that is really all that it needs to be.

I just realized looking at this picture that between Tuesday and Wednesday is not a lot of space.  Don't ask how I did that, I don't know.  It's going to bug me though, so once this week's plan is done, I may redo the days again.  OCD at it's finest.

Last night's dinner was delicious.  It is a new recipe that I tried and I'll have it on the food blog this morning.  Lemon and Garlic Baked Chicken Legs.  SO good!

I also have a ton of bananas.  I've shared before how I like to buy the bags of overripe bananas from the commissary.  I use those for baking.  I grabbed two bags this time because I want to make some banana jam too.

The cake I made above is a caramelized banana upside down cake.  It is divine.  I don't think the recipe is on the blog yet, I'll have to check, but if not, I'll add it when I add the chicken recipe.

Just bear with me, I am doing a lot better on posting the recipes over on Full Bellies, Happy Kids.  I used to be so good with it and then moved to Texas and fell off the wagon, big time.  Since then it's been a struggle to get back into the rhythm.

Honestly I think that the minute Curt retired from the Air Force and we moved from Arizona, everything changed.  It shouldn't have, and I didn't think it would affect my blogging, homemaking and so on, but it ended up being the one thing in my life that took the biggest hit.

I'm not quite sure why.  I've tried to think back and make sense of it.  The only thing I can think is that we were in a different stage of our lives, it was just us, we did what we wanted when we wanted. There was a comfortable rhythm to it all, and then Curt retired, we moved States, my family moved to America and the life we once had disappeared.  Maybe it's something else, but that is the only thing that I can think of that would cause such a drastic change for us and for me as a person, and ultimately as a blogger.

So what I need to focus on now, is bringing that part of me back into a very different world.  Kids are grown, one has graduated 3 years ago, one is graduating next year.  We have our own house, our little pug girls are no longer with us.  There's been so much change, maybe I haven't quite grieved everything, I think that is probably the biggest thing for me. 

It's good to let go and grieve what was, but I never did.  I just jumped right into the next chapter and kept going. 

Sorry for venting and putting this all down here, but sometimes when you start writing and thinking at the same time, you start healing and learning.  It helps to think clearly.

Here's my question to you, what do you miss most about my blog?  I am talking to those that have followed me for many years, many all the way back from 2006. 

Or what did you enjoy the most?  What kept you coming back? 

Would love to know. 

Alright friends, I need to get this post up, then start my day.  Have a blessed one :)

Schooling - Game Design Portfolio, History Portfolio, English Semester Exam, Astronomy Exam
Print book label and wrap book for shipping
Post Office to mail book
Tractor Supply to pick up some soil
Finish placemats

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