Darn, well I made a peach cobbler last night because all the peaches got ripe at once. Gained a couple of pounds, so going to mow the lawn the next few days and get back down! Not much to report. We are incorporating yoga into the school day, which is great. We did well with Python coding yesterday, and I found a fun Mad Libs little game we can make in Python now that we know how to capture user input. I am just treading water with homeschooling, cooking, cleaning, and gardening, and need to schedule some me-time in each day. I have been trying to get everyone out on bikes at the beach, and they keep waiting until it's dark out, so today I am insisting we go out early. I'll have the bikes loaded up on the car and then heard them into the car! Made delicious Thai peanut sauce to go over things and a really nice fish chowder, because K didn't like the consistency of the fish on its own. Ok, I'd better get out there while it's still cool. Will visit diaries later. Hope everyone's doing well!
Marsia's Diary
- Thread starter Marsia
- Start date
too bad about the weight gain, but man, peach cobbler sounds lovely!!
I was actually craving peaches yesterday!
Hope you get out on your bike ride as planned
Thanks Em, Cate and Liza! It's very delicious cobbler, but I won't make more! I didn't do the bike ride. I am having trouble getting organized, and there is a family of a dad and 5 kids coming to visit in a couple of weekends. I am not unpacked and am a little unnerved by the prospect of putting up 6 people and cooking for them. So J and K went to open mic and I am staying home getting school stuff and kitchen stuff organized. I did get the lawn mowed, which felt good. Got a ton of schoolwork done today. At this rate, we will get through the books fast and have time to do our own research at the end of the year. We're doing so well with school so far.
We went shopping last night and I got some yeast for baking bread. Bread prices are really going up, and it would be so nice to make our own. All the potatoes are ready to harvest, and I was going to try making potato bread if the recipe looks easy. I'll also do some potato latkes. It's the hottest and muggiest now, but the corn is making ears, the butter beans have baby pods, the tomatoes and squash are flowering, and the yams are flowering lovely white and purple morning glory-like flowers. I have almost everything covered in shade cloth. I think once I get in a better rhythm, I can have us end earlier in the day and have lots of time for exercise. If not, I'll have us do it first I think.
We went shopping last night and I got some yeast for baking bread. Bread prices are really going up, and it would be so nice to make our own. All the potatoes are ready to harvest, and I was going to try making potato bread if the recipe looks easy. I'll also do some potato latkes. It's the hottest and muggiest now, but the corn is making ears, the butter beans have baby pods, the tomatoes and squash are flowering, and the yams are flowering lovely white and purple morning glory-like flowers. I have almost everything covered in shade cloth. I think once I get in a better rhythm, I can have us end earlier in the day and have lots of time for exercise. If not, I'll have us do it first I think.
Oh boy! That's a lot of people to host! I would find that hard too. I guess some good extra motivation to get things set up though...
Your garden sounds awesome!!!
Thanks, Cate! I think part of this is that J likes big dream houses, and though I can't complain because they are beautiful, they are darn hard to keep up on my own. I am getting K to help more, but that is a project on its own with a dreamy teen who wants to sleep in if she can!
Thanks Liza! I think it's good getting motivated to unpack by having company coming. I sort of ignored it for a while to focus on painting and the garden. It'll be way easier next year with the raised beds already in, I think. The garden is also hard at this point because July and August are the scorcher months here, so I can't plant quick growing greens and such, and I'm just nursing along the crops that take a long time to mature. But it's really nice seeing new baby yellow squash and things even in this heat!
Hi LaMa! The neighborhood is really safe, we'd just need to buy some bike lights. It's a good idea - I think I'll do that.
Thanks Em! We celebrated K's birthday, so had a really nice day that was really enjoyable. I did have some cake though because It was delicious German chocolate cake we made, but I stopped after one piece. The open mic was really nice. K met all sorts of nice supportive people, so I think I'll go next time.
My emotions have been all over the place lately, and I'm having trouble eating well. My goal is to get so I sit down and feel all the feelings and to just maintain weight through all of this. It is definitely a phase, as it's been happening for a couple of months now at least. I will track calories though - that helps a lot for not gaining. It feels like I am letting go of old beliefs and getting more grounded, but the letting go part is very stormy. I keep telling myself this is not a permanent phase, and to try to stay calm and not believe all the strong emotions passing through. Exercise helps, so I want to keep up with shoveling dirt each day and also doing yoga.
Sorry to hear you are struggling a bit with the emotions...It makes sense with all the big changes and stresses you've been through in this past while (not that one even needs extra stress to go through these struggles as I well know from my life!)
That is good that you are finding your healthy ways to ground yourself with the yoga and shoveling...I find that sort of thing helps me as well.
Sending you a hug as you work your way through this
Cate
Long term member
Our house is getting way too big for us to manage. I thought that when we got to our age we could afford to pay someone to come help but that isn't the case. Will you get help with window cleaning?
Moving house is almost the most stressful thing we can undertake. If you can just maintain while you are going through this stage it will get better. Try not to tackle any more big projects & maybe just concentrate on what you have to do. Give yourself some slack, hon
Thanks Cate! I think when it's time to do windows, if we can find someone, we'll definitely hire that out! I think you're right about the move. It was also on the heals of moving to the tiny apt. and before that moving stuff around for a remodel, and before that decluttering a hoard, and several other times moving stuff around to remodel different parts of the old house. I am so tired of moving, you can't begin to imagine. When I first got here without the stuff, I was so relieved and loved the totally empty house. I almost don't know what to do with all the stuff as it hasn't all been unpacked at the same time in years and years! I guess I can see why I am resistant to unpacking!
I think what I am getting over emotionally is a big ball of self doubt, not unlike Em's bag of rocks. I am feeling more confident., but then the self doubt rushes in and is very strong and persuasive. I think it is putting in a last stand!
Today was good. I hilled up the peanuts, watered the garden deeply, and helped K get all the painter's tape and plastic out of her room, and swept and mopped and cleaned all the bathrooms. It looks very soothing and green and nature-y in K's room, and I'm glad we finally finished. It was a nightmare because the cheap flat paint they put over glossy paint on the trim made the new paint not stick well, and when we taped it, it pealed a lot. We are both very tired and taking little rests before I read to her. I read somewhere that it is good to keep reading to your kid though high school, which is a nice justification for what I like to do anyway.
It's been cooler here, which is very welcome! I had a good day, stayed just under calories, and will meditate now!
I think what I am getting over emotionally is a big ball of self doubt, not unlike Em's bag of rocks. I am feeling more confident., but then the self doubt rushes in and is very strong and persuasive. I think it is putting in a last stand!
Today was good. I hilled up the peanuts, watered the garden deeply, and helped K get all the painter's tape and plastic out of her room, and swept and mopped and cleaned all the bathrooms. It looks very soothing and green and nature-y in K's room, and I'm glad we finally finished. It was a nightmare because the cheap flat paint they put over glossy paint on the trim made the new paint not stick well, and when we taped it, it pealed a lot. We are both very tired and taking little rests before I read to her. I read somewhere that it is good to keep reading to your kid though high school, which is a nice justification for what I like to do anyway.
It's been cooler here, which is very welcome! I had a good day, stayed just under calories, and will meditate now!
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That all does sound very exhausting. I don't have much stuff at all but I still get exhausted when sorting through it...I do have to do that regularly being in a tiny place as I like clear empty spaces...so easy to accumulate stuff...
Those stormy times can be so hard. Sometimes I feel like I'm making such good progress with my anxiety stuff and then it can just sweep down on me so hard.
That all sounds wonderful! I've never grown peanuts--that sounds fun! Is it similar to growing potatoes? Just reminded me of them when you mention hilling them up...
Absolutely! I love both being read to and reading to people. It's a wonderful way to connect
Cate
Long term member
As you unpack each box can you repack some of it & maybe store it in a shed or give it away? I have a cupboard in my garage where I put stuff I don't really want & the boys can have a look & take what they want or I can sell or give it away. I'm going to add to it today.
Reading to K sounds lovely
It seems to be letting up somewhat. This morning I didn't get up for a while because I was feeling relaxed and happy, and I just lay in bed feeling the good feelings of muscles being happy again and positive feelings. It may be in part from the book we are reading. We are almost finished The Magician's Nephew, on the birth of Narnia, and the symbolism is of course Christian, but also very nature based and Jungian, too. CS Lewis was a pagan and former atheist and eventually settled back in Christianity with convincing from JRR Tolkien and others, so his ideas are interesting to dissect. I have been having fun showing K Joseph Campbell's heroes journey videos, and explaining various maps of the psyche from psychology, including Jung's. We also went over some of the personality disorders that make up the bad guy characters in the book. K is interested in psychology, so I'm having a good time exposing her to all sorts of intriguing theories in the field but in a lay-person's way. I don't really know how to do literary criticism, so this is my version.
The peanuts look like a tough pea plant (sort of a cross between a pea and a bean). They flop on the ground and are supposed to put out roots (called pegs) where they touch the ground. I have noticed that things don't root well in the sandy soil in the heat though, and I saw that some people hill their peanuts. Since mine are in a raised bed and are crowded together, my version of hilling was to put raised bed soil on them where they touched the ground in hopes that this soil will help them root. Fingers crossed that it works! It looks like you can grow peanuts all over the country when it is warmer out, so if my experiment works, I can share with you what I did.
Thanks for reminding me again, LaMa! Just sitting in bed paying attention to how I was feeling made me feel so better this morning, and we plan on yoga today, so I hopefully remember. I found my white board where I put reminders for myself. I think I'll put that where we see it everyday and put yoga and meditation on the top! My memory has gotten so so bad. I need to figure out how to improve it.
Reading together and discussing all our books has been so amazing. K has really astute perspectives that are very analytical and I like bringing up symbolism and talking about it. Plus K just loves curling up like a cat and listening to stories, which brings me back to her being little and loving that. It's very bonding!
I think I need to see what I actually use and don't use before packing things up. I got rid of so much stuff already and would like to get to enjoy some of it finally. We have so much storage space in this house that I think I can have everything in cupboards and not have to dust it. If it doesn't fit in the cupboards, I may give it away though. I really want a house where I just sweep and mop and don't have much dusting or decluttering. I do have to watch it not to save unnecessary things though and only keep things I will use! I have gorgeous art supplies and so many amazing books. Too many but I have to figure out what I'll actually use or not.As you unpack each box can you repack some of it & maybe store it in a shed or give it away? I have a cupboard in my garage where I put stuff I don't really want & the boys can have a look & take what they want or I can sell or give it away. I'm going to add to it today.
Reading to K sounds lovely
Yesterday we put the stand up paddle boards out on the river at low tide. I expected the pull of the river to be a lot, so went upstream at first. It turns out the wind and the incoming tide from the ocean are stronger, so I had K hitch her paddle board to mine, and we both paddled like crazy to get back to the dock. It was fun and great exercise, and we saw a little fin (maybe a little baby dolphin?) in the river, a baby manta ray at the shore, and fish jumping in the river. Also there are whole banks of little crabs waving their arms in the low tide amongst the oyster beds. And we saw big egrets with black wings up close for the first time - they look like Japanese cranes from a distance. They are gorgeous!
Good food day - stayed under calories I think and only had a peach cut up in some oat milk for dinner so I'd stay under calories. Ok, time to go forth and conquer!
That sounds so amazing and fun and the best kind of exercise!
Your reading sounds very interesting. I really want to try to get back into reading again...would be nice to have someone reading to me...I guess i could try some audio books...not quite the same but can be nice too.
I never knew that--so interesting...funny to think of all these guys hanging out and discussing philosophies and beliefs etc!
alligatorob
Respected Member
Hey Marsia, just catching up, reading about your struggles and your new house.
I sure understand the problem of forcing yourself to record calories and maintain, its my struggle of late as well.
Doubt you gained a couple of pounds of fat from a cobbler, probably mostly water weight.
I sure understand the problem of forcing yourself to record calories and maintain, its my struggle of late as well.
Had to laugh at that, I almost always move way too much stuff and then end up sorting after the move, not very efficient. I used to have a few boxes that had not been opened in years, been through a few moves unopened. When I did finally open them to no surprise it was all stuff I should have thrown out years ago.
Our peaches are just beginning to ripen, we should have ripe ones for the next 6 weeks or so, we have 9 different varieties.
Doubt you gained a couple of pounds of fat from a cobbler, probably mostly water weight.