wanting to be a dog


the moon a few days ago

lime and ginger soap

slow cooked onions, just before the went in the oven

oh to be a dog (he likes to burrow under blankets)


It feels like the holidays are a long time gone. It is my third day back at work and I can't wrap my head around it at all. Today's post is a bit random I am afraid.

I am currently fighting an all out battle with our laundry basket. It refuses to be empty. I am convinced I washed the teenagers school shirts twice this past holiday. He was probably too lazy to tidy them away after the first round of washing but he denies all responsibility. The laundry basket has also assumed the role of waste bin. I found batteries, shopping receipts, broken pencils and other assorted crap at the bottom. Not that I see the bottom very often.... it is driving me mad. I am also having a pointless fight with blue Ikea bags that serve as distribution containers of clean clothes for various people around the house. It is hard to miss those bags, they are very blue and very big. I place one on the husband's side of the bed, assuming he would tidy his stuff up but quite often, he just puts it down on the floor. Sam is bolder still: he leaves the bag downstairs and gets fresh clothes each morning straight from the bag. Our laundry basket also breeds socks. Honestly, how many pairs of socks can a person possibly use in any single day? Sam wears three pairs at once when he is working. Apparently it cushions well. At least I won't have to peg them out for much longer, my mum gave us money to replace our dead tumble drier. I did wonder why Richard and my mum were discussing tumble drier properties one evening during the holidays, I somehow missed the essential part of the conversation. I am eternally grateful to my mother. Richard ordered the most energy efficient model we could get for the money, it is A++ rated, which pleases me no end because I feel guilty every time I use the drier.

It is all a bit chaotic in our house and I am not just talking about the general mess that arises from six people sharing a house. Richard is not well, has not been well for months. I miss his optimistic and energetic self. We thought he imported some exotic tropical disease from his latest travels but it appears not to be the case. He has preliminary diagnosis now, and has started medication that should help with the symptoms (but not the cause). In the run-up to Christmas, Sam has been a complete pain in the backside. He was lazy, unpleasant and he takes up a lot of space, too. I think we may have turned a corner but there may be other corners in the distance. This boy-man has mock exams this week and has not studied at all, safe in the knowledge that he already has more university offers than he can accept. No doubt he'll fail the mocks. James is always worrying me. His memory is poor, really poor. He lives in the moment, which may sound like fun but isn't really, especially in situations where he needs to keep himself safe. He has regular outbursts of anger, which is very tiring. James and needs a lot of extra help at school. Getting help is not a problem but it is not tailored to his needs and appears to be based on a trial and error basis rather than an assessment of his needs. We are exploring different avenues at the moment, so we can support him better. I love him to bits.

Work has not been satisfying lately I have been working on developing a new online programme and unfortunately, the start has been deferred until January 2018, then September 2018. This is good in the sense that I have more time to develop a good product but it makes me cross because I was put under so much pressure to launch in September 2017! Who knows, it may never run. It is all down to internal politics. On the positive side, I have had nearly a year now to educate myself whilst being paid a good salary. I shouldn't complain really.

I made a batch of soap - the first in more than a year. I was a bit worried that my fats and oil would be rancid but they were just fine. I keep them cool and dark. I am out of my favourite fragrances and unfortunately have already spent my January craft allowance so will have to wait to order more fragrance oil. I order these in a shop in the Netherlands because it stocks Brambleberry fragrances, which smell true to their name and don't evaporate from the soap in six weeks. I've had some truly awful fragrance oils from British suppliers, Lily of the Valley fragrance for example that smelled like cheap toilet cleaner. The postage from the Netherlands is quite prohibitive, more than the actual fragrances but still cheaper than essential oils. Anyway, I used the last drops of a lime and ginger fragrance, divine. I am a bit rusty, I wanted to make some nice concentric circles but the soap got to thick to squirt with my condiment squirt bottles. I made some swirls with a cocktail stick instead. The soap looks a bit like my Christmas lemon curd pavlova.

I have nearly finished my quilt. Just two more sides of binding to stitch on. I imagine being a seamstress in the distant past must have been very hard on the hand and wrist.

The dog on the other hand is having a fantastic time. Lots of attention, food and love. Oh to be a dog and not to worry.

Have a really nice week. Keep warm and cosy. xx

Comments

  1. Hey Christina,
    Oh my goodness, it's all going on at yours. Most of it could be about life here too. The good, the bad and the ugly. I often think that Honey has the best deal (she is currently snoring in her basket). Alf started his mocks today. He hasn't revised either, and has decided to have an early night tonight. I really feel for you with all your concerns and tribulations with your children. It's bloody hard work this parenting lark, that much I do know.
    Chin up lovely girl.
    Leanne xx

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  2. I too feel your pain. Not sure wether dogs or cats have the best lives. My cats hardly move from the sofa or the bed. Hope you get some help wth James, it can be hard I know; different ages have different problems. Glad to hear about the tumble drier. At least one plus. I’m thinking of you :). B x

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  3. I thought your soaps were some kind of delicious looking cake until I read the caption. Sorry to hear things are not the best at the moment and that Richard is unwell... lots going on, but I do hope things settle down again soon.

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  4. Like Louise I thought the soap was some delicious confection. In fact for a moment I read it as lime and ginger snap. What is wrong with me?! Sorry it's all a bit heavy at the moment. I fear my eldest is going the same way re revision. Exams in a week's time and not bothered at all. Like Leanne says, bloody hard work. So long as the dogs are happy though. CJ xx

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  5. My Mother-in-law always said she wanted to be one of my cats. I understand the urge. January is never my favorite month and this year even less still. Hope your Husband is feeling better, as for Sam,before you know it he'll be grown and won't be be surprised at what he now needs to do for herself m

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  6. Hope Richard is feeling better soon or is able to get some treatment plan. I remember the teenage years so well, it does get better. Love the look of the soap, I wish we could smell it through the computer it sounds heavenly. Take care.

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  7. Wish autocorrect would work correctly or just shut itself off. That should say he we surprised at what he has to do for himself now.

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  8. You have a lot of stressful things to be dealing with right now. I hope the dryer is a relief, that the teenager has really turned a corner, that Richard will get relief, and that James can get the help he needs. Wish I could bring you a meal or sit down with a cup of tea or SOMEthing. I hope that sharing here lightens your load in some way.

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  9. I had to laugh at your laundry basket story... just wait.. someday you might have a daughter-in-law who does the laundry for you. :-) ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

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  10. Oh those teenage years are bloody! The good news is that teenagers grow up but the bad news is that they don't master laundry management until they have to do it themselves and even then, there seems to be an over reliance on febreeze for many, many years.
    Love the look of your soap. I've been wary of fragrancing mine as I'd rather have an unscented bar than one that smelt horrible. I shall have to investigate further.

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  11. I too thought your soap was something delicious to eat! I feel your pain Christina. You are probably not quite there yet with your little ones but once my four all wore the same size socks all the clean socks got put in a sock basket on the landing and they just took them from there... I couldn't be done with sorting them. As a result even now they are grown men they have a tendency to wear odd socks! I do hope you get some targeted help with James... the trial and error approach was what we went through with Jacob and it can be way off the mark at times. Wishing Richard a speedy recovery too. I'd like to wish you a dog's life this week but it sounds wrong... you know what I mean!

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  12. I'm sorry that you've got so many worries going on at the moment, life seems to throw everything at us at once sometimes and you end up feeling as if you're drowning. I'm sure everything will work themselves out, they usually do, though that doesn't help at the time. Your soap looks good enough to eat. Awww, Jack looks so cosy snuggled under a blanket, dogs really do have the best lives.

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  13. It does sound like a lot of chaos at the moment Christina - it is good you manage to keep a good outlook about it all (and find time for making and creating, to keep yourself sane.) When I am frustrated with my small, non-essential sewing projects, I often think about the part in the Laura Ingall's book when Pa brings home a sewing machine, which was a brand new invention at the time. What a change it must have brought to those women's lives. As for the dryer, another invention we are lucky to have - I understand your excitement about a new one. I have a huge drying rack that I use by our woodstove, but for those in between seasons when it isn't being used and the sun isn't strong enough yet (or I imagine some of those rainy days in Scotland...) I am very thankful for the magic of a electric dryer. Take care.

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  14. Oh, life. I do love it but why is it sometimes so damned hard? Like you, I fancy being a dog. Well, I am barking so halfway there.

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  15. I can't wait to see your latest quilt! Good luck with the laundry :)

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  16. Can I eat the soap? Really it looks delicious. Ah life has a way of just getting way to tough sometimes. As for Richard, I hope all is better soon. He is a very active man as far as I can see and those are the hardest hit when it comes to getting ill, being injured or whatever happens to them. You have my sympathies, I have one of those at home. I wish for perfect health for him. I also understand the difficulties with children are they ever okay at the same time? I am constantly worrying about all of mine for some reason or another. I am exhausted from work every single day and gah, don't even get me started on laundry. I love that I can visit you for real life my friend, hard as it is we all have your back.

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  17. Raising children is not easy, is it? We've had the same experiences here, right down to the lack of commitment to revision. I am more relaxed about it now, my thinking is that it's better to get to a place that suits you rather than one you don't belong in but have to work unnaturally hard to remain in.

    Love that piccy of your woof, he looks cosy and contented. Love your soaps too (but also thought they were cakes!). You've helped me feel better about some running kit I've ordered from the states, which is expensive but I can't find it here, with your oils from the Netherlands.

    I've had an annoying in parts morning today, car insurance mostly and a blocked kitchen drain (little things), and as a result I've eaten a packet of crisps, three biscuits and half a toblerone for lunch, as opposed to my normal healthy soup and an apple. It helps to know sometimes that you're not alone in feeling frustrated! Chin up, lass, you're doing a grand job for your family. Keep putting one foot in front of the other and you'll get there. CT x

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  18. That soap looked good enough to eat!! Had a laugh at your despair over washing, socks and the general mess, we can be like that and there's only us two. We want a cleaner but then realised what we really need is someone to tidy us up!!

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  19. I hope all's settled down a bit re exams. Teenage boys - they are a mystery and, at times, the most self-centred creatures ever! And socks...! What is it with socks?! Hopefully James will get the support he needs (it sounds like you're doing a wonderful job all round). Our pets have the best life in this house, too – lots of fuss, food, warm cosy beds and no worries. Sigh. Sam x PS I thought the soap was delicious food at first!

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  20. I hope things have settled down in your house now and that your husband is managing better, health wise. My teenager who is 17 (18 in April) can be extremely hard work too. I think he simply doesn't want to be 'perfect' he says. All I'm asking is the same as any other parent - pick up, put away, put down for wash and get to bed at a decent time and laughably - GET UP again! Oh, is it just too much? He complains of stress, but really it's simply he's struggling with a course at college which he neither understands or wants to take up any help from the tutor. He just won't. It's all very well the government saying full time education or apprenticeship 'till 18 yrs but he's still none the wiser what he wants to do. All the best. PS you may like to read this book as a lady in it makes smellys too. I listened to the story from the library. https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/13518086-summer-with-my-sister. Lucy Diamond's books (despite lots of drink and swearing) which I've just discovered are quite entertaining. Cx

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  21. I'm currently watching the dog snooze blissfully and can fully appreciate this blog! I hope things improve health, home and work-wise in the weeks and months ahead Christina, and in the meantime, that soap looks and sounds divine! x

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  22. We do onions like that some Christmases. This year we did. Yay!

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Thank you for visiting and leaving a comment, I love to hear from you, I really do. I sometimes reply by email but I am not all that reliable... Christina xx

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