Where the Days All Run Together

These days are getting better. It was more difficult than I had first assumed, those first few weeks of recovering from childbirth. Won't lie, there were some incredibly dark and depressing moments/hours/days. Not only was my body recovering, but my hormones were changing, too. I was not a happy camper. But each day has been better than the last, and now I feel much more like myself again. And I can do more each day, for I am (usually) not so tired as I was being pregnant. Even if I am, it is a more curable sort of exhaustion - I take a nap and poof! all is better. I even tackled the spare room.... a.k.a. the JUNK ROOM this week, and even with many, many breaks to tend to the baby, I managed to get it to a decent state of organization.

These days seem to run together. The only reason I pay attention to whether it is a Friday or a Tuesday or a Sunday is for an appointment (or engagement as Mrs. Miniver would say! ;) ) I make sure I know when it is Sunday so that I can set my alarm the night before. I do believe Sunday is the only morning for which I set an alarm. All the other days are set according to when the little man won't sleep any longer... usually around 7:30am, but sometimes as late as 9:30am.

I find this to be a happy situation, this unpressured, loose structure of time. I wake, tend to the baby (and, of course, continue to throughout the day and night!) and do whatever chores, errands, or projects I wish in between. Laundry has, of course, become rather an everyday thing... what with cloth diapers that get soiled (it takes half of my stock for one day's needs, which means that other half must be in the wash and out on the line pronto!) and burp rags used and sheets being leaked upon and everyone's clothes (well, JP's uniform and work-outside clothes are each in loads unto themselves ...with bleach.)

I'm cleaning more, too. Which I am quite sure blesses the Steward more than he would admit. He valiantly kept up with laundry, the dishes, and the house cleaning while I wasn't up to it... but now it's my turn. :) One of my favorite things in this gentle schedule of mine is to tidy the house: first thing in the morning, often before I'm out of my pj's. I wake up, feed the baby, wait for him to do his morning constitutional, rock him to sleep for a nap, then go to! Double the favorite if I have a load of laundry to start so I can smell the soap and hear the machine cheerfully chugging away at it's task. Better than a cup o' joe for jump starting the day! (Though sometimes I indulge in that, too.)

So today I went to the Warren County Ag Fair. I had entered a "fancy" apron and Husband, who had worked as security on Wednesday night, said that it had won 2nd place. Now, pardon my rant but who in tarnation (or Warren county!) beat me out for first?? I know. Pathetic. This is an honest look at my heart the moment I read my husband's text. My next thought was of self-doubt - I was going to enter that in the State Fair - but if it can't even win at county-level...? Then I remembered that the premium book had said that if there was only one entry in a given category and it was worth placing, it would receive 2nd, unless it was of "supreme quality" and then it would receive first. When I dropped it off I was hoping that even if it was the only "fancy apron" the judges would view it as excellent and give it 1st place. It was my very best effort and my next few thoughts churned, full of self-doubt and a sinking feeling of inadequacy, compounded by the looming and extravagant smorgasbord of competition at the NC State Fair. Well, nothing risked, nothing gained. Such is the life of an artist. (Doesn't that sound so pathetically dramatic? :P ) But I digress. I went to the fair today to "sniff out the competition," so to speak and see for myself the state of things. Husband said he could not figure out which apron, if any, beat mine, and since I wanted to see the rest of the exhibits - I went.

Can you say podunk. But at least the jam and preserve makers are alive and kickin'. I appreciated the art and crafts that were there, however few. My apron was there, hanging up on a rack with a quilt, two afghans, and another apron that had a green Honorable Mention ribbon dangling from it. Hah! Ahem. Sorry about that. And it still doesn't help me decide whether or not to enter that apron in the State Fair. :/

A random thing I saw today, and it made me smile: on the way to the fair, turning at the light from Main Street to Ridgeway, I looked at the light (as any good driver should) and saw a small squirrel running along the wire to cross the street. Smart squirrel!

Another thing that happened was this:

 Now, I've heard about the difficulty of socks and tiny feet staying together... but to experience it for oneself? I'm an awe. I checked his feet not five minutes before this picture, and he was fast asleep. Riddle me this.

 

And these, just for fun. Lookee his bootie shoes, Momma! They're too big, but at least they keep his socks on. :)

 Love me some baby Zachary. :DDD