You know how camps have work days? Redberry has work days. Kinasao has work days. Like a big ole clean up where you prepare for the season ahead. Lots and lots of people come, take on jobs, inside and outside, easy or difficult, whatever there is to do. They eat a yummy lunch and work hard. You know those days.
When I look around my home, I feel like we need a work day. A whole big fat work day.
A day where furniture moves into different rooms. The pantry is reorganized. The under the stairs storage area is gutted, gone through, and reorganized. The shed is gutted and purged. The dishes move around the kitchen so Brady can reach all the important things. The kids closets are free of toys and books that belong in the toys and books, and all paper is recycled. The basement toy shelf is unloaded, sorted, and put back together. The floor gets a GOOD vacuum. The lightbulbs are all switched out for the LEDs we have, waiting.
The day would close with a gigantic dump run. At least that would be my real hope.
It sounds great, doesn’t it? Yet, I know its my home, and my mess, and my responsibility. But I’ve never felt so behind, buried under all of our stuff and the jobs that we’ve fallen so far behind on.
But. Adulthood. Ugh.
For the record, if there were a work day, I would have pulled pork, buns, and coleslaw for everyone. Just sayin’. It would be a sweaty – albeit yummy – day.
We’ve been having SO much fun creating stuff over here! It all feels very Spring-themed these days, and that is ok by me! You might’ve seen yesterday, but Brady made a handful of propagation stations to sell! They are a completely gorgeous, minimalistic style, made of hardwood with dovetail joints. No nails or screws in these things. They are beautiful, and I’m very much hoping all but one sell so I can have one.
Or I’ll just keep the man. He’s even cuter than the plant stands.
His works are far above mine, but I’ve been playing with some super bright colors that make me feel VERY Springy! Just a little stack of dishcloths, but they belong at our lake spot. Or your lake spot. Or your kitchen. Definitely my kitchen.
I always have a few projects going. The cloths are an easy thing to work on without having to think too much. When I have a couple of hours to actually think, I’m starting to work on my next commissioned tartan. Like I’ve said, there is an amazing amount of math and prep work that goes into them before an order is even really confirmed. So I’m working on that when I have down time, and things like cloths or plant hangers when I have more distraction around me 🙂
If you’re looking to add a little color to your life, whether its leafy green or otherwise, you know where to come!
I’m starting to think I should make Saturday the day where I catch you guys up on what else has happened during the week. I love posting about intentional things, but then some other things get lost in the mix. So behold 💁🏼♀️ the things that got lost in the mix of the week!
I started making plant hangers this week! They are suuuper cute, in my opinion 🙂 I also really enjoyed trying to explain to Brady what “boho” means 😆 (Prices range from $15-25, depending on size)
Laela has a stuffed bunny named Chester that she really loves. The other day, I believe the 22nd, was Chesters birthday. At school, Dekker got special permission to print off some gifts for Laela in honour of Chester’s birthday, and he tracked her down at recess to give them to her 💜
Brady and I hit Value Village the other day in search for rubber boots for the kids who needed them for the season. We came across this penis Paris themed container that warranted a photo.
We did eventually find some boots, thankfully. Apparently we are late to the game! Yikes!
Aaaaand we saw these cute little summery guys at Canadian Tire. I know my kids would LOVE them, because they LOVE soft things, and they’re SO excited about summer, but they were $15!! 🤮 Cannot justify that five times!
Brady and I tried out the local Olive Garden, finally. Thankfully their lunch menu is nice and cheap. We both really enjoyed it!
Cher taught us some medical terminology that gave us a good laugh!
Another good laugh was Rowan losing his last front tooth. He lost it at school and came home with a mad lisp, hahaha! It was AWESOME.
The internet showed me some super cute photos of the boys when they were so much littler 💜 Oof. They keep aging…
Aaaaand closing this off with a picture of Brady and I as we waited for his Instagram live to start last night! We had a final video with them, where Brady and I both answered some questions and talked about how the Maker Community Project has changed our life. We had a lot of good laughs and a lot of warm encouragement. It was a lot of fun!
Thats it, friends! Thats our week in a nutshell! Care to share anything from your week with me?? Drop it in the comments 🙂 I care about your time, too!
Today I wrapped up my first ever commissioned family tartan blanket! I have been really enjoying making the woven, plaid blankets, so this was a welcomed challenge! I put away what I had been working on and went for it!
The client – a friend of mine – sent me a tartan, which I rebuilt on a website called plaidmaker.com. The reality was that the thread could not line up accurately, because it was hundreds and hundreds of strands. So I had to just try my best to make it close. There is more math involved in these plaid blankets than you’d think! The pattern because more saturated, but it was close. I had the proof confirmed, and got to it!
This was the most complex plaid I had ever taken on, and while it took a bit more concentration, it wasn’t actually that much harder at all! More color changes, for sure, but definitely doable!
In the last couple of days, I’ve worked on the assembly. Weaving in all the chains and twisting up the tassels. And today – voila – it is DONE!
The tartan has only TWO strands of red in the whole thing, but they pop SO beautifully! I love them! 😍
I learned a few things making this blanket. I was worried it would be WAY too long, but I made the chains shorter and let them be a bit tighter. It holds the blanket WAY nicer than leaving them looser. Less holes. More structure. And an appropriate length for a throw blanket. I am SO happy with how this one turned out!
Aaaaaaand… best of all… its kid approved!
Deller: You finished it?? Can I hug it?!?!
Now if I could just pump out a couple thousand of these real quick, we could build a house! 😆😩😵
I’m a couple of days late, but Tuesday night wrapped up Brady’s eleventh chemotherapy cycle!
The whole chemo thing has just been a ride 😅 The first few cycles were daunting and scary. We had SO long to go. The beginning was just tough. Then, from the first dose of his seventh cycle, it felt like we could actually take deeper breaths, because we were officially on the other side of it. Moving towards the end. But then the cycles got harder. With every passing round, Brady is affected worse. And while we breathed easy for a couple rounds, they felt harder and harder, because the end was coming closer and closer. You know how that last stretch of waiting for something feels like it takes an eternity? Ya. Its like that. But what I can tell you about this cycle is that, while Brady was once again affected negatively, sick and exhausted, we know there is ONE LEFT. ONE!
For the first time, I can honestly say I am anticipating the next chemo cycle. I’m ready. I want it over with. Brady feels the same, though he is obviously not excited for the hassle and struggle that comes with it. We are both ready for chemo to be in our rear view, thats for sure!
I’ve referred to Brady’s chemo cycles as his menstrual cycle before, right? #sharkweek
At his pre-chemo appointment last week, Brady inquired what the next step was. As in, after chemo. Is that truly the end of his cancer treatment? Because that’s never been really officially confirmed. You’ve heard me spiral about how he’s having the longest cancer treatment cycle with absolutely NO tumour to be seen on his scans. There is nothing to watch shrink, or grow. So. Is this the end? Or will he remain on this form of “maintenance chemo” for longer? Do you want to know their answer?
We’ll talk about that at next month’s appointment.
😒
So we have the pleasure of waiting for that, where we will know the plan for who knows how long with absolutely no warning. Cool. Cool cool cool.
My vote is that Brady is DONE with cancer treatment, and we follow up with MRIs like he has been doing. His next one is due to happen in June. So maybe we’ll go from there. But I hope very much to continue on with our life at that point, without any ties to any scary treatment anymore.
Whew!
One more round.
Five more days.
Twenty-five more pills.
And then we’ll blow cancer a kiss, bid it adieu, and carry on 💜
Speaking of carrying on, here’s a song for you to listen to. Its a tear jerker for me, but very relevant.
All bets were off last year. Undeniably. We couldn’t fathom anything beyond our front door. Maybe it sounds selfish, but it wasn’t. It was sheer survival. We are SO grateful for those who came around us who actually understood that. It was not everyone, unfortunately, but life keeps moving, and praise God, ours is slowwwwwly inching its way back into some semblance of a routine.
We used to go for walks every single evening. We started it a couple of years ago, and it was SO good for us. Here’a a little throwback…
In winter, of course, it all gets tabled. Especially now, as Brady can only get through so much snow/muck with the Batec. While we know there is still more snow to come, we have gone on a couple of walks before bed, and my goodness – I am SO glad we’re back to this.
Brady’s Pro Framer hoodie!
Rowans face, lol
I used to give them “challenges” on our walk, and these two (we call them the twins, lol) ask for them constantly. Things like – skip to the next driveway, run like a stickman, side step to the tree, flap your arms – stuff like that. When they get far enough ahead, I usually call for them to do jumping jacks. And its usually when we’re at a familiar driveway. So keep an eye out for them 😏
Our walk last night was fun. It was really nice out, so a couple of kids opted for hoodies instead of jackets. They ran and fell and played and splashed. They got SOAKED, and they had SO much fun 💜
I am incredibly grateful for my family 💜
We went to the rink, because Solly wanted to go run the sidewalk and ramps around the entrance. Brady joined in, too, and got a little aggressive with it. This is his face after he almost hit me.
He’s a goof. He had it under control. Still.
Aaaaand then Solly wiped out twice and accidentally pooped his pants a little 🤦🏼♀️
Soooo we went home. Lol!
No regrets. Not one. I know where we live, and I know it means there is still more snowy weather to come. But man. How amazing would it be if it all just stayed away and we could reinstate evening walks already??
You know when you make reeeaaally good meals, and your kids kind of turn up their noses and ask for bread with butter? Right. I think you guys have either lived it or can picture it pretty clearly. Most of my kids are very suspicious of any and all “new” food. So that is why Brady and I sometimes eat after the kids go to bed – so we can enjoy good, real food without having to fight with anyone. To be clear, we do often eat the same things as them, and we eat with them LOTS! They are not left or neglected. But to be able to eat and enjoy our food is a pretty nice thing when we get the chance!
An example. Steak. Steak is SUCH a good meal, but goodness, our non-meat eating kids would be so unhappy. We would be riding them to eat their food the whole time, meanwhile wasting more money than average on steaks for kids who didn’t want or appreciate them. Make sense? Yes. Yes it does.
Over the weekend, we had some celebrating to do, and my mom ordered in Chinese for however wanted it. That wound up to be the adults, and Dekker! Dekker has never had asian food, but he was SO gung ho to try!!
Dekker 👏 eats 👏 everything. 👏 He is SUCH a good eater. I love feeding him. This was a first, and he was SO excited! Even when it took longer than we wanted to get it to the house and on the table, he was fine to wait while everyone else ate their KD, as they chose.
Well, friends. It was a success.
This is one happy dude. He tried everything, and happily received more of this and that as he ate. It sounds dumb, but it was fun to watch him try all kinds of new things and choose his favorites. Lemon chicken was a big one. Lemon sauce could go on anything he ate. Sweet and sour pork. Rice, and skinny noodles above the fat noodles. Chicken balls, lol!
It was SO fun to eat with him, and I know he LOVED eating with just the grown ups. As a kid, who didn’t feel SO important when they were singled out to join the adults in the room? I know I did. And I really enjoyed seeing him thrive in that element.
I know I’m supposed to dread him aging and growing up, but I don’t 💜 Its such a treat to know him.
After having a conversation the other day about how badly we still need to move, I find myself newly fired up to speak up for my family and try to find a solution.
We find ourselves in and around tax time. As self-employed people, securing a mortgage is hugely dependant on two good tax years. That reassures your lender that you’re good at your job, consistent with receiving income, and reliable to pay money back. Its completely justified. And at this point, once taxes are done, we are giving away one of those tax years. Now, behind us, we have ONE good tax year, and one income-free year.
*barf*
Well then, guys, get some income!
Cool. Yup, that sounds good.
Except its not that simple.
Forgive me if I’m repeating myself and you know all this. Bear with me.
The amount of disability benefits we receive per year does not even come close to what we need to survive. Maybe six months. No more than that. Brady still deeply desires to work and provide for his family! But, the cutoff is 6K. After that, he loses all disability payments.
Read that again.
If Brady is well enough to make $500 per month, he no longer qualifies for disability benefits. None.
Dumb, right?
In order to get a house like everyone else, we have to somehow survive on next to nothing, or we have to find Brady part time work that pulls in FULL wage. I specify part time work, because his body does not hold up to full days anymore.
Biology lesson!
Brady’s height of injury is at T6, so riiiiight smack dab in the middle of this highlighted area.
So, everything below that is affected. Brady has some ab strength, but not much. If you see him stand, you may notice he has developed the cutest little baby dad bod paunch. I say this with ALL the love in my heart, and I have Brady’s permission to talk about it here. Its just the truth. Its not even because he’s sitting around more these days (lol) but because of the fact that his lower abdominal muscles are no longer working 💜 Unfortunately, those ones just don’t turn on anymore, meaning they will atrophy and disappear. With that, Brady’s standing will never be “proper” or long winded, so any amount of standing means soreness and pain at the end of the day. He HAS to only work part time hours. Its really his only option for returning to work.
But. If he returns to work, he loses all disability.
But if he doesn’t return to work, we cannot survive financially.
Hailey, can you go to work?
Sure, I could. Two things about that. Realistically, that leaves Brady as the primary parent here at home with Waverly. And while he is INCREDIBLE and INVOLVED, realistically, his capability to act fast in an emergency situation is not ideal. (Not in this house, anyway. It would be totally doable in the new house we deeply desire to live in.) Also, on top of that, is the truth of Brady wanting to work. He wants to provide and be the breadwinner like he always has been! He WANTS to be at work, and I WANT to be home. So thats what we aim for.
With every day passing, we watch our finances change and dissipate, knowing they will eventually run out. We need a plan before that happens. We watch our door frames get busted up, our flooring warp, and Brady feeling progressively more frustrated and helpless. We need income, and we need a new home. The longer we wait, the harder the move could be, depending on how Brady’s mobility changes.
There is an obvious hole in the system here. House or not, our livelihood is dependant on these payments, and something needs to be done. I cannot be the only person who sees this obvious flaw.
I want to be reasonable, and rational. But I also want to knock on some doors and write some letters. Who do we contact now? Government officials? Newspapers? At what point do I cross the line between justified into entitled?
We pray and we trust God, but that doesn’t negate our responsibility to vouch for our family and for many others I am sure have found themselves trapped in this system.
Solly attended his first birthday party yesterday! He was SO excited – to a liiiiittle bit anxious upon arriving – to complete joy the moment he saw a familiar face at the door. He ran into the party without looking back. I told him I’d be back after supper to get him. He didn’t hear me. He wasn’t worried. That was a big success!
The party was to let out somewhere between 6:30 and 7, so being that the time was flexible, we decided to walk. I had bene itching to go out for a walk, and had planned on walking him there with the family, but we were late getting out the door and it just didn’t work out. After supper would have to do.
And that it did.
As you can see, rubber boots even came out! Jackets were overkill but we knew it was going to be cooler out on the walk back.
We walked aaaaall the way across town, and turned out to be among the first to arrive. So we lapped a block and bought Solly an extra ten minutes. Once we saw a few other parents go into the house, I figured I should be polite and go retrieve my child.
The house was TEAMING! It was pure mayhem in there! This kids very brave parents had invited the entire kindergarten class! Five year olds EVERYWHERE! But not my five year old. So I braved the party and went downstairs to hunt for my kid.
I found him totally happily surrounded by new toys and friends in the basement. He immediately burst out crying, thinking he had to leave NOW! I went to him and told him I would happily give him two more minutes. He rallied right away and started showing me all the cool toys. Once he had showed me all the important things, he told me he was ready, and we headed up and out!
I know he LOVED the party, but I LOVED the walk 💜 I ache for springtime walks after supper. That used to be out routine, and it was SO good for all of us.
By the time our house was in sight, it was just past the younger kids bedtime, and all five of our kids were saying they were really looking forward to their warm beds. Even Dekker, who stays up later than everyone, said he didn’t think he’d read tonight, but just go right to bed. And it was all said happily. Not in a grumpy “Thats it. We’re all going to bed” kind of way. In a comfy, tired, restful, warm way.
I hope for so so many more of these evenings. It felt like another way that normalcy is approaching. Thank you Lord for beautiful weather, even if just for a time.
I woke up to the sound of geese this morning. While its not anyone’s ideal sound – honking – it makes me feel like Spring is on the way! Don’t get me wrong. I know a Spring blizzard still has to happen. Its the law. In fact, if someone could just foolishly pack up all of their childrens winter gear, I’m pretty sure thats all winter needs to throw its final storm at us. Anyone willing to tempt fate to get things moving?? Anyone??
As soon as I was coherent enough to actually think, I thought of so many angles that I could take blogging about geese.
I had a mental picture of geese flying in a road rage kind of way, honking at one another.
Or maybe geese blowing their noses loudly.
Or just pinching each other’s noses.
Then I figured I could take a slightly off-color angle and call the geese “honky.” But thats a whole racial thing, and I didn’t know if it would go over well.
Beyond these particularly dumb jokes, all I could picture in my head was Michael Scott saying “Bruuuuuce,” except “gooooose!” Ya.
I don’t anticipate a single one of these jokes will land. But I sure hope the geese do.
