Ya know, when I started this blog I was thinking alot about depression and I have noticed that I have not written about it in ages. Why? Because I finally found a med combo that really works for me. My bestest friends Abilify, Zoloft and Armour Thyroid. I've been on this combo since 2006 and I must say I have not been this content and motivated in decades. Honestly. I've set some goals and have stuck with them even when I've been knocked off course. I went back to school. I got chickens. I got 100's on math tests! 100's! None of this had been possible prior to the med combo. I feel happiness, I can feel pleasure and hope. The dispair and foreboding is gone. The down side to these drugs is now I am pre-diabetic and look like I've been inflated with a bike pump. I've balooned up and just can't lose it no matter what I try. I'm trying to look at it as the price I have to pay to have my brain working again. But I really don't like it.
I feel so happy to be back to my "normal" self again.

soaping up a storm

Well I've been bitten by the soaping bug again. Stress relief from studying for exams is more like it. But it has been a ton of fun and now I have a bunch of soap sitting around so I opened my Etsy shop again. I hope to bring in a little money so I can keep soaping. So if ya want some great smelling and feeling soap, give me a shout and take a gander at my Etsy here: http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5953&page=1&section_id=&order=
The chickens are hating the cold weather. when I let then out the huddle up by the house and peck on the door. Silly birds. Now I know that it has been chilly here and a few nights have been below freezing but it is Texas after all. It just ain't that cold!

Made some soap this week. The large bar is my usual blend scented with Lilac FO. The 2 smaller ones are shelter soaps, the blue one is Blackberry Sage and the white one is Dragon's Blood. It was very satisfying to make soap again. Too bad studying has not been as satisfying. I'm doing well in both classes but it is a struggle to keep track of my study time. I also knit a sock for my iPhone. I LOVE the yarn, a silk/wool blend that is so nice and soft. And for such a simple stitch, I think it looks pretty good. I'd practically forgotten how to knit. I'll get to the studying on thursday, I promise!

latest yarn

this is my latest yarn craft. I really like it a lot. This pattern is Queen Anne's Lace.

Spencer's shelter soap

My daughter decided she wanted to make a soap for the homeless shelter she works at once a month. I let her do it, I measured and poured the lye but she did all the rest. She scented it with a very sweet scent, Hoiday Candy. I am very proud of her.

soaps amore.

Well I made more soap this week. First up is a Juniper Sage bar, just the thing for after the gym . And the white bars are a shaving bar made with kaolin sugar, silk and shea. It is delightful. It is scented with the Lavendar Cedar as requested by a friend. Spencer made a bar tonight for the homeless shelter that should be able to be cut in the morning. It is a very very nice bar with better lather than my bars but a bit more drying than my bar but that's ok. The shelter folks will love it. Heck , I love it. I am so proud of her for thinking of this all on her own.

So I finally did it. Made soap. This is my Dead Sea Mud, silk & Shea bar scented with Lavender Cedar. Man oh man the house smells divine!. Every thing went smoothly and no real hitches. I showered with the scraps last night and it is a great soap. Boo-ya!

Stylin' diabetes

I almost forgot my shout out to Rickina of Stick Me Designs for the fantastic diabetic kit/purse.
This is the first real purse I've had and I love how roomy it is without being so big it throws my back out. My glucometer fits in nicely and stays nice & organized inside.. No more forgetting my kit when I go out. Check it out!http://stickmedesigns.com/shop/index.php?cPath=1_12

No pix to post today I just wanted to pop in and say I miss my family. They are in London until the 3rd of August. I have lots of time to study but I miss them more than I want to study. Nothing new going on, the chickens are good, the cat is good , the guinea pigs are good, I'm good. Hope all is good on you end.

Well my latest obsession is Shrinky Dink art. Spencer & I spent all day on Sunday playing with Shrinky Dinks and I made a bunch of jewelry. She made magnets for her teachers. This is a fun medium to work with and it is easy too.

Easy water

Summer is almost here and it is already hot. The chickens need a source of water that will withstand the heat here so I got this dog waterer that stays filled up. It saves my back cause I don't have to bend over 2 or 3 times a day to give them water. This waterer is nice but I think I am going to get an auto waterer from Tractor Supply Store and make it deeper for more sediment to fall down.

Here are some pix of my trip to Antarctica in Jan 1997. The first pix is a glacier and the second one is me at Deception Island. This trip was an amazing experience that I must thank my Mother for. It was her generosity that allowed me to go to this incredible part of our planet. My belief in the sacredness of the Earth was confirmed on this trip. It was my glimpse of the Divine in all her forms. I have no idea why the pix are flipped in this post, they look fine on my computer. But I'll post them anyway.

So Happy it's Spring

The chickens have claimed my herb box for their dust bath box. No herbs for me.

Cedar Hill State Park

We went camping this week for Spring Break. Just 20 miles out of Dallas at Cedar Hill State park. It was Very nice. The first night we froze but the second night was balmy. Spencer had a fantastic time playing in the woods and making a tribe with the other kids. Kevin enjoyed doing nothing. I spent my time cooking & doing nothing. We are so lucky. We have great friends. We live in a warm climate and our kid is healthy and happy and a joy to be around( most of the time). Life, she is good.

Beelezebub. I eated him.

oooh, so radical

So Spencer has been Jonesing to get her ears pierced and she cant until she gets her Bloods. But the questions wont stop. I had to get a new stud for the hole I had(I had to remove the ring prior to the surgery) so I took her with me. She was disappointed that I didn't get pierced so I said , "Why not" and got the second cartilage piercing. It burned for a second but I acted like it was killing me. Spencer has stopped asking about getting her ears done. Mission Accomplished!

the Girls in the coop

Here is the hoop chicken tractor with much less crap on the patio. Perhaps by spring I can have the whole yard cleaned! The girls approve. I need a new Delaware flag too. This one is faded pretty badly.

Now we have an egg door

Well It finally got cold here, well cold for Texas. I went out to water the birds today and the hose was frozen. A little running water got it moving but the water bucket was full of chunky ice. You would think that I had dumped in a motherlode of worms in there. The chickens went crazy picking out the ice and fighting eachother for the pieces.
I put the wood back on the coop at last. Kevin gave me a hand even though he feels like crap today. It is not a thing of beauty but it works. I have to wait until I move the coop to do a clean out to see if I can secure the wood to the bottom better but now I have an egg door so I don't have to walk through a poopy coop to get eggs and on days I don't want to let the girls out I can get eggs.