Purging

 Well I've started cleaning out and decluttering the house.  I have wanted to do this for some time, but just couldn't convince myself to do it.  Now that I will be home more I find that I want to enjoy the peace and having too much in a room is not peaceful to me.  I also want to paint the house this summer and to do that I need less stuff.  Fortunately 4H will be having a garage sale this spring so I can donate things there and not feel a bit bad about it.  

I started in the kitchen because I had a mouse get in my lower dish cabinets.  As I was cleaning them out to clean I sorted before I put thing back.  It's inspiring me to get more done.  I'm almost done moving the Christmas I'm keeping back to the attic.  After that I need to go through what is remaining in the basement and get it donated.  4H has a fall garage sale that other things will go to if I miss this one.  I'm excited to get this done.

I have been a bit off my game this week since my dad has been in the hospital.  He has been stressful, but at his age (87) it's not totally unexpected.  Hopefully the remaining tests will tell us a few things and we won't have a repeat of this last weekend.

Sprout is really trying this semester and her grades are really showing it.  I'm so proud.  She's smart but unless she wants to do it there isn't much to motivate her.  The joys of a strong willed child.

A new 4H year!

 Well 4H has officially kicked off here.  I was asked to be on our 4H council this year so slowly but surely I'm moving into doing things for Sprout and for me.  I haven't been volunteering much since she was born.  I just couldn't manage it with being on call, FarmBoy working and farming.  There just wasn't enough time for me to be effective.  I'm so looking forward to this.  

Meetings are starting to happen too.  This year we are just doing livestock, but next year I'm going to encourage her to do other things.  Depending on her reaction we might add another "paper" project yet.  She's not actually showing a sheep for herself this year.  We just don't have the time to train 3 species with her maybe doing summer cheerleading.  It's her least favorite animal and my most favorite, but it's not about me.  She will be choosing a topic to do a poster on so that she will not loose her years in the project.  We are still on track for 10 years in sheep, swine and beef.  She shows sheep for one of her friends every year in addition to her own so I'm sure she will do that again this year.  The friend has pure bred sheep and has too many that go into one class so other 4Hers are usually drafted to help out.  There's no pressure for her on this other than to do a good job for her friend.  She usually ends up with the one that isn't "top" pick from the friends sheep and that is okay.  Her friend should get the big ribbons since she put in the work.

Plans to revamp the barn pens are actively in discussion since there won't be sheep this year.  I think the pigs will be moving to their area and have a small outside covered area and their training run will move to a different location as a result.  It's going to take some work, but I think it will nice to see some changes out there.  I'm hoping all the new inside gates will allow the skidsteer in so there won't be as much hand cleaning.  At least that is what I have been told.  Sprout and I are going to try to change up the pigs diet to see if we can see some improvement in her placings.  

Our starter calves are coming from a new location this year so it could be really interesting how they do.  We aren't bottle feeding at all.  They are coming weaned.  I can't lie I'm grateful to not be mixing stuff.  The mess was a bit much.  She's "experienced" bottling calves and sheep so I don't think there is much left to learn on that front.  

I'd like for her to try growing some sort of plants or flowers this year, but that is a conversation we haven't had yet.....

Time is flying by.....

 I've given the date that will be my last day at my job.  It's surreal somehow.  This has been my job for most of my adult life and I won't be coming here anymore.  Sprout is looking forward to it and FarmBoy is too in a way.  The loss of my full time income does put a burden on him, but with the house and cars all being paid for it is much less than it could be.  It's my job now to concentrate on shopping a little more wisely and to stretch things as far as I can.  When Sprout goes back to school in the fall I'll be looking for something part time to help out, but only during her school hours.  This will still allow me to help out at her school sports events and go to games, help taxi during harvest, etc.  I would like to be able to take summer's off too, but I will cross that bridge next summer.  

I'm planning for painting and for gardening and massive decluttering.  That has already started.  I had a mouse that managed to get into all my kitchen drawers before I got rid of it.  Every dish in my lower cabinets had to be taken out and washed so as I was putting things back I tried to sort through things.  I did pretty well, but I need to do another pass after living with it for awhile to see if there is more that I could part with or sell.  I was thinking of a summer yard sale, but the 4H in my county will be having a spring garage sale fund raiser so some it will be going there.  I have one more lower cabinet that the critter didn't make it to and the uppers to do before the first pass is done in the kitchen.  I'm hoping this weekend to be done, but with Sprout's birthday it might be next weekend.  

We had the roof replaced recently and they took the chimney down to below the roof line so we just need to finish dropping it all the way to the basement and haul it out.  My hall closet can then be totally redone and I'm so looking forward to it, but it will also need decluttered before that can happen.  Actually it needs emptied out so we can get to the chimney so as soon as I get all the Christmas moved back to the attic ( it was in the basement while the roof was being done so it wasn't in the way ) I will have room to pack up the shampoo etc. and store it in the basement while the renovation is done.  We decided not to go to the beach this spring break, but move it to fall break so I've got most of a week off to box it up, gut the closet and drop the chimney.  Sprout and I are going to see my new great nephew for a few days during that time so I don't have full week, but I think it can be done.  FarmBoy isn't sure how he wants to do it so I might just get started and see how it goes on my own.  His knee is having some trouble so he's not looking forward to crawling up and down the attic ladder so I think Sprout and I will try it.  She likes getting into things like this.

The only remaining "big" project is to redo the bathroom.  We only have one so that might be something we pay someone to do while we are on fall break.  It has loosely been discussed.  I think it will all depend on the cost.  I will be doing all the painting myself so that will save us a bunch of money and I don't mind doing it.  Slowly but surely the house will be decluttered and painted by the time I start looking for something part time.  I will have the payout from my unused vacation to cover during this time so I won't feel so stressed.  Bonus has been good this year so I have some extra in my mad money account to cover the paint supplies.  The garage sale could cover some additional things too like maybe some new baseboards.  The previous owners had them all replaced at some point and they are just yucky.  They installed them after some awful carpet was put in over some decent hard wood floors.  I pulled the carpet up and it just looks odd.  The drywall is a little sketchy behind it too so I think some taller baseboard would cover a lot of problems.

It's obvious that I have projects lined up for at least a little while....