The first occurrence of change and one that had little to no effect on anyone at all other than me personally was when I changed the name of the blog and subsequent Facebook page to The Feisty FaerieWitch. Shortly after the name change, the Facebook page reached and then surpassed 10,000 "likes". To me, the one who doesn't worry about the numbers, that was amazing!
The middle of March we moved into a much larger home (I'm already calling it our forever home) with a beautiful yard, and bonus points for it being right next door to Tanya and the Little Witch! Yes, it's in sad shape, nothing that some hard work and time won't remedy, but we knew this going into the deal. For the most part, the interior repairs are cosmetic, however, eventually, we are going to need to repair the floors and replace the carpet throughout the house. I'm hoping for laminate wood type floors, I want to paint the entire house, and add furniture to the formal dining room and living room. We now have a house large enough for those family gatherings like my Momma used to love so much. The first piece of furniture will be a dining room table that can sit at least 8 people ...
For now, the space designated as a living room (ya know, the room right inside the front door) is being used as a multi-purpose room (GADS!! Flashbacks of high school, LOL). Currently, my large crafting table is set up in front of the large double windows, giving me an abundance of light to work by, Jimmy's computer in on the opposite wall, so he can participate in conversation with us in the "family room" while he's playing Overwatch, the main altar is in the corner facing the front door, and then Mylia's workspace will go in there too as soon as she begins working. She is waiting on a call from Kelly Service to work from home for Apple Care.
We've begun working in the yard, the fence that was falling apart is being taken down and the weeds have been at least mowed into a semblance of a yard. The front flower beds are currently a work in progress and with Jimmy's help I've "built" a planter bed on either side of the front steps and transplanted the spiderwort. While we were digging up the bed that gets the most morning sun we found some bulbs that I've saved to be replanted. More work will need to be done to the beds soon as the Foxglove and Coreopsis are outgrowing the containers I've had them in for the past 2 seasons. AND! I've got Lily of the Valley that needs to go in the ground SOON!
The pool is up and almost full, we can only fill a bit at a time so as to not burn out the well pump, a new pool pump has been purchased to replace the one that quit working last year, concrete pavers put in place for the pump to rest on. Next up will be running the electric to the pump so we aren't using an extension cord this year, LOL! The outside kitchen area is shaping up nicely, the grill has been moved from the front yard, the table has been put in place and the cushions attached to the chairs, the umbrella is ready to help the trees above the area provide the shade for grilling and family time. I still want to put up a fence panel in that area to camouflage the well house. This year, Jimmy is building a set of steps to access the pool from the outside and we'll attach part of the ladder to go over the railing of the pool to the top step so getting in and out of the pool won't be as challenging for me. That ladder scared the shit outta me! Eventually, we will have a very large deck from the back door to the pool ... a little at a time, a little each spring until we are done.
Two weeks ago, a new journey began with the hope of helping to heal the ache left by the passing of the tiny day old kitten Tanya rescued and Maine adopted. She survived just 4 days. Tanya found puppies! Maine has never had a puppy, living in an apartment for most of their life, just didn't permit having a canine companion. Cats they know, but a puppy is a completely different experience for them. So off we go, out on a beautiful country backroad and once we arrive at the destination there are TWELVE beautiful Australian Shepherd puppies to choose from. 6 female and 6 male bundles of fur, fluff, and energy. And some of the most soul settling puppy sighs I've heard in a very long time. We went for two, one for Maine, and one for Tanya's husband. We came home with 3, Tanya got one for Jimmy too! So, two little bundles of fluff have joined our family and Hati and Cerridwen are thriving with the love and attention being showered on them.
This past weekend after much discussion between the family members, it was decided it was time for Jimmy to come off the road. He's been driving OTR for a little over 5 years with at home time averaging about 34 hours every week if we were/he was lucky. In March 2016, after months of talking about it and going back and forth with the pros and cons, he quit working for the company here in Hope Mills and accepted a job driving for a company out of Tennessee with amazing benefits. Yes, he did take a reduction in pay, but we hoped with the insurance and bonuses offered that everything would work out ... it didn't. My husband who gives more than 200% to his employer has been increasingly miserable to the point of not sleeping or eating. Yep, it was way passed time he came home and found a job that would let him sleep in his own bed each night. He's currently on his final run (yes, he is getting paid for this one) taking the truck back to Tennessee and they will be providing a bus ticket back home for him. He should be home sometime Thursday morning.
Next up for him is completing the paperwork and hiring process for a position driving a truck here locally, being paid hourly (eventually by the load), and being home every day at the end of his shift, sleeping in his own bed and being an active part of the family once again. Yes, it's nerve-wracking and even a bit frightening, going once again from a weekly paycheck to the unknown. But, it's time ... for all of us.
Uh huh, 2017 is absolutely the year of transition, transformation, and changes for us. This time we are doing it all together as a family and I can't wait to see what is coming up next!
