I try not to use the "I'm busy" to often. I think it makes my friends feel like they aren't important. I tend to say a certain week or month, lets catch up or do someones birthday. Lately I have felt overwhelmed and I hate it. It's graduation & party crunch time, scholarship assisting, school activities have simmered down thank goodness, but the farming has stepped up X5. Oh and we are adding a whole new wing to our house. DH is doing most of the work between farming and I'm the designer. HA, sounds glamorous but it seriously isn't! Subbing at school has been few and the caller must be frustrated at my refusal to work. I am blessed to be able to enjoy the fruits of our labor but its been a long haul, we don't know what weekend fun is. My friends have been so good, they will offer their hands to help me. You bet I'm using them at DD's graduation open house! that's what friends are for. ~~I agree we are all busy. But if my friends NEED me I'll try to be there for them someway, like they are for me.

kam, here's one thing that I found helpful to think about when we got hit with the unexpected discoveries in the walls: this poor house has needed us to come take care of it. We're contributing to good energy in the world by making it a safe, habitable place for us and for those who come after us. Some houses are treated like throwaways but not ours. We've had to make virtually every single system significantly better in this house, not just update the cosmetics. I honestly feel good knowing that even though we haven't been able to pay someone to take down the *much hated* popcorn in the two-story front room, we don't have toilet drainlines that slant back towards the house anymore. The pretty much completely rewired electrics make sense and aren't about to set the house on fire anymore either. You may also discover that there are less expensive ways to do your most urgent cosmetic updates than you'd thought originally, necessity being the mother of invention and all that...you can bargain shop and jump on c's list items, not just in furniture--check the 'materials' section as well. That section was my best friend during the most heated parts of our multi-year remodeling project. Just one example from among many: we have several hundred square feet of gorgeous clear, high-quality vintage but like-new white oak flooring (had been under carpet in someone's very nice 50s home) in our garage that are awaiting installation and refinishing when we finally rip up the rest of the carpet, that we got for about $1/sf, including delivery. Just got it from the 'materials' section. Stone and tile suppliers also regularly sell remnants/overruns there too, but they go fast. Once you have your design and finishes chosen, you can lie in wait :) Maybe we can put our heads together and help you do some cosmetic improvement brainstorming so you can have that part of your dream realized at least a little, while you take care of the immediate practical needs...?

WOW thanks so much! I must say something you all may laugh at but here goes. I have not been feeling well (with a bad cough) this past Sunday my daughter found 5 black swallowtails in their first instar stage. At that time we still had 2 crysalis in the aquarium to be hatched or whatever you call it you can till I am a newbie. Having to have to clean out the aquarium after only 3 caterpillars I told her I wasn't bringing in any more cats. The next morning I looked at the fennel that the 5 cats were on and only saw 2 after feeling a little better and one of the butterflys flew away I decided to clean the aquarium and bring in the lonely 2. Now I am sorry I didn't save all 5 of them. I can't image bringing in hundreds. I can't believe my daughter saw the 5 little itty bitty swallowtails; it was such a pleasure. I don't think I will ever see those tiny eggs. I think you have to have xray vision to spot them! You people are amazing and it has been a great time watching the few that we have had this year. Your all great at what you do! Just a reminder ......keep up the great work .......but yes give yourself a break and don't feel bad at all! GREAT JOB!

I spend about an hour in the morning catching up on the news, my Etsy shop, here, a jewelry community of which I'm a member and moderator and checking my email. After that's done, it's breakfast, whatever household chores need to be done and I usually spend several hours a day in my studio. I'm too busy during the day to spend much time on the internet. If I take a break from whatever it is I'm doing, I'll get online for a few minutes. In the evenings, after dinner and clean-up is done, is my relaxing time and I usually watch tv and do things on the internet at the same time. My attitude is much like Marilyn C's in that I have a lot to do and enjoy spending time by myself. For a long time, we didn't have television, so the internet was the only way we had to keep up with the news as well as being a main source of evening entertainment. I don't have a smart phone, so my phone is for making and receiving calls only. When we go on trips, we take our laptops with us and spend time in the mornings and evenings catching up with online things. The rest of the time we are out seeing the sights and sometimes we end up on places where internet connections aren't very reliable which means we're "unplugged" whether we like it or not. I remember being in a hotel in Aruba a few years ago before we had laptops (just desk tops at home) and the only source of internet was a computer in the hotel bar. I used it every few days to check the local news which is how I found out our home was in the path of a forest fire. Having that knowledge prompted me to contact our neighbors for updates so we were in the loop. However, I'm not sure what good it did us because there was nothing we could do it about it from such a difference and knowing about fire being so close just caused worry and stress. I find it disturbing and kind of sad to see families sitting together at a restaurant but none of them talking to each other because they are all glued to their phones. Or, not fully experiencing an event or attraction because they are paying more attention to their phone than what is going on around them. But, that is their loss (or perhaps they don't consider it such), and none of my business, so I try not to concern myself with such things. Technology can and does enrich our lives as long as we are in control of the technology and not the other way around.