So Much To Post, So Little Time

The blog has definitely gotten away from me the last few weeks. We have had so much going on here that I just haven't found the time to post! Sorry, no pictures yet again... the camera batteries were dead for awhile and now that they are charged I haven't taken any pictures! Here is the quick rundown of what we have been up to:

• I've been super busy during Ellie's nap time making new baby products that are sold at a local store. They carry a bunch of items from local crafters and artists as a portion of their clothing and accessories store. I was their top seller last month and they cannot keep my items on the shelf! It was an exciting and busy month that left me with very little spare "down time" while Ellie napped. I rolled out my bib and burp cloth sets as well as ladies' headbands. It has been fun coming up with new designs and bringing out summer fabrics!
• As a family we have gone on a crazy, tight budget. No more eating out on the weekends, Tim is taking lunch to work most, if not all, days, and I have cut our grocery bill by about 40%. All the extra cooking, lunch packing, and meal planning around sales/coupons has taken up a lot of free time as well. The reward for all the frugality is that we are taking a trip to the US Virgin Islands this November. It has actually been sort of fun to be on the budget, looking at it as a game to see how much we can save each week.
• Ellie has temporarily quit going to speech therapy. We are very happy with the progress she has made, but have stopped while we wait for our insurance coverage to kick in and start paying. I finally got a statement today that the claim is pending (sent in over a month ago) but just noticed that they think I am the patient, not Ellie. Once insurance pays, Ellie will probably continue having sessions every other week until her stutter disappears completely.
• Ellie and I are going to Idaho over Memorial Day weekend. It is a big "holiday" for my mom's side of the family and it is always nice to see all the cousins and second-cousins and their little ones. We all gather at various cemeteries throughout the day and it is a great time to learn new little bits of family history.
• A week after we get back from Idaho my mom is coming here to help out while I recover from surgery. I am going to have a hysterectomy on June 5th after many, many months of various failed treatments and procedures. What can I say? Uteruses (uterusi?) just don't age well in my family. I told Tim that I was glad we had already decided that we wouldn't be having any more children; having made that choice already took the emotional aspect out of the decision to go ahead with the hysterectomy.
• Our garden is in full swing with spring crops growing and the summer crops getting ready to be planted. My goal is to have everything in the ground before I leave for Idaho since I won't have a lot of time when I get back before going in for surgery. This year I built two new pea trellises and two new bean trellises. I'm going to grow cucumbers on an angled trellis this year for the first time. I have to get it constructed this weekend.
  

So, that is what has been going on here. Lots and lots of little things that have added up to no extra time! Between sewing, gardening, and talking to the insurance company every other day (about Ellie's speech and my medical issues) we have kept ourselves quite busy!