Perfection & Chaos

Do you remember the game called Perfection, the one with plastic puzzle pieces that pop out and you have to try to put them all back together before the timer goes off and pops them back out all over again?

We have this old vintage version of the game:

via

Around here, things have felt a lot like playing that game lately!  One minute things seem to be almost in order, and then---POP---everything is in chaos again.  I know it will only take some time before things settle their way down to a level of manageable disruptiveness....but not yet it seems.

Amidst the unpacking, moving and cleaning, there have been some beautiful moments; discovering a new bakery and cookies and sitting out on our deck overlooking the luscious northwest landscape that has become my new backyard.  We even managed to host a small dinner party.

But I am reminded of a few concepts like, "if you have nothing to lose you have nothing to gain," and "life has a way of making you live it"...(pretty sure those are Indigo Girls lyrics).  

Just as things were feeling right, and the elation over finally being in this lovely big new house was starting to sink in....our puppy Bella jumped off the deck and broke her leg.  Badly.

Poor girl, she spent thursday evening at a late night emergency vet visit, friday morning in surgery, and came home saturday with a plate and seven pins holding her back femur together. 

Here she is post-op with an IV:

I am still so glad things weren't worse for her!  Apparently after her surgery, another dog was scheduled for repair of his two front ankles which he broke doing the same jump off the deck trick.  Things can always be worse.

Life.

There cannot be perfection without chaos.

This week, as Bella continues to heal, the kids will start at their new schools, work will start up again regularly in the shop, and things should again start to feel settled.

Think good thoughts for Miss Bella.

WOYWW: A Bit Too Much Love (is that even possible?!?!)

This is going to be one of those less fuzzy rainbowy posts, and just a little more realistic.  Because really.  Life happens to all of us.  

I would love to tell you all about the new amazing work I have splayed out all over my work desk.  But...

I'm exhausted.  And right now I am avoiding the never ending pile of homework that keeps on coming.  Blogging is so relaxing, don't you think?  I'm listening to Imogen Heap, and continuing to avoid said homework.

Yesterday I wrote a giant essay.  Ugh.  I would share an excerpt but it is still in the rough draft form.  And my MLA format is a bit out of practice.

I love the new puppy (I think she may be half alligator and the shelter forgot to put that in the papers). She is definitely a little handful and a distraction from my regular grind.  For instance, the hand towel on the stove handle...she....must....take....it....down..again and again and again.  Not to mention the midnight pee trips.  Aww so cute.  Still in major puppy love, just admitting a little bit of trial here.

I mentioned to Matt a few months ago that I only needed "something to do", the bored housewife in me screaming for purpose...And so I signed up for a full load of college classes.  And, guess what else happened?  

My shop took off like it was the latest trend in weight loss!  I have been swamped with orders every. single. day.>>>Which is what I want!  I just can't seem to enjoy the school and the shop so much simultaneously.  (I knew you would understand.)

I apologize for not having any new material on my workbench that you haven't seen.  I am still making the same pretty rings only for different people and with different letters stamped on them.  

>>cool fact, I mailed three packages to Canada today (and two others to California and Maryland)<<

So I not so patiently await the end of this semester so that I can focus on what I really want to keep me busy...my jewelry business, of course!

I've been making some incredible salads.  A lot of salads.  I find it a nice distraction in mid day to stop and chop some dang vegetables!  They are so crunchy and refreshing.  Don't forget the avocado, a wonderfully mushy addition for added protein (much needed brain food).

And also juicing.  A. lot.  I like to get up in the morning and juice.  But you know what? I hate cleaning the juicer.  I can go through a big long phase of making the juice, and cleaning the juicer...but somewhere in there I just get irritated with the cleaning part and leave it....until....oh no...it has been days!  And the contents of the juicer are so unimaginable that I might avoid the cleaning even longer.  

This week, I came around and made juice in BULK.  Take that, juicer.  I've got fresh juice in the freezer, and a clean juicer!  

I'm just squeezing by here, trying to get it all done.  

Thanks for listening.