Cabin/Cottage update

 It's been about 2-years since we purchased our lot, and we still have not started building. But I have been busy with many "projects."

• The RUE-Our first filing of the Reasonable Use Exception (RUE) came back in November 2022 with a request for us to update a few things, including a mitigation plan from our Wetland Scientist. In March 2023 I returned the updates to the County, so we are playing the waiting game with them again. Hopefully, everything will be approved and we can move forward with the next step in the process (Getting approval for our septic plan and attending a public hearing to voice our desire for the RUE)
• Work-Something else I've been doing for the past 2-years is a job as a proposal coordinator at Cavalry Consulting. I recently stepped away from my position so I could focus on our family move for the summer and consider work options in our new location. I am looking for something with a work-flow that will be better suited to my personality and our family's needs. I learned so much during my time at Cavalry and enjoyed building relationships with co-workers and clients. I learned that, with older kids now, I do enjoy working. I think it is healthy for our family as a whole when I am focusing on more than just family life, needs, and dynamics. Stepping out of the homemaker role while the kids are in school helps give me more perspective when they come home, and I put my homemaker hat back on.
• Knitting-I had been feeling a lot of stress and began seeking an appropriate balance between work-life and home life. Each night, I was jumping on my computer after dinner in order to get ahead of the game before a new can of worms was opened in the morning. Even when I tried to spend time with the family, the stress was really overwhelming, and I could only think about what was waiting for me with work. The kids just wanted me to sit and watch a favorite show with them each night before tuck-in. So I decided to start knitting a baby blanket to keep my mind busy while we watched the show. It turned out to work wonderfully. I shared a show with my girls while Sam tucked in the boys, then I shared a show with Sam. By the end of it I was ready to go to sleep and was fresh for whatever work had to through at me in the morning when I came back from school drop off.

I cast on about 130 stitches

Knit every row for 14 rows (slipping the first stitch and pearling the last one)

Put stitch markers 8 stitches in on either side. These first and last 8 stitches were always knit (to continue the garter stitch border (Save the final stitch that was always pearled)

For the stripes, I alternated between knit rows and purl rows (so all my V's were on the same side.)

Each color had about 8-9 rows of V's before I switched to a new color.

For someone who had not knit very much, I think it turned out great. To build my skill, I am starting on a pink blanket using the same border but with Entrelac stitch in the center. (It will give a basketweave effect)

We will see how it turns out.  

• Move Prep-Right now, my focus is on prepping our house for our move in June. In my first week off of work, I tackled the Laundry/craft room and my office.