Friday, May 8, 2009

the landlord cometh

Well , I have to admit that I have totally slacked on this blog so far... Honestly I had great intentions of writing often. And I do have a couple posts in the edit stage that have since become obsolete so I didn't bother to post them since they became outdated. So I guess I am here trying to figure out amidst all the unpacking, rearranging, yard work and child raising, where is the time that I would like to spend blogging? Because I have yet to find it. I told myself that I would do it at night when the kids were asleep after all the days chores were done. Turns out the chores are never done, and by the end of the night I was too tired to string a proper sentence together. I know there are women out there who accomplish much and then still blog about it, so I am determined to become one of those women. The ones who do it all and the live to write about it. I'm just not sure how to do that yet. I tried a late night caffeine buzz and while it kept my body awake honestly I was still mentally inept. Definitely not able to blog, not even surf actually. Just kept me awake enough to be unproductive and sleepless. So I got to watch some x files without falling asleep to it. Not quite what I had in mind. So how much sleep does one actually need to be a functioning adult? I still need to be able to cook, clean, operate heavy machinery, and keep an eye on a toddler and a baby (e who is almost a toddler now too!) I would also like to add that I do cook most the meals and I would like to bake every couple if days. I also need to finish unpacking my life from all those boxes, I live on a gorgeous yet high maintenance piece of land so yard work has to find its way in there somehow, and if it isn't too much to ask I would love to do some art somewhere in there too. Anyone have any suggestions on how to accomplish that, short of never sleeping?

my frida collage that I keep in the mudroom for inspiration...


Right now I put the kids in front of (I know I know) THE WIGGLES, and while I cant really dig it they love it and I SO wanted them to be distracted for a little while. Today my day was busy and it isn't even 3/4 over. I was up at 5:30 because I couldn't sleep. The landlord was coming over to do an inspection at 1 and I wanted the house to look clean so I obsessed about it in my sleep until I could sleep no more. 5:30 then. Shower, coffee, start a load of laundry. Get kids up for school, the babies wake up. Breakfast for babies, change out laundry. Deep clean bathroom. Change diapers, clean kitchen, do dishes.
some pics of my tiny tidy kitchen...




some supplies for art and life...




Then it was time to entertain babies. Clean the boys room, then the mudroom...

Some pics of the mudroom ( the entry into the house, also where the dogs sleep at night)...




Meanwhile babies are having a field day trashing the living room while I am cleaning. Toys and Cheerios are everywhere. Snack time. Nursing time. Nap time for Zari. Then I clean the living room...
love my little livingroom...


one livingroom altar detail... i have several livingroom altars...


my treasured bookshelf, books on magic, all things esoteric, faeries and unicorns...

Now I feed Gavin lunch, set him up with some colored pencils and paper and then clean my bedroom.

a peek into my bedroom, still under construction... and yes S and I sleep in here along with the 2 babies... talk about attachment parenting...

the book nook...


misc. shelves make for an interesting mix...
bunnies and unicorns...

altar...


essential oils and parfume oils...


the love shelf...


bags and jewlery on stars...



Now I get Gavin in his outside clothes to go pick up miscellaneous yard stuff, clean and sweep the portal (new mexican lingo for porch). I anxiously await landlord. Pray the dogs behave while she is here. Tell the cats to make themselves scarce so she doesn't realize that I have 5 cats. I don't know if she would care and I don't want to find out. We have lived here 6 months, and she is about to give us a lease hopefully.This was a sub let so I really don't want anything to come in the way of that. Despite the fact the casita (my future art studio) is totally a disaster she seems pleased with the place. The cats are invisible. The dogs behave.
Gavin does not.... Several crying fits ensue...


Is he always like that she asks? (She has a teenage daughter.) I grin and I don't think it looks authentic. I think I am biting my tongue. How does one go about explaining a sensitive, emotional child to someone who doesn't have one? She does a thorough check of the place, inside and out. Part of me really wants a beer right about now, ( I am not a big drinker, this is not a usual craving!) But I know there are 3 in the fridge. And she looked in the fridge! Of all the places I didn't clean before she came. What landlord looks in the fridge? Well she did, and let me tell you it was neither clean or organized. EMBARRASSING!

the real me and my messy fridge...


And of coarse she managed to find the place on the wall that my son colored all over with crayon. The spot I had no idea existed or I would have cleaned it off.
So this whole visit with the landlord was totally stressful because this last 6 months we have been on a sublease. It was up to her to decide if she would give us a lease or if we would have to move again. That is really where my stress came in. We have moved so many times in the last 3 years and I am so tired. I want to put some roots down somewhere. And this is that somewhere. It is the most magical land we have lived on in such a long time. It really is the perfect place for us. It is in the country, the village in itself only has 96 occupants according to the census. Our neighbors on either side are awesome. Its on 2 acres loaded with fruit trees, a huge garden plot, berry bushes and an acre grazing field (or playing field for the kids). There is a river that runs the bottom of the property that has plenty of trout for fresh fish dinners, and it backs up to thousands of miles of wilderness. There is a lake within 3 miles of the house. How dreamy! I couldnt have asked for a better place. Actually I did ask, god, goddess, the universe, the list master, for a place that has all these qualities. I got my wish, the universe provided me with all of my list requirements. So the thought of the landlord having the say wether we stay or go was tearing me up. You see, we are not wealthy by all means. We have 4 kids and live off one income. S is in the resteraunt industry, so that means money ebbs and flows with the seasons and the economy. We all know that the economy is in a little trouble. Our rent is 900. a month. and while we have been able to pay it every month to be honest the check didnt always go out on the 1st. We often found ourselves scrambing to make the rent during the lean winter months. So would that count against us in her eyes? Would she decide that she wanted to find more stable tenants? I have busted my butt to take care of the property to compensate for the tardiness. Would she recongnise that? Landlords can be fickle. They can be greedy. I actually have had very few kind landlords. So I have landlord anxiety.
I suffered thru the inspecion with knots in my stomache, buy my fears went unrealized and she was very kind. She had a few issues with the guy we subleased from and she let me know that. All in all she seemed pleased with the place, saying that it looked good. She walked me around the property showing me all the different fruit trees and berry bushes and such. Wow are we going to have a delightful growing season! Becuase we will be here, since she did hand over a YEAR lease!!!!!! I am so excited I could do cartwheels (if I actually knew how)!!! What a huge weight off my back! As she was leaving I pointed out the work that I have been doing on the front fence. I redug a post hole, put in a new post and straigtened the wire fencing last week. "You did that?" She asked looking at me a little surprized. With the baby on my back I added. I left out the fact that I also dug the hole with a screwdriver and my hands since I didnt have a shovel! This next week I will be getting a shovel and finishing the fence.

the fence post i dug with a screwdriver...


After she left I was so happy. I didnt do anymore work for the rest of the day. I played with the kids. I read a magazine. I started this blog entry. I made pizza for dinner and brownies for dessert. It was a great end to a busy day.
So now it is the moring after. I have a clean house. it is a beautiful day. Today I will be savoring my small victory. I will be thankful for the tree blossoms and the fresh country air and for a landlord who is about more than just money. I will be thankful that I will have this magical place to call my own for one more year. Blessings abound. Hoping that you all are filled with your own blessings. peace and love, chella
and i leave you with a few pics of my magical special yard that i can continue to enjoy...
ENJOY!!! XOXOXO





Monday, April 13, 2009

the beginning, for the love of stuff

hello! this is my first post as a new blogger, so here goes...


I live in a small rural new mexican village. I moved here at halloween of 08' from Cottonwood AZ driving a borrowed suburban and pulling a 6 x 8 uhaul it trailer. In the suburban I traveled with my 4 children, 2 large dogs and 5 cats. In the uhaul I brought 2 couches, a futon mattress, our most important clothes and most important toys. All in all, a 6x8 isnt very big, so i had to leave most of our belongings in storage in AZ. That was difficult for me as I am a cancer, and very attached to my belongings, and very much defined by the space i inhabit. Still, this move was to be very good for my family in many ways, so I took the plunge with the know that I would one day soon be back to get the rest of my "stuff".


Now, I waited all winter, and made do with the few pieces of junky furniture the last tenant left behind, and made an acceptable nest for us, all the while dreaming of my things. I have to add that my jeep was also left behind because right before we moved the engine blew. And engine that had just been replaced 3 weeks before by a supposed reputable jeep dealership Oxendale Jeep. They refused to replace the faulty engine on warranty even though I had just paid them 3000 for it. So I had to make due living in rural NM with No car, until the new 2nd engine was ready, and until I could come up ith another almost 3000.00 to pay for it. Seeing that I am a SAHM mom that was a difficult task. I had to wait until tax time for our refund in order to get the car back. Fast forward to March 09', we survived an isolated winter in our new home thanks to a bus route for my kids school, and a graceful, generous neighbor who lent me her car every 2-3 weeks to go grocery shopping. I suppressed my design decorating urges with magazines sent to me by my awesome mom who lives in Connecticut. I dreamed of how I would decorate once I had my things. I painted the kitchen cabinets a fresh coat of white. I made due. Finally the day came for our tax refund. I was so excited to go get my Jeep and some of my things! My best friend came to get my daughter and I and bring us back to AZ. We got my jeep, a bittersweet success as I truly didnt feel I should have to pay for another engine, and was pissed that I had to give up most of my tax return to a bunch of crooks who clearly took advantage. Anyways. So I got the jeep, hooray freedom! And began to look on craigslist for an inexpensive trailer to bring home some of my things. I had devine luck. I found a trailer for under 100- that was nothing to look at but in good shape none the less. I had to outfit it with new lighting, but after a trip to autozone and an hour of basic wiring, my daughter and I were ready to pack up some stuff. We packed up as much as I could in our new 4 x 8 trailer, my dressers, some art supplies, my altar objects, some more kids things. It was a decent sized load and I was temporarily satisfied. A couple weeks later the cosmos coverged and I found myself packing up my daughter to return to AZ one last time to finish with this storage once and for all. I had to complete my home! I had to have all of myself in one location. So last weekend (April 3rd-April 7) was it. It was to be dual purpose trip as my best friend is returning to our homestate of CT at the end of the month. I arrived at her house Friday night to help her do some packing and organizing. We stayed the weekend heading to storage on Monday morning. It was a daunting task from the moment I opened the storage door. In my optimism I had had envisioned packing the storage in one more load with ease, in a matter of hours. Reality check, I had left the storage totally disorganized and there was way more stuff than I thought. So I had to get creative, pick and choose what I would live without, and find a way to pack the rest...



zari in the empty trailer excited to be having an adventure!

I set up a couple stations for Zari to play, one in the empty trailer, one in the car, and one in storage, and I shuffled her from spot to spot while I sorted and packed. When she got impatient, I put her in the backpack, and wore her for several hours while she napped and I packed. It was 80 degrees. It was hot . I was totally overwhelmed, but still I kept on at it. By 6:30 PM a full days work Zari was totally over it. But I was only 3/4 done, with no way to go anywhere, so I gave her some dinner, and made a bed for her in the car. She was asleep by 8 and I was back at it, determined to finish! At 1 a.m. I was mostly done. I had puzzled in all that I could. Rearranged, stuffed, fitted and tied. I wrapped it all in a vintage parachute, covering that in bungee nets. I was delerious. I looked at my finished project and thought no way was this safe to drive! I had visions of having to start all over. I tempered my overwhelming sense of dread with driving around the storage in circles of various speeds, so assure myself that it would not tip over or fall apart. Temporarily satisfied, I made myself a bed in the front seat, and went to sleep.


The next morning there were a few loose ends. We wrapped them up and I made a deal with myself. Not 100% sure that this would work, I told myself I would drive the 20 miles to the highway entrance, and if I felt the load was in anyway not safe, I would turn around and regroup. Thankfully, it was a success. Nothing moved, everything seemed balanced and ready to go. I got on the highway, and headed for home. 11 hours , alot of strange looks, and a very tired daughter later we arrived at our home in New Mexico with the rest of our things.



I wanted to take pics of the whole ensamble, but by the time I had woken up the next morning, S had already unhooked the jeep. So here is the finished project on the road in from of our house, sans jeep... Fully packed and loaded, the unveiling, second layer and bottom layer. Now Easter weekend has just passed. Everything is unloaded from the trailer and awaiting its proper place within the home. So welcome to the unveiling of my creative chaos and stay tuned for the evolution of the black cat casita. Many blessings, Chella.



fully loaded


view from front


the unveiling



other side


the front


second layer

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