ode to the man

self-employment ended last week.
after 15 years of being his own boss, the hubs finally felt ready to let someone else be the boss.

it feels appropriate to acknowledge a few of the unique and varied jobs he has created for himself over the years.
it was around first grade when he felt like the school bus needed some organization, so he created bus monitors and delegated the role to different peers. this lasted a few weeks until the bus driver realized what was happening and called it quits. his mama could see leadership right from the start, even if the principal felt it necessary to reprimand the little problem solver.
later, he and some friends had a booth at school where they would find out the answer to any question (remember, this was long before google)
he ran his own lawn mowing company, painting company, residential remodeling company, business management company, property management company and home diagnostics company (the final four simultaneously!)
seems like problem solving really was the core of what he enjoys. when the economy threw him a curve ball, he swung hard and scored a couple new business ventures out of the deal. he seems to thrive when there are problems to solve. unfortunately, running four businesses left little time for us as a family, and the constant management lead to a level of stress that we didn't enjoy.
he was ready to swing a hammer for another construction company in exchange for free mental space, time to create, time with the family. what he got was so much more!
after just one week of putting out the word that he was in the market for a job, he got a call.
last week he started working for a residential design-build company. he will, naturally, working on business solutions to help them run more efficiently. he has an office, a paycheck, and evenings and weekend off!

ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh.
evenings feel like vacation!

no, he isn't around during the day to join us for lunch. he can't pop in to help me lift something, he can't run to the kitchen if i leave the house without turning off the oven. i can't take off an run a quick errand after i put the kids down for a nap. we don't get to end the day early, or watch a movie in the afternoon while the kids rest. we can't push the snooze button too many times. we've enjoyed these perks.

we've traded them in for a different set of perks; paid time off, weekends to do our own projects, someone else bearing the weight of responsibility, consistent paycheck and wearing a different set of clothes. i'm thinking we need to make a quilt out of all these gray SMS t-shirts and carharts.

i am so proud of him. so grateful for the years of working so hard to make things happen. so impressed with his creativity, diversity and ability to bring an idea to fruition. i am so thankful that others recognize talent and value it.

so here's to my man!
and here's to working for the man!

sweet violet

as much as i love cooking and baking, and hand made, home grown, fresh-from-the-garden, locally made, i am really new to the preserving thing.
i just learned how to can a few years ago and LOVE it! each year we will can more than the last!
i finally broke down and made jam. not like i needed convincing, i like jam and to find jam without all the crap means it is probably cheaper to make my own. i just haven't done it.
until this week when our friend sent us the link to a recipe for violet jam. as soon as jackson saw the post he started rattling off all the spots where he has seen violets blooming. i had to hold him back until we had the necessary ingredients - not many, but for one who has never made jam, i didn't have pectin on hand.
we gathered, we measured and even without the blender (i forgot it had broken) it still turned out beautifully and tasted so sweet!

LOST

okay. we are officially addicted.
we never watched a single episode until this year.
we are currently in season 5.
hubby just informed me of the plan i was not aware of; we will be caught up to watch the final finale live.
oh boy.
that means a lot more late nights and a lot more days caring for these people that don't even exist!!!