How we get it all done

 we will be uncovering this today and recover late Sunday for the frost/freeze coming in on Monday. We are watching the weather to see if it comes in earlier.

These are the 12 metal garden beds that make 8 ft long beds to replace the wooden ones that are falling apart. They were to come in on Saturday. They came in early. They will be put together by mid May when it's time to plant "summer" crops

How do we get it done? 

We are up between 4 AM and 6 AM. We don't set alarms. Hubby will set an alarm if he is hauling. Both of us are usually asleep by 9 PM.

We ONLY watch the evening local news 5-6:30 and Nora Roberts 6:30 -7. At 7 we get things around for the next day. Plan meal, what we are doing at what time and which of us needs help. Hubby is doing a LOT better with the 3X5 memo pad and ink pen in his pocket. At 8 I head to the bedroom with Charlotte to read and Hubby sacks out in his recliner (has to sleep at angle). He tried to sleep in bed, ends up laying flat which is not good.

We start the day with coffee.... I drink 3- 6 ounce cups ,medium blend, he drinks 1- 22 ounce cup of dark or French roast. We snack for bfast, not big bfast eaters. We talk over what needs done this day vs what we like to get done this day. Needs done gets done first. IF errands are needed for supplies like this morning, one of us goes while the other one starts the day. We had a gate damaged due to winds, but instead of another gate that we don't need,  Hubby is picking up more cattle fence panels and fence posts. 

By 8:30 AM Laundry is done and either on the drying rack or on the clothes line. I will do some computer like now, and then some during "rest" times. I work a solid hour and the take a 15 min break to spend time with Charlotte. Charlotte has arthritis in her front legs. 

Neither of us have social media on our phones. (FYI over half our kids and grandkids have left social media due to violence and lies in posting and what they said was wasting their time). Hubby said twice he had to tell his mom when he was helping her do some weeding to put her phone down and leave it alone as she would hear it ping and look to see what it was and spend 10-15 mins. scrolling. His dad took it from her and put it in his pocket. He only uses his phone for calls .Our family and close friends know if it's important to CALL us not text us. 

I spend 40 hrs. a week in the gardens,  Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Mondays are usually 4-6 hrs. as I do a lot of in house work that day. Sunday we try to keep as the day of rest.  Tuesday is errands and appts. That will change some in the summer as Hubby will most likely be hauling some to Tuesday Amish produce auction. Hubby gives about 20 hrs. a week

In summer and early fall, those hours can easily jump to 80 hrs. a week for me (30 hrs. for Hubby) with Tuesdays being half days before or after errands. We still try to REST on Sunday. 

I bought bigger canners to cut down on the time and fuel needed to can.

My walk to the mailbox is also to pull weeds daily. 

I have Stihl clippers, hedge trimmers and pruner saw. What used to take me 4 hrs. now takes me 1 hr. Tools make a difference. 

Hubby was a single parent of two and quickly realized if I didn't work outside the home he would immediately save $$ between child care, housekeeping etc. I was working 3 part time jobs as a single parent and I wasn't paying child care as the oldest could watch the younger ones for the 30 minutes difference of my job and them getting home.  Since he wasn't great with the finances (paid credit cards before his mortgage and home bills), I took over the finances when we got together. With in a year he realized not only was he saving what he spent on childcare and housekeeping, he was spending LESS on clothes, groceries, utilities etc.  I cut back to 2 part time jobs at the same time.  Hubby figured out basing on 160 hrs. each month like he worked I was at $10/ hr. (not counting what I was earning doing ironing and housekeeping) which was more than the wages at that time for work I would have done with a full time job.

Right now he has me "earning" $28.02/hr. He has it at earnings... I have it as savings.

I would normally say back to the gardens... but it's starting to rain and I really hope we get at least an inch.

Prayers for peace

Blessed be