Ebb & Flow: August 2020

 The highs and lows of the month.

Perfume:

Solstice Scents Wolf Spirit

Perfume Oil:

Arcana Wildcraft Filthy Viking

Lotion:

Blood Moon Botanica Olive & Tallow Hand and Body Cream

Lip Balm:

For Strange Women Baba Yaga

Body Oil:

Aftelier Patchouli Spice

Skincare:

Forest & Fjord Sea Silk Face Cream

Deodorant:

Wildroots Activated Charcoal Deodorant

Soap:

Black Magic Alchemy Root Beer Soap

Candle:

Bath and Body Works Pumpkin Vanilla Creme

Wax:

Candles From the Keeping Room Apple Dumpling

Eating:

Grapes, chocolate, trail mix

Drinking:

Water, Starbucks Fall coffee blend at home

Watching:

Finished all the Gilmore Girls plus the new Netflix extensions, kinda taking a TV break for now.

Reading:

Finishing up the Nevernight Chronicles, it is ok- silly, gory and smutty. Wouldn't re-read but don't regret reading them. 

Listening:

Picked up a Bangles album and breaking it in.

Awaiting:

Cooler weather, camping with the family in late September, bonfires.

Dreading:

That I will not be able to handle a lot of the paperwork side to the classroom on my own without my co-teacher to balance it with me. Nervous about not keeping up with it (record keeping for IEP, 504, MTSS, Transparent Classroom, Parent Square) while still trying to lesson plan, prep the classroom, help students one-on-one, perform progress monitoring, maintaining a clean environment, enforce social distancing- which by the way is VERY hard with preteen children. 

Hit:

The new lip balms from For Strange Women. They are 100% natural, smell and feel amazing and look very stylish. 

Miss:

My favorite Bearing Thorns necklace chain broke, my favorite Erra Jean handmade coffee mug broke, and I am slowly killing my favorite feathery fern. 

Low:

I am definitely riding the Struggle Bus. I can feel that my stop is approaching and that I will be disembarking in the near future but in the meantime I have been fighting some self worth issues tied to my pay (with my Master's in education and 7 years teaching experience- thought I have been technically teaching for 12 years- I am now only making $500 above starting first year teacher salary with no additional credentials), struggling with my uterus as usual, and overall concerns about my students. I know this will pass and I am set to take this one day at a time. 

High:

I had a nice summer with my husband and girls. I had time to wake up slowly and create some fun art. I read copiously. I got a raise (that is me spinning the above "low" into a "high"). I have some raised beds to fill up with soil and seeds. I am keeping my roses alive. My hoyas are happy. I am burning fall candles.

How was your August? Are you ready for fall or wanting to extend summer? Do you have a veggie garden? What are you favorite herbs or vegetables to grow? What houseplants are you good at nourishing?