Thursday, November 20, 2014

Things I love about us.



 I love our relationship
 I love sharing laughter with you.
 I love the warmth we create when we hold each other
 I love  the way your hand feels in mine
 I love making dinner with you
 I love cuddling with you and talking
 I love the way your hair feels in my fingers
 I love sitting on the couch and watching it snow with you
 I love the way your eyes sparkle when you laugh at something silly I've said
 I love the way  your skin feels under my hand
 I love our love and how we make it
 I love the way you taste
 I love how you love our relationship too




                                                       



                                                 
                                                           
                                                                                                 




                                           



                                                                  

    China Doll's Musings
                                      

I love our relationship
I love laughing with you - I never had that before
I love that you get my humor
I love the safety in your arms
I love that your hand is always there, when I'm sad, scared, needy, just because
I love making dinner with you, and that you like sharing food adventures with me, and that you love what I make, and that some days, you're not afraid to take the pots out of my hands
I love cuddling, never had that either, it's nice
My hair is awesome I love the way it feels cascading through your fingers
I love sitting on the couch and watching it snow, knowing you're home and don't have to venture out in it alone, so far from home
I love, even if I don't always understand, that look of delight in your eyes, and joyous laughter over something small and silly I've said or done
I love the feel of your hands on my skin, and the way your touch leaves little trails of goosebumps
I love the love we make, and how you understand me better than I know myself
I love making you tremble and collapse in a heap proclaiming "I died" (silly Daddy)
I love the way you taste, and sucking your lips, and biting your eyebrow
I love that you love me no matter what, it leaves me breathless and full of wonder that you could
I love and appreciate that my fear never angers or frustrates you, and you never think I'm stupid, or foolish or weak
I love the love we share, it is uncommon, and so are you.


Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Being Us Again

Guardian's Thoughts

                                  

                                     

The other day I was sitting here thinking (perhaps over-thinking as I sometimes do.)  China Doll asked me a serious question in a very casual way.  In that moment there were a lot of emotions, feelings, thoughts, ideas... It set me back on my heels and I knew I had some introspective work to do.  We didn't really fully explore it during the day but I knew it was on both of our minds and I knew I had to say and do something.
As it happens during this time of year, day quickly turned into evening and with it came dinner and the evening routine.  With the kids abed and a moments peace achieved, I acted.

                                                            


With the stresses of life abounding, the impending holiday season, money worries, looking for a job, bills, and the dazzling floor show that is our children, I was feeling overwhelmed and somewhere along the way I lost sight of what really mattered in our home.  We were out of balance and ultimately, it was my fault. I'm not a perfect person (in fact there are quite a few things that I wish I didn't do), I'm just a man who wants to give his heart to his family.

                                                  
                                                          

With the kids sleeping that deep sleep that only children can seem to achieve. I took the chance to get in some quality time with China Doll.  After a long, firm spanking, paddling and belting. I cuddled with her only to notice the deep emotional distress that she was in. After she had calmed, we talked for a few hours and what she shared with me gave me much to think about.  With everything that was causing me stress, I had unintentionally pulled away and it was having a adverse effect on our relationship. 

                                       







I guess what they say is true, sometimes you can't see the forest from the trees.  The stresses of modern life with a growing family in transition still remain, but after that conversation I feel closer to her, more connected and more present for both her and our kids.  I still hurt a little inside because I fell into the same trap that I promised myself that I wouldn't let myself.  I am happy to say we came out the other side better, stronger, and more connected.

                                              


China Doll's Musings:

We're human. It sucks. My motto has always been communication. It's the foundation of what we stand for, and on which we built our relationship. But when I see him overloading and struggling, it's too easy to stuff things in, so that I don't become part of the problem. And because of what life was like before him, when I ask what's on his mind because he seems far away, and I get a terse little, "I'm right here," it's easy to tuck all my bits inside and ride out whatever storm may come. Life has trained me that way. Healthy? Ummmm yeah, not so much? Sigh....

I have insomnia, so a while back Dr. Daddy prescribed belt-som every night and I sleep through. Then his shoulder started hurting, and belt-som went by the wayside. Then recently even hand-spankings did as well. Daddy had said not long ago, that Monday, my day off, after the boys went to school, was hard spanking day. Because I need at least one really hard one a week to keep me even. One day, no spanking, then the next Monday, none either. 

At first, I knew where to put that, and I dealt with it, and didn't talk about it because I didn't want to add to his stress. Then that thing starts to happen, and things in the now, with the person who means more than anything and is not like anyone ever, starts to play into those little voices. Soon it wasn't about Daddy being stressed, it was about me not being pleasing, and him not wanting to spank me because I wasn't worth it.

And that's what happens when you don't communicate. Even when it's hard, no one really did anyone else any favors by keeping things tucked inside. It always festers. It always creates distance. It's always the wrong choice. Can I say that I won't stay quiet in the future? That if it happens again that I will handle it right the next time and tell him that I need him when he starts to drift? Sad to say I can't even promise that to myself....even when I know it's corrosive. 

But the saving grace here is I have a man that sees it, makes that hard move and fixes what I can't. I'm pretty damn lucky.

Monday, October 20, 2014

What we've been up to...



We haven't really gone into detail about what we have been up to since we've been gone and come around again.  We've laughed, we've cried, we've been frustrated, we've been funny, sad, happy and just about every other emotion in between.... So without further ado here's some of what we've been up to in a nutshell...

                                                          


Late spring and early summer was a time of growth and blossoming... I mean that almost literally because our children grew like weeds.  Our oldest child is looking less and less like a child and more and more like a young man and our youngest is growing taller too.




                                                                     


The blossoming part was also quite accurate,  because for the first time in a long time, I've been able to pursue one of my lifelong favorite hobbies with ChinaDoll...gardening.  Though it required some backbreaking work, massive amounts of soil, numerous hours in the summer sun, and lots and lots and lots of stonework, we've completed a massive garden upgrade. The front, side, and back porch of our house is still awash in vibrant colors, colors that will be accented further next growing season.  We hope to add a stone border in the front and perhaps a water feature in our cottage garden.

                                                  



                             





          



Mid-summer nights brought late nights at the pool, fireworks, back porch BBQ's  and  honeysuckle-scented  air full of fireflies. The kids enjoyed summer and after all they had earned it... Sadly summer seemed all too brief this year, the kids went back to school in early August and somehow that doesn't quite seem right. When I was a kid, you got out of school in June and didn't even think about it again until Labor Day. I guess times have changed, but I'm glad that they got some time to enjoy themselves.


                                           

ChinaDoll and I have also had some wonderful opportunities to get back in touch with what makes us...us... We've slept in, made each other our favorite meals, made love, and given each other our hearts again.  After leaving the service... I was experiencing some difficulty in coming to terms with my identity. I served for 12 long years, and suddenly I found myself a civilian again.  You can take the man out of the military, but you can't take the military out of the man.... As the saying goes, I found myself still hanging onto some vestiges of my uniformed life.  While not always positive, I find myself at ease in my home now and no doubt the military has given me an independent if not always moderate view of life and what it means to have such a wonderful home.

                                         



                                    
                             


Late summer up to the present day has seen a period of renovation and preparation in the Guardian/Chinadoll household. We recently bought new appliances including a new upright freezer, High Efficiency Washer and Dryer and installed new industrial shelving in our garage to improve our storage options. If winter is anything like last winter was (and they are saying it actually may be worse,) Then we will be prepared. We've been pickling and cheese making, apple-cobblering, pumpkin-patching and generally enjoying the kaleidoscope effect of the autumn leaves.


                                                        




                                

                                                          


                                                                                                                


So there you have it. Our blessed, cozy life in a nutshell. Still lots to be done before the holidays. Looking for work, and working on minor improvement projects while planning major ones.  Thanks for stopping by to read and stay tuned!


ChinaDoll's ponderings:


I've never had a partner who has enjoyed doing the things I do, and have always done all the work alone. Then came Daddy, but with the military in the way, and I still did a lot of things alone, but with his full support, including learning how to better nourish our family.

It's also wonderful to have someone with an eye to the future. I've always been told I shop like Noah, two by two - one to use and one to put back, just in case. Daddy understands that and we are now stocking our freezer with homemade healthy meals for those rainy days. And it is amazing to sit down every single day for family dinners, all of us around the table.

Part of our gardening has been fig trees (my absolute favorite fruit, so decadent fresh, fragrant, halved and drizzled with local honey) and kiwis. Next year we plan to add blueberries, blackberries and raspberries - my other favorite fruits. We're also investigating pallet gardens and vertical gardens to give us fresh veggies and salad greens.

Having Daddy here all the time gives me free-time....and I feel guilty, lol. I actually had time to knit a blanket for a dear friend who is expecting a little miracle after years of waiting, and catch up on that pile of reading that I have had next to the bed. I'm not used to that. And sometimes a little resistant, it seems foreign, but Daddy says that's part of letting him take care of me, and I have to fight the thought that it's just me being lazy and self-indulgent.

We're loving life, and stronger every day.