Trying to Add Color to the Desert

It really is a desert here. Most people would balk at living in it. Once upon a time, I would have too. But it has grown on me. There are little things that you find to love. A game store. A park. A book store. Maybe a thrift store or two. The people you meet and interact with. It is a lot of sunshine, and maybe not enough rainbows, but it is home. And that means that I am setting down the details that I enjoy. Learning what works and what doesn't. 

So... I'm adding color! Our front yard isn't so much a yard. It is a lot of rocks and weeds. I see neighbors adding greenery. One is growing tomatoes! In her front yard! And I thought... I want to do some of this.  My back yard shows a lot of greenery, but my deliberate planting has failed in a lot of ways. So I told my husband I was ripping up the front zone. That I wanted to move things and plant things. My daughter and I did it in spurts because of the heat. 

Day one - gardenia bush! I LOVE the smell of gardenias. They are small white flowers with a huge scent. Pollinators love it too. My husband bought me two. I got one in the ground and had to stop. The heat and high UV is killing me here. 

Day two - mandevilla and another gardenia bush! We got the rest of the zone cleared of the weeds and put in those two bushes. Then came the top soil and watering. While we were at it, we even moved my peppers up front. Some of them. I'm desperate to keep these alive. They were given to me with so many tiny leaves, and then the heat hit us hard and they started to shrivel. Even if they are meant for full sun, apparently that doesn't count in this town. Shade is key! So we moved them into the shade out back and they lasted.

But they haven't grown since and haven't all gotten their leaves back. Not sure if these will survive, but maybe after moving up front and in the ground we will have a better shot keeping them alive. 

Day three -  This day had to be postponed. I sprained my wrist while working Day 2. Had to put on a brace as it swelled and hurt to bend it. 

Fast forward a few weeks... I have added everything I originally planned on putting in there. I have learned that shade is for all plants. Including those that normally love sun. Why? Because we live in the desert and it is too much sun! 

I planted a pot of lettuce too, from seeds and now have seedlings starting. Here is to hoping that we can grow our own and be having salads soon. And to adding a little more greenery to our desert home! 

Creating the Corpse Bride Cosplay! First - The Veil

 

My youngest recently watched 2 movies for the first time. She saw The Corpse Bride and The Nightmare Before Christmas. She fell in love Sally and with Emily. Wanted me to bring those characters to life in costumes she could wear this year. Emily the Corpse Bride for Halloween. Sally for the Christmas event. So, let me show you how the journey went!

We had a veil that my mom had sent ages ago for the girls to play with. I gave it a paint job (even with some glow-in-the-dark paint).

Blue on the flowers, gray around the edges, and made some parts glow!

Sadly, you can't really see the glowing in the photos I took, but I'm trying. It could probably use more grey, but my daughter fell in love and that was good enough for me! 

 

 The final reveal! 

Saying YES to this dress! 

It had to be bride-like, but also be child-appropriate.  And the last criteria? Well, it needed to be affordable. Because I had to be okay with ripping and painting it up. Thankfully, I found the perfect little dress that was half off - costing me only $4! In my next post, I'm gonna show you the alterations and painting that I did to make this look like Emily's wedding dress.  

It Is Important To Her, So That Makes It Important To Me

Life has been a chaotic mess. Pretty much all year, but most especially recently. It has left me questioning where I stand on so many issues. Questioning how to navigate and what is called of me as a wife, and as a mom. My most recent challenge? Taking my daughters on a special trip. 

My oldest daughter has started a long-distance relationship with a boy. First (and, hopefully only) one! They met at the Christian summer camp a couple years back. Apparently, he was really taken with her. Since then, they have been talking online. As a mother, that keeps me conflicted. She's so young. But she's growing up. They have to keep it long distance. But that keeps her on the safe side things. It has led to questions and conversations. To growth. To maturity. I see the shift in her. I'm both proud and scared for this girl of mine. But it is about to get more real. He is having a birthday party that he hoped she would attend. They didn't get to go to camp together this year. And he hasn't been able to come all the way out here. So... I'm determined to take her out there. Even if it means going on a 5 or so hours drive one way, stay 2 nights and then make that trip back! 

On the other side, my younger daughter has been begging to see her best friend again. Since the 2 locations for these are about 20 minutes apart, I figured, why not? I'll kill two birds with one stone! I'll also get to hang with my friend and meet the boys family. So win-win, right? 

All this would not have been possible if it were not for the support of my loving husband. He agreed to take over the driving of our sons to and from work. And to help me save for the trip. He asked me a loaded question before agreeing to this. "Are you sure you can handle making this trip alone?" You see, I don't like driving so much these days. People are crazy. Irresponsible. Jerks. Entitled. And it makes me nervous to go so far without him there. He's my pillar. But after putting some thought into this, I came to this strong realization. This is important to both of my daughters. This is a chance we rarely get. This is something both have been really wanting for so long. So, yes. This is something I need to do. For them. And I will step up to the challenge. For them. 

So here is to the planning that I'm going to put into this! Here is to making this weekend trip amazing. For the girls! And here is to being a Mom they can be proud of.  

No Zipper? I Can Fix That!

My mother-in-law sent my husband and I these hoodies. They are sooooo soft! Perfect for chilly days... only problem was that they didn't have zippers. Neither of us like hoodies that have to be pulled over. But I had an idea. And while not the most accomplished seamstress, I'm no slouch either. Took me a while, but I found some zippers and got to work! 

Our local Hobby Lobby had zippers, but not the 26 inch I was hoping for. Since only even numbers are what they had, we had to go with a 24 and it was... a little short. But not too bad, I think. I figured out exactly where I wanted the zipper to go and cut from bottom to top. 

Even through the pocket in the middle. 

I pinned the zipper sides to each side and sewed them up. The bottom edge was longer and the top gave me trouble on the white one since it crossed a bit, but overall, I was pleased with the result. 

Sadly, it turned out that my husband didn't fit his. Too much muscle in his chest!

But that just meant that my daughter inherited a new hoodie. Win-win! 

Little things like this give me a sense of accomplishment. A sense of doing something worthwhile. It might not be perfect, but I can still be proud of what I managed to do on my own. And I also learned some things about sewing on zippers...