From Powder to Broth to Excellent Meal!

I was recently sent these two bouillon flavors from Knorr. I haven't really had any experience with bouillon. I typically just bought broth - premade.

But after trying this option, I just might make the switch. I have been using them in various other recipes that call for broth and found that they work just as well, if not better, than those premade broth options.

A spoonful in 2 cups of water makes enough for just about every recipe I have on hand.

It mixes really well. And quickly. I think it also added to the flavoring. 

What about you? Have you tried these? Would you? Let me know in the comments down below! 

This is the Final Reveal!

I finally got the photo to reveal my little Corpse Bride cosplayer! With make-up and everything, all in one place. And let me tell you, I'm pretty excited. She was absolutely thrilled! And yes, she glows in the dark! Mwahahaha!!!! Mother has done her best! 

Okay, okay. I'm calm again. But seriously. This was a crazy one to put together. While also working to help her older sister fix some of her costume.

Mine didn't get put together until 30 minutes before we left the house...

We went to the Sheriff's Halloween Bash. They do it every year. And we are never disappointed. Though, we mainly go to see what outlandish thing our buddy will wear.

Or to see what other costumes will be on display. I think if they had a best costume contest, it would have gone to the kid in the Siren Head get-up that was on stilts!!! That kid was dedicated.  

But I will always think of my daughters' costumes as being the best. Hands down. They're my kids. I can be biased if I want to! So here, I present, The Corpse Bride! 

 I did go back and add the ribs, which you can kinda see. And doesn't she look darling?! Her big sister did the body paint. It was so much fun. And we are talking about another Halloween event, a trunk-or-treat one, we might go to. Why? Because they want more chances to dress up and get free candy! 

What a Month! Or is it Year...

I'm sorry to just now realize how long it has been since I posted here. Things have been crazy. My health certainly wasn't helping any. And then to add to the daily grind, there have been things needing replacing around the house. Very expensive things. Like a new HVAC (air conditioning and heating unit) for one. 

I had times of just wanting to cry. I kept asking God, WHY? What are we doing wrong that is causing us to sink further and further into debt and stress? We know God will provide. He always does! But it never ceases to cause me worry. After all, I am human. Turning over every thought captive to the Lord is no joke. Way easier said than done, but necessary. We have the very briefest moments on the mountains top, then we suddenly find ourselves plunged back into the valley. I keep examining our life and asking if I'm missing anything. 

But I'm also reminded that God doesn't just chasten His children when they do wrong. He refines us through trials, too. The Potter knows the plan. And the question that keeps rolling through my head is this: 'Will you trust me?' I can so easily say, Yes, Lord! Of course I will follow you! But then it comes time to put that into action. I worry. I question. I try to figure it all out myself. Then I get frustrated and anxious. Talk about an ugly cycle! However, I was recently reminded that even though this is how things go, He never gets disappointed in me. Never scolds me and asks what I'm doing. He's the GOOD GOOD Father that stands there with His arms opened wide. Ready to say, "I got this, when you are ready to let go". It won't make the problems go away. And the stress will still try to surface. BUT! I know God is there, working all things out for my good and His glory. One tiny step at a time. 

From Capsules to Christmas Gift

I have a dear friend who is an avid Harry Potter fan. Recently, I found the MGA Mini Verse capsules on clearance for $2.50 each and wondered if the bottles would work for Barbie accessories in the laboratory diorama I built. They turned out to be the on the large side, so a second idea occurred to me. Could I turn at least one into an ornament for her Christmas tree?? Turns out, the answer is yes!

I created each potion as described in the instructions. Then I set up the capsule to be conducive to holding the table top without its legs and glued it in place.

Next came decorating the outside of the capsule to be more festive-like. And finally, I had my husband drill holes in the top for a ribbon to be put through.  

My daughter even helped me. It was fun having her work with me on this project. She liked talking me through the steps! We made it so that my friend can also open it and just display it if she wanted to. 

What do you think? Would you make this as Christmas gifts? 

Creating the Corpse Bride Cosplay! Saying Yes, to this dress!

Time to work on this dress. So many details, despite being such a simple design. There will be painting. And cutting. Maybe some roughing up on the edges. 

Just a reminder, this is the dress we were starting with. It needed some alterations to get it comfortable as well as more corpse bride-ish.  

I cut off the top/sleeve decoration lace. Lil Bits said it was itchy and uncomfortable. I sewed on some satin-like straps to hold the dress up. I chose blue, because it will go with the body paint we plan to use.

I removed the bow and sash and the cut pieces of applique along the waistline. I think those were someone trying to fix the ruined over skirt it may have had before.

Then it was time to add some pearl beading along the chest and to give it more of a corset look along the waistline. Sadly, I learned that winging it while sewing is a bad idea when you are me. I should have drawn lines and beaded the along those lines.

Instead, my girl told me where she wanted pearls installed to give it a look she liked. Not perfect, but then that is how I typically roll anyhow! I painted all sorts of additions on the dress. I added some dirty looks to the bottom hem to make it seem like she's been dragging along the ground.

Including some glow-in-the-dark accents along the torso to bring some fun! Let's see the finished product. 

The vines came out pretty good too, I think. They were a little difficult to put together with so many layers of tulle. Next time, full review! 

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... 

Drumroll Please! Time for the Final Reveal!

I've completed the museum! Talk about a major build. But it was fun. Took so long because of life events getting in the way. Don't you just hate those? Those real life moments that bust in when you just want to be creative and play with your toys? Yeah.. me too. But here we are! Time for the final reveal, everyone. 

So much of this build was just random fun finds that I loved piecing together to make all this magical. A lot of fun donations from other people in my life as well that helped me get it to this point.  

Tell me something, what part of a museum is your favorite? Is there something about science or history that really gets you hooked? What is the best exhibit you have seen?  

One exhibit I have been to was the Body Exhibit. My husband took me back when we were dating. The human body fascinates me! So incredibly complex and capable.  

History is my favorite part in a museum though. I love seeing where the past has brought us. And where it continues to take us.  

Now that I have teased you with the still photos, how about a video tour?