Since we had Monday off, I got some sewing time in for myself this week. Then during the week, I was able to carve out more time here and there for some extra sewing projects. I made another dress, refashioned another thrift store one, and fix some other things that needed fixing (like my Singapore bag). It’s so relaxing for me to get sewing time in.

These past few weeks I have felt a switch in my heart (from the I’m over it kind of mentality to the it’s crazy but happy kind)  regarding parenting. It’s nothing I’ve done, but God just answering my prayers, and he has answered by giving me more joy. The girls are still a handful, and I still run around like a chicken with its head cut off, but we’ve all definitely been more joyful. So I guess, I’m running around like a joyful chicken with its head cut off. I’ll gladly take that.

I know the days are long and my time with them is short. In those hard moments, it’s hard to remember that though. I don’t want to take them and this time for granted. Right now is a special time, and I need (and want) to cherish this for as long as they’ll let me hold and mold their little hearts. In a blink of an eye, they’ll all be grown, and I’ll be wishing we could rewind to this chaotic time of our life. Sometimes it’s hard to imagine, but I know that will be true.

This dress was another thrift store find that I refashioned into something more suitable for me. I thought I took a picture of the before to share here, but I guess I forgot, so you’ll just have to imagine it. It was a large mumu-ish dress, but I loved the colorful floral print. A few snips down one side, and then down the other, some making of sleeves and folding of hems, then a run through the machine, and I had myself a dress. This took me about 30 minutes to make. As Ben was getting ready for us to go out, I went to my sewing room and came out wearing this dress. He was like, “Did you just make that?!” I replied, “Yup!” I love the ease of shift-style dresses, as they are my go to silhouette (and simple to make!).

dress, handmade. maguba clogs, c/o lotta from stockholm.

For Valentine’s Day, Ben and I thought Salvation Mountain would be the perfect destination to celebrate love with our children. I made a scavenger hunt to go with the outing, so when we got there, I took out the pieces of paper that would tell them exactly what to look for. The biggest girls were pretty excited about the game. We handed the Fuji Instax Mini to them and they took turns taking pictures of the things they found on their list. They all had the same things to look for, but when there’s four of them, sometimes it’s best to give them each their own paper to prevent any fighting. Soul and Glow didn’t care too much for the hunt, but True and Brave were into it. While Soul wasn’t into looking for things, she did want to get her turn to use the camera.

Salvation Mountain is pretty amazing. It’s not this ginormous mountain, but the creativity and love that Leonard Knight put into the creation of this place is quite evident. The color, the patterns, the texture… they all create this work of art that draws tons of visitors from all over the place.

It’s in the middle of the dessert, so it can get hot when that sun is beating down on you. There are a few shaded areas, so we would frequently walk through there to give the little ones a reprieve from the heat. The biggest girls said their favorite part was walking up the (narrow) stairs to the top. We were there for almost two hours, and while Ben and I probably would have loved to spend more time there, that was good enough for my four girls. They completed the whole scavenger hunt and they were ready to get on their way to go grab some date shakes.

If you want to do your own scavenger hunt, you can use the printout I created. I printed mine out two-sided, but it’s up to you however you’d like to use it for your scavenger hunt!

Print out: Salavation Mountain Scavenger Hunt

on me: dress, vintage from ms. tips. shoes, swedish hasbeens. on true: dress, c/o schoola. shoes, new balance. on brave: shirt and overalls, c/o schoola. doc martens, shoes.com. pin, lelelerele. on soul: dress, vintage from ms. tips. shoes, new balance. on glow: top, vintage from ms. tips. shorts, vintage. shoes, minnetonka moccasin.

There goes Ben again, he ends up pulling some of our plants to put in more fruit trees, and I think it’s pretty funny. Always looking for backyard real estate to “shoehorn” in more fruit trees! The latest victim? My overgrown lavender bushes and my broom plant (the lavender is being relocated around the wooden beds.)

As a result of the poorly draining soil in our backyard, we’ve had to raise the roots on the fruit trees, off of the ground to allow them to properly oxygenate. Some of the beds we had custom-made from Corten steel; these recent ones he made from old redwood scraps he had combined with new redwood boards (he said the cost of redwood has more then doubled since the last time he purchased it a few years back!).

It’s bare root fruit tree season, so now is the best time of the year re: price and variety for a lot of these deciduous fruit trees. The vast majority originated from Dave Wilson Nursery. The apples he just purchased at his most recent CRFG (California Rare Fruit Growers) meeting, from Kuffel Creek (they specialize in apples for hot climates). Here’s a listing of all the deciduous fruit trees we have in beds now (the rest of the fruit trees consist of some citrus, blueberries, a passion fruit, guava, a kiwi, and a wax apple tree.):

Cherry Minnie Royal
Royal Lee

Nectarine Arctic Star
Nectarine Atomic Red
Nectarine Double Delight
Nectarine Snow Queen

Nectaplum Spice Zee
Aprium Cot-N-Candy

Peach Eva’s Pride
Peach Donut

Pluot Dapple Supreme
Pluot Splash
Pluot Emerald Drop
Plum Burgundy
Peach Kaweah
Pluot Flavor King
Pluot Flavor Grenade

Asian Pear Shinseiki
Asian Pear Hosui
Asian Pear 20th Century
Chinese Pear Ya Li
Chinese Pear Tsu Li

Fig Black Mission
Fig Kadota
Fig Peter’s Honey
Fig Tiger Panache
Fig Ronde de Bordeaux

Pomegranate Parfianka
Pomegranate Angel Red

Apple Williams Pride
Apple Sierra Beauty
Apple King David
Apple Fuiji
Apple Dixie Red Delight
Apple Lady Wiliams

Persimmon Fuyu

Che (Chinese Mulberry)

They’re ALL pretty much “babies” now, so, the journey has just begun! Read more backyard orchard culture posts here.

Denim Wrapped Canister

Supplies:
Shipping canister
Denim Duct Tape
Non-stick scissors (the best scissors to use when working with duct tape)

Directions:
Wrap the tape around the canister. Be sure to keep it lined up as you go around, so the seams of the denim don’t end up looking crooked.

Obviously, you wouldn’t put water in a cardboard container, so I put the flowers in a mason jar, then put the mason jar in the canister… voila! Now, I’ve got a blue jean vase!

This might be the easiest (and quirkiest) DIY I have ever done. It totally looks like denim, but it’s not; the girls and I think it’s so funny. When the flowers die, we will use the canister to hold our markers. I’m so glad denim Duct Tape has been invented. What other quirky things can we make with it?!

Supplies for this project was provided as part of the Michaels Makers Series. Michaels Makers’ readers are getting the inside scoop on an upcoming craft contest that will send one lucky participant on the trip of a lifetime to Paris. Check back on my blog March 2 to get all the details on how to enter.

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This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I’ve been loving the sunshine lately and have had a deeper appreciation for California. I’m a grey weather loving gal, so this is unusual for me.

God’s really been bringing me to my knees. I’m incapable of so much (everything really), and fall short daily, and I’ve been learning to trust God more.

I love all the adorable clothing pieces from Pigs & Roses. This sweatshirt is so perfectly playful!

My sister always encourages me with the joy that overflows from her heart. It’s a joy that only comes from God. Read her post “The Night I Met With Love.”

This food savings site is so interesting in that (along with strategies for shopping healthfully on a budget) they will give you USDA estimates on what your family grocery budget should be monthly based on the ages and genders of the members of your household… Our results were that we were spending less than projected, so that’s good!

The beautiful spring weather has me excited about sandal season again and I like the sparkle in these ones.

Since tomorrow is a holiday here for some in the states, I think the girls will have a lot of fun making these necklaces.

I’m learning every day how to be a more patient and joyful mother. I joke with the girls and change some of the lyrics of Taylor Swift’s “Blank Space” song to… “I have four lovely daughters, they’ll tell you I’m insane…” The girls love that line because they know it’s so true sometimes.

Hope you all had a wonderful weekend!