Lifestyle Stories
Garden GrowsShelby's gardening struggles.
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Hallo-Queen2020 Halloween Costumes
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Work From HomeDecorating the bookshelf
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Crocheting Continues Out of Control
Just like everything else that Shelby takes on as a hobby, her crocheting has started to get a bit out of hand. Yarn now claims the corner of the living room, the foot of the bed in the guest room, and the bottom shelf of a bookshelf. She couldn’t help herself and bought yarn in preparation of new projects, including a baby blanket for her little brother, Ryan and his girlfriend Emily.
Some of Shelby’s projects this year included finally finishing a blanket for their friends Darren and Melissa’s son (who turned 1 in August and finally got his “baby blanket). This was Shelby’s first pattern that she created herself.
She also finally got around to making her cousins Justin and Shelby’s son, Emmett, a baby blanket that he now uses all the time.
Finally, Shelby’s very good friend since elementary school, Chelsee, had a baby boy. As a gift, she got a Dinosaur Rug, Shelby’s first ever “lovey” blanket, and a granny square quilt with tiny dinosaurs sewn on.
Shelby is excited for 2021’s projects.
Some of Shelby’s projects this year included finally finishing a blanket for their friends Darren and Melissa’s son (who turned 1 in August and finally got his “baby blanket). This was Shelby’s first pattern that she created herself.
She also finally got around to making her cousins Justin and Shelby’s son, Emmett, a baby blanket that he now uses all the time.
Finally, Shelby’s very good friend since elementary school, Chelsee, had a baby boy. As a gift, she got a Dinosaur Rug, Shelby’s first ever “lovey” blanket, and a granny square quilt with tiny dinosaurs sewn on.
Shelby is excited for 2021’s projects.
Greenhouse Garden Grows, Does Not Prosper
Shelby’s meager patio garden grew (pun intended) to a much larger project this year. Shelby started her seeds indoors in March, around the same time that everyone else started leaning towards the “sustainable living’ route; finding materials proved to be a little bit difficult.
Her seeds started out strong and when it came time to thin the herd, Justin was adamant that she should keep all of them. After a bit of plant root surgery, the seedlings were all separated and labeled in their own red solo cup.
She spent all of April and May “hardening” her plants and getting them used to the outdoors, moving them outside and then back in for the cooler nights. During one of these fateful transfers, Shelby dropped an entire tray of her seedling; these were replanted with the word “dropped” on their markers.
One of the plants that oddly seemed to fare the best in the beginning was the Jalapenos.
Shelby planted bell peppers, which is where this whole gardening project began, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, three types of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, snap peas, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli rabe (on accident) and strawberries.
Once the plants were hardened off, they were taken to the greenhouse to live. They were not transferred into full-size pots until June 1st and even then, many of them had to wait until there was space for them.
Justin surprised Shelby by building her shelves out of old pallets, and she quickly filled them. The number of bags of potting soil that Shelby purchased is unmentionable.
With all the love and care that Shelby gave them every day, she still battled insects, cool nights, windstorms (for her massive outdoor tomatoes), and lack of sun. At one point, she released 1000 lady bugs into the greenhouse to wage war on the aphids; she and the lady bugs were not victorious.
Shelby harvested a small head of cauliflower, a zucchini, a squash, and a few snap peas. She cared for a mature rhubarb plant in the front yard and harvested the plant nearly 4 times throughout the summer.
The reason for the lack of fruit could be a number of things, but Shelby, with Justin’s support, blames the greenhouse’s location in a shaded portion of the yard.
Shelby also tried her hand at flowers this year with a bit more success than previously., keeping them alive for a majority of the summer.
She has now moved on to house plants and is collecting “bargain” plants from Lowes and bringing them back to life.; she has seen some success.
Her seeds started out strong and when it came time to thin the herd, Justin was adamant that she should keep all of them. After a bit of plant root surgery, the seedlings were all separated and labeled in their own red solo cup.
She spent all of April and May “hardening” her plants and getting them used to the outdoors, moving them outside and then back in for the cooler nights. During one of these fateful transfers, Shelby dropped an entire tray of her seedling; these were replanted with the word “dropped” on their markers.
One of the plants that oddly seemed to fare the best in the beginning was the Jalapenos.
Shelby planted bell peppers, which is where this whole gardening project began, jalapeno peppers, banana peppers, three types of tomatoes, zucchini, squash, snap peas, cucumbers, broccoli, cauliflower, broccoli rabe (on accident) and strawberries.
Once the plants were hardened off, they were taken to the greenhouse to live. They were not transferred into full-size pots until June 1st and even then, many of them had to wait until there was space for them.
Justin surprised Shelby by building her shelves out of old pallets, and she quickly filled them. The number of bags of potting soil that Shelby purchased is unmentionable.
With all the love and care that Shelby gave them every day, she still battled insects, cool nights, windstorms (for her massive outdoor tomatoes), and lack of sun. At one point, she released 1000 lady bugs into the greenhouse to wage war on the aphids; she and the lady bugs were not victorious.
Shelby harvested a small head of cauliflower, a zucchini, a squash, and a few snap peas. She cared for a mature rhubarb plant in the front yard and harvested the plant nearly 4 times throughout the summer.
The reason for the lack of fruit could be a number of things, but Shelby, with Justin’s support, blames the greenhouse’s location in a shaded portion of the yard.
Shelby also tried her hand at flowers this year with a bit more success than previously., keeping them alive for a majority of the summer.
She has now moved on to house plants and is collecting “bargain” plants from Lowes and bringing them back to life.; she has seen some success.
Anchorage Symphony Performs Harry Potter Soundtrack
Shelby has been a supporter of the Anchorage Symphony for a few years now. She has attended their “Symphony of Wines” three years in a row.
This year, she decided to finally attend one of their performances; she could not pass up the opportunity to listen to the symphony play the Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone Movie Soundtrack. She convinced Justin to attend, he even wore a nice sweater and button up, and the two had dinner with Big John before heading downtown to the Anchorage Performing Arts Center. Shelby’s excitement was quickly tempered when the two entered the theater and realized they were overdressed. The conductor introduced the show; not only would the symphony be playing the Harry Potter score, but they would be playing over the movie itself which was projected on a screen behind them. “Participation was encouraged.” Adults talked through the entire show, many texting and snapchatting throughout the performance, attendees were jostling about in the seat rows, and many showed up late, interrupting the theater’s darkness with the opening of doors. The symphony performed remarkably well, but Shelby spent much of the time being disappointed in the experience. That isn’t to say she regrets attending but is sad that so many disrupted the show. While Shelby stewed, Justin spent much of his time asking Shelby what the different instruments were. Turns out, all that time she spent in band did come in handy for something. |
Following Directions Not Justin’s Strong Suit for Paint Nite
Back in March, Shelby made her first trip in over a year back to the lower 48. She spent 10 days and was able to travel to see most all of her family. She flew into Omaha, NE and out of Cincinnati, OH.
In Omaha, her dad picked her up and they made a quick stop at Bass Pro before driving out to meet up with her younger brother Ryan, his girlfriend Emily, and their friend Max. The crew spent a few hours doing target practice where Shelby showed off her minimal skills with a pistol and then everyone, with the exception of Max, went to eat at the Pink Poodle for dinner. Shelby was able to finally see her dad's shop, eat plenty of good food, make a fort with Grayson, and see the family.
As always, she spent Sunday afternoon at her grandparents for Sunday Dinner with the family. She spent the remainder of her day with her older brother David and his family at the zoo. Shelby has learned that this is one of their favorite places and activities. Her niece's favorite animals are the bats; she can stand and squeak at them for a long time. Shelby did take her on the rope bridge in the Jungle for the first time and she isn't entirely sure how she felt about it.
After a quick visit, Shelby was picked up by Grandma Rose and chauffered out to Iowa City where saw her uncle and cousins for a few minutes before meeting up with Justin and going to dinner with Dwight and Agnes. After an attempt to make the drive to Deb's house for the evening, Shelby and Justin turned around and spent the night at Dwight's because it was closer, and Shelby had to leave town the next morning. Justin dropped Shelby at Perkins on his way to his class where she breakfasted with Grandma before being transferred to her Mom for the drive to Cincinnati.
In Cincinnati, Shelby spent some time reading Harry Potter outside of the little's room, attending a birthday party, making dill pickle soup, and going to a Fundraise. Aunt Jennifer made a quick debut and was able to join for some of the time. The three women went and had facials done and did a wine tasting.
It was a whirlwind of a trip; a huge thanks to everyone for making time to see and transport Shelby across four different states.
In Omaha, her dad picked her up and they made a quick stop at Bass Pro before driving out to meet up with her younger brother Ryan, his girlfriend Emily, and their friend Max. The crew spent a few hours doing target practice where Shelby showed off her minimal skills with a pistol and then everyone, with the exception of Max, went to eat at the Pink Poodle for dinner. Shelby was able to finally see her dad's shop, eat plenty of good food, make a fort with Grayson, and see the family.
As always, she spent Sunday afternoon at her grandparents for Sunday Dinner with the family. She spent the remainder of her day with her older brother David and his family at the zoo. Shelby has learned that this is one of their favorite places and activities. Her niece's favorite animals are the bats; she can stand and squeak at them for a long time. Shelby did take her on the rope bridge in the Jungle for the first time and she isn't entirely sure how she felt about it.
After a quick visit, Shelby was picked up by Grandma Rose and chauffered out to Iowa City where saw her uncle and cousins for a few minutes before meeting up with Justin and going to dinner with Dwight and Agnes. After an attempt to make the drive to Deb's house for the evening, Shelby and Justin turned around and spent the night at Dwight's because it was closer, and Shelby had to leave town the next morning. Justin dropped Shelby at Perkins on his way to his class where she breakfasted with Grandma before being transferred to her Mom for the drive to Cincinnati.
In Cincinnati, Shelby spent some time reading Harry Potter outside of the little's room, attending a birthday party, making dill pickle soup, and going to a Fundraise. Aunt Jennifer made a quick debut and was able to join for some of the time. The three women went and had facials done and did a wine tasting.
It was a whirlwind of a trip; a huge thanks to everyone for making time to see and transport Shelby across four different states.
Body Cast Dress Mold Creation
This project started the way all projects start in this house: Shelby had an idea.
Shelby found an outfit online that she wanted to buy, but the reviews on the seller were awful. Her solution then was to make the outfit herself.
She started where everyone would start with a sewing project, by making a dress mold! A dress mold at a craft store costs $200-$300 and she was not interested in spending that amount.
With a little plastic wrap, plaster, a lot of time, and a little pain, she could make one herself. It escalated. Quickly.
What started as a project for Shelby and Diane turned into a Justin project. Things got way more heavy duty. Thick layers of plaster were stuck to Shelby who had to stand there for hours before Justin cut and yanked the cast off her.
Next, it was hung and reinforced with planks of wood to completely dry.
Then, it was filled with foam, sanded down, and sealed. The entire process took about a week to complete and final product is now creepily displayed in their back room.
The outfit still has not been made, but the dress mold was perfect for putting together Shelby’s Halloween costume.
Shelby found an outfit online that she wanted to buy, but the reviews on the seller were awful. Her solution then was to make the outfit herself.
She started where everyone would start with a sewing project, by making a dress mold! A dress mold at a craft store costs $200-$300 and she was not interested in spending that amount.
With a little plastic wrap, plaster, a lot of time, and a little pain, she could make one herself. It escalated. Quickly.
What started as a project for Shelby and Diane turned into a Justin project. Things got way more heavy duty. Thick layers of plaster were stuck to Shelby who had to stand there for hours before Justin cut and yanked the cast off her.
Next, it was hung and reinforced with planks of wood to completely dry.
Then, it was filled with foam, sanded down, and sealed. The entire process took about a week to complete and final product is now creepily displayed in their back room.
The outfit still has not been made, but the dress mold was perfect for putting together Shelby’s Halloween costume.
Hallow-Queen’s Costume
“What are you up to?...Nevermind it’s Halloween” -Grandma Rose.
The quote above perfectly describes every October for Shelby. In her mind, Halloween is the happiest time of the year, and this year was no exception.
Shelby started planning her Halloween costume almost a month in advance, she was going to be Captain Jack Sparrow. In her opinion, it was one of her more detail-oriented costumes. She set a cart of snacks outside the door for the very few trick or treaters and enjoyed the company of a few friends who stopped by.
The weekend before Halloween, Shelby threw together a Beetlejuice costume to attend her good friend Paige’s birthday party. She arrived with moss on her face and witch’s finger cookies in hand.
During the week, Shelby’s work hosted a from home costume and decorations contest. Shelby decorated her work corner to look like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts complete with floating candles and flying keys. Justin and Diane helped her make an emerald green cloak. Shelby added some reading glasses, a witch’s hat and pheasant feathers, grabbed her wand and started her workday.
Her background was so realistic with LED candles and a bear skull that multiple co-workers thought it was a digital background. She has continued to decorate her workspace for each holiday and season.
The quote above perfectly describes every October for Shelby. In her mind, Halloween is the happiest time of the year, and this year was no exception.
Shelby started planning her Halloween costume almost a month in advance, she was going to be Captain Jack Sparrow. In her opinion, it was one of her more detail-oriented costumes. She set a cart of snacks outside the door for the very few trick or treaters and enjoyed the company of a few friends who stopped by.
The weekend before Halloween, Shelby threw together a Beetlejuice costume to attend her good friend Paige’s birthday party. She arrived with moss on her face and witch’s finger cookies in hand.
During the week, Shelby’s work hosted a from home costume and decorations contest. Shelby decorated her work corner to look like Harry Potter’s Hogwarts complete with floating candles and flying keys. Justin and Diane helped her make an emerald green cloak. Shelby added some reading glasses, a witch’s hat and pheasant feathers, grabbed her wand and started her workday.
Her background was so realistic with LED candles and a bear skull that multiple co-workers thought it was a digital background. She has continued to decorate her workspace for each holiday and season.