Beautifying

Now mind you, I do live in West Texas in the middle of one of the worse droughts in history, and it doesn't look like it is getting any better any time soon.  We are on well water which means I can water (unlike those IN town, who face severe monatary punishment if they go over a certain amount of water) however, I am a bit relucant to just water all the time as I am trying to be a good steward as well. 

A little geology for you (since that is my major)..we live on the edge of the largest aquifer (natural) of water called the Ogallala Aquifer.  This aquifer is drying up.  Already where we live is pulling water from other sources in order to supply the town with water.  I say all of this to say....our well water, which comes from the ground, is coming from the aquifer.  I don't want to speed up the process any by having a very pretty and lucious green yard...I would rather have a few pretties and midly green yard and know I may have added a day or two to our water supply.  Sadly, this is really a reality for those of us who live in West Texas.  Our water could dry up.....If you pull out a map, you will notice there are no lakes really out here, especially compared to the rest of Texas. 

But, since I live where I live, I do want a few pretty things.  And then there is the issue of my previous fail trying to hang up my toucan planter.  As for now, the toucan just sits on the ground.  That might be his new home until I get to a lumber yard with Robert and figure out what we need to build a strong enough pole for my planter.

Since I became the proud ownder of two shepard's hooks, I have since became the proud owner of two pretty hanging baskets. 

I have no idea what this little plant is.  It has beautiful flowers when it's not 100+ outside.  And yes, we have already had a day of 104 degrees temps!  The poor thing just shrivels up, but by the evening and early morning, it is back to looking pretty. 

This is another no named one (because I have no clue!) but it is a member of the succulant family so he ought to do just fine out here.  The leaves are waxey/glossy and the little pink flowers close up at night.  Such a pretty little thing.

My friend Micah suggest I get Knock Out Roses so yesterday I did just that.  I bought one.  Lynsie requested it not be pink, so I found the closest I could to red.  This moring Jacob and I planted him.  Eventually where he is planted will be a raised bed but for now, he looks great there in the yard. 

The picture is not the best.  And as you can see, I still need to work on our little deck.  But my sweetie has been working about 100 hrs a week, so I can wait a bit before getting that all fixed up.  This picture does really show you how dry it is out here.  We had to wet the ground just to plant the rose bush. 

Even though, we currently don't have a lush yard like we would have been able to have in Central Texas, I can say, it is very nice to have a few things out to welcome us home.  I also picked up a tomato plant for sweetie  I have it planted (barely visible yellow pot to the left of the picture) It came with a few tomatoes as well as buds.  Now Robert can pick his own tomatoes and enjoy them. 

Regardless of where you live or what you live in...having it looks nice and inviting if nothing else makes you feel welcomed to your own home.  Even if you never have company a few things outside will help you fee invited in.  When a huge wind blows through and knocks my plants off (and yes that does happen) everything looks so bare until I get every one put back into their little homes and back up.  We don't have a lot of company (unless you count neighborhood teens coming over) so I do this for me.  Even Robert likes to see it be inviting when he comes in.  I can't change the fact we live in a trailer right now, but I can make it into a home.  I can't change the fact we live in West Texas and its dry out here, but I can do a few things to help spruce up the place!!  It may be dry out here, but at least when you pull up to our little home there is a bit of a green welcoming committee waiting to greet you!

Fail, Epic...Fail

It's not like any big secret I live in a trailer.  I do. It is how it is out here.  If you find a home you are lucky so you take what you can get.  With that said.  I like to have a little fun out here.  I have jokingly said I would put up pink flamingos.  Okay, so I do have pink flamingo lights, they just haven't made it "up" yet.  Hmm...better find a guy to work on that for me this weekend.  Would be nice to have my little lights going while we grill.  Okay..so I digress.  Now to my fail.

Last weekend we went to Stanton (Texas) to "Ole Sorehead Trade Days"  and yes that is what is really called.  You can buy all sorts of goodies and we did.  One of them was a recycled golf cart tire turned into a Toucan.  I would have bought the pink flamingo but Robert wouldn't let me buy one on Saturday, so when we went back on Sunday I had to settle for the toucan as all the flamingos had found a home.

Now the nice thing about West Texas is all the open spaces.  But with wide open spaces comes NO trees.  Okay so there are trees out here, just not like there is in Central Texas.  We have one small pine tree in the yard.  I'm just so happy to have a tree I don't care what size he (or she) is.  And because we live in a trailer we do not have some place to hang up planters.  No rails or decks with roofs that type of thing.  We have to improvise. 

Today I visited one of my FAVORITE stores...Hobby Lobby where I purchased a "shepard's hook" for hanging plants.  Of course the one I have is much cuter than a plain ole iron shepard's hook. 

So I had Alex water the spot (ground is hard when it's dry out here) and put in my hook.  I love it!  I planted my little plants in my toucan and hung him.  Then watched the pole bend....and bend...and bend.  AGGHHH  The toucan is too heavy!  So I know have a random hook in the yard.  (which I will fix this evening.  Dang, I have to buy another plant.  Makes me so sad! LOL)  Meanwhile, I have a planted toucan to deal with.  There was a hook hanging from the roof by a previous tenant..just dangling away while I discuss the quandry with Alex.  I ask him to see how sturdy it is....it's sturdy.  So for the moment the toucan hangs off it.

Ugh!  I do call this blog Trailer Trash, but not because I actually intended to look like we live trashly (is that even a word??) But to show you can do and make a nice home with whatever you have.  A tent, rv, big fancy home, or even a trailer such as I.  So now, I have to get with my men folk and decide the best way to hang said Toucan.  And in this picture you can't even see the pretty little flowers.  As I said...epic fail.  *sigh*

I did have a few left over plants...oh wait, let me back up and say....what a pain it was to plant the flowers in there..  a rounded bottom makes for a pain in my hinny planting..but I got it done.  (or should I just say, I "got er dun")  So here are my left overs...all nice and cozy against the stairs.

Right now our little deck needs some love....or some one may need the ER if it decides to go....I have no idea how old the deck is...poor little deck.  My plan, once it has been fixed is to move it off, clean out very well underneath, add lattice except for the far side no one sees but me and Jacob (the official yard waterer) to hide my plant stuff and some other stuff we have stowed under there.  So please pardon that mess.  It is a work in progress around here. 

Hmm...not off to figure out what type of plants I want to hand on my pretty little hook!

The Official Introduction

We really aren't trailer trash.  But generally people think of that when you say "hey, I live in a trailer," and thus the trailer trash name.  I will tell you how we got here, so maybe you can be a bit more understanding of how and why we live in one.

We moved to West Texas for work.  Yep, the oil field.  It is a practical gold rush out here.  Families, single men and women are moving in from all over because currently our town is #1 in the state of Texas for lowest unemployment rate.  Signs are posted every where saying "Hiring"  If you want a job, it's out here.  Almost every company related to the oil field has a sign as well, not including every 7-11, resteraunt and various other places.  Job fairs are the norm out here with one about every month.  You see maybe one homeless man out here.  And honestly, if you don't have a job, it is because you simply don't want one. 

We moved out here in June of 2011.  We lived in a motel for a month.  Not the best of times, but not the worse....hey it had a pool!!  LOL  Out here when it comes to housing, you take what you can get.  We found this place and well....took it. 

You have to understand, housing out here is crazy.  3 bedrooms rent for $1500-3500 a month.  I am not joking.  We have discussed buying, looking for another rental etc...  but the truth is, we have a good price for rent and we are not 100% sure we are staying out here forever (discussion has already been had over North Dakota) So we stay....in our tiny little single wide mobile home. 

There is six of us.  Four teenagers and two adults.  Three teen age boys share one room (all teenage boys are over 6ft tall let me add!!)  The girl-child has her own little room, and of course, us two grown ups share a room.  Our home we have figured to be about 900sq foot.  Yep, that is it.  In the land of plenty and excess, we live in a tiny home.  We make due and make room.

Now let me explain a bit about our little trailer park.  It is not your typical lower class, cars on blocks type of place.  Our neighbors include a DPS officer, second in command for the fire department, and people who drive NICE cars.  You have Yukons, Escalades, big ole burly Dodge trucks etc... parked out front of little homes.  So really, no trash here.

My little blog is simply how we live in this small home.  How I decorate so it feels more like a house.  So I hope you will join me in the fun of living my crazy life.  And maybe glean a few ideas for yourself which you can use in your home!