Oh It's Broken? DIY Fix that Shit. And make it better.

Okay, so when I got home, I feel like everything was broken. I don't just feel that way, lots of things were broken! Stupid things! But things we need on an almost daily. And some things that I was like, what!? How is this even broken - would this have "broken" if I had been here the last 5 months !? And a few things, proverbial. 

I'm not kidding, I have a list!

Bamboo privacy fence, glass recycling bin, kitchen screen, garden chair, magnetic door screen, printer, dehumidifier, a few of my plants, my bicycle helmet, one of my scentsy warmers, MY PHONE! the motorcycle cover, our right windshield wiper sprayer, Google hangouts <-- this is what I used to call to the  U.S., the VA assisting with my mental health internationally, parts of the wall, and for some reason the air conditioner in my bedroom sounds like a jet plane taking off after about 10 minutes of being on and wakes up my neighbors. It's 90+ degrees here! 

I also realized I forgot so many things in the states - including gifts. AND they took away my peanut butter at TSA. I'm super lucky they let me get through with Jake's dog food so I wasn't fighting the 2 pound jar of peanut butter. 

But momma mia!! Louder for the folks in the back, MOMMA MIA!! How do I increase the font...

MOMMA MIA

How can so many things have broken in 5 months. Lack of use!? It doesn't even make sense... And how the eff are so many things broken anyway. What did I do in my previous life?! I pissed in a major bowl of Wheaties FO SHO!

But it's OKAY. And for once in a very long time, I'm dealing with things on an "it's okay" level. 

My deal factor is either 0 - complete avoidance/not even an issue or 100 - utter sheer uncomfortable outrageous overreacting panic. There's no in between. So something as simple as my scentsy warmer is no longer melting my waxes would be like STOP THE EARTH! Everything is broken! Everything is wrong! Nothing works. I hate my life *cry cry cry stomp scream cry* ...It gets that serious. 

And while all of this brokenness has been a pain in the dick. And costly *eye roll* It's also been okay. Not only have I been fixing while I'm going, I've also dived right back into triathlon training and my work schedule is on par with U.S. waking hours. I totally love my 2nd shift work life. Oh, AND... I've conquered a few creative projects. And that's what this post is actually about!! I'm super proud of two, threeish, creative projects I've completed and I want to share. 

And this is why this post is called FIX THAT SHIT! And make it better. 

Folding Chairs

Who has one of those 5 piece folding chair and table sets from Walmart, raise your hand!? Well, we got rid of the table a long time ago, but the chairs are a must stay for all time. Italian families = we need more chairs!! Luca hates them. He often makes comments about our Walmart set. The last time he brought it up I put in my head that I was going to make a folding chair upgrade. And so I did. Now, these weren't broken but similar to my feelings of FIX it is CHANGE it. If you don't like it, change it. 

If you want to know how or what I did to make them beautiful, message me! 

Pillows

If you remember, Luca got me a beautiful high speed sewing machine for my 40th birthday. I've used it rarely. Mostly because I don't know what to sew!! I put it to good use in these last days though! I made 4 different size pillows to go on my garden furniture and match our upgraded folding chairs. They even have ZIPPERS!!!:

Which brings me to the patio/garden beauty in general. I've replaced the privacy bamboo fence which gives a fresh look. But also, our owners built a roof over our patio while we were gone. I LOVE IT. For me, our yard and patio is so beautiful. I want to host garden parties and BBQ's and spend all my time outside. But it's also 100 degrees. So... But - I made a little wood flower, painted stone "thing" to cover some ugly pipes, have been watering my greens and bringing them back to life, collecting hanging plants, and BEA-U-tifing my gorgeous garden. 

Bottom line, we can either sulk in the misery of the broken things or we can fix them. I'm really excited to be home and even mending the broken, really happy to be making things better. 

Moral of the story: If it's broken, fix it. If you don't like it, change it.