Thoughts in my brains...

Swing shift has ruined my sleep schedule. I still wake up at 6 without and alarm clock, I just can't fall asleep until around 1:30 or 2.

I have great friends who are willing to help me with childcare/child transportation. Oh the stress they relieve!

My kids are awesome. I really like and enjoy them a lot.

I need to go grocery shopping.

What are our plans for Thanksgiving? (none yet, I'm still thinking)

It snowed in PA.

I'm glad I don't live in PA!

I'm going to be in the tri cities in the next couple of weeks. I'm going to take Anna to meet her great grandpa.

why is the Book of Alma so long?

I really like this blogger app.

I'm worried about one of the clients I work with.

I hope the TV in our room breaks. Soon.

Some people really tick me off.

I probably really tick off some people.

56 days until Christmas!!

I love Christmas.

Good night. I'm going to try again to get some sleep. :)

Happy Halloween!

Three Little Minions

Last night was the trunk or treat at our ward building. All three of my kiddos went as minions but the girls decided to wear sparkly clothes too. Anna was a princess minion, Nicole wore the skirt I made her (and one for Regann) the other night along with orange and black striped tights. Matthew wanted nothing to do with dressing up but wore his hat so he could get candy.

The best part of the event was when Matthew trick or treated to his Orthodontist and he tried to give him a toothbrush. Then he picked up a bowl of candy that was set aside for his ortho patients that didn't have any sticky or gooey content. I think that's cool.

*this post is being published from the blogger app in my cell phone. I'm including photos but I don't know how they are being formatted on the post.

Happy 5th Sunday in October! Go to church!

Welcome to...

A post about casinos!  Just what you were hoping to read about on my blog, right? Did you know there are three kinds of casinos? It's my privilege to educate you on them.

#1 The standard casino. They're popping up all over the place and there are a ton of them in Las Vegas, Reno and Atlantic City. Many are open 24 hours a day. There are no windows or clocks anywhere. It's easy to spend a lot of time there (if you wanted to and can stand the smell.) While I was in Vegas this summer I walked through a bunch a casinos and they wreak of cigarettes and alcohol. The people at the tables are mostly unhappy and their eyes are glazed over. It's completely void of the spirit. Time flies in there.

#2 Kid Casinos - aka Chuck E Cheese, The Amazing Pizza Machine, Charlie's Safari etc. Kids can have unlimited play as long as they have the tokens (poker chips) to support their activities. All the tickets they "earn" buy them crap at the prize counter. There are very little windows and no clocks. You can spend hours there. Kids' eyes are glazed over and there is an attitude of give me give me give me. Time flies in there.

#3 Recently I have added JoAnn Fabrics to the list of casino type places. If you are going in for 1 thing or 20 it's going to take a lot of time. There is no such thing as in and out. The last few times I've been there it was to get one or two specific things. The cut line takes an hour. The check out line is another 20 minutes. There is no natural light or clocks anywhere. If you stray to one or more section besides the one you intended to go to, you can waste 2 or 3 hours easily. By the time you get out your eyes are mostly glazed over. Time flies in there.

I don't really have a conclusion except that I think JoAnn should serve complimentary drinks or hand out lotus flowers.

The End!

How the Cheney's do Christmas

Last year while I was on Facebook I read a quote on my friend's wall.

Something they want

Something they need

Something handmade

and 

Something to read

More stuff does not make it more magical!

It was like sirens were going off in my head! A serious light bulb moment. We are notorious for making our Christmases way too big. I learned that from my Mom. As a child I loved it, but as an adult [with 5 less children than my parents] we simply can not afford it. I also know from first hand experience that more does not make it more magical. It's just stuff [from the dollar store.]

So this is how we do it:

On Christmas Eve our children open 1 gift each. It's pajamas.

On Christmas morning they get a stocking full of loot and a gift from Santa. They get 4 gifts from Ken and I. They also get presents from each other. That's a total of 8 gifts and a stocking to open, and let me tell you! That is plenty.

We do this same practice for birthdays, sans Santa. [I loathe Santa...]

I wish I would have seen that saying years ago.

How does your family do Christmas?

Awkward and Awesome

Awkward:

• Quote 'I'm not going to take College Street anymore. I keep running into garbage cans.' (someone needs to learn how to ride their bike, and it's not Anna.)
• I can't seem to remember that it's Thursday, on Thursday! A & A might be moving to a new day and time.
• Gina. El Heh heh

Awesome:

• My birthday party! Did I mention that already? There are many things that happened there that will stay there, BUT you are going to love Love LOVE the A&A picture at the bottom of this post. Do Not Scroll Ahead! There is important stuff here too.
• We recently had family pictures taken. My Dad came along with us and we had some generation shots taken. We should have them in a couple of weeks and I will post them on this here blogdango.
• I've started buying Christmas presents. My goal is to be done shopping by December 1st.
• I made skirts for my niece and Nicole while they were camping here. [I thought I took a picture...maybe it's on my brother's camera.]
• I put a black with white polka dot border around my houndstooth quilt. I wasn't happy with the fabric I chose for the back, so I'm waiting to finish that one until I have the right fabric.
• I've completed 14 [FOURTEEN!] quilts this year. I think that is awesome.
• I love dehydrated apple slices from the church cannery. I want everyone in the world to buy me a #10 can of those babies. Or a candy bar. With peanut butter.
• Last night I went to Nicole's choir concert. It was really great! [As great as 7th and 8th grade singers can make it.] I may or may not have shed a tear or two, not from pain. I would go to a choir concert every week. I'm so glad we don't have band in our house anymore. Here is a little clip. I think by the time they're juniors and seniors, they'll have it together.

Awkward and Awesome:

Backstory: We had a white elephant gift exchange at my birthday party. Among many priceless gems, someone (a genius, really) gave a pair of monstrous toonies. [Toonies=Underwear] So big infact, that two of my friends could fit into them.

This is probably the only time underwear this big looks this...not gross. Hilarious! I bet you're sorry you missed it now!

Finish it up Friday!

This week was not nearly as productive as the last two and that is because I only have a couple WIPs, and I can't possible finish them all without starting a new one!

So here is my 1 measly finished project for the week. I made a doll quilt for Anna. She is getting a lot of doll 'stuff' for Christmas including a knitted doll family which my friend, Ali is constructing. It is mostly awesome.

It's 16" square. It was supposed to be a quilt block for a quilt-as-you-go project but I didn't like that quilting. Before I was done quilting it, I was writing my kids' names in it and making loop-de-loos. I stopped before I the swear words started showing up.  I'll be making 3 or 4 more for her and a few for her friend, Josie as well. Stay tuned for those in the upcoming weeks.

What did you finish this week?

ps, I 'm linking up with Crazy Mom Quilt's 'Finish it up Friday'

Here's the proof.

Do you remember when I told I look like a man when I don't have any make up on? That man's name is Ryan. Here's the sad sad proof.

Me need make up and my eye brows waxed.

Camping Trip

We had a camping trip planned this last weekend for the men and children in the family. The first night my brother Ryan took his 5 kids, one of their friends, and Matthew to the state park of their choosing and pitched tents.  In the pouring down Washington Fall rain. Day two the kids all voted what how they should spend the rest of their camping trip. AT AUNT DEDRA'S! [Disclaimer. We don't call our aunts and uncles by Aunt Marla or Aunt Sanette. It's Marla. It's Sanette. I don't do Uncle Steve or Uncle Brad. It's Steve. It's Brad. Most of my nieces and nephews, along with my own children, are the same way. Except for Ryan's kids. They call all their aunts and uncles by Aunt Dedra, Aunt Wendi, Uncle Adam, you get it. It's totally fine with me either way. It just catches me off guard.]

While the kids were lighting fires in my back yard and scaling trees the adults were doing this:

I'm actually included with these adults because I using my phone to take the pics of them playing on their phones. Where was Ken during all of this? At the temple. He had a veil assignment. He's the only one going to heaven.

How do you like Ryan's pajamas?! Awesome right?  My mom made them. :)

This and That

• I've been working days this week. You'd think I would like that because it gives me more time with my children at home. I don't like it that well. It's totally thrown off our routine and it ruined the illusion I had created in my mind that our FHE's are smooth and full of the spirit. El wrongo.
• My birthday party was a success. Tons of fun, good food and a lot of laughing.
• Kate and I are working on a quilt as you go project. Pictures to come soon.
• In less than three week Kate and Lacy and I are going to exchange our pinwheel quilt blocks. We'll each have 60 different ones to make something amazing.
• I love blog posts with bullets
• <-- like these.
• I may or may not be the worst friend on the planet. Sometimes my insecurities get in the way (big time) and I unintentionally sabotage what could potentially be a great friendship. (Three big words in that one. I know, I'm a scholar.)
• I feel frustrated my blog has not been on the front burner. I know I'm the only one who worries about that, but I made a goal to 365 blog posts this year and I've been on schedule until this month. LAME!
• I ate brownies for breakfast this morning.
• That's a bad sign.
• I need to become bffs with a Dr that will give me Xanax. That stuff if my favorite.
• Have you ever been so nauseated that you knew if you could just throw up you'd start to feel better? But you can't throw up?
• Right now I feel completely out of sorts. I'm on the verge of tears and I know if I could have a good cry is start to feel better. But the tears won't come.
• I taught Relief Society on Sunday for the first time since I moved from Kansas, where it was my calling. 
• I love teaching Relief Society. It stresses me out and I feel nervous that whole time, but I learn a lot.
• Believe it or not, I'm also enjoying playing the organ in church. [Never thought that would happen.]
• Sunday was the primary program. Anna's part was 'Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer.' It sound like 'Jesus Chwist is my Save-yo and Edeem-o.' I loved it.
• okay, that's all. See you next time. 

Finish it up Friday!

I'm linking this post up with Crazy Mom Quilts 'Finish it up Friday'. (Best quilting blogger EVER!)

Here are the WIPs I've finished this week {and last week}. [WIP = Works in Progress]

These are Christmas stockings for my little brother, Adam. I actually agreed to making his stockings over a year ago and didn't like how they were looking, so when I found this fabric [Adam LOVES John Deere] I snatched it up and finished them all in about an hour. It just took me a year and half to get there.

 MYTOPSY TURVY FILM STRIP NINE PATCH QUILT!!! I don't think I can add enough !!! to this one. I love it SO MUCH!

 I did a little bit of machine quilting. It's a queen size blanket and I was completely over whelmed with the thought of stippling the whole thing, but I like how it turned out.

Here is a close up.

 I bound it with red polka dot and red gingham alternating.

 This week I  made these Christmas stockings for my friend Amy. I rotated these three different times trying to get them to post correctly and I was not successful. (obvioiusly!)

 I finally got my hallway painted. After much deliberation, it's the same color as the front room. I have a whole post planned about painting this hallway. It included better rollers and stepping in a paint pan...with pictures! Stay tuned.

I have a WIP wall and I moved my dinner table to it would be more functional. [the WIP wall. and the dinner table]

 I also got all my fabric organized into two cupboards. This is EVERYTHING I have that's any amount of yardage. I also have a tote full of scraps.

 One more WIP wall.

 Lastly, this quilt is not complete, bit I finally finished the time part except for the border.  So technically it's still a WIP, but I feel pleased enough with my progress so I thought I'd share it.

That's about it!

Memory Monday

So I've never claimed to be the sharped tool in the shed or the brightest bulb out there or any other saying along those lines, which I am awesome at messing up anyway. But sometimes, the things I don't get can be a little embarrassing to ask for clarification.  

For Instance: Have you have ever had a family member who you had no idea how you were related? I have. Twice. Maybe three times.

Exhibit #1: Shirla. She was my aunt...older than my mom but younger than Grandma. She lived in Basin City. Definitely from my Mom's side of the famdango. I knew Mom was the oldest child in her family but Shirla was my aunt. I finally asked my mom where she came from when I was about 9. She's Grandma's Sister--my Mom's Aunt. I loved her. She died when I was 17.

Exhibit #2" Grandpa Calaway. I loved this guy SO much! Sometimes he would come to visit with Grandma and Grandpa. How does one have 2 grandpas? I was so confused! My Dad's Dad was dead before I was born. His Mom didn't come around very often--maybe 3 or 4 times in my life that I can remember. How did Grandpa Calaway fit it? He was Grandma's Dad...Shirla's Dad too. He passed away when I was 11. He made the best peanut brittle ever. I still miss that guy!

Exhibit #3: Kyle. Still trying to figure that one out, but we have made arrangements for him to join the Galactic Alliance or something.

This YouTube Video does NOT represent my family in the least, but at 2:30 the singer mentions he doesn't remember how Fran and Rita are kin to him. That's why I'm sharing it. It's a little unsavory and I love it anyway.

Since I've been working...

• I only go on my computer about once every 2 or 3 days now.
• I've gone to bed with a clean house every night.
• Dinners are more healthier.
• I've eaten less treats at night.
• Ken has been helping the kids with their homework.
• Nicole and Matthew have realized Ken can help them with their homework.
• Direct Quote, "He's actually good at math!' HAHA
• I've been going through withdrawals from having less treats at night.
• I've had 3 days off (including today)
• I've made a lot of progress on my WIP pile. (Works in Progress)
• I'm sleep deprived.
• I miss my kids. 
• A LOT
• I have been reminded of how much happier I am [mentally] when I can get out of the house and spend time with people I otherwise would not know.
• I've been reminded of how much I love serving people with developmental delays. They are celestial!
• I'm finding it difficult to juggle all my hats, but it's getting better.

Since I've been working things around here seem to be working out.

Memory Monday Mash up

Memory Monday Mash Up pt. 2
Good Idea - Bad Idea

Good Idea: Playing Hide and Go Seek.
Better Idea: Using Mom and Dad's headset radios to play Hide and Go Seek.
Bad Idea: Ryan and Heather not letting Dedra play with them.
Consequence. I told Mom and Dad

Good Idea: Standing in front of the wood stove after a bath in the winter. It will warm you right up.
Bad Idea: Sitting on the hot wood stove after a bath  in the winter EVER.
Consequence: Garen had to have aloe vera put on his buns twice a day for 2 weeks and he couldn't sit down. BUT, there was 2 weeks of no spankings!

Good Idea: Cutting Gina's hair
Bad Idea: Cutting Gina's hair without Mom actually giving permission, even though she did say 'I don't care' but she was watching TV.
Result: I cut Gina's hair fairly short, got scared of what Mom would say so we wrapped her dry hair up in a towel to walk past Mom. Mom  noticed, knew something was up, asked up what we were doing, swore, sent us to our room and later Mom 'fixed' Gina's haircut.
Consequence: A special Mom haircut. (Gina's swears it wasn't a mullet.)

Merry Monday!

How many?!

Welcome to my 200th blog post on volume 2! I have about 500 more on volume 1 if you want even more TMI. Http://Cheneychatterprivate.blogspot.com/. [it's not private anymore.]

That's all. Enjoy you sabbath. We'll be watching General Conference in our pajamas in the comfort of our living room.

ttfn

Two blankets...

Blanket number one.

Not so pretty, but VERY warm.

I'm giving it to my Dad for his 72 hour kit.

 Blanket [top] number 2.
BEAUTIFUL! I am totally in love.
The picture doesn't even give it the justice it deserves. I'll finish it sometime this month.
I'm also giving this one as a gift--at Christmas.