Good Idea - Bad Idea, Sunday Edition.

Good Idea: Putting together a puzzle every once in a while.
Bad Idea: "puzzle kicks" doing 10-12 1,000 piece puzzles in a about a month's time. We did that this summer and we appear to be in full swing for another one.  I love them but they take so much time and I feel a need to finish them once they are out on my counter.

Good Idea: Taking on Graveyard Shifts
Bad Idea: Thinking you can get by on 2-3 hours of sleep because you decided to have friends over to play the kinect instead of going to bed.
Consequence: Having a great time with friends and throwing up in the middle of the night at work because of pure exhaustion. Was it worth it? I think so.

Good Idea: Paying your tithing. Or giving to your collection plate.
Bad Idea: Dropping a $20 in the sacrament tray as it goes buy. [I'm not going to lie, this does cross my mind and I so want to see it happen.]

Good Idea: toasted cheddar cheese bagels from Safeway with strawberry cream cheese. They are so delicious! I'll be accepting both the bagels and the strawberry cream cheese as gifts. Stop by at your convenience.

ttfn

I made something! and an update.

Yesterday Anna got to go to Tacoma with my friend to pick up her daughter [Anna's friend] from her Dad's.  She decided to change into something different and the jeans she pulled on were too small. I found her something different and then I decided to try something I've been meaning to do since Nicole was Anna's age.  I present to you my only finish for the week--and quite possibly, the year also.  [I do have 4 quilts in my WIP pile that are all very close to being finishes.]

Anna's Levi Purse:

The front:

I did not sew any pockets closed and I did not tack down the snap and zipper.

 The back: [bum]

 The straps:

I cut the hem off the jeans, cut them open and sewed them on. The edge that I cut is still raw. There are a few strings but when it's washed the first time it will fray nicely and I can trim any strings that have gone rogue.

This purse took me literally 5 minutes to make. I think it's super cute and Anna L.O.V.E.S. it. A LOT.

and the best part:

The Model: 

Anna took it with her to Tacoma, filled to the brim with costume jewelry and chapstick. 

In other news, here's what has been going on at the Cheney's:

Nicole:

• Still leaving the house an hour early two mornings a week to sing in a smaller choir. The girl loves to sing and is getting a lot better.
• The stage of taking a full hour in the bathroom each morning to get ready has commenced. Matthew and Anna are working on interventions.
• She is a huge help to me when I'm home and especially when I'm working swing.

Matthew:

• He recently met with a Boy Scout merit badge counselor and is working hard at getting the requirements for Star Scout completed. He should advance in the next couple of months. Ken and I are equally excited about this achievement. 
• He recently checked out a kindle from his school and all of the sudden is interested in reading! hooray for that! [ps, It was an old school kindle that only has the ability to display books. I know he wasn't playing angry birds. :)]
• He's also a great help to me at home while I'm there and away.

Anna:

• She has started bringing home readers from school and you should hear her read! Although many of the words are still a struggle for her, she has the energy and excitement that is contagious. She smiles so brightly all you can see are dimples.
• She recently went through all [I am leaving this bullet here because it is proof I am getting old. In the middle of this sentence I got sidetracked for a minute. When I came back I had no idea what I was going to say, and still don't. boo.]
• Anna helps out a lot at home. Mostly by letting the kids know when they haven't completed their chores and by informing me of important information such as if someone hits or takes her toys. It's a huge assistance to me.
• She's the best sidekick. Ever.

Ken:

• Single parent extraordinaire. He does so much at night and I love it because he gets it now. Being home with the kids by yourself is a tough job, and he accomplishes it 5 nights a week.
• Work is going well.
• He recently went to Utah to confirm his nephew after his baptism. He said he had a good visit.
• I love him. Mucho. and appreciate him so much!

Dedra:

• Working 40 hours a week swing and or graveyard.
• Trying to finish a project here and there. Lately said projects include laundry and wiping counters. It's not as fulfilling as a quilt or something.
• I got to go to the temple with my Dad last Friday while Ken was in Utah. I hadn't been in a few months and I loved it and needed it badly.
• I'd really like a nap porfavor.

The best news:

• The adoption attorney is getting all our money now! Being broke never felt so great.

So that's about it! I hope you are doing well.

this post is linked up with CMQ Finish it up Friday.

Have a great weekend.

ttfn

one last christmas post...

Each year we all get a new [matching] ornament to hang on the tree. This year it was our initials.  K D N M A. Those are our initials. 

I would put them all over the tree and then someone sneaky would spell words with them. Familiar words are:

• mad
• man
• and
• an 

But what was the most common word I found?

see below.

potty mouths. 

I'm not going to lie. I think it's funny.  [that's why i took the picture]

Tis the Season...

Nicole and I worked on a puzzle for a whole week. We finished it last Thursday.  While we were working on said puzzle, two of my friends posted finished puzzle photos on their blogs. Tis the season to do a puzzle I suppose.

This is the largest puzzle I've ever worked on [2000 pieces] and I have to say, it was about 400 pieces too big.  I was mentally done with it when we had 483 pieces left.  Yes, I counted the pieces.  and made them in a grid on the counter. and organized them according to shape. shut up.

So without further babbling...here's our puzzle!

If you want to see my friends' puzzles, click here and here.  ttfn!