Finish It Up Friday!

 This week I've been making a lot of small things. I have needed some instant gratification.

I made 10 bias tapes.

I love this superman pin cushion!

 9 patches are my favorite.

 4 patches are Gina's favorite.

I had extra fabric I have no plans for, so I turned it into quilt binding. I'll be making more in the near future.

I have loved making these little things so much, I have decided to put some of them in my Etsy Shop. I figure if I love fancy bias tapes and bindings, there have to be other people out there who love it too. The difference is, I love making them as well! Check my shop out. Like something on it and I'll check yours out too!

Have a great weekend!

This block is linked up with CMQ Finish it up Friday.

Word Crimes

I am sitting here listening to Weird Al, and being influenced by his music. I am also admiring his beautifully straight teeth. The thought came to me, your reader wants to know a couple grammatical errors that bug you. 

Dear Reader, 

Here are a couple grammatical errors that bug me:

Hope that helps. Although this is a complete sentence, it is not saying what many people think. It is a directive. You are telling someone to have hope in some kind of process.  I hope that helps. This is expressing hopefulness that you have done something to assist or better the person you are speaking to. It could also mean you are witnessing something being tried, which you hope will help. Take possession of your encouraging words, Reader.

Here is a picture of Ken and I. [This is incorrect.]  Here is a picture of Ken and me. [This is correct.] You may think it sounds incorrect; to check it, leave out the person you are doing the activity with. Here is a picture of I. Here is a picture of me. Me is the winner.

You are welcome, Reader. Thank you for stopping by. Please bring me some cookies.

Dedra

PS, I do not claim to an expert. The hidden message of this post is about the kettle calling the pot black. There will be a beautiful irony if I have missed errors in this post.

http://youtu.be/8Gv0H-vPoDc

Stuff and Things, summer 2014 edition.

Our summer was filled with roadtrips, camps, and day trips. It felt like we were on the move the entire time. Here are a few things we did over our break from escuela.

• Nicole and Matthew went to EFY in Logan, Utah
• Anna attended summer school filled with field trips and fun activities
• Kate came to visit for a weekend.
• We had family pictures taken.
• I saw my brother, Garen.
• Nicole and Matthew went on Trek, Anna hung out with Mom and Dad.
• Anna got baptized.
• Matthew went to Scout camp.
• Nicole went to Girl's camp.
• Ken changed jobs and then changed back.
• My Dad came a few times and spent the night.
• I canned over 300 jars of fruit, salsa, green sauce, and soup. (I am still canning. Everyday.)
• We had flu bugs, poison ivy, allergic reactions, and a dislocated knee. By we, I mean The Boy.
• Ken and I went to two Rainier baseball games.
• We had out second annual s'more party.
• My garden flourished.
• I took a break from Facebook.
• I spray painted an old ugly bar stool turquoise.
• I made my kids run a 5k every single day they wanted internet access on their electronic devises. There was a lot of running this summer. 
• I also made them practice the piano and read everyday.

I think that's a good list. Here's a few pictures for your viewing pleasure.

 Some nature shots.

 I am sad summer is over!

While Kate was here.  We didn't have a lot of time so we packed every waking minute with adventure. We went to the Pacific Ocean, the Goonie's house, the high school in the Twilight movies, Tumwater Falls, Nisqually Wildlife Refuge, and she even sang in the Stake Choir for our conference.

We stopped by Garen's while we were over on the coast. This picture looks really innocent, but Garen is actually holding on for dear life. He felt his life coming to an abrupt end as I hiked his leg up there. My smile is sincere.

 He's happy to have both feet on the ground again.

 A candid shot from our family pictures.

One of our favorite missionaries went home. Elder Price. We could be cousins!

Anna's Best Day Ever.

Here are a few fun facts about Anna's special day.

• Her brand new pink dress I made for her was ruined in the wash the night before. Beyond repair.
• The morning of her baptism I realized she didn't have any white toonies to wear.
• Ken burned his arm so severely we were worried he may not be able to baptize Anna.
• Anna proclaimed today was the first time in her life she had ever been excited. (She has indeed had several dress rehearsals leading up to this great day.)
• I went to Target at 8am to buy toonies and first aide gauze.
• I also bought a candy bar and a diet Pepsi
• We made it to the church right on time, despite our hiccups.
• Anna was one of two little ladies who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-day Saints today in our stake. The service was beautiful, as were those ladies.
• She had to be dunked twice. The second time was swift and deep. There was no question her baptism was completely by immersion. Think Alma and Helam...almost
• Ken, mi Fadre, Bishop Erickson, and Ray Shoop participated in Anna's confirmation.

Green Thumb?

I have a few things I'm pretty good at. I can hold my own in the kitchen, with a sewing machine, and I'm not afraid of a long road trip as the solo driver. I am terrible at keeping plants alive. I did alright when we lived in Kansas because is was hot enough there, if I opened the curtains and remembered to water (our Christmas cactus names Stan) once every two or three months, I was good.  He even bloomed! Sadly, he met his demise on the move to Washington four years ago. He cooked in the car. Lame. RIP Stan.

Somehow, because we've had great weather and I've delegated the watering to Nicole, our garden is awesome. Check it out! We have strawberries, carrots, brussel sprouts, sunflowers, pumpkins, tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, cabbage, onions, zucchini and chili peppers growing.  I have never had fruit on a pepper plant before, and we have 4 thriving plants this year.

This garden is in our front yard because we are ghetto like that.

Zucchinis. This is the first year we've had fruit on our zucchini plants and they are one of the only guaranteed grows in Washington...in my opinion.

So, our garden is exciting. I'll can the tomatoes this year into harvest soup, once they are ready. 

My next order of business is this little beauty.

I've recently acquired her and her name is Sally. She's on the bottom bunk, but has serious personal space issues. The top plant is my trusty Aloe Vera plant, Thelma. Sally and I have a history. She's older than me. I almost killed her when I was 6 years old. For real.  My mom had this plant, and the macrame she lives in, before I was born and my Dad gave her to me. If you were ever in my home growing up, you may have seen this plant. In the house my Dad lives in now, it was in my parents room, but most of my friends ended up in my parents room, so it's possible. Sally. I love her. Anna loves her too. That is why she will inherit her when I die.

Check out my red wall. I painted that today. I'm still deciding if it gets to stay. The verdict will come in August when I paint my kitchen and front room.

I digress.

I need help keeping her alive. Do you have house plants in your home? How do you make them thrive? (I just wrote a poem there. Well, it's poetic anyway.)

I Like and I Like, But Not Together

This idea was stolen right off of a friend's Facebook wall.

• I like artichoke hearts and I like chocolate chip cookies, but not together.
• I like Diet Pepsi and I like an occasional night time sleep aid, but not together.
• I like making bread and I like playing the piano, but not together.
• I like reading a book and I like listening to music, but not together.
• I like painting my fingernails and I like pulling weeds but not together.

I think that's all for this time, but I'm going to think of more.

Here is a funny thing I saw lately..It's funny to me because I hate parks.

Confessions From a Church Pew

In my life I have:

• gotten the attention of a sibling or child by tapping them with a sacrament tray.
• pinched a child to make them cry so I could leave the meeting.
• worn two different shoes to church, three weeks in a row.
• made up my own words or sang my own tune to hymns being sung during sacrament meeting.
• taken two pieces of bread smushed together. (I was a young child, but I did it every week for a year or so. I never got caught.)
• cried while someone shared a happy story from the pulpit.
• laughed while someone shared a sad story from the pulpit.
• eaten all the treats I brought to church for my children to eat.
• removed that child from a meeting.  You know the one, the parent takes their child out while he is yelling for the Bishop to save him.
• witnessed people making out or come close to making out during church.
• watched a Deacon eat more sacrament bread from his tray than he passed out...week after week. (He had special needs.)
• heard a soda can opening during a quiet--serious part of fast and testimony meeting.
• heard Amazing Grace sung acapella from the pulpit as a testimony after the singer declared the Holy Spirit had taken him over. (It was AWESOME btw.)
• held an 18 month old in my lap while he slammed his head into the pew in front of him repeatedly.
• never slept through a meeting since I was old enough to stay awake. (age 29 was the magic age.)
• driven to church when I lived three blocks and walked when I was over a mile.
• had a lot of good laughs while thinking to myself and silently thanking Heavenly Father "I'm glad that's not my child."

Finish It Up Friday....Backlogged.

I've had a few finishes over the past few weeks but I keep on forgetting to blog about them. So here goes, a photo dump of things I've made. At the time of construction, I felt they were each worthy projects to complete instead of doing household chores.

I love this scrappy little apron. I've worn it almost everyday since I finished it.

My Dad chose this bright orange fabric and I told him he will look like an inmate if he wears it. What better inmate to advertise than Jean Val Jean. Who is he? 24601. Also, take special note of my cooperative model. I love her.

My cooperative model is more cooperative when she is showing off something for herself. 

We had a service auction for our Relief Society Meeting this month and it was AWESOME. This is one of the blankets I made. I had so much fun going through my fabric and using up some of the stuff I'd been hoarding saving for a good unknown cause, as well as using up stuff I received recently in the mail from Kate. I also loved that I didn't have to go to the store for one thing to complete the items I donated.

Nicole grew tired of her school backpack.  This bag is a lot bigger than it looks. Notice it's almost as wide as two leaves in our table.

Another item for the service auction.

A Wristlet keychain, copycat from Thirty-one gifts. I love how scrappy it is.

Another Service Auction item.

That's enough for one post. I've been sewing a lot lately. It's keeping me from eating chocolate in my closet, taking long naps, and going totally crazy. Sometimes that happens. All in a day. Maybe for weeks at a time.   This post brought to you by Diet Pepsi and Night Time Sleep Aids. Not at the same time.

Also, just for fun, here are a few funny things I've seen on Pinterest lately.

Enjoy your day and Happy Memorial Day Weekend! Now go clean someone's grave off.

A few facts about my darlings.

When I ask my children what they are eating, they open their mouths and show me their chewed up food.

I asked my two oldest if they found flashlights for a party they were going to and they both powered them on and shined them in my face.

If someone comes in with blood and I ask what happened, they recreate a fall, a punch or hair pulling--hurting themselves twice instead of just once.

To tattle about a bad word, they repeat the bad word.

If I ask if they're ready for church, they strike a pose and start walking like models.

If I ask them if their chores are done, they have no idea and have go and look to see if anyone did them yet.

I love them

A Little Conversation during FHE.

Last night during FHE we did an activity where we said one nice thing about each person in the family. Anna was first, so we went around the table and everyone said something nice about her. Then we went to Matthew, then Nicole...you get the idea. When it was my turn, this is what we were graced with...

Matthew: I'm thankful for Mom because after Nicole and Anna are in bed each night I sneak into her room and sleep between her and Dad. Then she lets me make a special bed on her floor and I watch movies in her room every night. (This is one big fat lie, just in case you were wondering.)

Nicole: I want to do that!

Matthew: Nope you can't. It's what I'm thankful for. You can't because I'm the baby.

Anna: You're not the baby. I'm the baby.

Matthew: Hisses at Anna like an angry cat.

Nicole: Can I watch a movie in your room tonight?

Me: No. Matthew doesn't get to either.

Matthew: Yes I do, more cat hissing.

Me: Matthew, you know that wasn't true. Try again.

Matthew: I'm thankful for Mommy because she likes me the best.

Nicole: I'm thankful for Mom because I'm her favorite.

Matthew: NO! Mom gave birth to me, Dad helped. (Note to Self...review conception and gestation, labor and delivery with the boy.)

Nicole: Yeah, second.

Matthew: I'm the favorite.

Nicole: Mom and Dad have loved me longer...10 1/2 months longer.

Moving on......

Anna: I'm thankful for Mom because she takes care of everyone.

We ended it there. Ken was working late and I was working so hard at not laughing, we just had to stop.

Memory Monday

I just finished up the worst blog challenge ever so please forgive me for posting a YouTube video today.

Here are a few facts for you:

• When I was in junior high, my brother Ryan worked at Pietro's Pizza in Bremerton. 
• The uniform consisted of a shirt that said Pietro's, jeans, a hat, and a red apron that tied at the waist.
• Ryan had/has no shame.
• During this time, a new song by an artist who was sure to make it big came out with his first hit. 
• His infamous name was Right Said Fred.
• Dad hates Right Said Fred.
• Ryan can't sing.
• Ryan can't dance.

There was something magical about all these facts, when you clumped them all together. Here's how it would go...

The radio at the kids end of the hall was loud. Ryan got ready for work at the same time each day. Like all radio stations, you only have to listen for a short time to hear that song they over play.  Dad would get home, the song would come on and Ryan, who was fresh out of the shower would walk/dance around the house in a towel or with two of those little red aprons on--one tied in the front, one in the back--and he's sing I'm Too Sexy. (Think Prancercise) Dad would tell us to turn the radio down. Gina and I would tell Ryan to put clothes on. Mom would threaten to take that towel one day, while she sat on the couch and laughed. 

A few more little bits of info.

• Dad still hates this song, as far as we know.
• Gina had this song set as Dad's ring tone when he calls.
• Ryan also used to get dressed in the laundry room.
• After a very unfortunate event when I was in 6th grade, I started knock on the laundry room door before entering, just in case.
• There are some things that can't be unseen.
• Right Said Fred was a one hit wonder.
• Any song would suffice if I'm Too Sexy wasn't on the radio. No song would also suffice. Haha. 

Gee-Whiz Collection.

Here's some info I thought you'd probably want to add to your gee-whiz collection.

• I was at my friends house a few weeks ago and her son threw their cat at her. I can now say I know someone who had a cat thrown at them.
• One of my kids came in my room, got in my bed and then said to me (completely unsolicited), 'Your four-head isn't that big!' Um...thank you?
• My favorite quote during the Olympics..."I know they are trained to spin in circles, I just don't understand how they're trained not to throw up." (Ice Skaters)
• My upper lip doesn't curve when I smile. This causes my smiles to look fake and adds to my lack of good first impression syndrome.
• I'm going to make myself 4 or 5 aprons which I will start wearing everyday as part of my stay at home mom uniform. I spill crap stuff on myself All The Time. 
• I am not well read in the Bible. I am trying to remedy that by reading this Bible this year. It's part of my crazy scripture reading goals. A few weeks ago during Stake Conference, the mission president was talking about Saul in the Bible. As he started talking about him, I was so happy because I had read exactly what he was talking about that morning! Then he said, "And of course we all know that Saul turns into Paul." WHAT?!!! Spoiler Alert!! I hadn't gotten that far and I did not know that. I was a little sad that he'd told me what comes next. I do realize however, I was probably the only person in the whole congregation who didn't know that. I blame being in Primary for 57 years as part of the reason.
• I really love writing lists, post it notes, sharpees and rulers.
• I really hate cats.
• and snakes
• and raspberries, raisins, and papercuts
• I actually already have the topic for my Relief Society lesson in July. Amazing! I don't figure out what I'm teaching normally until I stand up to teach the lesson. For Real.
• I ate a banana and strawberries with Nutella for dinner tonight...
• ...in my bed.
• I have already written a Memory Monday that will post tomorrow. I'm pretty happy with it. 
• Here is a link to one of my favorite Memory Mondays I've ever written.  It is so worth rereading. For Reals.
• I think that is enough for one night.
• You're welcome.

Day Twenty Three: A Song I Cannot Stand Listening To.

I hate the Christmas Shoes. I'm not going to link it. You can look it up on YouTube if you're that curious. It. Is. The. Worst!!

I also hate Christmas in the Northwest. You'll have to look that one up yourself too.


Also, this is the last day of my challenge. I could not come up with songs for the last ones, so I'm cutting my losses. You are welcome.

Day Twenty Two: A Song Someone Has Sung to Me.

I had this song sung to me this morning!

Eensy Weensy Spider  by Inside Out Acapella.  Please please please click on this link! It is awesome!

Day Twenty One: My Favorite Song.

Some of these challenges are so generic I just have to go with the first song I can think of. By the way, there are only 5 more days of this challenge, which I totally hate, and then it will be over. I'm sorry for the lameness of this blog, especially if you are receiving them in an email.

At this very moment I love Ho Hey by the Lumineers. Since I already posted a variation of that song, I will use my favorite song on a playlist I listen to.

How by Regina Spektor

Stuff and Things.

• I vow to never do another song challenge on my blog. Ever again. 
• I asked Nicole and Matthew how 1 Nephi 1:1 begins and Matthew started to quote the Gettysburg Address. Four score and seven years ago...
• I've been oil pulling for a month now. I recommend it. It's pretty granola, if you know what I mean. You'll have to look it up and study it for yourself. It does work though. My sinuses are so much better and my teeth are whiter.
• I had to tell Matthew to quit licking the car again.
• Anna refers to Nephi's pesky brothers as Laman and Lemon. (Lemuel)
• Did you know there is no reference to Jesus Christ in the book of Esther? Weird, right? Not one!
• I taught Relief Society on Sunday. I love it when the lesson finally comes together.
• I currently have four quilts I'm working on. There are random blocks on my WIP (Works in Progress) wall right now. It's pretty.
• My favorite card game right now is Golf. Matthew and I play it everyday.
• I'm a quarter of the way through the Book of Mormon for the third time this year. I'm loving my personal goals this year. 
• I'm tired of my friends moving away.
• Ken started a new job on Monday. He's commuting to Buckley until next Friday, then he'll be working 25 minutes from home. 
• I made our reservations for spring break. I'm taking my children camping for a week.
• Ken told Anna she was a good kid and she told him she's a child not a kid. I'm trying to stop saying kid(s). I rarely speak of goats.
• Ryan speaks of goats. He also buys then at auctions.
• I tell all my kids children they are my favorite when we are visiting one on one. I tell them not to tell anyone else.
• Ken is really my favorite. Don't tell anyone.
• I'm over the rainy season. I'm ready for some sunshine and some time at the lake.
• Nicole has a choir concert in a week or so and she got one of the solos. She is so excited. That girl loves to sing. I love that girl!
• I made homemade pizzas on flat bread pitas for dinner tonight. They were delicious.
• The picture below is of Nicole and Anna, both in Kindergarten. I love how they resemble each other. It's such a blessing.

Day Twenty: The Last Song Alphabetically in My iPhone.

Please click here for the link if you are reading this in an email.

Day Nineteen: The First Song Alphabetically in my iPhone.

Click the link here if you are reading this on an email.

Day Eighteen: A Song I Love But Rarely Hear.

This one is tricky. Songs I don't hear very often I forget about until they come on the radio. Luckily for me, I heard on this weekend. Miranda Lambert, The House That Built Me. I love this song and it makes me cry a little. It's sentimental and nostalgic in a way, even though it doesn't mirror my growing up life at all.

Click here for the link if you are reading this in an email.

Day Seventeen: A Song That Makes Me Want To Dance.

I have no rhythm.  I can not dance. There aren't very many songs out there that make me want to dance, but there are many that get my feet tapping. Any song that has some sort of a line dance sequence makes me feel like I'd have a fighting chance of learning it. I'm still awkward though. This song has a nice beat, because it's a parody of a song that people dance to. Weird Al is ten times more cool that Miley Cyrus could ever hope to be. When we listen to this song in the car, I find myself doing the robot. You're welcome for that visual.




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Day Sixteen: A Song That Has Made Me Cry.

R.E.M. Everybody hurts
Click here for the link if you are reading this in an email.

Day Fifteen: A Song I Love Singing Along To.

Here are a few fun facts for you.

• I love to sing.
• I am not a good singer.
• I sing along to virtually every song I hear on the radio.
• If you turn the radio up and then sing at the top of your lungs, you sounds exactly like the artist on the radio. exactly .
• When we are in the car, everyone sings every song we hear on the radio.
• Sometimes it's impossible to pick just one favorite!

This is the first one I could think of so it's the winner winner of the chicken dinner.
Mockingbird by Toby and Krystal Keith.

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Day Fourteen: A Song That Reminds Me of My Boyfriend

I love my boyfriend, Neil Diamond.

Click here if you are reading this from an email.

Day Thirteen: A Song That Reminds Me of a Former Friend.

There was a girl I was friends with for easily 2/3 of my life. There are memories of her everywhere I go. It was a hard lesson to learn that such a precious friendship could be severed over such a trivial thing, but I've learned it. This song is dedicated to my former friend, who I still love very much and would still do anything for.

Click here for the link if you are reading this on an email.

Day Twelve: The Last Song I Heard

This one's pretty easy. I don't even have to give a real description. Sweet!

ps, I don't think is a real song, but I have watched it about 40 times. I love it so much.

Rapper Delight by Brian Williams.
 Click here for a link if you are reading this in an email.

Just for fun, I'm listening to another "Song" I thought I'd share. Is for fun.

Day Eleven: A Song on the Soundtrack of Your Favorite Movie

Have you seen Pitch Perfect? You probably shouldn't watch it. I haven't seen it in a long time because I'm trying to improve myself, bla bla bla... For real.  I like this song. I like all 'try out' scenes in movies. They're typically funny. Fat Amy. Is. The Best. She is acca amazing.

Since You've Been Gone from the movie Pitch Perfect

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Day Ten: A Song By My Favorite Band.

This one is a hard one for me! I was talking to my Dad on the phone the other day and I told him that he and mom gave their kids a serious disservice. They introduced us to so much music, so many different genres, it's impossible to narrow down a favorite...song, band, or genre. There is too much good stuff out there!  I have two songs. Are you surprised?! I picked the first one because the name of their group actually has the word "band" in it's title. The second one because who doesn't love them (and their lead singer in this song!)? Seriously, they are the best.  Is anyone else as exicted as I am that Jimmy Fallon has taken over the Tonight Show!?

As She's Walking Away -- Zac Brown Band

The Weight -- Jimmy Fallon and The Muppets  Watch this one for sure! Animal is hilarious.
Click here and here for the links if you are reading this in an email.

Ryan's Blog
Gina's Blog

Day Nine: A Song That Makes Me Feel Hopeful

I don't have a song that gives me hope. Here is the song I currently hope to hear on the radio, when I'm driving in the car.

Drink A Beer by Luke Bryan

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Day Eight: A Song That Reminds Me of My First Love.

I've thought about this post for over a week. This specific post. I've got nothing! Through out my school years I had a few crushes. I didn't have one friend who was a boy, from my past, who is linked to music. Not one. I only love Ken. I know that sounds super cheesy, but he's seriously the best person for me. We are friends. I like him.

Then I thought back further, to when I was a little girl. I'd play with my baby dolls and dream of being a mom and of getting married.  I'm sure it wasn't in that order. I didn't know who I was going to marry, but there is a definite song that comes to my mind when I recall my first memories of being excited to have a wedding. When it would come on the radio, we changed the words chapel of love to temple of
God and it was my mantra. I guess now we've hit super cheesy. I can't be the only girl who did this.

Going to the Chapel  The Dixie Cups

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Day Seven: A Song That Reminds Me of Last Summer.

I'm not going to lie. I watch Glee. I've been a fan from almost the very beginning and I've seem every episode at least twice, some more than 5 times. Last summer, when Corey Monteith died, I rewatched a lot of my favorite episodes he's in. This song is from one of my favorite episodes, and it's for sure one of my favorites 'Finn' sang. Watch this video. It's great!!

Marry You originally from Bruno Mars, covered by Corey Monteith.


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Ryan's Blog
Gina's Blog