Family Motto

After much deliberation, we have decided on our Family Motto. I've been saying this for years, but it only recently occurred to me to use it as our family's motto. Here it is:

Love is a Verb and Happiness is a Choice.

Very simple and very true.

A Note on Love:

So many people think that Love is a feeling. It's not. It is a verb. And an action verb at that. When Christ said to "Love One Another" he did not mean for us to just feel love for everybody. We are supposed to put that love into action. You may not feel love towards everybody, but you have to show love to everyone. How do you do that?? There are many ways. Being kind, courteous, and polite shows love. Helping out, serving others, smiling, visiting, sharing, and on and on and on. There are a million ways to put LOVE into Action!

A Note on Happiness:

Again, many people think that happiness is just a feeling that you have no control over. As if it were some extraneous thing, just out of reach, unless someone brings it to you. NO!!! Happiness is an attitude; one that you have complete control over. Sure, things can come along to make it difficult to be happy. There are many trials in this life that can bring you low. But even amidst your greatest trials, you can have a good attitude. It's a choice. And it's YOUR responsibility. No one but YOU can make YOU happy. I have heard many people complain that they are not happy because this is going on or that is happening. Or they don't have this or that. When I hear comments like that, I just chuckle inside because I think of Job or the Pioneers or Miss Corrie Ten Boom's Sister. They had severe trials, yet each of them chose to have a good attitude, be grateful for those things they did have, and to Be Happy. They are great examples of choosing Happiness.

(Now this does not apply to people who have depression. That is a separate issue entirely. And deciding not to have depression...well, the idea that you can just decide to not have depression anymore is just silly!)

A Note on Punctuation:

At first, I ended the motto with an exclamation point. After thinking it over, I decided a period would be more appropriate. A period indicates that this sentence is a statement. And that is how I'd like my family to think of our motto...as a statement.

Walkie-Talkie Lingo

Ksssshhhhh! Come in. Breaker. Breaker. Kssshhh.
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This is Sarah Blue. We have a go for "Operation: Get Released From Nursery". I repeat, "Operation: Get Released From Nursery" is a go. Over.
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10-4 good neighbor. Over and out.
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Ramblings and News

One of the bad things about moving is leaving all your good friends behind.

I left my friends a year ago. Then I spent several months in transition and most recently have been trying to get my own home decorated and in order. Basically, I haven't had much time for socializing. I've met many wonderful women, but I haven't made that "great" friend yet. Hold on. Let me rephrase that. I probably have met the great friend, I just haven't had time to develop a "great" friendship yet.

Alright, so what does this have to do with my blog? Well, since I don't yet have that great friend to share all my good news, funny stories, weird experiences, etc. with, I've decided to share them here. I've been brimming over with a few good news items and if I don't let them out soon, I am likely to explode and spill my guts to some random stranger in the grocery store who casually asks How I Am. So, to avoid the embarrassment and awkwardness that would surely follow such an explosion, I will instead spill my guts here, where I know a few of the friends I left behind still visit me.

Good News!

1. I earned my Teaching Certificate this summer! Yahoo! I am now certified to teach K - 12 Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS). For those who don't know, FACS covers eight areas:

a. Human Development

b. Family and Human Relations

c. Clothing, Textiles, and Fashion Merchandising

d. Nutrition and Food Preparation

e. Facility Management, Housing, and Interior Design

f. Consumer Economics, Family Resources, Personal Finance, and Family Financial Management

g. Food Production and Culinary Arts

h. Child Development

I could teach any of these subjects. It's very exciting. I was sorely tempted to apply for two open positions in our High School District. One was Culinary Arts and the other was Fashion Design. Fortunately, my good sense (Hubby) kicked in and reminded me that I had already committed to other projects that would interfere with a full-time teaching position. Whatever. I'm just super-excited that I finally have the certificate in my hands!

2. What commitments do I have? Children? A house to run? Psh. Those are easy! No, my commitment is to JoAnn's. I was hired on as an Independent Contractor to teach Sewing and Quilting Classes. Aaaaah!!! Can you believe it?!?! I'm going to be teaching sewing and quilting. And I'll get paid for it! I'm on their calendar starting November 1. In the meantime, I am working on sewing up samples for display in the store. I'm also trying to time myself-how long each step takes to complete, figure out the order I'll teach the sewing steps in, what items should be sent home as homework, and all that fun stuff.

Sewing Classes I will be teaching in November & December:

a. Kid's Sewing 101 - Pillow Case

b. Teen Sewing 101 - Wristlet (a little handbag)

c. Sewing 101 - Pillow Case

d. Sewing 102 - Reusable Gifts Bags

e. Sewing 201- Fleece Vest

f. Sewing 201 - Fleece Robe



Quilting Classes I will be teaching in November & December:

a. Quilting 101 - Hole in the Barn Door Block

b. Quilting 201 - Mini-Quilt Coaster Set

c. Quilting 202 - Steps Through My Garden Quilt

The January/February Calendar will include different items, sent down by the JoAnn bigwigs. In addition to whatever classes they want taught, I will be adding a Trend class of my own...A Stack-and-Slash Baby Quilt. Again, it's very exciting because I LOVE sewing and quilting.

If you live in my town and want to sign up for one of the classes I'll be teaching, call me up and I'll let you know which classes on the schedule are mine. :) OH! And once a month, at JoAnn's Open House, classes are Half-Price! Next open house is September 12.

3. Hubby and I are officially Licensed as Foster Parents. We finished all the paperwork and home inspections in June, by late July we were Licensed, and on Saturday, August 8 we welcomed a 16-year old girl into our home. That's Right! I am now the Mother of a Teenage Girl! Hahaha! Can you believe it?

Last week I went to her High School to meet with a few of her teachers. Funniest thing happened. As Miss Q (our new girl's pseudonym) introduced me as her Mom, one of the female teacher's eyes opened big as saucers and her jaw fell open. Awkward! Female teacher, trying to cover for herself, then said "It's just that you look so young to have a teenage daughter." Haha! I didn't tell her that Miss Q was our Foster Daughter because 1. It's none of her business (I'm not being rude, it's a matter of confidentiality) and 2. If Miss Q wants to introduce me as Mom, then that's who I am. I told Hubby about it later and we figured for us to biological parents to a 16-year old, he would have been 18 and I would have been 15 when that child was born. Yowser!

4. All the rooms in my home are painted, except the Master Bedroom, Master Bath, Hallway, and Laundry Room. The good news is that Hubby, now free from "Into the Woods", has agreed to paint them himself.

5. After much searching and long debates with myself, I have finally decided which quilt pattern to use for my Sister-In-Law's quilt. It's called "Making History". I found it in the Fall/Winter 2008 Quilt Sampler magazine. It uses a Martha Washington star block and a sawtooth star block. Of course, I have to finish my JoAnn samples before I can start on SIL's quilt. Oh, and I need to make Miss Q a quilt and finish BabyCakes quilt. But at least I have the pattern for SIL's quilt figured out. ;)

6. My Sister V came to visit me and she brought her fancy hair cutting scissors. V was nice enough to give myself and all five kids a nice haircut. Hooray!

Bad News

1. The summer heat has killed my apricot tree and white hibiscus plant. I tried to save them, but they just couldn't stand the heat. :( The other fruit trees, hibiscus, and citrus seem to be coping alright. They just have to last another month then the weather will start to cool off.

2. I have been fighting a seriously debilitating ear infection. It has made my whole face, head, and neck ache and pound. It has made me dizzy and nauseous. And it has thrown off my already-shaky balance. As a result, I have many bumps and bruises all over my body from running into walls, posts, doors, or just plain falling down. I see my ENT for an eval tomorrow. Hopefully, he can get everything figured out. :(

3. Can tops hate me. I have a heavy-duty can opener for my year supply. It is fantastic opening #10 cans. It is stinky at opening regular grocery sized cans. It always skips and leaves two spots unopened. In my attempt to open one such can, I sliced my right thumb top clean open. It was awful. It sliced down into my nail. The length of the cut was about 1 1/2 inches, the depth about 1/4 inch...thankfully. Any deeper and I would have needed some heavy stitching. Yuck! As it was, I just lost a lot of blood as the wound spurted all over my kitchen. Later I had a lovely gaping hole on the top of my thumb that stung like the dickens whenever air touched it. I procured this wound just in time to fill out all the registration papers for my kids to attend school. Yay!

The next can-hating incident occurred only a few days later. I was being extra careful, trying to avoid injuring myself again. Psh. Totally didn't work! This time I sliced my right palm directly under my index finger. The can lid sliced clear through the skin...in part. It was nasty and did cause me great pain. Hubby has volunteered to open all my cans from now on. That would be a nice offer, if he wasn't gone so much working. I can't wait for him to open cans for me. Joe said he would open them, but there is no way! I'm too paranoid now to let my sweet innocent five-year old son battle cans for me. I need to buy a different can opener, but that would involve driving and what with my dizziness from the ear infection, I am avoiding driving at all costs. :(

4. I did injure my tailbone...AGAIN!!! It's not the same bone I broke in December 2007. That bone was at the very end of the spine. No, this one is a few bones higher. I injured it while trying to distract BabyCakes during his haircut. Cakes was swinging his arms about and accidentally got my chin. Well, that was pretty funny, so he swung for me again. Ouch. My face must have been hilarious, because he decided to use both fists to get my chin again. I was sitting on a little stool at the time. I shoved the stool back and planned on plopping my buns onto it, out of Cakes' reach, but I slid the stool too far back. Instead of sitting, I slammed the top part of my bum down HARD onto the tile bathroom floor. It was awful!! The pain shot all the way down to my ankles and up to my neck. And not just pain. There were also weird tinglings and then a kind of numbness settled over my body, so that I was still in a ton of pain but completely unable to move any part of my body. That lasted for several minutes. Finally I was able to move, so I crawled out of the bathroom and tried to lay down. That hurt even worse.

I thought it would quit hurting after a day, but no. So I went to the ER to have it checked out. The ER wasn't super busy, but was still a long wait. I had to be at the bus stop by Noon to meet Joe and the treatment for a broken tailbone is the same for a bruised one...ice it and take some Tylenol. (There's really not much they can do when you're stupid enough to hurt your bum. :-( ) Anyhoo, since the treatment would be the same and I needed to get out of the ER pronto, I opted not to have the x-rays done. So I don't know the exact extent of the damage I caused nor the exact bone I injured. But after living with the pain and discomfort for the last week and a half, I'm pretty sure I broke it. Hmm. Maybe I can go to the local imaging place and have them take an x-ray. They're pretty quick...

Funny thing about the injured bum: We have a young gal called in our ward to play piano each Sunday. A couple hours before Church started the Sunday after my accident, she called to say she was sick and could I please fill in. I explained my predicament, she said "Ah" in understanding, then asked if I could still play. I guess I didn't explain well enough. Haha! I did play for her, but it was a killer getting up and down off that hard wooden bench.

Luckily for me, it was healed enough by this past Sunday that I could still do nursery all right. Although, there were a few times I thought about walking out and begging someone to take over for me. But I stuck to it and we all had fun.

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And that is the end of my news. Well, at least what I can remember. I was going to write about something weird that happened to me, but cannot remember what it was. Probably because I've been sitting down to long and can't concentrate when my bum is aching.

FYI I'm going to start posting my Good and Bad News occasionally. I need to get this stuff out so I don't explode to some random stranger and bore them with my life story. ;)

I AM VICTORIOUS!!!

I valiantly fought for many long months. Day in and day out I struggled, seeking any means whereby I might overcome my opponent. I studied battle tactics, invested in a variety of battle gear, and formulated many grand schemes. In the end it all boiled down to perseverance and determination, of which I have plenty.

During the final weeks of battle, I blasted nests numbers eight, nine, ten, and eleven. Casualties include one egg from nest and two eggs from nest eleven; their shells still litter my front planter. After eleven nests built and eleven nests destroyed, with nary a live chick to their names, the pigeon couple finally surrendered! They came back only once, to survey the damage and view their shattered eggs. Being the heartless shrew that I am, I quickly turned the firehouse on and chased them away from my house. They haven't returned.

At first, I feared they had found some loophole. Some trick in which they could sneak back into my eaves under detection. But no! (Unless they have magically turned invisible and turned their nest-building materials invisible. And if they have, that's okay because their poop turned invisible too!) They are GONE! And after waiting for four solid weeks, I think it is safe to declare myself Victorious! Shout the good news from the rooftops. My House is Pigeon Free!!! Join with me in celebration, for Today is a Glorious Day! Hoorah! Hoorah! Hoorah!!


Now if only I could get rid of the fire ants...

Simplicity Pattern # 5840

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Pattern # 5840 is described as "Unisex Hooded Capes and Men's Fantasy Costumes". I used View B to make one of the Witch's costumes for the Desert Pointe Production of Into the Woods. This costume is the Witch's Cloak. It is worn during the first act. The material was a black stretchy velvet. Beautiful, but a bit hard to work with. The first problem was that the right side of the fabric was so slippery that when I put the right sides together to cut out the pieces, the material kept shifting. The material also had a good bit of stretch to it, but didn't lay quite evenly. So each piece, although cut at the same time using the same pattern piece, was a slightly different size.

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The cutting problem was remedied by using silverware. Yep. You read that correctly. I dumped all of my knives and spoons onto the pattern top to keep the pattern piece in place while I was cutting. This technique worked marvelously!!! (thanks for the tip Mom!) The knives worked the best because they are flat and so hold things down evenly and firmly. But I didn't have enough knives to cover the entire pattern. Spoons were the next best thing. :)

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Once the pieces were cut I ran into the another problem with the material. It shed!! Fortunately, it only shed from the cut edges. I had little black fuzz all over my clothes and the stuff kept going up my nose and into my mouth when I breathed. Yuck! Fuzz in the airways is not a good thing for my allergy and asthmatic self.

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This costume was super-easy to make. The pattern was clear and easy to follow. There were only about eight pieces to work with. First, I attached the cloak front and back to a yoke at the shoulder seams. Second, I added the one-piece sleeves to either side. Third, I sewed the one side up from the cloak hem to the sleeve cuff. Fourth, I sewed up the other side. Fifth, I added the hood. At that point I could have hemmed the thing and been done. But since this is a fancy costume, I had a few more things to do...

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My sewing buddy. He sat in my lap during the entire process. It takes great skill to sew with a two-year-old on your lap. And I have great skill! Hahahaha! ;)

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Before I get into the extras, I need to clarify one of my sewing deviations. Head Honcho again brought me the pattern and material for this costume. I had a limited amount of fabric to work with. In order to get all the pieces cut from the black velvet, it was necessary to scale down the hood. I don't know if you can tell from the pattern picture, but their hood is quite pointy in the back. My hood has a smaller point and thus used less fabric. The hood is still large enough to cover the entire head and face when pulled down. Which is all I need the hood to do!

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First extra, embroidered ribbon. I lucked out when I found this ribbon. Silver and blue on a black background. Perfect for my witch's cloak. Subtle, yet beautiful. I used the ribbon to line the lower edges of the yoke in the front and back, the sleeve cuffs, and the hood's front edge. I used a small zigzag on top and bottom to attach the ribbon.

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After the ribbon was added, I hemmed all the raw edges. This material did not want to fold. Not at all! So I tossed the cloak into my sewing machine and rolled the raw edges to the inside as I went along, using a straight stitch. This technique worked fine.
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Second extra, snaps. Toward the end of Act One, the Witch changes from an ugly, old hag into a beautiful young woman. She will come onto stage wearing her beautiful red gown (under the cloak) and her ugly mask. The robe needed to completely conceal the gown until the change. Then it needed to come apart quickly for the big reveal. Snaps were the perfect solution. They are sturdy when snapped together, a small tug will pull them apart completely, and there are no loud sounds when they come apart.

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I used twelve black snaps, hand sewn in, down the entire length of the cloak's front. The first two are only an inch apart. The remaining ten are at five inch intervals. They are sewn in using a quadruple thickness of heavy duty polyester thread. Those babies aren't going anywhere!

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Close-up of the top snaps.

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A wider view of the snaps.
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The third, and final, extra was pockets. GIANT pockets. The Witch had pyrotechnics she had to carry. Plus an apple and a few other miscellaneous items. She needed wide, deep pockets. The funky texture of the black velvet came in very handy at this point. I stitched the pockets, made of a black cotton broadcloth, into the inside of the cloak. One of each side. The stitching did not show at all in the front! It just blended right in. Hooray!

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I used two straight lines to join the pockets to the cloak. To figure out the placement of each pocket, I put the cloak on myself and reached my arms into the opposite sides, gauging where it would be most comfortable and most easily accessible.

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Front View of the finished cloak.
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Back View of the finished cloak.
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Close-Up of hood and shoulders.
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I never got a picture of the Witch wearing this cloak. :( If you have one, please send it to me.

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I did get a picture of the costume waiting it's turn backstage. Can you see it peaking out?

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I needed a picture of someone wearing the costume, to show how it hangs. Rose volunteered to help. The sleeves and overall length of the cloak are intentionally too long. The length gives the garment a more mysterious feel and helps to hide more of the Witch's body.

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This costumes turned out so, SO well!!! It was a super-easy pattern and the result is perfect. I would definitely use this pattern again.

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When I saw the play and saw the Witch first come out wearing this cloak, the effect was magnificent. The Witch walked hunched over and this costume hung on her wonderfully! The black velvet gave a haggard appearance and the hang of the garment over her hunched form made her appear quite overweight. And then when she dropped the cloak and stood in her beautiful red gown, the difference was significant and breathtaking! It was complete WOW moment for the audience. I love WOW moments in plays. They make me happy! :)

Do's & Don'ts

DO get excited when Joe shows you the stuffed Kung Fu Pand he just won from the crane vending game at Peter Piper Pizza, where his T-ball team is celebrating the end of the Little League season. Afterall, it is an amazing feat to win a toy from those crane machines! Especially on the first try.

DO smile and wave as he runs off to play another game.

DON'T freak out when a little girl comes running to you, yelling that your son is stuck inside one of the games.

DON'T knock over any little kids as you race to save your son.

DON'T stop to wonder why Joe's teammates are yelling at him to hurry and warning him that his Mom is coming.

DO stop to wonder when (as you round the corner) Joe's teammates yell "Hide!", drop several stuffed animals to the floor, run off without a backward glance, and hide behind other games.

DO ask your son why he is lying in front of the crane vending machine.

DO NOT freak out as your son explains that he just climbed out of the machine because the crane wasn't working for his teammates and how that wasn't fair, so he climbed inside the machine to get toys for them.

DO NOT , I repeat, DO NOT, no matter how tempting it may be, ask your son to climb back into the machine again just so you can see it yourself and maybe snap a picture or two. Seriously! Don't do it!

DON'T laugh or crack a smile while trying to expain to the boy why it's wrong to climb into the machine and take toys, even though you agree with him that it isn't fair that the machine doesn't work everytime and that it wasn't fair that he got a toy but not his friends.

DO feel free to laugh about it later while explaining to Hubby.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 6/12/2009 AT 10:00 AM

Silly Things Said...

Joe has been saying the funniest things lately. I've been keeping track for the last month, trying my best to remember the exact words he used.


1. In the paint store, two men were standing next to us in line and started speaking Spanish. My son pipes up, "Hola! Uno, Dos. That's all the Spanish I know, but my mom, she is learning Spanish at her class and she knows what you are saying."


The men just stared at him. Dumbfounded. And a little worried. Hmm. I wonder exactly what they were saying. ;)



2. At home, I tell him he can have X snack or Y snack. He says, "Oh, you can decide. I'll take whichever one you want me to have."


To which I reply, "You're the one who'll eat it, so you pick."


Him, slightly disgusted and trying to be patient, "Mom, I am letting you pick....I am being nice and a gentleman. (insert slight growl) You. Pick."

3. He's been learning to read in preschool. I was having him read a book to me. After one page he groans in frustration then declares: "My brain is just damned."


Me: What?!?


Joe: You know Mom. Damned.


Me: Do you mean dam, like a beaver builds a dam? Or damn, like you will be damned to hell if you don't follow the commandments?


Joe: Umm. (looking rather taken aback) Well. I didn't know it meant that.


4. While having a serious discussion with me regarding how long it will take Heavenly Father to answer his prayer and send him a baby, I pointed out that he already has a baby brother.


Joe: Yeah. But he's not fun. He always gets in my stuff and breaks it and he cries and has poopy diapers that stink and he can't play ball with me.


Me: That's what all babies do.


Joe: (dumbfounded)


Me: And a new baby can't do anything but eat and sleep for a long time. You're very lucky to have BabyCakes because he's already two and can play with you.


Joe: Well... I still want another baby to play with. Anne can play with BabyCakes.

THIS POST WAS ORIGINALLY WRITTEN 3/4/09 AT 10:51 AM