Brace Yourself: My Sewing Machine was Put to Use Twice in a Week

The first time was last weekend.

And THEN I used it again just now!  (I know!  Amazing!)

To sew THESE all on:

{Interesting note about that chair the sash is on.....in the store, the chair looked just about the same color as that scout sash.  And then we got it home, and it was NOT.
You can see how much of a difference the colors are in that picture.}

BACK TO MY SEWING.....
In the exhibit above, if you'll count, you'll discover that there are 21 merit badges......

Which means what?

I'll tell you.

It just so happens to be the [minimum] amount one needs to earn the Eagle rank.

And if you look closer, you'll notice (or not if you're non-scout oriented) amongst those 21, includes all 12 of the "required" ones to become an Eagle Scout, too.

{When I first bought this sash way back when, it was so long that I had to fold, tuck, and pin it to fit the boy....

now we've had to let it all down.  He done went and growed up!}

Which means what?

I GUESS HE FINALLY WANTED TO BE ABLE TO DRIVE!?!?! 

{We set forth a rule.  A driver's license comes after you get your Eagle.}

How else will we know our children are responsible enough?  Mature enough?  Accountable enough? to get behind the wheel of a car.  (We decided this is one way to know.)

So then, this was the scene in our Living Room during the month of October....

.....while he was doing his Eagle PROJECT.  

Since we don't even have any furniture in there, yet, there was plenty of room for boxes, bags, & Bambi to take over the room!  ;)

For his project, he collected new & gently used DVDs for a Children' Hospital.
He got the brilliant idea from yours truly....who had heard something similar in the past from a friend.... 
But, on Haylee & I's most recent visit to the hospital, it was brought to my remembrance how much it is needed!  Haylee, at age 11, was finally to the point where she did very well during that particular visit, but as I watched all the other toddler-aged children (and their parents) around me struggling, my own past "nightmare" hospital/Dr. appts episodes came back to me.....I knew then that the hospital experience wouldn't work without all the various donations they receive (from dolls, to markers, to books, to crafts, to DVDs.)

So, the DVD drive was born.

THANK YOU to everyone who donated!

 The day came when he was able to deliver them to the hospital.  He ended up with over 240 DVDs to donate!

He felt pretty darn good about it that day.  I don't know if it had more to do with the good, warm, fuzzy feeling you get from helping/serving others OR if he was just SO GLAD/RELIEVED/EXCITED he was finally done!  (Got-the-monkey-off-his-back type thing.)

Congratulations, Ryan!

You were a part of history in the making!  You gave me a reason to get my sewing machine out...TWICE in the same week! 

******
But, can I just say it was a royal pain in the butt to STICK TO OUR GUNS of not letting him have his driver's license until he got his Eagle.  Because it was sooo inconvenient for me to drive him everywhere!  So, then I stopped doing that after a "grace period."  And then it was just plain inconvenient for me not to have an extra driver to help me out!
I don't know if he even learned anything from the consequence of not having a driver's license until age 17 1/2.......except that I AM SERIOUS.  I am a [wo]man of my word!

Hopefully, Kyle has watched & learned!

hopefully.

This Weekend:

* I took the kids to Krispie Kreme Doughnuts to 

redeem their 1st term grades. 

Krispie Kremes give one FREE doughnut for each "A" on your report card

(or the equivalent, since our elementary school grades with 1, 2, 3's).

We ended up taking home 5 BOXES of doughnuts amongst everyone!

{It was a little embarrassing walking out of there with SO MANY - without making a purchase, too - but not enough to prevent us from doing it, I guess! ;)}

We had to put names on each of their boxes to keep everyone's straight.....which still didn't completely 

keep out the "treat theif" who lives among us who "Just Couldn't Help It" when it came to 

helping him/herself to others' doughnut supply.

Haylee's portion was used to fill my & Matt's doughnut cravings since

KK are NOT gluten-free.  (sad for Haylee, happy for Matt & I!)

As a substitutre, I took Haylee to Sweet Cake Bake Shop 

which DOES have GF baked goods.

* Next stop was going to Boondocks to get their good

grades rewards.  (3 tokens for A's, 2 tokens for B's).

Of course, the kids had to engage in "sibling banter" about who got more $$ than others!

{We had it all put on a card for now - we'll go & play at a later date!}

* As a rare occasion, we actually were home on Friday night and I made dinner!

I made 7-Layer Tostadas...compliments of a Pinterest find.

I've always loved 7-layer dip - this is a play on that!

{We figured something out:  the older you are, the MORE you liked this dish, and the more layers you put on it.  Matt, Ryan & I put EVERYTHING on it.....The youngest pretty much just had the tortilla, refried beans, & cheese!}

* The reason we were home was because we took our boys to this:

It was the Youth Culminating Event for this year.

Ryan was on the Youth Committee and helped plan it.

A couple of weeks ago, they each got their "Mission Call" in the mail.

Ryan got called to Sapporo, Japan (yea, Japan!)

Kyle was called to Manila, Phillippines.

It was a two-day event (Friday & Saturday),

 but when my boys came home on Friday night,

they were very UPBEAT, GLOWING, POSITIVE, FRIENDLY, COURTEOUS, HAPPY, and EXCITED to continue on the next day......

I could tell they had felt The Spirit all evening.

I'm so thankful for experiences like this for our youth!

 {They were feeling pretty good all dressed up in their spiffy missionary suits!}

 It warmed MY heart, too!

With their "Future Missionary" black name tags!

The next day, I went for just a couple of hours representing the Young Women adult leader from our ward.

There were a number of guest speakers that they learned great things like this from:

{Look!  There's even instructions for Mom, at home.}

I got some photos of some of my darling [future missionary] young women, too!

 (complete with some photo bombs from our young men!)  :)

Ryan was still feeling "the fire" within himself because he [without being asked] did his own laundry Saturday afternoon - a physical preparation that was emphasized during his "training."  :)


*Meanwhile, on Friday night, Matt & I and our daughters had a ice cream & movie "party."
We watched "The Big Green."

 It finally showed up on Netflix - it was a favorite with our boys when they were younger (& still now!)
Now the girls have been introduced to it - they liked it a lot, too!


* On Saturday morning, I went to our ward Relief Society's "Super Saturday."
In the past, I have made the foolish mistake of signing up for MULTIPLE
projects, and then I'm never able to finish them.
SO, this year, I only signed up for ONE THING.  The pillow cases.  Which the "teachers"
had told me were "so easy."
BUT, of course, I wanted to make one for everyone in my family.....which is 7....
and, as it turns out, that STILL equals MULTIPLE projects.
And I would not classify them as "so easy" either.
{I wasn't able to finish.}
My friend didn't get a chance to buy her fabric, yet, so I told her she
should just come anyway - AND she could bring her sewing machine and get "practice" for hers by
doing mine!  I was just kidding, but she came to help for reals - and in reality
I REALLY DID need her.  She made two, and I made two during the allotted time.
HOW DID I THINK I could ever make 7?!?
I was determined to get them done, so I spent the afternoon doing them at home.
After TWO busted needles, running out of bobbin thread, wondering WHY I didn't
stop at two children, and 2 1/2 hours later, I finished the last three pillowcases.

 * We had date night out with our friends at Twigs Bistro.  We'd heard so much about it from "everyone."
There was a 45 min. wait, so we walked around Station Park and checked out
the candy store and the Grand Opening of Old Navy there while we waited.
I would highly recommend the TNT Coulotte, and Matt would
recommend the Twigs Signature Burger.  yummmm.
(But our friends would not recommend what they got, the Spicy Red Curry [not spicy enough] or the Under the Sun pizza [too much meat] - sorry!)


* We went to church on Sunday.
I got to do a little skit for Sunday School that went with the lesson.
Although I did have a few speaking lines, more importantly the skit happened to involve me
eating chocolate chip cookies - sign me up every time!  ;)
I didn't have to teach in Young Women this week - my adviser did - but we are learning about this in November.
As far as self-reliance goes, I realized I did a better job of getting myself to bed at a good time
when I was their [young woman] age than I do today.  (gotta work on that!)


* I had about a 2 hr.nap on Sunday afternoon!
(That seemed like only 15 min.!)


* As is customary on the 3rd Sunday, we had dinner and FHE at Matt's parents' house
with some of the cousins on Sunday evening.
I think the kids may have managed to get more chocolate cake crumbs on the
kitchen counter and floor than in their mouths!  ;)


* Later that evening, we had a little "intervention" with Ryan about College & scholarship applications.
The deadline for most is fast approaching!!!
The High School counselor's goal for him is to get it all done by Thanksgiving
(Wow!  Is this really happening?)


* I think I fell asleep sometime during "Talkin' Sports"