hypocrite mom

this morning i was trying to wake up before i got ready to go teach my class and so i checked my email and my dear friend melissa p. wrote me saying,

"first of all, did you read cjane today? go ahead and read it and then answer me this: do you feel like she read your blog or what? yikes.

xxoom"

and my first thought, was, "absolutely not. no way." because how many people know and love their family - obviously most of you who commented on this post of mine knew exactly who she was and even what post i was talking about before you could even find my link.

so, i went to my google reader, located her post: this is the one in case my link is not showing up yet again and sure enough the first little paragraph sounded in response to what i flippantly said.

but i still don't think she read my little blog and took so much offense that she decided to mention it in the openning of her post.

i hope not anyway.

and here is why: what do i tell my two year old at the playground every single day? be nice. it doesn't matter if he didn't mean it: be nice.

of course i also said in my post that she is always well written, that i read her everyday when i was appreciating the updates she gave us on her sister's life and children, that i like her and thought she was funny...etc. but what stands out? the self-important part. and that is not kind.

if you don't have something nice to say- don't say anything at all. right? :)

anyway, i am 100% sure that she didn't read what i said, but it still matters to be nice.

in 1998, one of my heroes Marjorie Hinckley said, "Let's be kind to one another and cheer each other on."

and i couldn't agree more. i've been trying to teach my son that so i am going to go and do the same thing. it matters what we say- even if we don't think the other person will read it and even if we say it flippantly. the end. :)

you're never alone

despite the enjoyment i feel being with my happy little family and the love i feel for them and living in hawaii, i've allowed myself to get really homesick for my friends and family on the mainland lately. last night we had the sister missionaries over for dinner, which is something we love to do. the sisters are so happy, and kind, and fun, and sincere and every time they come over we feel so much peace and joy and i always feel the spirit so strongly. it is similar to feelings i feel in the temple and we have missed being in the temple since it is under construction.

last night i was thinking that the sisters must feel so homesick too- so far away from their homelands and familiar friends and family, but they exude this happiness that is contagious and uplifting. i think i know why and this video i was watching this morning talks about why.

hope it finds you well today- happy sunday.

i won!

one of my souliest of soul mates had a giveaway and i won!!!

and i thought i was going to pick the "in the library" one and then i saw "m3 november," and "just breathe," and "winter 1972," and then there's "gathering apples" and so how's a girl to choose.

help! which one should i pick: go here: CB I HATE PERFUME if you want to read their descriptions, but those are the five i am agonizing over.

it's a major decision. help.

normally not such a fan

i liked her when she updated us on her sister but since then i just find her self-important and occassionally amusing. always well written though.

geez, what am i a blog critic?

sorry.

anyway, today she was in fine form and i laughed and laughed.

i like her again i guess.

for the hard working, studying daddy

we're proud of you! we love you!!

my cup of tea sewing society

i think that's what i'll call our sewing society. i googled the name to make sure we would be one of a kind and found that there is a "just my cup of tea" social/sewing society in brooklyn (hunt 'em down lizzie and take 'em out!) but they don't look very active and we won't have the "just" as part of our name. you still in? not sure what it's all about yet, but it's gonna be about something. like sewing and tea cups and general awesomeness.

anyway, here's what we've been working on lately - and by we i mean thomas and me- which is a whole separate society- although he is my cup of tea.... oh gosh. someone help me please.

first: you must know that i am the photographer on these and so the pictures are not up to snuff and therefore don't fully showcase the projects well. it was kinda frustrating, but you can get the idea.
first thomas found this headboard on craigslist and decided it would look cool upholstered in the two panels. it was a very tricky project because we have never done anything like it before and it wasn't as if we could just staple everything to the back of the board.



he figured it out though and it looks great!

he did that while i worked on our bedspread:

and we both cut out the fabric together for both projects to make them perfect. it was fun working together. we came up with this very basic design and at first it was looking a little too south american for me. i like the south american look, but we were going more for basic, clean, beachy, and modern and that isnt necessarily south american is it. after i got it finished and laid out on the bed though i was pleased as punch.


here's the back:
with the mustard, cherry red, and sky blue repeated a little. this picture kinda makes it look like a mans sweater from the mid-nineties. whatcha gonna do. i promise it's real swell.

next?

i just have to quilt it and i'm gonna try to do it by hand since it measures 90x90 and was a beast to maneuver through my machine in separate pieces. wish me luck.

oh and here's the stockings:


oi! sorry for the bad lighting. again. i love how they turned out though. i was going for depression era homemade with the charm of the ball fringe. depression era charm? yes. stay with me.

i'm thinking about embroidering our names on them, but i'm gonna wait til my mama comes in a few months to embark on that new frontier.

and... oh yes, i made these christmas cards for the womens organization:

for their sub for santa program. my mother-in-law designed them and donated the supplies and i made them. neat!

ok.

thomas found a multi-colored antique pharmacists desk thingy on craigslist and sanded her down like crazy and painted her and now she looks like this:


thomas is just, well, cool like that to say the least. she'll look even better once the knobs from anthropologie arrive- picture two little black and white clock knobs on there.

and i guess that is all for now friends.

i'm tickled by the idea of our "my cup of tea sewing society" because i'm silly like that. it's going to be fun. get your tea cup ready and your sewing machines dusted off, oiled up and ready to go! anyone can be in it. i wouldn't say it's much of a social society because i'm not one for social commitments, but it's gonna be our cup of tea and that sounds good to me.

toofy

taken by my mother-in-law linda

i want to start a sewing society

why does the long thread always have to be so great and do stuff like this to me???

what a list. i'm still working on the 50 summer crafts for kids with amby and it's not even summer anymore.

as if my side bar wasn't already full of too much awesomeness that i could never possibly get to in this lifetime.

i'll just leave this link here and return to it when i get a minute. ha!

this has been the greatest year in many ways- but a big part of why (aside from the birth of asher of course. of course!) is due to the best christmas ever last december when thomas gave me betty jeanne the sewing machine.

now i'm addicted and thankfully i don't see myself recovering any time soon.

oh and we have been sewing and crafting like crazy around here! thomas too. he's a craft-man. craftsmen? hot.

i'll get some pictures of the many projects and show you soon!

and finally, while we are on the subject, can i get a "woot woot!" for lizzie heiselt who read this post and lives in brooklyn and went for me and then sent me these:
look at all that burda style goodness! if you sew, this is making your heart beat a little faster isn't it! :) come over and we'll ohh and ahhh over it together.

and the icing on the already awesome cake? she entered my name in a drawing (yes, she is really that kind) and now this little beauty is on her way to hawaii:
to make the season even more bright. (i love you lizzie!)

so much fun!

wanna be in my sewing society? :)

i don't know how it happened....

but the english department chair observed my class on monday morning and on thursday morning i was invited to teach english 101 again next semester.

a christmas miracle?

i think so! :)

a ridiculous amount of festivities

a lot of them starting with the tree lighting at BYUH tonight. if you are wishing you could be "home for christmas" like i am - here are some local and general christmas festivities to make your season bright. we're gonna hit up as much of this as we can:

Ala Moana Center:
Mele Trees of Light: A display of Christmas trees light up in sync with holiday music at Center Court; 10 minute shows begin at 6PM daily and repeat hourly until the mall closes

Candy Cane Train: Keiki under age 12 can ride the 30-ft. Long train on a five minute sing-along journey throughout the mall- operates every 20 minutes- $7 per ride Call 955-9517

Windward Mall:
Dear Santa Letter Writing Station thru Dec 24th at Center Court during mall hours. Keiki write a message to Santa and receive a reply in the mail; 44-cent postage stamp required.

Snow Flurry Tree: Through Dec 24th Keiki will be delighted by a simulated snow flurry at Center Court. The daily 15 minute shows begin at the top of the hour from 1 to 8pm.

Other events:
DEC 6th: Christmas Keiki Hula Performance- 11:30am to 12:30pm at the Ward Warehouse Amphitheater- free.
or
DEC 13th same time, same place, same performance if the other one won't work for you

DEC 12th: Mililani Shopping Center- 11am-2pm following the town parade (which is that morning) face painting, balloon art and Santa photos....etc....

or

Dec 5th: Windward Mall Borders- 11am Celebrate the holidays with Dr. Suess “Grinchfest”- classic holiday stories such as “How the Grinch Stole Christmas” and holiday crafts...etc.

DEC 12th: same Windward Mall Borders kinda event but this time “Beckett the Bear Holiday Storytime”- also 11am.

WE LOVED THIS ONE LAST YEAR!: Honolulu City Lights
Opening Night: Dec. 5th 6PM Honolulu Hale 768-6622 Also features food booths and keiki rides beginning at 4PM, Kawaiaha'o Church music concert at 5pm and a holiday concert at 7:30PM
Honolulu City Lights Trolley: Tours: View the dazzling Christmas lights and displays at City Hall and in downtown Honolulu. --From Ward Warehouse, Dec6-30th non-stop rides last about 25 minutes and departs nightly. Presale tickets (while supplies last) $4.50, limited to 10 per adult, cash or checks only. To purchase visit the common area near T&C Surf Designs from 11am-7pm thru DEC20th. Keiki 3 and under are free but must sit in the cabin with a parent. Wow, that was lot of stuff to type out. :)

Ok, one more Windward Mall- haven't tried this yet, but got the flyer and it sounded like fun: Winter Land
Visit: The North Pole
See: Santa's Elves and Workshop
Dance in: Bubble Land
Experience: The Snow Fall and MUCH MORE!

Showtimes:thru DEC11- mon-fr 6pm-9pm, sat 12noon-9pm, sun 12noon-5pm
dec12-18: mon-fro 5-10pm, sat&sun 12noon-10pm dec19-23 mon-fri 12noon-10pm
$7 and I think she said kids 3 and under were free and “she” was a decked out mrs. clause!

And of course: VANS TRIPLE CROWN OF SURFING - REEF HAWAIIAN PRO & VANS HAWAIIAN PRO / O'NEILL WORLD CUP OF SURFING GIDGET PRO SUNSET BEACH
Oahu
Address: North Shore
Haleiwa, HI 96712 Beginning Date: 11/12/2009 Ending Date: 12/20/2009 URL: http://www.triplecrownofsurfing.com and www.bigwaveshawaii.com Ticket URL: Description: The Super Bowl of Surfing; the Wimbledon of the Waves; Mecca to those with a passion for mountainous surf. The Vans Triple Crown of Surfing pits the world's top-ranked surfers against the world's biggest and most famous waves: Haleiwa, Sunset Beach, the Banzai Pipeline, with more than $800,000 and prestigious titles up for grabs. As the final stop on the ASP World Tour, it also casts the last dice on the battle for world titles with the champions crowned right here on the North Shore of Oahu.

Reef Hawaiian Pro (men) & Vans Hawaiian Pro (women), Nov.12-23, Haleiwa Ali'i Beach Park
O'Neill World Cup of Surfing (men) & Gidget Pro Sunset Beach (women), Nov.24-Dec.6, Sunset Beach

Billabong Pipeline Masters (men) & Billabong Pro Maui (women), Dec. 8-20, Banzai Pipeline (men), Honolua Bay, Maui (women).

Please note that each event takes approximately four days to run to completion. Competition is held on the biggest and best days of surf available within the designated event timeframe. For daily updates call (808) 596-7873 or log on to triplecrownofsurfing.com

and i loved this list from jordan of oh happy day:
(obviously we will have to make some of these work for us… like we can go to the Laie temple visitors center instead of Oakland temple….etc.)
Go Ice Skating 
Watch It's a Wonderful Life, make spiced cider. 
Exchange gifts 
Make Christmas Cookies for friends. 
Find Mistletoe, hang it in our house and kiss under it. 
Address and Mail Christmas Cards 
Go to Borders and Pick out one new Christmas CD. 
Go to The Nutcracker 
Handel's Messiah Sing Along 
Leave out wooden shoes on December 5 
Go to the Oakland Temple to see the Nativity 
Make Thick Hot Chocolate and Homemade Marshmallows 
Host a Christmas Sweater Party 
Put up a ribbon sash for Christmas cards 
Donate canned goods 
Give neighbors a present 
Put up a wreath 
Make a Gingerbread house 
Make a popcorn garland 
Make hot chocolate and read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever 
Sing (or listen) to favorite Christmas songs 
Drive around to see neighborhood lights 
Go out and see public light display 
Read Christmas story from the Bible and the Book of Mormon 
Open a gift (new stocking or pajamas or pillowcase) 
Make a family traditional dessert 
Eat out at a festive restaurant 
Go to a seasonal movie 
Tell stories of childhood Christmas around the fire 
Have a romantic candlelit dinner by the Christmas tree 
Make decorative sugar cookies 
Sign up to purchase gifts for a needy child 
Host a Christmas dessert party 
Write out a Christ-centered goal to start early for the New Year 
Have a movie party (classic Christmas clips) 
Go to a Christmas Concert 
Attend City tree lighting event 
Have a full traditional breakfast while listening to Christmas music


Let's see, this is starting to get crazy buuuut: there are choir concerts at BYUH and a bell choir on Dec10th that we will be going to here in the community cuz Linda is in it and Ambrose likes bells :) and of course we have been listening to 95.5 non-stop for our Christmas music fix in the car and I have a couple holiday stations on Pandora.com- one is a sufjan stevens holiday station for my indie christmas needs, one is a Disney station for the classic cheese-fest songs we all love, and I have another that is Bing Crosby Jingle Bells inspired for the old time holiday stuff I love.... sometimes a Nutcracker one as well.

We were thinking about some Christmas crafts like a paper chain but instead a fabric chain with velcro (thank you Liko) of some felt lights on yarn (thank you Jonna) or some round felt ornaments (thank you mom)...etc. And of course it is not Christmas without a good homemade sugar cookie!

WHAT ABOUT YOU? Anything I missed? What else can we do?? :)