So, our first real Sunday with Ontario as second counselor. It turns out that Sundays will not be a day of rest for him. Here was his schedule for today:
7:00am-8:45am Bishopric meeting.
9:00am-12:00pm Church
12:00pm-1:00pm lunch and getting hometaught
1:00pm-1:45pm sacrament at the Complex (an apartment complex for older people)
2:00pm-3:00pm counting tithing
3:00pm-4:00pm Sunday School presidency meeting (he still hasn't been released as president)
4:00pm-10:00pm Bishopric training meeting with the stake presidency.
That is right...he had an hour (only it was really more like 30 min) break for lunch. And that is pretty much the only time we saw him today. My schedule was more like, church, lunch, nap, brownies...you see the difference?
His last meeting is a training they said could take "3-6 hours". So I just took them some brownies, cause a 6 hour meeting is just depressing.
Well, I think I need to go rescue my kitchen before the chocolate elves wreak any more havoc.
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Monday, January 18, 2010
Changes for the Brittons
Well everyone, this is a post to update people on the many big changes happening in our lives currently. It feels like 2010 is off to quite a crazy start. Let's go back to the beginning...
ITEM 1. January 1 saw us still in MD about to begin the last leg of our very long cross continental drive for Christmas vacation. While there my sweet, wonderful in-laws gave us their Toyota Sienna minivan. Let me tell you...to 5 people who had just driven across America in a Chevy Cavalier, with all of their luggage and christmas paraphanelia, no greater joy can be imagined then driving back in a much larger, more comfortable vehicle. This also answers the question of what we were going to do this summer when...
ITEM 2. Baby #3 arrives. Probably around the end of July/beginning of August. I think we will find out the sex ahead of time, but that won't be until March. I am super excited. Tommy has started walking (which is so cute as he zombie toddles from room to room) and I am in need of another baby. We love that our family is growing and getting bigger each year.
ITEM 3. Ontario's work. Before we left on vacation, there was a period of unrest when there was the possibility that Ontario would be laid off (right after we found out we were pregnant of course) and so he started sending in resumes to various companies. The company he was working for ended up deciding to keep him, so we had *some* job security, but he decided to keep looking at his other options. When we got home, he contacted, and eventually hired by, LIME marketing. This week he has been finishing up his last work for ZAGG, and he starts at LIME on Tuesday. It's a higher paying job, doing work he likes a lot better, for a company he is really excited about. We both felt really good about his decision to switch. It looks like it will be more high pressure, and I don't know what the hours will be like yet, but I think it will be awesome.
ITEM 4. New calling. On Thursday we got a phone call from the Stake Executive Secretary asking if we could come talk to the Stake President that night. Man...that phone call makes you nervous. So we went in and Ontario was called as the new 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric. He was officially called and sustained yesterday during Ward Conference, and was set apart that evening. His papa flew out to ordain him, and we loved having him visit, even though it has been for a very short time. Sunday was a little crazy to say the least. I know Ontario will do great, and the initial shock is subsiding. I keep thinking about what it means for our family (basically, we see him a lot less), but it also makes me grateful for how the Lord prepares us. I am not usually one to make New Years resolutions, but I have had a lot of goals this year, and I can see how they will all help us as Ontario magnifies his calling. Maybe I will do a separate entry on them later.
ITEM 1. January 1 saw us still in MD about to begin the last leg of our very long cross continental drive for Christmas vacation. While there my sweet, wonderful in-laws gave us their Toyota Sienna minivan. Let me tell you...to 5 people who had just driven across America in a Chevy Cavalier, with all of their luggage and christmas paraphanelia, no greater joy can be imagined then driving back in a much larger, more comfortable vehicle. This also answers the question of what we were going to do this summer when...
ITEM 2. Baby #3 arrives. Probably around the end of July/beginning of August. I think we will find out the sex ahead of time, but that won't be until March. I am super excited. Tommy has started walking (which is so cute as he zombie toddles from room to room) and I am in need of another baby. We love that our family is growing and getting bigger each year.
ITEM 3. Ontario's work. Before we left on vacation, there was a period of unrest when there was the possibility that Ontario would be laid off (right after we found out we were pregnant of course) and so he started sending in resumes to various companies. The company he was working for ended up deciding to keep him, so we had *some* job security, but he decided to keep looking at his other options. When we got home, he contacted, and eventually hired by, LIME marketing. This week he has been finishing up his last work for ZAGG, and he starts at LIME on Tuesday. It's a higher paying job, doing work he likes a lot better, for a company he is really excited about. We both felt really good about his decision to switch. It looks like it will be more high pressure, and I don't know what the hours will be like yet, but I think it will be awesome.
ITEM 4. New calling. On Thursday we got a phone call from the Stake Executive Secretary asking if we could come talk to the Stake President that night. Man...that phone call makes you nervous. So we went in and Ontario was called as the new 2nd Counselor in the Bishopric. He was officially called and sustained yesterday during Ward Conference, and was set apart that evening. His papa flew out to ordain him, and we loved having him visit, even though it has been for a very short time. Sunday was a little crazy to say the least. I know Ontario will do great, and the initial shock is subsiding. I keep thinking about what it means for our family (basically, we see him a lot less), but it also makes me grateful for how the Lord prepares us. I am not usually one to make New Years resolutions, but I have had a lot of goals this year, and I can see how they will all help us as Ontario magnifies his calling. Maybe I will do a separate entry on them later.
Saturday, January 16, 2010
School Bag
Alice (our exchange student) has been having lots of issues with her school bags. She prefers using a tote, but every bag she has gotten has broken within a couple of weeks. I suppose that is one of the hazards of using a handbag for schoolbooks. Anyway, she has been getting really frustrated with it, and she finally asked if I would make her a bag. So...she bought some sturdy black material, and last night I made her a bag.
I didn't have a pattern, so I just made it up as I went. I have actually made quite a few bags recently as part of a church humanitarian aid project, so I wasn't flying completely by the seat of my pants. This one was a little more complex though, since she wanted side panels and a pocket. It actually turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. The bottom corners are a little funky, and it doesn't have the straightest lines ever, but to a casual observer I think it will pass just fine.
Things I am glad I did:
-I topstitched all the seams after I was done, so it had a little more structure. It also reinforced all the seams, making the bag stronger.
-I sewed a seam on the pocket to make it into two front pockets. It was originally one large pocket, but it kept flopping open. It just looks better this way.
Things I wish I had done:
-Have someone teach me how to do those corners, or figure it out online. They turned out okay, but I am sure they could have turned out much better.
-Measure a little more. I faked a lot of stuff, and I think measuring and creating even a simple pattern would have made it a little better.
-Made it slightly smaller. Alice wanted it big, but the material is a little light for it's size. So, I would either use a sturdier material that had more structure for a bag that size, or make it a little smaller so it wasn't quite so floppy.
I was going to post some pictures, but our camera is ghetto, and won't let me upload them. That also means I can't upload any pics from our Christmas trip. Hopefully I can figure that out sometime soon and get the pictures up.
So, what creative projects have you done lately?
I didn't have a pattern, so I just made it up as I went. I have actually made quite a few bags recently as part of a church humanitarian aid project, so I wasn't flying completely by the seat of my pants. This one was a little more complex though, since she wanted side panels and a pocket. It actually turned out pretty well, if I do say so myself. The bottom corners are a little funky, and it doesn't have the straightest lines ever, but to a casual observer I think it will pass just fine.
Things I am glad I did:
-I topstitched all the seams after I was done, so it had a little more structure. It also reinforced all the seams, making the bag stronger.
-I sewed a seam on the pocket to make it into two front pockets. It was originally one large pocket, but it kept flopping open. It just looks better this way.
Things I wish I had done:
-Have someone teach me how to do those corners, or figure it out online. They turned out okay, but I am sure they could have turned out much better.
-Measure a little more. I faked a lot of stuff, and I think measuring and creating even a simple pattern would have made it a little better.
-Made it slightly smaller. Alice wanted it big, but the material is a little light for it's size. So, I would either use a sturdier material that had more structure for a bag that size, or make it a little smaller so it wasn't quite so floppy.
I was going to post some pictures, but our camera is ghetto, and won't let me upload them. That also means I can't upload any pics from our Christmas trip. Hopefully I can figure that out sometime soon and get the pictures up.
So, what creative projects have you done lately?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)