Lost

This snowfall has really made me want to get back to Brundage to get some snowboarding in!  
We took my board and HH's skiis to Covey's Bike Shop this weekend to get them all tuned up and waxed!  

I was reading a story about a couple in my area that went hunting and ended up lost.  How scary, cold and dark.  Has this ever happened to you?

It has to me.

Here's my story.

The year was probably 1998ish, and we were in McCall, our usual winter hangout.  My brother, mom, dad and I were up on the mountain skiing and snowboarding. Business as usual.  The plan was always to meet at the lodge around 3:30pm to head back to the condo.

Around 2:30 my brother and I decided to be a little rebellious and snowboard out of bounds.  We knew the mountain like the back of our hands, so we weren't too worried about it.  Honestly we weren't worried at all.  We knew the run "Temptation" (hmm interesting name) hooked a right at the end and takes you right to the lift, so we went for it, knowing we would cut back across a little ways down.  Oh, and I need to mention this: the powder out of bounds was FAB.U.LOUS. seriously the best snowboarding ever. What's the worst that could happen? (as my Mom would say)

We realized we were a tad off course when we got to an old logging road.  My brother turned to me and said, "I think we should get off our boards and start walking this way, because its now 3:30 and Mom and Dad are going to start to wonder where we are."  Wait. 3:30???? You mean we've been snowboarding for AN HOUR!?!?!  Yikes.  But then he said, "Either that, or we could just keep going and end up on the main road and hitch a ride back to the lodge. I don't care. You decide."

"Oh gee thanks Zach, leave it up to me, so if we end up lost, you can blame me"

"Yep.  Pretty much"

This was not the exact conversation, but extremely close.  So "I" decided to keep snowboarding for a couple reasons.
1. Taking the board off and walking through deep snow didn't sound like fun at all.
2. Snowboarding in powder is a ton of fun.

I think when we crossed a creek we realized our plans weren't going as imagined.  Literally crossed a creek of running water in my snowboard boots.  Oh and by this time, we had probably taken off our boards 3 or 4 times trying to navigate this mountain.

By this time, we knew Mom and Dad were freakin.  It had to of been 4pm by that time, and the mountain was either closed or just about to.  So our new plan was to hike up the tallest mountain to use my brother's Nokia.  (ya know the ones that had Snake on it)

So thats what we did.  We hiked.  And hiked.  In, no joke, over 8 ft of deep powder.  So picture this:  my brother in front of me, pushing his board in front of him, taking one step, having to pull his whole leg out of that step, repeat.  Me then behind him, pushing my board in front of me, trying to use his same holes to put my legs into.  This caused great groin pain and soaking wet pants and gloves.

We finally reached the top and my brother had service!  So we called the mountain and of course my parents had already called the search team and reported us missing.  Well, usually when we go out of bounds, we are on the Hidden Valley side of the mountain, and this time we were completely opposite of that spot.  So the initial search and rescue team was on the wrong side.  When we called we told them where we were and they sent out one rescue team member out to follow our tracks.

At that point, we decided to hike back down the mountain and up another mountain to sit and wait.  Why?  Because we thought that the logging road we saw up ahead was how they were going to find us with their CAT machine.

So we sat and waited. We sang songs, we talked about what ifs, like, what if we have to spend the night.  My brother said he'd build us a fort, but didn't seem too worried, so I wasn't.  Oh, and besides playing snake on his phone, he actually started calling friends.  "Oh hey!  I'm stranded on the side of a mountain with my sister and the sun's about to go down!  Cool huh?!?!"

I wasn't that worried because of how non worried my brother was.  I honestly felt safe with him.  Strange because now and after we were rescued I realized how scared I should have been.  Well, actually I did start to get scared when the sun was setting because no one had found us yet.

And then we saw this young skiier.  Our rescuer, our hero. He was wearing a fanny pack, which was SUPPOSED to have all sorts of snacks and goodies for us, but all that was left was a few M&Ms. He did give me a pair of extra gloves which was amazing.   He also said this: "Well, that was the best skiing of my life."  I know right?!?!?!

He followed our tracks all the way to us.  Crossed the stream, hiked up and down mountains, skied some more, hiked again.  Now the time was about 7pm.  He said we needed to actually hike BACK DOWN the mountain and up to the logging road we already crossed because the one we were on was so old that big trees had grown and the CAT would not be able to use it.  So we did that and about an hour later the CAT machine met us.  The ride was awesome, but can you believe it took us another hour to get back to the lodge?

I will say I was very happy to see them.  They, on the other hand, were not happy.  They realized that we had been season pass holders since I was probably 3.  And we should have known better.  And that they probably should start charging for rescues.  Honestly, if they would have told my parents it'll be $500 to rescue us, I know they would have paid :)

So now, there is a charge AND there is a bright yellow sign stuck in the ground right where we headed off track.

I don't think I've ever scared my parents that bad.  They were so frantic when we saw them finally at 10pm.  I felt terrible for making them worry so badly, especially over something we could have done differently.  I will say that my groin muscles were completely pulled and I couldn't really do much for the next two or three days.  I was exhausted.  We went back to the mountain a couple days later to give the rescue team a couple fruit baskets, but they were still not happy with us.  I would think they would like the adventure! I know we did.

Making Babies Update

I kinda had a moment last year where I felt like I needed to explain to the world WHY I don't have children yet.  I guess because soooo many people I encountered asked, prodded, and generally felt it was their business.  Honestly, I think majority of people (with kids) think that procreating is easy.  And that all you do is have sex and then a baby pops out 9 months later.  Then you decide you want another one, and so you have sex and wah-laa, another baby!  I also think majority of people (with kids) think that everyone else wants kids, so the logical thing would be to ask "WHEN are you guys gonna have kids?"

Its never (or rarely is) "Do you guys want kids?"

Which really would be the best way to approach this if you find yourself NEEDING to know if a friend or acquaintance wants to become a parent.  I think if people asked me that instead of asking WHEN, I could transition my answer quite nicely to say something like, "Well, we DO want kids, but we're in a slightly different situation which is not going to allow us to follow the normal path" (people seem to become uncomfortable with this answer, hopefully making them less likely to ask the next person the same question)

Instead, when I get, "When are you guys gonna have kids?"  (and by the way, when people ask this, they sound like they're 13 again with both eyebrows moving up and down repeatedly)  I find myself answering a few different ways, mostly "Oh sooner rather than later!" Or if I want to shut the person down immediately, I'll say, "We can't have kids." It works. Trust me.

I felt like my blog post was a way to get it out there to those that really know me without blasting it on facebook (although I do realize I posted the link on FB) and its my own space to feel safe.  So I was very surprised and thankful for the response I received, both from friends and strangers.  I felt like the reason behind us not having our own children is super personal, but at the same time, a way to get awareness out about HD.

So, now for the update.  Well, I will say we've tried a couple times to create a baby.  It was costly, but we had to try.  I also was made aware of something that was clinging onto the walls of my cervix that needed removed right away.  Scary, I know, but if we hadn't started this process, I'd still have it, and who knows what it could have turned into.

We will be trying again soon when funds are saved up enough to try multiple months in a row, because really, who gets pregnant the first time they try?  Oh wait. I can think of a few girls.  You suck by the way. ;)

The short and long answer is this:  We do want a family.  Sooner rather than later.  If that means we adopt, foster, or go medical routes to become pregnant, then so be it.  Until then, I will keep posting ridiculously adorable photos of Lola Rae to my instagram and FB accounts. 

***Oh, and by the way!!!!  Blake's Beanies now is on instagram, and when I reach 100 followers, one of those lucky followers will receive an item from my crazy stash!!!****

Its Craft Fair Time Again!

There's one day in the life of Blake's Beanies that is the culmination of a year's work.  That day is this Saturday.  The Clarkston High School Band Craft Fair. 

All year long, I crochet.  This is not breaking news.  We all know this.  But why?  Because I can't sit still while I watch TV? Yes.  Because I am addicted to crocheting?  Yes.  But also because I know that if I waited until September to start getting ready for the crap fair, I'd be screwed.  

This week is called "Hell Week".  I just learned this term this week while talking to my sis-in-law when she was explaining the term for the week before a Civic Theatre production.  I thought it was very fitting to my situation as well.  

There's just sooo much that goes into these fairs.  I can't just show up the morning of, with a table and a box of hats.  Well I could, but my craft table has since turned into the camping cook table and is absurdly greasy dirty.  And I have done this in years past.  When I started doing fairs over 10 years ago, I would show up hungover and completely unprepared.  I also used to do around 3-4 a year, but then realized that I would practically sell out on the first one and then not have enough time to get my inventory back up in time for the next one.  So now, I only do one.  And loyalty wins, so the Clarkston High School Marching Band Craft fair is the one I always choose.  

Branding was always something I wanted and needed and thanks to my bff Jenny, I have business cards, stickers, price tags and bags!  Plus two giant posters.  She's pretty awesome. 

Booth design was another part I knew I needed to work on.  That and not being hungover the day of. 

I would say for the past few years I finally was able get all the pieces together and feel good about how everything, including my product looks.  Felt great!  But I know there's always room for improvement, so this year, I decided to create a mockup of my 10x10 booth square in my living room.  Perfect timing really, due to the fact that Hottie Hubs is out of town all week, because I've made a giant crocheted mess, yarnbomb really, of my living room.  What I found out, is that I have a ton of inventory.  Way more than I thought.  Since I did the yarnbomb bike and stairs at work this September, I was afraid my inventory was going to be smaller than previous years. Wrong. 

Now if I can just stay away from the beer on Friday night, I'll be set. 

Oh, I almost forgot!  I'm selling my Mom's awesome stash of Vintage Children's Books.  Including Dick and Jane!  Next to the books, a basket-o-beardies.

Sneak peek of the main table

The other side of the table

The pile of beards

P.S. Thanks Ruthie Prasil for lending me your amazing cute fabric banners.  They go perfectly with my branding designs! 

Miller Broyles

You guys know Miller right?  I mean he has his own myspace account.  Oh you don't use myspace anymore?  Oh.  Well, he's a little out of touch I guess.  Either that, or he's too good for facebook and wants to support Justin Timberlake.

Rodney and I hang out with Miller a lot.  My parents go out of town and we are his next favorite place to be.  Awhile back, my parents came to pick him up (thank goodness, because his farts have been absolutely eye wateringly gross) and we were shooting around good Miller memories.

"Remember when Miller jumped through hula hoops?"

"Remember when Miller peed our bed?" 

"Remember when Miller had a myspace account?"

We got a good chuckle out of that one.

So I decided to see if I still remembered his username and password.  I did. It took me a few tries, but I did.  Here are the pictures from his account. Along with the captions he chose :) (now looking back, I admit I was a little cheesy with some of those)

Harley Broyles, my sister

I get a lot of attention, don't worry

Hi everybody!

I'm not lazy, I just don't have much to do.

I love the car, but I wish I could drive it.

I have allergies....and look like a stud

I'm an itch addict, and he's my bitch. 

My family and my sister dog Harley

I have a constant pillow. Aren't my owners nice?

Here's my sis Tipper. She's fun until you get too close

You need somethin?

my lil buddy

This may not look comfy, but trust me IT IS

That's ME!

Here are some more recent pictures of him. He's just reeks with personality. 

He's the reason I'm not afraid of dogs anymore.  He's the reason we have Lola.  He's a big lover and a great friend.  Happy 13th Birthday Miller!  aka Muggers, Miller Man, Mills, Miller Biller, Mills Badills, Smiley Boy

9 Years

Today marks 9 years married to my hottie hubs.

Did you know that marriage is super awesome and fun and exciting but also really hard at times?  It is.

We've been together long enough now that we've watched friends get married and unfortunately divorced, and it always brings us back to what works for us.  And the only thing that holds us together in trying times?  Our friendship.  Our bestfriendship. I'm sure I've blogged this before, but it remains true.  At the very core, at the very bottom, at the very top, is the undenying fact that we are best friends.

I met Rodney when I was about 11 or 12?  He came over with his cousins to my house (because his cousin was one of my blvd friends) and he was wearing this oversized Charlotte Hornets coat.

Not this exact jacket, but visuals always help, right?

I didn't think much of it, don't even recall thinking he was cute or a possibly suitor.  Probably bc I already had a bf, because duh, I always had a bf. 

Fast forward to my freshman year of high school at band camp.  Yes. I'll give you time to re-read that and let it sink in.  

The Harrington brothers were called Bones and Bones Jr. and I'm assuming if you're reading this, you probably know me, and them, and need no explanation as to where or why those nicknames came to fruition.  (they were a tad skinny)

Those guys were always full of life, energy and laughs.  They loved having fun and obviously were fun to be around.  Thats when our friendship started. 

It continued this way for another year.  During the summer, we hung out a lot and even discussed our current relationships like best friends would.  I got the juicy details and so did he.  Who doesn't like having a guy they can talk to and get their perspective on things?!?!  

Well, that winter, while we were still busy being best friends that sometimes made out, (now out of both our relationships) we went to Winter Ball together and while standing in line to get in, a girl in his class asked him to Prom. IN FRONT OF ME.  And what do you think he said?  If my memory serves me correctly, he didn't say No. Or yes.  He just kind of stood there.  Pshhh.  Awkward!

Now fast forward to shortly before Prom.  By this time, we were officially dating and planning our prom night.  Well, this girl took his strange answer as a yes and was telling people she was going with my boyfriend to the prom.  Ummmm, really?  (btw, this girl had been absent from school for about 3 months, at rehab I'm guessing? yea she was a real winner) So I did what any good girlfriend would do, and demand that he set her straight, no matter how awkward that was going to be.  

A few days later I was on a band trip (nerd alert) and came back late to find a paper puzzle piece on my car seat, but the car was locked.  I saw it was in Rodney's handwriting so I knew something was up.  When I got home, on my bed, was a dozen roses with the rest of the puzzle waiting for me that when I put it together was a note asking me to prom.  And in little type, it said, and I'm paraphrasing, "I told that bitch I wasn't going with her" (Name changed to protect the crazy)

                               

How sweet is that?  

My camera ready Prom date

Awhile ago, I posted on FB that "marriage is like one big sleepover with your best friend" and it really does sum up how I feel about my HH.  He's my slumberparty partner in crime.  Thanks for everything you do for me and with me.  I love love love love love you and always will. 

My neck has gotten really strong kissing this tall drink of water

Ombre hair with a side of greasy bangs

Ya know the moment where you see just how grown out your roots are, and immediately call your hairdresser, only to find out she can't drop the scissors she's holding and color your hair right then and there? 

That happened to me, oh, about 6 months ago.  And ya know what I did?  I didn't even call my hairdresser. Nope.  I just let it grow out.  Yep.  I just let.it.grow.out. 

For the first time since I was probably 15, I went to my natural color of "dirty blonde" aka light brown aka not really that blonde.  What I didn't expect was the feeling of utter freedom I had.  I wasn't going to let society's negative thoughts and dirty connotations ruin my self esteem.  I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and doggone it, people like me.  

Why is that?  I'd been brainwashed to think that I HAD to keep bleaching/coloring/weaving/foiling my hair to stay beautiful.  Just because my hair falls into a strange color palate between blonde and brown does not mean its not pretty, right?   

I recently talked to a friend that chopped her hair off, pixie style.  It looks super cute!  And if ya'll remember I did that too, about 2.5 yrs ago.  Its another form of hair freedom.  At some point, you just stop caring what others are going to think or say to you.  Cutting all your hair off is both figuratively and literally weight off your shoulders.  I felt that then, and I'm feeling it now.  

I'm O.K. with having light brown hair!  I'm no longer hiding the fact that I'm not a true blonde.  I'm no longer conforming to the blondes have more fun mentality.  

That was until I found a white hair on the top of my head.  Now, I would never have found this before, due to the constant bleaching of my roots.  The contrast between the light brown and the white hair was glaringly obvious to me in the mirror.  And my dear hottie hubs was trying to convince me it was the lighting. How sweet. Then he was trying to convince me it was just a blonde hair.  A really really really blonde hair.  Thanks sweets, but I plucked it out, and now its gone.

Now, I'm supposedly sporting the "ombre" look.  I like that we've given a nice name to the growing out stage.  It sounds really sophisticated and with purpose. I like having the slight remains of my blonde days hanging out by my chin.  It takes me back to the good ol days, when I was having so much more fun than I am now.  But one of these days it too will be gone, and I will join the ranks of the brunettes, if they'll have me.  They might not.  Then I'll try and convince the blondes that I'm really still a part of their team, just on the dirty team.  The one that doesn't wash their uniform because its bad luck, or more likely because they're too lazy.  The team that saves their $90 they would have spent on their roots, and goes and buys a keg for after the game. 


Yeah, I like the dirty blonde team.  They're fun. Can I be the captain?  




And now for a quick reminder of my hair from the last few years. 

Short and Blonde

Longer, blonde, with the other "blondes" in my life

You can barely see my blonde bun on the top of my head. 

(pssst. we all have pretty much the same color hair)

This is what it looks like most of time. 

Greasy and pulled back.

That is until I cut it off! 

I may have chosen a filter that makes it look blonder. 

And thats not my real facial hair. FYI

YARN BOMBING

Finally a post about something that I've actually sewn!  

I've done something I've been wanting to do for a long time.  Its not for everyone, and I'm ok with that.  I've had a few comments that were not so supportive, and I'm ok with that (now) too. 

"wow. you have a lot of time on your hands. you need kids." was the most recent comment. 

gee thanks. 

"you doing this so you can call yourself an artist?" 

ouch.

I guess I am trying to call myself an artist, but I don't feel like I had to try that hard, because I created something that I already LOVE to do.  And thats the great thing about art.  One person can think its utterly ridiculous and the next would pay a billion bucks for it. 

So, here's what I've been up to for the past month and a half every day after work and sometimes before work. 

I'm now officially a yarn bomber.  YAY!!!  

Lola really likes being near me. ALL THE TIME. 

Even if that means laying on a stair she barely fits on.

The bike. 

If you want to come check these out in person, DO IT! TONITE! 

Plus, if you needed ANY more persuasion, there's gonna be free wine, beer, appetizers, and live music. 

Northwest Media is a great place to start the Artwalk!  208 Main Street in Beautiful Downtown Lewiston! 

Facebook

I went on Facebook last night to post about finding my first grey hair on my head. Not cool right?  I knew I was going to find the bad side of growing my natural hair color out.  Except that the grey hair suddenly became very trivial.

Before I just posted away, a post by a longtime friend caught me totally off guard.  A childhood friend passed away and not many details are known.  All I know is that the funeral is Friday and the HH and I are going. 

As far back as my memory goes, I remember her.  We went to the same small Lutheran church.  We were in the same Sunday school class.  When we both were old enough to start piano lessons, we took them from my godmother, Sue Dole.  Sue always made piano lessons fun by having get togethers with her students.  We played spoons a lot. :)  We supported each other at every recital, every performance at the nursing homes.  

In high school I wouldn't say we were best friends, but we were both in band, and every one knows that in Clarkston, thats an awesome group to be a part of.  

I know she is in Heaven now.  Resting for eternity, maybe even playing piano for Jesus. 

You are loved and missed Megan. 

My baby

While plans for a human baby are still being worked out, I've had some moments with my furry baby that make me feel like a mom already.

For example, last night's thunder and lightning scared poor lil Lola Rae. So she did what any other child would do.  She came over to my side of the bed, nudged me awake and let me know she wanted on Mom and Dad's bed.  Before I could finish asking her if thats what she wanted, she jumped right up and snuggled me the rest of the night.

Its honestly times like those that makes me ok with my parental situation.  I know I'm gonna be a mom to a human someday.   I know that with all my heart.  But obviously its not happening right this second, week, or month. So instead of dwelling on that fact and spending all my time figuring out how we're going to make this all work, I'm gonna hang out with a 3 yr old that loves loves loves her mama.  She would sit in my lap, hang on my hip, and snuggle all day if she could.  I just have to look at her and she wags her tail.  When I scream or get hurt, she's right there trying to figure out how to comfort me.  

Its been documented (I say documented, because I'm still a skeptic) that when people have human babies, their furry babies take a backseat.  So for now, I'm going to let Lola sit in the front seat and be my co-pilot and mug on her day, because I can't imagine loving someone even more than I do my Lola Rae.   She really is the best. 

happy girl

*have you seen these glasses?  They were in my possession for all of 24 hours.

Robyn Michelle Broyles

Ever met my sister?  No, not that one.  The other one. The other sister. pfff

Her name's Robyn and she's pretty freakin cool.

She was 12 when I was born, making her practically out of my generation.  Lucky for me, she didn't see it that way.    I was 6 when she flew the coop and moved away for college.  That basically means that my memories of us sharing a house are limited, but thats ok, because she made sure we made even better memories.

Memories like taking me to the New Kids on the Block concert in Pullman.  ( I've mentioned this before, but lets revisit that memory.  I honestly thought she spent thousands of dollars to take me to this concert, as it was my absolute favorite band.in.the.world.ever.ever.ever. )

Memories like flying me down to Arizona every single year for my birthday.

Memories like taking me to Mexico for my 19th bday. ( we won't revisit that memory for the sake of my mother)

Memories of moving back to Clarkston *gasp* and having a baby *choking on gasp*.

We've been through a lot as sisters, and I can honestly say living apart for 80% of ours lives has not affected our relationship one bit.

Today's her birthday.  And I've already started out by posting a pic on FB of her when she was probably 18-19,  and she probably got the exact same look on her face when she saw it on her timeline this morning.

Happy Birthday to one of my most favorite human beings that has and will ever roam the Earth.

My dreams will come true

In need of some crochet help

I never thought I'd say this, but I need help. Crochet help.

Any takers?  Its going to be quite an easy project, but a large one.  I need help crocheting rectangles for an upcoming project.   If you are interested, please email me, or leave a comment!!!

We can even crochet together while watching reality TV and drinking wine!!! I have the yarn already, I just need an extra set of hands (preferably that know how to crochet already)!!!

Things I'm Diggin

Wow. A lot has happened in the last couple weeks.  For one, the Hottie Hubs and I both turned another year older.  yay.  I'm just thrilled to be in the beginning stages of my thirties.  Is that excitement or sarcasm you're reading??

I went on an almost week long vaca for the first time in YEARS.  It was nice.  I spent it at my parents cabin on Coeur d'Alene lake and although the weather wasn't the greatest, I still achieved the relax I was going for.

Its my birthday and I'll lick every straw if I want to. 

Smily and Ducky

What.A.Blast

My Lola Rae has finally learned how to catch a frisbee mid-air.  Funny how I thought every border collie was born knowing this skill. Now if we can teach her not to destroy the frisbee's edge with her toofies. 

Speaking of amazing border collies, have you seen this video of Nana?  She's basically my Lola's hero. If I had more time and patience, I'd totally teach Lola more tricks.  That was my thought when we initially got Lola, but it just seemed like a lot of work (for me). 




OMG. I just ran across this video this last week.  I could totally see myself prancercising on my morning walks with Kelly Riddle.  Minus the cameltoe.  Well, maybe with.  It does add a little pizzazz.




I love a good youtube video.  In fact, we took turns this weekend picking videos to watch.  We watched a colorguard video (for Michele), a couple Squirrel Suit videos, including adding "fail" to the end, and the Bri-Wi (as Jimmy Fallon calls him) video.

But THIS video came to me Monday and I cannot get over how funny it is.  First off, we had a German foreign exchange student live with us for 9 months back in 1999 and I remember how often she would ask us to explain different english sayings that made NO SENSE to her.  I also remember her educating us on a few terms that translated funny.  Example: For a song that gets stuck in your head, she says, is "an ear worm" which is a really creepy visual.  Now, I know my mother does not appreciate when I mention poop in my blog, so I'm sorry Mom.  But c'mon. This is funny.  Real funny.




There's not many pages I "like" on Facebook, mainly because I'm bothered by the crazy # posts I could give two you know whats about. But if there's one page (besides Blake's Beanies of course) that I could only "like" it would be the Tosh.0 page.  They link to different blog posts on his website, and its not so much the post as it is the comments that I enjoy.  For example: He had this picture of someone's McChicken posted, and the first person's comment was very punny. 

And the top commenter wrote: "You will have to lettuce know when the wedding is. You better not chicken out! We can ketchup on everything. Is there a bun in the oven? Nevermind I don't really karat all."

***Disclaimer*** (for my mother really) THIS SITE IS NOT APPROPRIATE MOST OF THE TIME. ITS FUNNY, BUT NOT APPROPRIATE TO SHOW YOUR PARENTS/BOSSES. 

As far as TV shows, we've really had to get creative since the end of Survivor and The Following.  (holy crap. The Following's finale was cray cray)

Soooo,  we've been searching around our Roku and have found a couple pretty amazing shows.

1. Nathan For You

Think Sasha Baron Cohen with a side of Tom Green.  Basically he goes to businesses offering advice.  Really bad advice.  They take him 100% seriously, and he manages to keep a complete straight face the entire time.  I think we watched every single episode in one night.  And then watched them over just because they are that good.

2. Inside Amy Schumer.  Its another one on Comedy Central and she's pretty funny.  I think she's funniest when she's interviewing people, because then she's not trying too hard. But her sketch show has had some pretty funny skits.  One was about a school you send your older generation relatives to so they can learn how to be politically correct when they talk.  It hits home to me because my grandpa was born in 1915 (nuf said). 

3. The Ben Show with Ben Hoffman.  Something about a TV show about pretending to be completely serious but really majorly messing with people is and always will be hilarious to me. 

Basically I'm limited to what my Roku decides to store on it, so sometimes I have to fall back on the always dependable Law & Order: SVU or Lockdown.  

Movies:

Well, I finally saw The Mighty Ducks and Look Who's Talking.  Lets just say they were better in my mind, but I wasn't too disappointed. I mean, I had watched both before a few times, it'd just been awhile.  I guess what made me most sad was that Hottie Hubs wasn't as excited as me, and therefore didn't quite make it through either one.  Oh well.  Pick your battles.

-The Impossible.  It was great.  I cried a few times.

-Django Unchained.  It was amazing.  Even my own mother (who HATES the F word) liked it.  She liked it so much she watched it again with her friends.  Now thats a movie. 

-You've Been Trumped.  Can't remember if I finished it, but he's pretty much an asshat and only cares about himself.  Funniest part = one of the town folk describing what his hair looked like when the wind hit him just right. 

-Shelter Me. "Aiming to boost the adoption of shelter pets, this uplifting documentary focuses on the sucess stories, including dogs trained as service animals for the disabled and others who are helping returning war veterans with PTSD".  Pretty much amazing and a real boost for the facial tissue companies.

Food:

Not my steak pic, but this guy's who cooked his too long apparently.

Costco knows whats up when choosing which products to "sample".  We were there without a cart, specifically to get Rodney a new camera and I just HAD to snack on whatever they were sampling.  It was soo good, I immediately grabbed one and when the Sample Lady saw me, she offered us another sample.  She was nice. 

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS.  Since slappin this beast onto the BBQ, I've been eating it for every meal.  Just this morning I put a couple thin slices onto my egg sammy.  Since I've got less than 4oz left, I'm going to be heading back to get another one. Or two. Or eight. 

Farm Fresh Eggs.

I've heard they're the cats pjs, but I don't really know anyone willing to share their loot with me, so I've just stuck to the Kirkland Organic Browns.  Which were quickly pushed to the back of the fridge when our good ol' buddy Luke Jackson stopped by with these.  I didn't share ONE EGG WITH the hubs.  Oops.  They were just.that.good.  Not kidding, once you go farm fresh, you never go bock.  Get it?  haha. i'm funny.

Hey Luke. We need more. Thanks.

What are you guys diggin?  I'm always in need of some new shows, movies, food, youtube videos.  ALWAYS. 

Zach Sobiech

Two videos this morning had me crying.

How sad would it be if I lost Lola?  In a tornado, wondering if she was alive somewhere, scared, trapped, hurt, or far worse, dead.  And how elated I'd be if I found her. Check the video out here.

However, nothing would compare to that pain if it were my brother or sister.  Lost to cancer.
After I cried about the thought of losing my precious child dog, I saw this video.




Life is really strange.  It teaches us lessons every single day, you just gotta be open and willing to learn.    We are all humans in this crazy world trying to make it work.   Why we don't team up, I'll never know. But if we did, just imagine how much this country, this world, could accomplish.   Spread joy, smiles, kindness, happiness.  Please.  I know I'd much rather see a smiling face from a stranger than mean mug.

thats SEW blake???

Dontcha just love that my blog is called Thats Sew Blake, yet there's but a couple sewing related posts?  Thats sew not cool.

Sew, I'm now going to post some sewing/craft projects that I've been up to.

Lets begin with the most recent project I completed.  Ok, so its the only project I've completed in quite some time. Thats the ambitious procrastinator in me.

It was Mother's Day as we all know this last weekend, and my mother is the best. She really is. I saw all these posts on FB saying their mother was the best, but they haven't either met mine, or are just trying to make their own mother feel really good.

My mom keeps Mother's Day cards, as I'm sure any mother of young children do.  She goes through them each year and reminisces about all the mother's days celebrated and then she cries. Good cries I hope.   I remembered this from last year, so I decided I better step up my game if I wanted my card to be added to the stack of home made cards.

Sew, when I saw this blog, I knew I had to do this for my mom.  How hard could it be?  You poke holes in a card, then take thread and embroider between the holes!!! Plus, she said it would only take 30-45 minutes. She also said if you start it on Saturday night at 10:30 you'd be good to go by the next morning.  Good thing I didn't listen to that part of the advice, because it took me a good 20 minutes to poke all the holes.  Then it took me another 20 minutes to stitch it, then it took me a good 30 minutes to just do the french knots.  Probably because I make my own way of french knotting up. 

Here's the finished product:

I'm the favorite.