Day Tripper Top (2)

So I told y'all about this top before and if you haven't seen it, go look here. I've been sewing it up a lot lately and the Day Tripper Top is still one of my favorites! I've made so many!! And it's so easy! You can order it here if you'd like! It's a great pattern for beginners and has some good tips for working with knits!

Here are some of my latest ones! And I'm sure there will be many more because I love this top! And the pockets are so fun! It also looks great in a long or short sleeve.

I also get my knit fabrics over at Girl Charlee. Seriously the cutest knits ever and at a great price. Win/Win!

I also just recently found this one in a box of fabric from months ago! (not completely finished) I think I stopped because I didn't like the material. It's made out of woven fabric so it has zero stretch. (it also frays as SOON as you cut it. So annoying! Pinking should help with that) I decided to go ahead and complete the shirt by adding a stretchy ribbed knit on the bottom since it just won't work with that woven fabric on the waist cuff. Not to shabby! Glad I found this little gem to add to my collection! 

It's a wee bit longer that my other ones. Still cute!

I may have more in my closet... and I recently purchased more fabric! Yay! So more more more! Or maybe some more raglan tops! Stay tuned for that post!

I think one of my next go's at the Day Tripper is going to be adding some contrasting colors! Breaking up the top from the bottom, a little similar to this. Easier though because that is in another language and the pages just didn't print out right... but I'm pumped! :) 

Stay tuned for more sewing projects! 

Commemorative Air Force Museum

Hello! So this last weekend, my parents were in town. My mama was working up here like she does every so often but this time my dad came up too!

So our plan for Saturday was supposed to be as follows...

-- Wake up early and run 5 miles. Dad should be at the apt when we get home
-- Shower and get ready to go help out at a service project for an Eagle Project.
-- Come home and clean up our apt and finish moving in some more (moving in fully is an ever going process..)
-- Hang out with mama when she gets off work

Boom! Easy enough right?

So Scott and I woke up, but not as early as I would have preferred and our run was TERRIBLE. I really need to figure out a breakfast plan for before a long run... I was starving not even half way through. So we ended up just having a nice little stroll and chit chatting the entire time. :)

On the way to the service project, I decided to wear my little headband thingy since we were going to be doing some cleaning and both Scott and my dad were saying that I reminded them of the Rivet Girl. So how convenient it was that we drove by the Air Force Commemorative Museum! On the way back home from the service project, we just had to stop here so we could try and get a picture of me next to the B17 that was outside with some other planes...

Just gotta say, I sure felt silly taking some of these pictures.. haha but it was fun! And we got to go inside of the B17!! How cool was that!! I really wanted to be able to go inside the other planes and explore the little crawl spaces to the machine gun spots in the plane...but we weren't allowed..but it was still pretty cool.

But anywho, it was awesome! Definitely a nice little detour that we took and well worth it! Enjoy some photos!

I also got my sewing room more in order. Boom! Productivity!

So it was a good day. Got some things done and a little extra. :)

Perfect Pot Roast Every Time!

Hello! Since I am made a Pot Roast today, I thought I would share with you this SUPER easy recipe. And honestly, I think it comes out perfect every time! And it's delicious! Just as good left over as well!

First and foremost, you are going to need a crockpot. Scott and I got this super sweet one for our wedding that turns automatically to warm after the allotted time. Cool right?! No more constant cooking food! Hooray! It's way convenient since from the time I plug it in, to the time we eat, WAY longer than 8 hours. (I also don't recommend cooking on high heat for shorter the time. It tastes way better and the meat is more tender when cooked longer on warm)

Let's get to it!

So really you can customize this the way you choose. I like to use....

- Potatoes
- Carrots
- Onions
- Green Beans (save the juice if you are using from a can!)
- And of course, some type of beef roast. (I think chuck roasts are the best. They have more fat in them but they are juicier and literally fall apart when done cooking)
- And we can't forget McCormick Slow Cooker: Savory Pot Roast flavor packet! 

You can also add:

- Corn
- Celery
- Fresh Garlic
- Bell Pepper
- etc. (almost any veggie really)

I like to wash and peel my potatoes. You don't have to peal them though if you don't want to. I like to cut mine into approximately 1 in cubes. (though they really are more triangular like) I usually cut up enough so they cover the entire bottom of the crockpot and then a little more.

I also have a big beef on baby carrots so I refuse to use them. (I'm pretty sure they are left over big carrots that they shave down and soak in bleach and then re dye them. You can go ahead and look it up if you'd like) I don't like to peel the carrots because they are just fine the way they are! However, I do cut off the ends. For the bigger end of the carrot, I sometimes cut it in half. Really they can be as big or small as you prefer. I sprinkle the carrots on top of the potatoes. Not enough to completely coat the top but just enough.

Next comes the onion! I sometimes cut the onion up in squares, sometimes in strips. It just depends on my mood really. I tend to eat the onions more when they are squares though. I usually like to do half of a yellow onion, but it really depends how big your crockpot is.

For the green beans, I sometimes use a can (usually just one) and sometimes the fresh ones. This time around, I did a can. (the nice thing about using can GB is that you can use the juice for the flavor packet!) My mama likes to add the green beans at the end so they don't turn into mush, but I like to put them in in the beginning. If you are using fresh GB, I like to cut off the ends. You may also want to cut them in half or even in thirds. (sometimes those things are way long!) So you can either put them in now and sprinkle it over the top, or wait towards the end.

The roast! Like I mentioned earlier, I really think its better to get a chuck roast. Usually they are more flat and have more fat on them.

Next, either use a cup of water, or the juice from the green beans. Poor it into a bowl and then mix in the savory roast flavor packet. (it tends to get little bubbles where little pieces don't mix all the way, but that's okay really. Pour slowly so if you see a bubble, you can mix it) I like to pour it all over the roast. The juice will run off but I like to try to get most of the spices on the roast. Try and get out as much of the spices that are stuck on the bowl as you can.

You are all set! If you are preparing the night before, just put on the lid and stick it in the fridge. If you are ready now, put a lid on it, set it on low and set your timer for 8 hours!

I always love coming home when a roast is cooking. It smells so good! 

When 8 hours rolls around, it should look pretty scrumptious! Get a big fork or spoon and mix it all together! The meat should just fall apart. Mmmm! (that's how you know it should be done. if it doesn't fall apart, it should probably cook a while longer.)

Season with salt and pepper and you are all good to go! My hubby and I like this with crescent rolls. Yum!

Enjoy!! 

Social Media - A False Sense of Reality

I can't quite pinpoint what exactly triggered this buttttt oh well. I hope you find my thoughts at least slightly insightful.

Social Media. Creating a false sense of reality.

Let's think about that for a moment. Do you agree with that statement? Do you disagree? First initial thoughts?

I personally think this is a completely accurate statement. Just think about it. On Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc, what do you see? We see your best self. Your "perfected" image of yourself in a sense. I mean, come on. Are you really going to post that picture of yourself with no make up on, or the disastrous burnt, failed recipe you tried to attempt, or that craft project that really was a complete and utter failure? How many selfies did you take before you got the one you were satisfied with? How many pictures do you have online that are raw or unedited? I'm going to assume that there are way more edited/ filtered photos rather than yourself just as you are. I know, cause I've been there. I mean, that x pro filter really does give just the right about of contrast, right?

Other than our physical image, we also put out the personification that our lives are perfect too. Perfect family, perfect husband, perfect relationship, perfect, well behaved children that are sweet little angels. 

We tend to focus on all of our strengths, good qualities, things that make us feel good because others give us positive feedback. 

This is totally find and dandy to a certain extent, except when it effects the thoughts of others in a negative sense. Your so called "perfect" seeming life makes some of us feel inadequate. Your constant crafting and awesome ideas makes us feel like we aren't making any progress in our craftings or that we just aren't good crafters. We don't see your mistakes or that it took you five times to get that pie just right or you had a cour failed attempts at a sewing project, having to constantly grab your seem ripper...

But we don't see that. We don't see the hard work or the multiple attempts or the little mistakes or spills on our clothes.  

This lack of transparency sometimes gives some of us the feeling that you are better than we are. 

This is so not true. We are all individuals with different talents. Some people are great at blogging, connecting and promoting. Others are great at sewing, painting or scrapbooking. Some don't have a hand or keen eye for crafts but sre great at math or computers and problem solving. Or maybe even baking or patern making or design.

I think we should add a little more transparency into our lives. Help to let other people know that they are doing find with whatever it is they are attempting. Don't worry, I've wasted great fabric too because I cut it out wrong. 

You really don't have to put a sweet filter on every picture. You look exactly how you were intended, and I think that's wonderful. Embrace it. 

Don't get discouraged with all these people doing awesome things. Remember, they had to start somewhere.  Failures included. 

In closing, let me be briefly transparent with you...:

The other day, I left the oven on all day long! (Thank goodness nothing burnt down!)

I love my husband with all my heart, but we fight sometimes. (Or argue?) Completely normal. 

I tried making a dress form and FAILED miserably. See? I swear the foam just keeps growing. 

It can't even stand up straight because the foam is coming out the butt!

Ugh. It also coated my hands. Gross. Took FOREVER to get that stuff off.

(Sometimes they mean it when they say to wear a glove...)

When I first was getting into sewing, my seam ripper was my best friend. But I hated it haha. Ripping seams SUCKS.

Looking at other people's blogs totally discourages me. I mean come on, WHO TAKES YOUR PICTURES?! I swear a lot of these awesome bloggers have somebody take all their photos OR they awkwardly do it themselves with tripods and such. At least I think that would be awkward in public.  Seriously something that blows my mind and I have yet to know the answer! 

I hate doing the dishes after cooking and like to leave messes. Maybe not like but I occasionally leave messes. 

Sometimes I throw my cat off the bed/couch/etc when she is being ANNOYING. or shove her kindly...

Empty water bottles laying around in my living quarters drives me CRAZY. The only thing that really does. Weird. 

There you have some of my slight transparencies of Trissa. Let's help strengthen those around us that need some extra encouragement by being transparent. Not just by saying "practice makes perfect!" Let's share the shame and our silly imperfections. Let's draw closer together by what makes us human! 

Be a little transparent with me. I'd love to get to know you a little bit better. The real you.

:) 

100 Things That Make Me Happy

Alrighty... so I saw this little challenge from my girl miss Tasmin Skye and I decided to take a shot at it. I'm going to go ahead and time myself, however, don't let it fool you! I'm at work (shhh!) so there is a very good chance that I will get interrupted!

1. Scott
2. music
3. my nephew
4. family
5. sewing
6. wearing cloths I made
7. yoga
8. lemon lime koolaid
9. snuggling with my hubby
10. pictures of kittens
11. kittens
12. peanut (my kitty)
13. pumpkin (my other kitty that lives with my parents)
14. Shooting stars
15. meteor showers
16. the lake
17. the smell of rain
18. thunderstorms
19. a good book
20. temples
21. Napping
22. flowers
23. a clean apt
24. the smell of fresh baked banana bread
25. clean cloths
26. the warmth of towels when they are fresh out of the drier
27. a clean kitchen
28. getting paid
29. meeting new friends
30. family vacations
31. rollar coasters 
32. river rafting rides
33. country swing dancing
34. a walk in the park
35. picknicks
36. working out with my hubby
37. candles
38. lotion
39. sleeping in
40. a warm shower
41. bubble baths
42. General Conference 
43. Getting the job done
44. finishing a project
45. finishing a painting
46. ceramics
47. getting my nails done
48. girl dates
49. Christmas lights
50. christmas music
51. the smell of christmas trees
52. Cloudy and 75
53. The beach
54. Hawaii
55. Traveling
56. the woods
57. new shoes
58. Birthday cake
59. Getting a letter in the mail
60. When my fabric comes in the mail
61. Surprises
62. Date night
63. Nesquick
64. Christmas time
65. Paid holidays
66. bikram yoga
67. ballet fitness classes
68. Surprise visits
69. making things for others
70. pandora
71. froyo (frozen yogurt)
72. clean sheets
73. vacations
74. getting a good grade
75. projects with my daddy
76. Ice cold water
77. Cooking with my hubby
78. New books
79. Decorating my living quarters
80. My hubby's kisses
81. A good foot rub
82. and back rub
83. getting my hair washed at a salon
84. my telly
85. popsicles
86. Witnessing random acts of kindness
87. sailing
88. being out on the ocean
89. clean car
90. Fridays!
91. Disneyland
92. silly movies
93. sleeping in
94. Learning something new
95. New episodes of my shows
96. Miss grasses soup when I'm sick..mmmm
97. Relaxed weekends
98. Coming home to a happy kitty
99. good sushi!
100. bbq's at my brother's house

haha ah man. Took me about 28 minutes. BUT I was right. I did get interrupted at least twice. 11 minutes tasie? Seriously? I also took my time. I don't think it was supposed to be a speed test...?

If you take the challenge also, post your links! I wanna see! :)

Blog Hoppin

It's time for another Humpday Blog Hop! :)

Be a leader

Don't mind me. I'm just going to ramble a wee bit!

First, let's start by looking at the definition of a leader.

According to Google: the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country

Dictionary.com: 1. a person or thing that leads (that's super descriptive..) 2. a guiding or directing head, as of an army, movement, or political group.

British dictionary: a person who rules, guides, or inspires others; head

That all seems pretty normal and accurate, right?
       Did you know that there are two kinds of leaders? At least that is my thoughts and I have also learned this through my studies in the Pathway program, preparing to attend BYU I online. There is an upper "L" leader and there is a lower "L" leader. Which one do you want to become?

I'm sure we all know what an upper "L" leader is. That would be more of what we would consider a king or a ruler. Someone who directs and takes control. High and mighty, gets to boss people around. Most likely this type of leader will have servants and will rarely serve others.

I hope nobody strives to be this kind of a leader!

A small "L" leader is a little bit different. It includes serving and ministering, loving and supporting and blessing other people.  The Savior is the great exemplar of this kind of leader. And I think it would do the world good if the people within strived to be like this. Like the Savior.

A small "L" leader doesn't do things for praise or recognition. They do things because it is the right thing to do. I think the easiest way to be this kind of a leader is simply to lead by example. Doing the right thing, being kind and loving towards others, uplift and strengthen those around you, help those less fortunate that you, be compassionate, be a guiding light that helps illuminate the way for others.

Don't condemn, speak ill or gossip, don't make someone else's struggle seem less than it is just because you personally don't think that is much of a trial. We are all different. We have different hardships and trials, along with different strengths and talents. Different things affect us in different ways. The best thing that we can do is lift up those around us. Teach each other and love one another. Most of all, be humble. Put others before yourself. I guarantee that this will bring more joy into your life. Serving others without expecting to get something in return will increase your outlook in life. So if you are feeling down, go serve someone. It will make all the difference.