Grand Schemes and Other Plans

On a date with my little buddy

September 30, 2010

You know, being a single parent would be a breeze as long as I had financial support and not a single other responsibility including grocery shopping or cleaning up after myself.

I knew going into this week that I was going to need to cut myself a WHOLE lot of slack to make this a not-negative experience, so I’ve tried my best to clear my schedule and just focus on having fun with my little guy. I went grocery shopping on Saturday to stock the house with easy to prepare foods, Bear did every scrap of laundry in the house, I scrubbed and vacuumed and tried to get ahead of home responsibilities so that I could afford to let things go a bit. And so far (knock on wood) Atti and I have had an awesome time. In fact, I think I may be getting him dangerously attached to having an attentive mom.

On Tuesday after our visit to his school program, I decided to venture out and go to some fancy stores and have myself a stroll. There’s a shopping center here in town that not only has a great bakery where I could score my eclair, but also a bunch of fancy home stores.

Atti was good and patient for the first one, and after that he started grabbing on to the door to prevent me from entering the stores. It was like a cat in a cartoon, paws on either side of the doorframe to fight off going in. I bribed him with a cookie, and even that didn’t get me much more time.

But he loved walking together in the sunshine and finding our reflection in the windows. He’d shout out, “I see you!” and bounce up and down in his stroller seat. I’m hoping he didn’t want to go in the stores because he was having so much fun outside, and not because he hates shopping. I get out rarely enough as it is.

Filed Under: Atticus, Grand Schemes and Other Plans, The Good Life

2010 Year of Pleasures #39

September 28, 2010

Bear’s out of town this week, and with how totally overwhelmed I’ve been feeling lately, I was pretty panicked about it.

But then I decided to just seize this opportunity to do whatever the heck I felt like whenever the heck I felt like it, so I’ve been throwing myself a one woman slumber party. Last night I stayed up too late watching Lost in Austen on Netflix and eating samosas, and today I went to a bakery and loaded up on fancy pastries.

This is way too luxurious of a way to live day to day, but if Bear gets a break, then I have to make one too.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, The Good Life, Year of Pleasures

It’s official

September 21, 2010

If you’ve been around this blog since before Atti was born, you read a whole lot of my angst about making my dreams come true and how I longed to be a capital W-Writer. It’s kind of mind boggling to me now, but believe it or not I was actually blogging away for over four years before I started regularly sharing my craft projects. I get so much enjoyment out of my craft life, but in my secret innermost heart, I’ve always been a writer.

And now I really am.

After writing a couple of pieces for the Guardian UK (American readers don’t usually appreciate the big fat honkin deal that is, but it’s roughly equivalent to writing for the NY Times), and even been paid for them, I am a professional writer by whatever standard you want to measure.

My dear dear friends Sara and Elisabeth recognized what a special moment this was for me, so while they were at the airport they went to a money exchange booth and got me an English pound to symbolize the first dollar I made in my new dream career.

I ran out to Big Lots to find myself a frame and came across this hilariously tacky shadowbox. I opened it up and took it apart, and then it was just a matter of mounting the pound coin.

I cut a gray piece of cardstock to size, a really thick piece is best to hold up against that coin, and used rub-ons for the word. I was worried about mounting that coin without it falling off the paper, but I used a little GOOP glue and I haven’t had a problem. And with the thick cardstock I used, I didn’t get any warping either.

One of the things that has always stopped me from pursuing serious writing, is being intimidated be the thought of how hard it is to find publication. But now that I’m a little further down that path, it doesn’t seem so insurmountable. I think I may just overcome my fears and make my dreams come true.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make, The Good Life

I’m already hearing jingle bells….

August 30, 2010

As soon as I glimpse the end of summer, it’s pretty much a dead sprint to Christmas. It’s the time of year I find the most inspiring, and my head is always stuffed full of way too many ideas to follow through on all of them. So I have to get started early.

I wound up at Michaels last week and was overjoyed to realize that not only Halloween, but the early traces of Christmas had already arrived. I was immediately flooded with visions of everything I wanted to make and look what I found on the newsstand:

And look at what was awaiting me on page 46:

Didn’t they do a stunning job on this photograph? It totally took my breath away. I want to track that ribbon down and tie it on everything I own. It was so much fun working with the folks at BHG on this. And so thrilling to have something I can hold in my hands in glossy saturated color.

Most of the other artists in the magazine are etsy shop owners, and my poor etsy shop has been neglected for awhile. But I plan on whipping up a bunch of Christmas cards and these snowflake ornaments over the coming months. Maybe I’ll even add that pretty blue ribbon.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Over the Top Christmas, Stuff I Make

Getting press

August 10, 2010

Don’t worry, later this week I’ve got lots of crafty projects and Atti pictures, but as I’m decompressing and trying to get caught up from my big conference I had a couple of things I wrote go live so I thought I’d share them here.

Patheos.com is a great site about religion, and this week they’re doing a series on the future of Mormonism. They asked me to write about the future of Mormon feminism. In the series, my article is listed right below Elder Quentin L. Cook, one of our apostles. That’s really heady company. Also check out the works written by my friends Kristine Haglund and Bridget Jack Jeffries. Big intimidating brains on those two.

Right on the heels of my big conference was a deadline for The Guardian. That Guardian. The only paper read more is the New York Times. It’s kind of a massive deal. Of course, just as I was writing the piece due the next morning, my computer gets completely overrun by the nastiest virus I have ever experienced, I turned into a hysterical screaming mess, and Bear took a personal day so that we could resolve the computer issue, take care of a baby, and meet the deadline because there was absolutely no way I could do that on my own. After buying three different anti-virus programs, doing a full system restore and then a visit with the single best Geek Squad god I’ve ever heard of, we made it back on track and in time.

The post is up today and so far the comments are pretty nice. I’ve only been called a Nazi once. Comments on a site that big are always ridiculous, but on the twin controversial topics of feminism and Mormonism, hoo boy. People have some things to say.

Filed Under: Do-gooding, Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Matters of Faith

Taking it easy

August 2, 2010

I’m away this week, off in Utah speaking at a conference and flexing my brain muscles.

I’m really excited about the panels I’m participating in, but I also signed myself up for a crazy amount of work.

Thursday August 5th:
11:15 – 12:45
ARE WE MOVING TOWARD WHOLENESS? WOMEN AND THE FEMININE IN MORMONISM
Wholeness, balance, and inclusiveness characterize maturity. This panel will consider the relationship of both the masculine and the feminine and women and men in the LDS Church. Are feminine and masculine principles, values, and perspectives balanced in Church teachings and structures? Does the Church encourage and provide resources for the spiritual development of both men and women? Do men and women receive equal opportunities to develop their talents and serve in the Church? Do the governing structures of the Church reflect and work toward wholeness, balance, and inclusiveness?

2:15 – 3:15
LINE UPON LINE: HOW THE NEW PERSONAL PROGRESS/DUTY TO GOD PROGRAMS ARE DEFINING TOMORROW’S LEADERS
I* will compare and contrast the new Personal Progress/Duty to God programs and discuss how the requirements, suggested goals, and reading assignments are similar/different for the girls and boys. I will also explore how the Proclamation on the Family has been integrated into the Primary program, discuss what seems to be the most quoted portion of the Proclamation, and examine the possible ramifications based on the rather narrow way it is quoted/used in Primary/YM/YW.

*[I’ll be responding to this author’s paper – RD]

4:45 – 6:15
THE STORIES WE TELL: HOW AN UNPLEASANT TRUTH CAN BE MORE INSPIRATIONAL THAN A PLEASANT FICTION
The stories found in most LDS publications almost always result in a predictably happy ending, but life doesn’t usually wrap up so tidily. Divorce, addiction, abuse, disability–they happen to the best of us no matter how righteous we are, and many of us feel the impulse to hide tragedy in our lives. While it can be terrifying to open up about heartbreaks and disappointments, there are surprising benefits to be found, both for those who share and those who listen. Join a panel of bloggers as they discuss why they share and what the results have been.

Saturday August 6th
2:15 – 3:15
THE ROLE OF FEMINISTMORMONHOUSEWIVES.ORG IN THE “MATURING” OF MORMON FEMINISM
The Salt Lake Tribune religion reporter Peggy Fletcher Stack asked, “Where have the Mormon feminists gone?” The answer came back: to the Internet. But does online feminism translate to change in the real world? What strides have we made, and how far do we still have to go? Is discussing gender concerns in a public forum causing more harm than good? What does Mormon feminism look like today? A panel of women from the Feminist Mormon Housewives blog share their stories and take your questions.

So while I’m off consorting with some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever even heard of and trying to keep up, Atti will be playing with Grandma, eating ice cream for every meal and breaking every rule I’ve set.

See you all next week!

Filed Under: Atticus, Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Matters of Faith

Fixing up the clothes

July 21, 2010

In that pile of clothes I bought at the Goodwill a few weeks ago were a few things that needed a little help.

This tunic and those black pants are both double knit, indestructible, polyester. Oh I have a weakness for polyester. I love the retro appeal, I love the never-fading eye blinding colors, I love that I can toss it in the wash every day covered in snot and food and it will come out looking great. The only problem is that most of the polyester stuff you find around nowadays is something that was made for someone to wear on their way to Bingo.

When that tunic came home, it was a giant square. It hung off of me like a cardboard box, and if you are a largely chesticular lady such as myself, that makes you look ENORMOUS. All I did was take those side seams, draw in a curve for my waist, and sew on the line. Now you can see my actual shape, and this will work for everyone. Whether or not you’re happy with your particular shape, nobody is shaped like a square. It is *the simplest* adjustment to make, but you’ll get so much more enjoyment out of your clothes.

These pants crack me up. They are elastic waisted, they pull up past my rib cage, and when I bought them they were straight legged. Just begging to be worn with a pair of orthopedic shoes. But in my beloved polyester, I sensed real possibility.

My legs have always been one of my favorite features, so once leggings came back in style I hopped on that train but quick. I have gone through more pairs of leggings than I can even keep track of, and it is endlessly frustrating to me how quickly they wear out. If you can even find a pair in the first place that is not either too sheer or shiny with spandex.

I took down the hem, measured in where I wanted the ankle, and drew a line to just above the knee where the pants were already form fitting. Then I sewed on the line, cut off the extra, and re-hemmed. Now I have a set of super slim pants to wear with my tunics that will never wear out.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make

Mondrian Quilt Top

July 12, 2010

Piet Mondrian. Composition: Light Color Planes with Grey Contours. 1919.

As a comparison, here’s the original piece.

I made a to scale replica of this painting in quilt form, and I am just so dang impressed with myself. I made it 12′ x 12′ so I don’t have to add a border or anything, just a backing and binding. My only problem now is how to quilt it. I’ve done queen sized quilts on my regular sewing machine, but I think a king is just asking too much. I really love a densely quilted quilt, but I don’t want anything to distract from the bigger picture. Hmmm. This will take a lot of pondering.

Because no project is complete around here until a cat lays on top of it.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, Stuff I Make

Meeting with a Mentor

July 5, 2010

There’s a side to me that you may only see hinted at if you only know me from this blog. I’ve talked plenty about how I’m LDS and work with the teenage girls. I have a link to the blog I write for geared to LDS Young Women leaders, but I also write for Feminist Mormon Housewives, and I don’t know that I’ve talked about that here.

Feminism is kind of a hot topic anywhere, but particularly within the LDS church, and since this place is not exactly a hotbed of controversial topics, plus I already had places to explore that side of me, I never brought it up here. I have seen people get really frustrated when politics or philosophy get in the way of the nice parenting and craft blog they like to read, so I thought it best to leave that part of me for the other blogs.

But sometimes I worry that that’s dishonest. Am I being prudent and polite? Or gutless and pretending to be someone I’m not?

I’m active in the Mormon studies community, meaning that I read and think a whole lot about theology and history and sociology and deep intellectual things. I go to conferences and present papers, I write (but never finish) articles to submit to the academic journals. I’m very very very slowly working on a memoir about the nature of memory and abuse. I have aspirations to be a literary writer.

So then I come back to this tension. Do I have to choose? Do I have to be a Serious Person with academic pursuits who has no time for scrapbooking? Or do I have to be a crafter who only focuses on the beauty in life?

The blogging “experts” (as if there really were such a thing since we’re all just figuring this out together as we go) say that I do have to choose. They say that I can’t market myself as a brand unless I have a single narrow focus. They say that I have to pick one thing within one thing within another thing or else I’ll never get anywhere. But I can’t bring myself to do it.

That beauty in the photo with me is Carol Lynn Pearson, a literary hero to every Mormon woman. She is an activist for gay and women’s causes, she is a devout member, she has written plays, poems, non-fiction, for every audience, and she has never chosen one part of herself over another. She is who she is, fulfilling the calling God has given her, doing the best she can by the light she has been given. And since it all comes from such a pure place, it all works.

That’s what I want for myself. I want to find the strength of character to be completely authentic, to incorporate all those parts of me into one honest self. To do the best I can by the light I have been given. I’m so grateful to have her influence.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, mama musings, Matters of Faith

Major score!

July 1, 2010

What you see up there cost me $50 at the Goodwill down the street.

$50.
2 jackets, a skirt, 5 pairs of pants, a dress, and 7 tops.

For $50!

I gave up thrifting all together in San Diego, but here, my goodness has it proven worthwhile. I didn’t go in with high hopes because this is not a well off area, but for some reason, it’s amazing. I’ve found a ton of brand new stuff that was for sale at Old Navy and Target months ago. They must have some kind of a relationship there, but I can’t seem to figure it out. I’m just grateful.

One of my big goals this year was to shake off the suburban mom frump I’ve been wallowing in and reclaim my style, but since I have been so thoroughly unsuccessful in getting back to my pre-baby body, I kept putting it off. Nobody wants to buy clothes at their heavy point. That’s like committing to it. So instead I’ve been getting by with my closet full of lame stuff on sale that also fit.

This dress is a vintage number from the 50’s that is totally sheer. It’s gorgeous. I put it on with a black T-shirt and leggings and a pair of vintage kitten heels and feel amazing.

I call this one my Mrs. Roper tunic. It’s eye-searingly bright polyester and sunburst pleated. I have such a weakness for polyester.

It was at this point in the fashion show that I got grossed out and had to stop. I want to reclaim my style, but I have a seriously low threshold for plastering my blog with pictures of myself modeling. I have no desire to turn this place into one of those style blogs where everything looks cute by virtue of the authors youth alone. I think I’m going to need to get a mannequin or something. Or maybe just stop buying seven outfits in one day. A little goes a long way.

Of course, the one down side to thrift store shopping is that you have to just jump on whatever good thing you find, which can often leave you with orphaned clothes. I have a couple of adorable shirts that are just short of being tunics, but scream for some really slim pants. And a skirt that doesn’t go with any of my tops. And of course none of this is really fit for summer wear. I still have quite a lot of work to do.

Filed Under: Grand Schemes and Other Plans, The Good Life