Family Photo Collection—Fall 2016

So, my latest big project has been sewing for my Family Photo Collection, which came out this fall. ;-)

Last year Kaylie asked me to make her this design from my portfolio (or maybe it was I who thought she'd look cute in it. I don't remember now.)

I started sewing the dress, and I'd bought the fabric for the jacket, and while I worked on them I thought that it would be great to make a collection of clothes for the whole family and get family pictures done. (I've been wanting new family pics since before Jason went on his mission in October 2013.)

Anyway, after I'd gotten Kaylie's dress—just the dress (not the jacket)—mostly done I was suddenly swamped with about a million other projects and the whole thing was put on hold. Now Brandon is getting ready to leave on his mission (in seventeen days!), and I needed my to get family pictures done while everyone was together. (Chances are that when Brandon gets back, Ryan will be gone on his mission. And maybe some of my older kids will even be married.) So I spent the last two to three weeks finishing Kaylie's outfit, and sewing clothes for the rest of the girls and myself. My coolness did not extend to sewing for the boys. Five new outfits in two-and-a-half weeks was enough.

Testing colors for the final outfit. I liked the middle ensemble, but didn't have enough of that blue to make the design the way I wanted it.

At last, over Thanksgiving break, we went to Temple Square and had our pictures taken. Yay! We planned to meet my sister-in-law's sister, Rachel Montgomery, there and have her take the photos. But we got there early and we had our nephew, Scott, with us, so he took some pics while we waited.

Here is the "We are tourists at Temple Square" picture that I was trying to avoid. But it is a great shot of the dress that started it all.

And we had to have a picture under the 10.
(Have I ever mentioned that ten is my favorite number?Always has been. Can you guess why?)

my boys, trying not to fall down

my girls, twirling
(I really wanted a picture of them twirling their skirts.)

Rachel, looking out at the waterfall in the Conference Center.

all my kids, and a really big plant

I really like this picture. Too bad it's so blurry and the light is so weird.

I got me a good-looking husband!

Michael

Jason

Lindsey

Brandon
(We actually bought this orange shirt last year,
when I first thought of doing family pics.
Brandon really does have other shirts.)

Ryan

Kaylie

Rachel

Jessica

Not only do I have a good-looking husband, but we have awfully attractive kids, too! (By the way, it took a lot longer to make the collection of kids than it did to make the fashion collection...in case you were wondering. But we did a great job; they are pretty fantastic. ;-))

North Family, November 2016

Thanks to Rachel Montgomery and Scott North for helping us with the photos. Altogether we shot 278 pictures—that's a lot to sort through! And I am pretty happy with them.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Here I am, on Thanksgiving morning, in my father-in-law's house; it's quiet now. Pies are baked, the stuffing-bread is dried and cubed, broth simmering on the stove (smelling wonderful), and the turkey waits in the refrigerator for me to finish preparing it. In an hour or two my family will start waking up. We will talk, listen to music, play games, maybe watch a movie...

Later this afternoon the rest of the family will start to show up, bringing rolls, side-dishes, and more chit-chat, games, and fun.

Today I am grateful for my family. Especially my own family:

Bruce, my awesome husband who thinks I am fantastic no matter what I say, do, or look like (seriously, even in the morning when my hair looks like a tumbleweed on my head). My husband who carefully crawls out of bed every day at 5:30 a.m., careful to let me stay asleep, while he goes off to earn a living. The guy who talks so well about me all the time that complete strangers think I am awesome. I am thankful for him.

Michael, the kid who first made me a mom––now the guy who tries to always see the other person's point of view (and can show it to me when I am being a grump, without making me even more crabby).

Jason, my hat-wearing, finger-snapping son who loves the same music I do (and dislikes the same music I do).

Lindsey, my bestie; my kind, helpful girl who is a sweetheart to everyone.

Brandon, who always has something funny to add to a conversation.

Ryan, who can quickly solve problems. And who can understand what I'm saying/explaining without the need for pictures or written content. (Does he understand me better, or just listen better...?)

Kaylie, who always tries to be kind to other people, and who keeps me informed about what her siblings like, dislike, want, or need when I'm not too sure about it myself.

Rachel, who is quiet and insightful. When she has something to say, it is worth hearing.

Jessica, who has always been a ray of sunshine, and who loves everyone.

(And, I hardly need add, all of those awesome kids of mine are extremely intelligent, colossally good-looking, very witty, and just fun to be with.)

My family is (are?) my very best friends! I'm glad we all––all ten of us!––get to spend this holiday together.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Love Sewing?

So, my big sewing project (one of many) is almost finished. I don't know if I love it, actually. We'll see when the pictures come out. Once, in my corset-making class, way back when, Eugene (the teacher) came breezing into the room and practically sang, "Don't you just love sewing?"  And I thought, No. No, I don't love sewing.

This is still true. I don't love sewing—as I've been reminded throughout the last two weeks of madly drawing patterns, dyeing fabrics, laying out patterns, cutting out fabrics, trying to find enough fabrics that went together (when I ran out of the stuff I had bought online, but didn't have time to order more), being unsure whether I really thought they looked good together, sewing, sometimes taking things apart again and re-sewing, putting in long, long hours...  And then, as each piece is finished and tried on, I look at it and think it's not exactly what I had in mind.

And, yes, I did use dye especially made for polyester.

This happens pretty much every time I sew. I usually hate the clothes I make for at least a week or two, and often longer. So right now I've made a bunch of dresses, a skirt and top, a scarf, and a jacket that I pretty much can't stand to look at. Normally I really do love creating something and seeing my ideas bloom from start to finish; that's fun. But I just didn't have enough time to even appreciate that process this time around; instead I am rushing to finish everything today, before we go to Salt Lake for Thanksgiving. Hopefully I'll be successful. And hopefully seeing my work in pictures really will make me like it better.

my sewing room disaster awaits...

But for now... Back to work. And, no. No; I do not love sewing.

2016 Wish List

OK. It's not Thanksgiving yet, but Bruce wanted my list early. And I made the world's longest Christmas list. Because I started it in June, because I was bored, and I needed something to do. So watch out, Santa, because here (not in any particular order)
it is!

Grid Rulers. They are my favorite pattern-making tool, and at the top of my sewing-favorites list, too. I want about five of them—or at least one 18-inch ruler and one 12-inch ruler. Bruce laughed at me the other day when I told him I needed more grid rulers. I used to have three, but two of them broke long ago, and the remaining one (being made of clear plastic) frequently disappears when I'm sewing. You can find them in fabric stores and art-supply stores, Bruce. ;-)

Merry Christmas! A four-record set by Readers Digest that I listened to over and over when I was little. I particularly want the recording of Deck the Halls that was on it—it's pretty cool. Anyway, if you own the records (I do) you can go here and download an MP3 of the whole set. But it would be nice to get this particular gift before Christmas. ;-) Just sayin'. 

 A Negative Scanner. Working on pictures for my dad just solidified my desire to get all my old negatives onto my computer. (This one, based on reviews. I think.)

A good Mortar and Pestle. I have had a lot of trouble with my mortar and pestle sets lately. My first, lovely, marble set that I had for years fell off the counter; the mortar survived, but it fell onto the pestle and snapped it in two. :-(  I got a second marble set, but the mortar cracked along the grain of the marble and broke in half. :-(  Sadly, the new pestle is the wrong shape to work with the old mortar. I really need a new set.

A Spice Grinder would be awesome too. Because sometimes the mortar and pestle just take too long. You can get it here.

Books. Children's books. Children's books that I owned forever and then were destroyed by children who were not me, to be exact. (Can you guess who I mean?)  All on my Amazon Wishlist.  (Hardbound is preferable. ;-) )

After sixteen years my faithful hand-blender (immersion blender) is just about completely worn out. (It still works, but it has a very hard time of it. And it smells funny.) So I need a new hand-blender: The Braun Multiquick 7 Hand Blender, model MQ777 would be fantastic. (It's the latest version of the model I have now. I figure if it lasts sixteen years, that is awesome!)

Hair for George. I'd need five medium-length nylon hanks: an evenly-mixed blend of two Nectarine and two Marmalade hanks, plus one hank of Mango-Tango. Available from dollyhair.com. He needs eyelashes too.

Stauffer's Ginger Snaps. These are the best ginger-snaps (which are the best cookie for dunking in milk—yes, even better than Oreos), and they are hard to find. In fact, I've never seen this brand in Vernal.

Bruce Adolphe's Piano Puzzlers sheet music. (From my favorite—OK, the only one I know of) radio game show (NPR's Piano Puzzlers). Bruce Adolphe takes familiar tunes and rewrites them in the style of famous composers, for example My Favorite Things in the style of Bach, or Jingle Bells  as Chopin might have written it. Fun!

A good X-Acto knife set—the Deluxe Hobby Tool Set, in fact. See it here. The Basic Set would probably be OK, but the Deluxe set would be awesome! ;-)

And the X-Acto Precision Soldering Iron and Hot Knife Tip (here). Did you know you can use a soldering iron to seal polyester fabrics as you cut them? (This keeps the fabric from fraying. Cool. But just for crafts; not for sewing—unless you like plasticky-edged seams in your dresses.)

A Mandolin. Not the musical instrument (although that would be way cool too), but the food slicer. I want this one.

I need a new LDS Hymnbook (the big one) and a new LDS Children's Songbook. Mine are in terrible condition.

We don't watch TV, but I love to snuggle under a blanket and shut down my brain with a favorite movie at the end of a day. So here's a list of movies:
Sherlock. Ok. Technically this is a TV show. But I never saw it until Lindsey grabbed it at the library ...and then we were all hooked. Guilty as charged.
The Prince of Egypt
Mr. Holmes  I loved this one. But then, Ian McKellan is awesome.
You've Got Mail  Why don't I already have this one?
Or this one? While You Were Sleeping
Arthur. Yes, the kids' TV series; I think it's hilarious! (And I can keep it in my Grandma-stash, as I am looking forward to being a grandma some day. ;-) ) I love the episode with Yo Yo Ma, and the Ballad of Buster Baxter episode. And almost any of them that feature D.W.

These spice bottles. When one of my spices runs out, I have been going to the store and buying a square bottle of said spice, thus slowly been replacing my old spice jars with new square ones (and putting my own labels on them). Then, lo and behold! King Arthur Flour has the exact same bottles for sale—and in a set of six, which is exactly how many more I need! (And costs less than replacing the spices—and would take a lot less time, since the only ones I need now are the ones I don't use as often.)

Well, this list is getting pretty silly. Not only that, but Bruce (knowing that it's coming) told me I should post it before Thanksgiving so that he can shop. I'll think on that. In the meantime, there's one last thing that I really, really want:

Time. Time with my family. Games to play, treats to make, songs to sing, places to go, things to see, time to spend together (video-game/computer-free). And photos of all of it.

Politics, Media, and Decisions

I am not sharing this post on facebook because
politics offends too many people. This is for my record.
If you have found it, I hope you will not be hurt
or resentful over what I say.

Much as I hate politics—meaning mostly the fighting that accompanies it, and much as I try to avoid posting political stuff (except for how distasteful I find it), I am going to write about politics.

It looks like Donald Trump, the Republican candidate, will be our new president. I have heard nothing but bad of him from all over the place; he appears to be a self-centered, arrogant man. But neither have I heard anything but bad of the Democrat party candidate, Hillary Clinton. And, as she (and her husband) have been in office, and very much in the public eye since 1992, I believe she was the worst of the two. As someone said (on facebook, where everyone is so kind and generous), —I will paraphrase: "Trump is not a good guy, but at least (unlike Hillary) he doesn't try to hide it or lie about it."

I did not vote for the person I thought was the lesser of two evils—as if those two evils were the only choice we had. I voted for one who I believe is a good man, and who I think would have upheld the Constitution of the United States. I voted for Darrell Castle (of the Constitution Party), knowing that he had no chance of winning. I don't say this so that I can be self-righteous, or tell you what a great person I am; I wavered until the very end. I wavered for the same reason that so many people thought their only option was to choose the better of two bads:

THE MEDIA

The all-knowing, fear-mongering, dirt-dishing media have worked hand-in-hand with the Dems and Reps for decades to promote this lie:
"If you vote for a third party (not a Dem or a Rep) then you are throwing your vote away." This has been bandied around, and perpetuated for so long that the entire nation believes it. This lie only becomes true because we believe it; we make it true.

The truth is that the Dems and the Reps have the most money, so they get a lot more media coverage. They are in the news 99.99% more than any other party is; they are the ones in focus at every debate. The media keeps the focus on them good and sharp.

I couldn't count the number of despairing facebook posts over the last few months saying that they had no choice but to vote for ——— because the other candidate was (apparently) the manifestation of all that is evil. Or posts like this one from October 9: "I keep trying to watch the debate but I just can't stand it for more than a minute. It is seriously painful to listen to both Trump & Clinton. I watch for a minute again and have to turn it. Take your pick between the two but they are awful choices."

And this one from yesterday: "I need to stay out of politics after this so I will make a point to make this my only other comment about this election. The fact that either Hillary or Donald will win is sad. Beyond sad actually. I don't see any peace either way. I think Hillary is slightly more corrupt than Trump but that's just my perspective. I still don't know how I am going to vote today." 

Part of the problem is that I've seen almost nothing but the dirt that has been thrown at and smeared over both of those candidates. I can honestly say that I never saw anything good posted about either of them. Perhaps if we were seeking for the good things, the choice wouldn't have seemed so terrible. Instead it was as if when we freed the evil genie from his jar he told us, "I promised myself that the one who would release me would die, but you may choose the manner in which you would like to be killed."

Today, after the election is over and the results are in, I'm seeing posts like this one on facebook: "I admit that I would rather have a Republican in the White House than a democrat, but this was not what I had in mind. I feel sick to my stomach just thinking about it."

I won't offend you (or myself) by reposting the gloating, or mourning, or blaming memes that I've seen this morning.

This is the point of this whole post, the reason I am talking politics at all: When the whole country believes what the media is dishing out, when they wholeheartedly believe that their only option is to choose between two candidates that they despise, when they feel compelled to vote for the lesser of two evils, then what good result did they really expect? I may sound harsh or unfeeling, but this is true: If you were voting for the least bad, what did you expect but bad?

We all have four years to rethink this, to decide what is true and what isn't. In the meantime, Donald J. Trump will be the President of the United States. Instead of despairing, let us decide to discover what is good about him and hope and pray for those traits to prevail. Let us resolve to remember that it is in God we trust, not a man. The world is still spinning; let us use our privilege to pray that it turns in a good direction, and let us do whatever we can to help it.

Costumes

I spent the last couple of months making costumes. Now you might be thinking that I'm a really great mom, making things for my kids to use on Halloween. But, if you think that, you are wrong; I am not really that nice.

No, I've been working on costumes for a couple of shows done by Vernal Theater LIVE!.

In September I did all the costumes for  You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown!  Mostly I had to buy shirts and dye them, but I did get to sew the two dresses for Lucy and Patty. (Patty is actually styled more like Sally (Charlie Brown's little sister) because 1. her clothes are just so cute, and 2. her fabrics were easier to find.)

Anyway, here are my Charlie Brown pics:

And now Vernal Theater LIVE! is doing Tumbleweeds, a melodrama. It is super-fun; the cast is doing a marvelous job—sooooo funny!. So you should go see it tonight, or this afternoon, if you can. (Look for tickets here.)

Anyway, I was asked to costume this show too, but mostly I just had to look through the costume closet and find things that fit everyone. And mostly the actors did this themselves—or they found pieces and props from home (or friends, family, etc.).

some of the citizens of Grimy Gulch

Snake-Eye McFoul and Deputy Knuckles

But I did make Throckmorton Fleesum's (our villain's) extra-tall top-hat (and line his cape with the fancy, shiny stuff).

David Gale is hilarious as Throckmorton Fleesum!
As for the hat, it's about 35% taller than a real top-hat should be.

And I got to make Tumbleweeds' (our hero's) shirt.

Tumbleweeds (Allen Steckler) has big plans
for the town of Grimy Gulch.
It was a pleasure working with Allen.

a white dress-shirt dyed yellow, hand-cut fringe,
and some hand-made appliques...
I think this is my all-time favorite costume piece that I've made.
(In fact, I am sorely tempted to make something similar
for Bruce, and a rockabilly dress for myself to go with it.
But what would we do with them?)

It has been fun to work with the cast of Tumbleweeds, and it's pretty fun to see my work on the stage. But my next project is just for me (well, mostly for me). These are my fabric swatches...

dark blue denim; ivory jersey with ivory lace; patterned denim;
burnt-orange ITY; blue ITY; possibly this houndstooth (browns and blues)

I've already made the first piece of this collection. Can you guess what I'm up to? Photos to come later...

Fifty-Two Days...

A few weeks ago (yes, before Halloween) I walked into Wal-mart, and headed toward the shampoo aisle, which happens to be next to the garden center. And do you know what I saw?!
Christmas stuff!!

Yes, two to three weeks before Halloween Walmart already had replaced the barbecue grills and the hoses with lit-up Christmas trees, and ornaments, and tinsel, and wrapping paper, and wreaths, and poinsettias...

And you know what my first reaction, my first thought was?

It made me smile! It made my eyes happy! It lightened my heart (which is a very great need during this season of name-calling and mud-slinging that we call the presidential election). And with that happy feeling I suddenly had an insight... a realization... a Christmas epiphany:

In years past it annoyed me that the stores put their Christmas stuff out so early. Obviously this holiday is entirely commercial to them; they only want our hard-earned cash—those money-grubbing, hog-like merchandizers who would probably sell their own grandmothers if they only thought you'd pay for them. They lure you in with their sparkling lights, then they wring every last penny from you, and go laughing all the way to the bank. How utterly repugnant!

I know a lot of people feel this way: just leave Christmas until Christmas––or at least until after Thanksgiving, puh-leeze! And so I hear people complaining about the stuff being in the stores so early, and griping about people who start playing Christmas music or putting up Christmas decorations any time before December 1, etc. And I was right there with them (except for the Christmas music part––I have always listened to that year-round.). I don't put out my own Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving; I even stopped publishing my ridiculous Christmas wish list until after Thanksgiving.

I understand people's disgust over the commerce of Christmas; I really do.

Well, I don't feel this extreme about it!

But back to my Christmas-in-the stores epiphany:  What does any of that commercialism have to do with me?

Nothing! 

And why should the retailers' desire or need for a higher profit make me feel frustrated or angry about the time of year I like best?

It shouldn't!

Because I love Christmas! I love the way it sounds, and feels, and looks. I like looking at the trees, and the lights, and the pretty papers, even if I have no intention of buying anything at all.  

So, even before Halloween (!) I can go to Wal-mart (and lots of other stores) and feast my eyes on all the pretty, shiny things, and have some happy feels, too. Even in October or November—even though I love Thanksgiving too—I can be more like Fred than like his Uncle Scrooge ...you know, the man who said this:

"I am sure I have always thought of Christmas time...as a good time; a kind, forgiving, charitable, pleasant time; the only time I know of...when men and women seem by one consent to open their shut-up hearts freely."

Not only that, but I can be like the repentant Ebeneezer Scrooge himself, and "honour Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year."

And so, if the stores want me to think of Christmas––that kind, giving time––before Halloween (the time of begging your neighbors for candy), then I'm OK with that. And if I see Christmas at Wal-mart before Thanksgiving Day happens, then maybe those cheery, colorful sights can just be one more thing to be thankful for, instead of something to annoy me. Maybe I can let what I see open my shut-up heart just a little earlier, instead of making me shut it more tightly.

So I will let it make me smile, make my eyes happy, and lighten my heart. And I will listen to my Christmas music year-round, and watch A Christmas Carol (almost any version of it), and How the Grinch Stole Christmas! year-round (because they are some of my favorite movies). And I'll take my kids looking at the pretty things too, as soon as they're available for looking at. And maybe it will make me remember to do fun things for and with my family throughout October, November, and December. And I can say, with Fred, that, "although [Christmas] has never put a scrap of gold or silver in my pocket, I believe that it has done me good, and will do me good; and I say, God bless it!"

Even in October. ;-)