Being married is cool

For more than one reason. But one of the reasons is that your family suddenly doubles, and so does your extended family! Which means I get to be aunt Lulu to these cute kids :)

My favorite quote so far : "Aunt Lulu blew up my hair!" (I had just blow-dried Sophia's hair after going to the pool)

Pinkie promise

that I will post soon. My husband's family has been here this whole week and it's been so much fun spending all this time with them--I've barely had the time to miss my sewing machine! And this'll probably be the last time we're all together for a few years, so we've really taken advantage of it. I'm sad to see them go so soon :(

But coming up, I've got a couple projects waiting, including some top-sewing, alterations on my temple dress (that can apply to a lot of things; I've figured out how to lengthen my sleeves that I accidentally made a little too short.. that was really not smart) and another bathroom organization project! Oh, and an eyelet shirt--I've had my eye on some fabric (hehe... eyeing eyelet fabric...) for a while but wasn't sure what to do with it... a quick visit to Anthropologie today gave me an idea though, so we'll see how it comes through!

Lulu can't wait to get back to work :)

Andrew is getting sick

Poor dear :)

This is probably a bad sign...

but the hair lightener is not doing a lot of good to my scalp, and I feel like it gets worse each time I do it.
Which means that it might be time to go darker and leave it that way for a while. Meh. We'll see.

Assuming my averageness

Yes, I like to go on long walks and I like to watch sunsets. Sue me.

Aw, look at my handsome husband :) I also like to take pictures of nothing in particular. I still have so much to learn about my camera.

And finally, does this bird look odd to you? Is it me or is it missing a leg?!

Dance skirt

So... a while ago I lost my practice shoes and one of my dance skirts somewhere on campus. It made me terribly sad, but at least I had an extra dance skirt. However, this dance skirt has always felt too small, and I'm already a short-ish standard dancer, so I don't need a skirt that makes me look stubby...

ick.

I've been wanting to just make a new one (because those skirts are EXPENSIVE!) by simply copying the pattern of my skirt and making it longer, but the fabric too is expensive! And I couldn't find some thick enough. So I thinks to myself: how about adding fabric to the bottom?
 

(hehe do you like the purple toenails? :) I was worried it would look too tacky/cheap fix-ish, but since the new fabric is a bit shinier it actually just looks like a wide ribbon-type band around the bottom. I'm quite happy with how it turned out, and the best part is I am no longer a stubby dancer!

Ok, who am I kidding, I'm still short, but the extra inches will do wonders for my dance lines hopefully!

Really really cool...

This person makes teensy weensy little things in doll-house size... check it out it's unbelievable!

http://www.flickr.com/photos/shay-aaron/4539161660/in/photostream/

Family mat

This is entirely not my idea, but it's all I've been doing lately. You've probably seen those mats around copies of The Family: a Proclamation to the World with pictures and all-- well I though they were pretty cool but the cost of printing tons of quadruple copies of passport-size photos wasn't appealing. 

I found a perfect-size mat at a yard sale and then thought: how about doing it on the computer and color-printing an already set up mat? So I got to work and it's still in progress. I just measured the mat and drew a frame the same dimensions in Word and.. this is what it looks like so far.

Fun stuff! I'll post pictures once it's a little more complete.

When momma ain't happy, ain't nobody happy

I've been doing a lot of thinking on this subject lately.
I've come to some conclusions, conclusions I would like to spend more time researching and studying and, someday, maybe write a real essay about. I realize this post will be all over the place, and I apologize in advance. Also, just a disclaimer: some of the sites I have linked to in this post are not pleasant. Please be careful.

"When momma ain't happy ain't nobody happy." You've heard similar expressions, and they're dead on. I think this is what general authorities are hinting at when they talk about the influence of a righteous woman. She can and does influence her husband immensely, and she shapes her children--as much as they like to deny that they have any resemblance with their mother... A woman sets the tone in her home more than any other single individual or influence.

But this applies on a larger scale as well.
There are studies that show cultures where women are mistreated/abused/considered as slaves tend to be less peaceful (as in civil unrest, war, etc) and less developed. (I am looking for the source for that, I promise I've read it!)
The more education a woman gains, the more chances her family has of rising out of poverty and making a good and wholesome life for themselves. Even a little bit of education can assure that a woman's children have greater chances of survival.
Give a woman the resources and she will make them blossom and bring good not only to herself but to her family and to her entire society. I remember seeing a BYU documentary about micro-finance (which I think is the best possible form of humanitarian aid--it's teaching men to fish instead of giving them fish. But that's another post entirely. I get ridiculously excited talking about micro-finance) and how the success rates were huge for women especially because they took advantage of the loans and used them to start a business, however small, and get their kids to school and food on the table. And then all it takes is one generation for the family to already be better off.

The implications for "making momma happy" go so far beyond daily family life: "making momma happy" affects entire societies. (I realize I am equating happiness with education, financial resources and peace. There could be a lot more to that definition, but for now we'll leave it at that)

Ugh. I'm having trouble putting my thoughts into words here.


I am becoming convinced that one of Satan's most effective targets to destroy families is women.
Because women are the heart of the home (and by heart of the home, I mean the spiritual center of the family unit), downgrading them and demoralizing them is his best shot for bringing down families, and then societies.
Think of extreme beauty standards that can cause eating disorders (which incidentally can render you temporarily sterile... kills women's self-esteem and their possibility of having children for a time; how interesting).
Think of cultures and extreme religions that put women in subjugation and declare them property of their patriarchs, that don't allow women education or any form of personal dignity.
Think of places where women must cover their face in public, where their own family members can kill them if they "dishonor" the family--where being raped can fall in the "dishonoring your family" category.
Think of domestic abuse.
Think of peer pressure to have sex before marriage or to dress in provocative ways, pressure that can destroy a girl's self-worth.
Think of cultures that kill off their baby girls because they have insufficient worth to their parents.
Think of places where parents mutilate their daughters' bodies (female excision) to make them more marriageable.
Think of the prostitution masters who abduct mere girls and sell them off into slavery of the worst kind.

And then look at the Gospel that (aside from cultural quirks which are NOT the gospel: guys who think they're so important or excercise unrighteous dominion over their family) puts women beside their husbands as goddesses and priestesses. People think that because women don't have the priesthood, Mormons are old fashioned and that our religion lacks equality. Nothing is so far from the truth: women in the church operate without the priesthood by faith alone. God entrusts us with his sacred mission without a hierarchy of power because of the divine nature of women. I am by no means putting down the priesthood, which we believe to be the power of God himself. But I'm beginning to think that this is what could make the female gender unique: that we could by birthright alone receive our own special power--perhaps a gift directly inherited from our Heavenly Mother.

So what do we DO about this?

First of all, we can all make a greater effort in the fight to end the atrocities being committed against women around the world. We can stop trying to be "politically correct" towards people and cultures that do these things to their women. (This is one reason I think the burqa law in France has nothing to do with freedom of religion and everything to do with cutting back on a repressive symbol--despite other not-so-noble motivations that may be behind the law. But that's another post entirely.)


And second, we as women can try a little harder to be a positive influence in this world--once we realize our potential, our abilities are without bounds, but we need to use our influence for good. (I realize this sounds vague, but there are so many ways we can do this-- come on, what are your ideas!? what can we do?)

I am too often guilty of letting myself be carried by the flow of events, but I need to grab a firm hold and get started, I need to start influencing my family, my acquaintances and my world for good. And the first thing I can do is be a little more cheerful and take greater advantage of the educational opportunities I am so blessed to have.

I am shamelessly reposting this, because it's too good not to share.

Part of rebuilding New Orleans caused residents often to be challenged with the task of tracing home titles back potentially hundreds of years. With a community rich with history stretching back over two centuries, houses have been passed along through generations of family, sometimes making it quite difficult to establish ownership. Here's a great letter an attorney wrote to the FHA on behalf of a client:

You have to love this lawyer........


A New Orleans lawyer sought an FHA loan for a client. He was told the loan would be granted if he could prove satisfactory title to a parcel of property being offered as collateral. The title to the property dated back to 1803, which took the lawyer three months to track down. After sending the information to the FHA, he received the following reply.



(Actual reply from FHA):
"Upon review of your letter adjoining your client's loan application, we note that the request is supported by an Abstract of Title. While we compliment the able manner in which you have prepared and presented the application, we must point out that you have only cleared title to the proposed collateral property back to 1803. Before final approval can be accorded, it will be necessary to clear the title back to its origin."

Annoyed, the lawyer responded as follows:
(Actual response):

"Your letter regarding title in Case No.189156 has been received. I note that you wish to have title extended further than the 206 years covered by the present application. I was unaware that any educated person in this country, particularly those working in the property area, would not know that Louisiana was purchased by the United States from France in 1803, the year of origin identified in our application. For the edification of uninformed FHA bureaucrats, the title to the land prior to U.S. ownership was obtained from France , which had acquired it by Right of Conquest from Spain . The land came into the possession of Spain by Right of Discovery made in the year 1492 by a sea captain named Christopher Columbus, who had been granted the privilege of seeking a new route to India by the Spanish monarch, Queen Isabella. The good Queen Isabella, being a pious woman and almost as careful about titles as the FHA, took the precaution of securing the blessing of the Pope before she sold her jewels to finance Columbus 's expedition. Now the Pope, as I'm sure you may know, is the emissary of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and God, it is commonly accepted, created this world. Therefore, I believe it is safe to presume that God also made that part of the world called Louisiana . God, therefore, would be the owner of origin and His origins date back to before the beginning of time, the world as we know it, and the FHA. I hope you find God's original claim to be satisfactory. Now, may we have our damn loan?"


The loan was immediately approved

This is how excited I am

About my new project.

I've had my eye on those fancy new jeans--the ones with thick white stitching.

 
I hate the bling some of them have on them but I finally found a pair I loved... the only hiccup was they're worth 300$... not really worth it. Especially since I've never really been a jeans person. I found a similar pair for 100$ but still.. Not worth it. So...

I decided I'd just do it myself!

I have a pair of jeans I sometimes wear (only cost 15$ too) but I'm not necessarily that attached to them, so why not try this out on them.

All it takes is some good white yarn...

a FAT needle

and a LOT of patience (and tough fingertips. This is when I wish I had one of those rubber thimbles... I can't even remember how many times I poked myself. No blood though!)

But it definitely paid off. I just followed the original stitching, going four stitches long and skipping one. After several grueling hours...

Voilà!

Putting True Religion out of business one stitch at a time... :) It's a stupid name for a brand anyway--what, we're supposed to worship their pants?!

It may be possible that I have too much time on my hands...

But here's how to turn a very boring white collared shirt...

Into something from out of Africa :)

Just un-stitch the collar...

Close it up without the collar...

Use a piece of the collar to make two strips, making buttonholes at one end of each of them:

Attach to the inside of your rolled-up sleeves...

Buttons...

And tadaam!

(This is the "I've been sewing for too long just now" look)
Not terribly exciting, but more casual and therefore I'll probably wear it more now. The fit was fine, it was just such a boring shirt, and with my news director pounding the no white & no black on set rule... I had no use for a white collared shirt whatsoever! Hmm, I think this'll go quite well with that seersucker skirt...

Oh, and incidentally... my sewing supplies are going German on me!

Eliza R. Snow once said...

Our enemies pretend that, in Utah, woman is held in a state of vassalage—that she does not act from choice, but by coercion. What nonsense!
I will now ask of this assemblage of intelligent ladies, Do you know of any place on the face of the earth, where woman has more liberty and where she enjoys such high and glorious privileges as she does here as a Latter-day Saint? No! the very idea of a woman here in a state of slavery is a burlesque on good common sense … as women of God, filling high and responsible positions, performing sacred duties—women who stand not as dictators, but as counselors to their husbands, and who, in the purest, noblest sense of refined womanhood, are truly their helpmates—we not only speak because we have the right, but justice and humanity demands we should!  (quoted in Jaynann Morgan Payne, “Eliza R. Snow: First Lady of the Pioneers,” Ensign, Sep 1973, 62)

Read more about this extraordinary woman here.

Summer = seersucker

Here's a really fun project, that surprisingly was a real pain when I got to the "belt" portion. It worked out all right though-- all it took was a yard of fabric!
And this is some fun fabric :)

hmm... I'm taking blurry pictures lately; I'll have to fix that.

I just cut the yard into two 1/2 yard wide strips and sewed them together, then gathered the top (Only attach them together at one end, leave the skirt open until after attaching the belt portion)
Once that was done I sewed the backside of a strip of matching yellow fabric (what's that, about 6/7 inches wide?) to the top of the gathered part.

Then fold it over the other side, pinning all over the place to make sure it lies flat... I used a zigzag stitch to flatten a little better, and then made one side extend past the skirt fabric to add a buttonhole to close the skirt.

Once the top belt part is done, now go ahead and sew the skirt closed (leaving a little space at the top to open it) and there you go!

Oops! forgot the hem! But you knew that right? ;)

 

Speaking of pants...

Can we please get over the leggings as pants/skinny jeans fad soon? It's gross on anybody but a size 0 model, and I'm sick of seeing too much of people's cellulite and butt. Yes, I said butt.
Honestly though.
I had a math TA who wore "dresses" that were really shirts over leggings and every time she would get up after sitting down, her "dress" had ridden up over her... derrière and we could see in full detail every line of her body, including the ones no one cares to see. Leggings are not pants, and they never will be. Might as well walk around in your panties ladies. (Exceptions are obviously made for dancers, for whom leggings/tights are meant. And when I say dancers I mean ballerinas/jazz/modern. Not ballroom. Leggings plus standard pumps... not ok.)

Skinny jeans may not be quite as revealing, but they are not for everybody.
First of all they shouldn't make skinny jeans above a size 2, period.
Before people start attacking me for perpetuating beauty stereotypes, let me just say this: it has everything to do with what is flattering for which body type, and not whether one body type is "better" than another one. I am comfortable in my skin but I put myself in the shouldn't-be-wearing-skinny-jeans category because I know it's just not good on me. It's important to be aware of what makes you look good... and what doesn't.
The only thing skinny jeans will do for a girl whose thighs happen to be wider than her calves (a.k.a the vast majority of the general population... and by the way that is normal and healthy) is make her thighs look bigger.
Anybody that is even remotely curvy should not be wearing "skinny" anything. Doesn't even the name strike a bell? Curves are great, but skinny jeans do not make them look good--you just end up with a muffin top and splitting seams.

And now, the real reason I'm ranting. The fashion is so stinking pervasive I can't find a decent pair of jeans anywhere! Even the "boot-cut" jeans are straighter than ever before, and that's as wide as they make them. I'm not advocating the return of full-on bell-bottoms, but... down with skinny jeans.


Unless you're a Swedish model or my little sister.


And now, for some good ol' straight jeans: http://lamachinedelulu.blogspot.com/2010/07/this-is-how-excited-i-am.html 

Pants.

I have loved these pants a little too much...

(And I realize the colors are weird. It's what happens when you let your colorblind husband take the picture :)

And perhaps washing them in the machine wasn't a good idea. Either way, they were so completely beat that even with patches people kept telling me I had a hole in my pants... I got the hint. So I made them again! Thanks to a 40% off coupon I got the fabric for the grand total of $9. Not too shabby for a pair of pants! I got a linen blend too so they'd be a little sturdier (and it was cheaper than full linen).

It was a little tricky once I got to the zipper,

but apart from that the rest was pretty straightforward. I simply unpicked the main seams and cut my new fabric off of the pieces, just like you would use a pattern. I even kept the zipper (although if you ever do that, it's a really bad idea to pull the zipper too high... I accidentally pulled it all the way off and had to fight with it to get it back on. I won though :)

I also kept the top "belt" part since it was still in great condition and I didn't want to make things more complicated than necessary--it gives the pants a good finished look.

As you can see from the picture... those pants were a size 9... I'm not quite sure what goes through my head sometimes but I have serious depth/size perception issues. So I made the pants a tad bit smaller too...

Once I had put the legs together and added the zipper I pinned the top belt part to it and... voilà! Oh, and some back pockets too!

The front had some funny fake pockets so I just recreated those as well before sewing the pant legs together, and did a decorative stitch to set them apart.

That's about it I think... After I was sure they fit right I went back and zigzag stitched all the major seams and flattened the outside seams to make sure they'll stay.
I am quite happy with the result!

They could probably use a bon coup de fer (iron) though...


Oh, and I have something else to show you tomorrow! It involves seersucker... :)

Independence day partying

This weekend was one of the funnest weekends I have had in quite a while--it feels like we did so much! Some of the pictures are on the camera I sent with Andrew to California (yes, my husband left me for a long-legged brunette... to compete dance!) It's kind of weird, this will be the first time since our wedding we are separated for more than a few hours... Good think my sister Sylvia arrived last week and is staying with me till he gets back!

Anyway. The 4th (and 3rd, and 5th) was a blast. I've already posted the sparkler mania--we also set off some fireworks on the 5th and went to the parade. My favorites:

Karson and Betsy's little Izzie (we were her biggest fans :)

The giant that started eating people... creepy

Sylvia's snow-cone-induced blue lips/teeth

The mayor's shirt:

By the way, Jason Chaffetz is the man. His fancy car comes by, with the driver and the sign on the side saying his name/position... but no Jason. Hmmm, where could he be? He's walking all over the place shaking hands and talking to people, then running to catch up with his ride. I'll say one thing: this man gets props for being a peoples' guy, and I appreciate that. (The whole sleeping-on-a-cot-in-Washington certainly doesn't hurt too.) The guy has integrity.

Running to catch up with his ride:

The cute old war veterans

(Hats off to them for still fitting into their uniforms...)

This guy strutting his stuff and waving with great pomp and flourish

 

The little man holding his own...

And of course... the bagpipe people! They're always my favorite.