29 August 2008

I am a Feminist

With the political conventions going on and John McCain picking Sarah Palin to be his running mate today, I've done a lot of reading of peoples comments on the Internet, and I've realized a few things.

For starters, people don't read anymore, they just jump to conclusions. Now I'm no great McCain supporter, but I'm frustrated by a few comments, such as:

McCain only picked that so he could get the Hilary vote (I don't believe this) and its insulting to women. (Huh? He picks a woman as his VP running mate and that insults me? I don't get it.)

This is the same ole Bush/Cheney politics. (After seeing Palin's record, I doubt this comment. People that say this just see her connected w/ oil and not what she was doing, which was kicking some butt and taking some names from what I can tell.)

And finally this one from Clinton supporters: Why doesn't she stay home and watch her kids, how dare she go back to work 3 days after she gave birth to her last child.

So I'm not claiming that Palin is the perfect choice or anything, but that last comment really stews me. Here is an outgoing woman, who had decided to be a career lady, but a republican career lady (loves hunting, fishing, is pro-life, etc.) and the feminists of today are attacking her. Then I came along a guy that wrote something that went along the lines of this (sorry I'm not direct quoting him, but I don't feel like going through the pages of stuff where I found the original quote.)

The original feminist goal was not to be defined by their husbands. They didn't want to be Mrs. John Doe, they wanted to be known as Mrs. Jane Doe, and to be recognized for their accomplishments. Women didn't want to be told what to do, they wanted to choose for themselves, be it a career or to stay at home. Somewhere along the line, being a feminist changed into being a liberal Democrat and a woman. Feminism turned into this idea that we have to prove that women are better than men.

This person, really gave me something to think about, and I realized, that yes, I am a feminist. I'm my own person. I'm Marin. This doesn't stop me from loving my husband or counseling with him. We're a team, but I also make my own choices. I am a stay-at-home-mom because I want to be a stay-at-home-mom. My husband didn't command me to be one, or force me into it, I choose it, and I like it. Society will try to tell me that I'm being put down because I'm "forced" to "give up a career" to raise my children. Society would try to tell me that I'm not a feminist, but Society is wrong.

Awhile ago I wrote a post about defining myself. I have many titles. I'm Doug's wife and proud of it. I'm Sariah's Mommy and proud of it. But guess what Society, I'm way more than that, I'm Marin, the stay-at-home-mom and proud of it. I'm Marin, lover of crafty things, and music, and theatre. I'm Marin, I love to read and learn about new things. I'm Marin, the Return Missionary, who lived in Germany and learned the language and loved the people. I'm proud of all these things and everything I do. I'm also proud of my marriage and my family. I'd say I'm the original definition of a Feminist and I'm proud of it.

28 August 2008

You're Closer to Heaven...

...In The Church Basement...Or at least that's what they told us Tuesday night when we went to see Church Basement Ladies at the Capitol Theater in the Overture Center Tuesday night. And I have to say this is probably my new favorite musical. It was seriously hysterical! Set in Minnasota in the early '60s, it shows snipits of life in the Luthern Church Basement. There are only 5 players, Pastor E.L. Gunderson (William Christopher), Mrs. Lars Snustad (Vivian) (Jean Liuzzi), Mrs. Gilmer Gilmerson (Mavis) (Karen Pappas), Mrs. Elroy Engelson (Karin) (Margaret Curry), and Miss Signe Engelson (Stella Fasanello).

Of course, William Christopher gets top billing on this (because he's, well, William Christopher, but I'll talk about that ina moment.) But lets talk about the ladies for a second. Here's the real meat & potatoes of this production (or lutefisk if you will.) These are 4 distinct ladies, yet they all come together to compliment eachother like Cheezewiz with Olives on Rye.

Vivian is are matron of the kitchen. She's probably been working down there her whole life. She knows all the ins and outs, and hers is a life deep in traditions. She abhores change, and don't ever get her started about "The Cities."

Mavis is a hoot! She's not old enough to be retired (her poor husband is still working, and getting injured! on the farm), but she is an older lady of the kitchen, going through that special time of life (read: menopause.) Mavis knows how to fix almost anything and knows the histories of everyone in the area. She's our comic relief.

Karin (does not rhyme with Marin), is younger tha Vivian & Mavis, but old enough to have a 19 year old daughter. Hers has probably been a life of tradition also, but she has had a bit of a wild side. She's also probably worked in the kitchen all her life under Vivian, and they tend to butt heads, but really, when it comes to the passing of the torch (or dish towel) its Karin who gets the nod. She's fashionable enough, but not so fashionable that one could claim she's been down to "the cities."

Signe is Karin's daughter, who starts college down at the U of M where she has classes with that "Hansome Harry", who's a good luthern, but is often been caught dating "That Catholic Boy" (Horror!) She's younger & hipper, but she still loves to come home and spend time in the Church Basement.

Its here in the basement where we watch these four ladies get ready for their annual Lutefisk Feast, a funeral, the Church Hawaian Fundraiser & Easter party, and a wedding. The music is fantastic, the acting was wonderful, and I haven't laughed so hard for a very long time!
Okay, now I'm going to take my quick moment to gush about William Christopher, who is one of my heros. If you can find a copy of his and his wife's book Mixed Blessings about raising their son who has austism, it is really worth reading. If I could love my kids a fraction of what he and his wife loved theirs, I'd be a wonderful parent. I really liked him in M*A*S*H has Father Mulchahy, I liked him more in this, but I respect him as a father to his sons.

He is really good in this musical, he might not be the best soloist, but his solo was really touching (its about him trying to write the euolgy for their janitor who passes away.) He's got great comdic timing and a whole lot of energy! I read somewhere that he's now 75, but he jumps around stage like a 35 year old. It was really cool to be like 5 feet away from him.

And I'm not kidding when I say we were 5 feet away... check our where our seats were!

See that front row center? That's were our seats where. That's the magic of going on a Tuesday and getting a presale code in your email box and buying tickets early. It was so cool! It was almost like being in the play. There's no orchestra pit, so literally we were right there. I could see every facial expression, every twinkle in their eyes. It was awesome.

We had such a great evening, and I totally recommend this to anyone who gets a chance to see it. It was one of our best date nights ever!



25 August 2008

Sariah Fun Facts

-If there is one point Sariah knows how to get across, its if she's hungry or thirsty. Hungry is a word she just started using today, and she's been saying Milk or Water for awhile now. I do make her say Please (it comes out Ease, but still.) She's also good at telling you when she likes something. Usually its by saying Yum, Yum with tummy rubbing. Its quite cute

-Sariah has also started counting. Well really she's got 2, 5, 9 and 10 down pretty well, but the other numbers are slower at coming. She also counts on her fingers the european way, starting with her thumb instead of her pointer finger. Doug likes to point out that this will probably get her in trouble once school starts, we'll see...

-On Sunday, Sariah actually used the potty. Now, I'm not trying to potty train, its way too early, but Doug's pretty excited about it, so when we saw that she was trying to fill her diaper, he took her to the potty, and she did alright. She mostly saved it for the diaper later though. We went ahead and got her a little seat that fits on the potty, but its mostly for show, I'm not getting serious about it for at least a year.

-Sariah still likes to climb, the higher, the better. She's a pro at most of the funny ladders at the parks around here. She's still not that into slides right now, so we have a hard time getting her down. One of the councliers in our Bishoprich who is often in Sariah's nursery, because his son is also there, remarked to me on Sunday that she was climbing the toy kitchen during nursery, so they set it down on its side, and Sariah went ahead and tried to climb it anyways. Hmmm... a toy kitchen is on my list for Christmas gifts for Sariah, maybe its not such a good idea...

-Not really a Sariah Fun Fact, but still dealing with Sariah: I made this dress she's wearing in these pictures. I'm pretty proud of it. She wore it to church on Sunday and the pockets are starting to fall off, but that's an easy fix. It was a simple pattern, but I added the extra fabric at the bottom and the ribbon at the waist. The sleaves were really hard though.

And check out her braids, aren't they cute? I love her hair. If you're wondering how I keep her still while I braid her hair, its actually the art of distraction. Running water in the sink and her rubber duck keep Sariah pretty busy.


24 August 2008

Goals

No, we haven't disappeared off the face of the Earth, I just haven't blogged in a long time. Its not that I haven't thought about it, just sometimes its hard to put pen to paper (or fingers to keyboard in this case.) At any rate, my Mother-in-law posted an insightful post on her goals and asked us what ours are, and I thought I'd respond (since I've been meaning to do it forever.)

I've actually thought a lot about this the past couple of weeks. One could say I have a lot of little goals (weight goals, financial goals, craft project goals...), but what I really think it all boils down to is this: I'd really like to find a schedule that works for me and stick to it.

This might seem weird for me not to be on a schedule, esp. since Sariah is. She gets up, has breakfast around the same time, watches the Wiggles around the same time, eats lunch, naps, plays, has dinner all around the same time. I think my problem has been what I do around her schedule.

So this doesn't get long winded (because it already is...), I'll boil it down to this. I'd really like to set my schedule, when I clean, when I exercise, when I shop, when I craft, and stick to it. This also means less time futtering around at the computer (which I tend to substitute for adult interaction.) Less time with most electronics (except maybe the radio/cd player) would be ideal. Really, having a schedule and sticking to it would help me with my other goals (weight loss, clean house, etc.)

Over the weekend Doug and I were able to attend the Temple, and we also set a family goal to be better with personal & family scripture study. About 2 months ago, we made it a family goal to have better and regular Family Home Evenings, and I've really seen an improvement in our family because of it. We're closer now, and we enjoy our family bonding time. Doug was gone all last week for work, and his presence was missed. I could tell the difference when he came home. I know the scripture study will also improve the Spirit in our home.

What are your goals? Feel free to share... :)

10 August 2008

Small Furry Things!

Doug was outside mowing the lawn yesterday when he came across these little guys! That's right, there's a baby bunny nest in our back yard! There were 4 little guys snuggled together. At first we were unsure what to do, but after a few phone calls & an internet search, we were told the best thing to do was to leave them alone since they looked health. Their mom would be back that evening to take care of them. They're probably old enough now to be out on their own, and later that day they had all left the nest.

Later Doug saw a 5th one hopping around, so we left some of our grass long because we didn't want to hurt any bunnies.

Today I went out to check the nest and they were all gone, even though I think they still sleep there at night (for now.) I did catch this little guy hopping around...
All these cute bunnies made me want a pet, and while we're not ready for a dog or a cat, we thought we'd try a hamster on for size. So now I introduce our latest family member...
Our hamster is actually a Black Russian Dwarf Hamster. He's littlier than normal hamsters, but he's a spry, social kind of guy. But be warned, he likes to bite! He's niped both Doug and I several times, but he seems to be calming down and getting use to his new home.

I've named him Yuri (it sounds Russian to me!) but Doug calls him Mr. Nibbles since he likes to bite so much. This picture really doesn't do him justice, but he's a very pretty guy.
Sariah thinks he's pretty cool. We're very careful when she's around to make sure both Sariah and Yuri stay safe. Normally we'll keep him in his ball when Sariah's downstairs, but Doug (who's had hamsters before) is pretty confident with him and let Sariah pet his back. Sariah thought this was the best thing ever! She loves to look at him and then she laughs and giggles so loud.

So this is the first pet I've had in a long while, probably since my cat, Buster, ran away. (The fish I killed don't count;I'm a fish killer.) I'm really excited. And yes, he's my pet, not Sariah's, because I have to do all the dirty work, so I get to call him mine. :)

07 August 2008

Tagged!

I haven't done one of these in awhile, so for your reading pleasure (thanks Sarah W.!)...

Four Places I go over & over:
-Target
-Library
-Church
-Park

Four Places I like to eat:
-Olive Garden
-Wendys
-Sonic
-Mesa Rosa in Austin

Four Places I would like to be right now:
-Austin, TX
-Bavaria
-Snuggled in bed reading a good book
-at the So You Think You Can Dance live finale

Four t.v shows:
-So You Think You Can Dance or Dancing with the Stars (depends on what season it is)
-Numb3rs
-Ugly Betty
-Stargate SG-1

Three Joys:
-Doug & Sariah
-Finishing a project
-Window Shopping

Three Fears:
-Dying (not death, I'm okay with death, but dying sounds painful)
-Doug and/or Sariah being gone for good
-insects and other creepy crawlies... *shiver*

Three Goals:
-Finish Decorating my house
-Work on all my Christmas gifts
-figure out my medical stuff

Three obsessions:
-chocolate
-being creative
-Harry Potter

Three surprising facts about me:
-I can stick my tounge out and touch my nose with it... gross but true
-My senior year of HS I was in every performing arts class offered (choir, marching band, orchestra & theatre production) and had 5 out of my 8 classes in the fine art's wing of the school
-I'm so ticklish that you only have to look at me with intent to tickle and I burst out laughing

I'm tagging Jenny, Susan & Lisa... and you if you feel so inclined!

05 August 2008

Happy Birthday Doug!

In case you can't read this (and you probably can't...)

20 Things Why I Love Doug, by Marin:

1 He's Doug
2 He's Mine
3 He's a Wonderful Father
4 He forgives my faults
5 2 Words: CREEPY FACE
6 His Eyes
7 His Hair
8 He's a hard worker
9 He holds the door for me
10 Kisses
11 He always lets me cry on his shoulder
12 He loves to have fun
13 He's a Family Man
14 He's a Worthy Priesthood Holder
15 He' MINE
16 He's got MOVES!
17 He stands up for what he believes in
18 RM & Eagle Scout
19 He loves me
20 He's MINE!!!

Happy Birthday to my Wonderful Husband! Hope you enjoy 26!

04 August 2008

Grab Bag Giveaway!

In the same vein as my last post, I give you the fabric bag blog giveaway 2008! I've been addicted to making these cloth bags since I heard of this lady's blog: greenbaglady.org (see sidebar for more details...)

Anyways, I've made at least 35+ and I've given away a bunch already, but I thought I'd do a blog giveaway to rid my self of some more. So here's how it works. This is first come, first served, but only 1 per household please. I've numbered the bags 1-10, so when you comment, let me know which bag you want PLUS I want to know where you'll use said bag, and be specific!

Example: Today Sariah and I went to JoAnns to buy more craft supplies and used our bag. I've found most places are happy to use your own bags (esp. if you offer to bag it yourself, which I often do because I'm picky.)

I've actually bought a couple of Target's cloth bags because I like how they zip up, but I found that I can fold my own bags just as small and stash them in my purse. I'm always carring 2 or 3 around. If you want to make your own bags, the pattern is on the other site, and its really easy to do, even with my machine that jams a lot!

So without further ado, the bags:

1 2 3

4 5 6

7 8 9

10

02 August 2008

Craftiness... its a disease...

I started out being totally Un-Crafty. When I was a Merry Miss, I couldn't even cross stitch a simple flower no matter how many time Sis. Reed explained it to me. When we'd paint shirts or do anything else crafty, I'd either do too much or too little and it'd look stupid. An art student I was not.

Years later as a teen I picked cross stitching back up, and somehow I managed to finally figure it out! I grew excited, I bought projects I've never even opened, but I did finish a good many (its so time consuming though!) The disease was biding its time, growing ever so slowly.

When I was pregnant, I picked up yarn work. Now I knit hats, Christmas stockings, etc. I crocheted (poorly, but still...) a blanket for Sariah.

Last year for my birthday I got a sewing machine. I started making p.j. pants, dresses, bags, curtains... I was noticing the infection now.

Earlier this year I bought paint and painted a murel in Sariah's room, I was almost overtaken.

Last night, I went to my first scrapbooking activity, and you know what? I liked it. I made 4 pages. I'd post pictures, but they're all presents and I don't want to give away the suprise.

Its official, I've caught the bug, and I don't ever what to get better!