Joshua Tree

Anyone been to Joshua Tree National Park? If so, do you have any must-see suggestions for us?

Update on the dress saga

The dress issue has been resolved. Turns out I had a dress all along!

I was whining about finding a dress, hating shopping, etc. when J asked me to show him the dresses that I have. I started pulling things out of the closet, and found a pretty red dress that I bought at a consignment shop a couple of years ago (anticipating the red dress party, which I've never attended) and have never worn. I had dismissed this dress as an option as it is BRIGHT RED, a color I rarely wear. J asked me to try it on. I obliged. It's cute. It is actually cuter on me now than when I bought it. AND the top is breastfeeding-friendly. Did I mention it's cute?

That settled it. I'm wearing the red dress. But shoes? Accessories?

Found a pair of shiny black ballet flats at the store for more than 50% off, meeting my cheapskatey needs. I made a necklace and pair of earrings from beads I already had in my bead stash, probably totaling $6 with all the materials. Woohoo!

J is currently out shopping for a red tie that will look good with my dress without making him look like an MP (Member of Parliament - a Brit or Canadian politician). Besides, he could probably use a new tie anyhow.

Wardrobe issues solved. Now we just need to bake, clean and pack for the wedding followed by camping and climbing followed by Thanksgiving festivities. Hooray!

March for Equality

Follow up: The march was great! It was peaceful and had good attendance. Lots of honks and thumbs-ups from people driving by helped to make it feel like a good, positive gathering. The only counter-protesters were a pair of guys on skateboards holding up signs on paper plates and chanting "dicks are for chicks!" The HJ covered the march here.




This Saturday, Nov. 15th there will be a March for Equality here in Logan. This is part of the Join The Impact movement to promote love and equality in cities around the U.S. The event starts at 11:30am Mountain Time in front of Logan City Hall (255 N. Main). Bring peaceful, non-hurtful signs. Feel free to bring loved ones, friends, kids, etc. to raise awareness of support and love for all people and all families here in Cache Valley. For more info check the Join the Impact link above, or the event on Facebook here. We hope to see you there!

Sling giveaway!

My friend Kim (PrairieMama) makes awesome ring slings for babywearing. Over at TipJunkie they are giving away one of her oh-so-awesome slings FOR FREE!!! Get over there today to sign up for the chance to win (or don't, since I'd really like to win it). Or click the link below to check out Prairie Mama and lots of other Mom-preneurs' wares.

If you knit...

...would you like to receive a knitting needle case like this for Christmas? Would it be useful? Just trying to narrow down gift ideas and looking for feedback from knitters. Thanks!

Dress shopping hell

In case you were wondering, I hate dress shopping. This is not a regular activity for me, as I rarely have occasion to wear dresses (other than hippie dresses that I can wear while chasing Doodle or riding my bike). The occasion prompting my latest dress hunt? My mother-in-law's wedding, which is occurring a week from Saturday. I have eight days to find a dress before we leave for the wedding destination. AAAAAAH!

This is why I'm struggling:
1) I'm a cheapskate. I hate the idea of spending $80+ on some crappily-assembled chiffon and sequin ugliness that I'll only wear once or twice.
2) Our local thrift stores are not helping me AT ALL. They offer lots of kindergarten-teacher-from-the-90's garb or the occasional size zero summer dress. Not much else.
3) I hate shopping, especially when those stupid dressing room mirrors make me realize how much my body has changed in the past few years and how my boob perkiness level will never be quite the same.
4) Have I mentioned my high standards mixed with cheapskateness? This is really not working well for me. *le sigh*

Any suggestions? I've tried Kohls - found one dress that was kinda meh. Haven't tried Dillards or Penney's yet. Those are the only other department stores we have. I guess I can look at the little mall shops. I really don't want to go into one of the Women's Boutiques downtown, as they specialize in outfitting the age 50+ ladies in the community and I'm really not shooting for the Relief Society President look (no offense, ladies, but you know what I mean).

Any ideas for even a style of dress to shoot for? The wedding is at 2pm on a casino riverboat in Nevada. Mother of the bride says we should dress nice, probably no pants for me. Added complication: Doodle is still breastfeeding on occasion. So ideally it wouldn't be something that I have to unzip or completely disrobe in order to nurse her. A skirt could work, but I need a nice top then too. Don't want anything with too busy of a pattern, as we'll probably be in some pics. Solid colors ask for Doodle to smear food on them, which stands out badly. GAH!

Any advice would be awesome. (Oh, and if you include footwear advice with your dress advice you get double the virtual hugs/cookies).

Thanks!

International Babywearing Week!

Today marks the start of International Babywearing Week. In honor of this week, here are some pics of J and I wearing Doodle.

Doodle five days old, and being worn in the big wide world.

Wearing her in a wrap was the easiest way for me to eat dinner when she was itty-bitty. As you can see, she didn't mind.

My favorite J-wearing-Doodle picture. We were hiking this slot canyon, Doodle sound asleep against her Papa's chest in the wrap. I just love the little foot peeking out.

As you can see, we've worn her on hikes all over the place. Now that she's fully bipedal and being Little Miss Independent we wear her more on our backs in the Mei Tai or backpack, or we just take very slow hikes with her in the lead.

Happy with her Papa. I love these two.

I had to show off this cool traditional baby carrier from China. A friend sent it to us. It is hand-embroidered and beautiful. Near as I can tell it is a Podaegi-style carrier (I think). We haven't used it much but it is really pretty and fun to pull out now and then.

Us this summer on a hike above Jenny Lake, Grand Teton National Park. This Sherpani Rumba baby backpack is great for long hikes. We can pack food, water and diapers in the pockets and away we go.
This photo and the first one above show Doodle in our BabyHawk Mei Tai. We *love* this carrier lately - I just put her on my back, tie it on, and away we go.

Want to know more about babywearing? TheBabyWearer has a lot of really great info on babywearing, different styles of carriers... pretty much whatever you need to know. My friend PrairieMama has a post about babywearing this week, and will be posting another one over at The Bee in your Bonnet soon. PrairieMama also makes custom ring slings, available over at her Etsy shop.

Finally, who doesn't like a contest? Adventures in Babywearing is running a contest to give away two Nonny and Boo carriers. Go check it out!

Family photos

I have mentioned our Awesome Photographer Neighbor here previously. Last fall she did a family photo shoot for us which turned out great. We asked her to take our family photos again this year, this time heading up to Tony Grove to get more of a wintery scene. They turned out GREAT. Take a look (click on the photos to enlarge).

Thanks, Lindsey!

Sweet Peas closing

Sad news, fellow Loganites: Sweet Peas Market is closing. Their last day will be Nov. 22nd, when they will have a big sale on whatever is left (groceries + equipment). They're also having a Benefit Estate Sale at their house, as they have to downsize for their move back to Texas. The sale is this Saturday, Nov. 15th from 10am-5pm at 120 Water St. in Logan. They have tons of girls' clothes, toys, ceramics, new skiis, etc. Please come support Patrice and her family at the store and at their yard sale - they've been so great and we're very sad to see them go!

Cuteness

In lieu of a post of any substance, I bring you pictures of Her Cuteness, Miss Doodle.

Flying with Uncle T. The arms behind the back increase lift and velocity...

What do you give a toddler for Halloween when you don't want them consuming lots of high-fructose corn syrup and other icky things in commercial candy? Why, a small bowl with powdered Drinking Chocolate, of course! Only the best for our Doodle.

See? It's so good she wants to share it with you!

Frustrated

Still ruminating, thinking about a post I need to make. How does one convey that they were hurt by a group's actions without hurting friends who belong to that group?

Mostly a really good day

The pros:
- Woke up to NPR talking about President Obama. Big sigh of relief. I feel like huge looming cloud has lifted, and I'm thinking positive happy thoughts about the future of our nation.

- Had a good, encouraging talk with my awesome academic advisor (not the advisor who causes me all sorts of distress). I feel refreshed and reinvigorated. I should really talk to him more often.

The cons:
- Still not knowing the results of California's Prop. 8, though it's looking bad. I have a big long post in mind for the near future regarding the role out-of-state religious groups played in the Pro-8 campaign, and how it hurts my heart to think about. But I can't do it right now.

- Local democratic candidates lost abysmally. This made the rally last night bittersweet - we won the presidential race, but lost all the local ones despite our hard work. Makes me feel like maybe it's futile to try and change anything in Utah.

I'm so glad Election Day is done, but still feeling the push to make a difference. I wonder if others feel the same. I hope so.

Civic duty complete

My accomplishments:
- I voted last week.
- I watched one friend's son while she voted (hooray, someone took me up on my offer!).
- I helped J get up really freakin' early this morning to go work our polling precinct.
- I brought J and all of his fellow poll workers freshly baked maple sugar cinnamon cookies. They *loved* them.
- In delivering said cookies I got a new "I voted" sticker for Doodle whom I then proceeded to photograph wearing the sticker (see my new profile pic).

I feel like this Election Day is going well. We won't have swim class tonight (cancelled, dangit!) but we'll hang out listening to the radio until J is done working. Then it's off to an Election Party for a while before turning in for the night with visions of a better tomorrow dancing in our heads.

Wishing you all a good and happy Election Day!

Today's the day...

Have you voted? No seriously. Have you?

If you haven't, I'm home all day. I can watch your kid(s), do some baking for your election party...whatever it is that's weighing on your mind and keeping you from going to the polls. You really have no excuse now.

This is really important. Please go vote.

Thank you.

Politic-related Anxiety

I may end up biting off all of my fingernails before tomorrow night is over. Why do I always get so emotionally invested in politics?

*thinking happy thoughts*

Please vote.