Female Authors in SFF

Soapbox time.  You've been warned.

First, some relevant links:
VIDA: a look at statistics involving women authors, reviewers, and reviews.  (Lots of graphics for the not-statistically-minded.)
Strange Horizons: a look at the same in the science fiction and fantasy genre.
Author Keri Sperring on "Why I Started #womentoread": in which a sff author asks for recommendations of female sff authors to give to people who may be missing them because of a lack of marketing promotion.

Now that you're up to date, I hope we can all agree that there is a discrepancy in that data, namely that women are under-represented in reviews relative to the number of books they publish.  From my experience as a bookseller, there are two types of books: frontlist titles (i.e. those on display, usually easy to spot because you see the cover instead of the spine) and backlist titles (i.e. on the shelves).  In a brick & mortar store, frontlist titles are the overwhelming majority of sales.  A former manager of mine once quoted frontlist as 70% or more of the sales for the store; in the children's department I ran, that was definitely true (we were required to keep weekly sales logs, so I had the data to prove this).  So, if your books are only in backlist, your sales will be commensurately lower.  I know from 5 years' experience that simply putting a book or series on a display does increase its volume sold, regardless of price.

The internet and social media can be a powerful tool for equalizing the playing field between traditional marketing and deserving authors.  Marketing is all about an information disadvantage: the marketers or retailers know what you've been buying, how much an item actually costs to produce, and whether you can get it elsewhere.  They set their prices and displays to encourage you to think you need it right here, right now.  The internet can let you know that you do have a choice.  Your expenditures in retail are tracked and stores respond!

I don't have a twitter account, so here's my contribution to Sperring's #womentoread request.  I have read and enjoyed every one of these authors immensely.

Mary Robinette Kowal: Alternate history fantasy novels set in Regency-era England; her portrayal of that society and the characters within it are really exquisite.

Anne Bishop: dark fantasy, particularly known for her powerful characters.

Kate Elliott: epic fantasy, fantastic characters, and a serious look at the societal forces that shape a person.

Robin Hobb: epic fantasy, complex characters who change realistically with events.

Kate Forsyth: Celtic fantasy, sword & sorcery, great page turners.

Jacqueline Carey: alternate history/mythology fantasy, set in Europe (mostly...).  Great spy & intrigue novels.

Trudi Canavan: high fantasy, lots of magic, easy reading that really pulls you along.

Madeleine L'Engle: probably the first female sff author I ever read.  Mostly children's/YA work, magic-within-our-world plots.  A great entry point for younger readers.

Karen Traviss: I've only read her Star Wars work (although her own novels are on my to-read list) but, even by non-SW Expanded Universe standards, her books are excellent.  She fabricated a whole culture and populated with realistic characters who react and grow into it.

C. S. Friedman: Epic, high, dark fantasy; mind stretching sci-fi.  I cannot recommend her highly enough to fans of "traditional" sff.

These are just the ones I read and liked.  There are so many others that may speak to you!  Browse those bookshelves or use a dedicated reading site like Goodreads to find a recommendation!

Liebster Questions

My very good friend Jennifer over at Mouse and Home (she's a huge Disney fan) added me to a blog linking set up called the Liebster Award.  It's eleven questions from her and then eleven random facts about me.  I'm usually not big on chain-mail via the internet but her questions were really awesome, like her, so I thought I'd give it a go:

1. If you could meet any person, living or dead, who would it be and what would you ask them?

This is a tough one for me.  I admire many people but have a horrible problem thinking up something to say when I meet them.  (I admit freely, me meeting Fred Haise was all fan-girlish.  We won't even discuss the couple of author signings I've been to.)  There's an Austen quote that describes me well: "We are each of an unsocial, taciturn disposition, unwilling to speak, unless we expect to say something that will amaze the whole room, and be handed down to posterity with all the eclat of a proverb.”

So, since I have to choose: Elizabeth I.  I'd like to know if she ran her court and created her mystique on purpose or partly by accident.

2. What is the last book you read that you couldn't put down?

Mary Robinette Kowal's Without a Summer (my review).  It's third in a series and, while the first was good, they get better as they go.  The book is just so well done in every aspect that you can tell a clever, exacting mind put it together.  Actually, I'd like to meet her, too.

I'm half way through Robin Hobb's Ship of Destiny.  It's also fantastic, although "can't put down" is a hard description for an 800 page book!  It's the third in a trilogy and it's been two years since I read the first two... yet it's so memorable I picked it right back up without missing a beat.  Another author I'd like to meet; I got to participate in an online Q&A with her recently, which was awesome!

3. Name someplace you never want to visit.

Anywhere without air conditioning.  It's in my top 5 inventions of mankind for a reason!  Seriously, though, I've been to Jamaica once and have no inclination to return.  I had fun but feel like I did everything I was interested in.

4. Do you have any hobbies? What are they?

Loads.  Sewing, tea drinking/history, cross-stitching, I'm a beginning quilter... and reading, reading, reading, which is more a lifestyle.  I'm also learning to scrapbook digitally but I'm not very good at it yet.

5. Is there a song that would be your "theme song"? 

Five for Fighting's Superman and/or Nickel Creek's Reasons Why

6. If you had a day all to yourself, what would you do?

Oh my, I thought those went out the window with motherhood... read, take myself out for breakfast, tea, and dinner (this was unlimited money, too, right?  Right?),  maybe do something crafty or visit somewhere I can't easily go with my "zoo".

7. If you could live anywhere in the world, where would that be, and why?

I actually really like Florida.  But honestly, I'm enjoying living all over the country as a military spouse.  I'm really hoping that one day a place feels like home for both of us!

8. Are you OCD or ADD when it comes to housework?

You could just stop after the first three words of that question: yes.  I have to be careful what I commit to because I get it done right.

9. Who is your favorite Doctor?  (If you don't watch Doctor Who, feel free to simply respond with Doctor WHO?)

Yikes, hard call, and I've only watched 3 of them!  I hope to go back to the originals one day.  Definitely 9 or 10... 9 had so much potential left but 10 just loved the role so much and was terribly witty.

10. What is your favorite TV show?

TED Talks on Netflix. ;-)  For a reader, I watch way too much TV.  Currently, probably Downton Abbey or Doctor Who or How I Met Your Mother.  Of all time... Deep Space Nine?  Scrubs?  Gilmore Girls?  Battlestar Galactica?  I'm not sure... I enjoy anything that makes me laugh and think.

11. What is the best and worst jobs you've held?

The best is a toss up between my engineering job (because, hey, I got to design space stuff) and my book seller job (because, duh, book discount and talking about books with people).  Worst job was one I only held 2 weeks... the manager never set my schedule more than 2 days in advance and I wasn't allowed to do anything except clean the display cases and ring up sales.  It was boring and annoying all at once.

11 Random Facts About Me:
1. I got married much earlier than I expected to in life.
2. I enjoy entertaining but only small parties of people I know.
3. I have never dyed my hair (yet...).
4. I have donated my hair once before and will do it again very soon.
5. I have tracked how many pages I read each week since August 2006.
6. I LOVE dessert... the richer, the better.
7. I'm currently on a no-dairy, no-eggs, no-peanuts diet.
8. Weight lifting is my preferred form of exercise (followed closely by zumba!).
9. I think I'm bad at the give and take of conversation.
10. The older I get, the more awed I am by the philosophy of science.
11.  I am torn between owning all the books I've read and only having really excellent books on my shelves.

If anyone is interested in participating, I will write up 11 questions for you!  Hope you had fun and learned something about me in the process.

Coming Soon

First off, I just discovered that blogger has a smartphone app. This is blindingly obvious in retrospect but still an amazing discovery.  These days, I'm spending less time on my computer, so I'm hoping this will let me post more often.  (And, my apologies in advance if this contains more typos than usual. I'm trying to edit as I write on this smallish screen, which is rarely a good idea.)

About that projects challenge: it is going surprisingly well. I decided against tracking weekly goals and instead have started two running lists. One is my list of projects that just need to be done. This list helps me get things out of my overcrowded head and reassures me that I'm not forgetting anything important or time critical.  I usually review it whenever I need to add something.

The second list is my goals for the day.  I often include household chores or errands on this list in addition to the broken down tasks needed to accomplish the goals from the first list.  It's a great reminder that I am doing important work, even when "projects" aren't getting done.  After all, healthy meals and clean homes don't happen by magic!  The most important thing about this list is that it has permission to roll over unfinished items to the next day.  I try to remember that there will always be "things to do" and as long as my family is fed and safe and loved, I am doing okay.

What I'm finding with this project is reassurance that I am making progress, albeit slowly.  Coming to terms with the new, postpartum pace of my life has been rough.  Seeing that I am accomplishing goals (I never delete an entry, just check it off) lets me cut myself slack on days where I can't get anything done.  I am relearning how to give myself room to breathe.

There will be pictures soon of some of my completed crafting projects. I'm working on one for a friend who just had her third adorable little one and that will take priority for a few more days.  Right now it's more important for me to accomplish than brag but I hope to be up to that soon, too!  I'm also making good progress with my reading, averaging a book per week this month.  My goal this year is 45 books.  It's ambitious but I like to aim high.  Unfortunately, financial goals are not going as well this year, due to the realities of renting out our property when we live across the country.

What projects are going well for you right now?  Any particular goals of mine that you're interested in?

Resolutions

I've been thinking a lot about projects lately.  I don't know about you but I feel like I'm in the middle of dozens of never-ending projects!

Today I was also considering my New Year's resolutions.  I make one every year and deliberately don't publish it.  This isn't true for everyone but if I'm talking about it, I'm not doing it.  Two years ago I made some life resolutions, namely some financial goals (made those) and some career goals (a new degree, which was accomplished a little late... having a baby does these things).

This year, I resolved to work on specific gratitude.  As I get older, I'm starting to understand the "it takes a village" mentality.  I work very hard on my own projects and taking care of my family but we wouldn't be where we are today without many other people's contributions.  I feel like I say "thank you" to a lot of people without truly letting them know what they mean to me.  This was especially true after kid1 was born.  No one expects a new mother to do much more than take care of her baby but once I got that (vaguely) under control, I tried to let people know how much I appreciated their support of our family.

For instance, I caught up on all my thank you cards, no matter how late.  All the baby showers, all the gifts, all the meals, all the people who just lent an ear or some advice while I was pregnant.  It was a good feeling to get that done.  I've also tried to send friends a little note once in awhile when I use and particularly appreciate something they gave me, whether it was a piece of furniture or some advice.  This in particular has opened my introverted eyes to the role of friends in my life.  I met some great people at our last base whose friendship is still positively influencing my life today.

But what about next year?  I hope that specific gratitude is becoming a character trait instead of a project and I need a new resolution.  I'm seriously considering starting a 52 projects challenge, one for each week of 2013, and tracking it here.  52 Projects would involved tackling some long overdue emotional weight (e.g. rolling over those orphan 401k's; reading some long-owned, never-opened books) as well as some projects I'd just like to try (finishing a quilt).  This is a departure for me, since it would commit me to regular posts.  It would also be challenging, maybe too challenging, as we are scheduled to move again next summer and I am hoping to earn a job at our next assignment.

Is it a good idea?  If I commit to doing it, would you read and comment on it?  Would anyone like to join me?

Re-orienting

I've recently been motivated to start sewing again, a hobby which took a serious down turn correlating with kid1's mommy-time-intensive first year.  It's hard to know how to pick up a project you've let go for awhile.

Sometimes the results are good.  I recently moved my sewing machine downstairs so I could sew when kid1 naps and sleep.  Clothing repairs got tackled first.  I thought there was monster pile that would take hours to fix but, once I got started, I was done with everything except replacing buttons in 30 minutes.  Now I have an almost-new pair of PJ pants, a sweater, and 4 shirts!  It was great to actually finish something (feeding the family and dishes and laundry and cleaning house don't count... they always need to be done again!).

Sometimes, the results are ambivalent.  In the same sewing spree, I finished piecing together the rows for kid1's quilt.  Now, the pieces are in the right order because I pinned them all at the same time.  And the rows are in the right order (I think...).  But are they turned right?  I have no idea which way I was folding them months ago and which side is left or right.  So while I've definitely made progress, I have some more work to do to really get going with this project.

*Note: This is a great example of why it's important to document your long term projects with things like, I dunno, pictures and diagrams.  Whoops.*

And sometimes, picking up a project in the middle is just a no-go.  The memory game I'm working on was this way.  After the quilt, I tried to move ahead with sewing the patterned fabric into the felt frames, only to discover the reason I stopped months ago: no matching thread.

I'm happy to report that one trip to Hobby Lobby later, that part of the project is finished.  Now, of course, comes the part I hate: ironing seams and interfacing.  Can I outsource this somewhere?  ;-)

Do you have lapsed projects that you're having difficulty re-starting?  How do you get going again?

A Voice from the Darkness...

So...

Um... yeah.  It's been awhile since I posted, ya know, anything.  It's been a very busy year so far, with organizing a spouses' club event and finishing a degree and, oh yeah, the child raising and the cross-country move.  And a major emergency dog surgery, did I mention that?

It may be awhile before I can post regularly again but I just wanted to say "hi" and "I haven't forgotten the blog".  I'm still enjoying reading friends' blogs when I get a chance and hopefully I can be more active on here soon.  Lots happening around here with a baby and a dog learning and relearning to walk, as well as job hunts and a new house to organize and decorate.  Better info soon!

New Year

The holidays have flown by in a rush for us.  LO's first Christmas was lots of fun; both grandmothers and two aunts were here to celebrate with us!  This was our first Christmas at home (seriously).  Being a military family, we live away from our extended family and, from the time we were engaged, have traveled for the holidays every year.  As much as we love traveling and seeing family, it was great to have our Christmas and start (or continue) some holiday traditions of our own.

With all that behind us, it's time to look ahead to a new year.  2011 was, in my mind, the year of baby.  I spent 9 months pregnant and 2.5 months adjusting to our new family routines.  We rearranged furniture & schedules, did lots of medical appointment, traveled for baby showers, bought and received tons of new baby stuff,  and generally got ready to be parents.  Speaking of which, if you're a parent (or have ever encountered a young child), you have to check out this blog post about an 11-Step Program for those considering parenthood!  Lessons 3 & 5 had me laughing so hard that I was in tears!

2012 will still be pretty baby-centric but my major goal this year is to find time for my interests.  January starts off with a bang - I go back to school next week.  With just two more classes to go, I can see the proverbial light but I'll admit to being apprehensive about finding enough time to do the work required.  Despite that, DH and I are both on schedule to graduate in March and that means, because we are in online classes and won't "walk", a graduation party this spring!

Some goals for this year:

Finishing my M.S. Systems Engineering degree.

Taking a quilting class

Finishing my existing, short-term sewing/cross-stitching/crafting projects by June (I made some good headway on this in 2011).

Organizing our Stuff (more about this in a later post)

Reducing debt and expenses & financial planning (we accomplished all of our financial goals for 2011!)

Losing the baby weight (8ish pounds from now)

Being healthier: Getting back to my fit weight (8 pounds below pre-baby weight), exercising a couple times a week, eating more veggies

Of course, the humdinger in all this is July 2012: the military move month.  Moving will wipe an entire month (or two) from the calendar.  It seems simple... pack your stuff in one place, unpack it in another... but it is simply not that easy.  Added to that, I'm hoping to earn a job at our new location.

It's going to be a busy year!  What plans and goals do you have for 2012?

Life in Slow Motion

Wow, have I been out of the loop lately!  Since my last post our sweet little boy has made his appearance in the world.  That's right, I'm officially a mommy now!  And frankly, after 1.5 months, I don't know how other moms stay up with so much!  Friends assure me that schedules do slowly get better, so I'm trying to be patient until that day arrives.  I'm discovering how to do all sorts of things one-handed and have developed a new appreciation for the internet, since I can surf and type (slowly) while nursing.

In the mean time, I've been concentrating on three things: reorganizing my house (how did things get this messy in 6 weeks!?), prepping for Christmas, and small wins.  My kitchen & dining room are reasonable again and the floors have all been vacuumed in the last week.  This gives me hope for next month, since I'm hosting my favorite event, book club!  I love having a few hours just to chat over books and catch up with my friends.  It's one of the few events I don't mind cleaning for, too.  Now if only I was further in this month's book than page three...

Our Christmas tree is decorated and my village is set up.  I have part (a very small part) of the Department 56 North Pole Village collection.  It grows by a couple pieces each year but just can't compete with my mother-in-law's (yet!).  Hers is enormous and takes a whole day to set up; mine takes about an hour.  I love the thought behind all the little designs in the buildings and accessories.  My village is set up in the dining room (hence the priority on cleaning) and helps spread the holiday cheer around the house a little.

Most of my days, though, are concentrated on small wins and building a feeling of control.  For instance, today I'm updating my blog!  Yesterday I made it to a doctor's appointment on time with the LO and managed to run an impromptu errand to pick up milk.  Until now, I haven't been able to manage any of that on my own.  Sometimes I'm a few minutes late but once I was over an hour late to meet with a friend (thankfully she was very understanding!).  I'm a busy person who needs control over my schedule and every little victory in that department is meaningful to me right now.  

In short, if you haven't heard from me lately, I've been busy learning to be a mom and trying not to push myself too hard.  It's been a very different experience for me to concentrate on only one goal for six weeks.  I got the okay yesterday to resume exercising and it sort of set off a bell in my head that it's time to reenter my life.  Regaining some control over my schedule is going to be very important over the next few weeks as I pick back up with the rest of my life: lunches with friends, blogging, spouses club planning, holiday parties, and, in January, my last two grad school classes.

And I promise, those email/phone calls/facebook replies are coming soon.  Along with my terribly tardy thank you notes... but that's a post for another day!

Money Thoughts

As I mentioned in my last post, we've been a little, well, indulgent of ourselves lately.  Being hugely pregnant is inconvenient in a lot of small ways that add up financially.  It's easy to forget that my energetic "stay at home" schedule (ironically named) allows me to save us a lot of money.  It doesn't make up for my previous salary (not by a long shot) but it does let us to live reasonably on a single income.

For instance, I cook most nights (probably 5-6 nights a week) and DH cooks at least once a week.  My cooking is generally more made-from-scratch and vegetable-intense, requiring more prep time.  However, since I've been in my 3rd trimester, I'm usually too tired at 5:30 to be on my feet for another hour.  This has led to DH cooking after he comes home from work (usually 10+ hours) and quicker meals... i.e. more expensive.  While still couponing and meal planning, our grocery budget went up by ~20% last month and is on track to do that again this month.  We won't discuss the eating out budget!

I expect this to change in a few weeks, when I have a little more energy or can at least devote my energy to particular activities, rather than being struck by tiredness at random times.  In the mean time, I'm reading through a blog I found via a friend on Pinterest: 31 Days to a Better Grocery Budget.  It's always good to refresh my brain on finance topics, even when I've heard the majority of it before.  31 topics is a lot (and some I disagree with) but there are a few techniques I need to remember in the coming months.  I may post more specifics about this soon.

I've also been thinking about Christmas presents after reading this Yahoo Finance article today.  The first step for me is always determining how we can rearrange our money to pay for presents.  Only then do I pick who we're buying for (mostly immediate family these days) and what we can afford to do in December (lots of Christmas party invites every year, not to mention travel options).  I usually do our Christmas budget in September.  That may seem early (and sound boring) but it lets us anticipate expenses and use October & November to save for presents and travel, rather than trying to fit it all into December's budget.  I actually enjoy this task because it easily halves my stress level during the holidays when I know what we can and can't afford; plus, it's enjoyable to think about all the fun we'll have at Christmas time!  I think I'll be spending one day this week catching up.

In the past few weeks, lots of my friends have mentioned money being extra tight.  Are you doing anything extra these days to make ends meet?  Any financial wins lately?

Pre-Baby Thoughts

Being out of school and (temporarily) physically limited leaves me a lot of time to sit around and think during the day.  My brain is pretty good at quickly bouncing around on many ideas.  Lately, I've been thinking about a lot of family-centric topics: baby's impending arrival and the changes it will bring, finances, fitness, the holidays, food, housework, craft projects... the list goes on.  I started this blog to help me explore some of these wanderings in a more coherent way and so far, it's been very useful to me in that regard.  As a bonus, it's also garnered some great feedback from friends.  So here's some glimpses of my latest brain-musings... let me know what you think.

• How DH and I have changed over the years: We've been married for just over 5 years and together for 7.  5 years ago we were way over our heads in debt, with very different views of housework & daily living; neither one of us was good with credit cards and we definitely weren't ready for kids.  Today we've got a handle on our financial situation (which is steadily improving) with a more open communication about daily life and our expectations.  Along the way, we've found a lot of common ground and compromise (e.g. having friends over for dinner satisfies my introverted needs and his extraverted ones at the same time).  I don't know if we're truly ready for kids (is anyone?) but we're definitely ready to take on the challenge in a way we couldn't have 5 years ago.  I'm grateful that we've learned and grown together.
• Recommitting to our financial goals: We haven't strayed off our plan too far this year; we're even ahead a bit in some regards.  However, we've been very lax about a few areas and somewhat indulgent of convenience over savings as the pregnancy has progressed.  I'm hoping that post-pregnancy I'll have a little better self-control and that when we do our financial review in January, we'll find a few ways to speed up our debt repayment.  Baby will probably affect this in both directions: more motivation to do better but also less available cash.
• Our health: Maybe it's having a child that's pushing this issue but DH and I have talked a lot about improving our physical fitness recently.  Besides eating well, I can't do much in that department for a few more weeks, so I'm starting to mentally plan out my "return to fitness", beginning in November.  So far, it mostly includes daily weigh ins on the Wii Fit, more home cooking and less convenience foods, walks with the whole family (including the dogs), working up to working out on the Wii Fit at home, and trying to restart Zumba classes after the holidays.
• Housecleaning: Yup, nesting and OCD combine to create a mental image of a house that desperately needs some TLC.  We're steadily working on this.  Baby's room is 95% done (and 100% clean) and I cleaned the desk (i.e. major disaster area) last week.  DH even cleaned the whole kitchen, stove included, over the weekend... with no prompting from me (this may be the most amazing moment ever in our domicile-maintaining relationship).  There's still plenty to be done though, including the dreaded bathrooms.  What perk of working do I miss most?  Paying someone else to clean my house.

That's enough thinking for now, off to take care of dinner.  What's percolating through your brain lately?

My Month

It's been a busy month around here.  As of today, the baby is full term.  Yesterday was our last birthing class.  Monday marked the end of my last pre-baby systems engineering class.  I'll have about 3 months off before taking my last two classes.  This last course was super-time intensive in the homework department, although I'm not sure it was as beneficial as other classes have been.  At least it's over now.

In between homework assignments, though, it's been baby, baby, baby!  All the furniture is assembled and, with the exception of some later arrivals, all the baby clothes and bedding are washed and put away.  Thanks to the much appreciated generosity of friends and family and some long term financial planning on our part, we're in the process of finishing off our registries right now.  I'm excited because our nursery decorations should arrive next week!  Pictures should arrive here shortly after that.  :-)

Speaking of pictures, here's some craft updates!

First, a transportable changing pad that I made last month.  It was a very easy sewing project using this online tutorial.  Actually, it was so easy I'm thinking of making more for several friends who are also pregnant.

Transportable Changing Pad

Instead of the suggested inside fabrics, I used some Yankees-themed fleece left from several earlier projects.  Fleece turned out to be much easier to work with than minky or chenille, not to mention less expensive since I already had some!  There's even a handy pocket for diapers and wipes.

Inside View

Fully Unfolded

Next are two of a set of eight placemats I made, inspired by the blue gingham I got at the $1 fat quarter sale.    Blue check patterns sort of scream summer, don't they?  Even though these were simple, they took more time than I expected, mostly because I wanted to add in some interfacing to stiffen the placemats.

Reversible Placemats

I'm actually not quite done with these next two pieces.  Our changing table came with a pad but no cover, so I decided to make a couple.  Again, it's a simple idea, essentially a pillow case.  Unfortunately, when I measured out the fabric, I was a little too exact... the finished project was exactly the length of the pad, without enough edge to tuck under.  Fortunately, Hancock Fabrics had a cute dinosaur fabric that matched both covers!  The borders are sewn on but I still need to finish one end.

Dinosaurs!

Little Boy Fabric

Lastly, a couple of quick cross-stitch ornaments.  These are for the daughters of a friend of mine who are moving away soon... their little sister's ornament is still a work-in-progress.

Lots of other projects happening, including baby-themed sewing and some Christmas cross-stitch.  Pictures soon!

PS- One bonus picture: Pointing the camera down yields some interesting results these days.  :-)

Today's Change of Plans

I am taking an unexpected break today, courtesy of a dog that decided that 5:30 in the morning was a great time to throw up.  Bending over while you're pregnant is never a fun experience but quickly hauling 20 lbs of dog into the bathroom at 0530 can really set your day back.

I've been working like crazy these last two weeks to accomplish some fairly nebulous goals: catching up to all the things that were neglected while we were traveling, getting ready for baby's arrival, and just generally trying to put some order back into my life.  I've actually gotten a lot done (i.e. baby clothes/blankets/bedding is 90% washed and put away) but I still have a long list of things that need to be accomplished (i.e. renewing a car title).

Being unemployed for nearly two years has required a lot of mental effort on my part, mostly to stay busy and feel like I am contributing to our family.  I'm guilty of reminding my husband a little too often that he doesn't understand "how much I do around here" but the last few months have shown me that maybe I don't know how much I do.  During my first trimester, it was a good day if the dishes got cleaned and my homework was done; grocery shopping was a great day.  For my second trimester, while I was feeling better, I was at least able to keep up with the housework and homework, even if I didn't ever get ahead (although it didn't help that we were gone so much during the last month of that energy boost).  I'm still continuing that slow down effect in my third trimester, with naps looking more appealing every day.  My to-do list shows me that I can accomplish 4-5 tasks each day, generally a mix of errands, housework tasks, and a craft project.

I'm learning to modify my plans when I need to.  For instance, today I was supposed to run some errands to Target and a couple other places but my back muscles and slightly swollen ankles are telling me that long periods of walking are not an option.  My errands can wait a couple of days, so instead, today I will do projects that can be done while sitting at home.  I remind myself that it's still progress, just on different goals.

First up: rearranging my to-do list into a more realistic timeline.  Listing always makes me feel better.  :-)

How do you know when you're doing too much?

August Readings & Thoughts

It has been awhile since I spammed my blog with interesting links.  While traveling last month, it was nice to be able to keep up on my reading through Google Reader, but I didn't have much to say about what I read.  Since I've been back home, it's been easier to focus and think.  Here's what I've been thinking about:

• Grocery Shopping: When I did my weekly grocery shopping last Thursday, a gallon of 2% milk had gone up to $3.13 from $2.86 just a week before.  That doesn't sound like much, but if 9.4% is indicative of rising grocery prices, no wonder my food budget has been creeping up a bit lately!  Get Rich Slowly (GRS) recently did an update to their ongoing "how much do you spend on food?" post.  It's garnered over 300 comments and reading through them is fascinating... everything from families of 8 living on $300/month to singles or couples spending $1500/month!  
• Comparative Statistics: Most of the comments on that article include info about urban/suburban/rural location and how picky people are about food choices.  This is a data goldmine that I really want to sink into.  For two suburban, non-organic eaters, we spend about $300/month on groceries and another $200/month on eating out; groceries includes entertaining an average of once a month.  Surprisingly, while our eating out amount varies, it never affects our grocery bill much.  As an added bonus, one of the comments introduced me to Bundle where you can compare how much you spend in certain categories relative to others in your age, family, income, and geographic groups.  Fascinating info!  This is one place where I don't mind being below average!
• Food & Science: Hmm, I'm starting to see a trend.  This article on biofortification of foods is why I love both the Freakonomics books and their blog.  This one is a guest post (which happens frequently) and, in addition to providing good data on a relevant social topic, gives a strong case for why waiting for the perfect solution is often a bad idea.  This is essentially why I'm an engineer and not a researcher; perfect theories blow up in the real world and you need to know how to adapt new knowledge to existing problems.  The article also brings up a favorite soapbox topic of mine: that engineered foods have, on the whole, been a Good Thing for the human race.
• Economic Circumstances: GRS had an entry last week about what part of your personal financial situation is your responsibility/fault and what is not.  This is a fascinating discussion and, interesting as the comments are, they don't begin to scratch the surface of how complex this topic truly is.  There's a lot of personal philosophy and experience revealed in how you feel about this subject.  We all know people who complain and yet do nothing to help themselves; equally, we know people who did "everything right" and still ended up broke (hopefully, we also know lots of people who did most things right and came out okay!).  Hindsight is 20/20 and articles like this remind me of two favorite quotes: "Chance favors a prepared mind" and "Statistics mean nothing to the individual".

That's enough thinking for me today... after all, I have homework to do.  ;-)

What's been on your mind lately?  How are issues like this affecting you?

More Crafting

I took the day off yesterday to do whatever I wanted.  That mostly turned in to updating my Goodreads account and craft projects.  I decided, in my typical OCD way, that I should actually list the projects I'm working on right now.  Boy, was that a mistake... but one I'm happy to share for commiseration purposes!

First, I forgot to post yesterday that I did end up repairing the dog blanket last month.  The replacement batting and patching I had in mind worked out pretty well.  It's not elegant, but then again it's for my dogs.  They seem happy to have their comfy blanket back and I'm happy to be done with another project.

This leaves me with 17 projects at various stages.  Yeah, that number's not a typo.  Shh, don't tell my husband!  Especially since he said something the other day about not needing to go back to a fabric store for a few years...

Without further ado, my list of projects (1-6 are current; 7-13 are doable but not started; 14+ need something):

1. Placemats - Found some cute blue gingham at the $1 fat quarter sale.  With the addition of some even cheaper red gingham, it will make 8 double-sided placemats.  Everything's cut, I just need to pin, sew, and iron.
2. Cloth Napkins - Coordinating yellow starburst/flower pattern to make napkins to go with the placemats.  Unfortunately, I underestimated the amount of fabric needed for this and actually have to go back to Hancock for another yard.  Who knew cloth napkins ranged from 16 - 21 inches square?!?  I discovered yesterday that this may be a good test run project for my new serger!
3. Picnic Bench Cushions - Blue leafy fabric I found back when we lived in Vegas (no comments on how long ago that was...).  The pieces are cut, the batting is cut, the straps are made (that was a pain); one cushion is even basted.  Just need to install that walking foot on my sewing machine and get going!
4. Memory Game - Made some progress on this last night.  Interfacing is all cut out, felt is all cut (including frames).  Now I need to start cutting squares of fabric to insert.
5. Baby Quilt - It's really a twin size quilt, which turns out to be a good thing.  Apparently all the crafty people in my family decided that making blankets for baby would be a great idea!  Plus, the 20+ receiving blankets we received as gifts are likely another craft project in the making.  They are all super cute but at least the quilt I make will be big enough to be useful for a long time.
6. Dragon & Castle (cross-stitch) - I've been working on this one off-and-on for over 4 years.  Just getting it set up to work on is time consuming.  It is a huge design and I'm probably 60% done.
7. PJs/Sleeper - Have the fabric (teddy bear fleece!) & pattern & notions & thread.  Just need to cut it all out and sew it together.
8. Gift for my sister-in-law - This is a stamped cross-stitch project kit, the first one I've ever done (the other type is counted and that's what I learned when I was young).  Not sure if she reads this blog or not; if not, pics may be coming after I start.
9. Crib Bumpers - I got the pattern from my mom and discovered last night that I may not have enough fabric (whoops!).  I based my cut size on another pattern I saw in a store, so I might just go back and get that one.  Once I decide what to do about that, it's cut and sew.
10. Clothing Repairs - Ugh.  What uninspiring sewing.  I think I need a basket, like my friend Jen suggested.  I need this more out of the way than I need it done right now.
11. Christmas Ornaments - Another cross-stitch project.  Each of these takes me 4-6 hours to do, so it's a good car-ride/TV-watching type project.  I make at least one for us every year plus a few for family/friends, but I'm running out of kits (only 5 left).  I haven't been able to find any at all the last two Christmases, so if anyone sees these (they generally run $1-2), please let me know!
12. Hand Towel - Cross-stitch pattern that took me longer than I estimated.  I intended to make 2... one is done and given to my sister as a wedding gift... now I need to finish the matching one.  Whoops.
13. Baby's 1st Christmas Ornament - Yeah, started this cross-stitch kit when I was 9... as in, for my new baby sister.  She's in high school now, so I should probably convert that to my baby's instead.  It would definitely take me less time now than it did then!
14. Bear Cross-stitch - Picked out the pattern, need to order it.  This is going in the baby's room... should probably get on that!
15. Curtains #1 - For that same sister, actually.  Still need the dimensions of her closet since she hasn't sent them yet!
16. Curtains #2 - Not sure if this is still valid.  I got fabric to make curtains for our house in Vegas and did about half of them before we moved.  Still have the fabric (and the curtains) but they don't fit this house at all.
17. Curtains #3 - These were for curtain sheers at the house in Vegas (it's very sunny there).  Never made any of them, but they might be retrofitted to another purpose through the sheer amount of fabric I have.

That's a lot and it makes me want to dive in and sew!  I also discovered that I have 9 fabrics with no plans.  I thought of uses for a couple, but still at a loss for the others.  It's good to have options, right?

Ever discover that you have more going on that you realized?  How do you handle the overflow?

July's Cross-stitch Projects

Okay, craft update time.  I'm pretty sure that all the things I've finished since my last update were gifts.  I'm hoping to get to more me-crafts this week.  Either way, it feels good to finish some projects!

 Wedding Gift: This was for a very good friend of mine but was severely tardy (worked on it for close to a year).  The corner pieces are from a different pattern, but I adjusted some things, selected the verse (from Hamlet), and arranged the whole piece, so it's a semi-original design.  I would never have guessed that a red/silver double matte was the way to go, but it definitely trumped the blue design I was considering!  (The date on the pattern has been blurred out for information privacy reasons... I'm kinda big on the subject.)  Sorry that the pictures are a little blurry; I only had my sister's camera and it's not quite fancy enough to make up for a poor photographer like me!

Matted Final Piece

Close up of Verse

Better shot of stitching (wish I could get these two pics melded!)

Baby Gift: This piece was slightly less tardy but, because it was a little late, I was able to give it in person rather than having to mail it!  My friend Amy and her husband decided to do an arctic animals theme and she made an adorable quilt to match.  I was so pleased to see that this piece went with it!  She also made us a very cute amish puzzle ball, themed to match our teddy bear nursery.  I haven't taken a picture yet, but she posted a good one on her blog.  (Again, the little one's name is blurred out... no reason for an infant to have an online presence yet!)

Frolicking Orcas!

Thank You Gift: We got thank you gifts for everyone who threw us baby showers, but this is the only one I made.  My sister-in-law is a big Winnie the Pooh fan and I've looked for years for a cross-stitch kit to do as an ornament for her.  As luck would have it, I found one this summer instead.  Guess I'll have to do something else for Christmas!

Pooh Bear Says Thank You

Unfortunately, I did not get a picture of this one with its matte.  DH procured it (and picked out a good one) and we gave it as a gift right after.  I'll have to try to get a picture the next time we travel to see her!

That was a lot to finish in one month, but it was mostly matting and framing that was needed to complete these projects.  As I mentioned in my last post, I'm almost done with my current class, so the next couple of weeks should be crafty ones!  I intend to get the quilt front pieced, make some placemats and napkins, start on crib bumpers, and make some progress on the memory game.  What are you working on these days?

Before I forget!  My friend Amy is also interested in doing an internet-based fabric stash swap.  I will definitely be participating!  If any of you are interested, let me know and I'll put you in touch.

Crazy in its Many Forms

Crazy traveling lady here, back from a whirlwind month!  We traveled to see my family in Florida (with fabulous baby shower #1), then drove to New York to see DH's family (with fabulous baby shower #2), and then (because the AF can't let a good thing be) ended up spending a weekend in Alabama because DH got called up at the last minute for mandatory training.  Not that I'm complaining; better now than when there's an infant in the house, but it's still just that much extra craziness to handle.

Speaking of being pregnant (and crazy), I have definitely hit the 3rd trimester full on.  A friend told me that going from trimester 1 to 2 was like a light switch being thrown and I definitely agree... over the course of 2-3 days, my energy (and appetite) suddenly reappeared.  Some mom-friends have told me that this energy lasted them till month 9, others that it went away just as suddenly at the beginning of month 7.  I am apparently in a third category: let's call it the "long slow decline" group.  I'm starting to feel my energy flag a little earlier and easier, but I'm no where near the exhausted state of my first few months.  I just hope this decline isn't too rapid; there's a lot to be done still before the baby arrives!

It should be a quiet few weeks around here.  I'm almost done with another class and will be starting my last pre-baby class in a couple weeks.  After that, I take a 3 month leave of absence, then return to take my last two classes after the first of the year.  I'm hoping to get further on some sewing projects and put up a post soon about ones I've completed since my last update.  I'm also hoping to actually crack open a book this month!  Then there's the baby furniture to be assembled and the clothes to wash and the registries to update.  Maybe it's not going to be as quiet as I thought...

Oh!  One last thought/question: what's your favorite personal finance blog?  Mine is Get Rich Slowly, but I'm looking to add one or two more to my subscriptions.  I'm also on the lookout for a purely military personal finance blog.  If you know of one, please send it my way!  Thanks all!  More coming soon!

In Which I Do My Version of Nesting

It's a well known feature of pregnancy that most women like to "nest" towards the second half of their baby-carrying time.  For most women, I would assume that this takes the shape of doing some long forgotten house projects and decorating a nursery.  Me, I apparently sew.  And sew some more.

My friend Amy has started a weekly "works in progress" update on her blog.  Not sure I could do this weekly, especially with my crazy July schedule, but it did inspire me to stop and take stock of what I've done recently and what projects I'm still planning to do.  Here's what I came up with:

Projects that are nearly complete:

• Wedding gift for a friend: Cross-stitch piece is done, mattes are on order, frame and mounting board are purchased!  I will finish this between trips to see family, which is when the custom mattes will arrive.  So excited to finally give this one in person (8 months late)!  Not only is it for a very good friend, but I (sort of) designed it myself.  Pictures will be posted after it's given.
• Baby gift for a friend: cross-stitch piece is done; mattes, frame, and mounting board are assembled; just need to put it together!  Probably finishing this tonight.  Also very excited to give this one (less months late).  Again, pictures will be posted after the gift is given!

Projects that are in progress:

• Baby Quilt: blocks are cut and sewn, piecing is organized, working on sewing the whole front together.  Updated pictures coming after that's done and I pick out a backing fabric.
• Picnic bench cushions: All the pieces are cut out.  This was on hold while I looked for a walking foot for my sewing machine.  That finally arrived a few weeks ago, so I should really get to this soon.
• Various clothing repairs: Very back-burner.  It's hard to motivate myself to do these when I don't fit in those clothes right now.  Although it would be nice to have the space back!
• Doggy Blanket repair: One of my dogs ate a hole in his blanket (he's not a destructive chewer so this was very unusual).  Plus, he pulled the batting out.  I cut away all the chewed up fleece, but I need to replace the batting in about a quarter of the blanket as well as patch the hole and I'm still not sure if I've got a good idea on how to approach this.

Future projects:

• Curtains: These are actually for my sister's closet.  I've had the fabric for awhile but misplaced the finished dimensions I needed.  I should probably call her and ask for them; this would be a pretty easy and quick project to finish.
• Crib bumpers: Fabric is purchased for two sets, but I'm getting a pattern from my mom next week (mostly for the dimensions).
• Baby romper/sleeper: Just got the fabric and pattern for this today (and discovered that there are a lot more clothing patterns for girls than boys).  This may wait till the quilt is mostly done.
• Unknown baby project: Purchased some very cute blue boy-themed fabric today for $0.85/yd!  Not sure what I'm doing with it just yet.  It's just over 1 and 3/4 yards, so I'm thinking maybe a onesie and something else.
• Memory game: Again, kudos to Amy for pointing out this blog project a few weeks ago.  It's a cute way to use up some fabric remnants from my ever-growing stash.  Thinking about doing two sets, one as a gift and one for our future little boy.
• Cloth napkins/placemats:  I got some cute blue gingham print fabric at a recent $1 fat quarter sale.  Just need to see if I have enough to do placemats or napkins.  This should be a quick project and I should at least try to finish it before summer's out!

I'm sure I've forgotten something, especially considering the incredible stash of fabrics I'm staring at in my craft corner.  How do you keep track of projects?  Do you work better when you know exactly what you're doing or are you more creative without organization?

Quilting Progress

I had lunch with my friend Leah today, who is very crafty and is making me an awesome baby carrier that I will be sure to post pictures of once it's home!  But our talk about sewing reminded me that I haven't said much about my quilt's progress recently.

First, the promised picture of the border fabric:

Another friend of mine pointed this out to me at the local quilting shop.  At first, I couldn't see how to incorporate it, even though I liked it.  But when I discovered that I needed a border fabric, this was perfect!  It's hard to see between the pictures, but the colors of the letters match the solid block colors.  I can see now why so many quilters keep fabric "stashes" for just such an occasion.

Tonight I completed sewing all the squares for the quilt!  Here's the stack:

And here's an idea of what they look like unfolded:

I still have to iron out all blocks and then square them off, which might be a little tricky (yay rotary cutter!).  But after that, the piecing can start!  I'm not sure how I'll arrange the blocks, but I enjoy organizing things (I know, weird), so I'm sure to have fun!

I'm trying to finish piecing the front before I travel to see my family next month.  It's going to be tight, but I want my mom's help with the backing and some serious advice on the actual quilting part.  We're going fabric shopping while I'm there (yay!) so my mom can pick out some fabric to make nursery paraphernalia.  We have a teddy bear theme going for the room and I was able to score a great deal on two teddy bear fabrics at Hancock last month:

Aren't they cute?!  I especially love the green one.  The tan-ish one is a regular cotton, but the green plaid is just a little heavier.  There's enough fabric of each to make crib bumpers and plenty of the green fabric to do something else.  Both fabrics are licensed prints and for $2.00 and $2.50 per yard, they're even cuter!

I also have a cross-stitch project I need to finish before the same trip. I think I better start devoting more time to crafting!

College Cost Stats

College and statistics... what crazy games you can play with these two topics.  Today I read an article (short) and watched a film (long and best watched in multiple sittings) about the rising cost of college.  On the surface, these two seem to agree with one another, but their stats disagree tremendously, undermining their whole argument.

No one doubts that the cost of college is rising, although the relative rates (especially versus income) are hotly debated.  The film argues that college is no longer worth the investment; the article only opines that colleges are pricing themselves out of the middle class' ability to pay, with no mention of return on investment.

Both offer some interesting numbers:

• The film says the average cost of college is $27k per year, which must be some sort of public/private average (and, in my not researched opinion, not weighted for enrollment).  The article says the average public institution costs $6,500 per year.  There's an obvious choice here, in my opinion.  If the private school you're considering doesn't provide you a value equal to the difference in tuition, go to a public school.
• Both the film and the article claimed that the Department of Labor's statistic about college graduates making $1 million more than high school graduates over their lifetimes is bogus, but neither offered an alternative amount or percentage.  Whatever the difference, I have to assume that it's more than $26,000, the cited average cost of four years of undergraduate work.  This seems to make college worth it, financially speaking.
• Both the film and the article state that the median household income in the US is about $33,000.  This statistic (cited in the article) comes from the IRS's 2008 data.  Interesting, the US census bureau disagrees.  And by disagrees, I mean, wildly disagrees.  Their data says the median household income is about $52,000, a 57% increase.  I imagine $19k a year would make a difference in affordability for a lot of things, including that $6,500 college bill.
• Neither the article nor the film looked at grants or scholarships.  I've seen numbers that show how little they cover, but surely even a small cost offset should be mentioned.
• The film talked some about the total cost of college, including loan interest and lost income.  This is a worthwhile topic, but again, their stats are skewed (they assumed 6 years to finish an undergrad degree, taking the full 10 years to pay off loans, and no income at all while in school).
• The article starts with an incredibly misleading graph.  It has its axis on two different sides and makes it appear that college costs exponentially more than the median household income, when in fact it's about 19.7% (according to their numbers).

Statistics are a funny game.  Numbers never outright lie, but they can be incredibly misleading.  It's hard to accuse most sources of skewing numbers; these institutions probably just found figures that agreed with their values and stopped looking.  Opinion pieces like these two underlie the need for the public at large to understand the specifics of what a statistic says, its validity in making generalizations and forecasts, and where it is correctly (and incorrectly) applied.

Have you seen any funny statistics lately?  Do they bother you as much as they bother me?

Couples, Money, & Choices

Wow, it's been a busy few weeks!  One of the nice things about being currently childless is that summers actually slow down, rather than becoming schedule-crazy.  That means I've had a chance to catch up on some things lately, from laundry (there's my favorite capris!) to reading to finances.

Speaking of reading and finances, Get Rich Slowly had a cool article today about couples and managing money. One of the things I like about the site is the promotion of a "do what works for you" mentality.  The site author/owner (J. D.) and his wife (Kris) were recently interviewed for a short Redbook article about modern couples and finances.  Because of the number of questions he gets about their choices, J. D. put up the longer interview on his site.  It's an interesting look at one couple's system and a reminder that it's a good system if it achieves what you want it to.

The reason this caught my brain, however, is because my husband and I recently did something we swore we'd never do: bought a new vehicle.  Not just a new-to-us vehicle.  A new-to-the-whole-world vehicle.  A new-car-smell vehicle.  A vehicle with an odometer reading of less than my age (at least till I drove it home... I'm not that old!).  Scary!  But to me, it's a great example of meeting our needs with our resources in our way.

As I've mentioned before, we're expecting our first child this fall and we only have (had) one vehicle.  The one vehicle situation has been tricky but good, cutting our cost of living for well over a year.  But a new baby forces a lot of new questions, like: what if the baby spikes a fever and the car isn't at home?  Which, on the surface, is ludicrous; one of the reasons we decided to start a family here is the incredible friends we have, one of whom would surely either drive us to the hospital/clinic or would loan me their keys.  But you still worry.

Then we started asking more sane questions: what about our next move?  My husband is in the military and moving is inevitable, likely to happen in the next 18 months.  Our last move was done in one vehicle... packed to the brim with two dogs crammed into one seat for four days, because all the other seats had Stuff in them.  While my packing priorities will change this time (baby-stuff likely outweighing the Wii Fit), neither of us could picture a situation with less bulk to carry.  We still have two dogs, we will have an infant, and who knows how long we will be house-less.  So, we said, larger vehicle, an SUV.  But not till next spring, when we have to plan our move.

Right.  Then we started talking about summer plans, like the baby showers that our family is graciously throwing for us.  We save money by driving to see family (looked at airline tickets lately!?) in large part because we can take the dogs with us; plus it's built in us-time.  But baby showers, unsurprisingly, come with baby-stuff and it's the same stuff that we will eventually be moving with.  And my sister will be traveling with us for 1.5 trips this summer.  All of which adds up to needing the space now.

And so we researched.  And shopped.  And did a lot more research because we are nothing if not careful with large purchases.  We calculated what we could afford; we started a car fund where we've made a monthly car payment to prove we could do it; we looked at cost of ownership, not just sticker price.  And then we did some more shopping.  It turns out that through a combination of USAA's car buying program and a Memorial Day special, we could buy the basic Nissan Pathfinder we wanted for less than what we could afford.  In fact, for less than a two year old version cost, which is what we had been considering.

It was scary.  The whole time I was thinking "Are we really doing this?  We didn't come in today to buy and we especially didn't think we could buy new.  Are we jumping on something when we should wait?  I know we ran (and re-ran) the numbers, but can we really afford this?"  We asked the salesman to let us talk it over several times and (to his credit) he did it with no pressure to us.  We talked it over, re-ran the numbers quickly, and couldn't find a downside worse than not having intended to buy that day.

And you know what?  Besides one false-panic moment (3 in the morning is a bad time to be awake and trying to do math, especially while pregnant), I've been comfortable with it.  It's what we wanted, for less than we were willing to pay, for way less than the average sale price, and it has all the benefits of a new, warrantied vehicle. It would never have been possible for us to do this without prior planning, some serious advice-style help from family and friends, and a lot of communication between the two of us about what we wanted and could handle.  I'm thankful that my husband and I can have regular conversations like that without it becoming an argument.

Plus, since it's the color I wanted, what's to argue?  ;-)