Touching Base

It feels like it has been a long time since I've touched base with you all. Real Recessionistas turned into Retro Summer, which then flowed into the Institute for Fine Living, and before I knew it, the summer, along with September, disappeared.

A Respite
In truth, this past season was a welcome respite for me. After a year of personal challenges (see An Infertility Observed for a peek into those...), I have felt grateful for a few months of rest and creative enjoyment. They have worked--and continue to work--to restore my energy and vision for the future.

This past season has also given me an opportunity to develop a few skills and projects, too, like my photography, sewing and cooking. And those projects have planted the seeds for new ventures to come. Ventures I am excited about, and look forward to sharing with you soon.

Fresh Start
I mentioned yesterday that I sense a fresh start on the threshold. And though I don't exactly know what that entails for this little blog, I anticipate a few modest changes. Like some more substantial writing to balance out the great projects and photos, as well as a greater emphasis on leadership and community engagement. And perhaps a resurfacing of some of my favorite columns from the past, like Marketplace Mavens(featuring female entrepreneurs) and Smarty Pants (thoughts on current events).

Of course you'll still find the same attractions and interests that have filled these pages all year, like more DIY fashion inventions and my escapades with knitting needles. But in addition to inspiration, I hope also to equip you (and myself) to grow into strong women who lead with confidence.

So, here's to new horizons and fresh beginnings!
I'll talk to you soon!
--steph

Weekend Festival!

I spent some time this weekend enjoying one of my favorite bookends to the summer--the annual street festival my town hosts.

Hundreds of people pack into downtown where they can view the merchandise from regional vendors, learn about local social clubs/organizations, listen to live music, ride carnival rides. and eat festival food! It is pure summer enjoyment right before school starts up again!


I love the festival because it is a good way to meet new community members, including small children who are apparently wild about small dogs. Our furry friend attracted at least half a dozen munchins eager to coo and pet. She was sooo popular.


And a good way to support local organizations and charities.



And it's a chance to eat novelty foods, like fresh mini donuts, which my friend swears are the "cutest things ever!"


And to smell the smoky goodness of grilling waft through the streets...


Don't forget the people watching. It's one of my favorite summer festival pastimes--



Last, but certainly not least, it is the one time a year that my husband gets to eat a turkey leg. He loves them. So much so that he made me promise to put a ziploc bag in my purse so that I could bring one home for him. And let me tell you--I felt pretty silly stuffing a huge turkey leg into the bag and then into my purse!

But his happy smile was worth it when I got home.

Now we'll have to wait another year--and through another great summer--to enjoy the festival again!

Hope your August is filling up with good memories, too!

Previous Related Posts:
Soaking up to the End!
My End-of-Summer Reading List
Weekend Plans, sans internet

You Can Find me at the Show

It was by no accident that I decided to write this little mini-series on community staycations during this time of summer. Because I think that the Fourth of July is one of my favorite community holidays--and a perfect day to get out of the house and enjoy neighbors, sunshine and good food.

The best way to get the most out of the Fourth, in my opinion, is to spend it in the company of children. Their excitement and wonder reminds you that the day is kind of magical. I love to listen to them oohh and aaah at the fireworks, and to see their sticky, popsicle-smeared faces, and to hear the snap! snap! of them throwing down those little firecrackers and laughing as they hit the pavement.

Since my husband and I do not have children, and no nieces or nephews nearby, we do the next best thing: hit the community fireworks show and watch the kids and adults enjoy the evening. We find a grassy knoll, spread out a blanket, and smile at the sight of sparklers and the smell of bug repellant. Of course it helps that my hometown has a great show every year. I can't help but feel like a kid myself when the fireworks start. I'll admit that some ooohs and aaahs even escape my mouth from time to time--a fact that always solicits laughter from my husband.

Naturally there are other things I like about the Fourth too. The outdoor grilling, the strawberry shortcake for dessert, the sunny, warm day perfect for relaxing. The three day weekend.

But when the sun sets, you'll know where to find me. Just follow the sound of kids laughing.

Hope you all enjoy your Fourth!

Previous Community Staycation Posts:
Staycation on Foot
Doin' Nothing
Staycation Essential: Pools

The Simplest Entertainment

Blanket. Park. Food. Friends. The four ingredients needed for one of my favorite, and simplest, summer activities: picnics. Whether I’m on a staycation, or just want a break from work in the middle of the day, picnics are the easiest way to enjoy my community, eat good food (outdoors, nonetheless) and spend time with friends. And if I brown-bag my lunch, it is also one of the cheapest ways to have a good time in the summer.

Here are my tips for always being picnic ready:

* stash an old blanket or quilt in your car for impromptu outdoor dining. Nobody wants to sit on wet ground or risk grass stains on their backside--so be prepared to take your takeout outside by keeping a covering close by.

* get a picnic basket. In case you haven’t shopped for one lately, picnic baskets have gotten very fancy of late. You can find one with all the bells and whistles--separate compartments, cutlery, heating and cooling features.... Or you can just go low tech and grab a basket. Mine reminds me of Dorothy of the Wizard of Oz, and holds plenty of food for four, minus all of the fancy gadgets.

* grab a friend or two. Haven’t seen a girlfriend in ages? Catching up over a picnic lunch is a great idea! Have kids? Invite another mom for a picnic at the park with PB&J for fun and affordable entertainment (you might want to throw in some sunscreen and bandaids in your basket, too...). The more the merrier in my opinion!

* get to know your parks. Does your friend work on the opposite side of town? Scout out a good park near her office and meet up for lunch. Or just get to know your community by choosing a new park every week to visit. All the charm of kids playing and couples smooching under trees will certainly increase your appreciation for your town/city.

* follow food safety. This last tip is cautionary. Please don’t give yourself and your friends food poisoning this summer by neglecting basic food rules. So don’t forget to keep your mayo and potato salads cool and out of the sun!

I know--it’s not rocket science. But it is fun and cheap and a great way to enjoy the sun and friendships this summer.

And if you do end up taking a picnic, snap some photos and share them with me! Upload them to Retro Summer's Flickr page for everyone to see! Happy picnic-ing!

Previous Related Posts:
Staycation on Foot
Reading for Gold Stars
**Retro Summer on the web: click to read more, view calendars, photos, etc.!***

Note: would you like to be featured in the upcoming Fall series, Real Recessionistas? Click here to learn more!

Staycation On Foot

If I were your staycation travel agent, the first order of business I would tend to would be to schedule lots of foot time for you. Foot time? you ask. No, I don’t mean pedicures (although certainly they should be a staycation staple, too). I mean walking on foot through your town. Or biking, which I guess would be on pedal--but the same principle applies.

Why on foot? Because I’m convinced that experiencing your corner of the world at a slow, one-foot-(or pedal)-in-front-of-the-other-pace is the best way.

A Summer on Pedal
It was a few summers ago that I decided to give my car a rest and bike to and from work everyday. My office at the time was located on the opposite side of town from where I live, giving me a chance to wheel my way through miles of neighborhoods. It was officially that summer that I fell in love with Fort Collins, no doubt because of the bike.

There's Just Something...
There’s just something about getting outside of your car and wandering the streets. You notice things--like a cute boutique that you somehow missed, or an ice cream parlour that always has a line out the door. Furthermore, you get to smell the linden trees in full bloom in the summer, and the fresh scent of cut grass, and hear kids playing in the park as you walk or ride by.

And because you’re on foot, you find yourself slowing down and stopping at the cafe for a coffee instead of rushing to work. Or stopping to look at a beautiful garden with your kids. Or catching your foot in the spray of sprinkler on a hot afternoon. You know--all those ridiculously simple things that make you feel alive, and appreciative of nature and summer and grass and sun.

Grab Your Sneakers!
During the next week and a half, I’ll mention a few more specific activities that you can do on foot or bike in your community to soak up the summer, including garden tours and gallery walks. But for now, as your trusted staycation travel agent, I’ll simply say get your sneakers and head out on foot!

Previous Staycation posts:
My Community Staycation
Reading for Gold Stars

Reading for Gold Stars

My friend and I were tooling around the children’s book aisles at Barnes & Noble the other day, reminiscing over some of our childhood favorites (Ramona Quimby, Judy Bloom books, A Wrinkle in Time) and reading some of the newest favorites for today’s generation. And it got me thinking about how much I loved reading during the summertime.

Library Memories
I remember distinctly making regular trips to the library with my mom and little sister. We would set up camp in the kids’ section and start browsing. My mom would always set a limit for how many books we could check out. Needless to say, it never took me very long to reach the limit. Oh how I loved the smell of the used pages. And the crinkle that the protective plastic covering made when you opened the book.

And every year during the summer we would participate in a summer reading program--either sponsored by the library or by our school. I can’t remember the specifics, but I do vaguely remember colored stars and charts to record how many hours we’d read.

Signing Up
So, it was with these summer reading memories in mind that I decided to check out my local library to see if they were sponsoring an adult reading program. Sure enough, they were, and I signed up immediately. Apparently the only rule is that I have to read 5 hours per week. I think I get a complimentary pen at the end of the summer for my efforts. Not that I need the incentive.

And so I’ve been toting around some books, getting in my hours on the deck or before bed at night. I’m trying to mix it up, reading both fiction and non-fiction, several books at once. (To see what I’m reading, please feel free to look at my summer reading pinwheel to the left.) And if you have the inclination, check out your local library to see what summer reading programs they have, for adults or kids (if you have youngsters).

Since no staycation is complete with a good book, I’ll be leaving you now and digging into mine!

What are you reading this summer? Email me at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com or post your comment here!

Previous Retro Summer posts:
My Community Staycation
A Girl Can Dream
...also check out Retro Summer's webpage for summer event ideas, photos, links and more!

My Community Staycation

On the dawn of this new mini series devoted to community entertainment, I feel compelled to cite an oh-too-recently-popular phrase: staycation. All the rage for summer fun, recession-style, the staycation is of course the practice to vacationing at home to save money. And though I feel sheepish for using such a trendy term, I have to confess that the staycation concept is exactly what I had in mind when envisioning this short series on community leisure.

In Love
The simple truth is that I am in love with my town. And though I am sometimes tempted to wander outside of its bounds and experience the cultures, languages and foods of other places, I am equally drawn to just staying home and enjoying the pleasures from my own community backyard. Admittedly this makes me neither posh nor sophisticated. But it does make me appreciate home. And it saves me some cash along the way.

It Started with Bikes...
So for the next two weeks I’ll be sharing the brief story of how I fell in love with my town, starting with mundane practices like riding my bike and frequenting my library. And I’m sure I’ll talk up the virtues of garden tours and amphitheatres and grand daddy of all summer community events: the Fourth of July.

So please stick around and join me as I shamelessly conform with all the cool kids and attempt some staycationing myself--

Maybe being trendy isn’t such a bad thing.

Previous Retro Summer Posts:
Oogling Outdoor Spaces
A Poodle Skirt Summer
A Girl Can Dream

Going to the Farm

I’ll be kicking off the first of many field trips this summer with a trip to the farm tomorrow! Not my farm, of course, but one of the local farms surrounding my town that offers community members shares of their annual crops.

A Farm First
Even though I was born and raised in an agricultural area (Northern Colorado), I have never actually toured a working farm here, so I am excited. They’ll even have an animal barnyard, although I probably won’t be elbowing the kids to get my hands on the pigs and lambs.

Drawing Me
What draws me most to the farm is hearing about the local food movement, and learning more about their crop-sharing program. After reading several books recently on the subject of growing food, agriculture and the like, I am eager to see the action in my town.

Plus, there will be food and drinks (we have A Lot of local micro-breweries), live music, and vendors. What could be more fun than that!?

Join Me, or Host Your Own Trip!
If you live close by, and are interested in joining me for the event, just email me for more information at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com. Or consider gathering up some of your friends for a tour/visit to a local farm near you!

And I’ll certainly be taking lots of note to share more during the “Plant Nerd” mini-series coming later this summer, so stay tuned for that, too!

Previous Related Posts & Links:
download a copy of June's other field trips!
visit Retro Summer's webpage for the latest updates!
Plant Nerds & Cookie-Cutters: a glance at the topics ahead
Oh How I Love a Good Field Trip

Plant Nerds & Cookie-Cutters: a glance at the topics ahead

There are many things that I’ve come to learn about myself in the past thirty or so odd years. One of them is that my attention span is shorter in the summer. Maybe it’s the clear blue skies and warm nights. Or perhaps the way the days fly by, blazing toward Fall. But certainly I can’t be depended upon to hold my focus.

Attention Deficit
So it was with this reality in mind that I decided to divide the next twelve weeks into two-week topics. Yes, on the one hand it will make summer go by even faster. But on the other hand, I might actually finish a thought before jumping on to the next!

Summer Topics
Here, then, is the proposed summer plan; what you can expect in the weeks to come on Deviantly Domesticated:


June 8-20: “Outdoor Living.” Join me to talk about making the most of outdoor spaces, whether you have a yard or a patio. We’ll cover landscape design, accessorizing, lighting, structures, and more! The design enthusiast in me can’t wait!

June 22-July 4: “Won’t You be my Neighbor?” Forget far-off vacations! Get to know your community this summer by considering these fun and inexpensive activities. Hear my accounts of how I’ve fallen in love with my town over the past few years, and perhaps share your own stories!

July 6-18: “Plant Nerd.” You don’t need a green thumb to appreciate summer’s bounty! Join me as I learn more about gardening, growing food, and selecting plants for any area. We might all be a little greener by the end!

July 20-August 1: “Retro Summer gets Graphic.” In an experimental twist, I invite you to a two-week story read-along. I’m envisioning vintage images laid out like a comic strip.... Sort of like Archie meets Betty Crocker.

August 3-8: “Summer Eat'n.” Soak up the last few weeks of summer with these food and drink ideas, collected and sampled throughout the season by yours truly.

August 10-22: “Customizing a Cookie-Cutter Home.” Planned communities and generic “stock” housing are common in most parts of our country. So if your space is lacking the quaint feel of custom, consider some of these ideas to liven things up!

August 24-29: Retro Summer ’09 conclusion. Join me for closing remarks, and a look into the fall line-up!

As always, I'd love to hear your thoughts and feedback! Do you have any great summer recipes for "Summer Eat'n"? How about a tale of your adventures in outdoor design and living? Send your comments to me at shillberry@stephaniehillberry.com or post them here!

Previous Related Posts:
Retro Summer '09 on stephaniehillberry.com! (check out more links, calendars, etc.!)
A Poodle Skirt Summer
Oh How I Love a Good Field Trip
Favorite Things

A Poodle Skirt Summer

I dreamed last night that I was wearing a poodle skirt. Now, I realize that this might seem like an innocuous fact, and a weird way to officially start a new summer series, but I share nevertheless. It was pink. I had a ponytail and ruffle socks, of course, to complete the look.

Fitting
Now normally the fashion choices of my dreams wouldn’t be of consequence, but considering that the theme of this summer’s series is “retro,” I found it fitting. Because after a very complicated stretch of months (economic meltdown, political unrest abroad, pending pandemics, etc. etc.), I’ve been craving a simpler time.

Simple Summer
And so it was with simplicity, and apparently poodle skirts, that I settled on the idea of spending my summer enjoying simple and community-oriented things. And as I mentioned on Friday, I’m not alone in my appreciation for the low-tech pleasures of summer cookouts, gardening, hiking, swimming, star gazing and the like. You know--the stuff childhood summer memories are made of.

The Skinny
So the next twelve weeks will be fairly laid back around here. I’ve broken the months down into two-week sections, with a summer topic assigned for each. Sort of like quick summer school sessions, only without the “school.” Or course I can’t stray too far from creativity and design, so a few weeks will be devoted to “making things pretty.” And there are other themes as well, but I won’t get too detailed now.

The Week:
I will, however, share with you what is coming for the rest of this week:

* tomorrow: in addition to writing, I want to experience this summer hands-on. So, naturally, I’m scheduling field trips. I’ll give you more information about how you can join me, or schedule trips in your own town, tomorrow.

* later: check back to view a tentative preview of the whole summer series, including topics and dates. Also, hear my summer plans for Smarty Pants and Flickr groups!

* Finally, I’ve created a special webpage for Retro Summer ’09, and will continue to add to it throughout the season. Take a minute to visit by following this link.

And no--for the record, I do not own a poodle skirt. Nor do I have plans to wear one this summer. I won't make any promises about ruffle socks or ponytails, though.

Previously Related Posts:
Favorite Things
Indulging in Summer Mornings
Retro Summer '09 on stephaniehillberry.com

Favorite Things

So, in preparation for the launch of Retro Summer, I thought I would take an informal survey, and ask my subscribers to name their favorite thing about summer.

Simple Things
And as the answers came in, I could see right away that they were varied. And simple. Conspicuously absent from the list of responses were expensive vacations, luxuries, and the like. Instead, the most common favorite things involved enjoying longer days, warm nights, and the company of friends. Barbecuing was high on the list, probably more for the social enjoyment of it than the food, although one person is quite fond of burnt hot dogs (you know who you are...). And of course, school letting out was popular for both moms and teachers. (Remember those first weeks of no school as a kid? They were the greatest, don't you think?)

The list reinforced what I was suspecting, which is that the things we are fondest of when the days get warm don't involve lots of money or flashy gimmicks. Rather, summer days make us nostalgic for a time when things were really simpler. Like when we were kids.

Nostalgia
And that is why, when I was planning out my summer calendar, I kept coming back to the activities that we appreciate from our youth--or maybe even before then. Hence the theme "Retro Summer." The "retro" doesn't necessarily apply to fashion or culture. Rather, it applies to our affection for community, friends, and low-tech fun (like swimming pools and nature and kick-the-can, for instance).

So, I thank all of the readers who responded to my quick survey, and for their confirmation of my "retro" hunch. And I hope to hear from all of you over the summer, as I indulge in some nostalgia, and invite you to join!

Previous Related Posts:
The Newest Gossip (on joining my newsletter)
A Peek into Retro Summer '09!

Now is Our Time

It is easy for me to feel...well, uneasy...during these times. It is not, for instance, a particularly good time in history to start a family. It is disconcerting to see my investments shrink. It is alarming to hear reports of political and environmental concerns abroad.

Make me Feel Better
During these moments of anxiety, I often want to look to someone to make me feel better. A leader who can offer solutions that I can apply in my own life. Someone, or some group, that has answers or ideas or even a consistently positive attitude. Unfortunately these people are few and far between. Too many politicians are corrupt, too many CEO’s are greedy, and too many figureheads are ego-maniacs.

And so I’m going to--just this one time, and never, ever again--quote Dr. Phil: If you need a leader, be a leader. And so I think that now is our time to lead.

Be A Leader
Without getting all “Viva Revolucion!” on you, I’ll simply say that this recession is a perfect opportunity to rise to the challenge. And I firmly believe that we ladies are particularly equipped to do so. Because the antidote for a lot of what has gotten us into this mess (ahem...bloated institutions expanding their global reach via grossly inflated claims) lies in it’s counterpoint: in small, community, home-centered (and dare I say female?) places.

Ignore the Naysayers
These solutions, and opportunities to lead within them, are undoubtedly offensive to many. What do you mean you can solve the global economy troubles with the help of a bunch of gals selling trinkets from home and growing food in their yards? Why, that’s a bunch of kum-ba-ya hooey! Even I hesitate to overstate our influence for fear that some will think I’m preposterous. Hooey aside, though, I’ll endure some criticism if it means that gardens and cottage industries and creativity get some attention during these times. And of course attention for the ladies behind them, too.

So please, give Recessionistas a chance to inspire your leadership, and pay no mind to the naysayers. Sometimes what we’re looking for is small, and simple, and right in front of us.

Previous Recessionista posts:
Your Inner Entrepreneur
Homegrown Resilience
Smarty Pants: Jobs vs. Livelihoods

A Wallet Full of Friends

So far in my introduction of Recessionistas, I've mainly focused on things that we can tackle individually, in our homes or with our talents and skills. But a Recessionista is no island. She's well-connected, and sees her friends as her best support and ally in these times.

Easy to Drift:

I don't think this is a hard quality to sell. We tend to be social, after all. I figure it won't take much persuading to convince you that friends and family are important right now. It's making the time for these relationships that is the hard part--at least for me. Whether you work full-time, or from home like me, busyness and isolation are easy to drift into. I know because I find myself drifting all the time.

A Secret:

But there is a secret in relationships that applies directly to a recession. A secret that I think we all instinctually know but rarely hear about. The secret is this: relationships are some of the best currency we have. Sometimes they're even more valuable than real currency. True--you can't pay your mortgage in favors to a friend, or buy a new car with dinner parties, but you can do a lot. You can, for instance, barter and swap a multitude of goods and services with those you know. You can borrow instead of buy, and lend in return. You can multiply your impact, or just boost your motivation, with the help of friends. You can split costs on bulk items, or share garden real estate, or carpool. All of these examples accomplish two things: they make the recession less scary, and they save you money.

But while these things are simple, they are not easy. They do require a bit of organization, and certainly an investment in time. The investment, I speculate, is worth making. So we'll be experimenting in the weeks to come about how to gather and spend this new "currency." And I'm hoping that we'll be pleasantly surprised by the results.

Become an Insider:

And what's the best way to hear more about these goals and experiments? To sign up for my newsletter, debuting very soon! Enter your email address above, or click here to learn more.

Previous related posts:

Servin' up Solutions: an introduction to Recessionistas

Don't Deviate Alone

On Being a Better Friend

Only the Lonely: fighting isolation

Don't Deviate Alone

I've been talking about living a deviant life (as in to deviate from the norm) for the last couple of weeks.  The first week of Deviancy 101 was all about challenging the status quo, and how I had to search my heart and fears about living differently.

The second week I talked about the money--about "grassroots jobs" and how they have involved both blessing and sacrifice for me so far.

And in this final week of Deviancy 101 I thought I would talk about a "rule" I'm in the process of learning.  It is "Don't Deviate Alone," and I have to confess that I'm not great at following the rule so far.

For me, "Don't Deviate Alone" means that compassion has to accompany capital, and that I need to be connecting to my neighbors, caring for those in need, and building up my community.  If I'm not doing these things (which believe me, I'm really not), than what is the point of deviating anyway?  I mean, if I'm not making a positive impact beyond my small life, than why bother?

I figure that now is as a good a time as any to consider these things.  I mean--it kind of stinks that we entertain more "charitable" thoughts around the holiday season (we really should think of them throughout the whole year), but I'll take what I can get.  So as the the season for thinking more of others begins, I thought I would challenge myself to think beyond...well...myself.

Fortunately I'm encouraged that a "deviantly domesticated" lifestyle has a lot of potential to nurture more "outward" thoughts and living.  Hopefully it will start to rub off on me as  I think about it more this week, and in the months to come.

Join me tomorrow as I ponder the first step--supporting my friends and family.  And don't forget to stick around later today as we learn about this week's Marketplace Maven!

Election Day Musings--the Small Things

note: Smarty Pants posts are my regular thoughts on current events. To read more, click "smarty pants" under "check it out" in the sidebar. 

I hit the poles this morning, and proudly sported my "I Voted" sticker to the store afterward (until it blew off my jacket somewhere in the parking lot).  Boy will I be glad to have the television campaigns and the endless phone calls to my house come to an end!

Of course, the end of the election is hardly an end at all.  Rather, it is just the beginning.  I hope like everyone that the next Administration and Congress will bring some successful creativity to the economy, energy and food policy, and international relations.  But at the same time, I hope that we don't get too comfortable letting the Washington Big Wigs forge all of our remedies for us.  Why?  Because I think that some problems (well, most really) are better tackled in our neighborhoods and communities than they are in the federal government.  The creativity on the "ground level" is more nimble, more flexible, more practical, less compromised by special interests and money, and (in my opinion) more effective.

So as I cast my votes for the Big Wigs, I couldn't help but think about all the smaller things that are truly more inspiring and interesting to me during the day-to-day.  Like micro-business (Etsy, etc.), and eating locally, and conserving/repurposing resources, and being prepared for emergencies, and building strong neighborhood connections, and caring for the poor, and spending time with our kids, and making more stuff instead of buying more stuff, and so on and so on...

Of course, federal and state policy can be Helper or Foe to these "smaller things," but in the end, they can't ruin them or make them successful.  Only we can do that.

I confess that I'm not so great at doing a lot of the things on that list.  I don't even really know my neighbors.  But I hope to improve.  And though I appreciate the value of my "civic contribution" today as I voted, my true civic contribution involves a whole lot more time, effort and heart.

What "smaller things" do you care about?  Email me your comments at shillberry@comcast.net or post them here.  And of course, if you haven't already--GO VOTE!

Creativity and Community

Part of what was so dissatisfying to me as a busy worker-bee in the corporate world was that my job provided no outlet for creativity or community.  Yes, the company I was with had many "corporate stewardship" programs that were admirable for sure--opportunities to volunteer, etc.  But I was looking for something a little more grassroots.

So, when I decided to take the plunge and launch out on my own, creativity and community were definitely a focus.  Of course, as with most big transitions, it's taken me awhile to figure out just what that looks like for my new domestic lifestyle.  Six months later, I feel like I'm finally getting some ideas.  And they're ideas that I'd like to spend the next month or so talking about.

You see, I've always been on the lookout for people and lifestyles that have the potential to lead a community in a positive direction.  My ears perk up when I hear testimonies of women who have started their own non-profit organizations, or when businesses make an effort to invest in their market base.  I've always seen lots of potential in civil society--otherwise known as churches, volunteer organizations, and associations.  And just recently I've been excited to consider how women can influence a town (and beyond), and more specifically, how women can plant seeds of change from their homes.  

So, I'm in the process of writing down some of my thoughts, and creating downloadable resources to share with others.  Certainly I'm not inventing anything new.  Women are already doing what I'm preaching, and doing it very naturally and successfully.  All I want to do is affirm what's already being done.  

Please join me next week as I start talking about the attributes of women with a mission to lead.  For a preview of what's to come, visit my new website at stephaniehillberry.com and click under "check it out!"

Working Women Left Out?

I spent the last several days revamping my website, stephaniehillberry.com.  As I was adding things, and subtracting others, I always had the stay-at-home woman in the back of my mind.  Would she read this?  Would she find it useful?

Later, I showed my mom some of the improvements I'd made, and she said something that has caused me to pause and think.  She asked, "what are you going to do about women who don't have someone in their lives to financially provide for them?"  In other words, what about all of the women who aren't staying home?  Who are working full-time?  Who have no other choice?  Will they be left out?

Her question is fair.  I spend a lot of time addressing the women who--like me--stay home.  They are either home raising children or running their own businesses or being housewives.  But what about everyone else?  Do I have anything to say to them?  

The answer is yes.  Yes I do.  I say to them the same things I say to women who are staying home, which is "you can be a civic and economic leader in your community."  The tools I've created for my website (many of them are coming soon) are for women in all circumstances to use in their lives, with their friends, families and neighbors.  Granted, some of the tools are easier to implement if you are staying-home, mainly because the stay-at-home lifestyle is more flexible than the 9-5 grind.  But none of them require a stay-at-home life.

And I guess ultimately that is the point I would like to stress.  A call to leadership is a call to everyone.  Yes, I will consistently be an advocate for stay-at-home women, because so often I think that society overlooks their potential.  But I sincerely hope that by encouraging one group I don't discourage the other.  

The bottom line is that our communities need the skills that women bring, especially in these times.  We should be bringing those skills regardless of the lifestyle we are living--working from home or working out in the traditional workforce.    

"She-conomy"

I have been reflecting a lot this week on money.  Earning money, to be more specific.  After having lunch with an entrepreneurial friend, I realized with even greater conviction that earning money is an important issue for women to address in these times--even women who opt out of the traditional workforce to stay home.

The trouble with earning money these days (well, one of the troubles anyway) is that the predominant economic system is incompatible for those of us who are choosing a more home-centered lifestyle.  With its "bigger is better" mantra, and often heavy-handed culture, the prevailing economy is not very conducive to the flexibility and nimbleness that women might prefer.

Of course, our modern economy is very effective at what it does, and to attempt to reform it for stay-at-home types seems futile, if not foolish.  This is why I propose the establishment of an alternative e-conomy: a "she-conomy', if you will.  This economy can easily operate alongside the traditional cog-and-wheel system, but in a very different way.

In my mind, the "she-conomy" elevates a more...shall we say, feminine, approach to earning and selling.  And as such, it offers a counterbalance to the current system.  The following are qualities I envision in a "she-conomy":

1.  small and nimble (vs. big and bulky): the American Dream of building an empire out of rags might be well and fine if you don't have to get dinner on the table and give the kids a bath.  The trouble with empires, after all, is that they are difficult to lug around, and require too much time.  Women need an economic culture that offers opportunities for smaller, more portable businesses--ones they can carry with them while they multi-task with a million other things.

2.  flexible: kids get sick, babies need nursing, friends need comfort...and women need an economy that is flexible enough to go with the flow.  Making money can't always trump the needs of others, so there must be a way to make it in the process of everything else.

3.  community-centered:  yes, globalization is a boon for the market, but most women I know don't feel too comfortable when the community suffers at the hands of super-size corporations.  A she-conomy intentionally supports local women making a living and sharing resources with others, even if its means are global.  

4.  relational: women flourish among friends, neighbors and family--why can't our economy flourish here also?  Impersonal and distant (a common byproduct of big business) is too isolating.  A she-conomy is best built among the support and connections around us.

The million dollar question is can a "she-conomy" actually deliver?  I believe the answer is yes, and I think it is already flourishing in pockets around the globe.  I definitely will be talking more about the traits of a she-conomy in the future, and will be looking for stories of women who are making it happen in their own lives and in their communities.  If you have such a story, please share it with my by writing to me at shillberry@comcast.net.