Stay-at-Home Wife

What is a stay-at-home wife?

Wife? You mean Mom, right? No, I mean wife. I am a stay-at-home wife.

When we decided to move to Peoria, we decided I wouldn’t work anymore. We weren't expecting, though we wished we were, and I thought I'd take a much needed break from the daily rigors of teaching. I admit I worried about what I would do to keep myself busy.

When people asked how the job hunt was going in Illinois, I'd tell them I wasn't going to be working.

They'd look at me in confusion and ask, "What are you going to do then?"

"I'm going to be a stay-at-home wife," I’d reply matter-of-factly.

More confusion... a raised eye brow... a slight nod of the chin.

Then, we found out we were expecting, and I decided I would be a stay-at-wife until the baby comes in December. Then, I'd become a stay-at-home mom. I still get the raised eyebrow, but the nod of the chin is more clearly a nod.

So let me tell you about my life as a stay-at-home wife:

1 - Painting: We finally are sprucing up our hospital-white home with some color. Last Saturday we spent the whole day shopping for supplies (Home Depot: "where everyone knows our names"). It never ceases to amaze me how many little things must be purchased to do a project. My parents just always had painting rags, paint brushes, painter trays and rollers, etc., etc. Who would have thought I'd have to pay for all this stuff one day?

Anyway, we got the first coat on the fireplace wall on Monday night. I call it "chocolate soft-serve." Tomorrow we'll apply the "chocolate fudge" to the vaulted wall.

The idea is to have a square of "soft-serve" in the middle of the "fudge" wall. I think it'll work, as long as the "fudge" doesn't look like "Oreo." We'll see.

2 - Baby stuff: We are acquiring baby things at an astonishing rate. This week we bought Baby his crib, changing table, swing/bouncer chair, baby bath, and many other necessities (onesies, sleepers, blankets, socks, etc.) Some things have been found on my new favorite website (Craig's List), others have been gifted by new friends at church (Thanks Melissa!), and still others have been purchased new at the store (Target being my current favorite).

His room is getting rather full of boxes and bags, and I hope to have enough room for my sis and her baby (who are coming to visit me next weekend).
3 - Cooking: I am just loving cooking dinner each night for my hubby to eat when he gets home from work. Doesn't that sound so 1950s? I LOVE IT!

This week we've had Wendy's Chili (Great recipe and Ryan's favorite so far, except I forgot I was halfing the recipe when I added the chili powder; oops!), taco casserole, creamy chicken and rice, and lasagna. He has even been able to take leftovers in his lunch - something he always wished for during grad school, but that I couldn't manage working full-time. Our peanut butter jar is hardly getting any use anymore!

4 - Sewing: Kind of. My problem is two-fold:

* Fabric Dilemma: Ryan's grandmother is a collector. She doesn't collect dolls or bears or spoons or books or pencil sharpeners or vases... SHE COLLECTS THEM ALL!

One thing she collects is fabric. During the reunion, she opened her stashes, and the women had at it. Everything was neatly folded and stacked (a lot of it still on the bolt), but I just didn't have it in me to dig and fight and scrounge around. Everything I brought back (3 prints) were collected by my mother-in-law on my behalf.

(Here's my sister-in-law Emily who, like everyone else, had no problem digging in)

So, with deep remorse and regret, I have discovered we don't have a Hancock Fabrics in Peoria (my favorite fabric store), and I am definitely wishing I'd have looked harder at Grandma's house. If only I'd have rolled up my sleeves (and my pants!) and gotten in with everyone else I wouldn't be sitting here stressing about spending $9.75 a yard for fabric at the specialty quilting store... Aww, Hancock, where did you go?

* Pattern Dilemma: Though I have done some quilting, I have never used a pattern before. I know I am supposed to cut out the shapes, pin them to the fabric, cut them out and stitch them altogether, but this is where my knowledge stops.

I read the directions today, and I thought I'd accidentally bought the Greek version: slipstitch, with nap, without nap, staystitch, topstitch, understitch, baste... What have I gotten myself into?

On a friend's advice, I have emailed a woman from church who has offered other women (young moms!) help with sewing projects in the past. Hopefully, she'll adopt me as her own and tutor me through the process. I just don't think I can learn via cell phone with my own Moms.

And that, my friend, wraps up my week here as a stay-at-home wife in Peoria. Yes, these are the things that fill up my days along with reading, genealogy indexing, weeding the flower bed, preparing seminary lessons, grocery shopping and cleaning.

They wanted me to feel guilt and shame with their raised eye brow and slight nod of the chin when I told them I wouldn't be working and was going to be a stay-at-home wife. But I know they really were just trying to hide their jealousy at the idea of filling their own days with whatever they wanted... just like I get to.