Marsbarn Designs...

Into California we go

Toeknee (delightfully wicked woman that she is) made us monkey bread to fuel our continuing journey south. It was a good visit, but too short. In addition to spending time with family, I visited with a dear friend I hadn't seen in way too many years, Big E found a new gaming store to feed his model habit, Foz schooled Big E in video games, and we had great pizza at Kaleidoscope, twice! (Bacon, real bacon on pizza... do I need to say more?)

We headed toward Susanville, CA with stops to take in the sites along the way. Near Mt Shasta, we stopped at the upper and lower falls of the Mc Cloud river. The big splash? That would be Big E.
There were an abundance of beautiful places to visit, but the air was heavy with smoke. I found myself plagued by heat, wheezing, and headaches. We lunched at Hat Creek.

Tempt me with donuts

Okay. Wanna make me love a town where it is 95 by 9 in the morning? Take me to a farmers market that makes The Best Flipping Donuts in the world. They were blow on your fingers hot, perfectly spiced, wonderful heavenly rings of golden dough... and they still aren't enough to make me move to Southern Oregon. But throw in Foz and Toeknee... and well... it is a close thing. We love them so much, and it is very hard to be on opposite ends of the state. The girls loved being with their aunt and uncle.

It was Child Day at the market, so the girls were able to ride ponies and get their faces painted. And then.. it happened... Big E stole my camera. His innocent: "Can I have the camera so I can take a photo of the Darlingtonias?" turned into my chasing him about for the next 2 weeks trying to pry the silver box out of his paws. Hmph. These photos are all his.

Boba Fett... where's Boba Fett?

You know that moment in Return of the Jedi where Han Solo gets thawed and he's totally out of it. His eyes don't work, he's all shaky and pale.. I feel a bit like that. I think I've got the post vacation bends. Maybe this is just the sleep depravation catching up with me. Sleeping in the same room as my children for 11 days left me somewhat muddled. Sweetheart G? She talks in her sleep. A lot. Little e? She moans and does backflips when she should be under the peaceful effects of dreamland. Last night I slept in my own bed and it was like magic. Eyes closed, eyes open... 8.5 hours gone. Woh.

The trip that started with a sizzle

When we left home on the 9th, it was hot. We lunched in Eugene with Grandma R and Papa J, and obtained the magical oyster crackers to stave off Little e's nausea.We drove south, and it got hotter. Oh, then there was smoke in the air from forest fires. Big E wanted to start our trip with an homage to our Road Trip 2007, with a stop in Elkton (a mere hour out of our way). This sounds grand now, but then, with a 5 hour planned drive, and a girl who had already vomited once, and a headachy grumpy wife... well.. we did it. The river was as beautiful as last year, but about 20 degrees hotter. Yep, I was miserable, but everyone else had a lot of fun.
That night, destination reached without further incident (meaning I recovered from being grouchy and Little e didn't need the yick bucket again), we were welcomed by the wonderful Toeknee and Foz.. into their lovely, air conditioned home. Ever feel like kissing someone's foot?.... Okay, me neither, but this was pretty darn close...

And Sparkly Blue brought us all home again!

"Mrrrraoooowww! Mrrraaaooooow! Meh!" This translates loosely as "Stupid hummies what were you thinking abandoning my furry wonderfulness for two flea bitten weeks!" Ah yes, we are home (and the the Tank is even pissier than normal)! We've come home with mosquito bites, new freckles, about 1,000 photographs, lots of stories, and about 20 pounds of new fabric. There are tales waiting to be told about cotton candy, fresh donuts, bloated marshmallows, old friends, new friends, the wonders of family, car sickness, butterflies, frog eating snakes, butt skiing, anthropomorphic horses, and blog withdrawal.. plus so much more all contained in the wanderings of a family of four in a station wagon called Sparkly Blue. So hang on in the coming week, 'cause there will be no more canned posts for you my friends!

rhubarb, my tasty treat

I am the only person in my house that will eat rhubarb. I have become a rhubarb loner. Now, you can only be caught in the corner eating a whole rhubarb pie by yourself so many times, so I came up with this little treat.

I take 2 stalks of rhubarb (only the firm stalks will do), slice them up into 1/2 slices, and throw them into a little sauce pan. I add 1/8 cup of sugar (more or less, depending on my whim), a teaspoon of instant tapioca, a sprinkle of ground ginger, and 2 or 3 Tablespoons of water. And then I cook that puppy up. I let it simmer until the sugar is dissolved, and then I taste it (carefully it's hot.), and add a bit more sugar if I want. When the rhubarb is tender and melty, and it is starting to thicken, I turn off the pan. Then I try to let it cool, and not just eat it out of the pan. I put the stuff I don't eat right away in a jar and spoon it virtuously over lowfat plain yogurt.

rhubarb, my sweet

Rhubarb. Yummm. It feels strange to swoon about a sour vegetable whose leaves are toxic, but... oh, there is just something about it. When Sweetheart g was a teeny girl in swaddling, I had a thing about these rhubarb handpies at our farmer's market. The problem was that they made my wee breastmilk drinkin' girl projectile vomit. (It was AMAZING, but.. well.. I won't get too graphic... but the words "fire hose" come to mind..)
I was so bummed. I pined.
And then, I started to pump and dump so I could have my rhubarb and not upset the balance of Sweet g's gut. I love me some rhubarb in a serious way.

Clothespin dollies

Let me introduce Sapphire and her friend Rose Ruby*. They are Sweetheart G's and little e's new dollies, made by each respectively. The girls painted them, designed their ensembles, and clothed them all on their own. All I did was supply the goods and give a bit of advise (like "don't stick your finger with the needle". ). They are both already making plans for more clothespin dollies.

*I know I've gotten this one's name wrong. Darn it.

little things you do

You know that song that Grover sings with Lena Horne on Sesame Street? The one that starts "How do you do? Hold out your hand."? There is a line in that song "People know you by the little things you do." That sentiment makes me so happy. Most days, I would much rather focus on the little things, the little kindnesses and pleasures. I hope my girls will remember the small things, the everyday-special things we do together when they are out and on their own.

Go, go, go vs Ready, Steady

As my monkeys grow, their differences become more distinct. There are so many similarities between them, that the differences proclaim themselves loudly. (The other day I had a woman ask me if they were twins.) (Yes, there was a certain amount of absurdity to this question, but it shows a point.)
This is little e. Little e in motion is a thing of kinetic energy and total commitment. Sweetheart G's thinks when she moves. Part of this is age, and part of it is genetics. Little e trusts that her body will do whatever she needs it to, while Sweet G worries it might not be enough. Little e does. Sweet G plans. My littlest monkey maybe a more natural mover, but I won't stand next to her while she hucks rocks, randomly switching between right and left hands. My Sweetheart may hesitate before she moves, but she'll never wallop me in the head with random projectiles.