Marsbarn Designs...

that road continues... good intentions.. bah!

Alright. Well the good news is that I was not the bad mother who gave away the special toys. No, I was the bad mother who put the dinosaurs in a box that used to house legos, and forgot. You have to understand that this was the ONLY box of toys in the house I didn't open when I searched (I even opened the boxes in the basement). I have no memory of putting them there, but I must have. I think the replacement dinos will come tomorrow. Oh well. I still get the good mamma karma points for trying, right?!

It must be fall, the oven's on.

Yesterday Bunny and Claude came for a visit. Since Big E isn't here, I put off making the S'more pie for another week. Instead, I made this apple galette. Every time I make a galette, I wonder, "Why don't I do this more often.." It was simple and tasty! (Oh, I also made pumpkin chocolate chip muffins, a brownsugar poundcake with chocolate chips, and sweet potato sausage soup. Yes, it was a bit of a baking binge. Only the muffins and the galette rate a "oh, I'll do this again".)

It is a grey rainy day here. Perfect fall weather in Oregon. I predict a trip to the library, puddle stomping, hot chocolate for tea time, and cozy reading time in the afternoon. I want to work on some more crowns, too. The house is certainly quieter without Big E. It was something of a wonder to watch the Ducks loose their football game yesterday, and not have my ears ringing afterward. Who knew temporary deafness could be a nostalgic, sentimental element? We miss you Big E!

the other side of life

Big E is has gone this morning to Minnesota to attend his grandfather's death and services. Big E's mom has been there for a couple of weeks watching her father's decline. Grandpa Bob will be joining his Annabelle, who he has been missing fervently for the past 2 years. When I first met Bob, I thought he didn't like me. It had been explained that if Bob liked you, you were golden, if he didn't... well... that was it. The whole gaggle of us went to a 365 day Christmas store, I wanted to buy a little canoe Christmas ornament. Big E looked at it,"You want it, you buy it.." he said, shrugged and left the store. Bob grumbled and went outside too, he obviously disapproved. I bought my ornament. I was rebel, and wasn't going to be cowed by these men! Outside, I heard Bob dressing down Big E, "If your girl wants something, you get it for her!" Oooooooo.. Big E was in trouble... And I was... golden. That was the world according to Bob. Your girl was everything; you made her happy. And he made Ann happy for more than 60 years.

Why am I doing this?

In honor of Little e's Fabulous (note the capital) preschool teacher, I made this crown. Teacher T's birthday is today, and some of the mom's are doing a little something for her. I found some holographic sequins, so it really sparkles when the crown moves. (Of course they are invisible in this photo...)

I had a ridulous amount of fun making this crown. It actually made me feel guilty... like I should be sewing something else.* Making something like brocade bags... And there I found myself, on the crossroads of "My Stress Relief becoming Work". How odd it is to have this internal drive that pushes, and pushes to make Product. I sew to keep my brain healthy. Its a creative endeavor, not a profit driven one; or at least it is supposed to be. True, I do sell some of the things I make, but that's more to pay for my supplies, than anything else. It is supposed to be fun. A "Follow your Bliss" sort of thing. I admire the people who market a Product they make, and sell it as a business. How tremendous to be able to support your self in this way! But, in my life, that isn't what we need. We need a healthy, happy mamma to counterbalance the stress of Big E's work and the big hard outside world, not a second paycheck.

So, I think I might make some more crowns and some more collages, and try to stay with the bliss thing. (Deep breath in, and out... )

* note: It did not make me feel like I should be doing housework. Heck no! Then I would be really worried... impending doom and all that.

You ask a silly question...

h: "Where did you monkeys come from?"
sweetheart g: "You gave birth to us!"
little e: "Ya!"

Must..Be...Social...

This summer was a whirlwind of entertainment. There wasn't a two week period where everyone was in the house. It was fabulous... but we didn't visit with anyone local. No one came for dinner (except for Bunny and Claude.. they were our one social exception), no one visited. And now, with the weather cooling off and our schedule settling down, I find it hard to break back into social habits. I love to hosts dinners.. but I just can't seem to manage the invites.. Big E even brought up the idea of a dinner party last week. Oh how did I sink so low?! Big E is normally the one who rolls his eyes and says, "How many are coming??" Note to self: Must get cookin'. (Hey I think this weekend I'll try S'more pie.. burninating the pie!)

It followed me home... can I keep it?

Sweet G and I finally made it to our neighborhood farmer's market. (This is the last one of the year, too.) And look who we saw. Isn't she lovely?! After I took the photo (and moved her out of the street) she flew onto my pant leg. I tried to get a photo of her on my jeans, but she took off and flew over the parking lot. Praying Mantises are so funny in the air! Think bundle of sticks with a pair of pale dragonfly wings.
I loved the look of these carrots! All those little root ends sticking out like feelers. And the color. Yum!

what was that road paved with?

This summer I went through this major cleaning and sorting fit. I went through all of the toys in the house while the girls were at the beach with Grand M. And, I gave away stuff. Bags and bags of stuff. And then, there was this discussion today:

little e: Where are my dinosaurs?
h: Upstairs in the toy box.
little e: I can't find them.
h: Try the other toy box.
little e: Can you help? I can't find them.

I look... in the toy boxes, in the closet, in the basement. I can't find them. I was going to put them in the upstairs toy box. I remember putting them.. in a bag. The wrong bag.

Hey, guess what I bought today on Amazon... Now you might say, "Well, in the month since she's come back from the beach, if this is the first she's noticed they are missing.. well.. they must not have been too important." But, I meant to keep them. I screwed up. And I just can't pretend that I didn't. I did give little e a choice: Legos, playmobil, or replacement Dinos. She's gettting just what she wanted, and I no longer have that gripping feeling around my heart.

Trick or treat- its all about the accessories

Its a trick or treating bag! I have this attraction for halloween fabric. It calls me at the fabric store, yet there is only so much you can do with bats, witches, and pumpkins. So here is the first version of the Trick or Treating Bag. This is a small one (for a little goblin), it measures 3 1/2 inches across, 8 1/2 inches wide, and 6 1/2 inches tall. I think I need to make another one that's taller (for greater candy collection). I padded it with cotton batting, so it stands on its own. I think I'll make up a couple more and stick them in my Etsy shop.

Sushi grass, who knew?

Here are some more recent collages. I was trying to simplify what I do; trying to use fewer images and fewer bits. The open window is in the train station in Portland, and the bird statue is in Victoria BC. The collage with the seaweed gave me fits. I just wasn't happy with it. The colors blend better in person. The vinyl layer made it difficult to photograph, but the stamp's green does complement the other greens.
But, of course, the collage in this set that makes me the most satisfied
is the most cluttered one. The green grass is sushi grass. It was so much fun to use! I love the way that one blade is caught in the stitching, so it bends over the photo of the hydragea. Now I have the perfect excuse to buy more sushi! This one made me happy.