Marsbarn Designs...

The Tank

This is my cat, the Tank. He is trying to entrap you with his apparent sweetness. Do not touch his belly. Oh sure he will rub up against you. He might even purr. It is all a ruse so he can rip off your arm. The Tank believes that this is his house. He is cuddly, affectionate, and sweet to Big E and I. He keeps my feet warm at night. But he hates the rest of the world. Sweetheart G has this continual conversation with me that starts "When The Tank is dead, can I have a cat who loves me?" Little e's version also starts with "When The Tank is dead.." but ends with "can I have dog?"

Physics of daily living

Little wallets everywhere! I have my sewing table back together, and I am prepping for my last craft sale of the season. This is a tiny craft sale, and I am keeping my expectations modest. (This means my Etsy shop will be closed briefly next week.) I am excited to be almost done with the holiday sale season, and moving on to present prep. I want to start making gifts!
I had the odd experience of writing a biographical blurb for myself yesterday. Talking about yourself in the third person is just weird. Plus, pulling out pertinent facts from the life of an at-home mom for a science education panel is otherworldly. I know this is a common problem of stay-at-home mom's. How do you translate your daily activities into professional terms? I was tempted to list Olympic vomit catching and experimental chef to my list of accomplishments. Both of these have science implications.. trajectory calculations and reducing a carbon based item to its elemental components.. right?

Confessions of a bad yogi

I have been doing yoga for 4 years. Sure, I've taken breaks occasionally. I stopped for appendix surgery, and then there are the times when illness and vacations have gotten in the way. But, I think I've stopped now because I'm just not happy. Originally, I did it because it was 75 minutes of ME time. No children, no chores, no interruptions.... Oh, and it made me feel good. My neck and back felt great. I built muscle and flexibility. But now? I am finding reasons not to go. Making up reasons not to make my class. Why? Part of it is that my favorite teacher has switched her focus, and wants students to make "progress". I want relaxation, not increasing difficulty. Oh, and then there are the inversions. Blech! (Inversions are when you reverse your blood flow by doing upside down poses; headstands, handstands, shoulder stands.) Yuck to them all! I HATE inversions. I have tried dozens of poses, and then all make me feel icky afterward. Maybe its my low blood pressure? (105/60 at last count) There is no way that something that feels that bad can be good for me, no matter what "studies say". So I am taking a break. I am a bad yogi.

Art lessons

The art lesson, I was teaching at Sweetheart G's school on Monday, is a two part weaving adventure. The idea is that they are going to make an Ikat style weaving. Ikat is a style of making cloth where the thread or yarn is carefully pre-dyed to form a pattern when it is woven. It is fascinating the patterns that master dyers can make. For the second grade version, they dye a variegated yarn, weave it on a straw loom, and see what pattern it makes. Did I mention they dye their wool yarn with Koolaid?
(Oh, and although I did make it through the class, I don't particularly want to do it again.)

sad mandarin kumquat update

Ok, so I cut into my gorgeous mandarin kumquat. The very juicy flesh has a complex, tart, rich, astringent, beyond orange citrus flavor. The skin is edible, with very little pith, and tastes much like a kumquat. There were lots of large seeds. It would be the perfect fruit to candy. So I looked up a couple of recipes, borrowed a sugar/water ratio and set to work. Gorgeous bright orange 1/8" slices went into the sugar syrup, and then Sweetheart G called out (she's home sick with a cold), and whoops just like that I had black tar. Oh well. Once the smoke clears, I'll think about whether I want to actually buy some fruit and start over. What a sad fate for a lovely fruit.

Ode to grocery

Isn't this gorgeous?! I love my local grocery store. When I found this lovely fruit, and asked one of the produce guys "What is it?" He answered, "It's a Mandarin Kumquat. Take it home. Try it. You can have it." Then he paused and followed up with, "But, I think it's gross." I said, "Do you eat the peel like with a kumquat?" He returned, "You can, but I think its gross either way." I laughed, and put it in my basket to take home. He then called out, "I'm just trying to be honest!" "I know. I appreciate it. Really!" Generosity and honesty. What more could you want? A checker who asks about your children? No. A fleet of checkers who ask about your children? You got it! Oh, and checkers who give your child the 3rd degree when they come into the store with a different adult. "That's not your mom. Who is that? Where's your mom?" Did I mention that they also deliver? Ah, bliss.

Back to the swing of things

Grandpa D, Grandma K, and Nay-Nay have returned home, and our Thanksgiving holiday has come to an end. Nay-Nay is my youngest sister, and is three months older than Sweetheart G. The visit was very short, sweet, and over much too quickly. We did get a walk by the river in before they flew home on Sunday. Now, it is back to the daily grind, so to speak. Today, I am teaching my first art class at Sweetheart G's school. Parent volunteers teach an 8 session art class at Sweet G's school. This is my third year volunteering, and my first time teaching. I wrote this particular lesson summer before last, so I felt like I needed to teach it (or look like the giant chicken I am). My supplies are prepped, and I know they won't really eat me.

Christmas lists, part 1

Sweetheart G says she might, just might ask Santa for a Microscope this year for Christmas. "I want a microscope, so I can microscopic things."

Look a meme

Marnie, the ubber cool gal over at Girl Number Twenty, tagged me (ME, can you believe it?) for a meme. This would be my first meme.. Oh, a meme is a blog theme thing that can take the form of a sort of chain letter.

This one is that last sort.. and it has rules!
The Rules:

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules on your blog.

(This would be what I am doing now...)

2. Share 5 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
(This kind of seems like what I do every day, but here goes...)

1 Random thing: I am, at heart, anti-social. Although I love to give large dinner parties, I have trouble going to them and being social with new people. I have a very low New Person threshold. I often can be found seeking solace in the kitchen during a party. The sad fact is I am happier washing dishes, than I am talking to ten people I don't know.

2, two Random things (ha ha ha): I love Sesame Street, particularly old Sesame Street episodes. Grover is my favorite character. I also love the Muppets. I cried and cried when Jim Henson died. I can amuse myself for hours watching vintage Sesame Street and Muppet show episodes. They make my jaded heart so happy.

3 Random things: I am not a good follower or a "joiner". I have trouble following rules unless I agree with them. I do not suffer fools well. The National Honors Society chapter at my high school tried to kick me out because I would not attend the meetings or play their reindeer games. Strangely, when the criteria for your club is grade average, you can't kick out absentee members. Even as a young child, I would rather be alone, than in a crowd of people who do not share my passions.

4 Random things: As a child, I never thought I would be a stay home mom. I never thought I would marry. I planned on doting upon other people's children. Ah, the life of a wacky spinster professional woman.. the crazy high jinks, the adventures... Then I met Big E, and (Poof) time for a new life plan.

5 Random things: I make up my own silly songs, and then I sing them to my family... Loudly. (Then, Big E steals them, makes up more lyrics and claims them as his own.)

Back to the rules:
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
4. Let them know they are tagged by leaving a comment on their blog

See now, this is where I run into trouble (see Random thing 3.). I enjoyed doing this meme, but I can't pass it on. I just can't. I have this DNA coding that prohibits chain letters, even fun ones. So here is my lame offering.. if you want to do this meme, and you haven't; consider yourself tagged. Send me a email, and I will even officially tag you.

5. Don’t break the chain!

I am a bad, bad person. I have broken the chain. (Sigh...)

feathered friends

This fellow greeting my Dad and I as we returned from gathering provisions for a waffle and bacon breakfast. He was initially sitting just above our heads in a Hawthorne tree. He hung out long enough for me to fetch my camera. He kept cheeping in a very sweet way as he hopped about.