Marsbarn Designs...

drip, drip, drop

We had two, almost three, wonderful days of mist. It fell in perfect sheets of minute drops. Little droplets collected everywhere. It wasn't cold or muggy. The temperature was perfect. Oh divine. My absolutely favorite weather. Just yummy!

children belong to their own class and order, and are not pillows.

little e: Mom, what's your favorite animal?
h.: The legendary snuggley wuggley little e who will be my pillow.
little e: No. That doesn't exist.
h.: I know (sigh).
little e:What is your favorite animal?
h.: The well behaved child.
little e: That's not an animal.
h.: Yes it is. I've seen them in their natural habitat, living in the wild.
little e: No. An animal is like a cat! Children are different.

I have also been informed this morning that if I use her belly as a pillow I will squeeze out all of her poos. Darn it.

Blame it on the Be Prepared Campaign.

This photo of a millipede is brought to you today because I HAD MY CAMERA. Yep. If I had left the camera at home, as I am wont to do, then you would not be looking at this lovely yellow and black beastie. Hello little Yellow Spotted Millipede! Now, if I had had my magnifying glass, I could have flipped this bugger over and then we would know its sex. (Yes, one more thing I must carry at all times!) They exude a substance similar to cyanide when irritated. Happily, we did not lick the creepy crawly.. Yet, once handled they become docile and appropriate for classrooms, because every classroom craves a poisonous insect for a mascot, right? And I know all of this because I had my Camera.. oh happy day!

Must.. Bring.. Camera..

See that photo of the soccer ball sized tumble weeds made of Cottonwood fluff? No? Oh, right. I forgot my camera. And yes, I could hear Sweetheart G's voice in my head saying "Mom! You should always have your camera!"
Isn't this phenomenon supposed to happen the other way? Isn't she supposed to hear my voice in her head reminding her of the valuable life lessons I am supposed to be teaching her? Gah! Why did I think there would be nothing to photograph in the Costco parking lot? Obviously I am denser than the average nut.

Bacon Man... Bringing crispy goodness to all.

Sweetheart G made this comic today. Ah the legendary powers of Bacon Man. He is a superhero of legendary smokey goodness... Sweet G's comic may be an homage to the Japanese cartoon characters that are made of food; like Anpanman whose head is really a bun which he feed to people in need. He had other baked good friends like Currypanman, whose head is a bun filled with curry. (If you click on the image, it will become larger and easier to read.)

It's dark as a dungeon way down in the mines

I spent this weekend emptying my Mom's basement. This was one of those Outward Bound experiences where you "Conquer your fears!" and learn what you are capable of. I 'splain.. I know my Destiny.. It was shown to me when Sweet G was but a babe...
It is known that Someday I shall inherit my Mother's Basement. I had already witnessed my Mother's Destiny when she inherited first my Grandparent's Attic, then their Basement, and finally the Apartment. I have seen the shrouded mysteries of "Why was this saved?" and "What IS this?" I have born witness to the 45 year old home canned tomatoes and the WWII surplus supplies. I know the fear of "Did that die in here?" I have, in fact, had nightmares about my Time.
So I grasped this chance to purge and identify. How often is a basement completely emptied of all its contents? So while some might see this as the removal of the ancient oil furnace and carcinogenic duct work, to make room for a new efficient furnace, I see this as a chance to rewrite my Fate. Ooooh the purging and sorting that occurred! And ahhh, the organization that will follow. It is well worth a sore back and a weekend spent in the dark nether regions.

Yarn? What yarn? Where did THAT come from?

I bought yarn.
It called its siren song to me, and I succumbed. The purchase had the feeling of being a mad spree, a bit of a fling, a wild fit of naughty something.

For a while Big E had what I called his "Forbidden Army of Super Secret Guys" in the basement.
He would come back from the gaming store with a bag, scuttle into the basement, and then emerge flushed and stealthy. "Oh, I didn't find what I was looking for..." he'd mutter to me on his way past me. Now it wasn't that he wasn't supposed to buy these Secret models, or that he was being reckless with money. I think it was the feeling of doing something secret or forbidden, like eating sweets before dinner or sneaking a cookie from the cookie jar, that made him do it.

I think we all crave a bit of naughtiness now and then, after all we really are quite good so much of the time...

Friday Night? It's not just for laundry anymore.

Hold on to your pants...
It is almost midnight, and I just got back from...
a Date...
With my Husband.
We ate Dinner at a Nice restaurant.
There was a Babysitter...
We had no Children.
After dinner, we saw a Movie...
On its Opening Weekend.
It is Friday Night.
Date Night.
And we went Out.
The shock of it all might just do me in.

dirty to clean, and back again

I've been on the continual treadmill of laundry today. Wash, fold, stack; repeat. And then there is the putting away.. this is the bit that I don't do so well. The impetus is gone. Without the forward momentum of dirty socks.. well what's the rush? And of course when the clothes are put away, it is time to start over again. Bah.

Just a bigger armful of love

We had a heatwave this past weekend. Big E and I installed our little air conditioners so the house and I would stay temperate. Heat makes me slothful, grumpy, and ill... not that I have ever mentioned this before... To make everyone happier (because a cranky mommy makes for a lot of unhappiness), the one room of the house that we keep cool is our bedroom. On hot summer nights, the girls fall asleep in our cool room, while I air out their stuffy hot room. This weekend, as I moved sleeping girls from my bed to theirs, I realized that all too soon my little monkeys will be too big for me to maneuver. Even little e is getting long to carry in arms. I am not one of those moms who get sentimental about every little milestone. I don't crave little babies. I like having big girls who can brush their own teeth and generally wipe their own bottoms. But the idea of leaving the age of being able to carry your child... well that makes me a little teary eyed.