Marsbarn Designs...

My body noticed what my brain tried to ignore

I had plans for today.

Plans that included laundry and cutting out fabric, with maybe some baking thrown in for fun.

Instead, I've spent the day trying not to tear the flesh from my arm.

Remember that lovely field trip I took with Sweetheart G's class yesterday?

Well, I got stung by a bee during the hike, and despite my best efforts to ignore the incident, my body noticed.  I now have a six inch long bruised looking welt on the back of my arm that burns, itches, and hurts in a really annoying manner.

Apparently my autoimmune system ignored the whole "this didn't just happen" message my brain sent out. 

Someone, somewhere might want the job

I should be doing laundry,
but, man, I am wiped out.

I walked with Sweetheart G's class down to the neighborhood wetlands this morning. 
With my round trip walk to school, that makes about a 6 mile walk to start the day. 
It was the perfect day for such a field trip;  cool, cloudy, and comfortable, but not actually raining.

We saw lots of lovely things on our walk, and I now have a clear vision of what I'd like to do for this year's auction project.. you know, if I do this year's project.

Yes.  I might not do this year's project.

Not because I don't want to do the project.  
I'm happy to do it, 
but somebody else might want the privilege.

(I heard that rude noise somebody out there made!)

It's true.  Someone else might have an idea.
Someone might decide that this is the year Sweetheart G's class shouldn't do a textile project.
They might have a yen to do something else.
And, who would I be to stand in their way, right?

It might happen.

And honestly. 
I do worry that there might be a perception out there that 
I take over the class projects, and I don't want that.  

Marsmade.. a division of Marsbarn

I did go ahead and open that second shop. Currently it is stocked with children's crowns, but eventually I'd like to get some other things listed as well.  We'll see.. my To Do list is a wee bit out of control at the moment.

Didn't August just end?

It's September 16th.

Know what that means?

 

It means September is more than half done.

Honestly. 
How does that happen?

zip, zip, zip

Oh inspiration...

I find this bouquet of colorful zips so inspiring and lovely that I'm temped to just shove them in a vase and call them "Art".  

But, no.

It is that lovely time in a project where I troll through my stash pulling lovely bits for a new set of projects.  I find myself talking to my little treasures, "Yes, yes, I think it's time to use you.  Oh wouldn't you be lovely with this other fabric.."  

Is it time to divide and conquer?

Yesterday I photographed 20 crowns for my Etsy shop.

I have yet to list them because I can't decide if I want to open a second shop, or if I want to let my holiday wares commingle with the gaming gear.  Would it be confusing to go looking for skulls and flames and have to flip through flowered crowns and fairies first?  

large fun was had, chores await, and I make a date with The Closet.

The problem, as I see it, with fabulous weekends full of friends and adventures, is that they are over all too quickly, and then there's the week staring you in the face saying, "Oh, and when were you going to do the laundry and clean the kitchen?"

Yesterday we visited with Bunny and Claude in their newly painted abode. Today we met at a park with friends to meet their new bundle of sweetness.  We gave them the quilt I'd made, and watched their twelve week old immediately latch on to it with his serious baby eyes.

This week, I have sewing to catch up on, packages to mail, plans to create, lines in the sand to draw.. and oh.. it is that time again.. I need to clean The Closet.  It isn't like last year, where I think we might have a critter colonization issue. It's more that The Closet's largess has spread it's influence into the room and the storage area behind the door looks a bit like a satellite country.  In short, a reorganize and declutter event needs to take place.  

how to fill a brain and squeeze every last drop of goodness from a day

Yesterday was a full day.

A full to the brim, cup and a half of flavor day.

 

It was a day of big pictures, where large projects were imagined,

and then details were captured at the fabric store.

There was temptation and danger, in the form of bolt after bolt of wool at the Pendleton Outlet.  (So much beauty to love, but without a plan in my head, such a quagmire.)

And then, after all that busyness in Project Land, Big E whisked the girls and I off to the Gorge to climb log jams and explore waterfalls.  Four and half hours of outdoor adventure to cap off the first week of school.  A summer trip wedged into one of the last hot days of the year.  There were homebaked chocolate chip cookies for inspiration, trail mix for energy, and corn dogs for dinner.

It was a good, full to the brim, cup and a half of flavor day,

and now I have plans, and pictures, and things in my head that I want to do and build.  

Waterfalls, frogs, and white fuzzywuzzies.  

Plaids, and flannels, and quits made of baby clothes.

Climbing with girls, and being brave explorers.

Ideas of story quilts and books for children to write.

Auction projects,  holiday goods,  gifts, and fiber art.

It's all such a jumble; I want a day to savor it all and make so much out of it.

(Big E captured the white fuzzywuzzy in photo, while I took the rest.)

As I cut into that onesie, I thought "Please forgive me little suit. I will rebuild you."

The weather is starting to heat up again, and in my normal defiant way, I'm baking (crumble last night, cookies tonight).

Take that 85+ degree weather.

(I never said I was the least bit rational.)

Tomorrow I'm heading off to Mill Ends to buy background fabric for a quilt I'm building for a friend. It's a queen sized quilt featuring squares cut from her sons' old baby clothes.  I tell you, that first cut into that first shirt was hard. I'm not sure I could have done it all if she hadn't already cut into some of the clothes herself.  What is it about those little shirts?  I literally held my breath as I dissected the first suit.  

the siren's song of volunteerism

Can you feel it?

It's a pulling sensation,

like the wind on a tall cliff

or the undertow,

pulling at your arms

dragging at your clothes,

tangling your hair.

It can be scary, or chilling,

but it is also invigorating, 

it makes your heart race,

and if you find your way to shelter, 

out of the rush,

you miss it.

Everything seems too quiet.

Too isolated.

Too, too easy without it.

Oh yes.

It is the lure of school volunteering.

It is seductive.

It is maddening.

It is winning me over, 

again.

I have ideas.

Project ideas.

Lesson ideas.

Wasn't I dreading this just a couple of weeks ago?

Is it something in the air at our old school?

Hypnotism?

Mind control?

Or is it just the lure of being able make an impact?

I do this, plan this, make this, share this,

and I can see the ripples form.

Never mind that the undertow can pull you down until you drown,

or that the winds can topple you...

I have just one more idea, 

it would be so easy,

and it will make this year better for this child.