Marsbarn Designs...

Slowing down and choosing the next turn

I hurt my back on Tuesday at Taekwon Do.
We were doing throws. 
As in, I throw you to the ground and stomp on your spleen. 
Only in this case I was doing the flying and landing. 
This was fine until we did the slow motion set up demo.  
Hitting the ground is fine (and fun), not hitting the ground 
and using the wrong muscles to return to an upright position is not.
So, no TKD for me today.
It's going to be slow(er) day.

 

This is a good thing, actually.
(The slower day, not the back pain.)
I've started getting emails about Holiday Markets,
and I have to figure out what I'm going to do.

There is an addictive magic to selling your handmade 
goodies to people in the flesh 
(as opposed to people in code and on-line).  
There is a thrill, a warmth, an interaction, 
and that not-to-be overlooked bonus of cash in your pocket.  
Is it crass to mention that there is a thrill to watching your work transform into honest to goodness cash, instead of just numbers on a computer screen?

A good day at a good market is a good day indeed.

But, this year I'm not sure I want to do it.
I am tempted to spend that time and energy doing something else, but I'm just not sure what I want to do yet.

first leads to second, second leads to third, and just like that you've graduated college with a PhD in Time Theory

 And just like that, we are in school again.
The first day is done.

Tomorrow will be the second day, and then the third, and on and on until..
Poof
It will be Christmas break, and then spring break, and then summer vacation, and I'll be back here again commenting on the first day of another year of school.
But, next year will be different.
This year is the last year Little e and Sweetheart G will be in our neighborhood school.
Next year, Sweet G will be in (gasp) middle school.
So, this year, when it begins to fly by, we will try and drag our feet so more than just the blurred highs and lows stick with us.  

life is a mystery

Life should have many mysteries both great and small.
They keep us on our toes.
But still, it makes me stop,
and scratch my head,
and ponder the wonder
of why someone googling "1940's Mary Jane Heels" 
would be directed to my little Etsy shop.

Grand plans

Here we go, the last weekend before school begins.

Tomorrow should be a quiet day.
I plan on admiring my gladiolas, getting some sewing done, and making something with plums.

 

This seems like just the sort of grand plan I need to finish up the summer.
Do you have any grand plans to wrap up the summer?

we started with the savory, and ended with cake

I taught three baking classes this week.

The first day we made cheese souffle and baked mac and cheese; on the second we made bagels; and on the third we baked cheesecake and decorated cakes.

 

We used four pounds of cheese, at least ten pounds of flour, a couple dozen eggs, and 4 pounds of powdered sugar.  

Oh, and there was tasting.
Lots of tasting.

 

My students seemed to really enjoy themselves, and I had a blast.

The cake decorating portion of the last class seemed to be a favorite, and it was really encouraging to watch their piping skills improve as they worked.

 
This week I discovered that I can't multitask between baking and sewing.  I kept meaning to work on projects, but between prepping for the next day (baking cakes and starting yeast dough) and thinking out how I wanted the classes to run, I just never got to the machine.

I guess this isn't really new news, after all when I am hip deep in sewing, meals devolve into grilled cheese and scrambled eggs.  It would figure that the pattern would work in reverse as well as forward.

 

This finishes up my scheduled baking classes.
I am playing with the idea of trying to set up baking/art classes for our Teacher Planning days.  I see pizza dough proofing while we make collages, or pasta drying while we needle felt.  
It could be fun.

Now, anyone care of slice of cake?