Count Down to Open House

Yes, 2 weeks from today all the dust will have settled and I'll be ready??!!

I'm not really worried, I have lots of time before the Open House. I just need to tidy up a bit... Well, what I really mean is I have to paint the trim in 2 rooms, I do have most of the nail holes filled with putty so now its just bring out the paint and I'll be done in no time! I do still need to paint the walls, but that goes fast.
Then I need to add a few select items to the rooms and get rid of what I don't want to use. That translates into, bring everything I own into the rooms I'm overhauling and then haul it out when I'm done and price and arrange what's left in the store..

This is what I really like to do... start about 2 dozen projects, 2 weeks before a get together and see if I can't get Dave to go crazy... I think he secretly takes a little sedative each morning, turns down his hearing aide and gives me that look that says."Hmmm, did you say something?" It's a great game... see which one will crack first!
He use to ask me if I couldn't vacuum with out rearranging the furniture? Seriously what kind of question is that? If you are moving it, then why wouldn't you move it?? If you know what I mean??
I only wish I had time to finish all the great ideas I think of, but that would put Dave out of a job, wouldn't it?? After all he won't have to load the trailer and drive anywhere!! He will have lots of time to help finish all the little last minute details. Who doesn't like to feel needed!

I count 2 weeks before I need to have it all pulled together and that is 14 days you know.. The problem is as I stated before, Life gets in the way of Progress..

My niece Brynne and, baby Big Girl, Addie will be here visiting from Michigan for a few days and I will want to spend some time being with them. If you have been reading awhile you will remember Bee and her sister Livy were due to have babies just a few weeks from each other. Sadly I must tell you that Livy has suffered a miscarriage and we are all so sad for her and her husband. Although I have never lost a baby, I remember from the moment I knew I was pregnant, every maternal feeling I could imagine well up in me and I was making plans and dreaming dreams for my little one. I know I would have been staggered by the loss as I know she must be.
We are thinking good thoughts and hoping for better times ahead for them.

I do have plenty to do but when Cousin Kay called to say she would be in Eugene on Wednesday, I put Sam on the school bus and headed south to see her. My mom and sister-in-law Judy joined us and off we went to search for treasures. We found all we could fit in the trunk of the car and finished our outing with a stop at Ruthie B's.

I know I have mentioned Ruthie B's store, it is in Springfield. I love her Halloween decorations, her store has a primitive country feel and it is a perfect backdrop for all the vintage Halloween she has collected over the years.

My Cousin Kay comes from Chowchilla, which people who haven't heard of the town sometimes think you are saying Chincilla. How perfect is this??

Are you seeing a new hobby in Cousin Kay's future?? Not a chance!!

Lots o f Halloween every where..

The Star of the Show Ruthie

Lots to see everywhere.

Do you remember these couple of jokers??

They are Judy's sweeties and they have a great sense of humor.

When they heard

what my mom
and their mom
would be using for transportation
to the
Open House

It really cracked them up!

Hope you can find a way to get there!

Why Weekends Should Be Longer

Weekends should be longer so that there would be time to post, and the Monday/Tuesday post wouldn't be a marathon event!!

It started early, early Friday morning when I was up trying to get fliers made for my Open House, since I didn't get them printed in time to take to Blackberry Junction and Vintage Roost. Thankfully I would have them Friday afternoon for the trip Saturday morning to Barn House and for the sale at Deepwood on Sunday.
I was especially glad I had them printed professionally when the ones I printed on my demon possessed printer/copy machine were so pathetic I was embarrassed to leave them, but after all that was the excuse I was giving myself for taking 2 days off to have fun network. I mean really a business person needs to advertise and get out and see what is going on in the world...

Networking is fun!! One of the more enjoyable aspects of my job. I met up with Diane (Molly Mo's), her grown up daughter Cara and Martha for a quick trip to Albany. Martha has some of her wonderful treasures for sale at Blackberry Junction. She had "just a few more things" she wanted to drop off before it opened.
They were set up and doing just a little last minute sweeping up when we arrived. Where in the world does Laurena find such hard working cleanup help? (Only your husband would be willing to take time off work, to work so hard.) And here comes Mandy, she does the coffee and food, which by the way is delicious. Not to mention how cute is she??? Then there is Julie another worker bee, also pretty darn cute getting ready to have a fun day! That's a mighty pretty apron she's sporting.

Again this year the show is just terrific! There is so much to see, they do a great job setting up different areas so things flow nicely. Then they restock every evening and it looks great the next morning.

Do you see some of the amazing Carol Curtis quilts and aprons on display??
Seems like just yesterday I taught her to sew... Oh wait, I guess I didn't teach her to sew, I have been loving her work for so long I thought I must have been involved somehow!!

I love this sign it would be a great saying for a t-shirt too.
We left there and just a hop, skip and a jump from there is Vintage Roost. The top picture on today's post is of their driveway. This event takes place a couple times a year and is always a treat.
There was a lot to see and many hand crafted items, they have some of Sheila's charms for sale. I didn't get many pictures inside because there were lots of shoppers and the lights were getting in my way... I thought about asking if people would leave and I could turn off the lights, but thought maybe that would be an unpopular idea. This is Debbie the show is on her property, she is wearing one of the jackets she makes and sells at the show. So when I was through looking at all the wonderful treasures I went outside and what a beautiful setting for this sweet show.
The front porch.
The back porch.
Things to buy everywhere!


It was all so pretty and made me glad that it was fall!


Saturday I picked up my friend Karen and we were off to Barn House Battle Ground, I mean really... I had cards to deliver and advertising needs to be a priority!

It was a harvest feast for the eyes! The entry area is great! I like to take time to enjoy the whole picture before I start tuning in on what I need to buy. But the whole time I'm enjoying taking it all in, I'm thinking in the back of my mind... hurry, hurry all these people are getting the stuff you are going to want!! It makes it hard for me to enjoy my special time, but I do the best I can. Okay, it is a very short time that I spend taking it in, then I dive right in and start shopping!

When I go in I see all the people I love to see and I want to talk to them and I get distracted...

There was Rebbecca, I met her at the BH Flea Market, we were booth neighbors.

There was Karen who I am always so glad to see. She is out and about often probably networking and finding all the great things she sells in her booth.
There was Lynne, who I also got acquainted with at the BH Flea Market this summer. She is modeling the hat she was buying from Rebbecca . She also stays busy networking and looking for great treasures to sell.
And of course there was Natalie, she had sold a mannequin and was just giving her a little hug good bye. Do you see a pattern here These people love their products!!

It is always great to see her and her husband Lynne, she has been refereed to as Queen of Primitives and always finds the one you were looking for! She also makes wonderful soldered necklaces and has a fabulous way of displaying it all. I won't mention the fact that she also won the dessert bake off at the BH Flea Market... Perhaps she is Queen of Everything... and that is why I have never seen her without that beautiful smile??? Certainly worth looking into..

Here you can see Sylvi, she is also one of the bright smiles you will usually see at BH. She is so sweet and has the greatest treasures that she sells exclusively at BH.

They will be hosting one last show this year and I hope you will plan to meet me there. BH is collaborating with Cindy, The Queen of Tarte and it is sure to be the most fun and over the top yet! The date is Saturday October 18th.

We unloaded in the dark Saturday night, because Deepwood is a busy mansion, and there was a wedding being held until 8pm. But being the party animals that we are... why wouldn't we want to stay up having fun until midnight??

It was worth it in the morning when we had a couple hours of daylight to finish getting ready and that was hard to do as we had our fingers crossed that the light sprinkles would not turn into serious showers.

It turned out to be perfect weather and we met new friends, like this couple from Sweet Home! We saw our friend Vanessa, she was out and about early finding great treasures.
That bed looked inviting and had those cushions been dry...One of Diane's displays.
More goodies for sale.


We had a a terrific time sold lots, visited, shopped, it was all fun and games until...half an hour before closing it started to pour!!

What's This? A New Trick!

Occasionally I enjoy, get to, can't stop until I figure out how to do something.. so I work on it until I get it... After all how hard can this be I ask myself?? Everyone else seems to be able to do it!! (I thought this about labor and delivery too, and I was wrong!) Occasionally, rarely I win this battle. Last night it was, hook up the laptop to the printer. Seriously all the other times, I plug in the little grey cord to both (in computer language that is the USB...) and ...whah laa... This was not to be the case last night. The truth is I fought the computer and the computer won!! I tried about 40 times read all the info, went everywhere in cyberspace, I know everything else about everything I don't need to know and am sure to not remember when I need too, but whatever...
My friend Sue, thinks I know what I'm doing so please if you see her don't let on... She asked me how to link a site and I did just happen to know that, (who knows how that came about.) Then she asked how to strike out a word you know, can I tell her how to do that??? Of course I can.... which is the real problem you know, (I think I can do anything) luckily I did figure that one out.


If you already know this skip ahead. Sooo.... you are typing along and you want to cross something out instead of delete. Where the heck is that button?? Evidently in blogger there isn't one. So you hit Edit Html, and up pops gibberish. You find the word you want to cross out lets say, I hate computers, no hate is a little strong so, in Edit Html mode I type on both sides the word or words you want to cross out, evidently the / is magic to the formula because if you forget it... everything from then on get a line through it! I know that for sure... No doubt that is a clear as mud... Which explains why I don't write a book on computer programing..

If you are young or old and smart and all this is sooo easy then you need to stop right now and thank your lucky stars!!! I personally consider the computer a drug, yes a drug of choice, but still a drug. Someone (in my case my kids) get you hooked. It starts soooo subtle, "hey mom pick a name and you can get magic mail, it's free;" now I'm listening they get you on, or hooked and next thing you know... You HAVE to have it!! Your kids move out take their computer brains with them.... And there you are just you and the magic box...

You know a little but not enough, you try something it works so your sucked into thinking you control the computer but NO it controls you!! You have stuff in there you want to get and it's hiding!! Is it here? No, how about here? Did I look there? You finally find it but by that time you are soooo weary you don't know how??? I'm thinking that is an addiction and what the heck are we going to do now?? Sheila got at new green computer, personally I would have chosen pink, but I don't think that is the answer either...

I could go on and on and on about this and if I ever put labels on my blog there will be one called Whinning about Computers. I know that will be very popular!! All of this to say, I finished the postcards (on the computer) I even know how to find them, but... guess I will be going to the printers for copies to take to Deepwood this Sunday. In case you aren't going to be there here is a sneek peek...

The Front

The Back

I will be sending these, hopefully only once, to people on my email list and also on my other mailing list, the one where you use stamps... Maybe an option I should take more seriously??? Free a word to ponder..