Vacation All I Ever Wanted

I was going to accomplish so much this week, but the gods had other plans for me. Saturday I was going to finish listing everything I had ready to sell, and good old Mediacom and their million dollar internet service goes down for the 100th time this month. I get a little done Sunday, but don't feel too good. By Monday, I have the worst flu ever, have to have my husband stay home to take care of the kids, it was awful. 24 hours later, I am human again, and by afternoon able to get all my ebay things shipped, but it was a struggle. This morning, I find one of the packages back on my doorstep, the postal worker didn't put the postage label on!@%#*! Calgon, take me away! We are out of here this weekend, as long as we are all well for Disneyland, I'm good. Here is me and my babies a few years back. Now, I can ride the scariest roller coaster with no problem, but I tell you, this Dumbo ride freaks me out every time. It's about as funny as no one else in the family but me being able to ride the teacups, they all get queasy from the spinning. Dumbo way up in the air and that crazy mouse yelling, ......

Listamania

If I ever get all these ebay listings done, it will be the most giant miracle, but will certainly try today. All my favorite stores are having open houses this weekend and there is an estate sale that sounds interesting, so I will be running non stop until its time to go see Mickey Mouse.

Fine Things

We did what we always do on weekends, hit the antique shops in the area. One shop I go to a lot had a new person manning the desk, so I explained I was dealer, started my pile of wood kitchenwares and primitives, and she kept insisting on directing my attention to crystal, cut glass and hand painted china. I kept smiling and pointing out that my little niche is all about the wood prims, and she kept getting out the crystal bowls, and even said at the end of our stay, about my little pile of wood spoons, "No one is actually going to buy those are they?" Well, I hope so... This got me thinking about all the funny antique stores I've been in over the last 30 years, which brings me to my favorite antique stop of all times, the one that happened back in 1980 and my husband and I still laugh about it. We were in the breathtakingly beautiful town of Galena Illinois (that is what my photos are of). Way up on the hill is a huge white house, which then had a sign out front "Antiques". We went to the front door and were confronted with a note "Ring the Bell" , which we did. After a wait, the door creaked open just a crack, and an elderly man peered through the crack and snapped "What do you want?" We explained about seeing the antiques sign and thought there was a shop here. "Well, it is. What antiques do you want?" We said we just liked antiques and what kind did he sell? "Fine things, many fine things!", and still did not open the door. We had to know now, so asked if we could come in and he grudgingly allowed us through, the house was filled with, you guessed it, lead crystal and hand painted china! Since we didn't buy anything, I'm guessing we might have been the last customers he ever let in. To this day, we walk into a china shop, look at each other and say "Fine things, many fine things!"

A Day to Be Somber

I had decided not to watch the 9/11 coverage on TV today, but of course, did anyway, and spent the morning in tears listening to the families read the names of their loved ones lost, watching the archival footage of seeing the first responders choking from the dust, still turning around and going back in. I sat watching those towers fall that morning, clutching my 2 year old daughter, thinking I was watching our country collapse. That we didn't is testament to everything good in America. Our personal freedom is a great gift and great responsibility I hope I will always live up to. I'm just going to spend the rest of the day being thankful and as one of the family members said this morning, it is a day to be somber.

Bad Juju

It has been one of those days that my sister has always referred to as "you got bad juju today". Little irritations like burning the English muffins and spilling coffee all over the microwave, followed by escaped pet rabbit who scratches me really badly when I catch him (never believe the myth of the gentle rabbit), followed by searching the house for my daughters purse, only to have her finally admit she left it at the mall 3 days ago, so now I get to waste an hour driving out there to get it from lost and found. I just may take a few moments to look up rabbit stew recipes before I go.....

I get to go on vacation soon, all sorts of craziness until then, we are driving across the plains and over the Rockies to visit my birthplace, Placerville Ca and a visit to LA to see one of my many sisters. This photo is how I feel my vacation will be at this point!

The Tinys

I just listed a plethora of little antique toys, this is a sampling.

A Tin for Lauree

This is a Calumet baking powder tin repurposed for seeds.

Karen's Sugar Bucket, done at last!~

Karen, this is 8" tall and 8" top diameter, note the repaired break in the top band, otherwise, I think it did want to be cream colored, it turned out really pretty!