Remembering

My father was a veteran of the Korean War and in the last years of his life he was very involved with his local American Legion Post.

My sons and I would drive up to New Jersey this weekend every year to watch him march with his unit's Color Guard in Memorial Day parades.

It always meant a lot to him that we were there and it's a strong memory my boys still have of their grandfather. 

After he passed away I found a yellowed newspaper clipping with his handwritten notes on it in his personal papers.  
 He was proud to be a veteran. 
I'm proud to share the contents of that clipping that must have meant so much to him:   

It is the 

VETERAN,

Not the preacher, 

Who has given us freedom of religion.  

It is 

The VETERAN,

Not the reporter,

Who has given us freedom of the press.

It is 

The VETERAN,

Not the poet, 

Who has given us freedom of speech.  

It is 

The VETERAN

Not the campus organizer,

Who has given us freedom to demonstrate.

It is

The VETERAN

Not the lawyer,

That has given us the right to a fair trial.

It is 

The VETERAN

Not the politician,

That has given us the right to vote.  

It is

The VETERAN

Who Salutes the Flag

It is 

The VETERAN

Who Serves Under the Flag


And at life's end, whose coffin is draped by the flag.  


God Bless America!


(Adapted from a poem by Father Dennis Edward O'Brien, USMC)
(Photo of my boys and father from 2002)

Post Lucketts Analysis!

Yes, the Luckett's Spring Show was absolutely fabulous and I do believe Chartreuse and Company totally rocked it, but for me, it was much more than whether I sold everything I brought.  
(Pretty dang close, and then some, though, in case you were wondering!)
  It was actually much bigger than that.   

To most of you reading this post, it will mean nothing, but to my peeps at Chartreuse, I hope it will mean something:  

In many ways this has been the happiest year of my life because it has also been the most personally fulfilling.  

I spent last Thursday through Sunday with the most amazing group of women (and a few dudes) I've ever met.    

 In addition to being blessed with a supportive  husband (mostly!) and great kids (mostly!),  I'm out there literally living my dream (which keeps getting bigger and bigger every day) and each and every one of the group from Chartreuse has touched my life the past year.   

They're all of the following and so much more:  

Fabulous

(Meet them once and you'll know what I mean!)

Inspiring

(8 months pregnant and still on her feet 12 hours later inspirational!)

Creative

(They can turn trash to treasure in a blink of an eye!)  

Supportive 

(No jealousy here!) 


Funny

(Of the pee your pants, laugh out loud, hysterical kind of funny!)

Respectful 

(They've taught me to value what I do)

Enterprising 

(There are definitely easier ways to make a living!)

Strong 

(Emotionally and physically!)


Passionate


(You can't dumpster dive without it!)

Empowering 

(They actually help you succeed!)

and 

Truth be told, the most annoying, obnoxious group of people I've ever met!  
(Lest they start to think they're "all that"!)  


And even though they sell the most  "embarrassingly stupid"  stuff I've ever seen, it

brings me great joy to be associated with each and every one of them.   


So, thank you to the Chartreuse girls (and dudes) for one amazing weekend!   

LUCKETTS OR BUST!!!

A Long Way to Go!

We're taking the Chartreuse show on the road!   

Not only will be open for our usual monthly sale next weekend,

May 21st, 22nd, and 23rd 

but we'll also be at the Lucketts Spring Show in Virginia

on the 22nd and 23rd!

So we're all busy hunting and gathering and stocking up for both shows!   

(I'm a PLANNER though, 
so I'm way ahead of the game!)    

It's going to be fabulous!  

I hope you can join us!  

East Bound And Down From The Motion Picture

East Bound And Down From The Motion Picture 'Smokey And The Bandit' by Jerry Reed

Posted using ShareThis

Thank You Not Included in Purchase Price

Me:  "Thank you."

Cashier:  "You're welcome."

Wait, what?  

Shouldn't that be the other way around? 

When did it become the norm for customers to thank a business for letting us shop there?


It's like they're doing us a favor by taking our money!  

I went to three stores today and three times the exact same exchange took place!   

It's one of my biggest pet peeves!   

So occasionally, when I'm feeling cranky, I throw out the 

"You're welcome!" to unsuspecting cashiers.

For the most part they're just silent, but occasionally it elicits the appropriate response!   

Thank you!   

And thank you for stopping by today!  

Knowing JOY!

It's been a week like no other!   

AMAZING

UNBELIEVABLE

and 

MAGICAL!

And someday,  I hope to tell you all about it!   

But for now, it's my little secret.   

And that's okay because I need time to savor the last few days!

To process the excitement, joy and happiness I'm feeling.

Let's just say,

Life.....is....BEAUTIFUL!!!

Photo found here

Three of my best friends have been out of the country this week.

They went off to Quebec with their 8th grade sons for six days.  

And left me here.  

Alone.

Without my peeps.  

We usually get together every weekend with our families.

To share a meal, catch up on each other's lives, and drink some wine.  

(The cheap pink kind for me, thank you very much!)

So, I'm missing them.

And looking forward to their return.

So I can hear all about their trip.  

And reconnect.  

I need them because it's been an emotional week.

I have the barn girl blues.  

(Happens after every show!)

My oldest son turned 14!  

(How did that happen so soon?   He'll be off to college in FOUR years!)

People have let me down.  

(Oh, why do we let it get to us?)  

So, I need my peeps.

To raise me up.  

And tell me it's okay.

Reflections

Take a look at the girl in the mirror.

It's me.  

The Barn Girl.  

Living my dream.

I snapped that photo about an hour before our spring show opened last weekend.

Before the parking lot filled to capacity.

And customers swarmed the barn.

And the checkout line snaked to the back of the barn.

Before the excitement kicked into high gear.  

When it was quiet and I had a chance to reflect on how lucky I am.  

I'm so blessed to be doing what I love at this stage in my life.

When I look at this photo, I love what I see.

A woman so full of joy she feels like she'll burst! 

It's a barn girl.

It's me!    

My Kind of Heaven

 I found heaven on earth yesterday.

And it was in a barn.

In Pennsylvania.  

Three or four barns to be exact.  

Loaded with the most amazing architectural salvage materials you have ever seen!  

The barns are owned by a new friend.  

Someone I met at an auction in a chance encounter.  

I bought something he wanted, so I sold it to him.  

Which started a conversation.

And more encounters at the weekly auction.

Which led to an invitation to shop his barns.  

Which are located in another state.  

Which led to spending the entire day with the other barn girls on a field trip to rival any field trip I've ever been on.

It was the kind of day we dream about.   

Adventure!  

(Four women in a truck? Enough said!)  

Amazing hospitality.

(thank you, drew!)

Great friends.

(The barn girls rock!)  

Incredible finds!  

It was definitely my kind of heaven.  

Wondering what just a slice of heaven looks like?  

Come visit me at my next barn show  

- you'll find some of things I found in heaven - and it's all for sale!

Heavenly!    

Where Am I?

I got an e-mail from a loyal reader wondering where I've been!

It seems my posts are too few and far between.  

You gotta love someone who misses you.

Just because she thinks you have something to say that just might interest her!  

Thank you, friend!   

So, where have I been and what have I been doing?

Going crazy!   

Getting ready for this:

(Check out our new Barn Show blog here!)

and 

Auction hunting for great stuff like this:

(Remind me to tell you about my new passion for all things industrial!)

Oh, and when I'm not doing that I'm getting ready for my monthly sale here:

So, even though I might not be blogging as much as I once was, I'm still here!  

And trust me, have I got a lot to tell you!   

All in good time!  

Soul Searching

Someone asked me today what I look for when I go to the auction

and 

I couldn't come up with anything specific because I don't collect anything or sell one particular look.  

But I've definitely noticed a pattern of what I buy.

I buy things that speak to my soul!


Like chippy, old farm tables with edges worn down from years of families sharing meals, creating memories, through tears and laughter.  


I especially love old discarded photos of forgotten people and places.  


I long to protect them and save them from ending up in a dump, 
where lives are 
forgotten and memories dismissed.


Like yesterday's news .


I gravitate toward handmade, wooden boxes 
and when I hold one in my hands I 
imagine who owned them and what treasures they held.  


Baseball cards, love letters or secret dreams?


Auctions are like life.


You have to sort through an awful lot of junk to find the real treasures.  


And sometimes, you find something you didn't know you were searching for.  


But then, there it is, and it speaks to you.


It becomes a part of who you are.    


And no price is too high.  


I'm at my happiest on Wednesdays, when I'm at the auction, 
doing a little soul searching!  

Frizzy, Fuzzy, It's all The Same

Do you ever have one of those days when you think you really have it going on?

You know, the cute outfit, great hair, sunny mood, glorius spring weather?  

I was having one of those days until five minutes ago.

When my youngest son (11) walked in the door from school, came over to where I was sitting,  and with the most sympathetic, pathetic look I've ever seen on his sweet face,  patted my hair and said:

Frizzy.  

I looked at him with the kind of look only a woman could muster and said:

 FRIZZY?  
Really, now?

Without missing a beat he said:  

Uhm, Fuzzy?  

I said:

"Go outside!"

Now.   

Stinker.  

Moral of the story:


Kids don't bullshit.  


Image found here.