The Luckett's Spring Market

I went to the spring market at Luckett's Store, in Virginia yesterday with a couple of my friends and we had a great time.

Check out the objects of my desire:

Opening Doors

Life is funny.

It has it's own schedule.

I didn't walk through a new door for a really long time.

And now I'm cracking open another one, taking a peek inside.

Should I close it, walk quietly away, or burst through to the other side?

How do you decide?

A Thank You

I woke up this morning bright and early so I could take my sons, a Boy Scout and a Cub Scout, to our local Veteran's Cemetery. We joined a couple of hundred other scouts and their families to honor the men and women who served our country to ensure our freedom. My friend, Brian, a Vietnam War veteran, and his son, Adam, also a scout, joined us in placing American flags on the headstones of the 16,000 veterans laid to rest there.

It was an honor to pay tribute to them in a small way. This weekend and everyday I thank them for their service.

In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

John McRae
1872 - 1918

In Flanders Fields was written during World War I by Lt. Colonel John McRae on May 3, 1915, after he witnessed the death of his friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, only 22 years old, the day before.

Counting My Blessings

It's the morning of The Barn Show's one day sale and I'm already in tears. I woke up this morning and read an e-mail from a friend concerning our friendship that made me cry. Big fat, sobbing tears! But not the kind that are caused by bad news or profound grief. Joyful tears.

The kind of tears that come from that deep place in your soul where the joy is so strong and alive it's just busting to get out. How blessed I am to to have a loving supportive family, friends who care about me, a strong faith to sustain me and the knowledge that I am truly "living the dream". And I am so thankful.

We're Having a One Day Barn Show!

Fellow barn girl, Pam, and I were out bright and early Friday morning searching for inventory for the next barn show. We also met up with my friend Molly (Have you checked out Molly's Etsy shop yet?)

We had a great day and found lots of treasures. The best part is they'll all be available at the barn, this Wednesday, May 20th! So, fill up the gas tank, book your flight, do whatever you have to do to get to our one day sale this Wednesday!

Time for a Field Trip!

Two of my favorite places to shop for vintage furniture, antiques and repurposed pieces are holding their monthly sales this weekend. So, I'm heading out bright and early Friday morning to see what I can find.

My first stop will be in Buckeystown, Maryland to see Virginia of Chartreuse and Company and the other dealers she has in her fabulous barn and three outbuildings. The first time I walked through the green door and into her barn (in photo) I was just in awe because the space is fabulous! I also had the chance to hang out with Virginia, the owner, and Robin, one of her dealers at my favorite weekly auction last week on Maryland's eastern shore. So I can't wait to see what they have in store for their customers this month.

On Saturday morning, I'll be getting up even earlier than Friday morning to drive about an hour south to The Vintage Source, which also happens to be LuLu's favorite place to shop. Michelle, Joy, Cathy and Sheryl offer furniture, mirrors, slip covered chairs, funky pieces, etc., for the home. They're also having a flea market this weekend so it should be a great day of shopping!

Another shot of Chartreuse and Company's barn:

ME? MOTHER OF THE YEAR?

I'm so honored and thrilled to announce I was named Mother of the Year! Click on the link to see the news coverage the announcement is getting:

Breaking News......This just in......The Kramer Angle named "MOTHER OF THE YEAR"!

Please don't stop here though - read about my friend Molly below:

Say Hello to Molly!

One of the things I've loved about being a barn girl and a blogger is the incredible amount of support everyone has given me. You all encouraged me to follow my dream and welcomed me to the blogging world with open arms.

Well one of my friends, Molly, has just jumped into the blogging world. She paints original art and creates graphically produced pieces that are really unique and very affordable. Molly has been working for years on a local level by painting commissioned pieces and her art has been featured in area shops. I'm so excited for her because she just started her own blog and has also opened an Etsy site.

Please help me welcome Molly to the blogging world by stopping by her blog, Molly Susan Strong and her Etsy shop to say hello! You're going to love her!

Molly's original art:

A graphically produced piece:

For Mother's Day - The Job Description

My husband seems to think I should start thinking about a career at this point in my life. Apparently he's a little concerned about what I'm going to do with my life once the kids are off to college and living their own lives. Maybe he doesn't realize I started a career 13 years ago when I gave birth to our first child. Perhaps the following job description my friend sent me will help him see I already have the best "job" anyone could ever want. Sure, the pay is lousy but the benefits are priceless:

JOB POSITION: Mom

JOB DESCRIPTION:
Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment.
Candidate must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24-hour shifts on call.
Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES:
For the rest of your life - must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 for the pool snackbar. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly.
Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat, just in case this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone crying wolf.
Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers.
Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects.
Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks.
Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next.
Must handle assembly and safety testing of a million cheap, plastic toys and battery-operated devices.
Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst.
Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product.
Responsibilities include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION:
Virtually none. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE:
None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION:
You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. Reverse-salary scheme is actually enjoyable to most applicants and you wish you could do more.

BENEFITS:
While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless. Opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.


Okay, you tell me, what career could I possibly start now that would bring me greater joy than the one I'm already living?

My Latest Obsession

Somebody help me, please! Is there a 12 step program to kick a Craig's List obsession? Despite last week's disappointment over losing out on the Lane Venture wicker set I posted about below, I continue to spend way too much time (and money!) perusing the furniture ads on Craig's List. Check out my latest find - two slipcovered toile chairs! They are so stinkin' cute! I think I'll keep one for my guest room and sell the other one at the next barn show.

THIRTEEN!!!

As of 10:05 p.m. tonight, the 10 lb., 8 ounce baby that I gave birth to on this date in 1996 becomes a teenager. He is my firstborn child. He is my gift from God.

This is Shane, and he is amazing.

Craig's List, Part 2

Well this was supposed to be a really great post showing off the Lane Venture outdoor wicker furniture I got on Craig's List for a song (and I mean, a really great song, like a Rogers and Hammerstein, sing out loud, Oklahoma! kind of song) it was that cheap.

It all started out so innocently. I've been searching Craig's List for weeks for all weather wicker for my patio and knew exactly what I wanted. Earlier in the week I found a set that looked promising and drove 40 minutes to check it out. But once I sat in it I knew it was just wrong. It just wasn't comfortable. I'd like to say the chairs were just too big for my teeny tiny self, but I'd be lying. The truth of the matter is I was just too big for the furniture, it was just too tiny. Too tiny in a looks good, but don't touch it kind of way. And I didn't want to just look at it, I had visions of whiling away my summer afternoons reading decorating magazines on it, with an icy cold Diet Coke at my side. It just didn't fit into my vision so I was back to square one.

And then after my 10th search for "outdoor wicker" on Craig's List Saturday (you have to be ready to pounce) my dream set, by Lane Venture turned up. It was in excellent shape; all white, curvy, with a soft cushion and beautiful. (Sorta how I'd like to be!) Anyway, I called the number associated with the ad, spoke to a lovely woman who told me I was the first caller and I promptly scheduled an appointment to go see it for the next day. The price was fantastic ($225 for a sofa, two chairs, a coffee table and two side tables) so I knew that unless it was vastly different in person than the photos showed I was going to buy it. So I told the woman I would buy it.

I went to sleep filled with excitement thinking about how I was going to set it up on the patio. The next morning I woke up, whistling Dixie knowing it was going to be a great day. And then the phone rang. It was Donna, the seller calling to tell me that she was just "Oh so sorry, but someone else had bought the set." I couldn't believe my ears and pointed out I was the first caller! I had an appointment! I was trustworthy! I was coming to get the set. I had already taken out the seats in the van for GOD'S SAKE!!!

She went on to explain another buyer had called the night before (after me) and asked if they took Paypal and then asked what their Paypal seller address was and she gave it to him. SHE GAVE IT TO HIM!!!!! When she and her husband woke up in the morning "it was just paid for" on Paypal and there wasn't anything she could do. Just like that!!!????? Hmm, something in me just wants to raise the bulls@%t flag. (Can you tell I'm still mad?)

Can you believe that? What kind of snarky thing is that? I could not get over it. I told her "it was just so wrong, I would have paid her with Paypal had I known, we had an agreement, did she have any idea how hard it is to take out the middle seats on the van?" At that point she just said she was just "so sorry" and hung up.

I spent the rest of the day going over the story with my kids and trying to take comfort in the fact that even though I didn't get the set, it was an opportunity for me to teach them a life lesson about being true to your word, personal integrity, trust and blah, blah, blah, blah. I still can't believe I didn't get that set..........

I LOVE Craig's List

Have you checked out Craig's List recently? I think with all of the bad things that have happened associated with Craig's List a lot of people are really hesitant to shop that way. As women, we just need to be really smart about it and trust our instincts. I have purchased alot of things for the barn show on Craig's List and have met some really wonderful sellers.

I'm always on the look out for great pieces for my house or the next barn show and I found some really cool things this week.

I bought this really nice antique wicker chair from a great seller. Turns out she's always wanted to do something like the barn sale and so we had a great time chatting about how she can make her dream come true. The chair is great but what I loved most is how out of all the buyers and sellers on Craig's List we met and I was able to help her think about turning her dream into a reality.



I bought this table and chair from a really fun couple who had just downsized from a 4,000 square foot home into a condo. We went to their storage unit and it was full of great stuff. I put both of these pieces in my living room until the next barn show. I never buy anything for the barn unless I absolutely love it, because if it doesn't sell, it may end up in my house!


I'll post some more photos tomorrow of the rest of my purchases. And with any luck it will include a set of Lane Venture wicker I'm going to check out this afternoon!

OUR BEAUTIFUL EARTH

When my family and I were in Yosemite National Park last week I told my sons that this beautiful, majestic part of the world was here long before we were put on earth, and if we all take care of it, it will be here long after we are gone.
Happy earth day!
(Now, go hug a tree!)

Hello, Again!

I can't believe it's been a week since my last post! Once we got back to the east coast from California I spent the rest of the week trying to get my life back in order. The barn show, although fabulous, took up a lot of my time and so now that that and our mini vacation is over I've been trying to get back to my "real world". Of course the real world isn't nearly as much fun as being in the middle of such awe inspiring scenery (Yosemite) or hunting down treasures for the barn show!

But nonetheless, it actually feels good to have things at a little bit of a slower pace. So, I promise that starting now I'll be a much more frequent blogger! (I don't want to lose a single one of you!)

So until my next post, check out some of my photos from our trip to Yosemite: