Ho Ho Ho! December Event!

Santa never ages. How does he do that? I just got this particular Santa in.......isn't he cool? I looked him up on Ebay, and it appears this one has been around since the 1950's.

And dont' forget..........

Our last FIRST FRIDAY & SATURDAY EVENT is this week.

20% off all regular prices! Including Christmas!

This will be the last one of the year.

Actually, this will be the last First Friday & Saturday Event period.

It was a good experiment, but it didn't work as well as I had hoped.

Sooooo,

Next year, we will still be doing an Open House or two, but not on a monthly basis.

More to come on that later. Stay tuned.

Snowmen

This time of year, snowmen tend to take over.

 They show up everywhere!

On suitcases.

And wreaths.

On sleds (seems appropriate)

And baking pans (appropriate? well.........whatever)

I painted some on glass bulbs.

And some on old barnwood.

How about some on railroad spikes?

These make great stocking holders.

Some show their pride in WV.



Others just kind of hang out.

Just chillin'...so to speak.

And some just looooove to play.

More are coming...

after all, it's not even December yet!

HOLIDAY HOURS

Holiday Hours are now in effect.

MONDAY - FRIDAY

10 - 4:30

SATURDAY

10 - 3

I'm going to close at 4:30 instead of 5:00. Why? I'm having trouble driving in the dark. It seems to be getting worse every year.

A few years ago, I started having trouble at night if it was raining, and I was in the town lights. Out on the ridge, I was fine.

Then, I started having a bit of trouble in the rain even on the ridge.

This year, I'm having LOTS of trouble in the rain even on the ridge.

And even when it's not raining.

I'm not taking chances. I did that once in the ice and totaled the car. (I should have listened to George and stayed home that day!!!) Sooooooooo........I'm closing earlier. Being your own boss does have certain advantages!

Actually, I have no problems driving at night when no one is coming towards me. It's those darned oncoming headlights that are the problem. Is there some way I can convince everyone else to stay off the roads after dark till I get safely to my destination?

I didn't think so.

Friday and Saturday results

Black Friday came and went without too much fanfare in my shop. Several folks came in (thank you!), but of course I didn't get the crowds the malls do.

 But then came Small Business Saturday.....

Imagine my surprise at the lines outside my door!

Customers were patiently waiting at the front door...

I opened the front doors, & the mad rush began!

And then I woke up.

Ok, ok, none of this actually happened. Not at my store anyway. (Isn't it fun to google something as simple as Black Friday crowds?)

But I did have a busy day on Saturday. Without the stress of fighting crowds.

I send out a sincere thank you to all of you who did come in - not just on Friday and Saturday, but every day of the year. Your support means more than I can ever say, and I truly appreciate all of you!

Black Friday & Small Business Saturday

The news media is all over Black Friday. The deals, the crowds, the frenzy. Did you participate? If you did, more power to ya. It's not for me - as Jessica said, "there's nothing out there I need that much". Amen.

I didn't open my shop at midnight, or at 4 in the morning. I opened at.....GASP!.....the late hour of 10:00. You see, my Black Friday customers tend to be the folks who wanted no part of the frenzy. They are more interested in a slower pace, a more relaxing atmosphere.

I did get some afternoon shoppers who are winding down from their early morning excursion, and I appreciate that they included my shop in their busy day.

Next is Small Business Saturday. That idea seems to be taking off across the country, and I'm sure I speak for most mom & pop stores when I say we appreciate that. Somehow I doubt the media will talk quite as much about it, but at least it's getting an honorable mention.

I'll have the shop open for that as well. So, on Small Business Saturday, the shop will be open from 10 to 3. Maybe longer if folks are still coming in. Saturday's tend to die down around that time, so we'll see.

Wherever you live, please remember the small businesses in your neighborhood. We can't do all the glitzy promotions, or offer the deep discounts. But we can offer knowledge about our products, friendly help, and a slower pace that gives you a chance to actually pick something up and look at it without being in someone's way.

We truly, truly appreciate our local customer base who share bits of their busy lives with us!

Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

I started thinking last night about what I'm thankful for. What I'm most thankful for is probably very similar to what you're thankful for.

Family, friends, decent health, jobs etc.

But I also started thinking about "the smaller things".........(in no particular order)...........

Weather forecasts
Sure, they aren't always right, but they give us a decent idea of what to expect. I'd hate to not have them at all.

Fleece blankets
I slept under one last night. As in - I was on top of the covers, with a fleece blanket on top of me. Ahhh! Soooooo cozy. Who came up with the whole sheets idea anyway? When it's cold, fleece is the way to go!

Variety in food
We're always thankful for our food, but do we really appreciate the variety before us? I often think of the Israelites in the Old Testament who murmered and complained when God graciously provided them with manna from above. Did it always taste the same?

Soft kitty cat fur
Billy's coat hasn't been it's healthy self for awhile now - his age is showing. But lately, it's soft as can be again. We think he snuck off and indulged in a spa treatment. The bill will probably come any day now.

School concerts
And the fact that here locally, they are still allowed to include religous music. And more often that not, it brings the most feeling from the singer, and the most appreciation from the audience.

Smiles and Laughter
Need I say more?

Woodstoves
I don't feel warm till I feel the dry heat that comes from burning our own wood. And Kevin is making some extra money which he needs by selling firewood to other folks who use woodstoves.

Running water...and Indoor plumbing
Need I say more?

Memories
Of my parents. Of George's parents. Of other loved ones who are gone now. Of our younger days - as kids, dating, our wedding, our babies...who grew up much too quickly.

Telephones
I'm really not a phone person. But I'm so thankful I can just pick up the phone and call Jessica who lives 5 hours away. I can't imagine the days before phones. It would be so hard to be separated from your family by miles and miles and miles if you knew you couldn't talk to them.

The country life
Not that there's a thing wrong with living in the burbs. Or a town. Or a city. But country is the best choice for us.

I could go on. And on. And on and on and on.

But, I'll stop here. Beyond the "biggies", what are you thankful for?

Hey - I wrote 2 posts in one day! How about that! Which reminds me - I'm thankful for the blog world too. And all of you who read this. I hope you have a wonderful holiday!

Country Life = getting ready for Thanksgiving

It's the day before Thanksgiving.

Are you spending your day baking?

Not me. Not today. I'm cleaning.

We're having Thanksgiving at our house this year.

I'll bake pumpkin pies first thing tomorrow morning,

but today, I'm trying to find the furniture under the dust.

Where does all that dust come from?

It's amazing how dirty your house can get while you're not looking!

We have an interesting phenomonon in our house...

The dust in our kitchen is red.

We have no idea why.

When the kids were little, we mixed up lots of kool-aid,

so we thought that was the red dust culprit.

But...

we hardly ever mix up kool-aid anymore.....

and the red dust is still there.

Nowhere else in the house, just the kitchen.

Should we be concerned?

Well, anyway...if you're baking today...happy baking!

Believe stars

I love this fabric tree topper that says Believe.

It's handmade locally by a friend of mine.

It has a ring on the back that will slip right over the top branch.

Or, you can simply hang it on your wall.

If you look closely at the inside of the black podium,

you can see the same stars, but ornament size.

(As you can guess, showing these together was an after-thought)

(I should have had a better photo of the smaller stars)

(Oh well)

The podiums are table top style.

They actually came from a local university.

I repainted them and distressed them.

Now they have Bibles laying on them...

they have been converted.

I crack myself up sometimes.

Country Life = I've got a BooBoo

This is what happens when you throw a chunk of wood on a wood splitter, the wood slides just a bit and smashes your finger between the wood and the hard metal of the splitter. And this was with leather gloves on.

Let me tell you, this took my breath for a couple of minutes. Throb, throb, throb.

We usually enjoy splitting firewood, but yesterday just wasn't one of those days. Several things went wrong, including my BooBoo. And to add insult to injury (literally!), we had to finish in the rain.

I tried to type on the computer last evening, and it hurt too bad to do much. It feels much better today, though the nastiness factor in how it looks will probably stick around for awhile.

I really think this should get me out of doing dishes, don't you?

Salvation Army bears

In Moundsville, it's Christmas when the Salvation Army bears come out to play.

The bears are decorated by many volunteers,

then they are placed in several store windows for display for a couple weeks.

I have 15 in my window,

and I display them on a sled filled with presents.

The pictures are taken through the glass,

which explains the reflections etc. you can see.

Later, they will be collected again,

then given to needy children at a Christmas party.

The volunteers do an amazingly creative job dressing the bears.

It's so much fun to see them, and I am honored to

be included in displaying them.

If you get a chance, stroll down Jefferson Ave. and take a peek!

During the Christmas Parade on Saturday would be a great opportunity.

The Parade starts at 2:00.

We will be open from 10 - 4, longer if needed.

The weather is supposed to be chilly, but beautiful!

Hope to see you at the parade!

Recent auction finds

These are a few of our recent auction finds...

This old dresser is pretty, but unfortunately, the top on the right side is broke.

Not sure how hard it will be to fix, because one section is warped.

We're selling it cheap due to that.

Old radio case, the "guts" have been removed.

On the floor beside it is a press - a sausage press I think.

Old farmhouse table - red top with white legs.

Or, if you prefer, how about one with a white top, and red legs?

Who can tell me what this is?

It's a sheep shearer - one person would turn the crank,

while the other would shear the sheep with the knives

that would have been attached to the wand part.

When my dad was a boy, he was the cranker.

Who can tell me what this is?

Seriously, can anyone tell me?

We don't know.

I thought the auctioneer said "baking table", but now I don't think so.

The metal top lifts off, and inside is 2 compartments.

Look closely, at the bottom of each compartment is a drain, or spigot.

As if it held liquid.

The farm had been a dairy, so maybe it's for holding milk?

On the front of each compartment, it says IDEAL.

I did a quick google search, but didn't find anything.

UPDATE

Thanks to a facebook fan, I now have the answer....

It is a washtub, and was used in a dairy.

Not for milk (whatever possessed me to think that?)

For water...for cleaning.

Thanks Jane!!!!

Headboard stocking holder

Let me apologize for the terrible pictures - I'll explain. This is a rather big piece, and I didn't think to take a picture before I put it in the display window. It wasn't easy getting it there.

The next day I decided to get pictures and put it on my blog. No big deal, or so I thought. I'll just get pictures through the window. Well...........that didn't work so well. I just kept getting reflections. And because it was rather hard to get it in the window to begin with, I didn't want to take it out for pictures.

Hopefully you can at least get the idea. I turned an old headboard into a Christmas stocking holder....

Across the top, it says "and the stockings were hung....". Under that are cut nails to hang your stockings.

The sign hanging on it says, "No Mantle? No Problem! Santa will find your stockings on this!"

The headboard is old and primitive looking - just right for a country home. I painted the front barn red, painted the lettering black and also splattered black all over it.

We're not all lucky enough to have a chimney and/or mantle, so............here you go! A cool place to hang your stockings!

And don't worry, if you want to buy it, I will gladly get it back out of the window.

I have a couple more old headboards - what do you think? Should I make more stocking holders?

Country life = It's just not fair

Usually, I sell runner sleds as is, no decorations on them. But I decided to paint a snowman on this one just for the fun of it. I really liked how it turned out, so I may do more - If I can get my hands on more sleds. There's lots of sleds out there, but getting them at a price I'm willing to pay can be difficult.

Actually, we did pick up 2 yesterday at an auction. Our driveway at home is Cleaning Central for the "junk" that comes from auctions, flea markets etc.

While I was outside cleaning today, I heard a truck stop out the lane, just past our house a little ways. I knew what that meant - don't look. You see, we live back a dirt road, and in the 24 years we've lived here, we've heard dozens of cars and trucks stop in that same spot.

It seems to be a popular spot for.......um.........well.........for men to......um.........shall we say.........relieve themselves.

Don't worry, even if we did look, we wouldn't really see anything other than a man standing by his truck. It's just far enough away not to see any.........um........details.

Life in the country.

We've been spending lots of time in the woods this fall, cutting and splitting firewood. When nature calls, the menfolk just wander off and "check out the scenery".

It's not quite so easy for us womenfolk.

I gotta say - it's just not fair.

Kids do the darndest decorating

I should hire some little girls..........a couple little sweetpeas did some re-decorating while their mommies shopped this week.

I know you can't tell a whole lot about this photo, so I'll explain it. The background is an old enamel table top, and the price tag in the middle is for it. I'm using it beside the counter as a way to display magnets. While mommy paid for her purchases, her girl kept herself busy rearranging the magnets. Note how neatly she arranged them around the price tag.

The next day, another little girl disappeared in a corner while mommy and grandma browsed. When they called for her to leave, she came walking out from that corner, pushing an old baby doll carriage...in which she had placed a snowman...

I liked it so much that after they left, I just pushed it on out to the display windows. Come on...how cute is that?

Little boys have their moments too. A couple years ago, 2 young boys were doing lots of giggling while their mom's were at the cash register with their backs to their son's antics. I was watching them out of the corner of my eye, and could tell they weren't doing anything serious, but I knew they had indeed done something.

I discovered their mischief the next morning. They had taken all the little resin birds off a table, and put them in a bird cage. Well duh, where else should little birds be?

I very much enjoy the children who come in. Most are well behaved - getting the stern warning from the adults who are with them..."DON'T TOUCH ANYTHING!!!!!"

And I have to smile to myself when the little ones look up at mommy or daddy and say, "How come YOU can touch stuff?"

I've been lucky - I hear stories of how destructive kids can be in stores, but I've had very little trouble with that. There was one group of middle school age girls who shoplifted (religious items!). And the little boy who suddenly threw up all over the carpet in front of the counter (which explains why there's a rug there now - the stain didn't come out!).

But overall, the kids who come in are great. This past week I've been giving leftover mini pumpkins away to the kids. I love to see their face light up when they hold their very own pumpkin, and it's just the right size for their little hands.

Store scale

We picked this scale up at an auction this past summer. Talk about heavy!!! It's rusty as can be, which depending on your perspective, either adds to it's charm or takes away from it.

I've been wondering how it would look painted. I keep visualizing either red or white.

Last night, I was watching an old episode of The Walton's on tv. During a scene in Godsey's Store, I realized Ike Godsey was standing in front of a scale just like this one! I wanted to say, "Ike, please move over! I want a closer look at that scale!"

It was white - and pretty as could be. Since that particular episode was set in the mid 1940's, I'd say that's the era my scale is from.

Now when I watch The Walton's, I'll be keeping my eyes peeled during scenes from Godsey's Store. I want to see that scale again!

Sale

I've been so busy putting Christmas displays out that I didn't have time to get on here and mention our sale.

Another month flew by, and it's time for our First Friday & Saturday Event again. That means all regular priced items are 20% off during the Event.

You can also sign up for a cute Christmas arrangement that I don't have time to take a picture of! Aack!

Hope to see you today or tomorrow!

November plans

No camera with me today, so I'll just say I'm busy getting more Christmas out on the floor. I'm not sure if I'll switch the windows over to Christmas this week or the first of next week.

Let me also say, I hate glitter. So what possessed me to buy snowmen called GlitterFolk is beyond me. Let's sum that madness up by saying there is glitter all over my counter, and it's only November 1st.

You can still buy fall crafts at 30% off. That includes many that can still be used for Thanksgiving.

I saw an idea I liked the other day - it said to name something every day that you are thankful for, starting November 1st and ending on Thanksgiving. Making that effort each day makes one think a little harder. It's easy to give the pat answers - thankful for family, friends, jobs, health etc. But it requires a bit more thinking to come up with something different for 24 days.

I'm going to make the effort, how about you?