We Survived! The Farm Chicks & A Graduation!

Whew!  I am sitting on my sofa this morning, knowing I should finish planting my bedding flowers while the weather is FINALLY behaving.  But I am savoring the downtime instead.  The house is quiet . . . boys to school and work and hubby off to work as well.  Someone let the chickens out this morning (we have stopped letting them be free range because of coyote attacks!) so I am enjoying listening to them cackling near my windows.  The birds are chirping and our barn kittens are rolling and playing on the porch, trying to convince me I need to keep ALL of them.  With an iced tea at my side and sunshine in my windows, I am very happy this morning.

Our Booth Right Before we Opened . . .

Here come the crowds!

This break is much needed and earned.  Last weekend, on June 2 and 3, we were vendors in The Farm Chicks Antique Show.  It was the most amazing weekend.  We had our booth stuffed to overflowing, as you can see in our last blog.  When the doors opened, we were amazed at the mass of humanity flowing through our little booth.  By the end of day one, our booth was practically empty.  We were exhausted but so happy.  Everyone loved our booth and lavished us with compliments.  They loved our fair prices and one-of-a-kind pieces.  My heart was smiling! 

The customers were so sweet and filled my day with sunshine.  They made all of this work so worth it and I was so happy to know a piece I had spent hours on was going to a good home. Sometimes I develop personal attachments to my creations and it is almost hard to let them go . . . when I know they are going to a good home, it makes me happy.  Perhaps the best was a little girl who kept eyeballing my little metal suitcase I had lettered "Follow Your Dreams" on.  She was so excited to have that little suitcase to store all of her treasures in.  Seeing her face light up when her Mama decided to buy it for her, was pure joy.

Being interviewed by Spokane Woman Magazine
 . . . Obviously I was trying to think on my feet!

We got home from the show Saturday about 8 pm and I instantly was flying around like a chicken on steroids.  I raided the old garage, the back side of our chicken coop that stores old garden goods, and our big old shop.  I threw out the tarps and started painting like a mad woman.  I ran into the house and pulled pictures off the walls, bowls and crocks from the cupboards and linens from the drawers.  By 2:30 in the morning I finally fell into bed, exhausted.  At 5 am, Ron and I both got up and re-loaded all of this into the U-haul.  We needed the entire two hours they allowed us in early to get everything priced and set up.  We were amazed how well it came together considering most of it hadn't even been planned to be a part of the show to begin with!  LOL!  By the end of the day, most of this had moved as well! 

I was amazing at how many kids were at the Show
 . . . Little Junkers in training!

By the time we were taking down the booth, we were so exhausted.  I swore my feet belonged to Teddy Rupskin (remember him . . . his feet were these fat blobs . . .) and I had muscles and joints that ached that I had never even felt before!  But we knew it was a great success and somehow that made the pain seem worth it . . . the pain became kind of a badge of honor!

We had a lot of chaos at the end, including Ron misplacing the U-haul keys and me misplacing the FOB for the Prius!  In the end, it all worked out and everything was found. 

I was so tempted to keep this old porch swing
 . . . we sold it almost instantly!

Perhaps the best part of the show, was visiting with the other vendors.  As it was busy, we didn't have a lot of time to go "booth hopping" but what vendors we did visit with were so warm and friendly.  There seems to be kind of a "sisterhood/brotherhood" feeling with the vendors.  Like we are all on an adventure together and we want each and everyone of us to have the best experience they can.  Serena was the captain of this voyage and made everyone feel so welcome.  She was a busy little bee, flitting around happily making the show into an amazing wonderland.  She is a tiny little dynamo, probably not more than about 90 pounds dripping wet, but she has an amazing positive energy that is contagious to all who are around her.  When you see her and her energy, it isn't hard to understand why her show is such a success!

The Darling Creator of The Farm Chicks,
Serena Thompson

I wish I could say the following Monday, was a day of rest and recovery, but that was far from the truth.  The high school friend who had hired me to paint the huge sawblade came by that morning and I needed to also run my husband to the Fire Department where he was working an extra shift and my son to both work and school . . . did I mention that BOTH our truck and my son's first car, an old Cadillac are broke down.  And my youngest son had to have lab work and a Drs. appointment . . .

It seems like this was only yesterday!

And then, it was time to plunge full force into the graduation plans.  My middle son Dillon, graduated this past weekend and we had a big party at our house on Saturday.  Lots of time was spent cleaning and even more cooking.  I should just be one of the smart moms who orders a cake and gets plates of pre-made hors d'oeuvres.  But I am not!  I love having good food for my friends and family and it is important to me to spend the time making a big spread for them.  Our carpet is soooo old and yucky.  We are saving for new floorings, but until then, it meant a quick dash to Lowes to rent a carpet cleaner.  Unfortunately there is only so much we can do to this old carpet, but it did clean it up a bit. 

Our Livng Room with our "New to Us" Wingbacks!

Sigh . . . Wingback Love!

One of the happy parts of the week was getting to finally bring home my wingback chairs from the upholsterer.  I had taken them in in February to be reupholstered.  I had been paying for it a bit here and there.  After The Farm Chicks, I finally had the cash to bring them home.  I am so happy with how they turned out.  My taste is kind of a mix of farmhouse, colonial and primitive, so classic wingbacks really fit that look.  I had purchased these two chairs at a garage sale for $40 for the pair.  They are Pennsylvania House which is one of the best brands around.  So I knew they would be worth paying for the reupholstery.  Plus I loved how they are a bit oversized and have straight legs rather than the curvy legs that are a bit overdone for my farmhouse taste.  The color is more of a barn red, but the photos make them look more purple. No purple in these old girls! They look great with our navy leather camelback sofa and loveseat.  These were found on Craigslist shortly after we moved here two years ago.  They are Thomasville and the set sells for over $5000!  I purchased them for $600, so I think I got a pretty amazing deal!

This fun loving boy still melts my heart!

He just makes me smile!

Dillon's party went great.  It was terrible weather . . . tons of rain . . . but the friends and fellowship was wonderful and no one seemed to mind being a bit crowded in our little old house.  When you are with people you love and care about, a little crowding just isn't a problem.  We are excited for Dillon and his future.  He is very involved with music at the moment and playing with his band, What Wings Once Held.  But he plans to study computer programming and I really believe he has a bright future ahead of him.  We praise God for our three wonderful sons and celebrate our middle son Dillon this week!

So today I am resting up and restoring my energy.  I need to really start focusing on my show, "Pickin' on the Prairie" that will be here at Past Blessings Farm August 18th and 19th.  So tomorrow, it is back to business! 

Thanks for taking a peek into my life the last couple of weeks!  I pray your lives are as blessed as mine.  I realize God has given me so much . . . a great family, great friends, a supportive husband and the joy of getting to use my creative talents on a daily basis.  Take time to count your blessings today too!

Hugs & Blessings,


Brenda