Forget Me Not Dreams

The Road To Switzerland

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 21 Sep 2012 09:40:00 +0000

Ahhh, Switzerland! The beauty here is beyond words. This morning we drove to the two villages where my daughter in law's family has its roots. They come from a long line of dairy farmers and the tradition was carried to America when Pam's grandfather started a large dairy farm in the Portland area.

Tunnel after tunnel... a major part of the Swiss highway system. Our longest was over 4 miles long. It is a great way to get through the mountain without disturbing the flora and fauna surrounding it. The journey is a bit creepy though!

One of our infrequent hotel stays required us to walk through a small park to get to the restaurant for our breakfast meal. These two yo yos couldn't resist climbing into one of the over-sized chairs found in the park. Once in, just try to move or get out!!! I believe this show drew a crowd.

Within the city, buildings were painted beautiful pastel colors and many had gorgeous flower boxes. We can tell that summer is drawing to a close and autumn is quietly moving in, changing the warm evenings to cool and mornings to misty clouds and much sharper temperatures in the 50s. People around us are working as hard as the squirrels, cutting and stacking firewood for winter and cleaning their gardens.

We left this town with heavy hearts, sure to miss the beauty and the warm and friendly people. The car was packed and off we went, following Brenda's instructions to find Lichtenstein. Why not, it's close and nobody has been there! I'm excited! We drove through windy roads for several minutes until I spied the sign below. "Hey guys, we're in Germany! Are we supposed to be here?" No! Another hour of driving and we were back to Switzerland, back to our city and ready to take a new route. All in a day with Brenda!

Our Swiss city had this beautiful centuries old covered bridge and we were back to take photos!

Pumpkins harvested from local gardens. We found these in a wagon along the side of the road. These are used for eating, not for jack-o-lanterns.

Next, on to Lichtenstein!

Whooo Wee, A Drive Into Luxembourg

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 17:24:00 +0000

We woke up pretty excited this morning, eager to begin our travel to Luxembourg as none of us have ever visited there. I want to go everywhere I can and see it all!!

On our way out of Belgium, we stopped at Orval abbey, where the monks still live and study. To pay their expenses they have a thriving brewery and cheese production. Both are well know and in demand throughout Europe. The ancient abbey was bombed during the second world war, so a new abbey was built after the war and is still in use. We were able to walk through the ruins which were still beautiful.

Exit Belgium with a heavy heart. We loved the country side and the people. They couldn't have been more kind and welcoming. Luxembourg was a different place entirely. Of course very small and we were seeing hills for the first time since leaving England. Very green and pretty.

This 3-D ad for French Fries was at the bottom of the hill of our hotel. We climbed the hill only to find that the hotel was closed. We had another suggestion, so we left with Brenda plugged in to find our lodging for the night. We have also discovered that Luxembourg is a motorcycle haven! Very few cars, and even fewer with 23 women traveling!!

Stone bridge over the river running through Luxembourg.

There are so few American tourists in Belgium and Luxembourg, they do not have Visa machines for the credit cards. We can only use our debit cards to withdraw Euros to use. Ugh.

Sue was really tired and not hungry for dinner tonight so Suze and I went down to check things out without her. This happens to each of us at least once during the week. Anyway, Suze and I were trying to translate the menu for the night. We looked at each other and asked "Isn't cheval horse?" Five minutes later we discovered that we had guessed right, the main entree was horse. Oh man, we couldn't do that! We both did soup without meat. How do you pick a horse to eat? How do you know if it's a good horse? I have so many questions about the whole horse thing.

We had lovely rooms and great beds! Something we treasure every time we find them. And this room was huge too. Yippee!!

In the morning when we left, we found this incredible little community of holiday cottages. They were so cute!! Teeny, tiny little yards, tiny little gardens and all had the little grandma (OK, I'm a grandma) figures of elves, gnomes, squirrels, deer, hegdehogs and bunnies. A veritable fairyland for young kids... and grandmas.

Luxembourg still had the architecture very similar to Belgium with the tall stair-step fronts, turrets and tall windows.

Can you believe MacDonalds with a McDrive through! I believe we have only seen 3 of these since landing at Heathrow. They all have had trustworthy bathrooms which often come in handy.

On to Switzerland!!

Paradise Found We Think....

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 12:50:00 +0000

We learned of this Mill House Bed and Breakfast from a motor cycle couple we met at lunch yesterday. They spoke little to no English and of course, we speak no Dutch. So, all of us tried our best and eventually
we got the closest city written down. We'll log that into Brenda, our GPS unit, and hope for the best!

On the way, we ended up behind this little cart drawn by a huge horse. Note the dog kind of hanging off of the back. This community was into sheep raising and they were moving fields so the sheep had more grass to graze on. The cart would be parked, the horse tied up alongside the road near the current field. The dog would hop out and the herder, in this case, the woman, and dog would go to work with the sheep filling the road. The dog was incredible at keeping the sheep together and nipping at the heels of any stragglers. At some point, the human herder would get ahead of the herd, open a gate and the sheep would be guided into the new pasture. It looked so simple, but just one mistake by dog or human and there would be sheep scattered everywhere. What a team!

I love the little old Citroens that we often come across sitting in driveways. Sometimes they are all refurbished, shiny and cool while others are in their original condition, still very cool.

This is the view from our bedroom window! We found the old mill by chance, Sue spied the ancient wheel under the beautiful house above it. We knocked and called out, but no one was home, so we pulled out our books and patiently waited for the owners' return. After an hour, they did return and we begged for a room, actually two. Suze got a beautiful room for one upstairs, it was serene and so beautifully furnished. Sue and I drew the two bed room which is under remodeling, bright orange and brown... go Beavers! The worst was the smell from someone who had broken the no smoking rule. Uffda!! We were so happy to be with the elegant owners, Benjamin and

The new puppy that no one could resist! She was into everything and couldn't get enough petting and scratching behind her ears. Too cute!

Another view from the back of the house, across the river and the old stone bridge. If you can't relax here, then you have a major problem. Everything was beautiful!

Sue reading on the terrace in the back, overlooking the river and the pastures beyond. The perfect setting. We loved it so much, the tranquility and the wonderful owners who only spoke French (Yikes!) we decided to stay another night. Good bye Beaver room, Sue and I got to have a beautiful room next door to Suze. We were also given a tour of the new construction which the owner is doing himself. Since all original walls must be kept in place, it is a real trick to design around the old stone walls. Ben has done an incredible job using old stone, timbers and beautiful fabrics. Absolutely lovely. The new floor will be a family unit with large loft bedrooms, parents bedroom, play space, bathrooms and a possible small kitchen area. If you are ever interested in any areas that we have visited, feel free to contact us!

Our First Market in Belgium, What A Surprise!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:34:00 +0000

After losing our internet connection for several days... We're back! Photos are saved, so it's just our timing that's off. So that never changes for us, we're always off!!! You would be amazed to hear our language now. We're not sure what it is. Definitely a mix of the Queen's English, French, now a touch of German and Dutch, with Spanish thrown in when in a panic. My dog won't even understand me! Suze and I put our heads together to remember our high school and a bit of college French. Two 1/8 brains working together sometimes pull up the right word. Sue's job is to act out the word. It's a very entertaining act and we have drawn spectators.

The two Sues enter the market after many narrow escapes dodging the mini cars and trucks in the small streets. We just happened across this market and arrived 30 minutes before closing.

Flowers are available in every market. Some are cut for making your own arrangements and bouquets and others are available for planting. Gardens are really big over here.

We tried to take this little girl's picture but she wasn't too enthused about it. We were all laughing, even her mother. She was really having a good time eating her waffle. Hey, we interrupted!!

Here's the main candy counter. Kids would come by in flocks and fill bags full of the huge selection of different candies. They were almost all hard candies and you could really tell which were the favorites.

Bras!! They must love the bras here because there were 3 or 4 locations offering them. All different kinds, just like the candies. We were glad that they weren't being tried on in public. Just sayin'.

This lady was so very happy to show us her little dog. I think he was a puppy. We thought he was the cutest little guy! Very active and very friendly. They take their dogs everywhere here and just love their dogs!

Oh yes, the vegetables! For this section I chose the beautiful display of green lettuce and onions. It was gorgeous. Most people have a large vegetable garden here and eat from their garden. The extra is often sold in the market so others in apts. or the elderly can take advantage of the fresh offerings.

Oh yes, some of our favorites... the pasteries and desserts. They are magnificent works of art, especially in the local bakeries. Most use the local fruit and berries in season. We have been so good, completely restraining ourselves most of the time!

Cheese! Wonderful cheese! We usually have this with some good meat and bread for lunch. It's quick and we can carry it for a few hours without refrigeration.

Fish is bountiful even if we are landlocked. Here in Belgium they eat much river trout, eel, and shrimp from France. We haven't been searching out the eel, but have tried the other fish.

OK, this photo looks like pizza. It was actually our last stop in the market, buttons, buttons and more buttons. Every type is sorted by size, color and pattern and put into a separate tube. The tubes are then sorted according to color. It looks really cool, not like pizza!

The Breakdown in Belgium, Thank You Hertz!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 21:31:00 +0000

Here it is, our 2012 breakdown. We were happily driving down the autostrada in Belgium when our clutch decided to depart for transmission heaven. Gone, completely gone. Sue got us pulled over, off of the freeway and we coasted onto the side of a street. We started walking then to look for a shop or somewhere open who could call Hertz for us.

Since everything closes, and I mean everything, between 12:30 and 2:00, we were so fortunate to find a wonderful young woman in a mobile phone store who could make the call for us. We were told that a tow truck would be finding us in an hour. Great! Much better than our 2010 experience with Hertz. We went to find a cold drink and a quick sandwich.

Mike, our tow truck driver, was so kind and helpful, also a wealth of information. We learned much about life in Belgium. Mike works 2 jobs, his wife one job and spends much time raising their 4 year old daughter. They feel that they can only afford to have one child if they plan on sending her on to higher education. If she is not able to pass the exams, then they will be able to help her buy a home.

Our car being hauled into the Hertz office. The agent there asked if we were bringing the car back with a full tank of gas! What??!! A new car was obtained and off we went. Since Hertz is now 2 for 2 on breakdowns, it's time to find a new rental company!

Brugge, a Sweet Little City in Belgium

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Thu, 06 Sep 2012 16:46:00 +0000

This is the first time for all of us in Belgium. It is a beautiful little country, the seat of European government and the Euro, so very important. It is super clean, the people are especially friendly and they are astonished that we are from America. Not many Americans visit. I am astonished that the Visa card is not taken here, so the girls will have to cover me here as the Pin number for our family card came after I left home. Don't ask!!! Everyone rides a bike here as it is very flat and it is a very agricultural country except for around Brussels.

We wandered the city's little streets and visited their main landmarks. Above is the massive town hall. A massive building where all local government is done. All of the local buses stop in front of this building at some point in their route. The huge square in front of the building is for local gathering, theatre and music productions, horse and buggy rides ... just a busy place.

We marveled at the 500 year old brick work atop the old windows. How in the world do you sculpt brick?
The designs were incredible and I still wonder where all of the handcrafting has gone in our busy world. Time is definitely the problem. Are you proud to be carrying on traditions that your grandmother passed on? Are you passing these arts on to your children or grand children? I see the love of creating things with their hands in my two boys. Now his children are loving to paint, draw and paste and sew. On to knitting and crocheting for them! And we will start their dog treat business after I get home. I do love working with them and wish that my Colorado boys were closer

I did find the gorgeous bobbin crochet that is so famous in Belgium. It is so excuisite! This shop also had some import pieces mixed in that I recognized form gift show visits. Very tricky if you didn't know your stuff!

And then we found the tasty Belgian waffles. The girls enjoyed them tremendously!! We just chose the plain sugared, but you can have many kinds of fruit, whipped cream, candy sprinkles... anything you can think of! Ice cream was a real stretch for them, but I remember having waffles wth ice cream and piles of fresh fruit for dinner on hot summer days in the summer as a kid.

Such a wonderful surprise! On the way home I found this woman doing the bobbin lace in her door way. Not a word of English did she speak and my Dutch is not the best... not a word do I know. We communicated through oohs and aahs. I bought a small piece of hers to take home and frame for my sewing room.

Our day in Brugg was really fun. We stopped on the way home and had dinner in a small restaurant in the tiny town where our farm house is located, Damme. Of course before, we parked unknowingly in a no parking zone, so the resident came out to gently tell us. We apologized, moved and she was happy. There are definate rules, but we are unaware since nothing is posted. We are working hard to be good American tourists!

Crossing the Channel, Good Bye to the White Cliffs

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 20:32:00 +0000

It's time to say good bye to Britain, understanding the language and our wonderful afternoon cream teas. I will really miss those! Our hotel here in Dover backs up to the legendary white cliffs. Other than the cliffs, this is a very busy working town.

As we pushed away from our ferry dock, the magnitude of the number of ferries hauling people across the channel to the continent, the huge cargo ferries headed to the continent and ships of all kinds. Amazing!!

After disembarking, we discovered that we were at the wrong station to collect our new rental car, so a taxi was summoned and off we went, in search of Hertz. Not our favorite company to deal with as we had terrible problems in France 2 years ago. No choice.

We drove straight to Belgium and our next farm B & B. This beautiful windmill was one of our first finds.
the landscape is much different here, very flat, but the same beautiful greens in fields and trees.

Architecture has changed. Rock is still used, different colors, mostly tile roofs and windows with many different colors and patterns of shutters. The houses are more plain in shape and decoration. Everything is so very clean, including garden spaces and the yards around the houses and the streets.

The first two to greet us when we found our farm house! Couldn't be better.

This is the outside of our new home for 2 nights. Bikes to ride if we have the time and energy. Inside the door is a large gathering room and the stairs to get to Sue's and my room upstairs under the roof beams.

Such a peaceful and relaxing outside place, we came to read and plan our days and map our trips.

All of the animals gather as 2 of the children on holiday throw them stale bread. Goats, chickens, one horse, donkeys and 2 dogs. Tomorrow we're off to visit Brugges! Come with us as we wander!

Swans, Swans and More Swans!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 31 Aug 2012 10:51:00 +0000

OK, OK so it's not a swan!! But isn't this the absolute cutest dog you have seen

excepting your own sweet pup? So many people have dogs here in England and they all come out for walks in the afternoon. Tea time for dogs too I would imagine.

The first swans we encountered were a cygnet (baby swan) and its mother. The babies are grey and fuzzy in color and texture. Since these cygnets were about 4 months old at the swannery, they were losing their fuzzy feathers and starting to get their long, strong white feathers. The older swans were also molting.

It's hard to show you how many swans were actually in this bay at the swannery. This is just a small little bit of the area that we were able to photograph. It was absolutely beautiful! Most of the swans live here indefinitely here at the swanery where they are fed and well cared for medically. Many research studies are carried out on the population during the years that they are present. Each swan is individually tagged and known well by the volunteers working with the staff.

I was completely intrigued by the take off and landings of the swans. One would decide to fly for a bit and then re-settle in another area of the fingerlet bay, maybe 25 yards away... 6-10 would immediately follow. The sound of their feet slapping the water as they appeared to run on the surface prior to take off was incredible. I watched for an hour!

Look at these feet! It appears that the swan has swim flippers on! Hard to run with but great for swimming! They are huge things too, probably 8-10 inches across. The fully spread version is what causes the duck, geese and swans to waddle when they walk and to make the slapping sound on the water when they take flight. It was wonderful!

After a wonderful day with the swans, we left and had a cream tea in the little village nearby. Then for the long drive back to out hotel by the castle ruins. Tomorrow we head for Dover and an overnight stay before we board the ferry to France.

Adventures at the Silver Smith

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Wed, 29 Aug 2012 07:55:00 +0000

My friends plotting their moves at the silver smith shop. We actually found the shop on the first attempt, very unusual for us even if the directions are given in English! We did find the rickity old stairs that our Lucy on the farm warned us about. No fear was found and we bravely marched up the stairs to fun and treasures to be found!

This is Caroline, the new phenome farm girl who has discovered that she loves to create beautiful silver jewelry. She shares the large silver smithery next door with the renowned smithy, David.

The shop is dark and dusty, crammed with tools and I was in heaven! Most of the tools had been passed down from craftsman to craftsman, over 200 years. David had found a man in the town who was throwing away junk that he had found in his basement, yes, silversmith tools centuries old. David was pleased as punch to obtain them for his collection. The use of the tools never changes.

We noticed these collections of papers hanging from the rafters and asked what they were. "Why, the invoices for orders from the last 100 years of course" replied David. Of course. Eileen, a new filing system! The change in the paper over the years was very interesting.

David of course! Master silversmith to the royal family and anyone else who can afford his beautiful workmanship. He was working on a pair of gorgeous silver vases when we visited selling for 3,000 pounds each. He has no need to advertise nor sell in shops as he has orders to finish this year and next. Absolutely incredible craftsmanship.

Different sized hammers to work the silver and also to give the hammered look. Sizes depend on the size of "dent" you need.

This huge collection of keys was hanging from the rafters. No idea how old they are as they all came with the shop when David moved in. Thousands of wonderful keys!

More tools on a hundreds of years old table.

This is similar to the flux tools used in stained glass. Caroline was using this for finishing a bracelet.

Caroline finishing the sizing for Sue's bracelet. We each bought one that will meet us when we return home. Such a sweet and talented artist.

Roofs, Rooves, Ruves, Toppings

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 09:22:00 +0000

From City to Farm

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:50:00 +0000

We know that there are many of you seeing our posts. Please leave us a note! We are homesick for any correspondence from home and would love to hear from you if only to hear how you weather is, or how your gardens are growing or what you are making. We are finding very little in the way of crafts and have finally seen the sun today after several days of rain. We are trying to keep up on posts but are finding that we are all so tired at night... I am going to bed earlier and sleeping later than ever before. The stress of driving on the wrong side of the road and on skinny little roads will end soon. I will be so glad!

From City to Farm...Only the Best!!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sun, 26 Aug 2012 21:39:00 +0000

We have driven from our cottage in the city of Bath out to our farm stay in the midlands near Chipping Campden. Our 2 rooms were upstairs in the 200 year old farm house, the best beds we have had during the entire trip so far. Great shower and we are looking forward to an incredible breakfast with our hostess,
Lucy.

The view from our bedroom window! We hear the bleating of the sheep well after dark and just after the sun rises. So peaceful and the best night's sleep ever! Our hosts raise and breed sheep, 1,500 of them at the moment. And they love each one to pieces!

These beautiful white cattle are also part of the farm. Just a few hundred head, but it still makes for a full life for Paul, Lucy and their two boys. The farm is self sustaining, all of the cattle, sheep and chicken feed is grown on the farm. In turn, the meat is butchered and cured to feed the family and sell for other needed products. We enjoyed learning about this family's life and occupations. Very interesting and comforting to see the farm life at work and the happiness and fufillment that it brings.

The symbol of the Farm Stay program that so farm families are joining. The hospitality of our host family couldn't have been finer. We appreciate their gracious provision and kind advice on places to visit and great inns for dinner. There will never be a finer breakfast than Lucy's with the fresh eggs, sausage and incredible toast. Yummy!

Day 2 Fun in Bath

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Thu, 23 Aug 2012 22:12:00 +0000

This morning dawned overcast and a bit showery. It was still warm though. We decided to spend our day wandering the streets of Bath, looking for trouble. Actually we found this young couple in the town square singing and playing his guitar, tambourine strapped to his foot. Crowds were gathered, sitting and standing around the square.

Across the street was this little guy sitting in front of the ice cream store, plopped on whipped cream atop 2 scoops of ice cream all on a standing cone. Really cute!

On the opposite side of the square stood the majestic Abbey of Bath. Not quite a cathedral, but one heck of an abbey! The stone sculptures, ironwork and windows were beautiful. How did the artisans of old complete and assemble these incredible works?

Five hundred feet from the Abbey are the Roman Baths. When the Romans came to conquer, they found the area full of hot mineral springs, perfect for healing sore and damaged bodies from clashes in battle. Much hard work and planning was put into building the bath houses and other buildings that used the hot water from the springs. Elaborate systems were built to pump and move the healing waters throughout the city and it quickly became the most sought after health spa in the civilized world. Complete with beautiful sculptures and artwork.

Water is still in the pools today, but is only cleaned every few months. Not enough to keep it clean enough for human use.

Tonight on our way home we saw 4 hot air balloons lifting into the sky from the city and floating down the valley past our "home". A beautiful sight.

This is the beautiful view from our little cottage townhouse. Actually it looks much like the valley that we live in in Oregon. Very green because of all the rain! We have enjoyed another wonderful day. Making our dinner at home tonight, pasta and a salad, and going to bed. Sweet dreams and on to another day tomorrow!

And We're Off!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Tue, 21 Aug 2012 18:45:00 +0000

And We're Off !!

The bags are finally packed after many shuffles and un-doings/re-doings. We 3 wil be gone for 5 weeks but are allowing ourselves only one carry on suitcase and a back pack. Along the way as we buy, mostly souvenirs for the grandkids, we fill smaller carry on bags.

After the long flight with 2 undisciplined children behind us, yes, you can imagine the wonderful 7.5 hours without sleep, we landed and picked up our rental car without incident at 7:00 AM Now, all of you mentalpausers can understand the absolute delight in trying to retrain a half functioning brain to drive on the wrong side of the road. It is pure chaos! So, between the 3 of us, we possibly have one complete brain, I control the steering wheel, Sue navigates beautifully and repeats the mantra "Stay left, stay left" and Suze's job is to watch for incoming missles such as bikers, walkers, runners or very small cars. Our first stop was a small farmers' market in Newbury on our way to Bath. Don't you love this company's sign "The Complete Pig"?

Next door we found some wonderful fresh baked bread and these super cute little hedgehog rolls with raisin eyes. Love their little spikey fur.

The vendor told us that the only place open for breakfast was the local pub, We were starved after eating just a bit of our airplane food. This was our traditional English breakfast that all 3 of us ordered. Usually don't have this much to eat, nor do any of us have baked beans straight from the can for breakfast, but we ate it all!!

After breakfast, we attempted to find our cottage/townhouse. Lots of traffic going into and coming out of Bath. "Keep left, keep left", but don't hit the parked cars and trucks on the left. It's a challenge. We made a few wrong turns, but are still so very thankful for Brenda, our handy GPS system brought from home. Sometimes we end up in strange places, but she is usually right on. We finally found our little, narrow street and this was the door across the street. Isn't it sweet?

This is our front door! We did take over 5 minutes to get in, the keys were a major problem. Very old. Upon entry, we decided on rooms and then planned on a quick nap for 90 minutes or so and then time for exploration in Bath. Well, it did turn out to be a short 5 hour nap for 2 of us, up at 6:00 pm, just in time for another meal. Until tomorrow!!

Sweet Baby Luke

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 27 Jul 2012 06:56:00 +0000

We are so excited to welcome a new little Grandson into our family! Sweet little Luke arrived exactly a week early on July 24th. What a little sweetheart!

I've been on Grandma duty with his big brother Bradley which has been so fun.

It was so precious to watch Bradley meet baby Luke for the first time.

Steph and Brian did a great job of preparing him to be a great big brother. He was really excited to go to the hospital to see him and again when they brought him home today.

Their first family photo!

What a sweet little family! What a great big brother!

Welcome to our family baby Luke! We love you so much already!

Farm Chicks Wrap Up

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 16:00:00 +0000

I thought I'd share just a few more photos of The Farm Chicks show. It was truly a great year!

Loved Lipstick Gypsy's booth this year!

One of my favorite floral displays! Gorgeous!

A Fun booth done by Roost

John Bob has the best junk!

This isn't a great photo of Tina & Marylou, but they have the cutest handmade hats on!

These two, Susan and Shirley are some of my favorite customers. Every year they do something so fun! They are a great example of the kind of customers that make this show a blast to do. We feel so blessed to be part of this special show! Did you visit Farm Chicks this year? What was your favorite thing?

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

More Farm Chicks

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 15:00:00 +0000

Here are more Farm Chick photos I promised to post! Karen and I snapped a quick pic of us together in front of our booth before the crowd hits.

This is our Garden/Rustic display. I wish I had taken a before and after photo. By Sunday there was very little of this stuff left....it was crazy!

This is our Vintage Paris display. It turned out so cute, this photo doesn't really do it justice. It was so fun to see the furniture pieces that we restored be loved and purchased! This sweet little blue cupboard was one of the first to go.

Serena always does a fun over the top theme display in the front of the show.

I loved this display!

We LOVED our neighbors this year. Elaine and Becky are new to the show and we became fast friends. They had a really cool booth. Don't you love this wall of lockers! Love, love it!

One more Farm Chicks post coming!

hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Farm Chicks Day 2

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Mon, 04 Jun 2012 06:49:00 +0000

Oh my goodness, holy wow! Farm Chicks was awesome this year! We can't thank Serina enough for a great show. It seems that it just gets better and better! I have lots of great pics and stories to share but just a few tonight....I am exhausted and can't hardly keep my eyes open! So here are a few of my favs!

This is Funky Junk Jennifer. Such a unique idea!

Another great display idea!

Lisa from A Thing For Roses always does such a nice job.

She and Karen pose for a pic!

Amy and Kris of Farm And Frills always do a killer booth too. We are excited for their new store opening in a few weeks! Best of luck ladies! I have so much more to post, but my pillow is calling....actually screaming! More latter!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

The Farm Chicks Show - Move In

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 05:48:00 +0000

We are here, we are here, WE ARE HERE!!! It's so exciting! We arrived in Spokane yesterday after a fun but tiring 7 hour drive (ok, so Karen made it in 6...lead foot!) Today we moved into the building and set up our booth. We were talking with vendors around us about how cool it is to walk into a totally empty room in the morning and by the end of the day, it's transformed into a junk wonderland! I thought I'd get a jump on showing you some of our displays and our neighbors displays.

This is Sound Sister, our neighbors across from us! Nice people from the Puget Sound.

Salvage Sisters from Kalispell MT! They are behind us.

Antiquarian from here in Spokane. They are across our other isle. Cool light fixture!

And here is a sneak peak at our booth. We have the finishing touches to add in the morning right before the craziness begins! I may not be able to get around for more photos until Sunday so stay tuned! Leave us a comment and let us know you stopped by!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Ruffles & Rust Show

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sun, 27 May 2012 23:03:00 +0000

I'm slow getting these pics up! But we had such a fun time at the Ruffles and Rust Show so we wanted to share a few pics. These first two are of our booth.

We had a tight space this year, but managed to make it work!

This little Red, Yellow & Green display was killer! Everything flew out the door!

We were next to Mary this year...what a sweet lady! We are excited to see you at Farm Chicks this year Mary! Be sure and find her...she has great stuff!

We love bumping into Amy & Chirs at these shows! Be sure and ask them about their new store and advenetures. You can also find them at The Farm Chicks show.

Rose Marie is such a talented lady! We should know, we are some of her best customers!

Backyard Vintage....LOVE!

I apologize that I can't identify these other booths. I didn't have much time to stop and chat with vendors.

But you can see there are some great vendors at this show and it is definitely one to add to your "Be sure to attend" list! Next up for us....FARM CHICKS! We leave on Thursday! Be sure and follow our adventures!

Hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Road Trip Last Leg

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Mon, 07 May 2012 18:34:00 +0000

We are home again and I must say it did feel good to get out of the car! But our trip was a blast and our last night was the cherry on top!

We had great luck junking that day and started with a bang at Annetiques Etc. in Twin Falls Idaho. What a cute name and a great store!

Next we moved up the road to Jarome Idaho and Buzzes Antique Store. Normally we don't junk allot at antique stores, but we sure found great prices here. I had to take a photo of Karen and Buzz the store owner. He was such a sweetie!

I snapped a quick pic of the Pendleton Round Up Stadium entrance. The little town of Pendleton has become famous for this rodeo/festival that takes over their town in September!

We have some great treasures for our next sale this weekend at Ruffles and Rust. Click here for all the info! Stop by our booth and say hi! See you there!

hugs,

Eileen & Karen

Road Trip Sights

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 27 Apr 2012 05:44:00 +0000

We've been on the road for several days....

We've seen Arizona Cactus......

Extra large Cowboys.......

Beautiful displays in Urban Renewal in St George Utah.......

Cool vintage fire truck in Utah Valley (we were so bummed this place was closed!)......

a fun stop in Midvale Utah at the Home Again store......

and a very long afternoon in the down pouring rain and wind through Idaho!

We are hitting the road again tomorrow so we'll catch up in a couple of days! Hugs, Eileen & Karen

Sweet Salvage

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Mon, 23 Apr 2012 16:34:00 +0000

It was an awesome day today! We were able to catch the Sweet Salvage Sale today here in Phoenix! It was such a fun sale. I just love architectural and industrial salvage.

It takes me right back to being a kid and watching my Dad work in his garage. He had the coolest containers and boxes for all his tools. He would have got such a kick out of how sought after these things are for home decor today!

I'm such a sucker for Aqua blue! Love that chair!

Love these lockers too!

It was a my favorite stop today and we even bought a few treasures to turn! So if your in Phoenix you can find their show schedule at www.sweetsalvage.net

The Dog Ate My Homework!

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 06:27:00 +0000

This is one of those posts where I feel I just need to throw out every excuse I can think of for being absent so long. You know, those "The dog ate my homework" kinds of excuses. But the truth is, life just sometimes throws you curve balls. Really I could have titled this blog, "Memory Problems". It would be an accurate, but sad excuse for what has been going on. You see, my absence in blogging is really due to memory problems of several kinds. My computer was maxed out on memory and my Camera memory card was full. Between this business and my wedding and floral business, and the Grand boys, I take and save way too many photos. So computer surgery was necessary before I could even open my photo program. I've had my computer crash before and I just wasn't willing to risk it again. Whew...glad I dodged that bullet. My other memory problems are with my Mom. Sadly she was diagnosed with Dementia and is changing fast. So allot of my time is spent with her and caring for her needs. Someday I will tell you more about this special lady in my life. So life changes and we adjust the best we can. Frankly I would have rather the dog ate my homework!

So when the going gets tough....the tough go on a road trip! Getting away for a while is a needed break and a junking trip is just the ticket! We spent a few days on the coast for our annual City Wide garage sale. What a great trip! We hit the jackpot this year and had to buy a carrier for the top of the Suburban to get all our finds home.

The thing we love the most about this trip is seeing friends we have bought from for several years and making new ones! We have bought from the Mulligans for many years. Dotty had to adjust my hat for the photo....apparently there is a right and a wrong way to wear a cowboy hat! Who knew!

We also loved seeing Betty again. She is such a sweetheart and every year we are so relieved that she is still in good health and enjoying her travels!

This is a picture of Darlene's yard. Isn't it beautiful! We just about cleaned her out of furniture this year!

We bought a sweet little pic nic basket from a nice lady and she took us into her laundry room to show us her basket collection! So cool! What a great trip! But the fun isn't over! We have several more days of junking to go so stay tuned! We'll post whenever we can! We are glad to be back in action! Hugs!

Eileen & Karen

Celebrate Easter In A Fun & Unique Way

noreply@blogger.com (Eileen & Karen) — Fri, 16 Mar 2012 18:44:00 +0000

I absolutely love all the holiday! Each one brings an opportunity to celebrate in a fun and unique way.

We've just added some darling Easter Tags and Hand Stamped Ribbon to our website! How cute are these! Tie them on your baskets, bunnies & wreaths.

Or make that gift just a little more special with a hand stamped tag.

It's the little extras that make things special, fun and unique. Hugs,

Eileen & Karen