Sister

I think it's a Michigan thing, this calling each other Sister than by our names, or maybe it's just a term of endearment that has been with Sister and me for years and years.  I can't recall the last time I called my sister by her name - even when referring to her to others - its always Sister.


My sister is my best friend.  We are separated by ten years and thousands of miles, and yet are as close as a whisper when we need each other.  I swear I can hear her call to me in the rustle of the leaves on the trees when she needs me.

                                                                     My Sister Bonnie

                                                             

We have the same crazy sense of humor, the same passion for our sons, we each have one - who we adore, and although I like to think I’m creative, my sister is the most talented person I know!

                                                          Bonnie and her son Shannon

We are so connected that we can carry on entire conversations without ever finishing a sentence, and repeatedly, much like Name That Tune; we can finish the thought of the other often when she utters just one or two words.

I have been busy preparing for our annual Cottage Christmas Sale and must confess I have procrastinated to the last minute …… using a multitude of excuses, I’m afraid.  One excuse, and I must say a very good one, was that my Sister, my nephew Shannon and his lovely wife Joann, along with babies Alivia and Grant in tow, came for Thanksgiving weekend.  And as you all know, you must have a clean house when family comes, so I devoted my limited time to cleaning and shopping and preparing, and ignored the cottage and barn. 

It’s been three years since my sister’s last visit, and our barn is a new addition since then.  She was so eager to see it, and was a bit shocked to see the pile high of furniture and smalls stacked everywhere when the sale was but a mere two weeks away.  “Don’t worry” she said, “we’ll work in here every night while I’m here” HA, well that didn’t happen.  Every day was full of conversation, adoring babies, meals, and more conversation – before we knew it, our three and half days were gone – and we were saying our tearful goodbyes!

                                                        Shannon, Joann and Aliva visited 

                                                                  the Butterfly Place!

Her visit was over before we knew it and not only hadn’t we spent anytime working on the sale, but I hadn’t spent even a minute in the cottage or barn that entire week.  Since they departed on Tuesday, I’ve made great progress all week, staging new displays, unpacking the last of the Christmas treasures, and putting finishing touches here and there.

This morning my sister called, quite early, to catch me before I headed over the barn to work to share a dream she had last night.  She dreamt that we had been working in the barn together and we hung chairs and small furniture from large hooks all around the perimeter of the room.  Well it is a great idea, in fact it’s such a great idea that I had sent Farmgirl Mister Jim out yesterday morning to buy large hooks so we could hang chairs and small furnishings around the perimeter of the barn!    Yes, my sister and I are quite connected!

So here is a picture of the chairs some of the chairs we’ve hung from the walls, (we hung 8!) and wow, does it add more display space for all of our treasures.

  

Farmgirl Sisters Cottage Christmas sale is Saturday, December 10 – and a full 12 hours long 8AM – 8PM and we so hope to see you there!  Check us out on facebook: farmgirl sisters or at www.farmgirlsisters.com for more information and directions!  We're easy to find, right in downtown Branson, just one block off Hwy 65 and Hwy 76!  

A Real Treasure

Farmgirl Mister Jim clucks and sputters with every load of pickin’ treasures I bring home, always commenting as he helps unload, “this really is enough….”

Well today, FGM Jim had an epiphany! Pickin’ really can be for profit and even a good profit! 

Occasionally I will visit an on-line auction site, enter a few minimum bids and then wait to see what happens.  If I win it great, if not, oh well, there will be others.

Recently I happened upon what appeared to be a small vintage beaded evening bag, and the opening bid was less than $5.  So I placed the opening bid and never looked back.  Three days later, I received an email announcing I had won the bag.  It arrived about a week later, and it really is quite lovely.

Wanting to know a bit more about the bag I started to research on the internet and was shocked what I found.  First my bag is as much as 100 years old!  I immediately called to Jim to come look.  My little beaded bag sells for anywhere from $285.00 and up.  Well Jim jumped on his computer and continued the search for an hour, pulling up every version of French steel beaded bags he could find.  Some listed for as much as $400.00!  Needless to say, future pickin’ is now encouraged!

The most difficult part of finding treasures like this little bag is that I find them to sell, and often I don’t want to let go of them. 

This is so true of this gorgeous French Steel-cut Beaded Purse.  It is a shimmery beauty with long lattice fringe, beautiful pink lining, and sewn in ribbon Made in France.  Ornate detailing and a delicate button with loop closure.  Beautiful bead work makes this an outstanding example of this art form, every little bead hand done, and none missing.  A heavy bag, dating to the late 1800's early 1900's. 

But alas, my little find is for sale, and to all you collectors out there, it is in fabulous condition, all fringe in tack, button and loop in tack, handle intact.  Lining is clean and Made in France task is clean and intact.

Add this to your collection for $225.00

The Three R's - Repurpose, Recycle, Reduce

Reducing our carbon footprint – it’s a catch phrase you hear on the news and talk shows, and see in the paper or magazines or the internet……and for most of us, we apply it the other guy, or the big corporate “users” and “abusers”, but me, what can I do?

The other evening, I was emptying waste baskets around the house, preparing for the morning trash pick up, and oh my, where did all the trash come from, I must have not emptied last week, surely all this trash wasn’t from one week!  And even more to my chagrin I went outside to find two large trash cans full, and an extra box already filling fast!  To say the least, I was appalled….how could three people, one of which is a housebound granny who generates little if any trash, have so much waste!

Now I am an avid follower of MaryJaneFarm® magazine and her rural love of life and all things good, and after completely devouring every issue of her magazine cover to cover numerous times, I always think to myself…”self” I say, “if we lived on a farm, we would be thrifty and frugal like MaryJane!”  Well that pre-trash night, I had an epiphany!  I don’t need to live on a farm to be thrifty, frugal and environmentally responsible, and my occasional reusing a bag or piece of foil, just doesn’t qualify.

So here is my plan – we are now a home that lives the three R’s – repurpose, recycle and reduce!

Repurposing gives life to things you may have tossed out.  Jars with lids go to the garage or craft room to hold all those pesky little bits and pieces, nuts and bolts, buttons and the like.  That flannel sheet that can’t be mended is cut up and hemmed for the perfect polishing cloths; our community is full of thrift stores supporting various charities, and one box a week of clothing, dishes, and other unused and stored items that have gone untouched for more than a year will leave this house!

Recycle – bins are in the carport to collect cans, papers, plastic; phone books boxed up for the annual girl scout phone book drive; cardboard now has a new purpose flattened and layered in next year’s garden bed to create the “lasagna” garden that breaks down harden ground for a perfect garden bed!  Shredded junk mail and compostable food scraps to the compost bins and well, one small point for effort, we already use reusable grocery totes!

Reduce, in addition to reducing out going trash, we are reducing incoming trash by bringing less home.  Making my own laundry soap eliminates all those huge plastic bottles; buying less convenience food eliminates some of the boxes, plastic wrap and little plastic dishes and an added benefit is we eat better by buying more fresh items!

And though we are just beginning we will be proficient by the end of the year so that we can save those New Year’s Resolutions for something that won’t be a shame if we don’t keep!

So today, Repurpose, recycle and reduce and

‘til tomorrow,

Stormy-