Notes from A Cottage Industry

The post where I got on a roll and whipped out a home improvement project before nine in the morning.

You know how they say everybody has a time of day that is their most productive? Well, mornings are my peak performance time. I like to wake up early, have my cup of cocoa, and start moving, which usually means moving to the computer screen.

I listened to a podcast last week where it was discussing not going to any electronics until you have handled a few other things. While it made sense, I wasn't sure I could do that, (I am virtually married to my iPhone and laptop.) but because it made sense to me, I wanted to try it.

Today was that day.

(Okay, true confession here. I looked at my phone before I left the bed, but that was me being on auto-pilot, and forgetting I wasn't going to do that.)

Side note here: I think I forgot to tell you, but the Other Tracey is coming for a long girls weekend (tomorrow!) while my Ralph will be out of town. She is staying until next Monday, coincidentally, the day Ralph returns home. Four glorious days and nights of total girl time, with a mile-long idea list of fun things to do, including one day of staying in our pajammies and not leaving the house!

Anyway.

When you're having company, you know how you tend to deep clean things, and notice all of those cringe-worthy details, and unfinished projects around the house? Well, I have been tackling a few long-overdue projects- all of them small, but for whatever reason, not completed. (Do you have a list of those? I am betting you do!)

Another side note: I cannot believe I am sharing this with you all, as I am mortified, even sitting here alone at home, knowing that you will all know now that my laundry room is, and has been for three years now, in a state of halfway adorable, and halfway ghetto. (Insert red faced emoji here.....and a shudder.)

(Let's say that 2018 will be my year of keepin' it real, people. The good, the bad, and aparently, the ugly....)

So, this morning while I was getting moving without going to my laptop, I started laundry, and I opened the laundry room closet to get the detergent, and looked at the overflowing mess in there. (okay, truth be told, the door of this closet was not even closed, because the vacuum couldn't go in until I moved the pile of cleaning cloths and towels.)

Right then, at that very moment, I thought to myself, "Just get that danged shelf put in the closet already. All the supplies are in the garage."

And so I did.

I plugged in the chop saw, measured twice, and cut once, used my dollar store level, and nail gunned up my frame support.(Thanks to my daughter with four little men for giving me that nail gun a few Mother's Days ago, as well as handing down her old chop saw last year, and teaching me how to use all these cool tools!!)

In less than fifteen minutes I had a shelf up.

No, it's not painted, nor did I stick on the missing vinyl floor tiles...yet.

(and it very well may take another three more years before that happens...but that didn't stop me from high fivin' myself, and doin' a happy dance all around the house for an additional ten minutes, in between running back to look at my handy work six more times.)

My little closet now has a new, second, much needed working shelf, and I am in love with it, while at the same time being appalled at myself for taking so long to install it.

Tonight I will get Ralph to hang my little Ikea grocery bag holder (I kinda ran out of steam, and was anxious to get to writing this blog post.)

So, it seems that this concept of getting a few things done before checking emails, and social media is a game changer for me, and I am excited about it. How about you? What's your peak performance time of day? Are you also married to your electronics? 

I'd love to know if I am not the only one!

Birthday wish lists have changed quite a bit since I turned thirty-six.

..'Coz I know I never asked for a magic wand to make my youngest child go to bed without a wild ruckus, but that's what this girl asked for.

(Actually, it never occurred to me that a magic wand could be a birthday gift option. Dang.)

Anyway.

Last Friday was both my daughter, and daughter-in-law's birthday, and I went to my daughter's home to celebrate. (You might remember that my son, daughter-in-law and their kiddos live in the biggest little city.) We went to lunch and shopped, (And shopped, and shopped...) and when we arrived back at her home, we were met with a full on surprise party, (complete with balloons, homemade signs and cards, and a cake!) made up entirely of all of her men; her husband, and her four boys.

The boys had homemade cards, and hand selected her birthday gifts from the dollar store. After she opened the glittered-baton, she unwrapped the present she had hoped for. A magic wand, which, as a side bonus, came with a matching lavender tiara! 

Oh, she was thrilled. She enthusiastically proclaimed just how much she loved it (as she placed the tiara on her head) and said she couldn't wait to use it tonight, as it was a very special sort of wand, with magical powers, specifically designed to get little boys to go to bed without any fuss, whatsoever.

Well.

The youngest of the little men looked wide-eyed at her as she shared this big news.

(Can you even imagine this little imp ever giving anyone an ounce of pushback?)

photo taken by Charlene Vogel Photography http://www.charlenevogel.com/

Later, after we had sung happy birthday, and all ate some cake, and everyone brushed their teeth, and had put on their pajamas, their Daddy said it was bedtime. The birthday girl and I gave them all hugs goodnight, and down the hall to bed they went with Daddy.

A short while later there was a creak of a bedroom door, and the sound of shuffling four year old feet coming down that same hallway, and then, I could feel a presence behind me, as I sat near the end of the sofa.

In a sweet hushed whisper of a voice I heard him say to me, very matter-of-factly, "That wand is fake."

It was impossible to keep a straight face then, and I immediately repeated what he said (once I stopped laughing) to his parents.

Maybe she should have asked for an Insta-Pot. 

Weekly words to live by.

This old(er-ish) dog is getting ready to learn some new tricks.

Hopefully.

You know, I often wonder if you folks out there reading my blog are sitting there trying to figure just exactly what I do with my time all these days since being laid off. I picture you all thinking, "I don't get it. Is she just retired now? Is she maybe independently wealthy, and spending her kids inheritance on inkjet cartridges for all of those paper banners she makes? What exactly is she doing with all of those hours in her days?"

Umm, no, no, and lots of stuff. Let me get you up to speed. After being laid off last June (Yikes! Has it really been that many months ago?!) I've had plenty of time for soul searching while job searching. After seeing how the pay structure had changed dramatically (and not in a good way) in my field of work (I was a Talent Acquisition Manager, which is a fancy schmancy way of saying I was a Recruiter.) and realizing that I just might be (hugely) happier at a smaller company verses a large corporate America position, I started to consider new job fields I would be qualified for, and would truly enjoy.

**Small sidebar note here: While our President's stats seem to say that unemployment is at an all-time low, I am still 100% unemployed, along with three other very qualified and competent (and younger) friends in the area.

Anyway.

If you have read my blog for a long time, you know that in life I am always looking for signs from God as to what my next move should be, and I have been working on not driving the bus, but trying to go more with a Jesus-take-the-wheel attitude when it comes to these patches in life where I am experiencing growth, or character-building, or whatever you would like to call it. While visiting my best-friend-since-fifth-grade back in December, who happens to be a wildy successful realtor, (Remember her? Or maybe you remember this post?) the topic of possible careers came up and she presented the idea of real estate, and becoming what is called an "Associate Agent" for the company she works for, in particular. I mulled it over for a few weeks, and then, while on our girls train trip to Seattle in January, we all discussed it a bit more, and I came away thinking she could be right.

I like helping people, and customer service in general, and I could set my own hours, so I could still do my junk biz and etsy, and it could be as full or part time as I liked it to be, because, as an Associate Agent, you set your own hours. (You are a contract employee, and you are basically there to do the more customer service-administrative type tasks for realtors within the company, as needed, and are paid by the job you do.) Because I can work any number of hours I wish, (Kind of like an Uber driver does, you know?)I could conceivably do this job whether or not I find (and land) my next dream career! (I still have my fingers and toes crossed on a couple of other potential jobs that I think I would love.) The more I thought about this Associate Agent, the more I liked the idea!

My bestie connected me with the local agency, and I had a lengthy conversation with the recruiter there, asking every question I could think of regarding the position. Then, by no coincidence, I met up with a fellow junk friend who it turned out is actually studying to get her real estate license, and I immediately took that as a sign from God,(A study buddy!) and I was even more excited. I decided to go for it.

I enrolled in an online course, (Complete with weekly webinars and all the bells and whistles) and my books arrived yesterday. That is when the panic set in. This is not a slam dunk. I have not been in a real school type setting since...well, the late 70's, although I have done oodles of training classes through my career job to learn computer programs, and build out new projects and such. Also, the pass rate for these real estate tests in Washington state are frighteningly low, to put it mildly, and my mind whirls with all of the what ifs... What if I cannot seem to learn from the books, because real estate laws are as confusing as algebra was to me? What if I suddenly go blank when I start the test? What if I flunk the test a record number of times? Oh, the list goes on and on in my head, and it about gives me hives when I think about it for too long. Still, I am excited to take the next steps. To uncover my inner realtor-person, and most likely wear some pretty sassy shoes while doing so.

So..yeah. If you have wondered what I am doing with my time these days, you now know. (Job hunting, soul searching, junkin', and crafting...) Now, I'm gonna be adding to that list taking  online classes, and studying real estate for the next few weeks, and part of me...the part that isn't getting hives and cold sweats, is pretty danged excited to watch this new adventure unfold. 

Late night pricing while watching it snow.

Winter finally arrived here in the Pacific Northwest yesterday, just when my favorite pansies had decided it was safe to bloom early. I was supposed to go down to work on things in my booth at the shop, but after looking out the window, I decided to stay in, opting to price things for my booth, and catch up on some cleaning around my little home.

That decision turned out to be a good one, because it never got above 33 degrees here in the Couve, and (speaking of pansies...heh, heh, heh...) I am not much of a fan of being cold. I heard a commentator on the Olympics the other night say he was "not much of an outdoor pet" and I would venture to share that the same things could be said about me.

Anyway.

I spent the day getting some of my treasures that had been stored away for quite some time now, into all-set-to-go-to-a-new-home ready. I must say that once I filled my vintage wicker basket with linens, I found all of the neutral colors very soothing, and a perfect compliment to the calm and quite snow falling outside all evening while I tinkered with and tweaked my stash of vintage bed and table linens.

I woke up this morning to see more snow in the forecast later this week, although only time will tell if the iphone weather app is correct or not. (It's accuracy rivals a magic eight ball, which I just learned is now available in an online version.) In the meantime, I'm going to enjoy this little blanket of white, as I sip my cocoa, and keep nice and toasty here by the fire, while I continue to get more things shop-ready. I hope you are having a great day where you live!

February 2018 Junk Queen of the Month: Michelle Robinson.

Junk Queen doesn't begin to describe Michelle Robinson, who works under the name of My Shabby Passion here in the beautiful Pacific Northwest. She maintains not one, but two booth spaces at Camas Antiques, and still manages to work full time, work out regularly, and spend time with her husband.

(See what I mean? She is possibly a step above a Junk Queen...more like a Junk Ninja, if you ask me.)

I had the opportunity to spend a couple of completely delightful hours at Michelle's home, where I am pretty sure we spent more time laughing than we did talking.

Michelle's home is filled to the brim with shabby vignettes, and vintage treasures, and once I had a tour of her main floor, we settled in for our interview:

How did you first get into junking? I’ve always done it! Forever! Probably when my kids were little...how many times did your kid leave his coat on the playground? And then you go to a yard sale or shift store for another...!(Laughing)

How long have you had your booth? Oh gosh, I don’t know!! I started at Uncovered Ruby in Battleground- When they closed I called JoAnn at Camas Antiques, and she knew who I was, and gave me a good spot. I later moved to a bigger booth in the annex portion of the store, and finally the main aisle. I have done the best on the main aisle of the store.

Before becoming a vintage dealer, what all did you do?  You mean besides being a dealer? My real job is...not as exciting as this job! I love the thrill of the hunt! You’re afraid you’re gonna miss out! (She gave a big laugh.) Ohhh yes!!!!!

I'm at Horizon Air...I've been here for 28 years...full time...Oh, and I like to lift weights..I have always been very athletic. I’m slacking these days. I do just enough to maintain.

(Let me say here that Michelle's version of "slacking" is more than most of us do when we are working hard at fitness!)

My junk biz is full time. I am off from my day job by 2:00 so I still have some daylight to do my junk.

What does a typical week look like for you? I work 4:00 am until 2:00 pm, and then...then it depends. It depends on my car....sometimes my car takes me to a thrift store. (We both start laughing. I think all Junkers can agree with this phenomenon.) or...my car may take me to a sale. I did have Thursdays and Fridays off and so I was always able to be there way early for sales. Right now I work four tens, and so I have weekends and Wednesdays off.

If I have a flea market coming up, I am like...oh!!!! I am busy painting furniture, and getting things ready. I shop for stuff all year long.  My cargo trailer is like my own storage unit.

What gave you the idea to get the cargo trailer?  When you do a flea market and you don’t want to do a million trips...you get a cargo trailer! (Laughing.) It’s fairly big...maybe 20 feet? I am not sure. It acts as my storage unit, and for flea markets...and it's great! It takes up a big spot in the driveway...

What do think your hot ticket items are that customers just can't get enough of?  Workbenches! (We both laughed again, because Michelle truly cannot seem to keep rustic workbenches in stock in her booth space!) Thats really hard. I don’t know...I buy what I really like and what I would buy for myself...I love the industrial, and old architectural stuff...vintage barware...I'm eclectic. I think people are ironstone'd out. I still look for it, but you know...it has to speak to me for me to buy it...Old farm stuff..anything farm related I love.

What are your non selling items? I can tell you I do not buy teacups any longer...or teapots...no more, no matter how cute they are! I pass on things I think won’t sell...decanters and wine glasses sell.

How would you describe your style? Hmmm...eclectic...I'm a little bit of country, a little bit rock and roll! That’s how I would describe it!(We both busted up laughing again here!) One thing I really probably don’t love, but I have to admit it is growing on me is mid-century modern. 

Do you think the shabby look is still in or are you seeing less of it now? It’s in in my life! (Big laugh!) I think yes, to a point...mixed with other stuff.

Do you utilize social media? If so, which ones work best for you?  I really don’t do social media..I post a few pictures when I have a flea market coming up, or the Mothers Day plant sale...I suppose I should, but I don’t. I used to have a blog, but making yourself sit down...it's too much! (I checked, and sure enough, Michelle's blog is still up, so if you'd like to read some old posts, you will find it here: myshabbypassionblogspot.com ) 

How many days a week do you work your booth? What is your system?? It all depends...supply and demand..most of the time I work on stuff every day...during Christmas I was going in to my booth every single day. I was nonstop. Go to work, come home, work on my other job...you want your furniture to sell, but you want a back up...Sure, I have stuff, but is it ready???? 

Oh! And Tracey, you have to put in here somewhere just how wonderful and helpful my husband is. He is my handy man...he helps me lift, fix, transport...I couldn’t do it without him.

I don't want to take in smalls, I want to take in bigs! It doesn’t matter how perfect a thing looks when you buy it, you get it home and...shoot! Something needs fixing on it!

Why do you think your booth has been so successful? I think because my booth is eclectic...some old, some new.I always try to have stuff in there that appeals to men too, and really everybody...it’s all stuff I like, but I try to appeal to people...I try to by cheap and sell higher... but, sometimes with a one of a kind thing, you have to pay a higher price. I am always trying to buy different stuff no one else has...stuff with history.

What advice would you have for someone going into business for themselves? Be prepared to work very hard, and spend a lot of time on working this, and if you have a booth, go in at least a couple times a week. You get out what you put in...and you have to spend money to make money... treat it like a real job. you have to love it...of course!

What do you think the biggest mistakes are that vendors make?  (Laughing!)  Oh gosh... what would you say, Tracey? Not having enough inventory, and not having interesting things in your booth...where people say, "Wow! I have never seen one of these before! This is cool."

Things have to be staged! It can’t be grandma's antique mall...You have to grab attention...have an attention getter...One guy said he always tries to have a weiner in his booth… that weiner that grabs your attention...LOL! Yes, a guy at the Rose Bowl Flea Market said that...

I know you do any barn sales and Vintage Markets. How many a year do you do? I really only do two. The Camas Street Fair and Rag Tag Revival.  I also do two sales at Camas Antiques; the sidewalk sale in June and the Mothers Day Sale in May.

If you could change one thing about your booth what that be and why?  Thats easy! (Laughing!) Make it bigger!!!! Expand! Add on! Knock some walls down! You have 2 booths at Camas Antiques, one upstairs, and one down...is that why? Some people have a spot in more than one store...in my opinion, just do two spots in one store!I swap things around, make it work...having two spots works for me! I don’t want to pay for storage in a place people can't see (Some vendors rent storage units to hold their inventory)...when, in a booth space it could sell. It takes time, but it works. 

How do you stay motivated?  Doing displays inspires me...umm...is that an issue for you? (Laughing loudly!) Hmmmmmm, okay, well, I would say it is very fun to buy and to hunt, and that gets you motivated...to go shopping...then I get it home, and...it just has to go. The shopping motivates me. You want to keep it, but you don’t...plus you just want to get crap outta your house! Ha!!! Just getting stuff out...that motivates me. My paycheck keeps me motivated too. The store keeps me motivated too! So many people in there do an amazing job. They motivate me to do well too. I don’t want to be in granny antique mall. (Laughing!) You have to stay motivated.

A huge thank you to Michelle, for sharing all of her insights and perspective on being successful in this fun and fabulous industry of junk!

Weekly words to live by.

Random act of kindness.

I opened my laundry room door the day before yesterday, (It's on the front of my house, just to the left of my driveway) and his little surprise was waiting for me.

No note, just two miniature adirondack chairs Christmas ornaments.

It made me smile.

I am guessing it must be one of my neighbors, who clearly appreciates my two adirondack chairs in my front yard...? (And I put Christmas wreaths on them during the Christmas season...) It was such a fun (and totally unexpected) surprise, and each time I walked through my kitchen yesterday, (where I had set them on the counter) it warmed my heart all over again.

(Who knew that two little red wooden chairs could provide so much

It felt so good that I decided I need to do more random acts of kindness myself. So much of life is pretty danged scary and downright depressing these days, and to do some little, completely anonymous nicety for someone, takes little effort, and provides feel-good feelings for days. 

How about you? Has anyone shared a random kindness with you before? Have you done a secret good deed for someone lately? Think how much better our days could go if we all did.

Because I am all about the details.

Quick note here - Thank you for all of the input and support on my new website, and most especially to Patty, who was the only one to catch a humongous error on my home page,(at least the only one to tell me...) where my pop-up had a doozy of a typo.  It read, "Darling, it wouldn't be a party with you. Obviously (at least to Patty!) it was supposed to read, Darling, it wouldn't be a party without you."

I literally laughed out loud when I read her comment, and at the same moment, I was horrified that I had made such a big boo-boo, and had missed it repeatedly each time I checked my pages. Thank you Patty!

I spent some time yesterday getting springtime items ready for my booth, and I realized I was nearly out of price tags. I ran to the office supply and picked some up, and then coffee dyed them. (I know. It might seem like a long, crazy amount of effort for a teeny tiny little tag.) I do this because I like the weathered look of the tag far better than seeing the harsh bright white tags on my merchandise.

It might seem silly, I know, but I feel like the entire presentation needs to be cohesive, and I want the buyer to feel the love I put into my products.

Before you go off thinking I am a little neurotic.... I'm not alone in this. Next time you shop at an antique mall, or a vintage fair, pay attention to how vendors have priced items. You will find some adorable and clever tags on items. I have found that the creative people in the junk world (and on etsy as well) take pride in not only their products, but also, in the way they package items. (I am a complete schmuck for great marketing and-or packaging, and I pretty much always notice tags and such.)

Anyway.

It got me thinking about this yesterday, and I wonder if I just may possibly be the only shopper out there that does impulse buy (on more occasions than I will ever admit to...when a product is packaged cleverly.) Am I alone in this, or do you do it too?

(Tell em you do, at least once in a while!)

Happy Valentine's Day, 2018.

...or as it is more typically known, Wednesday.

Is Valentine's Day a big day in your world? Trust me, I can make any day a big day, and I used to love me some Valentine's Day, especially when my kids were little. (Loved those school parties, and all the paper-crafting involved!) These days, though, I keep it more low-key.

My Ralph is a firm believer that Valentine's Day is one of the many Hallmark holidays (as he calls them) where folks feel pressured to buy a (Hallmark) card, and flowers or a box of candy that comes in a red heart shaped box, and he thinks showing fondness should not be capitalized on with a one-day-of-the-year event. I really can't argue with that, and nowadays our Valentine's Day is pretty much focused on the meal I plan. (You may recall the travel themed brunch a couple of years ago, here.)

I'm still planning supper for tonight, and I am sure a plan will unfold for me when I hit the grocery store. (I'm all about the tiniest of details, and right now I am kind of toying with a pie, using the "Sweetie-Pie" theme.....)

What about you? Do you make Valentine's Day a big day, or do you do it up small, or not at all?

Ready or not, it's go time!

If you arrived here at my blog by going through my main web address (acottageindustry.com) you already know that I launched my new website late in the evening yesterday, or early in the morning today, depending on your time zone. If not, please click the link at the end of this post! 

I would appreciate it ever so much if you will check it out, and let me know what you think. Is it all working okay? Did you find some typos? (I am notorious for those.) Did you hit upon a link that didn't work? Did you sign up for the mailing list, to be part of my tribe of people that will be receiving my (hopefully fabulous) newsletters that I'll be sending out occasionally to your inbox?

There are a few more webpages to be added to my site, one of which is my "About Me" page, which I am struggling with, as I hate to have my picture taken, and I am trying to write a bio that reflects the real me, without being way too long, and doesn't bore you to tears. 

Okay, my peeps, check out my site by going to acottageindustry.com  and click here. Let me know your thoughts, good, bad, or ugly.

Thank you in advance!

Weekly words to live by.

Almost there.

Squeeeeeeeeeal!

I am soooo close to done!

Other than a couple of yard sale trips, I have pretty much spent every single one of my of waking hours tweaking and fine tuning my new website, and it. is. close. to. ready. to. launch!

A couple of teeny-tiny spoiler alerts... my new site is not the only change. I'm adding a couple of monthly features to my blog: Junk Queens, and Humble Abodes. (I'll let you ponder what those are, although it's pretty easy to guess by the titles...) and eventually (sooner than later, I hope!) there will be a page on my new website featuring real parties, with photos you send in.

(Insert another loud squeal here.)

Monday morning is my do-or-die-go-time.

Stay tuned, peeps. It's all coming next Monday!

#whoknewIcouldbuildthis? #girlboss #acottageindustry

Because nothing says vintage springtime decor like a little bird's nest on an old mattress spring.

One of my most determined new year's resolutions was to clear out things I have stockpiled, whether it be by creating something, or donating things, and this past week I decided that I'd make some little somethings out of the jar of craft bird nests and speckled eggs I had. 

One thing lead to another, and at the end of the afternoon, I had made up several bird's nests, complete with eggs, feathers, and vintage accents. It was then that I remembered the supply of old rusty mattress coils I had bought several years ago. I have used them as french fry or potato chip holders...(Remember this post?)

...and I started thinking that they just might be perfect for some of my bird's nests, so I gave it a try. I added a few additional adornments, and in the end, I was happy with my handy work. I took a few over to the French Door,and a few more are going down to my booth at Camas Antiques.

What do you think? Do you add any spring decor touches to your home? If you do, whata nd where do you add your accents? I'd love to ehar!

Weekly words to live by.

I've got spring fever, for sure.

Happy Groundhog Day! I just asked Alexa if Punxutawney Phil saw his shadow and she said yes. She said she guesses we will see six more weeks of winter weather for us, but she likes being cozy anyway.

Well, I'm with her on the liking to be cozy, but it's been more rainy and grey than not around here the past few days, (although it has been unseasonably warm...in the fifties!) and I am thinking about spring flowers, and what I will plant in my raised garden bed this year.

I created a couple of new banners in anticipation of spring's arival, (I hung mine in my laundry room.) and wanted to share them here. (You'll find them in my etsy shop, or in person at The French Door in downtown Vancouver- It's First Friday!)

How about you? Are you still up to your eyebrows in snow where you live? Are you more than ready for spring to arrive?

Never underestimate the rejunenating power of baking, and making time to be with friends.

I finished up January by having three of my favorite friends over for lunch, and we had the most wonderful time. I've been so busy working on building my new website, Valentine etsy items, and inventory for my booth space, that I was developing a case of cabin fever. I decided to invite three friends over for a mid week lunch. It would be just enough people to fill my dining table, and I wanted it to be comfortable and fun; a relaxed, low key gathering. 

 

I hit the trifecta of guest list party planning, as we are all basically the same age, all related to the junk business in some way, and individually, all of us were already good friends with each other. it was such a great people-combination that we were standing in my kitchen talking and laughing for a full hour before we made it to the dining table for lunch!

Lunch was low key, (A cranberry chicken salad and a variety of breads, and for dessert I baked my favorite snowball cookies for most likely the last time for the winter season, and made dipped pretzels to go along with them.

I don't know why, but I always forget just exactly how much I love to bake until I actually pull out my mixer, and then it comes flooding back to me, that feeling of heaven on earth, and all is right with the world. Even before the dough hits the oven, I am envisioning my sweet creations on display, whether it is going on a fancy cake pedestal, or in a simple to-go box. I start on one recipe, and before I know it, I've coordinated another treat to round things out for the perfect dessert presentation. (That's how the dipped pretzels ended up on my dessert plate.)

The time quite literally flew by, and, while lunch lasted over four and hours, (I know!!) I don't think any of us felt like we were done talking. (Oh! I love it when that happens!!) Making time to take a pause in my jam packed week of to-do and gotta-get-done lists was exactly what I needed. Not only do I feel blessed and grateful to have such great friends, but I feel rejuvenated and inspired to do even more with all that I am working on.

Such a good feeling!

I learned (once again) that sometimes, when we are at one of those crazy-busy-buried-by-our-to-do-list stages in life, and we feel we cannot (or should not) spare the time, is when we need it most.