Like Riding a Bike

Okay.

I can do this thing.

It's all coming back to me now.

I remember it from last year.

The kids were gone for a week then too,  and I survived.

Quite nicely, as I recall.

It just takes a while to get out of the "Mama" mode and into the "Me" mode!

I was a little rusty, but I think I have it now.

It's all coming back to me.  


The joy of alone time.  

I went to the auction today and for the first time in a year I didn't need to be back in time to pick up the kids.   

So, I lingered, and savored my "me" time doing what I love most.

(You know, after the wife and mother thing!)

I bid like crazy!

'Til my van was packed and the cash was gone!  

And it felt crazy good!   

Only three more days for "me".  

I better get to it.....


(Photo found here)

Day 2: Hmmm

I'm wrapping up day two of "My kids are at camp!" euphoria  with a little less enthusiasm than I started the day with.

Sure, I'm having a great time doing whatever I feel like and have already packed in some of favorite things:

A Sunday afternoon antique auction

Hunting for treasures in a dealer friend's garage

Hitting T.J. Maxx and Tuesday Morning without the kids

Napping during this afternoon's thunderstorm

(Definitely blissful!)  

Rearranging my living room (again)!   

But even without my stinkerdoodles here the mama bear in me keeps whispering to me.  

I hope the boys:

Slept well

Remembered to brush their teeth

Were safe in the storms that swept up the east coast

Are having a great time

Aren't homesick

but, maybe, they 

missed their mama just a teensy tiny bit!?   

I'm hoping day three will bring a little less worry.

I do however,  know it's going to bring:

breakfast with the barn girls

an afternoon auction in the country

And an evening curled up with three new decorating magazines that arrived in today's mail!

Hmm.......until then, 

Do you think they remembered to say their prayers?

I'm Going To Miss Them......

The kids left for Boy Scout camp this afternoon.

(For a week!)

The husband is off on a military trip.

(For five days!)

Which means I have the house to myself!   

Is it wrong to feel so giddy?!!!

Cooling Power

It's ghastly hot in Maryland this week, but it's super cool at The Barn! 

We're open again tomorrow, Friday, June 25th from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. for a summer sale!   

The a/c is on and all of our furniture is 20% off!

It's a super cool place to beat the heat!

3250 Bottner Road

Gambrills, MD  21054

410/903-1583

Photo Courtesy of Flickr

Port, For Sure

My boys and I figured it out!  

Port is the left side of a boat, starboard the right!   

We passed our tests and are now licensed to operate boats in the state of Maryland!   

Now, what kind of boat should we get?  

In other news, my sale is this weekend at Chartreuse and Co., in Buckeystown, MD.  

Stop by and check it out!   

Starboard or Port?

Just in case my ship comes in anytime soon my boys and I are enrolled in a nine hour boater safety course.   

We don't even own a boat.
Not a canoe.
Or a kayak a dinghy or a rowboat.  
We don't even have one of these:

But a girl should be prepared, just in case.   
I'm a simple girl, all I really want is one of these:  

(With cushions covered in India Hicks fabrics, of course!)

So, hopefully by Wednesday night at nine o'clock we'll be licensed to skipper our very own watercraft.  
And come on, if I get my license, I'm definitely going to need a boat, right?

(Provided I pass the test.)

Wish me luck...

Now, what side is starboard again??

Prayers Please

It's been a rough week for some people I really love.

My mom was diagnosed with some serious medical conditions.

(With the proper medication she should be fine.)

One of my friends had double bypass surgery.

(He's on the road to recovery.)

And my oldest brother had an emergency appendectomy.  

(The doctor said it was one of the worst cases he's ever seen and my brother could have died.)

I believe in the power of prayer and would appreciate it if you could include my loved ones in yours.   

Thank you.

My Best Auction Finds

If it's Wednesday, I'm at the auction.

Today was no exception.   

I love going because every week is different.    
Sometimes it's a total bust and sometimes you get lucky!

You can even find things you didn't  know you were looking for.  

And I don't mean great finds, like the two stained glass windows, vintage bed,  matching dresser, and the really cool antique scale I found today, but treasures of another sort, much more important than inventory for the barn.

Like friends.  

For instance, there's Carol and Carla.  

I met them about eight or nine months ago when we were bidding against each other on an enormous, vintage chalkboard that ended up on my dining room wall.  

I was the winner that day in more ways than one because 

Carol and Carla became my friends.

I look forward to seeing them each week because they're lovely!  

 They're fun, they're supportive, they're sassy 
(Oh, do they get cranky when people bid against them!)
and I love them!   
One week they spotted a crate of old "Kramer Beverage" soda bottles, and pretty much guaranteed no one else would get them but me.
(The Kramer Angle)   

They're just genuinely nice women.  

I adore them and if they like me half as much as I like them, I'm a lucky woman!  

And then there's Drew.   

You may remember him from this post.

We met because I bought something he was interested in.

He was the MVP for me today because he strapped an antique headboard to the roof of my van because it wouldn't fit inside.    

(And I'm happy to report it didn't fly off as I crossed the Bay Bridge into the Chesapeake like it would have if I had tied it up there myself!)

Our friendship was a chance encounter that may be heading towards an interesting business venture.

But what I like about him most is that he's interesting!   

The stories he tells about the finds he has scored over the years fascinate me!
He's a born story teller and I enjoy his company.  

Okay, let's talk about Michelle.  

She owns the Vintage Source in Southern Maryland.

(It's a monthly sale and it's fabulous!)  

She's been to my barn show, and I've been to her sales.

We encourage each other, commiserate and cheer each other on in this crazy business!   

She's calm, smart and savvy.   

An auction friend that I wish lived closer so we could hang out together.   

Do you know Cassie of Primitive and Proper?

I first officially met her at the auction.

I'm not kidding when I tell you this girl is seriously talented!   

And sweet!

It would be impossible to find anyone sweeter or nicer than Cassie!  
(Not to mention beautiful!)

And we're friends now because of the auction.   
She also writes a great blog!  

So, you see, it's like I tell people, you just never know what you're going to find at an auction!

With any luck you'll be just like me and come back with friends!

The very best kind of find!