BACK OUT ON THE TRUCK AGAIN

With the "Love of Junk" sale behind me, and too many snowbirds flocking back to our neighborhood for the summer, it was time for me to jump back onto the truck for a little while.  Craig and I enjoyed some home time together, and when Sunday morning rolled around, we were headed back to the yard to load up the truck.

 

Craig is trying out a new division within the company called the 25% team.  He was getting tired of dealing with the LA traffic and drive, and since Craig is getting closer to his projected retirement age, he wanted to stay more regional.  This team of drivers handles the loads that are all within about 300 miles from the Pasco, WA yard, mainly delivering to the Portland/Seattle area.  Instead of getting paid by the mile, you get 25% of the total load payment to the company.

Craig has been on it for a couple of weeks now, and he is loving it.  No more 11 hours of non stop driving, which was beginning to take a toll on him.  He is averaging about 8 hours or so a day, and is feeling so much more relaxed out on the road.  It also is much more conducive to taking home time and getting home when you want, since you are only a days drive away from either Pasco or Spokane.

We are toying with the idea of making Pasco our home base during the winter and moving our personal vehicle there.  He seems to go through Pasco at least 3 times a week, and with our vehicle there we can use it to get groceries and get away from the truck when we are waiting for a Tyson meat load.  We have already planned out a few road trips to take during some home times to go out exploring the nearby areas.

* These pictures were taken along the Columbia Gorge on Interstate 84

FOR THE LOVE OF JUNK

 

 I've been in Walla Walla the past 8 days, 5 of which I have been helping my BFF Cori get ready for the "Love of Junk" sale which was being held for the first time just about a mile from her house.  There is always a mad rush of activity getting ready for these types of shows, so I try to come a bit early to help her put the finishing touches on some of her pieces.  I had also worked on a few small pieces of my own prior to arriving. 

Sunday through Wednesday we painted, waxed, stacked, and priced the pieces we wanted to bring.  Then on Thursday, we set up our space after making seven trips with the van and truck to bring it all to the venue.  I wish I would have taken the time to take pictures of the venue, as it was such a great place to hold this type of event.  Lots of red barns, a large grassy area with big shade trees and picnic benches and several yummy food vendors.

 

 

 

By late Thursday night, we had set up and tried to get some quality sleep as we knew that Friday would be a long twelve hour plus day.  The crowds were great, and we had a continuous parade of customers throughout the morning and lunch time hours.  The afternoon died down a little bit, but picked up for the after work crowd.

 

 

At 7pm we shut down for the day and dragged our tired bodies back home to rest up for the Saturday buyers.  Back at it again at 8am, we watched as bit by bit of just about all the small items we had were picked over.  Towards the end of the day, the big pieces starting flying out of the booth with last minute shoppers.  We were oh so happy to have only three trips to take what was left back to Cori's house.

 

 

All in all, for a first time event it was ran beautifully, and I'm sure Cori will want to participate in it again next year.  For now, she will be busy trying to coordinate her own sale at her Cottage on the Hill.  We were able to get quite a few vendors interested in selling there in September, along with a food vendor.  I'm sure it will be a great event on her second year of putting on her own show in the Walla Walla area.  For updates on the event you can check out the Facebook page Cottage on the Hill Autumn Sale

 

WHAT I BOUGHT AT FARM CHICKS

Cori and I were both surprised that we walked away from our annual Farm Chicks weekend without breaking the bank.  All my purchases together were around $100 and Cori spent even less!  I'm sure her husband Mike was in shock over that.

One of my first purchases at Farm Chicks was this metal film reel canister.  Our spare room in the loft has a vintage camera theme going on, and this canister fit right in.  While I am at Cori's house next week for a Barn Sale we are participating in, I'm going to have her cut me some lettering to make a vintage Eastman Kodak sign for the room.

Next up is this little stone mannequin.  I couldn't pass it up at one of the consignment stores in downtown Spokane.  I think it fits in nicely with the wooden one up on my shelves above the french doors.

I've really gotten into the industrial look lately, and when I saw this old, rusty gym locker basket, I couldn't pass it up.  I think it looks great next to the marquee letter above the cabinet in the living room.  When we took out the small TV that was the counter, and opted for the big screen mounted on the wall, that space just screamed for something to fill it up.  I thought painting that area in chalkboard paint was just the ticket for a whimsy bit of fun.  Now whenever we have anyone over we can offer them a chance to add to the wall.

This little stool caught my eye towards the end of the day on Sunday.  It had a huge bouquet of flowers sitting on it that didn't give you a chance to really see the stool.  That was good news for me, because once I laid eyes on it, I had to get it.  It ties in nicely with the industrial cart that I found online that we use for an occasional table between our two chairs in the living room.

Once I got back from our Farm Chicks weekend, I painted our little dining room table from it's boring wood to a nice neutral cream with some distressing to fit right in with everything else in the room.  As I told Craig and Cori, I really can't see that I need anything else to complete this room.  I know, I know.....famous last words, but I'm standing by them, at least until next years show!

FARM CHICKS 2013

The first weekend of June.  After five years, that now symbolizes where I will be, and who I will be with........Farm Chicks Show with my BFF Cori for a fun filled girls weekend in Spokane, WA.  This year we made it a four day extravaganza, starting with checking into the fabulous Norther Quest Casino just outside of Spokane.  Staying there gave us the opportunity to indulge in a five start hotel and also have the fun and excitement of having a Las Vegas style casino just steps away from our room.

Thursday we spent our time catching up and taking in the casino.  Friday we hit up all the vintage stores that Spokane has to offer both in the downtown area and the older Monroe district.  We took time out for some wine, lunch, and a dessert at Madeleines Cafe and Patisserie in downtown, sitting in their outside dining courtyard.  It was a beautiful sunny day and we enjoyed the people watching almost as much as the wine.

Saturday is always a mad house on the first day of Farm Chicks.  We have learned to stay far away from that kind of mayhem and enjoyed a nice relaxing morning in our hotel room.  By early afternoon we headed to the fair grounds to at least take in the first day excitement, but with hopes of a thinned out crows.  Boy were we surprised to see the parking lot completely filled, but managed to find a spot along side the perimeter of the lot.

Once inside, it was a buzz of activity from the annual creative display at the entrance to the mass of female estrogen shopping frenzy that was going on.  I even saw a few good hearted husbands carrying bags and treasures trying to keep up with their wives.  It was hard to see all that the vendors had displayed in their booths due to the crowds, but Cori and I got a good feel of what was there and made our plans for a full day of shopping on Sunday.

We headed back to the hotel for a nice dinner and evening of slot machine playing.  Early Sunday morning, we hit the local Starbucks and then made our way back to the fair grounds.  We were happy to see that the parking lot still had plenty of spots as we parked as close as we could and got to the gates as they were opening at 9am.

The first couple of hours were nice, as we had ample space to truly look into the booths and enjoy the displays.  We were a bit disappointed to see that some of the big name bloggers were not there this year as in past years.  We also discussed that as the years progress, and we participate in our own sales like the "Cottage on the Hill" sale in September, that we just weren't as awed by some of the displays as we have in past years. 

Sunday night afforded us one last night to enjoy the casino and night life and we took full advantage of it.  All too soon it was time to part ways and close the book on our 5th year at Farm Chicks knowing full well that we will be back again next year to enjoy our girls weekend in Spokane.