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.

READY, AIM, FIRE

Where we live, we are surrounded on all sides by National Forests.  Craig has been longing to go exploring and find a place to do some shooting.  So last week, when he was home on time off, we took off in the pickup and drove deep into forest land, where there were no more pavement, and walked through vegetation to find a clearing to do some shooting.

You can see from the photos that the only thing we had handy to use as targets were paper plates.  They didn't stand a chance and were soon looking like Swiss cheese by the time we packed it in to go home.  It really is great to live in the area that we do, with so much of the outdoors to be enjoyed.  I hope we never take it for granted just how lucky we are to live where we do.

Only 44 more months for Craig before he can be home full time and not drive truck anymore.  Maybe sooner if I keep playing the lottery!

TIRES

We recently had to replace all four tires on our pickup.  They still had plenty of tread, but their age were showing with some cracks on the side walls.  No one wants to shell out that kind of money, but you do what you have to do.

What I don't understand, is being a company driver, not having to pay out of your own pocket for tire repair, and just ignoring tires that need to be replaced.  All too often, and especially lately, Craig has had to take time out of his driving hours to have trailer tires replaced.

I get that it is a pain, but to blatantly drop a trailer that is in need of a tire replacement, and leave it to the next driver to take care of is unacceptable.  There should be some type of reprimand for that lazy, thoughtless driver, but I know that is a pipe dream to ever think that this situation will change.

I'm just happy that Craig is diligent about his pre/post trip inspections, replaces tires that need it, and can handle the occasional tire blow out, which he had just yesterday, and live to tell me about it.  God help some of these drivers that aren't as safety conscious.

ISN'T IT SPRING YET?

I couldn't believe it.  I was on the phone with Craig this morning and was looking at some patches of blue skies outside.  As we neared the end of our conversation, I got up to look out the kitchen window and was shocked to see that it was SNOWING! No kidding, it was snowing and the landscape was quickly turning into a winter wonderland. 

If you didn't figure it out from my first paragraph, I'm staying off the truck for a few weeks to enjoy what I thought would be our fantastic springlike weather.  Thankfully, the snow didn't last long, and it was soon melted off when it turned into a more springlike rain.

Today is Craig's birthday.  With each passing year, we are counting down four more years until he retires from driving truck.  Until then, we are still mulling over a couple of other divisions at work that would keep him more local and home every week instead of every three weeks.

I've said this before, but he is my everything, and I couldn't be prouder to be his wife and partner as we continue our journey through life together.  Every day is filled with laughter because of him and I thank God that he brought Craig into my life  Happy Birthday Craig!  Love you to the moon and back again!

BACON

I love bacon.  I love cooking other things with bacon, especially green beans, brussel sprouts, or bacon wrapped asparagus.  I love bacon and eggs, bacon on baked potatoes, and bacon in spinach salads.  So when Craig and I decided to grab some dinner at Denny's last night, I was more than happy to look at their special "BACONALIA" menu.

 

I didn't choose anything off the bacon menu, instead opting for a healthier option.  I never expected, when the waitress came by at the end of our meal and asked about dessert, as I was saying "no", Craig vetoed that with a "we'll try the bacon brownie sundae".  I think the look on my face was priceless, as Craig started laughing.  I mean I love bacon, and have heard previously of chocolate covered bacon and such, but bacon, ice cream, and a brownie?   Hey, I'm game.

 

When the sundae arrived at the table, like a real trooper, I grabbed my spoon and dug in.  The first bite took me awhile to find the bacon flavor lingering in the background.  On the second bite, I made sure to get a good dose of bacon and it was then that I was sold.  Mama Mia......what a combo!  I will be hard pressed not to order this again, or any of their other "bacon" desserts that they are offering.  I'm just happy we don't eat there often, and that this is a limited time menu item.





JUST A COUPLE OF WINOS

We received a load assignment we haven't had in quite a while, and one that required four pickups and one delivery.  Usually it is the other way around.  After going empty in Santa Clara, CA on Sunday afternoon, we headed to Salinas, CA to stage for the first pickup in Castroville on Monday morning.

We left at 7am for our 8am appointment, we only had 13 miles to drive, but since we missed the exit we needed off of Highway 101, we needed all of that time to find a road that would get us turned back around.  I secretly hoped that this little mishap would not be a sign of things to come.

As you can see from the picture, Castroville is the artichoke center of the world.  I wished we could have stopped at the many produce stands along the road, because they were selling artichokes 10/$1.  I don't know about where you live, but at home, the last time I bought an artichoke it was well over a dollar just for one!

We quickly loaded on the four pallets of miscellaneous types of wine, and headed the 15 miles to Watsonville to a little two dock facility in the middle of town to pick up one pallet of wine.  Then we headed north to a little town of American Canyon in the Napa Valley.  Into an industrial area where the streets were lined with warehouses from some pretty big name vintners from the area.

We pulled up to our shipper and right away ran into problems with a purchase order number.  After several phone calls we were finally told to just tell them it was a "rush order", and lo and behold that did the trick, along with an additional $35 fee for processing.  After our 8 pallets of wine were loaded on, it was now closing in on 3pm and we knew we would run into commute traffic no matter which way we went, so we chose the way we thought would be the path of least resistance.

The traffic was manageable, and we rolled into our last pick up of the day in Ceres, CA at 6pm at the fourth largest producer of wine in the United States.  We gave them the purchase order number and after much paper shuffling and phone calls, we were told that the load had already been picked up earlier in the day.  What the hell?  More phone calls, names and times written down, and as much info as we could get about what company picked up our load, and we were released by dispatch to leave the premises.

I gotta tell you, it was a long day, and with this last hiccup, I was so tempted to partake in some of that wine in our trailer!  We made it back to our company yard in French Camp and called it a night.  We now have two leisurely days of driving to make our delivery in Spokane on Thursday morning.  Cheers!

THE INTERNET IS A WONDERFUL THING

I live on the Internet.  About the only time I don't have the laptop in front of me on the truck is when I'm sleeping.  After all, what else is there to do while traveling up and down Interstate 5 to occupy my time and keep my mind busy.  I could never thank Al Gore enough for his invention....(insert sarcasm here).

I can't begin to tell you how many times I've asked Craig a question........like today, "Why is there netting over those orchard trees?  I don't remember ever seeing that before".   In a blink of an eye, or as fast as our Internet connection is, depending on where we are, I have my answer...... to keep the birds away from young fruit trees.

I use it to pay 100% of our bills and much to my dismay, create some, by ordering products that I come across on the Internet.  I can reload my Starbucks card and never fail to have at least one item in my Amazon shopping cart.  I play games for hours on end, have a multitude of recipes that I've saved to try once I get home, and of course, I can't forget Facebook.   It's how I keep in touch with what's going on with my friends and family.

I really don't know what I'd do without it and I hope I never find out!

12 YEARS

It seems like only yesterday, when Craig and I drove to Carmel to get married, but it was in fact twelve years ago.  For over half of those years, we have co-existed in a truck, with not more than three feet separating us for 24/7 & 365 days.  I'm sure a lot of couples wouldn't be able to do that, but there are a few I know that do, and I think they would agree, it's mandatory that you marry a person who is your best friend.

I know most of you are probably sick of hearing this same spiel every year on our anniversary, but there is not a day that goes by that we do not laugh and have fun.  All the romance in the world does not compare to being with someone who brings pure joy and happiness into your life every single day.  We've been  blessed since the day we met, and continue to be blessed by being able to create memories our on the road to last us a lifetime.

We were treated yesterday, by my twin Nieces, Jennifer and Stephanie, and Grandniece Gwendolyn, picking us up at the truck stop we were at and taking us into town for a bit of shopping and lunch.  It's nice that we have family along our normal routing to make these short times off the truck that much more enjoyable.

Today finds us with a trailer full of corndogs from Foster Farms, heading north to Clackamas for a Monday morning delivery.  The weather is great, our cupboards are full of food, and only 11 more day until our next home time, when we'll take a week off to open up the house, renew Craigs CDL, and get his annual DOT physical done.  Life is good!

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO

Early Saturday morning, after an all night drive into Spokane from Puyalllup, we made a delivery to  a Fred Meyer Store in town.  After a quick 2 hour nap, we were off on some home time, in which we would enjoy a staycation.  First, we headed up to the house to check on the snow levels, we haven't been there since the first of November.  We were happy to see that we didn't need to pull down any snow off the roof, and that there was only about 18 inches of snow on the ground.

We decided to stay the night, and in the morning we hit the local, and only, grill in our tiny town of Usk, and enjoyed a fantastic breakfast.  With stomachs full, we headed back into Spokane, and checked ourselves into the Northern Quest Casino and Hotel in Airway Heights.  We fully intended to have a nice four day staycation.

As you can see, this is a really nice place, with a spa like bathroom with full body spray shower heads lining the walls.  It felt as if we were transported to a vacation like setting without driving more than 10 miles from the Company yard.  It didn't take long for us to find ourselves on the casino floor and enjoying a little gambling and people watching.

We made sure to take advantage of all the special offers, played Bingo one evening, enjoyed $1 taco night, and registered for all the free money they wanted to give away.  You know what?  Sometimes your name actually gets called, as did Craig's, while we were playing Bingo, and off he went to claim his $500.00.  Nothing says FUN like winning that kinda of money!

By the time Thursday morning rolled around, we felt as if we had been away from the truck for at least a month, that is how rested and relaxed we felt.  We had a blast and enjoyed the first, somewhat vacation, in a very long time. 

With a phone call into the office at 8am, it didn't take long before we were sent to rescue a load from one of our trucks that had blown a couple of tires.  A few hours later, the load was delivered and we were sent to Tyson,  in Wallula, WA to drop our empty trailer.  We'll have to wait until tomorrow to see where we'll be headed next.

LIFE GOES ON

Things have calmed down since our run in with black ice.  Although this has been the mildest Winter we have had in awhile, we have put on chains more times in the last two months than we have the previous 7 years.  Go figure.

We've been doing a lot of night runs lately.  Makes it hard to take pictures and capture life out on the road, but I have managed to take a few here and there.  Have seen some magnificent sunrises and sunsets along the way.

We're currently sitting in Milwaukie, OR waiting to get unloaded before our 14 hour clock runs out and we find a place to park for 10 hours.  I'm hoping our string of night runs will taper off the rest of the week until we take some time off next week.