It’s Just Too Hot…
…to blog right now. We don’t have an air conditioner so with the temps in the 90’s it’s just too hot to have a laptop running. Not to mention the heat is making me kinda woozy and icky. I’ll be back when things cool down a bit.
Still On Pause
Things are still CRAZY around here. I’m sewing like mad but still behind. I promise I’ll get back to blogging sometime in the near future. Please hang in there with me and don’t go away. I have tons to tell just not the time to tell it!
Farmers Market
I haven’t blogged in awhile because I’ve been SO busy sewing. Nikki (my CraftyGirlz partner) and I did our first booth at our first Farmer’s Market this past Saturday (July 5). How did we do? We didn’t sell one thing! At first I was REALLY bummed but after talking to some pro’s in the vendor business and looking at a couple of other markets I feel much better. I learned that holiday weekends aren’t so good for Market business. They are either heavily attended or not attended at all. There were 6 booths that didn’t show and very few customers for us so that was one reason for the bust. The other reason was that our products didn’t really fit the customers for this particular market. After going to two other markets on Sunday, we realized that I would need to sell my low end products at a reduced rate for our market (Brighton Market) and then do other high end markets (such as Boulder Market, Vail Market and Evergreen Market) for our finer products. I’m going to see if we can do the Boulder Market next weekend in addition to our Brighton Market.
The upside is that everyone that saw our stuff really liked everything. So this week I’ll be sewing a lot of stuff that is very simple and quick to make with pretty but inexpensive fabric.
All in all I’m having a WONDERFUL time diving into the “vendor” life. I LOVE making the stuff, meeting all the cool people, and just being outdoors. Every person I’ve talked to says that it takes a lot of time getting everything just right so that you actually start making money. I’m looking at this summer as a time to learn the ropes and pay off all the start up fee’s we’ve encountered. (You wouldn’t believe how much you have to do just to have a tiny little 10′ X 10′ booth. I’m talking everything from tax licenses to liability insurance!!)
Below is the picture Craig took of the booth. Take a look and let me know what you think. Next week, we are going to move our money table to the outside corner of the booth so that people can move around more easily inside.
Home Again Home Again…
The last month has been really crazy. I started it by getting sick. Then sicker. Then sicker….Yuck! I had an upper respiratory viral infection that morphed into a bacterial infection. Both infections did their best to make me feel awful. After 2 weeks and two rounds of VERY EXPENSIVE meds (over $11.00 a pill!) I finally got better. It could have been worse though. My doctor told me that the many people had the infection move to their digestive systems and that it was causing their appendix’s to burst!! Whew!
After a VERY quick trip to Nashville to hang with Amy for a very short couple of days, Jes and I headed to Arkansas to see my sister. We stayed with Jen and Ron (hubby) for 5 days and had the best time ever!!!!! I SO hated to leave. The boys were so much fun and I love them so very, very much!
So eventually, Jes and I jumped back in the car and drove back home. It was a two day ride that I was glad to get behind me. However, we listened to an audio book on the way and that helped a ton.
As of this moment…all 4 Kendall’s reside in COLORADO!!!!!! YAY!!!!!!!!!!
Jes is currently searching for a job and has already had one interview and one request for her resume’. We’re excited to see where she will end up.
I’m itching to sew like crazy but have to reorganize my sewing space due to Jes’ hanging with us for a few weeks and additional fabric I was given while I was in AR. So a good reason to have a problem! I probably won’t organize anything until Tuesday though. Today we are having a TV day! Craig and I haven’t set down to watch all the shows we recorded while I was gone so we’re going to have a fun time in our ghettoized (for the moment) home theater. Battle Star Galactica, Hell’s Kitchen, In Plain Site just to name a few.
Since Adam had to work today, we’re going to celebrate Mother’s Day and Father’s Day together ( I was sick on Mother’s Day and Adam and Jes were still in Murfreesboro) all day tomorrow. We’re all four going to take a LONG bike ride up through Loveland, into Estes’ Park then back down to Denver to eat at a Jose’ O’Shey’s for dinner (GREAT MEXICAN!!). Jes will be riding with her dad since she hasn’t got her motorcycle yet. (She intends to get one as soon as she is settled).
Well…that’s about it. OH!!!! Jes and I did some thrift shopping and BOY did we find some real goodies! I’ll try to take some pics so you can see how much we got for under $20!
Look what….
…I made!
Here are some pictures of my latest projects on CraftyGirlz.com. As usual, I had a blast making them. The fabric colors and textures went together just like I had envisioned them.
Tropical Tote
Can you find the pocket?
I love the retro orange polk-a-dot lining!
This was SO much fun to make! I love the way the two front pockets look like baggie bloomers!
Gotta have some BLING!!
This one is my favorite.
Lining
What’s up next?
Hint: Small, fun and just too darn cute…..
Oh My…Oh My…Oh My…
I am officially jealous, envious, lustful, and any other word you can come up with to describe wanting something that someone else has!!! This is from the Pink Penguin blog that is one of my new favorites. Way to go Ayumills!
Here is a look at my sewing space. Don’t you just love it?!?!?! 
My beautiful storage space…
And my current projects…
Hmmm…which one would you rather work in? Oh well….one of these days I suppose. (sigh) Hey…I have an idea! My birthday is in a few days… 
Home Sweet Home
Adam and Troy made it safely in late afternoon on Friday. Everything went smoothly. Adam is now in Ft. Collins putting his apartment together. He is the only one in the apartment at the moment but will have 3 other room mates by the end of the summer. We haven’t seen his apartment yet but he says he has a great view of the mountains out his front door. Poor him.
We have exciting news…we have GRASS!!!! No…not the smoking kind. We finally have grass in our back yard. I know that those of you living in the south are trying to figure out what the big deal is but out here…grass is gold! We have a really small backyard but I love it. It’s small enough that I can keep it tidy and pretty without over doing it. Now…if we could just get the front under control. We still have a serious problem with the sod in our front yard. We have to have the soil tested to see if we can determine if the warranty will cover replacing the sod.
As for Craig and I….I’ve been sick for a week now. Really bad sinus infection. I’m still running fever but the congestion is much better. Craig is not feeling so great either. I think he has what I started out with. I just hope his doesn’t turn into a bad infection too. Either way..we both agree that if you have to be sick, we’d rather be sick in Colorado. The weather has been absolutely beautiful. It’s been in the low to mid 70’s, sunny and a beautiful blue sky….and NO humidity! Yay!
As for my crafting…. I just finished doing all the embroidery (by hand thank-you-very-much) for an apron I’m making. I really love the fabric. I’m hoping to get it all put together tomorrow. However, I think I might not have everything I need to finish it so we’ll see.
He Isn’t In Kansas Anymore…
…oh wait….he is!
Adam and Troy survived their first day on the road. Actually, I really should say they soared through their first day! I’m so proud of them!!
As of 9:30 this morning they were 50 miles west of Salina, Kansas. (I understand the Conestoga they are driving is this years model and has done quite well on the trail….road.)
They did have a bit of trouble trying to find a place to sleep last night. It seems they ran into a group of travelers celebrating graduation and couldn’t find a place to circle-up. They did find a space open at one circle but the foreman wanted $100 for the night. (He mentioned something about it being the “Best in the West(ern)” and puffed up like a peacock.) Adam and Troy made him eat their dust as they took off looking for yet another circle. Finally, at 3:00 a.m., they found a circle with a vacancy sign. They were so tired they accepted the foremans offer (which was still trail-way robbery at $75 per night) and fell into their beds….for a whopping 5 hours. (That’s $15 per hour of sleep for those of you who haven’t celebrated a graduation.)
They are back on the trail again. Keep them in your thoughts and prayers. Kansas is famous for lulling one to sleep behind the reins…wheel. (Flat lands will do that to you). We are supposed to meet up with them around 3:00(ish) and off load Jes’ gear into our cabin. Not looking forward to that.
Stay tuned for the final episode of “Go West My Son” sometime tonight or tomorrow.
Go West My Son…
Adam and Troy left today for the long journey out west.
Ok..I know they aren’t coming in a covered wagon and they don’t have to worry about hostiles trying to kidnap or kill them. They don’t have to burn dried buffalo chips (if you don’t know what these are you are either not from Texas or you did NOT read enough as a child) to cook their food and they don’t have to push and pull their wagon over huge boulders or cross raging rivers as they drop valuable and much loved items along the trail to lighten the load. HOWEVER….if you put it into modern day terms it’s understandable how a mom might be just a touch nervous about the journey.
Since Adam has never driven a 17 ft truck pulling a car on a trailer behind it, the journey is full of unknown dangers for him. And while there are no hostiles riding on four legged animals doing their best to end not only his journey but his life, there are hostiles riding on four wheels that don’t give a flip about his safety as long as they get the patch of asphalt they think they are entitled too. And have you SEEN the price of buffalo chips these days? Out here it’s over $3.55 a chip…..I mean gallon. And that horse he is driving is a guzzler. It even stops and refuses to go another step…umm…mile if doesn’t feel you are feeding it enough.
I apologize for the insult if you are from or live in the following state but have you SEEN the conditions of the roads in Kansas? And as for unloading valuable stuff? Well….Adam’s first sentence to Jes (after he was able to calm down and actually speak again) mentioned something about making a donation to the first GoodWill he could find along the trail….err….road. Evidentially, his 17′ Conestoga (later to be known as Uhaul) was loaded to the brim and only 10% of it was actually his.
The distractions are too numerous to name. Everything from a chow-wagon drive-through to that cute little red-head three wagons ahead. Rest breaks behind any given tree and that pesky foreman waiting to pounce if you drive that wagon just a little too fast.
And that folks…is only the first day. So, if you’ve got a minute, please pray that these two young pioneers make it safely through their first day. And please pray, as they circle the wagons together with other travelers tonight, that tomorrow will be safe from danger’s along the trail, broken wheels, pesky foremen and cute little red-heads.
Sick, Ick and No Nicks
Sick: That would be me. Uggghhhh! To quote my doc…my sinuses “are a mess”. I feel like I have concrete in all my sinus passages and it HURTS! Sleeping only comes in small increments. That’s probably good though since Craig and I were woken up at 2:30(ish) by the beeping our house alarm puts out right before it goes off. After we nearly crashed head first into each other trying to get down the stairs, we were able to turn it off before it went critical. We made some coffee and worked/played on our computers for awhile (guess which one of us worked and which one played;).
I went back to bed around 5:00(ish) and Craig just stayed up. I got back up around 7:00 and still feel aweful.
Ick: The temp here yesterday was in the high70’s. It was beautiful! Until 3:00. My goodness…the wind was unbelievable. It was like someone took all the wind from a tornado and ironed it until it was straightened out then let it loose on the plains out here. It is now 39 degrees and we have a forecast for snow today. The mountains are supposed to get at least a foot. We will see the snow but it won’t stick. That’s a good thing because we are supposed to get the sod for our backyard tomorrow!!!!!
No Nicks: Adam is getting the Uhaul truck and trailer for his move out here today. Please, Please, Please pray for his and Troy’s (best friend that is helping him move) safety. They will load the truck with Adams stuff (His would probably fit in the bed of a small truck. He prefers the just-throw-it-in-the-box-and-mash-it-down-until-you-can-get-some-tape-around-it method of packing. However, he does label his boxes. One such box reads…”stuff in the bottom of my closet”) and his sisters stuff (She has more furniture and stuff than Craig and I had the first 10 years of our marriage. Her packing methods are somewhat more detailed. One such box not only says “books” but it also has the room they were in and the title of each book. It was a large box.) Poor Adam…he is already spitting mad over all the stuff she has. And…bless his heart….his sister and I can’t stop laughing because he sounds just like Craig, my dad and Craig’s dad!
Adam and Troy leave tomorrow. It’s a very long drive out here (two full days) and so much can happen. They are also towing his car behind the truck. Adam has never driven anything like this (Troy has…I think). Please pray for good weather, no accidents, no flat tires (we had 3 flats when we moved out here last summer) and no miscellaneous mishaps. Also please pray that they don’t get sleepy while driving. If you are wondering why Craig didn’t go help him, Adam very kindly thanked his father for the offer but told his dad that he was 21 and he thought he should be able to handle it. There you go. Good kid….err….man.