Sisters

Ohh, I did it again….left a BIG gap between blogs (that gives you time to absorb what I wrote the last time…haha).  

As I write tonight I am sitting and waiting for someone that I bought a couple of pieces for the store from. I wasn’t able to take them with me the day I bought them (probably because I had too much other “stuff” in my van) so she was kind enough to meet after hours tonight so I could get them out of her way. Like me, she has a shop so she knows sometimes it can be a challenge to find things you like and an even bigger challenge to figure out when you can pick them up. 

This time of year always makes me feel like time is at a premium. There is always so much to do at the store. Though we’re not past Halloween yet, as we approach the middle of October, we have to think about pushing the last of our Fall and Halloween merchandise out the door to make room for the holiday decorations. 

For years we put our holiday decorations out on November 1 so that we got through most of the Fall season first. That doesn’t work anymore. Customers start to ask in July “When??”, big box stores put holiday decor out earlier and earlier and the companies we order from want it out of their warehouses sooner every year.

For all of those reasons (and more), Suz and I decorated one tree today, brought the other two out of the basement and with that started another holiday season at Sisters…k

October 12, 2015

I can’t believe it’s been over a month since I have posted anything. Apparently, I am busier than I think I am…..like most people.

Part of being so busy is all the projects you take on, thinking, “I can get that done”, forgetting that you also have a life to live and somehow, as I get older, the days seem to have less hours in them. At certain times we have to prioritize parts of our lives, doing a bit of a balancing act between what we want to do and what we have to do.

For me, my number one priority is my family. I want to be available when my kids or grandkids need me, help out if someone is sick or any of the other hundred things having a family involves. 

As I write this, Allan and I are on our way back from O'Fallon, Illinois, near St. Louis, where my sister Leanne and her husband Mick (also Allan’s nephew….I know, you have to think that through) live. We drove down with my niece Diane and her husband Steve to spend the weekend with them. It’s a bit of a drive (5 hours) but we love seeing them and know they are aways from family and like us to come when we can. It’s a bonus to have Steve and Di go with us.

Did we do touristy things when we went? Not to speak of, mostly we did not do much of anything but enjoy our time together and catch up on things. The best thing we did was spend time with people we love and there’s not much better than that…k

September 20, 2015

Thinking of redecorating? For some people, choosing paint colors, deciding what to keep and what to get rid of, fielding differing opinions in regard to style, worrying about the budget, etc., can be a form of modern day “torture”. For others, like myself, (with “I like to renovate houses” disease), whether it be a single room or an entire house, I can hardly wait to get started!

Having renovated several homes, I have some suggestions that may make it easier for those of you who would rather take a dip in Lake Michigan in February than think about wading through a home re-do.

First, only think about one room at a time. It’s not as overwhelming to think about one room as it may be for you to try to do more than that. Second, decide how much money you are able to spend as that will make a difference in what you will be replacing. If you are on a limited budget, (you’re normal) think about the things that are in the room that you can keep, either by leaving them as they are, repurposing them or simply moving them to a new spot. You may be surprised how much different your room looks just by moving your furniture around. Fourth, if you have trouble picking a color, use a neutral paint. Creamy whites, pale grays or subtle beiges can really make your furniture stand out and are always classic. Last but not least, go shopping in your own house! We all have things that look so-so in one room and fabulous in another.

I just finished a spare bedroom. I purchased 3 items, a small round mirror to hang on the wall, a lamp and a light fixture. Everything else, I had from at least one previous home, including the checked wallpaper that I put on one wall. Are you thinking that I am part owner of Sisters and I could replace it all if I wanted to? Maybe so, but that’s the fun of it, using what you have in a different room, mixing a couple of new things in with pieces you have had for years and feeling like you have a fresh look without breaking the bank.

Besides that, as a farmer’s daughter, I remember my dad saying “"if you butcher every cow you soon won’t have a milk check”. The same principle applies if you take home every great thing that comes into Sisters…k

August 13, 2015

I’m currently on an airplane on the way to San Francisco to visit my daughter, Allison. As a flight attendant, I was fine with these four hour “jaunts” for several reasons. We only had to board the plane once versus doing four or five short hops. You chalked up more time on the payroll as most airlines only pay flight crews for the time the plane is away from the gate, boarding, of course, doesn’t count. The service was done once or twice, depending on the time of day and you could take your time instead of racing to get it done on shorter flights. Other reasons come to mind but are best left unsaid.

I’m a poor passenger in comparison to being a working crew member. It kind of drives me crazy to sit for an extended period of time instead of being able to move around. I feel almost claustrophobic squished in the middle seat between two people who probably wish the seat was empty so they could spread out a bit. It’s more comfortable if I’m sitting next to Allan since he doesn’t seem to care if I lean on him to take a little nap (or hog his armrest). I hate having to bother the person next to me if I have to get up to use the restroom. Whine, whine, whine….

I know I should be thankful that I’m able to travel, that I can get away for few days and that my daughter actually seems happy to see me. I just hope she realizes how much her poor mother goes through to see her. I also hope she knows that she’s totally worth it…k

July 26, 2015

Normally I try to stay away from the subject of politics….do I always succeed? No, but I still try. Without voicing my opinion in regard to any particular candidate, (which is different than what I do at home, surprise, surprise) I just have to say, is there anyone left in America who’s not thinking about running for President of The United States? It seems as though about every three days someone else says “I’m in”.

How does one begin to “weed” out the candidates that really are not suited for the job? There are a few who don’t have the experience or even the personality, some who can’t take care of their own “stuff” let alone a nation. Of course, we all should want someone who is able to deal with criticism (because we all know if it’s not your guy, he can’t do anything right), someone who remains calm in the face of enormous pressure.

Wouldn’t it be great if we all could vote for the candidate based on our belief that he or she is the one who will be able to the best job instead of voting based on our political parties? Isn’t that a crazy thought, vote for the candidate that we think will do the best job? But why is it crazy? Don’t we hire folks to work in our businesses, based on who we think will do the best job? Don’t we elect our school board members and village boards based on who we think is right one for the position?

It will be interesting to see who ends up on the top of the pile, unfortunately it’s going to be awhile before we know. And unfortunately, most of the country will vote the way they always do, with their heart not their head…k

July 13, 2015

It’s eleven p.m. and I’m not quite ready for bed. I am one of those people who have trouble shutting off my brain at night so I can go to sleep. I think about the things I didn’t get done that I planned to do, the things I should try to do tomorrow, things I would like to try to improve at the store, things I need to finish that I’ve been working on at home…..(kind of sounds like I never get anything done), round and round everything goes in my head. I think it’s a “woman thing”, not being able to sleep. It seems as though there should be a switch on the side of your head that you can just shut off!

And then there’s Allan. He goes upstairs almost every night by eight (and gets up every morning at five). I swear he is not in bed 10 minutes and he is out, snoring away for the night. Many is the night I lay in bed, (in a room down the hall no less) debating between listening to endless snooorrring and going back downstairs to watch tv. He is usually oblivious to my sleeplessness and doesn’t understand how anyone could possibly struggle to fall asleep. I think it’s a “man thing”, being able to fall asleep so easily.

Interesting isn’t it, the differences between men and women. He sleeps, I don’t. He likes driving his big truck, I can’t get that thing in or out of the garage. I like “the hunt” when looking for something for the house, he thinks you should buy the first thing you see that will work. I like guessing (out loud) how a tv show or movie will end, (it drives Al nuts when I do that), Al wants quiet. I could go on but I’m pretty sure you get the picture.

Oh, and just between you and me, driving Al nuts by talking during TV shows is only a little payback for all that snoring…k

July 3, 2015

Have you heard of the swallows of Capistrano? We have the swallows of New Glarus at our house and they are driving Al crazy!!!! If you aren’t familiar with swallows, they build their nests out of mud, which they generally decide to plop on a protected ledge such as the decorative trim we have over the windows on our front porch. They are quite messy, leaving a trail of mud, grass clippings and other “stuff” they use to build their nests. Of course, they can also leave a trail of poo…..

Allan has hosed the mud off the window trim before the swallows had a chance to get far in their building process but it’s kind of a continuous vigil because they just start all over again once the hose is put away. We put a couple of small wind chimes up hoping that suggestion by someone might actually work. Instead, we looked out to see the swallows sitting on them. While looking on the Internet for solutions, I learned that swallows are a protected species. I casually mentioned that again to Al the next night when I came home to a bb gun standing next to the front door. I won’t repeat what his response was but am happy to report, NO swallows lost their lives. What is a guy to do?

As I drove in the driveway last night when I came home from the shop, I noticed these lovely, plastic, flap things hanging over the two porch windows and the trim over the door. They are Al’s solution to the swallows, kind of a plastic “visor” for the trim, too slippery for the birds to build a nest on. He says he’s leaving them up until he’s sure those swallows have found somewhere else to roost (like the barn down the road) or until summer is over, whichever comes second.

Are they ugly? Heck yes, they’re ugly! The saving grace is I will actually be able to put my wicker out, sit on the clean porch and not have to worry about Al coming up with something worse….besides, you can, only, kind of, see them from the road…k

Note: Our swallows have now decided that a nest under the overhang on our storage shed will work but are continuing to hang out on the porch rail just in case Al takes the plastic down sooner rather than later.

June 16, 2015

It’s gloomy today, the aftermath of a very rainy 24 hours. Allan says we had an inch and three quarters in our rain gauge. I had a Mount Horeb customer in today who said she had four inches of rain and some Monroe customers that had a total of six inches. Wow!

We needed a good shower for all things that grow, flowers that delight us with their beauty, trees that shade us and more importantly, for the crops that feed us. That’s the farmer’s daughter in me, thinking about rain for the crops.

Life is like that isn’t it, so many different things taking on more or less importance to you than the next person. For example, for a lot of us, family is the most important thing, but there are those who for many different reasons, choose to hold their family at “arm’s length” or maybe never see them at all. (I’m not passing judgement on anyone, just making an observation.) Some people love their pets so much, they consider them family. Others think pets are fine but don’t have any inclination towards having one. There are some people who put their careers before anything or anyone.

I love flowers and Allan likes our yard to always be well maintained, so we spend hours on our yard but lots of folks don’t care one hoot about flowers, keeping their yard cut or having their surroundings clear of junk. That’s their choice. Lots of people think we’re crazy because we are in the process of renovating another house. We talked about building a new home once. We “almost” bought a newer home once. Both times we decided against it. Again, a choice.

That’s what life is….a series of choices, some life-changing, some pretty important and some (like long grass and junk in your yard) that make absolutely no difference in the end, no matter what’s important to you or who you are…k

June 10, 2015

It’s rainy today here in New Glarus. It’s also the day before the last Monday in May, the day we now celebrate Memorial Day.

I wonder if we put too much emphasis on “celebrating” Memorial Day, after all, it is supposed to be a day of remembering the individuals who made the ultimate sacrifice of dying so that our freedom “lives”. Shouldn’t that be a solemn kind of a day, a day when we take the time to thank those who fought for our freedom?

Maybe…and yet, the Memorial Day weekend is also for people to not only reflect on our lost soldiers but to make the trip to the cemetery where their loved ones are buried, where some leave flowers and or flags to honor them. It’s a time when many families come together, maybe the only slice of time they manage to carve out of busy lives of kids, jobs, and who knows what else. It’s a time when friends take the day to spend with each other making new memories they can laugh about years down the road. It’s a time when some choose to do nothing but sit in their favorite recliner with a cold beer in hand living life vicariously through a favorite race car driver.

When you really stop to think about it, isn’t that what our soldiers fought for, the freedom to do what we want, when we want to do it? I’m not so sure they would want us to do anything different.

Please take a moment out of your life tomorrow and say a silent thank you to those soldiers already in heaven and a prayer for those on the battlefield and elsewhere preserving our way of life. Then go and honor them by living the life they fought to preserve…k

May 24, 2015

We have several pieces of vintage wicker in at Sisters. Years ago, wicker was only used on the front porch or in a sunroom. It was common to see complete “sets” of wicker, meaning a sofa or settee, a couple of chairs, sometimes a side table or two and a planter of some sort. “Coffee tables” were not a piece generally found and many times a side table was cut down to be used for that purpose.

Today, wicker can be used in most any room of your home. Of course, porches and sunrooms are still great spots for wicker but here’s a few more suggestions. Use a pretty table in a girl’s room as a desk for doing homework or smaller mismatched tables as night stands or on either side of your couch. Rockers are perfect in a nursery or in the corner of a den as a comfy spot to read. Wicker planters come in varying sizes and are fun full of bright flowers or ferns in a sunny spot in your kitchen. Wicker adds interest and a different texture to any room that has a lot of wood or upholstered pieces in it.

When buying vintage wicker, always buy pieces that are sturdy and don’t need repairs to the wicker. Wicker isn’t easy to repair and at least in my experience, it is difficult to find someone to fix it. Of course, if you are like me, I don’t mind a ding or two…..(I have a ding or two myself). If you would like to paint a piece of wicker, spray paint is an easy way to do it. I usually use gloss but it’s a personal preference.

So if you are in the market for something different in a spot or two in your home, consider a charming piece of vintage wicker. Of course you can always buy new, but somehow it’s just not quite the same…k

May 16, 2015