Computer crashes and other interruptions

I can hardly believe it's March already!  Where has the winter gone?  Don't get me wrong; I'm thrilled to pieces that spring is getting closer, but goodness, the time is slipping away quickly.

So, by way of excuses for neglecting my blog, my computer crashed in dramatic fashion in January.  I had been forced to keep it plugged in most of the time because the battery was going.  However, one day I thought, "You know, I should look into backing up my computer.  In case it crashes."  Yeah, just when I started to download the software to back it up, it shut down.  Completely.  As in, won't stay on for more than a minute or two before just giving up.

In the meantime, I've been using my husband's computer, but it's just not the same.  My plan is to get a new computer this month.  I'm not sure what I'm going to get, but I'm saving my pennies and hoping I can get something that works for me.

Also, I spent a lot of time getting ready for the Carolina Craftsmen Spring Classic craft show in Columbia, SC.  That was this past weekend and, although sales were a bit slow, I had a great time.  It has become a nice tradition for me to spend Friday with the wife of the Cousin-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named.  She's a fellow homeschooling mom and I admire her courage in marrying my cousin.  She says we should have warned her, but I say, "No way!  We like you and didn't want to scare you off."

The second day, my daughter helped me in the booth.  She loves it and we had a fun day together.  Sunday, my sister-in-law went with me.  She can decorate a booth in her sleep and it looks fabulous!  Love to have her eye for detail!

On to farm news, Huey the Rooster is doing well.  I love to hear him crow.  He's gorgeous, a lilac Orpington.   We are also planning to add some new chicks this spring and possibly retire the older girls to the pasture with a chicken tractor.  That's not a plow pulled by chickens.  A chicken tractor is really a movable chicken coop.  That way, the chickens can have the protection of a coop while enjoying all the bugs they can eat on fresh grass every couple of days.

There are also two new baby goats in the pasture.  We were hoping for girls, but both are little boys.  They are just too cute!  I love watching them play and jump around in the grass.  We will probably buy a few girls this year, to help build up the herd. 

That's the quick-ish update.  How have you all been?

I'm back! Sort of...

I can hardly believe it's been almost a month since my last post. I've been knee deep in Easter basket making, both for the Etsy shop and for the Carolina Craftsmen Spring Classic. The Spring Classic is a three day, indoor craft show in Columbia, SC. I had a great time with my friend, Karan, who helped me in my booth. We met some amazing crafts people, who are not only very talented, but are also really nice people.

So, now I'm on vacation. Really. I thought my husband had lost his mind when he suggested going on vacation the day after one of the biggest shows I do. But, he promised to do all the work to get us ready, including mounds of laundry and packing the children's clothes. He arranged for a house sitter, to keep an eye on things back home, as well as to take care of the cat, dogs, chickens and goats. He even made an appointment for Frodo the Wonder Yorkie to go to the groomer this week.

So, here we are at the food court of our resort, having what turned out to be pretty good food. I think my husband is looking pretty fresh for a guy who spent the weekend doing housework and then an entire day driving.


My other deal was that I would get the first full day of vacation to relax. Now, here I am in our hotel room at Disney World, by myself. It's pretty nice.

24 Hours of Dulcimer Music or My Weekend at the Craft Fair

I spent the past weekend at the the Carolina Craftsmen Spring Classic, 10 am to 8 pm on Friday, 10-6 on Saturday, and 11-5 on Sunday. A total of 24 hours. With dulcimer music playing in the background.

Don't get me wrong, I really like dulcimer music. But by Sunday night I was ready for a change...and I got it. The Gilmore Enterprises people, the nice folks that run the show, clearly demonstrated their experience and sense of humor. As soon as the doors closed to the public, the music changed to the William Tell Overture. That's the one from The Lone Ranger. It got us in the right mood to get our booths taken down and packed up quick.

Before the Big Packing Up, I took some photos of the booths of fellow crafters. I'm always amazed at the clever ways people display their creations. Here's a display from Troy and Kathi who make beautiful yard signs. They customize the sign for you at the show, with your name or house number. Don't you love their set up?

Another amazing artist I met is Joe Foley. He is a welder who gave up industrial work for making flowers. He tells customers that his flowers are easy to transplant and very cold hardy. His business is called Steel Blooming and the flowers are gorgeous. Here's a link to a television interview with Joe--WCHS interview.

Joe's display is quite basic, not even his own side walls, but clearly it's not necessary. Joe's flowers speak for themselves and I was blessed to be just across the aisle from him. I got to admire his work for three solid days. Aren't you jealous?

Stay tuned! More artists tomorrow!