Going on a little trip!

I am as happy as a 4 year old next to a bubble machine! (Brilliant by the way..a store in Minocqua has one outside I want one for my store) We last minute decided to take off Saturday morning for Baraboo! I love love love Baraboo! It was kind of the place I really found myself and really really loved our life there. I think someday we will likely move back to that area...I love it. Well the Summer Art Classic is on Saturday so we will go to that and also meet up with a few old friends who I cannot wait to see. I am also bringing some stuff to my friend Mary's new space in an antique store. She had a shop next to mine when my store was in Baraboo. So excited about that! After our day in Baraboo we are going to Spring Green to spend the evening with our good friends Jeff and Laura. They have a fabulous house that they are letting us crash at. We are so poor right now it is very good to have those kinds of friends. We will likely have a great dinner, drink a couple of beers on the deck and watch all the kids play until they crash. I cannot wait!

So in case you didn't figure it out...the store is not going to be open tomorrow....August 8th. I will open back up on Monday at 10ish...see you then!

Ahhhhh vacation.

I am so relaxed and rejuvenated! We got to Minocqua at about 5pm and our friends who have the cabin didn't get there until 9ish so we did something we never ever do...we sat in a tavern (I say tavern because up there it just seems like the right word) for 4 hours! We had a blast. The first pic is Cletus (really Dane) from The Black Bear Bar (11045 Hwy 70 West, Minocqua WI). Dane is a real character. By the time our friends came we were a little loopy (see that glazed over look in the picture?) It's the kind of place that you instantly feel at home.
Saturday was super relaxing. We spent the day antique shopping. The first mall was the best one. It was Ages Past Antique Mall, 8714 Hwy 47 S, Minocqua. It was so super neat and clean and pretty decent prices. The owner was a hoot too. He tried to sell me a taxidermy drunk frog. I passed but it was a hard thing to pass up. We also went to The Mill on the same Hwy and another mall in town. The Mill was good but junky and I think if the place is that junky the prices should reflect that. I did get a few great postcards. The one in town was good but the women working weren't exactly friendly. We went to lunch at the Minocqua Brewing Co. It was soooo good. I had a pulled pork and gouda open face sandwich with sweet potato fries and the best iced tea I have ever had. Glenn had a good beef and brie sandwich that looked pretty tasty too. I was too full to try it. After that we went back to the cabin and just acted lazy. The guys put the pier in and I took a 2 HOUR NAP!!!! Yes a NAP! Oh was it great. We had soup and sandwiches for super and sat around talked and watched movies. I was reminded what stars look like that night and I liked it. I tried to take a picture but of course it didn't work. It was so dark there so those stars were so bright it almost hurt to look at them. I went in because I couldn't stop looking at them and it made me dizzy. The loons were serenading us the whole time too.
Sunday I was still having fun but missing Molly something awful so we didn't do too much because I wanted to get home to her. It was so nice to see her and how totally excited she was to see us. She had a lot of fun with Grandma and Grandpa Geiser but like me I think ready to go home. She fell asleep on the way home so I didn't even get to play with her so I just snuggled a little on the couch with her and put her to bed. Next time she is coming with us.

Stuck Behind Glass

So I am almost finished putting together everything for my upcoming show at Stumpjack. The theme is stuck behind glass so I created about 30 little jar fairies, my crazy shadowboxes and I took my pendants to the next level when creating these little beach find necklaces. They have been so fun! It was one of those things I made that made me realize that a simple process like soldering can be taken in a completely different direction. I am really excited to play with it more today!

It is my very first solo show and will be at Stumpjack starting with an opening on Friday March 28th at 7pm and on display until Mayish. I am very excited send a big thanks to my friends David and Kim for giving me this opportunity! So I would love to see you at the opening! My friend Greg Pagel will be playing some groovy backround music and like always there will be wonderful coffee, wine and atmosphere at Stumpjack!

Oh and by the way I am playing hookie tomorrow so......
don't come to Persimmons on Friday!
My husband has a day off and we really need some time together so thanks for understanding!

Back in the swing of things.

Vacation was really fun. I didn't really want to come back because I so enjoy not having to do dishes or laundry but I did miss the store. I of course have a lot to do now but kind of still feel like I am in vacation mode so I need to snap out of it.

I don't have a camera right now so this mushroom picture will just have to do.

A new little restaurant opened today in downtown Manitowoc. I have been watching the progress through the window and was very excited to see it open when I went past this morning. The owners are so nice and will be a great addition to our beautiful little downtown. I got a breakfast burrito and a mocha and they were both pretty darn good for the first day. I wish them much success! Oh it is called Wrap It Up and it is right on South 8th next to the old cooks corner.

Visiting all the downtown's we did the last week I have seen both ends of the spectrum and I must say even with our vacancies right now we still rank as a pretty attractive an vibrant downtown. Of course we need to fill the empty storefronts but overall it is a great looking city that we should start looking at through new eyes. I really think the potential for this town is so freakin great and it is on the verge of exploding. We need people to get excited and help us out so if you love it here and want to help please come see me!

Joelle and Robs wedding fun

Having fun dancing with the boys
Doing the Chicken Dance
And passed out. We had a lot of fun at my sister in laws wedding. It was a super freaky warm day that began with a little shower. They got married in a beautiful little chapel in the Baraboo Bluffs. The reception was very small and intimate. Molly obviously had a blast and passed out at about 10:30. She was super well behaved and made me tired just looking at her. We planned on going to Devils lake the next day but I am getting old and wearing 4 inch heels made my feet unbearably sore so we just went shopping in the Dells instead. I had a wonderful night spending it at one of my very best friends Julie. Her boyfriend Chris made us a great steaks on the grill. It is always nice to get a home cooked meal when you are on vacation. Today we did go to Devils Lake and Molly had a lot of fun swimming. Who would ever have thought that we would be swimming in a lake on October 7th! We drove and ended up in Minocqua. I like it here. We are staying at a great hotel and ate at a really yummy pizza bar for dinner. We decided we are staying until Wednesday. I really really really needed this. It is nice to spend some quality time with Glenn and Molly.

On Vacation!

So we leave tomorrow morning for VACATION. Oh it has been a long time. I will be closed Thursday 10-4 thru Tuesday 10-10. Except on Saturday 10-6 Annette and my sister Kelly will be working for Oktoberfest. We are going to Glenn's sister Joelle's wedding in Baraboo on Friday night...visiting friends...and then??? We really loved living there so it will be fun to take Molly to places we loved like Devils Lake and Java Cafe our favorite coffee shop. I love visiting our old friends. So after Sunday we will decide if we will stay in Baraboo or drive wherever the road takes us. I am happy. We found a great friend Lindsay to take care of our house and Holly so there is nothing to worry about there. Of course it is super busy today in the store which it never ever is on Wednesdays and it is making me feel guilty to close but I think I will get over it.

This morning a very delightful woman named Holly came into my store and we got to talking. She retired recently from teaching and got a really neat idea for these candles she had been buying for years from a man that lives in her area. They have this very neat all the way through glowing quality that is quite beautiful. He sold them as plain candles but she thought it would be great to funk them up a bit and here she is. She showed me her preliminary design for the packaging and a few of the actual candles and it is a beautiful line. Check out her website here black and light co. She is still working on all of it but I think she will do well. So good luck Holly.

So I am bringing my computer but am not sure if I will be connected so like my store my blog will be on vacation for a few days! Enjoy the weekend and I will catch up next Wednesday!