This Stop Willoughby

A little bit of this and a little bit of that.... Renovating I've spent countless hours knee deep in html, lately, because my blog deperately needs a new look.  I have a test blog that I use so I don't have to shut this one down.  Ironically, it hasn't left me much time for new posts, so I guess it wouldn't matter if I closed up shop for a few days.  I'm nearly done, I have one glitch holding me up, but I'm going to try to figure that out this afternoon.  I hope to be unveiling my new look soon! Recipes A big thank you to those of you who answered my request for new recipes. I can't wait to try the fabulous ones I received.  However, even though my birthday is over, I'm still on the hunt for more new recipes to add to our upcoming Saturday night food and drink demos.  I'm especially interested in old family recipes and authentic ethnic dishes.  If you've got a great recipe and a don't mind sharing, I'd love to have it...

Here's the scenario.  Someone gives you, let's say $1000, and tells you to go shopping.  You don't have to pay it back, and you can't give it to someone else (if it makes you feel better, we can say they will also make a charitable donation in the same amount to the charity of your choice).  It's just for you.  You can choose any store(s) you want and buy anything that your heart desires.  Where would you go and what would you buy?  Me?  I'd head straight to one of my favorite flea markets or antique/vintage/junk shops.  I'm not sure what I would buy because you never know what you'll find in one of those places.  And, for me, that's what makes it fun.  I'm crazy about all sorts of antique and vintage things.  I have a particular weakness for candle holders, old books and kitchen items.  They don't have to be rare or especially collectible, either.  I'm not too wrapped up in the monetary value of the thing...

I hope you haven't been sitting by computer waiting for this announcement because I'm a little tardy today.  My sincere apologies for not posting the results sooner, but we've drawn the winning name in my giveaway. We did this the old fashioned way.  All names were printed on little slips of paper, put into a bowl and shuffled around.  My daughter drew the winning name. Congratulations, Pearl!  You may choose any one item from my Etsy store, The Cabbage Rose ,  (I've just added some new tote bags!).  When you've decided what you'd like, drop me an email at thisstopwilloughby@yahoo.com with your choice and your mailing address.  It will be on it's way to you in no time! Thank you to everyone who participated!!! Willoughby

I always feel sort of introspective this time of year.  You see, I've got a birthday and an anniversary coming up (42 and 21, respectively) and they always make me feel just a little blue.  I know how odd that sounds, really, I do.  It's not that I'm unhappy with my life or my marriage, just the opposite, in fact.  What gets me down is that birthdays and anniversaries are a reminder of all that's passed.  Over time, my focus seems to have shifted from what is today and what will be tomorrow to all the yesterdays that will never be again. photo courtesy of Google images It's pessimistic to think that way, I suppose, even though I don't think of myself as a pessimist.  I see the glass half full, but in the back of my mind, I guess I'm marking the water line on the glass with a sharpie.  Birthdays and anniversaries aren't the issue, anyway. Any day and every day stand to mark the passage of time. I just tend to think more about it a...

*The following post contains mild profanity. I used to work with a woman named Mary.  I had been working in the department for about a year when one of my coworkers transferred to a new position and Mary was hired.  She was pretentious with a capital P.  From her very first day on the job, I could see that we weren't going to be best buds. Mary was from out of state and made it clear that Michigan did not suit her.  The weather was not to her liking; it was always too hot or too cold.  She was from a state where snow was uncommon, so she complained endlessly about having to drive on snow covered roads.  Just a dusting would have closed roads and businesses in her home state, she always told us. The way we talked bothered Mary, too.  She was always questioning our pronunciation of words and the expressions we used.  It's common, around here, to refer to any city north of mid-state as "up north".  If you said you ...

Yesterday, Mr. Willoughby and I went to an auction.  We've been to auctions before, but this one was completely different.  It was a public storage auction.   For those who don't know, storage facilities auction off the contents of units that are in default.  Basically, if you don't pay your rental fee for X amount of months (I think it's three months), you give up your possessions and the facility has the right to auction them off to the highest bidder.  Mr. Willoughby found out about this auction online.  They advertised a car that he has been looking for, so we decided to go. We got there early and there were only four other people there, so we thought we had a good chance of winning the car.   As it got closer to auction time, though, dozens of other people showed up.  By the time we had signed in, there were at least forty people in attendance.  We considered leaving, but decided to stay if only to see what the car ...

If you're really quiet you can actually hear the snow melting today.  You think I'm kidding?  I'm not.  The last few days have been unusually warm and spring-like for March, so the 18 or so inches of snow that piled up after the last storm are disappearing.  You can hear it dripping from rooftops.  On the grass, it makes more of a crunching sound as it falls in on itself. In shady areas, it's melting more slowly.  The wood pile on the side of my garage, for example, doesn't get much sun until late in the day so it looks like this: The walkway at the bottom of the porch steps, though, has been getting sun since about 7:30 this morning.  I sat on the steps for a while and actually watched the grass appear.  It was just a little slower than watching time lapse photography.  I took these pictures over the span of about an hour.  Look at the edge of the snow line.  You can see how it has melted from pic...

Kids are funny, aren't they?  Every day when I go to pick my daughter up from school, I find one or two kids doing something that makes me laugh.  Today I saw a girl, probably about 8 years old, fixing a wedgie.  Without the slightest hint of self consciousness, she walked through the elementary school lobby pulling on the seat of her pants and wiggling.  The throng of other kids and parents didn't deter her from her mission.  Years ago, when my son was in the third grade, I volunteered to help out with a classroom holiday art project.  I was supervising the kids as they cut shapes out of craft foam sheets to make decorations.  All of a sudden, in the middle of his project, one little boy got very excited.  "I know this song!" he said.  He closed his eyes and swayed back and forth as if listening to some unusual and exotic melody.  It was Jingle Bells. It's always fun to volunteer at school during the ...

I'm a little busy today, so I'm doing a "Saturday Rewind".  If you've been a follower for a while, you may have seen this post before (but please feel free to read it again).  You're Always Welcome Of course you are, friends and family are always welcome to stop by for a visit, a drink or a meal. If you've never been here before, here are a few things you should know before your drop in. You will be expected to make yourself at home. We'll be glad to get you something to drink, but don't be shy about going into the refrigerator yourself. Dinner is almost never on time. If we tell you we'll be eating at 6:00, it will probably be closer to 6:30 or 7:00. I don't know why, it just tends to work out that way. If you don't like the food that's being served, you won't be expected to eat it. We don't believe in punishing adults or children by making them eat foods they don't like around here. If we know that you're co...

I've had an Etsy store for quite some time, but I haven't had anything in it.  Now, I'm pleased to say, I finally do!  My husband and I just purchased a new silk screen printing press, and we've put some of our creations in my Etsy store.  In honor or the grand re-opening of "The Cabbage Rose" , I'm having a giveaway. Here's how it works:  the winner of the giveaway will win any one item of their choice from my store .  It is for followers only, so if you're not already a follower, you must become one (and no, you don't have to live in the United States).  To enter, simply leave a comment telling me that you would like to be entered in the giveaway.  You don't need to tell me which item you would like, yet.  The winner will be randomly chosen from all entries received. If you give a shout out to my giveaway, along with a link, or post my Etsy store button (see it up there in the left hand corner?) on yo...