I'm Back!

Thanks for all the comments on my last post. I am really behind in my emails since we were gone a couple days so bear with me. We had a great time on our anniversary weekend. The first thing we did was hit a nice garage sale on the way out of town. I got a few goodies (some pillowcases, a rose plate, a very old candy cookbook and some silver ice tea spoons, total $3.60!) and we had a good time looking things over. The picture above was the house next door. It was so pretty I just had to take a picture. It used to be a church! So gorgeous. That was just the side entry!
The Folk festival was only so-so. Music was good but it was very hot out and the "craft show" part of it was minimal. The one thing that I found really interesting was an area in the Folk Craft demonstration tent that showed tatting. There were some lovely ladies there doing demonstrations and even sitting down with some of the children and showing them lace-making and tatting and letting them try it themselves. I had always wondered how it was done and now I have seen it. I gives you a real appreciation for the effort and hours spent decorating the vintage hankies and pillowcases that still decorate our homes!

Earl and I spent a lot of our time checking out antique malls.

This is one of the booths that really caught my eye while we were looking around. You can see it was filled with beautiful things (with outrageous prices!)

I enjoyed looking at all the eye candy, but I have to admit that I have become a bit disillusioned with antique malls. It seems the prices are so high. I am not one of those people who buys something just to look at it. With an 1100 sq. ft. house you can't just fill it with tchotchkes. There isn't room. Everything needs to be something useful. If I paid $70.00 for a pink depression glass bowl (and it was beautiful!) I would feel awful if I dropped it or chipped it. You need to be told that I have broken more glass with my clumsiness than anyone has a right to. Besides, the black teacup sets I got in my last post, cost me $2.00! In the antique store they would be $30-$40. So I guess I am just a looker at the antique stores. I prefer to find that steal of a bargain and if something happens to it, so be it.

We also went to the farmers market. This was in Lansing, MI, home of Michigan State University, one of the biggest, best agricultural Universities in the world. There wasn't a whole lot there in the way of fruits & vegetables. I found that surprising, but there was a gorgeous little shop with lots of pretty things that I enjoyed looking at and getting ideas from. I wish now that I had bought some things, especially one of those cute little etched bell jars, they were so pretty! I will have to look this place up if we go back.

This was the sales table in the little shop. I am sorry you can't see it very clearly, but it was so pretty. It had all these little silver glittery stars hanging from the vine covered gazebo over the register. I LOVE GLITTER, have I mentioned that before? Maybe:>) Anyways, we wandered around and finally came to a cheese vendor who had all these amazing cheeses. We bought some mango and ginger Stilton (to die for!) and a "dangerously sharp cheddar" as Earl likes to say, since that is his favorite kind. So we shopped and had dinner out and walked around and just got time together to talk and reconnect. I think that is what keeps our marriage so happy. We never forget to take time for each other. A wonderful weekend, hope yours was wonderful too!