Thanksgiving

A few of the things I'm thankful for . . . .

Although I lost my mom this season, I'm thankful for a wonderful family

 filled with people who accept me and hug me and love me. 

 While a lot of folks feel alone in this world, 

I have an incredible network of family and friends to laugh and share life with at any time.

I am especially thankful to work side by side with my daughter, and a group of delightful women!

I'm blessed to make a living doing the work I most enjoy.

I do what I love and love what I do.

Add to that, that I am surrounded by friends who are supportive, talented, 

encouraging and appreciative of

 the world of antiques, history and making a home a special place.

My community of faith . . . those around me who love to celebrate our faith.

There is a bond and communion in shared ideals and beliefs.  

My sweet home . . . perfect for my needs and so cozy and warm and pleasant.

I actually think about how grand it is to have been born into a culture and time

 where hot running water and indoor plumbing and central heat are the norm.  

To cozy up in my favorite chair with a good book and a cup of tea,

to turn up my music and sing outloud,

to cook, nap, putter with decorating or do laundry . . .

it's all heartwarming when you think about it.

I realize how special it is that I have the luxury of making choices in my life.

Sometimes they seem insignificant to me, but I know there are millions in this world who

 would look at my life and see a wealth of opportunities and choices to be had.

Friends!!! 

 I have circles of friends who enrich every aspect of my life. 

 They are every age and stage of life, scattered and near . . . 

We are connected . . . woven together like the warp and weft of a huge, strong tapestry.

They are part of who I have become.

I am needed. 

 It's a basic human desire . . . to be needed and found useful

 and hence, 

to sense that we are valuable to those who know us.

I am thankful.

  

Happy Thanksgiving!

Come For A Visit

I would like you to visit my daughter's website today, at

kelliebrown-ethiopia.blogspot.com

Kellie is an articulate writer, an awesome woman and an incredible citizen of the world.

She is raising three wonderful children, two of whom she and her husband recently adopted from Ethiopia.

Enjoy!

Hello Again

Yes, I AM still on the planet . . . or maybe hovering just above in the stratosphere . . .

My two little adopted grandchildren from Ethiopia are settled in, and my four year old grandson has proudly received them as his very own "brodder" and sister! They are learning English and adapting to our foreign culture quite nicely! Family is a wonderful thing . . .

Autumn is in the air, and my mind wanders to Thanksgiving, and what it will be like to celebrate such a holiday with these three little ones gathered around me. God is good! They will be experiencing "firsts" for some time to come . . . and this Thanksgiving will be a very special "first" for them. What will they think of Halloween???? Oh My!!!!

The Pumpkin Patch visit will be upon us any day now!

Business is bustling, and I'm just back from a fruitful road trip with a truckload of antiques.

Alice and I hitched up the trailer and set our sights on the Amana Colonies of Iowa . . . where we wandered through beautiful countryside to "Simply Iowa". Barb's show was fabulous - and the consistent rain, coupled with fog and temps hovering around 40 degrees were a moody backdrop for some of the most enjoyable days of treasure hunting! Candles provided a warm glow in her outbuildings, tents and fabulous shop. Barb is one of those wonderfully charismatic, kindred souls that I clicked with immediately. Arriving at her shop was like coming home to a familiar and happy place. Barb sent us on to a wonderful set of shops named Bloom and Sisters. They were just my cup of tea!

We headed to What Cheer the following day, already content with the booty we had stashed away . . . and encountered mud, mud and more mud, rain and cold and ummmm what treasures! I always laugh to myself when customers comment on what a perfect and lovely life I have - buying and selling antiques . . . . and visions of these days pop into my head . . . .

rain, mud, cold, fog, or on some trips, days so hot I melt into a puddle . . . mosquito bites, humidity, broken down vehicles, my trailer with a broken axle, and other assorted hassles, headaches and heartbreaks . . .

but, truth be told, I wouldn't trade it for any other lifestyle! There is something so exciting about the hunt, the find, the negotiation, the purchase, the ownership, (even tho' it's temporary), the travel, the unpacking and cleaning and pricing and inventorying and display and finally, the sale! It's not even the sale, as much as the delight of the person who purchases my finds!

The stay was sweet, and we were hosted by Alice's delightful daughter & son in law,

Susie & Mike. Susie is the best at locating the perfect haunts for great finds.

I have unpacked many of the wonderful things, and they're already being seen today at PATINA.

We're basking in the warm glow of being named

Denver's

NUMBER ONE

Antiques Shop,

by Channel 7's A-List.

We won the spot through the loyalty and support of our

incredible customers

and the community of dealers and buyers and friends who cast their votes for us.

Thank you, thank you, thank you! We love you all, so much!

Come see the wonderful treasures we've found for you . . . .

Joy

The Really Important Things

Good Morning Gentle Readers, Just a short post today. The day is dawning cloudy and cooler. There is no rhyme or reason to Springtime in the Rockies. Just taking one day at a time, sunny and 87 degrees, or cloudy and 59 degrees. The greening and budding and blossoming is spectacular, thanks to cloudbursts like last nights. It's all good in my estimation. One really important thing we must remember in life : we are never really "in control", and weather reminds us of the fact.

I'm currently beginning to stage displays for my next antiques show . . . (all over my living room . . . ), getting a feel for what I wish to create at Old Glory. I LOVE THIS SHOW. There is such a camaraderie of dealers, some arriving from locations across the country, some from across town . . . it's old home week(end).

We truly compete to see who's queen of the world (OK, our world is small and a little strange, but we do . . . )

Some of our customers have attended for nearly all of the 33 or so years the show has been in existence. They've followed it from Evergreen to Lakewood to Boulder County Fairgrounds and

back down to

Clement Park

because it's worth it!

I'm excited about the

many new items,

I'm going to show you,

and am seeking the very best display creativity, to enchant and inspire you! I hope you will be there - you know we see the best of the best at this little show.

A tip for shoppers, arrange in advance to transport large items, because there are some highly desirable furniture pieces that you'll want to take home.

Be there early - and have cash when possible, although several of us take credit cards, and checks if we know you. Bring your shopping carts, or see Lisa H. first, and buy one of her ADORABLE

vintage carts, complete with liner made from antique fabrics. Bring some bubble wrap and small boxes for little items - not all dealers are prepared to wrap items the way you might wish.

Now the really important news . . .

My new little grandchildren are here!

My daughter and son in law are home from Ethiopia with our Macy, 5, and Felix, 1.5, two beautiful little souls! They are siblings, energetic, smart and adorable. They speak no English, but I'm sure they will begin to very quickly. Fletcher, my 3.5 year old grandson evidently thinks this is hilarious, and has taken to speaking a new, (made-up) language, in competition with them, so poor mom and dad now have 3 children they can't understand.

Oh to be a small child, and just be responsible for having fun in this world!

If any of you speak Amharic, now is the time to say so.

(In English, please!)

Kudos to my kids for coping with this difficult time of adjustment.

I'm off to the shop for the day, and

tomorrow after church I'm up the mountain to visit those precious grandchildren.

Have a blessed weekend!

Tick Tock

It's snowing again in Denver, and I'm safe and warm in the house. I'm cooking, to pass the time, as the snow falls, deeper and deeper outside. The day is so quiet and peaceful. It seems that time both crawls along, and flies at an unbelievable speed, depending upon what I'm doing . . . While I was doing my taxes, and was under a deadline to organize receipts, mileage and a million other figures, time was racing by. When I needed to study for a class, get to work each day, visit a friend in the hospital, get to church, have lunch with friends and get laundry finished, the minutes were speeding by and I was wishing there were 6 more hours in each day. While I'm awaiting the arrival of my two new grandchildren from Ethiopia, however, the days are creeping along at an unbelievably slow pace . . . There has been a year and a half of hopeful anticipation, expectation and preparation, and now the day is at hand! Soon we will have our two beautiful little people with us. I'm counting the days, as the kids prepare to depart and fly around the world to stand before a judge, who will decree that these precious children are theirs. Then, the journey home, with children who do not speak our language or recognize most of the things we take for granted. They will enter a new world, where everything is a challenge, from language to customs to food. What will they be thinking and feeling, as people they do not know board them on an airplane, and bring them to what might seem like a strange planet? I trust that prayer and love will overcome all obstacles, eventually. These little people will not be sure of us at first. They will, no doubt miss the familiar surroundings, the climate and diet and language of their lives. They will miss people who look like them, and the normalcy of the routine in the orphanage that has been their home. We will welcome them to a wonderful home, new clothing and toys, soft beds, delicious food and clean water. We will hug them and sing to them and laugh and play with them. We will teach them a new language and present them with opportunities. They will be safe and warm and cared for. They will no longer be in the same danger of disease or famine, or loneliness. We will show them our tender love and acceptance, and hope that they will do the same for us. In the meantime, the hours are creeping along, as I wait not so patiently for the next two weeks. Then, they will be "home" and safe and secure.

Tick Tock . . . Tick Tock . . . Tick Tock . . .

Friends & Family

Hey, I'm just an old fashioned sort of girl and I admit it!

I'm not known for my tecnological savvy.

O.K., that's an understatement.

I'm known for being stuck in the (antique) Dark Ages.

I just mastered my cell phone's camera, and finally got my first digital camera. (As a gift.)

They say I need to get up to speed . Hey - I do have a blog - isn't that pretty up to the minute?

So I've had to rely on my genious daughter to design my sites and on my sweet friend Jeff

to provide wonderful photos. It's so nice to have friends and family who will assist me in inching into the 21st century. (Read: "pull me kicking and screaming into the 21st century".)

photo of my sweet photographer/boyfriend Jeff March

(Note: This was following a 14 mile hike into and out of a mountainous area, carrying photography equipment, and he thinks he is not looking his best . . . . I beg to differ! )

I'm learning more about my camera and computer every day, and that's what counts, after all. (At least I hope it counts!) I am now posting photos and artwork on my own . . . which is quite the accomplishment for me. Do I hear applause?? Thank you!!

I'm writing today to thank these wonderful members of my support team, (and life team), for keeping me on target, pointing me in the right direction, and propping me up whenever I need assistance.

No matter what they tell you, I do not

"usually get inspired and call them up at 3am".

O.K.

I DO get inspired at 3am, but I usually wait

at least until daybreak to call them for assistance.

They have inspired me and encouraged me and provided me with technical assistance and artistic advice. They love me anyway . . . in spite of my limitations, and support my endeavors, my brainstorms and my dreams. Thank You, Gang!

There is a little saying I heard a few years ago . . . and I'm sure they were talking about ME!

It goes like this . . .

"she sometimes had a storm inside of her head"

smiles

Grandchildren

This is my favorite person in the whole world, my grandson. My two new grandchildren may be arriving any day now, and I'm dancing in anticipation! My kids are adopting little siblings from Ethiopia. This brother and sister were orphaned by cruel conditions in a remote, poverty stricken village, and have been residing in an, (also remote), orphanage. I have spent the past year thinking about the way people live in other parts of our world, by comparison to our own elite lifestyles. It will be a good and beautiful thing to raise these two wonderful children in America, where food and sanitation and transportation and medical care are available. They will have every opportunity to grow and be nourished and educated . . . . to be safe, and have freedoms never imagined by most of the children they will leave behind in the orphanage. The odds of them growing old in America will increase 400%-600% over their chances in Ethiopia. They will have dental care and college educations and drive cars and use rapid transit and serve jury duty and vote. They will be able to earn more in 40 years than their entire village has earned in 400 years. They will be blessed by the love of parents and grandparents and great grandparents, unlike children in their part of the world, most of whom lose their parents before they are old enough to remember them. The simple pleasures of a bath, clean clothing, warm bed and three nutritious meals a day will soon become commonplace to them. Learning to read will open new worlds of imagination and expectation, and owning their own crayons and paper will give them wings. I was raised to thank God every day for His blessings, but this experience has heightened my sense of my personal expectations from life. Although I hail from immigrants who arrived with little and I was raised in a blue collar home, I have always had a roof over my head, food to eat, heat, a sense of security through the night, transportation, a job, clothing, utilities . . . . . all of the necessities. Yes, I have worked hard to afford them, as did my ancestors. The miracle is, that I was born in America, where there has always been the opportunity for me to work hard, earn a living and purchase what I needed. I am honored to welcome these little children to my family, and to share my love and my world with them. Have I mentioned how proud I am of my daughter and son in law? Well, I am!

Daily Reminders

Daily Reminders

I was blessed to be born into a family of five generations, all alive and active and filled with love, opinions, ambition and energy. Since the Civil War, the women in this prolific family, in addition to being wives and mothers, have been entrepreneurs. It was natural for me to grow up believing that I could and would be a business owner. It was also natural for me to see objects that were generations old and still cherished, maintained, appreciated and used on a daily basis. We've passed our possessions from one generation to the next, extracting every ounce of use possible from armoirs and mirrors, beds and books, kitchen utensils and piano.

I'm the proud keeper of ironstone china dating to the 1860's, which will be passed on to my daughter someday, with seven generations of family photographs and an odd assortment of other memorabilia.

With these simple belongings will pass the stories of these strong, brave, hardworking women.

Women who survived the War, the Depression, the dust bowl, fires, floods, the death of spouses, the loss of their homes and all trials that came their way.

These simple items of daily life are a touchpoint with these women . . . . a rememberance that if they worked hard enough and believed strongly enough to survive the tough times, that I have genetically programmed into me what it takes to survive what I may face.

The rolling pins, aprons and wedding bands are not the legacy . . . . the strength of character and spirit and ability to pray and laugh and carry on are the true legacy.

The antiques are there to encourage me each day.