This Crazy Idea

About three months ago I got this crazy idea to do the bazaar circuit this fall.  I saw myself with a cute little table full of soap, lotion, jewelry and more.  I signed up for bazaars, paid my money and started making stuff.  I must have been downright crazy.  I'm always caught in the middle on this.  You see, I like to make way more stuff than I can use.  And, I always buy way more supplies than I can use, but when you start making stuff to sell, you realize that all those supplies are somehow insufficient and you need more.

I put my foot down this week and said, "No more supplies!"  I filled every jar I own.  Made every last tube of lip balm and bottle of lotion.  It is actually a whole lot of stuff.  I really hope it sells.

Mostly the shows are in Tri-Cities, but there is one in Spokane this weekend.  I would love to see some friendly faces.  Friday I will be here. 

I guess it's hard to read the fine print.  It is at the Kennewick Senior Center, which is at 500 South Auburn in Kennewick. 

Saturday I will be at Ferris High School in Spokane.  The bazaar is a fund raiser for their all-night graduation party. 

Please spread the word.  I love bazaars.  They are such a fun environment, everyone sharing their talents with all those hand-made things.  I have vowed to take one child to each bazaar.  Mazie is joining me on Friday.  I don't know who will be with me on Saturday, maybe Dylan.  He will be the only one willing to get up at 5 a.m. to get to Spokane and set up on time. 

Hope to see you there!!!

Finally

I suppose I should have posted when it happened, but the biggest news right now is that our house in Big Timber, Montana finally sold.  This is one huge burden off our shoulders.  The week before we got the offer on the house, Nathan interviewed with Stillwater Mining.  We went back and forth.  Should we go back an try to recapture the life we had, or should we hang on a little longer with the faith that we are where we are supposed to be?  As it happened the offer on the house and the offer for the job came the same day.  We took the offer on the house and closed that chapter of our lives.  It was a bittersweet decision.  We miss Big Timber-- the people, not the weather.  The kids miss going to school and having friends.  I miss having a real house and having time to clean it.  Josie would be in Debbie's preschool this year.  I would have had whole mornings to myself.

However, I just couldn't go.  We love the long growing season here.  We love our families.  It's hard to be far away from them.  Nathan doesn't love his job, but it pays well.  I spend a lot of time with my mom.  I missed her those five years we were away.  My kids see their grandparents everyday and their cousins every week.  I just couldn't give those things up again. 

So, we move forward like we always do.  The kids are adapting to home school.  The boys both have one more football game and then there is wrestling and basketball to look forward to.  Dylan takes art lessons from his great-grandma, and now spends a lot of time drawing.  Our house is chaotic and loud.  We are closed into a very small space.  Everyone fights and yells and it often feels like there is no peace at all.  But, we harvested our garden and bottled about 50 quarts of grape juice.  I canned tomatoes and spaghetti sauce, pears and pickles.  I even made raisins for the first time with our table grapes.  This lifestyle on a little farm in a tiny house isn't glamorous, but it's okay.  For now, at least. 

I do hope that someday I will have a house again.