Hello friends!
Well I am HOME . It really feels good too. Starting to feel finally like myself again. After the China trip and then back too Maine I have to say it was all a great ride but this home girl is so happy to be home and snuggling with the pups and getting my nose back to the grindstone and giving my shop Vintiques some much needed loving. One day last week I spent the whole day in the kitchen preparing meals for a family member who is recovering from a surgery. It felt so good. I truly do love this old farmstead. Putting the house back to some kind of order feels really good too. Trying hard to not be overwhelmed by my to do list. With all the wonderful travel it's now time to pay the piper haha!

It seems fall is upon us. Over the summer we purchased another fixer upper. It really is little more then a shell at the moment. Another tiny one/two bedroom cottage. However it has the sweetest large lots of the whole village. I hope to utilize it to show off a little of our talents in putting together a nice place to live without breaking the bank. I will also try to utilize instagram a little more with this house.

We received great news a while back that we will be installing standing seam metal roofing on this old farmhouse in November. The silver insurance lining in the storm damage that brought down my huge old trees.

The airbnb is really a blessing and kept me afloat financially with Vintiques having a slow summer.
It seems time for Vintiques to step up and the airbnb to slow down a bit. I am so very thankful for both ventures. I'd love to show you more incredible pictures from China and Maine but that will have to wait..... till I can manage blogger better.
Thank you for reading this old blog if you are!
Sharon

Life please slow down!

Hello friends.
Here I am I don't know what day it is or what time? Jet lag is real. And so is this nasty cold I picked up somewhere.
Sooooo China was truly wonderful our guide was a blessing and a new friend.
Wills work went amazingly smooth and we were able to see the Great Wall part of the forbidden the center of Beijing and just amazing china itself. Upon coming home we did a whirlwind apple festival in our tiny town where the shop is. It's blazing hot and we are both sick as I mentioned. Not sure if it's the menopause, insomnia or jet lag insomnia or just plan I'm exhausted and can't sleep.
However I knew this maybe the case and scheduled in a few days of nothing this week. And Sunday I leave for Maine with my bff. She has not been with me to my secret hiding place so I am really looking forward to that and just the peacefulness of Maine.
My pup lucky is really suffering from a flea allergy it's the worst it's been in years.
But all in all life is really good and seems to be going faster and faster.
Two young cats have shown up at the doorstep right before we left. They are too sweet but won't let me touch them. What a mystery how does this even happen.
So if your reading this....thank you.
I am seriously going to try to find out about blogging better and more about the computer and how to do more. It's very good for your brain to learn new things right?
And so now I. Must go take Bella for a walk as he demands this, this time of the evening.
Good for her....great for me.

More Maine and other stuff...

Wow.... hello friends seems like I can only really blog without pictures. Maybe one day I will learn all the Ins and outs..... maybe not. So here's what's happening here. Maine was awesome. The drive there and back with doggies was in uneventful but way long. The dogs were great and good company. I was able to stay for the longest time yet. Will was able to join me by flying in and out.

 It was super relaxing. So much going on. Kelsey and I was able to take Vintiques on the road with a show in Indianapolis before I went to Maine. Seems shops in our area slow way down in the summer. But good thing is the airbnb at Hannah's creek farm is going way better than I ever thought it would!

So that has been an unexpected blessing. The workshops continue to do well only monthly though. And the big upcoming news is.... I get to go to...... china! 

Here in a couple weeks. Will is going to go for work and I get to go with him. We will be back just in time for apple fest. Then I will fly back to Maine for a short week..... then it will be shop time flat out till the new year. And that folks is what is happening here.

Maine.....and more.

So this is a great little beach close to our little cabin.

This is me! Lucky and Bella at the top of a look out,after the hike up.

Our little cabin I was trying to paint but discovered a wasp nest and had to stop.

A new little decor for the entry way. 

Tiny bedroom. Still dealing with my inability to use blogger. Ugh. So I guess that's all for now.

Well the worst of the worst..... not really but still worst has happened here on the farm......
The trees a good bit of 2 of them came crashing down.... not on the house...... while me and the doggies were huddled in the basement. Probably due to the fact everything is water logged. So much rain no chance to really dry out. You don't realize how long something is till it's down at eye level. They took out a good bit of fence. And one gate and the power line ro the house. Trapping us for just a while. Will cut some large logs and a neighbor moved some with his tractor.

It really is huge.

I'll take more pictures soon. It breaks my soul. But we will plant some more trees come fall.

This weekend promises to be a fun learning experiment. As Vintiques ( my tiny shop) is doing our first big show in Indy. Indiana landmarks treasure hunt.

I am hoping to move everything I can from the shop. And sell it to start fresh collection for fall. 

The airbnb is going well.

And hopefully next week I'll be traveling with the pups to Maine for some OCEAN time.

Well I must be off. Hope you are well where you are!

Lil pink camper

A better view! From the previous post! A sweet little retreat to spend some time napping or reading!

Hope where ever you are you are having a peaceful summer so far!

Cleaning up, cleaning out....
So the last two days here in ce

ntral Indiana have really been very beautiful. I thought I really should do a task or two that I've been putting off. Before the heat returns. And I got two goals done. One there is a milk house that sits right on our front drive right in front of the barn. It was full of crap.... that's putting it nicely ..... got it all emptied and hauled off to the county dump! Yay me. Two I have a 1964 travel trailer.... yes one of those that you see all "glamped" up! It's a looker on the inside sweet as can be. But the outside well it's "original ". However over the last several years we have used it as a pool house dressing room, playhouse for the kids. And they adore it. Also storage for old pillows, blankets, books, camping gear.... and by the looks of it anything else we could cram in there! Well I got it all cleaned out too! Again yay me.

You see the last few years has been one of shop, shop, shop.... and I don't mean shopping! We've been so busy getting the shop aka business ready that lots of other things have gone undone or neglected. And when you own a vintage business you have to have somewhere to store the vintage. That would be the garage and barn. Slowly getting to those areas. And then there is the grass,weeds, fields that the never ending rain has provided us with such lush greenness!

Farm house living room

So I love to read blogs.... ok that's an understatement! It's a Monday morning thing for me. So much thought and inspiration comes with it.
It's like checking in with  I old friends for me.
After a week of broken things last week, comes this week full of fixed! And a beautiful sunny day comes with it. So after cleaning literally everything in the living room..( fireplace cleaning done by a professional that was not professional and left a sooty mess everywhere) ... I still don't have curtains back up yet.... and I may not put them up till fall. I love the feeling of openness it allows. And with no neighbors why not? We have really had a tremendous amount of rain in this part of Indiana lately and it makes it super hard to stay on top of the mowing, weeding and really anything else outside. This with very high humidity and temps. But not today. It's just beautiful. Still I am not able to use blogger the way I once did. I am so not technically able. So thank you for reading and muddling through post with me. I hope you are able to enjoy your day wherever you are!

This is standing in the door way into the living room from the library.

You can see one of the front doors that opens in onto the front porch. The other opens to the library where there is the front door we use to enter the house.... if not coming in through the mud porch.

To make along story short....

Everything's a mess! Last Friday will had a professional come and clean out the fireplace which we had never used because it vented the old furnace. But lots of debree had fallen in and it was a sooty mess. Well the guy came and left. And will was not paying much attention to the situation. End of along week for him. I got home and he told me he had someone come and clean it. At first I was happy. Then I saw the MESS. everything in the living rom covered with a fine layer of black soot dust. Black hand prints all over everything I immediately started to clean it up.....no this is not a job for Friday evening. After many conversations with the own and employee it was apparent thus was not going to resolve. So tractors broke, pool pump broke, house is a disaster and we have guest in the cottage. Who are here with their son who is having cancer surgery today.
My problems are nothing.
Hope you all have a great day and that your problems are like mine.....0

June

June is here! 

Typical weather hot cold hot cold. 

In January I lost one of my best friends. There was a celebration of life held over last weekend at his lake house and favorite place on earth. He was a vet so there were ceremonies paying tribute for his service as well as family and tons of friends. This was held directly on the beach and what a perfect day for him it was.

This was about a 6 hour drive. My daughter went with me as well as our doggies. We camped the first night then on the way home stayed in a pet friendly red roof inn. It truly was a lovely trip with my girl. Seems these days I don't see enough of her. As anyone with a child over 21 can tell you. We stopped in Ann Arbor on the way home and walked the downtown area. So lovely with one vintage shop that we truly loved. The whole town was pet friendly and we enjoyed the walk so much.

The dogs could not have traveled any better they were so great!

So what's happening around here? Trying to get the pool opened... and trying to unearth the farm from weeds! A never ending battle.

Maybe I should just learn to accept the weeds as friends!

It's done enough!

So here are a few quick pictures I am still trying to learn to add them to the blog! 

So the last few weeks have been a huge fast flurry of getting it done! First the airbnb I need to try to add some pics... then the secret garden at the shop, then the opening at the shop with the succulent bar..... that no one came to? So lesson lea reed. I sold all of the succulent planters at my last show. So I've been going ahead and planting them and will put them for sale out front this weekend. 

And today I am resting.... doing laundry starting my new brain diet, and doing aerobic Exercises.... I ran ( jog fast walk ) got my heart rate up for 18 minutes. It's a start! It's a really beautiful day here on the farm. June 2 I am going to a celebration of life for one of my dearest friends in Michigan I will be camping I will be taking lucky with me and maybe Bella then on to Maine I hope. I applied for my passport so I can travel through Canada not sure that will happen. But I am looking forward to the time off. And to just wander my way around.

Sometimes on days like today I think of all the things I should be doing. Then I remember this is really really important too. Resting and just puttering around......

So friends here it is early may a beautiful morning on the farm. I am trying so hard in my morning moments to learn how to add photos to the blog. I miss my blogger app. It worked to well. The shop is going well. Saturday was one of our best days yet. It was a whole town yard sale and we had a main st. Market on our tiny main st. Complete with food truck! How bout those apples!! Haha. In other  news the airbnb here on the farm is up and running. You can check it out for yourself on airbnb. Hannah's creek farm guest cottage. We have had 4 guest with 2 different weekends. I love it! Trying to keep a little cash flow and helping the farm pay for itself is. Huge.

Yesterday was an exaughsting day. I had to barrow a truck to go pick up the rest of my "picked " items from a friend who is emptying a house for a friend. Then bring it here... power wash items going to the secret garden. Dig out some old metal roofing going to the garden on the pergola for shade... it's sooo hot! Power wash them load them load an old water tank and a few other items. Drive to shop unload then get the truck back. Oh how I wish I had a partner most days to help with the craziness. But realizing goals with the airbnb has really given me some fuel to move forward. Finishing something that has taken me over 20 years is so awesome.

Looking forward to a getaway soon to Michigan for a friends celebration of life. Bittersweet for sure I miss him so very much and think of him daily. The celebration is to be held at a lake he lived at for many years. I've been many times. But never without him...

So we are doing a succulent bar for the opening of the secret garden and I must get busy...joining my mom and daughter for a quick lunch today then taking my mom to pick out her Mother's Day gift from a local Amish market that has beautiful hanging flower baskets!

Happy May Day!

Wow I can't believe it's may already so much going on.....not really sure what to talk about first . We have been really busy at vintiques getting the secret garden happening. Yesterday I worked on the hidden sidewalk from the other street entrance. By work I mean digging up years and years worth of weeds and dirt to discover a cement sidewalk and also a stone path. This sidewalk does not belong to me. There is an entire abandoned building that sits right next to ours. I am so trying to put lipstick on the pig with this one. Haha. Well it appears I can not add a picture today from my iPad so I guess I won't show you. Or my phone. So I will say goodbye for today and try to fix some of these difficulties soon. Yikes I am so technologically challenged!

Good morning friends!
It's a cool one here in central Indiana today.
Almost 70 yesterday and not getting out of the 40s today. With rain.
I'm going to talk about my friend Jack today. I may even start a series of jack stories. Haha.
Jack who I call Superman is a machinist who lives on the other side of the field. He is in his mid 70s and one of my dearest friends. His shop is at home on his acreage. He called me a while back and wanted to know if I had a lightening rod with a ball on it? Well I have some but they are all up on my roof. So sometime went by and will found one at a sale and purchased it. I took it and sold it to jack for the purchase price. $45. End of story.....except not really. He called me over a week later and gave me this.....

It's really farm sculpture!

I had to put the cap from a ball point pen on the top to protect myself...so I had to put the money in his mail box because he wouldn't take it. True story.

Hello friends

trying this again in a little different way I deleted the blogger app and just went in through another way! Maybe I can blog again! I really have missed it and didn't want to lose all of my past blogs! I realized how important blogging is to me! Life here at the farm is going on just fine. Trying to adjust to my new work schedule. Trying to balance life at the shop with life on the farm. Sometimes it seems both are a full time job. My new project this year is to Finnish some of my old projects. Like the guest area here on the farm and get it going with airbnb. Have the water work finished at our tiny cottage in Maine and get it on airbnb. And here at the shop.........wait for it.....a tiny secret garden.

Beside my shop is a garage.....with a wrecker service......with the (death cars) ugh that's what I call them in a parking lot right outside my back door. There is no fence the only thing that separates our properties is my property is grass and theirs is old very old blacktop. So I am thinking a large privacy fence.... we shall see. I will try to post some before pictures very soon. We are just waiting for the weather to change! How happy am I this first day of spring. I can blog again!
So good to be with you again friend. And now I will try to post a few pictures.

March

Well here it is march and I am still trying to get blogger to work.

The shop is doing well. Much better then I thought it would for February!

Classes

Are humming right along. Well blogger hasn't disappeared yet so I will try to post.