a random Thursday thought...

the Pickers...

Last summer, weaving our way back from Texas through the midwest, we had the fun opportunity to stop and see where the American Pickers have their store, in Le Claire Iowa.

Hugging the Mighty Mississippi river is the tiny town of Le Claire. The population couldn't be more than a couple thousand, at best. Greeting us right off of highway 80 was a very friendly welcome center. There, I got my courage up -and sound like a major geek tourist- and asked where we could find "the pickers". Surprisingly we were not the first to ask this; for we were each then presented with a rather lovely color photo of Mike Wolfe and Frank Fritz... AKA...the Pickers! Next, the nice lady pulled out a map of the town. She took her pen and circled the right spot to find Antique Archeology, their shop. BINGO!

With photo's in hand and a spring to our step, we headed out the door and down the windy road headed to the small, yet vibrant, downtown area of Le Claire Iowa. When we got to the gas station, that the nice welcome lady told us the shop was behind, we turned left and there it was! Ah, really?! Was THIS the same shop that I have seen oodles and oodles of times on TV? It looked so small! Basically the shop was smushed between two rather ordinary older homes. In my mind I was expecting to find the store on a large parcel of land, somewhere near an Iowan cornfield. No, instead it was shoe-horned in a space that seemed to not be quite right.

 We got out of our cars and proceeded to the shop, hoping to just get a glimpse of Mike or Franky. Well, a rather blunt woman told us that the store was closed that day. The guys were filming and that we should come back tomorrow. Tomorrow?! Um, no! I told her that we are driving back, cross country, and cannot come back tomorrow. We will be home tomorrow! She said sorry and also told me I couldn't take any pictures. Well, that was NOT about to happen. Are ya kidding!? I came all this way here, maybe never to be back again, and trust me! I WAS taking pictures...thank you very much!

  Cool red car...

 a Franky sighting! I really wanted to see Mike too...and Danielle, but no.

 a view from the side yard...

a view from behind the store. I guess a lot of people think that their junk is the Pickers junk!


Overall, despite NOT being able to enter the store to check things out and get autographs, it was a fun, random experience. It was a total unexpected side-trip in a otherwise rather ordinary day.
I do hope to go back one day, again.

pretty in pink

The other day my husband and I were talking, and the subject of home economics class, in school, came up. I have absolutely NO idea as to how we came to this topic. I find it rather odd now, but it prompted several memories (some better than others!) Suddenly I was taken back to Albright Middle School in the mid 1980's, and a very pink, and a very LARGE, sweatshirt popped into my mind!

When I entered middle school I had to welcome home economics (home ec.) class into my schedule. I didn't think much of it. It was simply the class known for baking cookies, sewing toss pillows, and all those things related to preparing oneself for the harsh reality of the world of "real life!" For the obvious reasons the girls got more giddy about home ec. than the boys did. There were a few exceptions though. The world of home ec. opened my eyes to how to bake, prepare a meal for my teacher, hand-sew, a rather groovy, patch-work toss pillow, and... AND...the dreaded pink sweatshirt! Let me just dive into the sorted details.

The class assignment was learning the "basics" on the sewing machine. Our job was to go out and purchase a pattern for a sweatshirt, buy fabric, bring it all back and get to work on it. Well, I purchased a pattern for a common crew neck sweatshirt. One important key detail that I seemed to overlook, however, was the size! I managed to get a very-off size, leaning heavily on the large size. Next mission, find fabric. After much debate, a nice bubble gum pink was settled on. Mission complete, I brought it all back to school and the process began. Yards of pink thread, several broken needles, and a whole heck of anxiety thrown in, a sweatshirt was produced. The finished product was a nice, bubble gum pink, sweatshirt dress that exceeded the length of my hands and pushed the limits, almost touching my knees! The other children surfaced withe basic gray, white, and blue sweatshirts that were "normal" sized and able to be proudly worn. No. Not me. My sweatshirt stood out about as badly as Chuck Shnerfiels blaze orange job. Luckily the teacher did not grade on correct size (she must have felt really bad for me as well). I got a decent grade and was able to tug along those bubble gum memories even to this day!



While on the subject of home ec., do schools still offer this very worthwhile class anymore? Do schools still dabble with plugging in those irons, revving up those sewing machines, and cranking up the oven temperatures? If not, why? Sure my kids learn some of those skills at our home, but many kids are not as fortunate to. Sure it is important too know how to divide fractions and properly form a sentence. But, in REAL life ( the one you and I are currently living in) it also requires one to know how to cook a simple egg, mend a fallen off button on that dress shirt, and learn that an iron is REALLY hot!!

If I thinking back, really hard, I can still smell those burnt brownies and feel the endless pin-pricks from those darn straight pins as I pinned my "quilt pillow" (which I still have, by the way!)
My gi-normous bubble gum sweatshirt may have drifted off to never-never land, but those skills and real "life lessons" that I acquired along with all the pink thread, have seen me through my entire life.

random winter thoughts

It's spring fever. That is what the name of it is. And when you've got it, you want - oh, you don't quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so! ~Mark Twain

If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant: if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome. ~Anne Bradstreet

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. ~ John Ruskin

Rainbows apologize for angry skies ~Sylvia Voirol

God writes the gospel not in the Bible alone, but on trees and flowers and clouds and stars. ~Martin Luther

the family truckster

Ten years ago, next month, we bought our 1st family car! A 2000 Dodge Grand Caravan. We purchased it in Madison Wisconsin. Our first child was 9 months old and our 2-door Buick, minus air conditioning, was just not cutting it anymore. Well ten years, and almost 150,000 miles later, our family car is still running, but in car terms can officially be called a "senior citizen"!

Don't get me wrong! There is still a TON of life in this car. Boy, looking back it had a full life. It has been to Florida and back a couple of times. Around Lake Michigan several times. It has lived in 4 states. It has seen snow, sun, salt, and the sea. It has the "age spots" to prove it, too. It has most of its original parts..only slight cosmetic work, not major face lifts! No major "surgeries" under the hood..only the standard. The usual.

This car became seasoned with the addition of each of our three children. It had all the usual wear and tear...stains, spills, spots, even cat pee!! (ick!) It has driven around family, friends, pets, neighbors. It has hauled boats. Picked up curb-side acquisitions. Carried bikes and skis. It has rushed to the hospital to deliver babies and get stitches. It has been a good, no a great, friend!

With each passing year though, the toll of her age is ever more present. Currently, rust is forming a jigsaw puzzle pattern on her lower parts. There is a scratch mark in the shape of a pitchfork on her hood. The heater only works in certain settings. The air conditioning only comes out as a slight breeze. The rear wiper works only if you put the rear defroster on first. These are little things. These are character marks that only come with age.

The thought has crossed my mind, however, that "she" is only going to last for so long. Then what? The thought of looking for another car is frightful. How does one part with the familiar? The SO familiar!

the North Face effect

This past weekend my family and I were on a trip to the Chicago land area. Nothing unusual. I had a common theme keep reappear though, and this I shall call, "the North Face Effect"

For those few people that now exist that do NOT know what a The North Face jacket is, let me explain. Well, just look at the image above! The jackets come in all colors, styles and fabrics. Young children sport them as do the older generations. You can see the words The North Face emblazoned in bright white letters on the left shoulder area. It is also represented on the back of the garment as well. On our most recent trip to Chicago my family members and I would randomly do a running talley on how many people had these jackets on. On a recent trip to the Macaroni Grill, the number was somewhere around 26. We counted as we were waiting for our seat. A trip to Barnes and Noble unearthed close to 30 patrons proudly wearing their TNF jackets. They could be seen anywhere.. at church, the streets, the gas station.

The most common color of The North Face Jacket? Black. Hands down! And the most popular style? It is a tie between the puffy-down waist-length jacket and the fleece jacket. (sorry, I don't know their "technical" names!)

Seriously, it was becoming cult-ish!

Why do people like their The North Face clothing so much? Is it because they actually keep one warmer than their counterparts? Is it brand status??

I, being a marketing major in school, know all about branding, marketing, advertising, and the kind. I have also learned that I cannot stand brand-marketing for anyone! Why should I wear a companies logo stretched across my body and not get paid for it? Non-sense! (My opinion)

So, what am I saying about all of this. What is my point. I am NOT saying that if you wear a The North Face anything that you shouldn't! By all means wear it with a smile.

I was just randomly amazed by the shear quantity of individuals that all share a common thread.

(Pun intended)

Next time you are out and about see for yourself. Let me know what you see!

a LOVE-hate relationship

Ah, got to love those American Girl catalogs that conveniently show up in the mail (in droves)this time of year! Those almost one hundred page catalogs that showcase the latest cutesy-pootsy clothing for your darling daughter and her precious dolly.
I (um, I mean my daughter) was first introduced to AG a few years ago now. Some neighbor friend had one (or was it two?) along with almost an entire doll wardrobe that literally put mine to shame! We're talking dresses that not only had matching shoes, BUT matching fancy gloves and tiaras too. Let's not forget the purse's, tights, hair thingies, fake glasses, and, and, aaaaaaaaahh!!! From that first doll-to-daughter meeting, my little girl was hooked. Life from then on never seemed to be the same. Life, that is, within the world of American Girl.
The whole process was (is) daunting! Ok, first your daughter has to make "the decision"! She has to choose her DOLL!!! This is not no ordinary decision mind you. This decision is just about as up there as what college she will attend and is this boy the "marrying kind". Will it be a doll that looks just like her? She has about 20+ choices right there. OR, will it be a historical character doll? Maybe she is opting for the Bitty Baby? Twins?? I'm telling you this decision is very important, especially if you are only planning on buying your daughter just one. It may (will) come back to haunt you. My oldest STILL wonders why Santa did not bring her the african-american doll, when all along Santa thought the nice light skin, light blonde hair, blue eyed doll would suit her better.
Then comes the clothes. Thoooooose cloooooothes! Those overpriced- matchy-matchy-but really so cute, clothes. Typical outfits run somewhere around the $30 mark. Fancier outfits will strip your wallet further. Then, you have to decide if you want your daughter to look just like her dressed up doll! Tack on another 60 bucks. Does her doll need a pet? Twenty-something dollars more please. For doll furniture and bigger ticket items a small loan may have to be taken out. Or, as my girls know by now...DON'T even bother asking Santa for that!
The madness does not end there. Oh no! One day on a whim venture into an American Girl store. Oh.. maybe around noon on a Saturday right before Christmas! Bring your ear plugs and wear steel toed shoes. Trust me!! If you had any hope of finding that special outfit on your daughter's wish list...fuggetaboutit! It will be gone. Those matching slippers? No chance! Online shopping for AG is no better and no easier. Unless you plan on shopping months prior to Christmas your chances grow slimmer and more unlikely as the big day grows closer. One can get lucky though getting a coupon code that allows you to get free shipping. I didn't get lucky this year. The one outfit my daughter really wanted..sold out.
Don't get me wrong! American Girl dolls really are nice. They are quality-made and the customer service department is really great. When my daughter got her doll for Christmas a couple of years ago, it had a "hair-issue." The hair came out in clumps. I called customer service and they sent me a new doll, no questions asked/no hassles. That was really impressive. Other than the high price of these plastic princesses, my girls really do enjoy them. The cult following is a little creepy, but overall they are harmless wholesome American cuties.

a little GET up and GO

For the past two days I have seen two cars carrying campers on the back of them. It is mid-November and in these parts, this is not too common of a sight! It just got me thinking though. How great it would be to be so free spirited as to get the whole family in one of those campers (albeit one that would accommodate 5) and head out on the long open road.
We are a camping family by nature. Every summer we plan at least a couple trips, usually somewhere new here in Michigan. We are tent campers and still, after all these years, can't seem to get it all right. Oh well, there is always next year, right?
When I saw those people with the campers recently, though, it sent my day dreaming in high-mode. There are so many places I want to see. So many places I haven't seen. So many place to be seen. How long, though, would we all last being couped up together in one of those things? Realistically, probably not sanely for more than one week. I am a "spacey". I need my space. I get anxious if I don't get a little me-time from time to time.
All said and done the "idea" of getting up and going full-blown camping sounds idyllic, but in my reality it is just not as charmed as it sounds. So the next time I see one of those free-willed campers in my neck of the woods I will look at it, smile and choose to live vicariously through the proud travelers. Happy traveling all and God's speed to ya.