Happy New Year !!!

And I'm ending 2011 smilin' !!! For the past several months I've been trying to buy an old bicycle from a fellow and we just couldn't get together on price. Today I called him and tried one more time. WE DID IT! I had a friend go with me and we went over to a small town about 10 miles from Hutch and picked it up. Here it is.

It looks small here...it's actually 36" at the top of the handlebars. I THINK it's considered a child-size "boneshaker"...or high-wheeler. It is functional. The tires are wooden with metal rims. The seat is extremely hard, but consensus is that it's leather.

I don't know whether it's truly old or not...and bluntly at this point I don't care. I wanted it!!! I've wanted it from the first time I ever laid eyes on it. I may have overpaid for it...again, I don't know and don't care. Repeat: I wanted it!!! If it truly is original and "real", then I think I may have paid a fraction of what it's actually worth. I have a friend that will take a look at it and he'll know....if anyone in Kansas knows, he'll know. For now it's merely a decorative piece for my house!

Count your blessings...I do! And it seems to me I have a LOT!!!

P.S. BTW...I finished the year with 1840 miles...not bad considering I didn't really ride regularly until September. My friend that I ride with nearly every day finished with 5800 miles!!! That's spelled S-E-R-I-O-U-S !!

And have a Happy New Year...hopefully 2012 will bring PEACE to the world.

Famous....OR NOT!!!!

It's been really beautiful weather here. Not always Ultra-Warm...but dry and kind of warm-ish maybe? Temps usually in the mid-40's and 50's...that's considered "ridin' weather!"

Tuesday, Carol, Mary, and I got out and did a few miles up and down the bike path (18.04 miles for me), and yesterday the three of us rode down to Crupper's Corner and a couple of miles west before we headed back. (I wound up with 27.05 miles.) Nice ride.

Mary can't go today (she bowls in Wichita now - since Hutchinson doesn't seem to be able to support a bowling alley!)... So Carol, her husband Bill, and I drove up to Inman this a.m. for our "every-other-week cream puff." YUM!!! Delish! But in just a few minutes I'm going to go meet Carol and we'll get in a little ride today. Not sure yet where or how far..let you know later. (It's later....we did 27.05 again!)

BUT....today's Hutchinson News has a picture (albeit extremely small) of Carol and I riding through Carey Park yesterday. One really can't tell who it is, but we know it's us. Same old riding gear we always wear!

We had a lot of fun with this today. At a stoplight at 11th & Baker we were granted a green light and several cars had to wait for us to cross. After we were barely across I acted like I was talking to the drivers and said, "Yeah...yeah...it's us...we were in the newspaper this morning!" We joked off and on all day about people wanting our autographs.

After we got a couple of miles west of Crupper's Corner we both took our jackets off (still had a turtleneck sweater and a sweatsuit-type jacket on), and headed back "with the wind" (makes it a little warmer.) As we entered Carey Park on the way home, Carol said, "Well...people won't know who we are..we don't have our jackets on!" We decided everyone would just think we were wannabes. (I'm not positive, but I think maybe endorphins or something affect our thinking sometimes.)

Anyway, it was another great day and a great ride. Still counting my blessings...you too, I hope!

Waiting on Santa

It's 11:20pm. Spent the entire day (and a couple of hours last night) reading "The Help" I've already seen the movie...wish I would have read the book first. Excellent read!!!

Gotta get to bed soon...expecting some fat dude on my rooftop soon. Just wanted to say :

Merry Christmas to all!!!!!

Back to Bikin'

Well, craft show season is mostly behind me....and I'm ready. It's been fun, it's been great, it's been profitable....but I'm tired and ready to kick back a little.

It's been too something: too windy, too cold, too wet, maybe even just too lazy...but I hadn't ridden my bicycle for nearly 5 weeks. November 13...so yesterday, December 16, Carol, Mary, and I took off and rode out to Crupper's corner. It's a little over 23 miles round trip for me. The temperature was 37 degrees, and even though we were all dressed warm it was still a pretty chilly ride.

When we ride we talk about all kinds of stuff. Some I won't/can't go into here (like how much Mary is going to change the height of her seat. Tee-hee!)...but the conversation will start one place and end up entirely changed within the mile. I don't remember exactly where this one started but it came around to putting Kahlua in hot cocoa. Let me repeat...it was 37 degrees. We hadn't ridden in nearly 5 weeks. Well, needless to say, I came home, got some warm comfy clothes on, had a bowl of stew, and decided to have a cup of cocoa. I've always been "the master of the 5-7 minute power nap." Well.....I had the best hour and a half nap I think I've ever had. I don't know whether it was the fresh air, the exercise, the warm soup, or what...but I'm highly suspicious of the Kahlua. Yummmmy!

Today we decided that yesterday was so good that we should do it again. So the three of us rode to Nickerson. 27.29 miles round trip. About 4 miles short of Nickerson I asked, "Have they MOVED Nickerson?" It was a hard ride. We all struggled a little I think. Wind was brisk and out of the west so we had several miles of headwind, but it was 57 degrees. It shouldn't have been that tough...but it was. Great ride back: tail wind.

I think Carol and another friend are maybe planning to ride tomorrow but I said I thought I'd bow out for the day. Probably a mistake as they're forecasting snow for Monday and Tuesday here. Yuck! I'm already ready for spring!

But all in all, I'm lucky to be able to do all the things I love to do...and have the great friends to do them with! Countin' my blessings...just countin' my blessings!

Photos to go w/earlier post

Ok...so here's a few photos from Saturday. I'm too tired to go figure out how to get them on the other post.


I didn't have time to take photos when we were really busy...but this was sure a nice start!



Some of these were taken before the sale ever began and some of the tables aren't even completely set up.

It Pays To Advertise ! ! ! !

Barbara's 3rd Annual Christmas Craft Show was a HUGE success! Many, many very good comments.

I advertised a LOT....several newspapers, 4 digital displays, lots of hand-outs and posters, 15 stick-in-the-ground realtor-type signs all over town, Channel 7 at 10 after and 20 til the hour all week, The Chamber - Hutchinson and Reno County website, the Kansas State Fair website, the Visithutch.com website, Facebook by a half-dozen people, mentioned two days on two different radio stations, a blog or two or three....and probably more that I'm not remembering at this moment.

We had a fantastic crowd! One of my friends who works at a church and is very nice gal emailed me and said, "To begin with: Holy Shit! I didn't think it was going to be that busy!!!" It was BUSY!!! I honestly think we had more people than I've seen at any other local craft show.


The main problem/complaint was "lack of space." We simply didn't have enough room. Next year I'll be looking for a bigger building for sure. Most of the vendors were absolutely wonderful to work with each other and try to make everything work out ok. I had only one that humped his back up and threw a fit. Even the nice people said he was a bully and rude. I tried to move him around and make him happy....and he said that it was a lot better...but the next morning he was over in the building that I was in complaining loudly to someone about "what a helluva mess it was over there last night." (The vendors set up on Friday night.) I suppose everyone has to have "one"....think about it, you'll figure it out.

Just a few of the highlights: I'd asked a couple of friends to serve as greeters and direct people to sign up for our door prizes and be sure to visit both buildings, etc. Betty had never "done" a craft show before. Even before 9am she had made several trips to store stuff under my table. I accused her of buying at least one item from each booth. She said, "DON'T YOU EVER ASK ME TO DO THIS AGAIN!!!!" Then a few hours later, she came over and added, "And if I do it again, don't sit me next to the food vendor either!!"

Our food vendor did a fantastic job. They served chili, and chili dogs, hot dogs, and homemade chicken and noodles. EXCELLENT!!!! Everyone was commenting on it...and you got a really large serving for not much money! She also had individually wrapped cinnamon rolls, coffee cake, coffee, 6-packs of cinnamon rolls, pies (either by the piece or whole), cream cheese bread, jalepena cheese bread....and even canned beets...plus a bunch more stuff. They are an Amish family and they arrived in a tractor pulling a trailer. Everyone helped carry stuff in....and the youngest was a little boy. I didn't want to break any rules so I didn't take any photos, but you've never seen anyone cuter! He was a doll...and he was a worker! He carried things in that were nearly as big as he was. I would guess he was maybe 3 or 4...absolutely adorable! All their kids were cuties and really hard working and respectful. And when closing time came around, they all did their share as well. Great family!

I had super vendors (mostly) and plan to do it again next year. I am/will be looking for a larger building however. I've got one in mind, but the $$$$$$ is $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$!!!!!

As my cuz keeps telling me: it's good to be me!!!! I'm counting my blessings and offering thanks for making it all possible.

Barbara's 3rd Annual Christmas Craft Show

Added a day or two later: Channel 7 is advertising my show!!! At 10 and 40 minutes past the hour there's a few seconds of talk about it!!! Also, check out what the Chamber - Hutchinson and Reno County has to say about it!!!http://members.hutchchamber.com/events/eventdetail.aspx?EventID=4049

Also I've noticed it's already up on the digital sign on the front of the fairgrounds. May need to call and check on that tomorrow. It was supposed to be for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday...not the entire week. I'd LIKE the entire week....but I can only AFFORD three days!



It's almost here!!!! My third annual Christmas craft show! This started out in the spring of 2009 with a three-vendor gathering in my living room. Several people suggested we should do it at Christmastime, so in December 2009 I had the first Christmas show. I had a fairly large house at that time and had eleven vendors there. We had a good crowd and a lot of fun.

In September 2010 I moved to a triplex. I announced that I wouldn't be able to do it because I wouldn't have the room. My vendors convinced me otherwise, and I wound up with 14 vendors. We were practically standing on each other but we had a fun time.

This year I said, "We gotta go to a public building!" So I rented the Boy Scout building on the Kansas State Fairgrounds. I sent out booth applications and immediately was "full." So I rented the Girl Scout building as well. The buildings are practically identical and sit side-by-side.

Now both buildings are full, plus there'll be a trailer out front selling kettle corn. It's people selling antiques, aprons, bakery items, beaded jewelry, baby items, candles, cookbooks, cookies, cosmetics, dolls, drink mixes, duct tape purses, embellished clothing, embroidered items, florals, gift items, goat's milk soap, greeting cards, hot lunches, jams, jellies, jewelry, kettle corn, kitchen items, iris-folded cards, oddities, packaged food items, pillow cases, plasma-cut metal, purses, quilted items, sack cards, salsa, Santas, scroll-cut wood items, snowmen, soy candles, sterling silver jewelry, tea towels, tole painted items, tote bags, wave art, wheel-thrown pottery items, wine jelly...and surely someone will have a zebra. That's A - Z!!!! (with a few exceptions.) There'll be a lot more there too, because almost every vendor has said, "And other stuff....."

I've been trying to get the word out with hand-out postcards at every craft show around. Several of my vendors have cards to pass around too. By the end of this week hopefully people will be saying, "Who the heck is Barbara???" It's to be in the Hutch News in at least 4 places, the Bee, the Rural Messenger, the Lyons News, and already on-line at VisitHutch.com. I'm working to get mentioned on a local radio station. It'll be on digital billboards at Bank of Kansas on east 30th and also in South Hutch. And on the digital billboard at Hutch Credit Union at A and Adams. Also on the big digital billboard on the front of the fairgrounds along Main Street. AND I have about 22 stick-in-the-ground realtor-type signs to put around town. I'm everywhere, I'm everywhere!!! So...."who's Barbara???" should be on everyone's lips!

So...Saturday, December 10, from 9am to 4pm YOU should try to attend Barbara's 3rd Annual Christmas Craft Show! Yoder Pastries will have hot lunches...I'm hearing chili, hot dogs, chili dogs, and tentatively homemade chicken and noodles. And they make the BEST jalapeno bread!! YUM!!!

I personally am having INCREDIBLE prices for this show. It's my last show of the year (as it is for many of my vendors) and I don't have another one until March (so plenty of time to re-order!)...so this one's going to be good!! I did the Hutch Rec show yesterday and probably shot myself in the foot several times by telling people that. I always added, "But my inventory will probably be pretty low...so if you want it, you might want to buy it now." However, a lot of people said, "See ya next Saturday!"

And we hope to see YOU next Saturday..... whether you buy anything or not, you're sure to have fun!!!!!!!!!!!! See ya there!