Spokane Road Trip

I know!

It’s been forever since I’ve done a blog post. I have a million excuses but I’m sure you’re all tired of hearing them, so I’m just going to move on!

Donna and I went on a road trip over to Spokane a couple weekends ago. I wanted to check out The Mad Hatter Sale that Junebug was putting on and I had some other things on my list of “things to do in Spokane” that I needed to check out.

We decided that taking HWY I-90 was boring…A nice change would be HWY 2.

The first stop was right outside of Cashmere at this great little French bakery.

Donna and I could have bought them out! But we just bought a couple snacks for the trip.

We highly recommend stopping here if you’re passing through Cashmere for any reason at all. I promise when you leave this bakery you will be going home, remodeling your kitchen to a French Country theme, then bustin out that Julia Childs Mastering French Cooking cookbook you bought at Costco.

Once arriving in Spokane,

Donna and I had to go check out Frank’s Diner for dinner.

Set inside an old diner train car, the ambiance is really fantastic. The food is good and I think everyone should make at least one stop at Frank’s while in Spokane.

I had the hot turkey sandwich.

Donna had the chicken pot pie

From there we ended up at the Northern Quest Casino where we both LOST OUR ……………

Well let’s just move on. That my friends, is a part of the trip we shall never speak of again!

You know I got “the problem” right?"

Saturday morning we were up bright and early so we could make our way to

The Mad Hatter Antique Sale put on by Junebug

Held at the 5 mile Prairie Grange

They had it fixed up all cute.

Donna and Joy letting me know they had Diet Cokes and I didn’t! Yeah, they’re still my friends!

Check out Auntie Joy’s Blog for some really great pictures of the sale.

All the ladies were dressed so cute in their Mad Hatter outfits.

I thought this was an excellent use for a baby bassinet…….packed full of Chocolate Zucchini Bread for sale.

Your hostesses with the mostest

The food at this show was OUT OF THIS WORLD!!!!!!

This is some of the pumpkin bisque soup that had seasoned popcorn in it. OH MY GOD!!!! It was like crack! We just wanted to go back over and over.

My other favorite was the Zucchini Bisque Soup with a sticky rice, sage, huckleberry dumpling in it.

YEAH!!!

I’m not kidding! It was so stinkin good.

As I’m typing this I wish I had some.

Junebug herself with the Queens of the fantastic food Lynn and Sherry.

They really did a great job!

More pictures

After the leaving The Mad Hatter Show we headed to the highly recommended, must see, don’t miss, everyone should go here………………………..

Hurd Mercantile

I’m in love with this store!

I saw pictures of this fabulous store in Mary Jane’s Farm Magazine. So I had to see it for myself.

A great Farm Chicks Display

I had such a great time at this store in addition to finding A LOT of treasure that came home with me.

I’m thinkin maybe Come Junk With Us should do a Junk Junket here.

After a day of shopping Donna and I went to Chaps for dinner, where we met

Auntie Joy and Hubby

Luluz and Hubby

and

one of The Funky Junk Sisters Dixie.

The food was fabulous as usual, the company was even better. It was so much fun getting to visit with these ladies (and husbands) outside of the antiques sales where we usually see each other.

It was just a nice change.

So a Timi Road Trip can’t ever be without some sort of problem. This trip wasn’t an exception.

Donna and I were headed out of town and sure enough

I-90 CLOSED DUE TO DUST STORM!

This is the fastest way back home which is what we were planning on.

So it was back to HWY 2 to go out around the dust storm.

My pictures aren’t that great (as usual) but you can see the dust storm in the distance.

What looks like white clouds is really the dust storm

It took 4 hours longer than it should have and it was the most boring drive EVER! Not since driving across Texas have I ever seen so much of NOTHING!

This really was a great trip!

Donna and I had the best time.

I got a lot of great ideas for an upcoming Junk Junket I’m planning.

This last weekend I went to the Sandpoint Antique and Design Show here in the Seattle area. This is the first time I have ever been to this show.

DAMN!! Have I been missin out!

Check out
Deb Kennedy’s pictures

Salvage Studio

Queen of Tart

Luluz

It was so fun to meet all the vendors there. I bought this beautiful swanky faux fur vintage coat. Now I’m excited for it to get cold so I can wear it.

If you’re in the area don’t miss the December 6th show.

Have a great day!

I'm doin it!

That's right folks..........I'm doin it!

Some of you have been asking me, telling me, and encouraging me to go forward with an idea that I had way back when, after my first trip to Farm Chicks.

Well mostly those who hang with me on a regular basis are sick of listening to me talk about it... but whatever! My constant babbling about it now just got turned up a notch.

I'm taking my love for road trips, junk, and parties on the road!

Today I called and gave my credit card (The Hubs is going to have a stroke) to Bob at Chinook Bus Charter, I purchased my domain names, and activated a Paypal account.

I know your sayin "what the hell is she up to now?"

I'm organizing a bus tour from the Seattle area to The Barn House Sale in Battleground, WA on September 12th!

Yep! A big ass bus (well actually a mediums size bus) full of ladies who love junkin, takin road trips, craftin, eatin, and havin a good time.

This is the plan

Leave the Snohomish area around 6 am on Saturday Morning

make a few stops (potty, pick ups, and potty) along the way and arrive at Barn House about 9-ish or 10-ish.

Shop around The Barn House big fabulous fall sale for a while, have a little lunch, then head over to some of my other favorite stops while in Battle Ground. Then, we'll head home around 3-ish which will put us back at the cars around

6-ish.

The cost is going to be $125 per person for a full day of fun, shopping, lunching with your friends, meeting new friends, and....the best part.....you don't have to drive!

This weekend I'm going down to the Barn House sale to let them know I'm planning on bringing a bus load of ladies to their sale. I'm going to map out the route, and get some more details figured out to make this fabulous.

This week I'll also be looking for vendors who want to participate in this "rollin party!"

Seating will be limited, so start making your plans now.

I'm working on an official blog that will have all the details.

Stay tuned!

If you want to be on the notification list, e-mail your information (Name, phone # and the number of seats you want) to agirlnamedtimi@hotmail.com and I'll notify you as soon as I 'm offically selling seats.

If you would like to come in from out of town I'm working on that too!

Travel arrangments and hotels.

Come Junk With Us!

Keepin The Farm Chicks High

After that fabulous Farm Chicks weekend last week, I came home higher than a kite on The Farm Chicks atmosphere. My head was spinning with ideas, things I wish I would have bought, trying to remember names and faces of all the bloggers /non bloggers I met and thinking about next years trip.

It's a Farm Chicks high that lasted for weeks and weeks last year.

My high was only to be snuffed out immediately on Monday morning by my Mother and physical therapist.

I had promised to help my Mom with her garage sale this last weekend. My physical therapist just roughed me up so I would be sore all week. I sometime thinks she does that so that it will be a reminder to me that I need to be doing my stretches and exercises on my shoulder on a regular basis.

Anyway.............back to my story of getting high

45 years of accumulation (my mom saves everything) is what my Mom had that needed to be organized, priced, and ready for 3 days of selling.

THANK YOU

WSU Laura for helping me price and organize one day.

That's a good friend folks.

Most of my week last week was helping my parents, catching up with house chores that I was soooooooo behind on, physical therapy, getting the Mobile Estate ready for a garage sale weekend stay at the parents, and making sure The Hubs was ready for his impromptu trip to Florida.

If that doesn't kill a good Farm Chicks high I don't know what will.

On Sunday I was looking to get a fix. I was lookin to get high again.

I called WSU Laura said "ya wana get our high back?"

She was in!

It had been a high killing week for her too.

How did we get our high back you ask?

The Funky Junk Sisters

and a little junk shoppin

Linda, Funky Junk Mama, and Dixie

Have you heard of them? Have you met them? Have you visited their blog?

You need to!

I loved meeting these ladies. We had the best visit with them and will be following them and their Royal Junkness.

Dixie and Funky Junk Mama

This was a great freshman show! They had fantastic vendors, displays were beautiful, and it was set up well.

I hope that they decide to do this again. Because I see a sophomore show from these ladies being even better.

We got to do a little shoppin, a little buyin, meet bloggers we didn't get to meet at Farm Chicks and met some that didn't get the opportunity to go to Farm Chicks.

WSU Laura and I got up early Sunday morning and drove to Puyallup to meet

Lisa, Isabel, and Joy.

and........ an added bonus............

We finally got to meet Laurie Ann of Tinkers Piggies whom WSU Laura and I have been blogging with, chatting with and trying to meet for over a year.

Today was the day!

It was so much fun to meet her and her mother. After reading her blog for so long it was like we had known each other for ages.

Thank you Laurie for coming out to the Funky Junk Sisters sale.

I also got to meet Tiffany from Shabby Scraps. She was one of the very first blogs I followed when I first started blogging.

How stinkin cute is she?

WSU Laura, Shabby Scraps, A Girl Named Timi (with her eyes closed of course)


Have you met Deb Kennedy of Retreat?

She was at Farm Chicks.

I didn't get to chat with her there but I had the nicest visit with her at Funky Junk Sisters.



Bob (aka..Dave) and Deb

They are super nice and if you see them at another show or even out and about.......say hi. They are smart, interesting, have wonderful items and are super fun to chat with.

Have you met Mary Beth?

She's from Poppyseeds in Stanwood.

This is a super cute store that Michele introduced me to last year when in her hood (hometown) of Stanwood.

They have some fantastic stuff in that little store.

This is the lady who stepped in front of me while I was taking a picture.

This is an example of the unflattering pictures I use sometimes as mentioned by Debi Burton in her blog this week. What Debi forgets is that I take crap pictures! They are all usually unflattering.

I decided to post this picture of this woman because her and her friend were having so much fun at this show. They were shopping up a storm, laughing, and visiting with everyone. She clearly had her eye on something and was headed towards it. She didn't care who was in her way. It made Debi and I laugh.

We have all been there!

Lady in the picture.........if your reading.........I hope you are still on your Funky Junk Sister High.

This is Debi Burton from Ormolulu

We met in blog land and through Annie.

Again........she was so busy at Farm Chicks that we didn't get to chat much when we finally met in person. We finally got to chat a while on Sunday and it was so much fun. Not only does she have some very cool stuff.......... she's fun too.

These are some of the pictures I took on Sunday at the show.

I was trying to be all Tres Birds like with my photo skills.

as well as trying to show up all those other blogger with all their fancy great pictures they post. Like Coastal Nest with all her lovely pictures

My picture takin arm is getting better. I can get my arm up past my waist now and I'm getting pretty handy with my left hand. I don't think this is really going to help my photography skills but it's a good excuse right now.

Lisa, Isabel, and Joy

Those crazy girls from Oregon.

I'm also going to include Joy's sister Teri in with these crazy ladies even though she's not from Oregon.

She was with us also but I don't know where she was.

She's just like Joy......only different.

I have grown to really adore and admire these ladies. Spending time with them is like having your batteries recharged. You can't help but be in a great mood and inspired for days on end after spending a day with them.

Let me tell you about a little secret that WSU Laura and I found out about after we left The Funky Junk Sisters Sale.

Something that maybe all of you knew about already.

Laura and I didn't.

Sumner Washington has some GREAT stores!

Who knew?

A few months ago I met Debi Brock (who is a really lovely woman) from Garden Party while I was at Annie's. Debi was telling me about The Funky Junk Sisters, and about Today's Country Store. About Amy being published in Flea Market Style and that I should check them out one day.

It sounded like I really should............

Well this 411 should have been a 911!

I was totally missing out by not following up and knowing this information.

This is Jeanine at Today's Country Store

She provided Laura and I with exceptional customer service!

This is a great store.

We will so be making a trip back to Sumner!

A lot of the stores were closed on Sunday (stupid! Didn't they know it was The Funky Junk Sister Show?) but we hit everyone of them that was open.

The New England Salt Box

Simple Tidings

Picket Fence

Folk Art Gatherings

Whistle Stop Antiques

You should plan a trip there. This is a great place to wonder, poke around and buy. They also have this very fun charm bracelet program that some of the stores are participating in. It's a fabulous idea and I'm going to have to steal it some how.

I bet you don't leave empty handed from this little town. I know Laura and I didn't!

Mark your calendars and dust off those blog badges you made.

August 8th there is going to be a blog party in downtown Snohomish.

More details to follow.

Farm Chicks 2009

AWESOME!

This is the only word I could come up with that described this years road trip to Spokane for The Farm Chicks Show.

I don't know how they did it, but those ladies put on an even better show than last year. In fact The Farm Chicks should think about changing the event name to
The Farm Chicks Antique and Amazing Talented People Show.

I talked with Twiggy 59 Accessories when I first got in to the show and she put in to words exactly what the feeling was in the air at this show.

"This is the most amazing show, every woman in this building gets it!

We might not all have the same tastes but we all have a common thread and we all get it. It makes me almost cry if I think about it too long."

If you have never been to a Farm Chicks Show you need to plan on attending one. Gather up your best junkin buddies, shit shoppin girl friends, or who ever and make the pilgrimage. Even if it's just one time, do it! You will not be sorry at all.

Because it was so much fun and such an amazing experience this year I'm just going to give you the high lights. I'm not going to try and describe every detail of every moment I was in Spokane. I would never be able to. You just can't fully explain how fantastic this show is.

This is something we are all going to be talking about for the next 12 months.

Not to mention.........I'm helping my mother get ready for her 45 years of accumulation garage sale this weekend.

It's going to be a lot of work!

We arrived on Thursday evening. Had a nice dinner, then walked down by the falls. If you haven't done this you should. It's beautiful. Not to mention a good way to walk off dinner.

Donna on the left, Michele on the right. This is part of my posse that went over to Spokane with me. WSU Laura and her mom drove separately.

Michele is my nurse friend whom I have been friends with since I was in the 4th grade. Donna and I met while working together 6 or 7 years ago and have stayed close friends ever since.

They were my posse last year too.

Donna is addicted to her G-Crack. I'm addicted to my Crackberry too but Donna is the only one who got caught on camera.

Friday Morning we got up early and headed out to Coeur d' Alene Idaho to check out Mary Jane Butters Farm store that has opened.

Donna and I have just recently become Mary Jane Butter fans so we really wanted to go check it out since we were so close while in Spokane.

Half hour in the truck........................

Here we are! It's so exciting!

We wondered, we touched, we took pictures, we purchased and we decided that one day we have to make it a point to attend one of her shows.

This cute Tear Drop Trailer was set up outside Mary Jane Butters store.

It's the Mary Jane Butters trailer that you can purchase.

It's very cute!

Then we ventured out of the Plaza and down the street where we came across

Coeur d' Alene Olive Oil Company.

AMAZING!

These are some fantastic oils. I purchased a couple and can't wait to use them. I got Blood Orange Olive Oil and Lime Olive Oil.

I'll let you know what I use them in. They were good just on bread!

This is Janie.

She not only provided us with excellent customer service but she was just a fun amazing woman. Stop in and see her when your in

Coeur d' Alene.

After a full day of shopping we decided to hit one of WSU Laura's favorite old college drinking spots. She was itchin for a Derailer.

The Iron Horse is where you can get the famous Derailer.

I don't think WSU Laura remembered this little cocktail was served in a BUCKET!

With a little help from friends................

It got polished off.

Timi and Donna.

No need to e-mail me and let me know I need a new bra. I see it! I'm on it!

Probably taking care of it as you are reading this.

After we left Coeur d' Alene we headed back to Spokane where I wanted to try and find the Riverside State Park. I had heard that The Sisters On The Fly were going have some of their famous trailer caravan there and I had to see it.

I have been an admirer of these ladies ever since I saw them featured on HGTV

about 6 years ago. I have been following their media ever since. I just recently read an article about them in Mary Jane's Farm Magazine.

I had to go!

My pictures aren't that great and it was a little awkward making Donna and Michele hang out the windows and take pictures while I was driving as slow and inconspicuous as possible through the public camp ground.

We were driving by Miss Cammell Lot trailer and she yelled at me to "park that truck, get out and come talk with them." I couldn't get that truck parked fast enough! It was fun to meet some of the ladies and chat with them about their group. I was all set to sign up!

Donna, Michele and I were discussing what our trailer themes would be and were we would start shopping for old trailers on the way back to the hotel.

***Side note** The Hubs is totally NOT on board with me getting an old trailer and him fixing it up so I can take off every weekend without him. I won't be doing this any time soon. Still just admiring from afar.

Saturday....................THE DAY!!!!

It's finally here!

WSU Laura and I are READY!

We have our aprons, we have our shopping carts and most of all we have our blog badges.

For those of you just tuning in........there was an organized blogger meeting while at the Farm Chicks. Kim at Camp Whimsy was the intital organizer of this event.

A again.........WHAT A BRILLIANT IDEA!

The line waiting to get in to the show on Saturday morning. This year wasn't so bad. No rain, more ticket sales booths, no vendor outside the entry door and it was just a lot nicer. Not to mention this year you could stand and visit with people in line.

We had the nicest group of ladies from Spokane and Salem Oregon. They were there celebrating one of the ladies birthday. They had come out to stay with another friend who owned a Bed and Breakfast. Now that's a friendship a girl needs!

These ladies were so much fun. We had a great time with them in line.

In front of us was another group of ladies that were from Edmonds. This was their first time to Farm Chicks and they were so excited they could hardly stand it. You could see waiting in line was killing them.

Hope they enjoyed it as much as we did.

My first group of blogger buddies I ran in to was Kal and Angie from Bella Country. I met them last year while they were admiring the shopping cart I had just bought at A Thing For Roses. Kal and I have maintained an e-mail friendship over the last year and were really looking forward to seeing each other again.


Kim from Camp Whimsy. The woman who started this whole blog badge party.

Some of the blog badge participants that we could round up for a group photo.

Laurie from Magpie Ethel

I was so bummed that I didn't get to chat with Laurie more.

I remembered her from last year because I had admired her cute shopping cart every time she walked by. Then this year.........I got to meet her but didn't get to chat much because I was acting like an idiot with excitement because she was the woman with the cute cart from last year.

This is my posse that I went with.

Donna, Michele, WSU Laura, Laura's mom Susan.

It was another fabulous weekend.

Lisa from A Thing For Roses and myself doing the soroity pose that WSU Laura taught us.
Lisa and I also met last year when I bought my shopping cart from her. We have developed a friendship from there.



Lisa and Isabel had a rocky start getting to the show and I was so happy to see them at the show.


Isabell at Maison Douce

Isabell told us some "spicy" jokes at dinner and we were still laughing about it on the way home Sunday.

Thanks Isabell!

Even more blog badge participants

WSU Laura

Mermaids of The Lake

Magpie Ethel

A Thing For Roses

Maison Douce

Camp Whimsy

Tinker Verve

Unexpected Necessities

Donna and I both got our Farm Chicks Cookbooks signed by Teri and Serena.

This was just as exciting as when I met Paula Deen.

That's another story for another day.

Kal I really did meet her.

After the show on Saturday we went to Chaps for dinner.

FABULOUS!!!!!

I can't say enough wonderful things about this resturant.

Food was fantastic

Atomosphere fantastic

Service fantastic

This is definatley a must drive out of your way to spot while in Spokane.

Wish I had pictures but I was too busy stuffing my face and laughing with

Joy, Teri, Lisa, Isabell, Donna, Michele, and Laura.

The Farm Chicks Show is something I look forward to all year long.

It's an amazing show.

Here are some other bloggers that I met but didn't get pictures with.

Go check out everyone's blog to see pictures and their stories from the show.

Queen of Tarte

Barn House

Annies

Duchess

Teresa Sheeley

Heart Rocks Home

Simply Stork

Jacquie Richel

Twiggy 59 Accessories

(I couldn't find a website or blog for her. I wish she did her accessories are fantastic)

I know there were other ladies I met and didn't mention. I'm so sorry if I missed mentioning you. I enjoyed meeting everyone and I'm still on a Farm Chicks High.

I could probably write more about this trip each week until next year.

Ok, my mother is calling me. I gotta go!