A REALLY GOOD DAY....

First....the rain stopped !!! No sun...but lots of customers....the store was very busy with nice sales. BUT the best was waiting for me at the post office....Connie... www.logcabinprimitives.blogspot.com sent me a present....well no, that is wrong....sent me lots and lots of presents....for "just being me"....Connie really knows how to make someone feel very special.....Look at all the gifts.....and clever ones too.....

...the cards are ones that she makes from pics of her home (I keep telling her to sell them!!) The

little tin is filled with matches and a striker is glued to the bottom of the tin...the book is Judy Condon's newest book "Country at Heart" ....and wrapped in osnaburg with the best fabric ties....The envelope (handmade from a brown paper bag) when opened was filled with the handmade cards....a milk strainer with soap balls.....Connie you are way too much....and sweet stickers ( I love stickers) for the month of April....I had so much fun....and not sure I am that special to deserve such wonderful treasures...Everything came wrapped so sweetly I didn't want to open it....I wanted to get a picture one by one but customers came in and made me open everything right there with them watching....LOL!! Everyone wants to be Connie's friend !!!

I am blessed with good friends... Not sure I am so deserving of these wonderful treasures but I am keeping them.....!!!!!

ANOTHER LITTLE PEEP ~~~

Thought I would share another peep that found a home in an olde baby shoe.....We had a few of these but the peeps found new homes already !! Hope you had a great day....it certainly was SPRING in Hereford today....just loved every minute of it !!!

PEEP~PEEP~PEEP

I love little peeps....( well you already know I love the marshmellow kind)...!! When we were little (I am the oldest of five) my parents ALWAYS every Easter got us baby chicks...and they were PINK, BLUE, GREEN....!!! Easter Morning would be a fiasco of chocolate bunnies in one hand a a baby chick in the other. I don't know how they survived all the love and attention they got....but in a week or two they were living on a farm not far from our home. As they started to grow the dye would only be on the tips of their feathers!

You could walk into the FIVE & DIME - Woolworth's to be exact ....and there would be a cage full of peeps...all different colors and very, very noisy. (I am leaving out the "poop" part to keep this a good memory) !!!

Well, seems like I still have a compulsion to have "peeps" all around me....the picture above is made of hand-dyed wool and he has nested in an olde little girl's "Maryjane" shoe. I have another peep who nested in an olde baby shoe....will have to take a picture of that one too... Have a happy Friday -

COME RIGHT IN....

Since I haven't much to say tonight I thought I would post a picture of our back door.....it is the door everyone uses to come into the store since the parking lot is in the rear of the building. We have a nice long "back" porch and it really does look like the front of the store. The building sits very close to the main road and although you can come in the front door, (also a nice long porch) hardly anyone does!! Except in the summer when we have lots of garden goods displayed out there.

I am so anxious for the weather to be warm and springy.....today it rained ALL day....it was quite miserable and it didn't do anything good for business !!!

SCENTED ROSE GERANIUM PLANT....

Above is a picture of my scented rose geranium which sits on a hallway windowsill - it is three years olde. An herb from the "pelargonium" family it comes in many varities but the rose is my favorite. Tonight I made a rose geranium cheesespread which I will serve tomorrow at the store. It is so delicious and very different. Just 8 oz. of cream cheese and 4-5 leaves from my plant chopped fine. That's it ...and always a HUGE favorite - served with butterfly crackers. I use this plant for making a white cake too....another story for another time.

In 1995 I published a very small, but unique little "herb booklet" filled with some recipes and little it's and bit's about herbs called the CINNAMON THYMES. You may not know it yet but I am utterly in love with herbs....by no means any kind of an expert...I just love how beautiful they are in bouquets...how wonderfully delightful their fragrance is ....and how good they taste (Dill being a favorite) !! This small booklet we sell in the store for $3.00 and just had it reprinted.....the complete book was written by hand by MaryLou Jenkins...a friend I met thru the store long ago...a visionary....who with pen and ink created all the lovely drawings in this booklet.....!!! The pictures do not do it justice but if you are getting the "herb planting bug"....send me an email and I will send you a copy for $3.00 - you can always pay with Paypal thru our picturetrail.

Have a good evening.....

ANTIQUING FUN TODAY !!

What a great day today...it was a bit cool but the sun was bright and shining!! Tony and I took off to visit some of our favorite antique places -AND we found some treasures to bring home. All smaller items - what little furniture we did see was priced way higher than I would ever be able to sell it for. But, we did get some good things and they will be in the store soon. We always have to have them "house ready" for you when you purchase from us. (well....any dust you may find is "free" but we absolutely hate giving it away...so if we can help it we won't !!)

I always get anxious to go to the store on Wednesday - partly cause I love it there - and partly cause I usually have some new, cool things to display and play with! (Of course, keeping Tony out all day shopping means he didn't get a whole lot ready...yikes!!)
The pictures are some of the "spring" goodies Sharon dropped off while we were gone....everything just says HAPPY SPRINGTHYME...hope you get a chance to stop in this week and see our new treasures!!

GETTING READY....

...for that bushel of peas that will soon be on their way from Turkey Hollow to THE CINNAMON STICK. I made this sack from a very olde bank bag - and transferred a likeness of a vintage seed packet on it. The strap is made from olde ticking. It is hanging from a "pig hook"...(can you believe I use to collect olde pig hooks?? Only have two left..sold the rest....silly things some folks collect). This will look great grouped with a couple blue canning jars with "peas" in them.....well, maybe just a label that says "peas" - don't think I will EVER can again !! The days of me playing "farmwife" are over....been there done that !!! Very happy to go to the farmer's market to get fresh veggies.

SCAMPERING...

I keep hearing this scratchy noise everytime I turn on my computer.....for the life of me I couldn't figure out what the noise was.....and THEN...THE LIGHT BULB WENT OFF - it was the mice trying to get out of my "Picture Folder" and into the Spice Cupboard....silly mice - they think there is something good to munch on in here !!!


Sweet little mice will find their way to THE CINNAMON STICK very soon...traveling all the way from Turkey Hollow, Washington !!

A SUPER DUPER DAY...

Well the first day of spring started out anything but.....we had snow flurries ???? Cold and windy !!! Not until I decided to eat lunch was there any action in the store...AND then the car with the Connecticut license plate pulled in the parking lot....!!! What a great visit Connie and I had...and she went home with a car full of treasures....(making up for the visits she missed with all the crap weather this winter) !! Real hugs are the very best !! My daughter surprised us with a visit too (she was playing hooky from her teaching job)...and we all had a nice chat. Never enough thyme though. We had Shannon (daughter) take pictures of us.....lots of them.....BUT it was quite evident that neither Connie nor I did any dieting this past winter so I opted to just post this one of our very happy faces...(Connie gave me a quick lesson in leaning forward so the double chin doesn't show!!) I don't think that worked so well for me....LOL!!
The neat part of having a country store is having friends who love what you love and get excited over the same goodies as you do....I have more than my share of blessings.....

HAPPY SPRING...!!!

Today is the day....finally SPRING HAS ARRIVED (pay no attention to the weather report on the right side of this page).. Because soon it will start saying 55, 60 and 70 degrees...the 70's is the perfect weather for me !! I do love the change of the seasons but just wish winter was as short of a season as spring seems to be.
My friend Connie - http://logcabinprimitives.blogspot.com - is coming for a visit to the store today...can't wait to see her - it has been a long time since I have given her a "real" hug.
I will take pictures and post them this evening...best be off - just wanted to stop in and say HAPPY SPRING TO YOU !!

JUST BORN.....

You know those little marshmellow peeps that pop up all over the place each spring....well they are made about 25 miles from our store by a company called Just Born, in Bethlehem, PA. In 2004 they celebrated 50 years of making the peeps. (we sold chocolate dipped peeps that year) Now everyone around here has a special way they like to eat the peeps....some like them fresh and soft as can be....me (and many others) love them when they are stale...hard and you have to really tug to get a mouthful !! I no longer purchase them as I would eat the whole carton and then be sick. But I get my "fix" on Easter when I go to my sister's house where she will have a HUGE basket of candy with some marshmellow peeps !!!
The picture below are the "just born today" peeps at The Cinnamon Stick. Made of hand dyed wool, glass bead eyes and sporting a necklace of purple string. Don't you love the purple string !! Tony got lots of it at a flea market a couple years ago....I use it to tie up packages, make bows and tie price tags on for Easter and spring.

It was damp and rainy in Hereford today...and we weren't very busy...so I busied myself with making peeps, vintage postcard pillows and rearranging some displays....I played alittle bit with our next "event" at the store...Just trying to get my ideas working in my head...

Tomorrow is "spring" what a wonderful time of the year!!! HAPPY SPRING TO YOU !!!

BACK TO WORK...

My weekend is over and I am ready to get back in the store. I look forward to Wednesdays as I always have a bunch of new treasures to put in the store. Things that I got made and whatever antiquey olde goodies Tony has ready for me. Today a cast iron scale with olde white paint...this one has the solid plates on both sides and a weight in the middle...I don't have any weights to go with it but it is a great piece to display on. Also a neat olde box - tall ...that Tony put olde hinges on the back to hang on the wall. An olde utensil box too...not sure what else! I was busy replacing rabbits and peeps made of wool, some olde shutter louvre signs, a couple postcard pillows, framed prints - two for Easter and one for the NEXT adventure!!!.... and just one olde sack made from an olde bank bag. More needs to be finished but will do that inbetween customers....Today we are serving a warm orange tea and a Sweet Pepper Cheese Spread from Castle Creek Farms....they make the best dips and spreads!! Stop in for a taste!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY TO YOU !!

MAY THIS YEAR BRING YOU GOOD HEALTH, GOOD FORTUNE AND GOOD FRIENDS. FONDLY, JUDY DUGAN DOYLE

DONE !!! and it's still morning!!!

Woohoo....the TAXES are finished...completed...ready to go to the accountant ! RELIEF !! I have no idea why I always wait till the last minute to work on the paperwork...(this is last minute for me)....it just hangs over you until you "JUST DO IT" and how wonderfully stressfree it is after you are done. SIGH.....
Now I have the rest of the day to play. I need to make some rabbits for the store and a couple sacks....I took pictures to put on the PT for sale but the items sold - it is hard to keep up-to-date pictures during open house. ( not complaining believe me I am NOT complaining)....I just wanted to explain for those who check out the Handmades for Sale on the PT and don't see any changes.
Tony is already back from auction this morning....BUT he found some real good stuff. An olde country store hat display rack...wonderful olde scale...(found one last week too)...We are a good place to come if you are looking for olde cast iron store scales. Rug beaters, 2 olde baskets - I sold a saddle hook yesterday but he got another one, medicine cupboard and lots more. It was a good day for him (he had to come home as he spent all the money) !!! LOL!!
Have a fun day ----

THIS IS MY WEEKEND....

Monday and Tuesday the store is closed and I consider this "my" weekend - I am feeling very Easter-ly - all yellow and purple. I have all my Easter decorations down from the attic and tomorrow inbetween working on the taxes ( they are still not done - but I go to the accountant on Tuesday sooooooo they gotta get done) I will decorate the house. I don't do as much as I use to - I guess I get the decorating "bug" out of me with all I do at the store. I use to put Easter grass on all the windows downstairs...geesch !!! There are seven - 24" deep windowsills....and I would be cleaning up Easter grass for as long as I clean up Christmas tinsel...yegads - I am a glutton for punishment. AND, it was that glossy, slippery stuff...not the cool paper grass they have today...!!! I have lots of olde baskets that would sit in the grass and I wrote to you about my addiction to "eggs"....well eggs would be everywhere - and bunnies....all kinds of rabbits and peeps !! My mother started me on eggs when she gave me three little ceramic Easter eggs for the kids - Kelly (stepdaughter), Shannon and Tad. They had bunnies on the front and I am sure everyone made these in "ceramic class" !! My Mom would buy little treasures from a lady she worked with - such good memories...I miss those days. I think today I am missing my Mom as she made every holiday a HUGE celebration and decorated every room...I will admit to some "tacky" decorating as she loved it all....She put Easter grass all over a bay window and lots and lots of jelly beans along with all her Easter bunnies and chicks...guess the apple doesn't fall far from the tree after all.

YOO HOO !

I didn't realize so many days went by without posting....life has been a bit busy!! Seems everyone is REALLY ready for spring to arrive and those cold days this past week got everyone talking about the "weather" again....BUT this time it was with great anticipation for the warm, breezy days of spring....and hoping that we have a nice L O N G spring!

Sprouts are starting to come up in the gardens.....the forsythia has tons of buds on the branches....I am going to pick some to force into bloom for the store this week. AND , what could be better than the arrival of some "Spring Peas".... Miss Barbara of Turkey Hollow is sending us some of her early spring peas that she has been working on...!!! Hopefully some spring onions will arrive too and we will have a great side dish of "peas and onions".... just in time for Easter dinner.

We are waiting for more Easter goodies to arrive at the store but still have a nice selection for you to "Welcome Spring" and have a "Happy Easter" fun time decorating. Tony has a good amount of "olde treasures" for me to take into the store this morning....so I best get ready -(I love to put new items in the store...redecorate displays....so it will be a fun day today....and if you come visit...it will be "double fun" !!!

I LOVE TO SHOP...

It will be a busy morning unloading the car from all the goodies I was able to find yesterday....Sharon and I took a day off for fun....and our fun is SHOPPING !! Monday was a day of stitching and working on fill-ins for the store. So I have a nice bit of new items going in the store today. Tony had a great day at auction on Monday, but has been helping our son and hasn't gotten anything "store ready" yet. Surely this weekend there will be "new" antiques in the store too!!

On the other hand - I HAVE to work on my income tax as I go next Tuesday to get that done....I am always last minute with this....I like to think I am organized and all that...BUT when it comes to income tax I always wait till the last minute. ???????????

Wishing everyone a happy day -

G R O W...."YOUR JUST A FLOWER FROM AN OLD BOUQUET"

The pictures above are the sample for our next class on March 25th. Using those olde medicine bottles Tony purchased at auction, we will decorate them with images from olde books, vintage games and cards, an olde song book and more....!! Brenda Bobbin (isn't that a cool name) will teach the class - she is the one who hosts our "Ornament Exchange"...(remember the pics of her home!!!) Well she has tons and tons and tons of its and bits to work with - the fern on the "G" bottle is real - added scrabble and other game pieces help spell out the word GROW !!

I need to find a smaller flower pot to use on the top of the one bottle -(stoled that one from my fairy garden) - all the bottles will be different shapes and sizes but that is what ART is all about.

What I love about our classes is that you will finish the project that evening and take it home with you - I forgot to take pictures of the back of the bottles but they have some doo-dads there too !!

Info for the class will be posted on our PT....I hope you can come join us....just think how pretty fresh sprigs of herbs or flowers will look in those beautiful bottles that you made all by yourself!

PS...YOU'RE JUST A FLOWER FROM AN OLD BOUQUET is the title of a song....honest !!!!

MERRIE SUNDAY MORNING...

Today is the last day of the "official" Springthyme Open House at The Cinnamon Stick !! Now to get busy and replace empty spots...well there aren't really any "empty" spots as I am the "Queen" of shuffling and fluffing - As a storekeeper I HATE empty spaces....and when something BIG sells I am a "crazy lady" till I can move things around to fill the space in. Silly, I know, but you know what they say about teaching an olde dog new tricks...well I am an olde dog !! I am a clutterer and stacker and layerer and when I don't have items to clutter, stack and layer I get antsy!! By Wednesday when we reopen I will have those "spots" replaced with new goodies. There is a whole month of "springthyme" to go....and I have "spring fever" really bad !!
Our next class is going to be an altered art/mixed media project.....I have the sample at the store and will take pictures today (yesterday after work I needed to rush home to get to a family affair so I didn't get pics taken)...Brenda is going to teach the class as she is the real QUEEN of altered art at THE CINNAMON STICK. All the info will be on our PT later this evening. I am anxious to share this project with you. Space will be limited for this class as we are using olde medicine bottles and there are only so many available.....(do you remember the pictures I posted with all the olde bottles?? Well, that is what we are using....woohoo!!)
Have a happy Sunday - looks like rain here - thank goodness we are having a warm trend....don't think I can handle anymore snow....!!!

RANDOM ACT OF KINDNESS.....

Who is that standing in the doorway??? Hmmm....what is in the box !!!

PANSIES !!! One of the sweetest customers came to the store today with a boxful of LANCASTER COUNTY PANSIES !! (I knew there would be lots of pansies in Lancaster!!) Grace and Susan came all the way from Lititz, PA to visit the store and bring me my much wanted pansies.....my heart was so truly filled with joy !! I was so surprised and taken back with such a thoughtful gift - not surprised that Grace would do this as she is so thoughtful and kind....but whohoo!!! I GOT PANSIES !!! THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN....it was the very best present...XOXO to you girls !!!

I truly have the best customers in the whole world.....no mistaking that.....and the best artists and the best friends....I am so truly blessed...!!! I also have the best job in the whole world too!(and yes....the best hubby) !!! (and the best kids and grandkids....)....(are you gagging yet!!LOL!!)
I couldn't wait to decorate the store with all the pansy pots....

Aren't they beautiful !!!!

IT WAS SPRING AT THE CINNAMON STICK...

I think I pulled it off....making everyone think spring as soon as they walked in the door today! It was a good day...filled with olde friends and some new friends who are quickly becoming olde friends!!! We served a warm orange tea, cream cheese pound cake with a lemon glaze along with homemade macaroons (Sharon made them...delish!)
I SOLD LOTS OF EGGS !!! (thank goodness) Still have "plenty" and I had Tony dye some hard boiled ones today that I decorated the store with this evening. It was the only thing I didn't get done...and it can't be Easter at THE CINNAMON STICK without real colored Easter eggs ! The only thing missing was "pansies"....I always have pansies for spring open house...and there were none to be found - NONE... Every nursery - florist - said not until the middle of March....Now if I were in Lancaster (where the store use to be) I bet I could find "pansies"...
I forgot to take pictures....:( I love to take pics of the customers and post them...can't believe I forgot. There is alot of fluffing and shuffling that has to be done but I think I will be ready for the next few days....certainly everyone is ready for SPRING !!
I love to have parties.....

READY, SET .......GO !!!

Whew...finally finished getting all the spring and Easter in the store. (well I still have some florals to price and a group tag here and there for things - but I can do that in the morning) !!

I have a cake in the oven for tomorrow's treats and I guess I am pretty much ready to "GREET SPRING" - that is, as long as I overlook the mountains of snow !!!

I am waiting for Dianne to bring me her goodies right now and some items haven't been delivered yet, which is a bummer, but that will give us something new for next week !!

There are no "spring" decorations on the porches ( not even the BIG eggs for sale signs that I made) as it is so windy and yucky outside - soon though !!

A sweet smelling "Lemon Herb Potpourri" is keeping the store smelling wonderful along with new room diffuser scents from Crossroads. It is "spring" as soon as you walk in the door!! Hope you get the chance to come play with me!!!

Oh goodness - Dianne just left and look what she brought me....along with some other goodies I will show you tomorrow....too cute!!!

I AM QUITE TIRED OF WINTER....

Well we got the snowstorm that has put a BIG kink in all my plans....Tony and I started out to the store this morning late, but the roads were so bad we turned around and came back home. I just made up my mind that the plans for today just weren't going to happen - and then after lunch the sun came out and pretty much cleared the roads - so off we went again. The wind was so horrid that it was drifting snow pretty much across the whole road in places. The store is on a major route and kept plowed nicely BUT there are many farms along this road and the wind just blew the snow back on...we managed. The plow guys did the parking lot while we were there and Tony paid them extra to do the porches and steps. (we have two sets of steps coming from the street to the front of the store....NO ONE uses these as we sit close to the road and the parking is in the rear. BUT...they have to be cleared and the handicap walkway. There was 4 inches of snow that had blown on both the front and back porches and I know when I go up tomorrow I will have the same mess to deal with as it is really windy ...brrrrrrr ! Okay I am done complaining....sorry...just have no one else to "vent" to today....(big smile)
I did get some displaying done....infact staying late Sunday evening helped quite a bit. I am happy with the way the store is looking ...quite "springlike" !!! I put out items all day Sunday and sold almost every goodie Barb from Turkey Hollow sent me....I didn't even get to take the pictures...BUT Barb promised more goodies are coming to Pennslyvania...I just have to wait in line (it is fun to be first in line but now I am last....:( ( well worth the wait !! )
So I have no pictures until tomorrow...the floors are a mess from Tony and I running in and out and that will be the last thing I do tomorrow - mop the floors and take pictures. There seems to be alot of things I am doing tomorrow....hmmmmmm !
Tonight MY BATCHELOR picks his "wife to be"....I am so excited...as silly as it seems I love this show and can't wait to see this episode.....I want it to be Melissa....I think she is very special and perfect for Jason. I really thought Deanna (last season) was perfect - and if some kind of twist or turn happens tonight I will not be upset if Jason changes his mind and goes for Deanna.....time will tell....4 hours from now I can hardly wait !! I know what you are thinking.....stop rolling your eyes...!!!

INTRODUCING..... MASTER "PATTY" O'DOOGLE

Sherrie Seivers has named our sweet Lebrechan and I know he will be delighted with his name. Tony did the honors of picking the name ( we had 34 entries and some really good names I must say) CONGRATULATIONS SHERRIE...please send me your address and a Spring Rabbit will come "hopping" to you right away !!

Thank goodness for "good" news cause the weather news here is NOT good. The "weather" people are telling us a MASSIVE snowstorm is on it's way tonight into Monday. Our open house of course starts on Wednesday and I NEED Monday and Tuesday to set up....you know....clean the store, move stuff around so the "new" goodies will fit in, and I have so much pricing yet to do. So it sounds like I will only have one day to do everything before open house. Hmmmm...let's see if I can find some "good" in all this.....well...maybe March coming in like a lion means she really will go "out" like a lamb !! I think I have my work cut out for me....oh to be YOUNG again!

It is snowing here now but not going to do anything with this passing storm...it is the next one. BLAH !!

Yesterday a new friend, Margaret Johnson, brought me some handmade fabric "Eggs on an old rusty Spring"....I loved them and purchased all that she brought. Thank you Margaret....I already have them priced and displayed....very prim and "springy" !!

Happy Sunday to everyone.....I think I better get to the store and "start" pricing.....!!!!!