Pink Around Town

I thought I would take you on a little pink tour of the shops around HiHo.

Lets get a treat at the bakery across the street..... this is a shot of Jamie holding freshly baked pink pig cookies, they are the bakery's logo cookie. Hard to resist....right? See more of the bakery, visit their web site at , villagemarketandbakery.com . Lets run over and visit with Jody... she owns the newest shop in town , Uptown Attic. It is a fun clothing consignment shop. I'm sure she has some pretty pinks! You can visit with Jody longer by going to uptownattic.net

Right next door to Uptown Attic is the bicycle shop, Lightsey Cycles. Kirk is the owner. Hey, look he's building a pink bike! Our kind of guy!!! ( really wasn't planned) http://www.lightseycycles.com/

I don't know about you... but I'm ready for a refreshment . What do you say we stop into the wine shop? This is Jonathan, an enthusiastic employee. He is a musician and would be thrilled if stopped by to listen.... myspace.com/bodhilotusproductions ( he really was unpacking this box of pink labeled wine!!) Enthusiastic Wines and Spirits is the last stop on today's tour, (otherwise the girls will start looking for me) Owner Carl hopes you will take a look at his web site, http://www.enthusiasticspirits.com/
Well thank you for joining me on my break, but I really do need to get back. OH! look the neighbor is out trimming the hedges..... bless his sweet pink bald head, hee,hee.

For more pink fun join Beverly at Pink Saturday, by clicking on the button in my side bar.

HAPPY PINK!

A Birds Eye View and A Birthday

Well the weekend turned out to be a chilly one. However, that didn't keep me from keeping the shop door open. Humphrey loves the door open and plays the role of greeter very well. I figured after posting the pictures of him as a wet rat, you should all get good a look at my pretty boy.

He can on occasion decide he doesn't want someone to enter.He trys to act loud and large. ( poor Hump people usually laugh when that happens.) He did let an unwelcome visitor in yesterday, he arrived overhead, making Humphrey very excited.
The bird seemed to favor the Hemingway Room and he sang when sitting on spinning stacks of books. It was disturbing to see him try to fly and hit the window. Once he flew into the Hot House Room Aubrey and I came up with a plan. The bird seemed to escape our exit plans by flying over our heads. We needed to hold things over our heads to force him to make the right turn out the front door. It worked!

Air Traffic Control at HiHo

Having a bird in the shop has happened before, lets just say we were not as organized at removing him from the building that day....it still makes me laugh to think of it.( Claudia from Mockingbird Hill Cottage and I were more like a I Love Lucy episode, in our attempts to save the bird.....LOL.) Enough said, I don't want to embarrass the two of us.

Happy Birthday MR. HIHO

I think you can tell by the little guys face, between the customers, the bird and a party, he was a bit tuckered out. Hmmmm, life is good for all of us.

Calling All Pinks

If I don't give you a ring on Saturday, it doesn't mean I'm not coming. "I'll get it!" I never got around last week to visit each of your pink posts and who knows what this weekend will bring. The shop is open six days a week and I work each one. The weekends are often the busiest days of the week at the shop. My stress is compounded with the added plus of kids not being at school and my darling husband being off from work. I'm not crying over spilled milk...I'm whining. I just want you to know I love all your pink posts and don't give up on me, or serve me with a pink slip. Gee, who knows you could have already put out a missing pink person patrol on me.... (don't you just love a man in uniform?)I promise to put time aside Tuesday to visit as many posts as I can and to get some shots of pink in the shop to share. Thanks to Beverly for her dedication to Pink Saturdays. Be sure to join in on all the fun by clicking the Pink Saturday button in my side bar.

Thumbs up to PINK!

All Washed Up

Ah, the smell of wet dog. Yup, it was bath night at Humphrey's house. You have to love a dog that you can wash in the sink. He really does like a bath, he doesn't like the camera. The best gifts come wrapped in small packages.After a good shake,

and a couple of cookies. It will be an hour or so before we get into our dance around the brush and then he will be ready to greet Saturday's customers.

Get Excited!

Time to share some positive energy I collected this week. First, some background.... I sit on the board of my small town's business association. A optimistic, sometimes unruly group which meets once a month (to drink and eat) networking, organizing ways to promote business and support each other. This monthly gathering and brain storming has resulted in a web site, www.gardinernybusiness.com fun events that spotlight other non for profit groups and a pretty neat directory. We have over 140 members, a impressive size for our community. With press releases for events and generous donations, we have started a real buzz in our county. Soooo (sorry, I know I'm being long winded) I was asked to give a motivational talk in a neighboring town this past Tues. evening. I was asked to explain our groups history and inspire a like group to form in their town. A tall order. I am one to talk, OK... and talk, and talk, but not formally or to large groups. I spent much of Tuesday morning in a panic hunting down tidbits from my favorite on line haunts I had to be inspiring...and motivate? Pressure was on, close to fifty business owners had confirmed they were planning on attending. I was going to have to sell the rewards of volunteering to people who have no time, why did I say yes?

"are you proud of your business, your town, and your shopping area?" "do you shop across the street?" "how can you expect customers to shop local if your not?" I was off and running fueled with my Internet notes scribbled on Christmas card envelopes.( I didn't have any index cards) "Act, Dream, Plan and the hardest one Believe" "own the responsibility of your community's success" "you need to be thrilled to be doing business in your town"
YUP, I rocked the house! I even quoted a Motown lyric "I've got sunshine on a cloudy day" Did it work? I got an email today saying over a dozen people have signed up for another meeting. Best of all I have all my favorite inspiring quotes all in one place.(even if it's just on Christmas envelopes) It always feels good to wake up my Polly Anna. "harness the power of your enthusiasm for your business and share it with your town" I got myself excited!

A Summer Study

A recipe for a fun summer study look.

Mix in a little terracotta, sprinkle with books, stir in some vintage and then cover in rich deep tones. OH! almost forgot, and just a pinch of burlap.



Stop by to see the rest of the Hemingway Room dressed for the summer season. Auction finds a plenty. Leather topped tables, bookcases and new textiles await you.

Home Town USA

" Yes", the cupcake festival was a grand success!!!

With rain threatening and puddles everywhere the people came, hundreds of them. Wow! We sold more than 1200 cupcakes in two hours. Tammy and her staff at Wrights Farm baked 500 hundred of the cupcakes, these are photos of only some of the assortment they sold. They were beautiful. I took the shots before the Festival began.

The day was lovely, it never rained.....that was not the forecast, thank goodness the weather man is never right.Before the road was closed off, Aubrey put the finishing touches on our candy display. A local Trio opened the day with pretty classical selections. Everett surprised me and suggested he pull out the cow head.

My cupcakes, Whitney and Aubrey.

Susan worked the day over at the library's tent, sporting a very cute vintage apron.

I had planned on more photo's however the shop got busy and before you know it the day was over and the girls and I never even had a cupcake. A great day....