The Beach House

Just read The Beach House by Jane Green and LOVED it.   I’ve read most of hers, and this one was one of my favorites.  No one became a republican trophy wife with blonde highlights…the characters seemed more authentic than in some other of her books.  It was very practical in how it dealt with the characters life, as in…yeah, that’s life.  There were a few twists which were perhaps could be considered unrealistic, but since real life is surprising- I say it works. At the end one of her characters writes about being a real writer and how basically it takes discipline.  To write when there is nothing to write.  You can’t just think about writing, you actually have to sit down and write.  That’s how you get words on the page.  You have to write them.  I am summing up her words and adding in my interpretation, because, well, this is my blog.  But I immediately thought of a poem by a favorite poet, Marge Piercy-  “For the young who want to”.  In the last stanza of the poem, Marge pretty much says the same thing….

“The real writer is one/ who really writes.   Talent/ is an invention like phlogiston/ after the fact of fire./  Work is its own cure.  You have to/ like it better than being loved.

 

So don’t dream about it, think about it, ponder it….like Nike says

 

JUST DO IT! 

 

I’m talking to myself in case you were wondering.  But you can do it too.  I’m just going to actually do it this time.  I think.  At least that’s the plan.  For now.  When children are sleeping; anything is possible.  And back to Jane Green-go buy one of her books, brew a cup of tea, sit in your favorite chair and settle in to be surrounded by friends.

Mary Anne

Once a month…

It seems like I write only about once a month-whether anyone is reading this or not.  I know a lot of people are disappointed when they get to my blog and realize that I haven’t written lately.  Okay, but since no one is really going to my blog…I’m sure we’ll all be okay.  There are a lot of Adrienne Papel fans out there searching for dresses, however.  It is a great line of dresses that did very well for us in the shop.  A word of advice is that my customers felt they ran a little small especially at the bust line, so keep that in mind.  And have fun shopping!!!!

Anyway, I always think I’ll write more and then life gets in the way…diapers to change, children to feed-which reminds me-the hotdogs I was heating up in the microwave for Jake….are still in the microwave.  What a nice boy not to have come running in here yelling that he’s hungry.  So, my once a month is very short, because life just got in the way!!!

Sleeping

Ssssshhhhhh.   The children are sleeping.  I tell people that we’re on the rock star schedule.  It is 8:30 in the morning, and they are still sleeping.  I will wake them up at 9 if they’re not up.  It seems unreal for some people, but it is true.  They like to stay up late, and sleep late.  This is my schedule, too.  Whenever I run the numbers, they’re still getting about the same or more sleep than most kids, so…I just say we’re practicing for college. 

I may be the only mom who wants afternoon pre-school so that it won’t interrupt my children’s sleep schedule.  So, I’m off to make coffee before the day really begins.  Only 23 more minutes of freedom!

M

Here we go….

Well, if I have said it once, I’ll say it again….where does the time go?  April 18?  I mean really?  What have I been doing with myself?  I had no idea that children’s tv would be so engrossing that I would forget all about this blog!!!  And I had 7 viewers yesterday!  Wow!  That might be one of my highest days!  Okay, so I have been watching reality tv late at night.   I confess.  We’ll write about that later.

Well, I don’t know what I have been doing the last month, but I can tell you about last week.  Last week, Katydids and Urban Abode had their clearance sale.  Last year, I was a part of it.  This year, I had a bistro table, 4 old dining/occasional chairs, and a few other random things, so I was not a sponsor of it, but I did take a few things out to it.  So, I wanted to go out there and at least be a body and help price and move things and what not…Not a great weekend to have a sale with the torrential rain, but we survived.  Now, my bistro set sold the first day-so that was great!  A few more things sold over the next few days.  One sale, however, reassured me that I had made the right decision to close my store and NOT look back with sadness. 

I say that because everyone asks if I miss it and….I don’t.  Not at all.  I almost feel bad because I have no regrets about closing or sadness.  I miss some of the great, interesting, funny people that I met, but that is way different from missing the store itself.    Anyway, I digress…this sale in particular was for a lime green shirt priced at……ONE Dollar!  Now, I know it is a rummage, but even at rummages, clothes are sometimes priced at a few dollars, and even at Goodwill, they’re priced at a few dollars, so my price of ONE dollar seemed like a deal.  Anyway, the woman had seen the shirt earlier in the day, and now was back to ask if we still had it.  HHmmm. Then she says, “well, have these black pants I could wear it with.” 

I said, “yes, that would look great.”  It was only a dollar, so I wasn’t really feeling the need to “sell” it.

She says, “I’d better try it on.”  I think, okay, it’s just a shirt, but if you want to try it on, go for it.  So she trys in on and then starts asking everyone what they think?  I’m thinking IT’S A DOLLAR!!! It fits, you have someting to wear it with.  What’s not to like?  It’s regularly $68!!  What’s not to like?!?! 

She then asks, “would you take less?”

To which I respond, “it’s a dollar.  NO.”  I thought, maybe she thought it said $10 dollars.  She knew if was one, however.  She just thought she’d ask.  I was really thinking less than a dollar?  No.  I then told her how much it had originally cost.  She loved that part.  So after much to do,….she decided to buy it.  So now, I have ONE DOLLAR!!!!  I would have donated that shirt to Goodwill before I had accepted less than a dollar.  I mean seriously.  One Dollar.  So no, I don’t miss the strore.  And I don’t miss all the people.  Just some of the people.  But not all the people.  Not at all.

I was just glad I hadn’t audibly gasped when she asked if I would take less.  Or maybe I should have.  A point to ponder.

Good Day.

 

 

Where does the time go?

One would think that I would have lots of time to write, since I don’t have the store anymore, and yet it has almost been a month already!!!  The old phrase, “where does the time go?” is apropos.  Perhaps not a lot of writing has been getting done, because a) I am holding a baby for many hours of the day b) had to work on taxes c) not sure if anyone is reading this anyway, so….although there were 4 of you out there on Monday who clicked through to me!!!  Pretty exciting.  For me, perhaps not for you.  Sorry.  I can only write about what I know, and right now that is long walks, the park, the library, and choo choo trains. 

I did get to escape, I mean leave the house sans children last night to get my hair done.  After having Ava, I was desperate for a color change-I couldn’t enhance my hair while pregnant and it had gotten a little dark.  So, while at Walmart, I picked up some color.  Now, I have colored my own hair many times before.  But I don’t think I have ever used a product with peroxide in it.   My hair is naturally a dirty blonde color, so I only need a little help to “enhance” it.  Okay, so this product was different.  I knew right away that I was going to have a problem.  And…I did.  With my hair covered in product, I kept watching the color change, was frantically rereading the instructions where it said, ”color will go from brown, to red, to orange, to shades of blonde. ”  Well, after like 35 minutes and I was still not to the shade of blonde I wanted (still a bit orangey blonde) I had to wash it off.  I was afraid if I waited any longer, my hair would come out with the color.  My hair didn’t fall out, but what I was left with was almost just as bad.   I was visiting my parents in Oklahoma at the time, and called my mom at work to say, “aahhh…Houston, we have a problem. ”  It was HORRIBLE.  Cheap.  Tacky.  BRASSY!!!  I was embarrassed to be seen.  So many purple shampoos later, well…it was a little better.  But by then, I was afraid that I had ruined my hair, so I didn’t want to recolor it right away.  3 months go by-now rootage is added to the problem….Not an attractive look at all.  I would just take a shower and then immediately put it in a bun.  Perhaps a good look for a nun, but not me.   So, finally I got it cut and recolored.  And I think I am going to love it.  It wasn’t cheap, but then I had already gone that route.  You know when you see people who have really good hair and wonder about it.  Let me just say one thing.  If it looks expensive, it probably is.  But even though Ava was screaming when I came home, and had been for the last hour, even my hubby said right away, “oh, it looks really good.  I like it.”  Which is code for “if I were a girl, I’d talk about your hair for the next hour and tell you how great it looks, how great you look, how much younger, thinner, etc. you look.  But I am a guy and not gay, so this is the BEST you are going to get.”  I was thrilled with his actual words, and Ava stopped crying as soon as I picked her up.  So all was well with the world until Ava proceeded to throw up on me 10 minutes later.  And then again.  And then again, and again. (And I think even AGAIN).  So, my haircut is perhaps the last time I ever get to leave her.  But did I tell you about my hair?  Oh, and it is still blonde.  Not Girls Next Door blonde, perhaps Housewives of Orange County blonde.  Did I mention my hair?

New Life

It’s official-I am a SAHM (stay at home mom) which really means, how the heck can I get out of the house today in a way that won’t cost A LOT of money.  Unfortunately, the things I like, i.e. shopping cost money.  I am NOT a browser.  Wherever, I am, I can find a way to shop and spend money.  So, a walk downtown Waukesha…well it would be rude not to stop in at Hey Baby, and well look at that she’s having a sale.  It’s almost like she knew I was coming.  Again, with great sale prices, it would be rude not to show my appreciation and buy something.  And how can I decide which dress to buy Ava?  Oh well, I’ll just get them both.  That was last week.  The week before we trekked downtown and went inside Martha Merrell’s because I had 2 $5 coupons.  Well, since I was going to get $10 off my purchase, I can’t just buy something for $10-that again would be rude, so….$50 later in books.  You see the problem?

Last night however we all had a good family activity that didn’t cost anymore that what we already pay to belong.  I took the kids to the WAC (Wisconsin Athletic Club) nursery for an hour while I walked and biked, and then we all went swimming for 30 minutes.  The kids loved it.  Jake kept saying, “Whoa, whoa” and Ava just smiled and smiled.   I think it took us longer to get dressed for swimming than we swam, but oh well.  So, today another activity or adventure awaits us…talk later!

Waukesha store closed

Well, I thought I had written about this already, but no.  December 27, 2007 was the last day for our Waukesha store.  And we say THANK  YOU.   Then by December 31, 2007-we were packed up, cleaned up, and had the signs down.  A few days later, we packed up a u-haul and drove to Oklahoma  (20 hours of drive time with a u-haul and two kids) where my mom has a store.  We unloaded the merchandise, and John considered himself done with Sadie Bryners.  He is not really sad.  At all.  I will miss some of the people I met-some whom I really liked, but with two little kids, I won’t miss a lot else.  And I can get my retail fix by visiting my mom and working at her store.

 So, on that note if you happen to be in Stillwater, OK this weekend, you can stop by the store-we’re having a 50% off sale of her entire store.    She has some beautiful art.  I am picking out a few myself.  If I learned one thing from closing our store, it’s BE AGGRESSIVE with sales.  It’s okay to do that.  Be firm, but be aggressive.   So, we’ll see how it goes.  I am in Stillwater for the next few weeks.  The kids, and myself, are loving it.  It is in the 50’s for the most part.   I love it that the kids are getting to spend time with my parents and John’s parents.  His parents live only 45 miles away, so there has been lots of back and forth.  The lack of our family in Wisconsin is one of the hardest things for us.  Fortuneately, we have some great friends up there. 

Well, I should get the day started.  The nice thing is if I want to go to the store, I can.  Or if not, then I don’t have to. 

PS-this website will be changing to reflect all of my mother’s store.  So, say goodbye to us in our present format. 

Mary Anne 

Yucky weather-Sadie’s closed

We are staying home today in the midst of this yucky weather.  The news is saying not to drive, so we’re not going to.  Please visit us another day.  Our sale will continue until December 27, 2007.  Inventory is moving quickly, so don’t delay.  Just don’t visit today.

Hours week of December 3, 2007

Just a bit of information-

Our hours this week are:

Monday 1-6, Tuesday 1-6, Wednesday 10-6, Thursday 10-6, Friday 10-8

Saturday 10-5, and Sunday 12-5.

We just got some great new jackets in, so stop on down.  Hope to see you soon.

Mary Anne 

Art Crawl

Art Crawl is today, don’t let the weather scare you away!!

We just got in some fabulous jackets for the holidays.  Hurry in to see if they’ll work for you.  Don’t forget, everything in the store is 30% off, so stock up on all your favorite napkins and such.  Hope to see you today.

Mary Anne