Best Part-time Job Ever

Since closing down my storefront in Kalona, I have been cleaning horse stalls in North Liberty as my part-time job. It's a great gig to keep myself out of trouble, while I wait for my next junk sale.

And, though the horses are cool, the fresh air is cool, and the excuse to not go to the gym, because I'm already getting a workout  is cool, the coolest part of this job is my co-stall cleaner: Cassie. Dang it, she's a sassy little thing with all sorts of fun things to say...

We solved the worlds problems in those stalls, but now it's her time to move on to bigger and better things -- like pta boards. Good luck on your test lady!

Last Friday was her last day, so we made the best of it.

 

 Only a donut and snickerdoodle break could make these two smile this early in the morn.

 I don't know what Cassie is doing! Ha! Fox Barrel!

 Flyer with his ears back like usual... Don't let him fool ya, he likes us.

 

Here's Treasured, the only girl horse on the farm. She's a spunky little thing.

 

And then there is this girl. Daisy, you are the ugliest pig I have ever seen.

 Here's the view every morning. Faces out, all ready for feeding time.

 And, with Cassie's departure, and with my three big shows coming up, I'll be working less at the barn, and more on my projects for my sales. Yikes, 3 busy weeks ahead! But, this job was great while it lasted!

There's a first time for everything!

Growing up in Iowa, we take tractors for granted.

So, I went back to the homeland this weekend with Kevin (that's my cute hunk of a husband -- he hates it when I say things like that)(and the homeland is Southeast Iowa, where we both grew up). He had to help on his family farm, and I had to go to a baby shower (for my adorable friend and her adorable baby), and afterwards I met up with Kevin to ride with him spreading manure - via their new awesome tractor. 

 No, the manure part isn't awesome, just the new tractor part was awesome

 - GPS steering and all.

 Kev could pretty much just watch movies all day in that cab. Don't let people fool you, farming is amazingly easy - ha! He'd kill me if he ever read that too.

So, after some rounds of filling and spreading manure, my good friend, Marie joined us in the tractor. And, she told us that this was her first time riding in a tractor, EVER. What!? This girl has traveled across the globe by herself, she has visited over 15 countries, she's practically bilingual, does amazing things all of the time, and she has never ridden in a tractor in her 27 years of living in rural Iowa! How could this be? I don't know. We were all perplexed!
So, we took pictures to commemorate the occasion.

We told her she could drive it she wanted to (aka, push a button), but she politely declined (the picture is a fake, we're standing still). Maybe, next time we'll get her to drive. And, then, we'll get her running a combine.

B-day Indulgences

Shew... I finally had an afternoon to just relax! It's my birthday and I took all selfish liberties and pampered myself! I'm of course always on a budget, so it didn't involve any trips to the salon, just at home with products from my cupboards. I got these ideas from my good friend Mandy, and the other from Natural Health magazine. I lost the page that I tore out, so had to make up some of the ingredients, so bear with me.

Beauty Treatment #1... Mission Hair Repair
I haven't been eating the healthiest the past couple weeks, and I've been stressing my tresses out with my job at the barn. I clean horse stalls in the mornings and the dust, the cold weather and over shampooing is getting it fried!  I had to add some nutrients to my hair. So, I grabbed the ingredients that my dear friend Mandy tells me about, and I made me a "Soak."

Here's how it gets after weeks of neglect.

And, here's the ingredients for the "hair soak"

 The essentials for the soak are 2 eggs and oils. I was lucky to have these items on hand: Aloe Vera juice, coconut milk spray, argan oil, olive oil and lemon juice

I mix them all up in a bowl and dump it on my head as good as I can... I suggest wearing an old shirt.

Let it dry for about an hour, or until you're tired of it (p.s. It will get stiff from the egg drying) Then, stick your head under the faucet and shampoo your hair as good as possible. And voila! Healthy hair again.

Now, keep in mind your hair still holds some of the oils, so it is a little thicker than normal, and will look greasy for the night, but after tomorrow's shower, it will look and feel like a million bucks.




Beauty Treatment #2... Mission Detox
Oh, no, my day of pampering wasn't over. Next, I wanted to cleanse my body of toxins. I don't know the science behind any of this, but I love taking baths and Natural Health Magazine suggested this subtle detox, so I figured I'd give it a try.

All I did was take these ingredients and poured them in my bath water:
Since I didn't have the exact recipe, I just guessed:
2 cups of Epsom Salt
1/2 cup of baking soda
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 green tea with cranberry tea bag - yes, just let it steep beside you

And, there you go. Rub-a-dub and soak in the tub. Give it 20 minutes and supposedly, something good happened to your organs.

So, what a wonderful b-day. I got to do completely frivolous things  And, I didn't have to spend a dime.

The Count Down Begins!

22 days until the big show!  I hope you have your Calendars marked for Nov 16th and 17th.
It's Junk Jubilee! It's all that junkers in Iowa can talk about!

Karen and I have been working like maniacs to get our items ready for the show!
We're bringing our A-game! Come and check out our booth!

Remember, we're here on Fri and Sat

I'll be at my sister's wedding this weekend! Woot Woot, I'll try to add some pics soon.

So, Karen will be at our Urban Finds show, check out our stuff!

 Oct 19 -20  - Urban Finds
    2134 East Grand Avenue  Des Moines, IA
    Friday 6-8, Saturday 9-4

sorry... with the rain and all

Due to the potential of terrible weather today, we won't be able to be a vendor at Farm Girl Flea Market. So sad to miss out on the southeast Iowa crowd! Loved her farm! But, if you're local, check your radar, and check out the other vendors between bouts of rain!

2 Sales this weekend!

Come to Little Prairie Barn Sales near Grundy Center on Friday or Saturday, or Flea Market Sale on Saturday near Birmingham, IA.

WhatCheer

WhatCheer is an awesome flea market for central Iowans. We love going to buy or sell. And, one thing you can always count on is horrid weather. But, Iowans aren't raised weak, so hundreds of people still come and brave the elements. At the August show, it was blazing hot, then a torrential down pour, and then chilly. This October sale was straight up freezing! At least it didn't rain, but the wind was unforgiving.
We still managed to have great sales and sell some "junk".

WhatCheer Flea Market

Remember, Whatcheer Flea Market is this Thurs - Sun.
Simply Rooted's booth is just east of the food building. We're on the cement driveway (take a right, right inside the gates, and go about 1/2 way down).

I'll be there Thurs afternoon and Friday, and Cohort Karen will be there Sat and Sun.
We've got lots of goodies!