Trade Days

We went into League City today...... haircut for my husband, and while he was doing that, I went into J's antique shop to trade some Victorian items for cottage-style things. I've done this twice now... taking decorative things from my house that I can't use at the lake-house...... and trading them for country-styled items for the cottage. There are just too many things around this house, so taking some of them away is a blessing.

I brought half a dozen vintage beaded purses to L at J's shop today..... she was happy to get them, saying that she hardly ever finds vintage purses at the estate sales these days. (That's because so many of them are on display here in my sitting room.) I traded the purses for a vintage box made from cedar...... a large, beautiful handmade box with tiny drawers in it. Could be a jewelry box, could be a stationery box... and it could just sit on a table and look cottage-y. The top of the cedar box has painted birds on it.... extraordinary craftsmanship.

We got a phone call from C's mom today.... she just bought a new set of pots and pans, and is giving us her old set for the cottage.... which means I won't have to look for cookware for Mayberry. (You mean I have to cook at the lake....?) So that's another thing off of my list.

After taking care of the errands today, we went to Babbo Bruno's for dinner. We got there earlier than usual, and we were the only ones in the restaurant. When I see that restaurant so empty, it makes me wonder why the owner is wanting to move into a bigger restaurant with a larger kitchen and more staff. We're both hoping that his new-and-improved business venture won't be his downfall. I will hate it when he leaves that small and cozy location.... and I'm sure the owner is hoping that his regular patrons will follow him to the new place.

My sitting room is getting cramped. As I sit at my desk and look in front of me, all is as it should be.... nice and neat and Victorian-looking. If I turn around in my chair, I see a full third of this room filled with stuff for Mayberry--- lamps and shades, pictures and mirrors, small tables and two white rattan chairs, boxes of books, bags of towels and pillows... and heaven only knows what else in packed up behind me.

While we were out today, I saw a small truck that I thought would be the perfect size for us to rent for moving all of this stuff up to the lake. My husband saw the size of the truck and thought it was too big. I told him that he should take a closer look at the amount of things I have packed up for Mayberry... not just the stuff in my sitting room here, but the pile of boxes and wicker furniture that's all ready to go in the garage. He just has no idea how busy I've been this past month.