WHAT A WEEKEND...

This was one long, crazy weekend! This post is a little long, but I have so much to share! Our clothing drive ended Thursday, so Friday morning I drove the clothes down to Seville, Ohio so they could go on to Oklahoma that afternoon. What an overwhelming experience! Mike and Tammy were taking a BIG U-Haul truck and a pickup filled with everything from bottled water, canned goods, clothes and more. What an incredible couple! Mike and Tammy owned a GREAT hot dog restaurant across the street from the truck and treated the best lunch! If you are ever in Seville, you HAVE to visit Seville Antiques. It was the very best primitive antique mall I have ever been in! What a treat! We are so lucky to be having two of the vendors at our Harvest At The Mill show in September! Lucy and Abbey came to spend the night Saturday night while their mom officiated a wedding. We had the most fun! Lucy went fishing for the very first time and squeeled every time she caught a fish. Abbey would stay out there fishing all night if we let her! We had a campfire and Lucy decided we needed "camp stories" and "camp songs". She was so tired by the time we came in that she was falling asleep when I put her in bed. After the girls went home Sunday, Dick and I headed out to the Great Lakes National Cemetery to watch the most beautiful ceremony I have ever seen. There were thousands of people there and it was so very sobering to see over 18,000 headstones of our fallen veterans. Then on Monday morning, we kept the tradition and watched the Holly Memorial Day parade in the front yard of our old house. Six of the grandchildren came, two of our children and friends Peggy and Bob's family. After the parade ended, Dick and I came home and slept the afternoon away. What a wonderful holiday! Now it's time to get busy building, sewing, stitching and painting new goodies for the shop. Sorry this post was so long, and I hope you had a great holiday too! Until next time...

LOADED AND READY...

Hi friends! I just have to brag a little about our wonderful customers and friends in our area. We finished up the clothing drive and I couldn't believe how many donations we received! We got really worried that it wouldn't all fit in our Jeep, so Suski Used Cars in Holly donated a Cadillac Escalade to haul everything to Ohio in! It just keeps showing me how much people really do care. Thank goodness we got this vehicle. We kept hauling and hauling bags of clothing out and filed it right up! So tomorrow morning I'll be heading to Ohio to meet Marie Faren, transfer the bags to her truck and then she will head to Seville Antiques to transfer it all to the big awaiting trailer headed for Oklahoma. It's been a cold, rainy day here in Michigan, but my heart is warmed by the generosity of the people from our great country. We even had a stack of Bibles donated along with many cards and notes for the victims. Be sure to give your family and loved ones a big hug tonight and count our many blessings. Until next time...

CLOTHING DRIVE FOR OKLAHOMA...

Good evening friends. We have had an incredible day at the shop today. One of our fellow prim dealers, Marie Faren, from Nova, Ohio has started a clothing drive to send to Oklahoma. It touched my heart so much that we decided to try a one day drive at the shop today. I was totally blown away at the response we have had! People were dropping off 4-6 bags of clothing all day long. It went so well that we have decided to extend it through tomorrow. If you live anywhere near Holly, MI, please donate any clean, summer clothes to Holly Hills Primitives no later than 3 p.m. tomorrow (Thursday). Friday morning I will be meeting Marie in Maumee, Ohio to give her a truck load. She will be taking them to Seville Antique Mall to a huge trailer and another couple will be delivering them to Oklahoma. The truck and trailer leave Friday afternoon. Some things people don't think about is underwear. These should be new items if anyone wants to contribute. Also flip-flops would be another great contribution. Remember, these people have lost everything. Some people say "it takes a village", but in this case "it takes a country". We even had a stack of new Bibles delivered today. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to our friends that have contributed and to Marie Faren for starting this worthwhile cause. Hope to see you tomorrow! Until next time...

GUSSIED UP...

Good morning friends. Another busy week has come and gone in the blink of an eye! Our little village was hopping on Sunday. Our DDA has sponsored a Farmer's Market to last every Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. into October. It is growing and growing and everyone seems to love having it here. Most of the vendors actually sold out! Take a ride one Sunday afternoon and come see what Holly has to offer - and be sure to visit us at Holly Hills Primitives while you're in town! Dick and I spent almost all day at the mill yesterday trying to get a start on weeding and planting some lavender and sunflowers. We want her to be all gussied up long before our Harvest At The Mill show on September 7th! Lots more flowers coming this weekend after the Farmer's Market. Can't wait to add the tobacco fence, "garden lady", hanging baskets and white lights in the little trees. It felt so "right" to be setting on the porch of the mill taking a break. The show is taking off like a rocket! You won't believe the fabulous vendors we have lined up - so far from 9 states. Mercantile Gatherings magazine will be joining us along with Barbara Rice from Olden Days! Oh what a fun time of year for a show! We will be adding a picture trail with all the information (vendors, hotel information, directions...) very soon. Hope you will be able to join us! Until next time...

THE FIRST REVEAL...

Okay Prim Pals, I told you I was going to have two big surprises for you and tonight will be the reveal of the first one. Be sure to mark your calendars for September 7th, 2013 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Holly Hills Primitives is hosting the first annual Harvest At The Mill show at the old Holly mill at 105 Civic Drive in Holly, MI. We have vendors coming from at least 9 states (so far), Mercantile Gatherings magazine, Barbara Rice from Olden Days magazine, mountain music, horse and carriage rides, and all made in Michigan foods by Great Lakes Marketplace. The tents will be surrounding the old mill and will be filled with some of the finest early goods and needfuls ever found at a Michigan show. You won't believe your eyes! As the list grows, we will either start a separate blog or picture trail with all of the details. Three area hotels are giving us 25% off their regular rates for those of you that will be traveling. Our Village Council just gave us a unanimous vote tonight to go ahead with all of our plans. I'm so excited that I can hardly stand it! Is there any better time of year for a show filled with early antiques, handmades, needfuls, cornstalks, mums and more? I LOVE fall and I'm sure you'll find anything you could dream of at this show. Be watching for more details as the weeks roll on. Please come join us for a day filled with old and new friends! The second surprise will be coming within the next few days. Yesterday was also a great day. My friend Peggy (Wren In The Willow) and I headed for Fort Wayne, Indiana to the market. Picked up a few things for the shop, signed up more vendors for the show, went down to H2A and then stopped to visit my friend Joann at The Old Granary in Quincy, Michigan on the way home. I just couldn't be that close and not stop to visit for a few minutes. If you're in the area of Quincy, Michigan, you've just got to stop in at The Old Granary. The shop is filled with wonderful primitive goods and Joann is such a sweetie. Peggy and I had a ball talking and laughing the day away. Now I'm ready to head back to the shop tomorrow to put out some new goodies and have more fun with our rug hooking group. This old shopkeeper is tired tonight, so I guess it's time to head to bed. Have a great day tomorrow and keep watching for surprise no. 2! Until next time...

SPECIAL HOME TOUR..

Happy Mother's Day prim pals! Last evening we visited our friends Sally and Randy's gorgeous home and I'd like to share these beautiful pictures with you for a special Mother's Day gift. This is probably one of my all-time favorite homes. She just wraps her arms around you as soon as you walk in the door. I'll let you be the judge as you take it all in. There you have it! Isn't it just to die for??? Hope you enjoyed your tour and that your Mother's Day is filled with love and joy. Until next time...