Sunday 4/29

I haven't written a blog post in a long time.  Too busy with other things I guess.  I am enjoying my time with my Life Group ladies, still volunteering with USO, though not as much lately, and trying to keep my Etsy shop up and running. But I thought I would write today.

The last two days have been spent in Beaufort.  Elaina bought a ticket to the Beaufort Wine and Cheese event for yesterday, and a ticket to the Vin de Mere Epicurean Village for today.  Eastern North Carolinians love their food and wine events. This weekend's events are a fundraiser for various charities each year. Townspeople attend these events, but so do the people that come by yacht from all over.

Last year I attended the Food Truck Rodeo with Elaina. It was okay, but maybe not as well done as we had hoped.

I rode along to spend the day in Beaufort, one of my favorite places to be.  (Elaina can eat oysters and cucumber saki, if she wants, just let me have the sea breeze and the view).

I've written about Beaufort before of course, but I'll say a little more again and add some photos.

Beaufort was started in 1709 and is famous for the pirate ship The Queen Ann's Revenge among other things.  I visited the Maritime Museum while I was there and saw so many  items found on the wreckage of the Queen Ann's Revenge.  The museum has a lot of information on Blackbeard and his three ships along with all kinds of maritime information. I was fascinated by the displays of the original Coast Guard service and their methods of saving people from shipwrecks. They used a pulley-like system using something called a "Breeches Buoy."  People could put their legs through the buoy and be pulled to shore from a ship.  That was as far back as the 1800's.  I found a picture of a breeches buoy: 

Maritime museum

I walked around town and watched boats zipping around in Taylor's Creek.  It was a busy day for boaters and shoppers today.

sorry, Blogger doesn't let me move photos around easily.

The land across from these pictures is Carrot Island, where the wild ponies are.  I caught a picture of one yesterday.  Look closely, he's there.

Because the town is so old, there are many, many houses with historical designations, like this one I passed walking to the antique stores. I think the oldest house is from 1700.

I did a brave thing for me today; I walked into a restaurant, "Finz Grill" to have lunch by myself.  I didn't want to give up my parking space to go find "fast food" so I sat by myself and ate lunch there.

They have a waterfront patio, but I ate inside.  While I was there a Coast Guard boat docked at the patio and they sat out on the patio to have lunch. (I've heard them called "Coasties" but I don't think they like that. Not sure what they are referred to)

Much of the time I sat on a bench at the boardwalk and just enjoyed the sun, the sea breeze and people watching.  Got my daily dose of vitamin D3 today.

Before it was time to pick up Elaina from the event, I decided to get an ice cream cone from one of the shops.  (I got peanut butter cup flavor!) The girl behind the counter scooped my ice cream and set it on the counter and I handed her my debit card.  She said, we only take a debit card with a $6 purchase.  Oh my.  My cone was $3.18.  I only had two dollar bills on me.  I wasn't sure what to do.  Buy a second cone and let it drip all over the place?  But a young couple with 3-4 kids came in and the woman handed the cashier a 5 dollar bill.  I didn't realize at first what was happening until the cashier gave the woman change.  I said, "Did you just pay for that?"  The woman said "yes."  I thanked her and tried to give her my 2 dollar bills, but she wouldn't take them.

She said they had had someone pay for their $40 meal once at a restaurant that only took cash, which they hadn't come prepared for. She was just paying it forward and I was the happy recipient.  Such a nice surprise.  I will have to remember to do that for someone else soon.

The next photos are from the far end of Front Street in Beaufort. There are some beautiful homes, big and small and some with private docks. It's a narrow little street and when bike riders are out in force, you have to squeeze by. I think these trees are southern live oak trees.

It was a gorgeous day really and always does me good, to get outside and enjoy what ENC has to offer.  I am grateful to get to live in a place with so much nature!  (minus the mosquitoes)

Here's a link to the town website.  Do yourself a favor and go look at nice photos of  Beaufort!  http://www.beaufortnc.org/

Also:
https://www.google.com/search?q=beaufort,+nc&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj-n_HByM3TAhWB2SYKHY4EDiYQ_AUICygC&biw=1366&bih=638#imgrc=ajiu3qc-3ge83M:

Friday: Busy Day at the USO

I worked at the USO today from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m.  They had a special day for about 200 Marines from Camp Johnson (also in Jacksonville).  They were given a day off to just have fun and they were bused over to the USO. These are YOUNG Marines. I'm guessing early twenties and younger.  Probably 95% male and 5% female.  Just for information's sake, here's info about Camp Johnson:

Mission

The purpose of the camp is to conduct formal resident training for officers and enlisted personnel in the occupational fields of logistics, motor transport, personnel administration, supply, and financial management ( accounting and disbursing), as well as to conduct instructional management and combat water survival swim training. In addition to training Marines, Camp Johnson also houses the Field Medical Training Battalion, which trains corpsmen and religious program specialists of the Navy. The commanding officer of MCCSSS also serves as the area commander of Camp Johnson, and provides administrative support to various tenant commands.

(It was also, a long time ago the training facility for the Montford Point Marines, the first black Marines)

     I helped with setting up chairs and food tables.  We had tons of Girl Scout cookies to set out. The Marines started coming around 10 and were given an introduction to the USO by two staff men who are retired Marines.  They were told of the historical aspects of this particular USO (the oldest continuous operating USO in the world!)

     They were told to relax and have fun!  There were poker tables set up, corn hole games, board games, chess, table tennis, pool tables, video games, etc.  There was plenty for them to do until the food arrived.

     Two different restaurants provided pizza, pizza and more pizza. The USO staff provided taco and burrito fillings, slider sandwiches, salad, chips, rice and beans and more.  I worked at the salad and taco filling table and watched more than a few pour ranch dressing on their pizza!  (I thought that just happened in California.)  Looking at their too full plates, I heard many say, "Man, I'm going to pay for this on Monday!"  Peanut Butter Patties, Samoas and Thin Mint Girl Scout cookies were the favorites!

     If you get discouraged about the youth of the country, spend some time with Marines.  I probably heard, "Good morning Ma'am" and "thank you Ma'am" at least 100 times today. They were all polite and respectful and grateful for the day.  What's hard is having them say to you, "thank you for all you do for us...."  Wow.  It's the other way around, don't you know?

     I think they had a lot of fun until the buses came to get them at 4. I'm so blessed to be able to be there and help when I can. If you ever get the chance to volunteer at a USO, DO IT!  I come home from these events exhausted!  But it's an amazing experience.

Here: https://www.uso.org/centers/united-states

They also take donations!

https://www.uso.org/take-action/ways-to-support

Feb. 1, 2017 A Fun Day

I spent 3 hours at the USO this morning with 7 other volunteers making up rack packs.  How many?  We made up 1,025 rack packs! In case you don't remember what they are:  One of these goes on each single Marine's "rack" when they get back to the barracks after a deployment. They're items they might need immediately, like toothbrush, and paste, razors,  a bar of soap, deodorant and a small snack among other things. In case it's not obvious to you, since they needed 1,025 rack packs, that means some Marines are on their way "home."  When we make "deployment" packs, that means....some are headed out.  Here I am in gray sweater:

After that I stopped for a quick lunch and decided to visit some thrift stores since I was in that part of town.  I never know what to expect from thrift stores, but today was a good day.  I visited this place: 

It's been a thrift store before, but I think it has new owners now.  I saw a plate that looked interesting but it was marked $5.  I saw that it had some chips so I decided not to buy it, but the woman working there, said, "Oh, I'll give it to you for $1.00."  OKAY!  I'll take it.  There was also a small china saucer (blue and white, which I love) marked $3, but I told her no on that too.  That's when she said, "Just a dollar."  Another OKAY!

An older man came into the store saying he'd never been in and wanted to know, "What can I do without?"  Right there I thought of my dad.  The employee showed him something she just bought herself and he said, "But I wanted that!"  Oh my gosh, that sounds just like something my dad would have said.  Later he saw me pick up my mystery piece.  I asked him if he knew what it was and he answered, "No, but I wanted it!"  So much like my dad would have said to someone.  He was kidding of course.  On my way out he said, "You gonna let me buy that?"  I told him he could have it for $20 (I paid 1.75).  He offered .50.  So, no deal.  Ha ha. Here's my purchases from there:  

The luncheon plate is from the 1930s, made by W.S. George Co.  The saucer says Turin and a number on the back, but I couldn't find the pattern anywhere.

Here's the mystery piece.  

 The mystery is not necessarily what it is, but why it's made the way it is.  It stands up on four rubber feet but opened, it is a grater on both sides, with a piece of wood in between.  It's stainless steel and has the word "SlimSlice" on it. The company name is Invento Product Corp.  I found that it was started in 1960 but currently inactive. Can't see much use as a slicer, but the grating part sure is sharp. (Maybe it's missing something?)

I also went to the Infant of Prague Catholic thrift store and found three small Fire King custard cups in the primrose pattern. 

(Forty cents each.) Etsy has 182 Fire King Primrose items listed.   That's nothing; some vintage items can have 4-5 thousand listings of the same thing, or at least similar.

All of these things can be added to my Etsy shop. Hoping February is a better month for sales!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PicketfencesVintage

It's always fun when I find some deals that I know could possibly sell on Etsy, and so cheap!  Tomorrow I do laundry.

(Friday, another USO event)

Saturday the 14th

Elaina and I wanted to try out a new grocery store that opened in New Bern called "Publix."   I had a feeling it was going to be pricey as far as groceries go, but those kind of stores tend to have more variety of items than we can find in Food Lion or Walmart.

They carry a low calorie kind of ice cream-like item by the brand name of Halo Top that Elaina likes, so we bought that and a few items that just looked good.  It's a beautiful store and has all kinds of immentities, but too pricey for our everyday kind of shopping.

Of course, since it's in New Bern, they have to have their own Bear out front like most bigger businesses in New Bern.  
(Swiss Bern = Bear)

Well, because we were in New Bern, we also had to stop at Andrea's Attic Antiques on Trent.  This is one of our favorite places and I refer to the proprietor as our "Southern Gentleman."  He is a nice man with a truly southern accent.  Not just southern, but more of a refined accent, thus, my nickname for him.  Heard today that he used to be "in insurance."  He has maybe a hundred framed art pieces throughout the store and he is very proud of them.

(This one is labeled 1920s Mission at Santa Barbara, CA $495)

He buys complete estates and keeps the store packed with antiques. Today he was excited to show me a quilt he had just purchased for the store.  He had me help him open it up completely to show it to me.  He was proud of the fact that it was a North Carolina flower design.  He made a point of saying it was not a Pennsylvania Dutch pattern, but was truly a North Carolina pattern.

(The top quilt on the right is the one. Priced at $295.
It was very big!)

I didn't find anything there for me to buy today.  That doesn't mean I didn't see anything I wanted!  Like I said, it's packed with antiques of all kinds and if he was giving them away, I'd gladly take them!

It was a nice day to get out of the house and see new things.

Etsy in December 2016

December 2016 has been my best month for selling on Etsy, EVER.

Here it is the 20th of the month and I have had 13 sales. (14 items) Last December I had one sale.  It was a good one, but just the one. 

I have been trying to learn more about selling online and I guess some of what I've learned is paying off.  I've learned that you absolutely have to connect on other social media like Pinterest and Instagram.  I think those two have given my shop more exposure. (Thanks to my daughter for her social media expertise.)

That's done by "pinning" my own items to Pinterest boards, and posting pictures of my for sale items on Instagram using hashtags that are popular with other people who love vintage items.  
Like:
#vintageshopping
#fleamarketfinds
#vintageinspired

If you've ever wondered what kinds of things I sell, or what kinds of  vintage things people buy on Etsy, here's my December list of items sold:

Vintage Button Brooch

George and Martha Creamer and Sugar

Will Rogers Bio Book

Vintage pot holders

Embroidered Cloth

Art Deco Vanity set

1971  Cloth Calendar

Toy Iron

Children's Muffin tins

Amish Pepper Shaker

Embroidered Cloth

Mother of Pearl Tie Tack

Vintage Anne Diary

Hankie filled with Lavender

Am I making a living?  Far from it.  So far still a hobby, but who knows.  It may come in handy some day.  Here's the link to my shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PicketfencesVintage

Here's my Instagram:

https://www.instagram.com/picketfences3

Here's my Pinterest:

https://www.pinterest.com/Picketfences3

Another trip into Burgaw, NC

I found out earlier this week that Stover's Auction House in Burgaw was having a one day tag sale today, so I made plans to go.  Since it's almost an hour away, I planned on leaving home at 7:45 a.m. It's best to get there early and sign in, so you're one of the first to get in.

We had a hard freeze last night, so it was 27 degrees when I went out to my car.  My car was covered in ice.  I used the scraper on my windshield, but it didn't do much.  I finally had to back my car up enough in the driveway so that the sun shined on it before I could leave!  I didn't get to leave until 8!

Such pretty little ice crystals all over the car.  

 I got to the auction house and there weren't many people there this time.  They had mostly furniture and some china pieces but nothing I was interested in to list on Etsy.

If you've read a previous post, you know I've been to Burgaw before.  I decided to stop at Fremont Antiques and see what they had.  It's a very nice store and I have bought something there each time I go.  So, I did so today too!  I bought 5 items that I can turn around and sell on Etsy for more than I paid for them.  

Fremont Antiques is in "Historic Downtown Burgaw."  I noticed today that the shop next door is actually an old fashioned department Store!  Imagine that.  Reminds me of the SQR store in Anaheim, where I grew up.

Fremont Antiques

Harrell's Department Store

Over the door Harrell's reads Established in 1903

Burgaw is a cute little town with lots of old homes, a huge courthouse (Pender County Courthouse) and a typical statue of a historic person in front.  The downtown area appears to be trying to revitalize, with coffee shops, cafes and other businesses.

Oh, and I saw this sign in the antique store. I thought it was appropriate for North Carolina, with all the hunting that is done here.

Anyway, it turned out to be worth the trip into Burgaw even though the auction house wasn't successful.  Hunting for vintage things for Etsy is my job for now.  (It's a good thing I enjoy it!)

(At noon, the temp. was 39, and now at 3:15 it's 45. Trying to stay warm.)

End of November

Well here it is, the end of November.  December will be here in two days.  Hard to believe.

Elaina cooked a great Thanksgiving meal for the two of us.  She made a wonderful cranberry sauce this year that had crushed pineapple in it.  It was so good!  We made soup with the leftover turkey.  

Our weather has been very different this fall.  First we had very warm days earlier in November and since then some cold days and a few freezes over night.  We wake up to see the lawns covered in white. However, today has been another weird day.  It's in the 70's, very humid and windy.  We have been very concerned about the fires in the western part of the state and in TN and have hoped
that moister air would help, and some rain, but the wind would definitely not help. News from that area today is not good.  So sad.

Because of the warm weather, the trees didn't start changing color at their usual time.  Now, everywhere you look, the trees have reds, yellows, and orange colors.  So pretty.  But it's also starting to look a little "bare" since the leaves are really starting to fall.  The only ones keeping the forest looking like forest are the pines (and there's a lot of pines!)  

Over our back fence

across the street

Today I had breakfast at Cracker Barrel with my Life Group ladies. It's the last meeting until the new semester starts.  Then I went to the USO and helped decorate for Christmas.

I helped with these two areas, but there was a lot more decorating going on.  There was at least 5 trees being decorated at the same time.  






After that I drove over to the church to pick up our tickets for the Christmas program. They are free tickets, but you have to have them ahead of time or you may not get to go, since the congregation is so big.  There's several showings but still, you have to have your reservation. 

I'm still selling on Etsy, with a sale or two every month.  Looking for a job of course. Still don't know what will be happening, but I"m trusting that God has something for me.  Most jobs I've had in the past came from "word of mouth" rather than just applying all over the place.  Hoping that happens soon.

Light Sisters' Retreat 2016

Well, Light Sisters' Retreat ended on Saturday with a trip to the Jacksonville airport.  So sad to see it end!

We had a great time shopping for antiques and enjoying the beautiful Eastern North Carolina countryside and the great beaches and state parks.  Thanks to Elaina, we didn't have any trouble finding where to go and how to get there.  

One of the highlights last week, was a visit and tour of Marine Corps Air Station New River, where Elaina is a Family Readiness Officer.  We met and shook hands with her Commanding Officer and the Sergeant Major of HMH 366, helicopter squadron, the Hammerheads. 

Aviation Memorial out front at New River

We always hope for cool Fall-like weather, every retreat, however usually in California, we have warm-to-hot weather in October, our usual month.

So, this year, we figured being in Eastern North Carolina, in November, SURELY we would have cool Fall-like weather.  Uh, Eastern North Carolina had the warmest November 1st since 1950!!!  Sorry sisters!  I tried.  

On Friday, we planned on taking a ferry to Cape Lookout, which neither Elaina, nor I had done before.  There's a lighthouse there, and a great place to go shelling, and to see the wild horses.  We drove an hour and a half to get to the ferry, in the rain, believing that the rain was supposed to stop by 10 a.m.  We were told at the ferry that the rain wouldn't be stopping anytime soon, and the wind was going to be so strong that the ferry wouldn't be running in the afternoon.  So disappointing to have to cancel that adventure, but we were given a refund on our ferry ride.  Maybe next time.

I found several items in the antique stores that were low-priced enough that I can list them for a higher price in my Etsy shop:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/PicketfencesVintage?ref=hdr_shop_menu

I think we all had a good time, including the non-Light Sister, brother-in-law Ron.  We have good restaurants in the area and we tried several of them!  He got to have some fresh seafood.

So thankful that my sisters (and Ron) were willing to come here to see me and find out why I love it so much.  Thankful for Elaina's willingness to be tour guide extraordinaire!

USO Volunteer Dinner

Last night I attended the USO Jacksonville Volunteer Appreciation Dinner.  It was a really good dinner, catered by the Carolina Ale House restaurant here in Jacksonville.  It was a typical Eastern Carolina menu:

Barbecue 

(in NC that means pulled pork, with a Carolina style sauce)

macaroni and cheese

coleslaw

 a potato side similar to scalloped potatoes

and a roll

The president of the USO NC was there and spoke about the past two months and how busy they were for the USO. When there were riots in Charlotte and the National Guard were called, the USO had to set up a mobile unit, and then again after Hurricane Matthew when the National Guard came out to help they had to set up another USO unit.  He said within 8 hours, they had a unit set up to help take care of the needs of the National Guard with the help of Walmart and Harris Teeter (a grocery store) Amazing.  He said Walmart and Harris Teeter said, "just come in and take what you need."  So they did.  Bottled water, sunscreen, wet wipes, socks, etc.  

He had very nice things to say about volunteers and said they couldn't do what they do without us.  The USO is "The Force behind the Force."  They gave out awards according to how many hours of volunteering you have done.  Many people have hundreds and hundreds of hours of volunteering.  I only have 43.5 hours, but would like to do more.  If I get a job, that may not be possible, but who knows.

I received these items:

a t-shirt, water bottle and a personalized letter from John Falkenbury, the president of USO NC

Normally, it would be volunteers setting up for events like this, so, somehow they got it all set up without us!

Mr. Falkenbury reminded us that if you give to the USO National Office, it stays there, but you can give to the USO Jacksonville and it stays right here in Jacksonville.  The NC USO is a charter of the National USO.  The Jacksonville USO is the longest operating USO in the world, operating since December of 1941!

Other USO's were opened during other wars, but closed down when the wars ended.  This one has never closed.  It's a neat old building too.  It feels like 1941 when you step inside.

In other news, my sister Sue and brother-in-law Ron are due here Saturday night!  My sister Dorcas will arrive on Tuesday afternoon. So excited!  We're going to have fun, and we're not going to talk about politics or elections AT ALL!  Hooray!

I have fun places to visit on the schedule and of course antique stores are the main ones! Hope they can handle all the "country folkiness" of Eastern North Carolina!