The Word for 2013 - Duck

Someone inquired what my word for 2013 was.  After brief contemplation, I have determined that my word is "Duck".  Yup.  You read that right.  Duck. 

December 31 found David and I making the trek to West Monroe, LA where we visited Duck Commander (of Duck Dynasty fame) Warehouse.  It wasn't a planned trip so much.  We had made note of the address, but I had no idea that we would actually go there.  Call me a giddy fanatic.  I was soooo excited to go, be there, take pictures and gawk at anyone within my view with a beard.  (Dear guy in the gift shop, surely you are used to this.)  Anyway, I was Happy Happy Happy!

Duck.  That night, David and I made it back to Jefferson, Texas and ate at Stillwater Inn.  This very fine eating establishment is where David contemplated proposing to me last year.  He didn't "feel" it at the time, and waited for a more private setting a couple hours later.  I digress. 

At Stillwater Inn, of all things, guess what I ate for the very first time?  Duck.  I kid you not.  And I kid you not, I did not put a lot of thought into this selection.  Dear Mr. Chef, thank you.  From what I hear, it's not an easy thing to make palatable - duck.  A fine job you did!  Yum. Yum. Yum.

Now.  Contemplating 2013, what do I forsee?  Good health.  Good business.  Building a house.  Selling a house.  Preparing for Happily Ever After.  Yes.  A wedding.  Hello?  I know.  I've been absent a while.  We are not hitched yet and a wedding is still in our future.

Back to the word:  Duck.  Why duck, you ask?  Let me tell you.  When it comes to questions like "Where do you want the switch for the back porch?" I will duck stress and answer definitively.  (Have you any idea that there is more than one answer here?)

When it comes time to clean out my barn and figure out what goes up for sale at The Primitique and what moves into the new house, I will duck contemplation and I will have an answer.

What color should the brick be?  Water off a duck's back.  The answer will be easy.  Right?  That's the plan! 

Late in December, I reconnected with some friends that I had not seen in about 20 years.  In fact, they hired The Primitique to do some design work in their home.  We decided to work one room into (what was already leaning toward) an "outdoor" fashion.  The husband had recently harvested a duck and somehow (the first time in 20 years), the wife was willing to allow him a taxidermy piece in the house.  Duck.  Are you following me, here?

The word came before I had to think about it. 

In my personal life.  My professional life.  In strife and in daily living...DUCK.  Fly below the radar.  Keep an eye out for the ugly and be prepared to duck.  Allow the stressful, unhealthy water to repel.  Recognize the beauty of nature where I never expected it.  Taste it.  Feel it.  Live it.  Duck.

May your 2013 be all the good that you can stand.  As for me...come good or bad...I will embrace the duck.

Happy New Year my friends!

~Mindy

Buying Freeze. Selling Thaw.

Howdy from Poetry!  The Primitique is preparing for a big sale.  Maybe I should scream that part...BIG SALE! 

We have been on a buying freeze for a while.  The garage, barn, workshop, bunkhouse, yard, land & The P building are full of stuff that doesn't need to be stored any longer. 

The future finds us preparing for nuptuals.  You know.  The merging of households.  The planning and decorating of a wedding.  The purging of what was "me" to make room for "us."

Stay tuned for pictures.  But, the facts are what are important at this point.

Friday, July 27 - 9am to noon.

Saturday, July 28 - 9am to noon.

For the address and directions, please send your inquiries to ThePrimitique at yahoo.com

We will not be taking appointments and there will be no early sales.

The gate will open promptly at 9 both days.

You bring cash.  We'll provide Quirky, Vintage Goodness and lemonade.

Can't wait to see you!

Happy Day!  ~Mindy

Jesus and Tornadoes (repost with pics)

(a repost with pictures added)

Here's the deal. It's the week before Easter. You know, the celebration of Jesus rising from the dead. Yup. He arose! And to be frank, I suppose if Jesus can rise from the dead, I shouldn't be too terribly shocked that somewhere between 13 and 19 tornadoes touched down in the Dallas/Ft Worth Metroplex yesterday and from the latest reports, not one person died.

Now, to be classified as a tornado, there has to be some kind of scary definition. Something along the lines of "Crazy, fast winds that go in circles and pick up stuff and take said stuff to the sky (or off the ground) and place stuff elsewhere in a not very orderly fashion." That's just my rough guess. One would think that amongst 13 to 19 tornadoes, someone would have been picked up and tossed about and killed. Nope. Doesn't seem to have happened.

Seriously.

Here's my story. All day, I was watching the radars and listening to the experts. When the scary storms were headed to one city, I'd call Dad and tell him to run to the closet. When the scary storms were headed to another city, I'd holler at David to run to his safe place. When the scary storms were headed to Big D, I'd holler at my sister to get somewhere safe. My Mom was no where near the scary stuff. I called her and told her to stay away. Everything seemed to be staying away from my lovely Poetry. I was getting a nice (false) sense of security, watching all those red and yellow zones west of my location.

I got a bottle of window cleaner and a roll of paper towels and started cleaning windows. It seemed like a good idea at the time.

Around 3:40pm or so, the nice weatherman and his radars indicated ugliness in Forney. Not just ugliness. The T word. A tornado (later to be rated an EF3) had touched down and it was headed north east. Then, it was in McLendon-Chisholm. Well, my stars. Guess who the T word was coming at?

I started packing stuff into my safe place. I packed water, nuts for protein, 2 flashlights, a spare battery, Burt's Bees lip wax, a box of Puffs, my cell phone, my house phone, pillows and a comforter and pain meds. My safe place is the master closet. I figured if any of those hangers jabbed me in the head, I might want some pain meds. Wasn't that smart?

I put on my engagement ring so that if my body was found, they could identify it by the rock, if not by my face.

Before I made it into the closet, I heard something. Nope. Not the famed "train" that folks say you will hear. I heard a constant roll of thunder. You know how the tires on an airplane sound when driving on the tarmac after landing? That's what I heard.

The electricity went out.

I got to the closet and my ears started popping. I started wondering if the clean windows were supposed to be open or closed. What is the rule?

I was getting text messages and phone calls from all those people that I had been checking on earlier. I began to rely on them for my radar/weatherman updates. Nope. I don't have a smart phone. Nor do I have a battery operated radio (that I can think of). My sister would tell me, "That was a bad one, but another one is coming. Stay put and hang on." Hang on? She told me to hang on? Eeeek!

After about 40 minutes of updates, I emerged. I walked to the clean windows and looked out. I saw no major devastation. In fact, the only odd thing that I saw was a tall weed with it's rootball attached, laying in the backyard. I've looked around the yard and can't figure out where it came from. I guess those scary, fast winds brought it to me.
(it was green when I saw it)

I drove around today. Within a couple miles of my home and of The Primitique, buildings are history. Roofs are gone. Buildings are gone and roofs are there. Buildings are in ponds. Trees have been snapped all over everywhere. I just heard that the tornado that hit closest was an EF2.

Did I mention that there has been no reported loss of human life? Listen here. If Jesus can rise from the dead, well my goodness, tornadoes not killing folks shouldn't surprise me.

God, within the very same breath, showed us His power and His Grace.

This Easter hug your family a little tighter. Praise God a little louder. And embrace with your whole heart the gift of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Happy Life!

~Mindy

Rules of Engagement

The truth is...I don't know what the rules are...but I DO know that we're engaged!

Indeed, New Year's Eve, by the light of Ethyl

in the garden of Azalea Inn in Jefferson, Texas,

David

asked me

to marry him. And I said yes.

Yup. I'm still smiling!

Happy New Year! ~Mindy

Ignore the dead deer...

David took Dad hunting last weekend. Let's eavesdrop on a conversation they had...

Here. Click Here.

Spreading the Love

How 'bout Small Business Saturday? Did you spread your love (and money) with the community yesterday?

I hit the streets of Terrell and spread the love (and money) to three different shops.

I was thrilled to discover The Front Porch! This store opened about a month ago and it is run by the sweetest couple. If you are in the area, stop in for a visit. By the time I left, they were calling me by name and encouraging me to come back for more cider. This manger came home with me. Love it!

(it's been so long since I've blogged, I can't remember how to straighten these pics up! Tilt head right.)

Then I swung by Opera House Gifts & Decor for a visit with Michelle. This boutique warms my heart from the minute I walk in the door to the minute Michelle walks me to the door and gives me a hug. I left there with a couple of these wreaths. Fantastic!

My next stop was jRne Vintage Decor where I could easily get lost, spying what's new and awesome. Chuck was working yesterday and he is always helpful. AND he carries the heavy stuff and helps load. Love that! See Santa Claus? I bought him. Don't hate.

Speaking of jRne (journey), The Primitique has invaded a little corner of the store. Yup. The P now has 2 locations. One in Poetry, where you can shop by appointment, and the new location in Terrell at jRne Vintage Decor. We are spreading the love! Come see!
(tilt head to the left)

I hope that you enjoyed a fantastic Thanksgiving. Enjoyed family and friends. And whether you were the giver or receiver of love (and money), I hope that life is being kind to you.

Happy Day!

~Mindy

My Birthday Gifts are at Opera House Gifts

Your calendars are marked, right? You know that tomorrow is my birthday, right? In case this fact is sneaking up on you, I am here to give you some gift ideas. Have you been to Opera House Gifts & Decor in Terrell? Let this be your shopping destination. (please, let this be your shopping destination) I'll take anything from this boutique!

My high school buddy, Michelle, and her mom, Connie are the proprietors of Opera House Gifts at 106 E. Moore Ave.

They saw me eyeballing everything when I attended their Falliday Open House a couple weeks ago. Yes. I came home with a bag full of goodies, but, I would love more. You can't go wrong with gifting jewelry. Just sayin'. And, those lamps are swoon worthy, aren't they?

The boutique is fully stocked with an assortment of fine, quality "gift" items. I bet you could pick out a beautiful scarf for me!

Look at all these sweet baby goodies! Nah. I don't need baby stuff. But, those lamps under the birthday tree (birthday tree?) would make me smile real pretty!

Now. See these gray, metal flowers? The pair. Do you see them? Those. I want those. If each and every one of you were to kindly gift me with this pair of flowers in gray, (available at Opera House Gifts & Decor in Terrell, at 106 E. Moore Ave in Terrell, Texas) I could make some major magic in my house! It could be a virtual gray, metal flower garden in Poetry!

Michelle said she could special order them for each of you. (she didn't say that, but I bet she could) The phone lines are open. Operators are standing by. Feel free to call 972-551-3600 and place an order. I'll even go pick them up if you can't deliver. I love these. Seriously.

Opera House Gifts & Decor (click for more pictures) is open Wednesday through Saturday from 10-6 and by appointment.

Drop by. Give 'em a holler. Check them out. They will spoil you, I guarantee! And if I were to get spoiled in the process, well that would be perfectly fine.

Tell 'em I sent ya! And by all means, buy something for yourself while you're there. You deserve it!

Happy Shopping!

~Mindy

Who knew?

When we decided to move The Primitique into an old storage building on our land, we had no idea if "they would come". After all, it does take a country road or two to get to us. You know. Folks have to drive past cow pastures. They have to watch the deer cross the road. With this cooler weather, maybe they even roll down the windows and breath.

To shop with us, folks have to drive a few miles without a traffic light. Traffic jams are reserved for other shopping experiences. Parking? No problem. We have a few acres available for parking.

Since we are only 20 minutes east of Rockwall and 20 minutes north of Terrell, it only takes one trip for folks to realize we aren't that far. As we help 'em load their treasures, they assure us they will be back. And they come back. Who knew?

Who knew that word would spread? Who knew that we would continue to enjoy the company of our regular customers and make new friends? Who knew that The P could succeed without overhead and regular hours? Folks seem to like the one on one shopping experience. They have taken to the One Touch Rule (mentioned here).

We have prayed big.

We have been surrounded by love.

I am thankful. And grateful. And dad gum happy!

Rumor has it, The Primitique is worth the drive. Who knew?

Happy Day!
~Mindy

ps. We have a facebook page, where we update pictures almost daily. You can click here to view new and old merchandise. And by all means, make an appointment and come see us!

Chuck and The P

One Touch Chuck was a manufacturer that my sister represented many moons ago, when she had a showroom at the World Trade Center in Dallas. (yes, my sister is a big deal)

Chuck would help us set up the showroom before shows, and very often, I could see his head shaking and his eyes rolling as he watched us move things hither and yon. We'd pick up Item A to make room for Item B. Item A would get carried to another part of the space, in attempt to get it out of the way. Then we'd shove Item A aside to get it out of the way for Item C. Item A would get a full tour of the showroom before it was all said and done, and by the time we touched Item A for what was probably the 29th time, Chuck would almost go into convulsions. The man stood well over 6' and I knew the fall would be hard if he ever fell over from frustration.

Chuck's advise? "Never touch anything more than once."

I am here to tell you, it's not an easy lesson, but it is a good one.

This weekend, while moving The Primitique out of Quinlan, I thought of Chuck. I looked at merchandise and wondered, "How many times have I touched that?"

One touch. You people in the business will know what I mean here. You know. You buy something great. You clean it, glue it, fix it, spit shine it, whatever. You slap a price on it and you watch with mad anticipation as shoppers eyeball the fantastic piece that you got just for them. They buy it and walk away with your good taste. You have the satisfaction of feeling smart enough to know that it was perfect for your customers. That's the ideal scenario.

The not so good scenario is the one where you buy it, spit on it, price it, throw it out there for the masses and they see it. They touch it. They consider it. They put it back somewhere nowhere near where they got it from. You know what I'm talking about. Then you touch it, dust it off and move it to another location. It's seen and touched by others, but still no takers. Maybe you touch it again, mark it down and place it somewhere different. By the time you move that item somewhere else, the spirit of Chuck is rolling over in his grave. (he's still alive, but you know what I mean)

David and my "big deal" sister made magic happen this weekend. After packing everything into the Bulldog trailer, we took it to Our Turn (David's and my land). We took an empty old storage building and we transformed it. The Primitique is now in its very own home, on the land of our future home.

The philosophy? Touch it once. I intend to, one time, place goodness next to goodness. All of the goodness will be priced to sell. With no overhead, and no discounts, there will be "real" prices. No games. No big discount day sales (hard to imagine). No wheeling and dealing. The very same price for dealers and non-dealers (seriously). What you see is what you get. I touch it. Customers touch it. Pay for it. Load it. That's the deal. If it's there long, I will touch it again, but it may be to ditch it. So, if you see it and like it, I advise that you touch it all the way out to your car. The idea behind this business is to move it. Quick. Get it? Novel idea? Let's try it out. See what happens.

For goodness sakes, let's make One Touch Chuck proud. Shall we?

Happy Day!
~Mindy

Chuck

Every time I open the door to let the cat, Chuck outside, he hesitates. He stops just inside the doorway and he looks and listens and sniffs. I imagine he is using all of his senses to make sure his life will be safe out there.

Call me Chuck, but I find myself standing inside the safe door, sniffing and looking and thinking. What's out there for me? I walk through doors, and I grow. I experience the good and the bad and I learn. Here I am again, looking and listening and sniffing around at my future.

A few tidbits of news for you:
1. We will not be setting up at Zapp Hall for the fall show next month in Warrenton/Round Top. It's weird, this one. We are quite used to shopping and packing in a frenzy about now. We may come shop, and we hope to come back to sell in the spring. We'll miss our customers and friends and wish you all happy shopping and happy sales!

2. The Primitique is moving out of Tipsy Tango in Quinlan. Recently, we have been selling from the driveway in Poetry. I don't think I have met anyone in my pj's yet, but the convenience is amazing! Shopping will be available by appointment. Just holler!

3. New opportunities for The Primitique are being discussed. But, like Chuck, we are trying to check the environment, before crossing that threshold. The prospects are exciting! Keep us in your prayers, would ya?

In the meantime, David has taken up planking. Isn't he a hoot?

By the way, once Chuck deems that all is safe, he bounds outside, jumping and running with wild abandon, climbing trees and experiencing a new found freedom. I'm giggling, just thinking about running outside and playing. See you there soon!

Happy Life! ~Mindy

Playing Inside

When it's too hot to play outside, no problem. Just play inside!

Last week, I showed you a picture of my den.

Since then, I played a little with both sides of the fireplace. The tiki man to the right? Gone. I replaced him with a little rust.

As for that round table left of the fireplace? It's gone. I took the mirror down, too. I think it reads a little cleaner now. Don't fall in love with that rug (ha), I'm looking for something else.

It's not a lot of change, but it's fresh to me. Just goes to show that you can use stuff around your house to shake things up. The furthest I went shopping for these goodies was my Sanford and Son front yard.

Next play day, I'll be working on that mantle.

Happy Happy!

~Mindy

Hello, Friends and July!

Howdy! A big thanks to those of you who have emailed, called, been in touch. I am good. The truth is...I miss y'all! I miss reading about you and your lives and kids and businesses and dreams. I guess you could say I have been quite busy with my life, kids, business and dreams. Here's a synopsis:

The Primitique

has officially been in Tipsy Tango

for one month.

Meet Patty:

Just when I thought a door had closed, God opened one that I wasn't even looking for. Patty is a good thing. And I am so much enjoying sharing my business with her! If you haven't made it by yet, come on out. 116 W. Main St, Quinlan, TX, daily from 10a-5p.

As for children, our last hen, Opah, died.

My sister and I are officially out of the pet chicken business. We're a little sad.

I got together with some gals I went to high school with...

(Of course, that is a redneck chic pocketbook and vintage slip, along with a Rebekah Blocher necklace)

Several months back, David purchased 10 acres on which we plan to build our future home. We walked and marked an area where we wanted our pond. This week, the pond digger has been digging. It is sooooo exciting to see progress!

And now, for my decorator friends (and as a teaser) ((and as an incentive for me to blog again soon)), here is a picture that I took of my den last night.

I played a little today and this looks different already. I'll try to show you tomorrow. Stay tuned!

I sure do hope you are staying cool and you are enjoying your family, life & dreams!

Happy July, Friday, long weekend!

~Mindy

I could dye

It was a fun day with my sister. You know. Shopping. Trying on clothes. Giving opinions. Giggling.

Then Sis had the bright idea to get her eyelashes dyed. I jumped on the bandwagon and decided to one up her. Lashes AND brows. Bring it!

We lucked into a walk-in appointment at a fancy little spa in the area. Weren't we feeling the magic?

The nice lady put tape under our eyes, to prevent the dye from seeping all over everywhere.

When removing my sister's tape, the nice lady took skin. OUCH!

When removing my tape, the nice lady said "OOOPS!" The tape didn't prevent seeping.

She tried to remove the oops with some kind of acid. (Well, that's what it felt like, as I jumped out of the treatment bed. )

Yes. I went home looking like this. Nope. I didn't have to pay for the Alice Cooper look. Wasn't I lucky?

Thankfully, it's worn off now. And my sister's skin grew back, too.

Note to self: From this day forward, avoid the nice lady at the fancy spa.

Happy Day!

~Mindy

ps. This didn't ruin our day. As soon as we got in the car, we called Mom and the laughing started up all over again!

I missed you in May!

Wow! In all my years of blogging, I've never missed an entire month of blogging! Oops! I may do better in June.

Hi! I really have missed you! Here's what you missed in May:

We celebrated David's 50th Birthday.

I hosted the 6th Annual Roadkill Chili Cookoff at my place. With 12 chilis entered, it may have been one of the most competitive cookoffs yet! My Mom won 1st place!

David, the love of my life, won 2nd place. (I promise this cookoff isn't rigged! Not even maybe.)

Butterscotch may have celebrated a little too much with Bud.

We found a dead Northern Scarlet Snake in the middle of the road. I put it in a baggie and put it in my freezer. Seriously! I could fill you in with more details, but maybe David will blog about it.

We moved The Primitique into Tipsy Tango in Quinlan, Texas. We're still fluffing and filling, but the feel is there. Very exciting! Maybe you can come see for yourself?

We hope to have it in good shopping shape by this Saturday. Come see us!

I hope you had a great May!

May your June be, well, June-a-licioius!!

~Mindy