Moving...........

Well, the time has finally come and we are almost through with the worst of it.  The packers have spent three long days here packing us all up, except of course my business stuff which I insist on taking with me so I don't miss a sale.  Give me a computer and a shipping scale and I'm all set.  We have packed bags, boxes, nooks and crannies with wool, hooks, patterns, frames, you name it.  It is daunting!!  My husband tells me that in Missouri, right down the road from our house is a "swap meet" that occurs every Sunday.  Well, I have already told Mom that we will be downsizing some more.  Do I really need that box of old quilts that has been in my "I was gonna...." pile forever?  Mom of course says "ok, I'll sit and hook and maybe we can meet some new hookers."   

So, tomorrow the real adventure starts when they load up our whole household onto the 18 wheeler and we head to Missouri.  We are sad yet excited at the same time to see our new house and explore the area.  

So, NNY, thank you for a wonderful 6 years.  My boys basically grew up here and many happy and a few sad times have occurred as well.  I will always have a soft spot in my heart for this area and I'm just sure we'll be back.  

Stay tuned for photos from Missouri and our new Shop.  

Until next time........

Tough Day at The Old Tattered Flag

Hooking on the porch......

Annette working on her purse....

Lilleth, Robin and sister Barbara!

Ann working on Antique Coverlet.....

Julie hooking on the swing....

More hooking.....

Corrine with "Fall Friends"

Mom with Tamara's little Sheena!

Tamara punching on black weavers cloth.....

After 13 moves over 24 years I tell myself every time that I am not going to make friends at the next place because it's just too hard to say goodbye.... 

We have lived here in upstate NY for 6 years, which is the longest duty station for us and really quite rare for a military officer.  My kids were able to be in one high school for most of their teenage years.  They played sports, were in drama productions, graduated, went to college.....lots of milestones in a kids life (and mom's and dad's).  

My sister lives in Vermont so trips back and forth, although not as frequent as we would have liked because we are both so busy, were doable.

Major life events like my father's passing, in this very house and my mother choosing to live with us 

also occurred.  

Military friends have come and gone during this six years but back in August of 2010 after my mother had committed to moving in with us and as my husband  headed off for his third year long deployment with the 10th Mountain division we decided to see if any local ladies would be interested in rug hooking.  We were pleasantly surprised when Lillith and Sue called up and came and hooked on the porch.  Well, two years later I had contact information for close to 50 ladies and we had a pretty consistent group of 10-12 ladies who regularly came by to hook every two weeks.

Several of the ladies have thanked us for introducing them to hooking as we all know can be very relaxing and stress reducing.  These ladies have no idea what they did for us.  In 2010 when we started the classes my mother was still dealing with the loss of my father.  I really never knew how therapeutic our hooking days were to her, actually both of us.  Sometimes we wouldn't hook, but would just sit and talk, cry and laugh a LOT.  Many of the ladies were widows just like my mother and they had so much in common.  Sometimes I would be working in the other room on a pattern and would just smile as I would hear them all laughing.  

Yesterday we had our last "hooking on the porch".  My defense mechanism is to "harden" myself and not think about it, or distance myself.  When the ladies came in with cards and Julie brought a photo album of the good times it became apparent that it was going to be rough, but somewhere along the way I realized that it's ok to cry as you say goodbye to each person and how much each lady enriched our lives in a different way.  How could I really say that I don't want to make friends anymore?  Yup, it's hard, but my goodness, what would we have done without these ladies?  

So, as we pack up the wool studio and all the patterns we have smile on our faces one minute and a tear the next, but it's ok because I know we'll pass through here again. 

Thanks so much Ladies for a GREAT two years and please, continue to get together and keep on hookin'. You need each other more than you know and after all, there is still SKYPE.

UNTIL NEXT TIME........

Valium please......

Lillith and her beautiful Crow rug from Create and Decorate Magazine!!  

Funny, doesn't it look like a tomato king with a crown on his head??  

I have just been told by Annette that things are very quiet at The Old Tattered Flag.  Quiet!!??  I am in moving/college hell right now.  My first son is/was a real go getter and I think he was packed two weeks before he had to leave.  I have practically had to use a prod to get my younger son to MOVE!!  I don't think I would be so stressed if I also wasn't trying to get us in order to move 3 days after we get him to college.  We actually have it very easy, the Army sends packers who come and do everything, but, in true Julie fashion, I seem to complicate everything by insisting on putting anything small in little zip loc bags, making sure pictures and everything are dusted so the packers don't think we are pigs and we have decided to move the little business ourselves, which means boxes and boxes of wool and patterns to pack.  

I also have had to go through 9 years of paperwork since when we moved here to NNY I moved by myself as my husband was in Afghanistan, so I think I thought I would do it when I got here......well, six years later, let's just say since there is a local burn ban, I had a nice fire going in the living room burning papers.  It was toasty.  

Here's the question, why do we wait until we are going to either sell the house or move to get ourselves in order?  I can't tell you how satisfying it has been to just organize and get everything straightened out, or put a dab of paint in that one spot you've neglected all these years.  Why don't we do it to make ourselves happy?  Oh well, that is the one thing about being an Army family, moves force us to "hoe out" and get organized.  

So, as far as business I have to say "Whoa nelly".  In addition to the move, we decided to have a "Christmas in August" sale last week offering 10% off.  Well, we were flooded.  I know it's a good thing, I'm not complaining.  In fact I work better under pressure.  Only problem is that when I'm busy packing orders it makes me antsy to design.  More, more, more!!!    I have ideas floating around in my head right now and because of the move, they have nowhere to go but perhaps on a sketch pad.  So, all I can say is, just wait until September!!  I will tell you that to thank everyone for the great sale we just had, we are going to be raffling off a large Santa Hooked rug kit (pattern and all the wool), probably starting in October.  I still have to work out the logistics, so keep checking back.  
So, Annette, there's your update. If I don't blog for awhile, please understand it's just because there is not a spare minute in the day.  I do plan to chronicle the move, so perhaps I will surprise you.
Until next time.......