The Long Ride Home

Once the wedding was over we had a meet up at a local brewery (Hi-Wire) 

for any friends and family that wanted to meet up 

(and also to watch the MSU game). 

 We brought some snacks with us and the left over sheet cake for everyone to enjoy.

The Massman's and their twins showed up.  

We *finally* got to meet these adorable girls!  

Their mom, was the Matron of Honor in the wedding.

  

My great niece surprised us by attending the wedding and 

we got to spend some time with her the next day too.  

She is so cute (even wearing those HORRIBLE colors, LOL).

Then it was time to say goodbye to our home for the week and Durham.

Goodbye 710 North street!

On the road we always look for Pilot Mountain.

We needed food and fuel so stopped in Mount Airy.

Maybe you will recognize this city?  

It's the place where Mayberry RFD was filmed!

As we rolled up we saw this vintage police car giving town tours.

There were several shops that were still there from when the show was filmed there too.

After walking around the town we headed out (for real) and got down to driving home.

We passed this water tower that looked like a pumpkin (I have no idea where it was though)

We stopped at a rest stop in Virginia and I picked up a few pieces of Halloween Fiestaware.

I was restrained and only got these 3 although there were several other designs I don't have.

Of COURSE I needed the black cats.  Cole will love it too!!

Next week I will show you the gifting of the wedding quilt.

Also some other things I had been working on.

Enjoy your weekend, friends.

I am starting another BIG quilt project this weekend that I need to hurry up and complete.

It is NOT my usual color palette but I hope the intended recipient will like it.

I am going to use the purple fairy dust print by Tula Pink for the background.

It is VERY bright!

~XOP~

VACATION Yay!!!

I just returned from vacation and it was a blast!  

My husband and I drove to NC to visit our daughter, the fish biologist. 

 We decided to make the drive in 2 days so we could stop at the Homer Laughlin Factory (Fiestaware) in Newell, WV.  

Man that place never disappoints!

We bought a few things (gross understatement of the century), but we left more than we bought.

 They had a cool Halloween display as you walked in.

I am still fascinated by the broken pottery pile!

We continued to drive and I found this quilt shop in the old Seneca Glass factory!  

Country Roads Quilt Shop, in Morgantown, WV.   

 The owner was so nice!

The shop was adorable too.

There she is in her wonderful shop!

You can see the stack from the glass factory outside.

I found a few treasures while I was there!

We continued on to our final destination of the Locust Hill B & B, in Marlinton, WV. 

 Apparently it used to be a dairy farm!

This was our room.  So cute!

This beautiful Dresden was hanging in another room.

View from our room.  There is a pond outback and a fire pit too.  

they also have a pub located in the building and the food was fantastic.  

There is literally no place in the town to eat, so this was perfect!

This is the side of the house.

We got up the next day and continued the drive to Mebane, about 4 hours more I think it was. 

 There were a LOT of quilt barn/houses everywhere we went, but it was not easy to get photos as we were whizzing past them!

 We have made friends with one of the gentlemen that lived where we had my dad.  

His name is Roy.  He and his wife lived in the AFC home with my dad. 

 When my dad passed away, they were worried we would stop visiting, but we have not. 

 Anyway, we have been helping him get his house ready to sell, which included getting an Estate sale person in to clear out the house.  

She didn't want to see the silver as no one wanted to pay what it was worth.

  So she gave it back to us and we took it to a place near our daughter's called  Replacements, LTD.  They buy china, silver and crystal. 

You can get replacements of your pieces here too.  

So if your grandma gave you some china and you are missing the gravy boat, you can look there and see if they have one!   

While we were waiting to see if they would buy the flatware we had brought 

we took a tour of the place.  

It is the size of 7, count them SEVEN, football fields!!!  

Just look down this aisle!

The tour guide told us they did over 70 million dollars worth of business last year!!!

Clearly, I am in the wrong business, LOL.

This is the wall of Fiestaware!  Please excuse the drooling on the floor.

A very interesting service that they do is piercing your flatware.  

Always wanted a slotted spoon in your silver or even your regular stainless flatware? 

 This is the place to get it done.  They use water to do it.  It was very interesting. 

 They repair and re-plate silver too.  Check out the candles and pine on the cake server.  

Many different patterns to choose from.  

I even got to see what a Sardine fork looks like (weird, and you know you totally just Googled that).

They had some china from past presidents.  This pattern was the one chosen by Abe Lincoln.  

Next we went to a Asian/Mexican grocery store!  Odd combination to be sure but awesome.

It was called Super G Mart.

The first quilt shop was called Ye Olde Forest Quilt Shop. 

 It didn't really have a lot of modern fabric but it did have this "Stitchy Woman"

 that my husband insisted I purchase!  LOL

The next shop we went to was amazing!  

I could have spent all my hard earned money here!

It is in Greensboro and called Studio Stitch.  

It would be dangerous to live near here for sure!

If you are looking for a few HTF/OOP fabrics this place had some beauties.  

Give them a call!

Then back to my daughter's place to have her daddy show her how to make Sushi.

She did pretty well.

This is getting long so I will continue later in the week.  I hope you are enjoying my travels!

~XOP~

Fiesta!

I don't have a single quilty thing to share (unless buying a new sewing machine foot counts). 

 I have been super absorbed in getting my father's things in order.  

WHEW!  What a LOT of work!

My best advice to you about making things easier when you get older is ORGANIZATION!!! 

 Put all your important papers together.  

Write down your login information and passwords in a book 

so your family will know what to do with all of them.  

If there are investments, try to get them into one or two places not a million 

(like my dad apparently thought was a great idea). 

 Let me tell you it is NOT a great idea and a huge amount of work to track down 

what exists and what does not exist anymore.  

Make a will and a trust and have that ready.  

You can do that now, even if you aren't older!   

OK PSA is now over we will resume our normal content!

While I was at the hotel last week waiting to get ready for the visitation, a good friend called me.  

She was at the tent sale for the Homer Laughlin company (they make Fiestaware).  

She knew I had been looking for the dancing lady cookie jar.  

I love that Seniorita!  

She is an expensive date though!!!  

My friend found one for 1/3 the original cost and wanted to know if I wanted her.  

Well hell yes I wanted her!!!  

So now she has a place of honor on my Fiesta cabinet!

I took the pics in the dark, so the color is not true.  

She is Scarlet not orange and she is beautiful!

Sometimes it's the little things that make our days.

Thanks for thinking of me, Anne!

~XOP~

More Vacation

The last day of our vacation was even more fun.  We spent Tuesday night at a B & B called the Sturgis House.  It was a beautiful old home in East Liverpool that used to be a funeral home!

Part of our room

 Our bed

Looking down the stairs from the top of the second floor

The sitting room on the main level. 

 The coffins were stored under this room.

More of the parlor, looking into the front hallway.

 The claim to fame of this house is that this is the place public enemy number 1 was interred.  

Pretty Boy Floyd.  He was killed on a farm just outside of town and brought here to be embalmed. 

His mother requested he be sent home so the actual funeral did not happen there. 

 They do still have the desk mask that was made of him though.

As well as loads of other historic paraphernalia pertaining to Pretty Boy Floyd and his death. 

 Very interesting.

In the morning we we headed off to Newell WV to visit Homer Laughlin pottery factory 

(where they make Fiestaware).  

We had to pass over this rickety old toll bridge, I called it a troll bridge.

I was so excited I could hardly contain myself!! 

 I have been collecting older Fiestaware for years! 

 I also use the new dishes for my everyday dishes too.  

The factory is HUGE!!  

At one time with all the add on's they used to employ over 4000 people.  

Now it's somewhere around 1000.

We took the 2 hour tour of the factory and it was very interesting. 

 I can't believe how much of the pottery they still make by hand. 

 Incredible. 

 I could not resist all the beautiful colors for pictures, so here is some eye candy for you.

This is in the retail outlet part of the building

Some of the pieces waiting to be put out for sale

On the way to the actual factory tour

Mmmmmm Fiesta Ware...

There are WAY too many photos to share here but this was in the museum.  

This is some of the old Fiewtaware and the Lilac, which was the first color ever retired.

This is a piece made in the color Raspberry, only this one bowl.  

Sure wish I had one of these!!

Funny story, as we were driving toward the factory there was a pile of what appeared to be broken ware, white and lots of colors.  

Hubby told me that's not what it was but on the tour we found out it really was broken ware.  

They are supposed to bury the broken ware. 

 Some company approached them and asked if they could use it to make counter tops with. 

 OMG I so need this counter in my kitchen!!!

Last but not least the piece I left behind.  

The dancing lady cookie jar. 

 I really wanted to take one home, but they were kinda pricey.

 This one is in the Lemongrass color.

This one was in turquoise.  

Guess I better start saving my pennies!

I hope your Labor Day was a good one, mine was!

~XOP~