Some things never change

Good Morning to everyone,



I don't know why, but I'm in one of those totally annoying, "Today Show" era Katie Couric, good moods. Why? I have no clue. Honestly. Must have had sweet dreams last night and gotten the magic amount of sleep or something. Also, the weather has been AMAZING lately. Perfect fall, Maine weather. Kristine's having a baby ANY MINUTE now (I'm just waiting for my phone to ring with the news that "the Eagle has landed"...) We won't talk about the Red Sox today.

Anyways, I have these pictures to share with you... I don't know how many of you know the shop's history, but the building we're in was once upon a time a Carriage House for the big yellow house across the way, which is now where Dr. Friedland (Our family Dr./photographer/neighbor) and his family live. In the meantime, it became, around 1933, a general store, owned by Mr. Ernest McGray. Ernest McGray was actually my great, great, great uncle. He was my Grandmother's uncle, in other words, and my Grandmother used to work there when she was a teenager. She pumped gas and helped people buy penny candy and bananas and soap flakes and all that old-fashioned-y stuff. In the meantime, it was sold to the Hallowell's (another old, Maine family) and then sometime, about 30 years ago, it became a fabric store and has remained a fabric store to this very day. My Mom bought the store 3 years ago (even though I've been working there for over 10 years) and she turned it into the fine establishment that it is today. In other words, she put the FAB back into FABRIC.

And even though we have a kind of contemporary feel to our fabrics in our old-fahsioned building (the best of both worlds, n'est-ce pas?) every once in a while something happens that reminds me of the days of 'yore. About a month ago, I hear the un-mistakable sound of Nick and his horses coming up the street, and they stop at our store for a little rest and an apple or two. Well, the horses had the apples, Nick had a Klondike bar or two. It was so cool!!! I had to run out with my camera and take a picture. You don't even have to try that hard, looking at these pictures, to imagine it's 1933 again.

XOXO Rhea Rhea

No place like home!

Michaela got married just fine, it was truly a wonderful wedding and she and her man spent the honeymoon in lovely Nova Scotia. And, do you know where I myself just returned from??? Just a little old place called FENWAY PARK where I watched the Red Sox completely spank the Yankees 10 to 1. Nevermind that this spanking was sandwiched in between 2 absolutely heartbreaking losses... they won when I was there. I MUST be a good luck charm. Now all I can think of is going back to another game: they need me. I'm completely addicted now: it was the most fun thing I've done in a long time. AND I got to share this experience with my little sister, which made it even sweeter. Her assimilation is now complete: I have succesfully cloned a "mini-Rhea".

And since I mentioned in my last post that all of my friends are either pregnant and/or getting married, I thought I'd show you a little somethin' somethin' that I made for my friend Rachel who's having a little baby in November: It's the Weekender Bag by Amy Butler. This is my second attempt at the bag, folks. My first attempt came out okay, but I was feeling very much held back by my inferior machine (brand to remain nameless). Now that I have inherited and taken advantage of my Great-Grandmother's old green Kenmore I am UN-STOPPABLE. If you can get your hands on an old, heavy Kenmore, you'll never go back. That thing sews through ANYTHING and I can't say enough about how much I love it. Thank you, great-Grandma (whom I never met) for your sewing machine and thank you Grandma (who I still meet every morning for Tea) for MAKING me use it, even when I said I wanted something new. Grandma's are great things.

So, I'm very pleased with how Rachel's Weekender Bag (Which she requested as a Diaper Bag) turned out. I added pockets to the interior for bottles and thangs and made her a matching changing pad. Welcome to the world little Sarah-Mae!!! Your stylish mama can't wait to meet you. Neither can your Auntie Rhea-Rhea!!!

P.S. Thank you, Erin for taking the lovley photos!!!