THE LATEST HAPPENINGS

 An honest answer is like a warm hug. Proverbs 24: 26 The Message

As I look back at my posts I realize I've been posting just one post a month. Not what I had hoped to do when I first started this blog. I had hoped to post much more often! But the reason for this blog in the first place was to let you all know when our Hob Nobber sales were coming up and also to share some of our "finds" before the big sale and the adventures we had finding them! But change is a part of life and as we got older the work became harder. It became quite a huge project to fill this big old house with vintage and antique finds, as fun as it was! So that's when I opened up my online shop, Gwen And Alma's, on Etsy. Later my daughter and granddaughter joined me in this endeavor. Hubby Les, became our shipper! Occasionally we had a booth at Gold Rush in Rochester but later stopped doing that as well.

Presently we are still selling in our online shop, Gwen And Alma's! Hop on over there to see some of our latest finds!

One thing that we started doing is having a yearly garage and vintage sale to begin downsizing while also selling some of our Gwen And Alma treasures. So I'll be sharing here when our next garage sale will be. Most likely in September. So keep an eye out for it! You might also want to check out our Instagram page which Elissa will be taking charge of and will be posting photos on there! 

As mentioned in several posts I'm also sharing about how to simplify your life which, as I think about what I've written here, doesn't sound like I'm doing any simplifying myself! Hahaha! It's a work in progress!

Another thing that's in the planning stages is a Centennial Celebration for the Plummer House in 2024. Read about the Plummer House on another page seen at the top of our blog. The Plummer House was built from 1917 to 1924! It took 7 years to build this 49 room mansion! Next year it will be 100 years old! So we're planning an event to celebrate! I'll share details as it gets closer!

Every year my granddaughter, Gili,  sets up a Fairy Garden on the grounds. We found a spot at the bottom of a stone stairway that is hidden just until you come around the corner and there it is! A pleasant little surprise! People began leaving change in the little shell that we set next to it! That was a magical surprise for US! It never amounts to much but we save it and buy new things for next year's garden. Below is this year's Fairy Garden.

              Gili posted a little note that reads, "My Fairy Garden...Enjoy but please don't destroy!

Stay Cool!

Sandy 

A GIVE-AWAY AND GOLD RUSH

 We are getting close to having 1000 sales in our Etsy shop, Gwen And Alma's!! As soon as we hit this huge mark we will be having a Give-Away on our Instagram account @gwenandalmas.

Follow us on Instagram to know when we are having the Give-Away! It might not be long so head on over and click "Follow"!

Also we are having a space at the upcoming Gold Rush event in Rochester, Mn on the weekend of August 20th-22nd. This is the 49th anniversary of this event! People come from all over the U.S. to attend! And the different vendors are from all over the U.S. as well! You won't want to miss it! This is one of the largest Antique/Flea Market shows in the Midwest covering 52 acres of fairgrounds both inside and outside!

We are really excited about coming  back to this event. We will be bringing Farmhouse Decor and Mid Century Modern Decor as well as some other unique and fun finds! And those who purchase will receive a discount coupon  for shopping in our online store!

We will be showing some of the treasures we will have at Gold Rush on our Instagram account so check it out often @gwenandalmas!

In the meantime you also will want to check out our Gwen And Alma store to see our wonderful finds! Go here to see them!

Plummer House News: After a year of being closed due to Covid, we are now open for rentals and also Wednesdays for Self Guided Tours. Check out my Plummer House page to read more about the House and our role here. 

Here's a sneak peek at a few of our finds at Gwen And Alma's...

                                                   

                                                    Antique Copper Soap And Glass Holder

                                                                  Vintage Enamel Pot

                                      Four of these sweet vintage German candle and flower holders.

                                                            AND SO MUCH MORE!

A PLUMMER HOUSE TOUR AND MORE TREASURES FOR THE POP UP SALE

Charity is twice blessed--it blesses the one who gives and the one who receives.  Anonymous

Had a fun day today giving a Plummer House tour for a group of 10! A young couple, both doctors at the Mayo Clinic, had just married two days before. They were a beautiful couple! The bride and her family were from India and the groom and his family were from Mexico. They also brought along two friends who were photographers so it also became a photo shoot. 

After showing them the ballroom, they turned on music from one of their phones, and grabbing partners, everyone danced! So it also became a dance party! The photographers took photos and videos. It was fun watching them.

They were very lovely families and they insisted on me getting into one of the group photos. I regret not taking a photo of THEM! 

I went to an Estate Sale this past weekend, gathering up more treasures for our big Hob Nobber Pop Up Shop on November 2nd. I found some very fun items! I don't have photos of these new pieces but will share some things that I purchased previously that will be for sale:

And for this next sale we will have one room filled with Man Cave Items! Tell your guy friends, your husbands and fathers, because we will have some very special treasures for them! I'll show some pictures of these items in another post! Even if you don't have a Man Cave these could be used in your lake home, cabin, or even in your own home! Also includes some vintage hunting, fishing, and sports gear! They won't want to miss this!!

APRIL SNOW AND GIFTS FOR MOTHER'S DAY

  My business is not to remake myself, but to make the absolute best of what God made. Einstein


Spring is in the air and that means...Another snowstorm for those of us who live in the Midwest! We left Minnesota for a Florida vacation the day we had 8 inches of snow begin falling. The weather went from in the "teens" to the 80's when we hit Florida! In two days we head back home and right into another snowstorm! My 6 year old granddaughter went from saying "April showers bring May flowers" to "April showers bring snow plowers"!

But I'm just going to ignore the weather and move on like it's Spring, which, technically it IS! And then I'll bring some flowers into the house, new plants, and pretty Spring things. And we have lots of great treasures for Mother's Day which is coming up next month!

 Of course we have plenty of rustic goodness as well as the "pretties" for those who like Farmhouse Decor.

And there's LOTS LOTS MORE! Go to our shop to get more ideas for Mother's Day and other occasions... gwenandalmas.etsy.com

The Plummer House is getting ready for Spring also and preparing for all the Summer Weddings. We are booked EVERY WEEKEND this Summer for weddings! Yesterday, we had a small party show up on the grounds having an "Impromptu Wedding", as they said. Right at the front door of the house. It was rather chilly but that didn't stop them. We have a few of those every year.

We are also working on getting the hardwood floors cleaned and refinished, and tightening up the dining room chairs that tend to get squeeky and wobbly after repeated use. Well, to be clear, we hire people to do those things. But we DID make the "Spring To Do List" and followed up on all the work. The Spring window washers will be coming soon also! There are so many more projects waiting to get done! We're really running a small business here but it's a sweet gig!

Just have to say that we have the most amazing workers here at the House! Just as we were leaving for Florida, the Garden crew came and shoveled out the driveway and as we were picking up the mail at the very large mailbox, one of the guys came over saying, "Let me get that snow for you" as he swept a big pile of snow off the mailbox! After thanking them, and driving away, I looked at Les "We can't ever leave here".

And yeah, I'm writing this while on vacation in Florida! I'm also keeping our Etsy shop open with the notice that we can't ship until after we get home. And people are buying! It's really fun making money while we're on vacation!

PLUMMER HOUSE

This time of year is one of the prettiest here at the Plummer House! Everything is lush and green, especially after all the rain we've had this year!
So I went for a short walk and captured a few photos. I didn't get the whole grounds because there is a wedding going on and I didn't want to intrude. ( See Plummer House page for info )

                                 This weekend I'll take more photos of the rest of the house.

The bird bath is situated out one of our living room windows. We get many kinds of birds bathing in there.

We have many stone archways, and these are favorite spots for photo shoots from graduation photos to engagements, weddings, and family photos!

                                         
                                               We have a Gazebo, a favorite hangout also!

                                             Everywhere you walk here there is beauty!

PLUMMER HOUSE

So I watch a lot of HGTV which shouldn't surprise anyone who knows me! One thing that is always said on the show when viewing an outside space is something like, "I could see us sitting out here enjoying our morning coffee." That seems to be a regular line on the show. So when Les ( husband ) suggested on a beautiful quiet morning that we sit outside and read the paper with coffee (me) and juice (Les), it brought that "line" to mind. Never mind that we do not OWN the Plummer House, "I could still see us sitting outside and enjoying our morning coffee".

So the first space I thought of was the Sun Porch. Reminder: We are Resident Directors in this 49 room Historical Mansion ( See Plummer House Page ).

                       Yes, I am reading a book on repurposing JUNK by Ki Nausser. The four season glassed in porch overlooks a garden which used to be a swimming pool. To the left of the sunporch is the space that used to house the Green House ( to be rebuilt in the future) and to the right is the path to the Courtyard. We decided to sit outside and enjoy the Courtyard.

Les brought out our comfy "beach chairs"  which may not seem fitting here but they were comfortable.

                              We enjoyed the Pansies in pots and in the Courtyard Garden.

Path back to the Sun Porch and freshly planted Pansies in the garden

                        Our view from the Courtyard of the lawn and gardens, and ponds below...gorgeous!

                   Yes, this truly is a Magical Place to enjoy our morning coffee ( or juice).

PLUMMER HOUSE ADVENTURES

Living in the Plummer House ( see Plummer House page ) has brought many interesting experiences. Actually I should have written a book about living here! The latest happened as we returned from our vacation. While on vacation, our "Boss" Mike, e-mailed and asked Les if he would mind being the Plummer House "expert" for a video. He has done many little things like this from local news shows to newspaper articles so it didn't seem like a big deal. Mike didn't have a lot of details but Les agreed.

So the day of the video, Les went out to greet the guests who needed the expert. Turns out to be THIS:

Amazons streaming "The Fireball Run Adventurally Series"! Yeah, this was a bit more than expected. And THEN, instead of answering questions, the Director, Jay, hands Les a SCRIPT! WHAT? AND he has to MEMORIZE it! Like an ACTOR!  Yeah, he was in a bit over his head there!

                                     
                                     He had little choice now but just to go with it! The Director/Producer, Two Cameramen, A Scriptwriter, and others set up their equipment and went to work.

The Director explaining what was going to happen.

Production Crew

Les memorizing his lines!

Here's Les, Director Jay, and our boss, Mike. Les is just now finding out what he is getting into!

Here Les is taking a breather after "take 8" and after the Director yells at him to show more emotion!! "Take 9" was the charm though. He tried to hold his stomach in during the "takes" and then let it out to rest! Here he is resting!

And here we are after I brought out our "Trip To Florida" clapperboard saying I could do THIS part!! We actually took this to Florida to take our  vacation videos with. I told him I could just put some tape over the "Our Trip To Florida" part!

This was all Pre-Production Taping and they will be back in September to tape the Participants in action. For those of you who don't know about this Series ( I had never heard of it ), it is sort of like "The Amazing Race" with participants this time visiting historical sites and having to do something at each site. So Les will have to be in the next taping as well. They told him to wear the same outfit so it looks like it is being taped on the same day.

This Series won't air until September of 2018! But you can be sure we are going to have a Red Carpet Showing of Les' BIG DEBUT!

In the meantime, check out the other Series on Amazon. They have had 11 Series so far!

Yup! You never know what is going to happen in this job of being Resident Director of a 49 room mansion! Stay tuned for more adventures!