The Twins Together At Last

We are so excited to announce the big move is just one week away.  Cathy is relocating to the same area as Mary.  We could not be happier, we have such big plans for us as sisters, as well as our business Twins Treasure Trove.

I recently made a trip to Chicago to help my sister Cathy pack up what she has of the Twins inventory, wow we went through the bubble wrap and boxes and coffee.  Took us almost a week to get everything properly boxed so that when the movers handled them nothing gets broke.  We do hate those kinds of surprises. 

We are looking forward to lots of fun unpacking and setting up our shop.  And I do mean fun, believe me when I say we can have fun doing anything as long as we are doing it together. Our store has less than normal inventory at the moment since half of it is boxed up for the big move  Once everything is unpacked, we are planning several outings for restocking our online store.  We have been busy working on some marketing plans.   We have recently opened a Pintrest account, as well as Wanelo so look for us there as well as our Etsy store.  We hope one day to have a bricks and mortar store, with a huge window for decorating with vintage finds. 

But most of all we want to have fun as sisters, oh don't get us wrong the business is an important part of who we are, but not the most important part.  We are sisters first and business partners second.   We hope to see you all in a couple weeks with an update on the big move.

Blessings

The Twins

Spring is Coming

  As we sit by our fires this winter season in an effort to keep warm and cozy, we are already planning our spring adventures.

  This spring will be different from all the others for the twins, we will finally be living in the same area.   Big sister is moving from Chicago with her husband to Southern Illinois. We are so excited we can hardly contain ourselves from jumping up and down and giggling like a couple school girls.  We have not lived in the same area in 47 years!

  The biggest plans aside from our business expansions, will be a big family garden.  Eating fresh food is so important to both of us, as well as providing nutritious meals for our families.  Most people do not know this but we both suffer from Fibromyalgia which makes just simple everyday activities difficult at times.    But put us together there will be no stopping us, not to mention our favorite place to be other than together, is outside with nature and plants.

  We already are in the planning stages of what we want to grow.  Of course we will plant a lot of the tried and true favorites, of tomatoes, peppers, cucumbers and onions.  Maybe some kale and definitely herbs.  This will be a challenge for Cathy as she does not have clay in her Chicago garden, so it will be interesting and funny too!  She will probably try to make pottery!

  We had a discussion on whether to put hay or straw on the garden.  We found out it is straw we should be using or we will have all kinds of stray grass growing.  Maybe for a smoothie? :)

  Whether our garden takes off or not remains to be seen. We will be prepared for a bumper crop for canning and freezing but even if we only get 2 tomatoes, we were able to spend time together which to us is what it is all about.

Happy Planning from the Twins

Merry Christmas Everyone!

We wanted to take time out from cleaning, wrapping and baking to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas! 

We will be spending our holiday separately but we both will be with family which is a blessing. 

We await the smiles and hugs from our Grandchildren and to mingle with all of our relatives.

When all of the festivities are through we will await the end of 2012 and hope for a new start with family, togetherness, happiness and good health.  

This is our wish for all of you.

Be safe in your travels and visit us again when you settle back in.

Love and Laughter,

Cathy and Mary

Cooler Weather Is On The Horizon

As we watch the 10 day forecast, each day we see the numbers dipping towards the colder season.
Trying to prepare the right way is a little confusing. If you listen to the predictions for this winter here, they are saying because last winter was mild it is going to be a rough one.  But my sister Mary says that the woolly worms are not as big and not as dark and no stripes which means mild winter.
So, on the optimistic side.......I'm going with the woolly worms.

So many things to do to get ready.  Clean the fireplace, make sure the furnace has a new filter, put the garden to bed, bring wood closer to the house, cover the air conditioners, bring out the bags of sweaters and put the shorts in the bags for next summer (or the winter getaway I dream of).

Then into the kitchen to get creative with all of the veggies left from the garden.  Stewed tomatoes for the freezer, roasted tomatoes, sliced peppers for the freezer and prepare the herbs for the freezer too.

Since we are in the cooler weather mode, comfort foods come to mind.  Bringing out the big old Club pot for soups, stews, chili, hot apple cider and so much more.  Nothing tastes like homemade soup in a good old pot.  Maybe even some apple bread baking in the oven warming the house and making it smell so wonderful and feel so cozy!

We wish you all a happy, relaxing and festive cooler weather season.
Post back to let us know how you are preparing  :)

Rocking on the Porch

Every year we wait patiently for July or August when we can get together for our sister time.  During the waiting period we talk on the phone, chat on Facebook, text, or Skype.  We have all these ideas of what we want to do together when really just sitting on the porch rockers with a cup of coffee would be just fine.
This year we spent time together cooking, rocking on the porch, shopping for our Etsy shop, rocking on the porch, going to the county fair, out to dinner, out to breakfast (awesome french toast and really crunchy bacon), but the best moments were those quiet times while fishing and sitting on the rockers on the porch. Fishing not so quiet though with a few giggles trying to get the fish off the hook.

We can all get wrapped up in the hustle bustle, but just listening to the crickets, the hummingbirds and some one on one conversation can be so relaxing, a stress buster.

Spend time with your family and friends, listen to what is said and what is not said, laugh with them, love them, hug them and take time to rock on the porch.

The Good Ole Days of Mayberry

    With the passing of Andy Griffith, it has given us alot to ponder the last few days.  We have a strong desire to go back to the simpler times.  We want to go back to when our lives were not so busy, and there was always time for family and friends.  Time to sit on the porch and visit for awhile.  We not only love vintage items, we love the times when the vintage items were created.

  Are the days of unexpected company stopping by at dinner time gone for good? 
Years ago, people would go driving around and visiting. We were always prepared to feed an extra few people at dinner time if someone did.  We usually have a standby meal that we can fix if a few extras show up.  Maybe a favorite pasta dish that could be doubled if need be.  We have become so wrapped up in our own lives that we tend to neglect the friends and extended family that we do have. 

  I live in a farming community and my property is surrounded by crops.   Several years ago the farmer who owned the fields was in the hospital and was dying, as he had lost his battle with cancer.  He had put his crops in during the planting season.  I had wondered what would happen to his crops.  One morning during harvest season, harvesters started showing up.  And they just kept coming. I had never seen such a sight.  I counted 10 harvesters in the farmers field, they had all just come to help out their neighbor and friend.  I just stood there in amazement with tears running down my face.  I was so touched by the sense of community and honor that they were showing for this man.

  We would like to see a "get back to Mayberry movement" in our communities, where people take the time to stop and see how you are doing.  A stronger sense of community and pride in our towns.

  Instead of getting frustrated because you are getting delayed while running errands and run into someone you know, just stop and talk for awhile.  It does the heart good and will lift your spirits as well as the other persons.  People need to know we care about them.  This world can be a lonely place for some people, especially the elderly and those who are alone.   Sometimes just a kind word and a huge smile can make a huge difference in someones day. 

So while we  thinking about how we wish things were like good ole Mayberry, lets start to make small changes in our own  lives.  If we all do our part, we can have our own little piece of Mayberry here today.

Have a Great Day!
Mary and Cathy

Keep it or sell it?

So many times when we go out shopping for items to sell whether it be the antique store, flea market, resale shop, Shorty's or a garage sale we have the best intentions to buy only things we feel will sell or associate with our years of youth.

While we hunt these items (coffee mugs in hand), we pick up all sorts of goodies that have a memory for one or both of us.  When we make our purchases, we get them home, wash them up and look them over for flaws. For some reason the items with flaws hang around my house to look at, until I finally go donate them for someone else to work with. (keeping it out of the landfill one item at a time)

Many times though, we look at the items and set them in a special spot where it looks good in one of our homes and keep it there for a few days or months before it is listed.  A few times, they were never listed at all because we have fallen in love with them all over again. Mary will ask me when I am going to list that beautiful pressed glass bowl we bought last month, and I will say "oops, sorry, I'm keeping it".

Once in a blue moon an item that is listed and sold can't be found because it is not in the storage area, it is in that special spot in one of our houses.  Always found of course, but can make for a panicked few moments until one of us remembers we have it.  We have enjoyed it so much that it has become a part of our home.  Now it MUST leave.

The point of having our ETSY store is to sell items, not add to our stock at home, yet we do it over and over again.

Whatever things make you feel comfy and loved that you were surrounded with through the years, keep them close.  You may turn into the crazy twins who want to keep everything. Hopefully you will never see us on the tv show HOARDERS. 

But it could happen....................
:)